THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 35

(Note: Rev. Smithson's translation of the Isaiah text is appended below the explanation)

1. THE wilderness and the parched place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom like the rose:

VERSES 1, 2. The subject here treated of is concerning the illumination of the nations. Their ignorance of Truth and Good is signified by the "wilderness" and the "parched places"; their joy, in consequence of instruction in Truths and of illumination therein, is signified by "being glad, rejoicing, and flourishing"; "the glory of Lebanon which shall be given unto it", signifies divine Truth; and "the honour of Carmel and of Sharon", the divine Good which they receive. Hence it is that it is also said "These shall behold the "glory of Jehovuh, the honour of our God." Apocalypse Explained 288.

2. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the honour of Carmel and of Sharon: these shall behold the glory of Jehovah, the honour of our God.

Verse 2. The honour of Carmel, etc. - By giving to the Lord "glory and honour", nothing else is signified ill the Word than to acknowledge and confess that all Truth and Good are from Him, thus, that He is the only God; for "glory" is given to Him from divine Truth, and "honour" from divine Good, as might be shown from many passages in the Word. (Isaiah 35:2; Psalm 96:6, 7; 104:1; 111:2, 3) Apocalypse Revealed 249.

As to "Sharon", see Chapter 33:9, the Exposition and note.

3. Strengthen you the feeble hands, and confirm you the tottering knees.

Verses 3, 4. These are words of consolation to those who were in the fear of damnation, for it is intimated that "their hands were feeble", and that "their knees were tottering." (Swedenborg's

Notes on Isaiah, p. 94.) .

4. Say you to the faint- hearted, Be you strong; fear you not: behold, your God will come to vengeance, to the retribution of God: He Himself will come, and will save you.

5. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened; and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

Verses 4-6. Behold, your God will come to vengeance, etc. - These things are said concerning the advent of the Lord, to teach that at that time they will be saved who believe in Him. That they who are not in the understanding of Truth shall then understand, is signified by "the eyes of the blind shall be opened"; and that they who are not in the perception and will of Good, shall then obey and live in Good, is signified by "the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped." It is therefore said, "In the wilderness shall break forth Waters, and strrains in the desert"; "desert" signifies where there is not Good, because there is not Truth:

"waters" signify truths, and " streams " intelligence derived from truths. Apocalypse Explained 239. See also Arcana Coelestia 2702.

6. Then shall the lame leap like the hart; and the tongue of the dumb shall sing: for in the wilderness shall break forth waters, and streams in the desert:

Verse 6. These things are said concerning the advent of the Lord. By the "lame" are signified those who are in Good, but not genuine, because in ignorance of Truth by which Good has its quality; to "leap like a hart", signifies to have joy from perception of Truth, By the "dumb" are signified those who, on account of their ignorance of Truth, cannot confess the Lord, nor the genuine truths of the church; by their "singing" is denoted joy from the intelligence of Truth. By "waters breaking out in the wilderness", is meant that truths shall be opened where they were not before; and "streams in the desert" signify intelligence there; for "waters" are truths, and "streams" intelligence. From these observations it may appear what is signified, in the. spiritulal sense, by "the deaf man whom the Lord healed, who had an impediment in his speech, concerning which see Mark 7:32-35. Apocalypse Explained 455. See also Arcana Coelestia 8508.

The tongue of the dumb shall sing, etc. - "The tongue of the dumb shall sing", signifies that they shall confess the Lord, and the things which are of faith in Him. "In the wilderness shall break forth waters, and streams in the desert", denotes that they will then have the knowledges of Truth and of Good. the "desert" is a state of no knowledges, from ignorance. By the "dumb" who were healed by the Lord, are also signified the nations who, by His advent into the world, were delivered from falsities and the evils thence derived. Arcana Coelestia 6988.

7. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: and in the habitation of dragons , where each lay, [shall be] grass, instead of the reed and the bulrush.

Verse 7. Speaking of the establishment of the church by the Lord. That then they with whom there was not any intelligence before, shall now have intelligence by divine Truth spiritual, is signified by "the parched ground becoming a pool"; and that then there shall be scIence by divine Truth natural for those with whom before there was only sensual truth, is signified by "grass instead of the reed and the bulrush"; "grass" denoting science from a spiritual origin, or by which spiritual Truth is confirmed, and "reed" and "bulrush" science from a sensual origin, or by which the fallacies of the senses are confirmed. This latter science, considered in itself, is only the lowest natural science, properly called material and corporeal, in which there is little or nothing of life. Apocalypse Explained 627.

8. And a highway shall be there, and a way; and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass through it: but it shall be for them; he that walks in the way, and fools shall not err therein.

Verse 8. That "way" denotes Truth, is grounded in appearance in the spiritual world, where also ways and paths, and, in the cities, streets and lanes appear; and spirits go in no other direction than to those with whom they are consociated by love. Hence It IS that the quality of the spirits there, in regard to Truth, is known from the way which they go; for all Truth leads to its Love, inasmuch as that is called Truth which confirms what is loved; hence it is that "way" also, in common discourse, denotes Truth, for the speech of man has derived this, like several other expressions, from the spiritual world. From this ground now it is that, In the Word, by "way", "path", "by-path", "orbit", "street", and "lane", are signified Truths, and, in the opposite sense, falsities, as is evident from the following passages:

"Stand you near the ways, and see; inquire concerning the ways of an age which way is the best." (Jeremiah 6:16)

Again,

"Make good your ways and your works; trust not in yourselves on the words of a lie." (Jeremiah 7:3-5)

Again,

"Learn not the way of the nations." (Jeremiah 10:2)

Again,

"I will give to every one, according to his ways, according to the fruit of his works. (Jeremiah 17:10)

Again,

"They have made them to stumble in their ways, the by-path of an age, that they might go away into paths, a way not paved. (Jeremiah 18:15)

Again,

"I will give them one heart, and one way. (Jeremiah 32:39)

And In David:

"Your ways, O Jehovah, make known to me; Your paths teach me. Lead me in Your Truth", (Psalm 25:4, 5)

In these passages, and in many others, by a "Way" is signified Truth! and, in the opposite sense, the false. Arcana Coelestia 10422.

9. No lion shall be there; nor shall any ravenous beast come up thither: neither shall it be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there.

10. And the ransomed of Jehovah shall return: they shall come to Zion with singing, and with everlasting joy upon their heads: gladness and joy shall they obtain; and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Verse 9. Treating of the advent of the Lord, and of the state of those who are in His kingdom. That" no lion shall be there", signifies that there shall be no false principle destroying Truth; and that "no ravenous beast shall come up thither", denotes that there shall be no lust of destroying. Inasmuch as this lust is from hell. It is therefore said, "It shall not come up thither." A. E, 388.

Verses 9, 10. Also treating concerning the advent of the Lord, and concerning the salvation of those who suffer themselves to be regenerated by the Lord. That there shall not be with them the false destroying Truth, nor evil destroying Good is signified by "no lion shall be there; nor shall any ravenous beast come up thither, neither shall it be found there." That they are vindicated from evils and liberated from falsities, is signified by "the redeemed shall walk there", and by "the ransomed of Jehovah shall return." The eternal felicity which they shall have, is signified by "they shall come to Zion with singing, and with everlasting joy upon their heads"; "Zion" denotes the church; what is signified by "singing", see Chapter 12:2, the Exposition. There are two words in the original tongue by which redemption is expressed, one signifies vindication from evils, the other liberation from falsities; and hence it is said "The redeemed shall walk, and the ransomed of Jehovah shall return:" In like manner those two expressions in Hosea 13:14; and in David, Psalm 69:18, 107:6.

That to "redeem" signifies to vindicate from evils and to liberate from falsities, and also to vindicate and liberate from hell is because all the evils and falsities with man rise up from hell; which inasmuch as they are removed by reformation and regeneration from the Lord, therefore reformation and regeneration are also signified by "redeeming" or by "redemption", as in the following passages in David:

"Arise for help unto us, and redeem us for Your mercies' sake" (Psalm 44:26),

where to "redeem" denotes to liberate and reform.

Again,

"God has redeemed my soul out of the hand of hell, and He will accept me." (Psalm 49:15)

To "redeem out of the hand of hell", denotes to liberate; and to "accept me", is to claim and conjoin to Himself, or to cause to be His, as servants sold and redeemed. Apocalypse Explained 328.

And sorrow and sighing shall flee away. - These words involve a total cessation of all temptation. See above, Chapter 25:8, the Exposition.

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Isaiah Chapter 35

1. THE wilderness and the parched place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom like the rose:

2. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the honour of Carmel and of Sharon: these shall behold the glory of Jehovah, the honour of our God.

3. Strengthen you the feeble hands, and confirm you the tottering knees.

4. Say you to the faint- hearted, Be you strong; fear you not: behold, your God will come to vengeance, to the retribution of God: He Himself will come, and will save you.

5. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened; and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

6. Then shall the lame leap like the hart; and the tongue of the dumb shall sing: for in the wilderness shall break forth waters, and streams in the desert:

7. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: and in the habitation of dragons , where each lay, [shall be] grass, instead of the reed and the bulrush.

8. And a highway shall be there, and a way; and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass through it: but it shall be for them; he that walks in the way, and fools shall not err therein.

9. No lion shall be there; nor shall any ravenous beast come up thither: neither shall it be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there.

10. And the ransomed of Jehovah shall return: they shall come to Zion with singing, and with everlasting joy upon their heads: gladness and joy shall they obtain; and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

83. And I became dead, signifies that He was rejected. This is evident from this, that the Lord is said to be "dead" when faith in Him and love towards Him are no more; for with those who are in love towards Him and faith in Him the Lord lives, but with those who are not in love and in faith toward Him He does not live. With such He is said to be "dead" because He is rejected. This is what is here meant in the internal sense by the words "I became dead;" but in the sense of the letter it is meant that He was crucified. The Lord's being crucified has a like signification in the internal sense, namely, that He was rejected and treated thus by the Jews; for the Lord, when He was in the world, was Divine truth itself, and as Divine truth was altogether rejected by the Jews, therefore the Lord, who was Divine truth, suffered Himself to be crucified. Such things are signified by all that is related in the Evangelists concerning the Lord's passion; the particulars, even to every minutest particular, involve this. Whenever, therefore, the Lord speaks of His passion He calls Himself the Son of man, that is, Divine truth (See above, n. 63). That Divine truth was altogether rejected by the Jews is well known; for they accepted nothing that the Lord said, and not even that He was the Son of God. From this it may be known how those things that the Lord said to the disciples about the Jews' rejection of Him are to be understood. Thus in Luke:

The Son of man must suffer many things, and be repudiated by the elders and chief priests and scribes (Luke 9:22).

In the same:

The Son of man must suffer many things, and be repudiated by this generation (Luke 17:25).

In Mark:

It is written of the Son of man, that He should suffer many things and be set at naught (Mark 9:12).

In Luke:

Jesus took unto Him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all the things that are foretold through the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For He shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and shamefully entreated, and spit upon; and after they have scourged Him, they shall put Him to death; but the third day He shall rise again (Luke 18:31-33).

The way in which the Jews treated Divine truth, which was from the Word, is signified by these particulars. "Jerusalem" here is the Jewish Church; "to be delivered unto the Gentiles, to be mocked, to be shamefully entreated, to be spit upon, to be scourged, to be put to death," are the wicked ways in which the Jews treated Divine truth; and as the Lord was Divine truth itself, because He was the Word (John 1:14), and as it was foretold in the prophets that Divine truth would be so dealt with in the end of the church, therefore it is said, "that all things may be accomplished that have been foretold through the prophets concerning the Son of man." So elsewhere in the same Gospel:

These are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Me (Luke 24:44).

That all things were accomplished when Jesus was crucified He Himself said, when He was upon the cross:

Jesus, knowing that all things were accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst (John 19:28).

He then said, "I thirst," because He longed for a new church that would acknowledge Him. (That to "thirst," in the spiritual sense, signifies to long for, and that it is predicated of the truths of the church, see Arcana Coelestia 4958, 4976, 8568.) These are also the things that were predicted by Daniel concerning vastation and desolation:

After sixty and two weeks shall the Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself; then the people of the Prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, so that its end shall be with a flood. At last upon the bird of abominations shall be desolation, and even to the consummation and decision it shall drop upon the devastation (Daniel 9:26-27).

"Desolation" and "vastation" signify repudiation and rejection of Divine truth with those that are of the church (See Arcana Coelestia 5360, 5376). That Divine truth, which is the Word, was so repudiated by the Jews, is also meant by these words in Matthew:

I say unto you that Elias is come already, and they have not acknowledged him, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Even so shall the Son of man suffer of them (Matthew 17:12).

By "Elias" the Word is signified (See Arcana Coelestia, preface to chapter 18 of Genesis, and in n. 2762, 5247), and also by "John the Baptist;" therefore he was called "Elias" (n. 7643, 9372). From this it can be seen what is signified by "Elias has come," and that "they have done to him whatsoever they listed," and that "the Son of man is to suffer of them." How the Jews explained and thus rejected the Word is clear from many passages in the Gospels, where the Lord makes this manifest. From this it can now be seen that "I became dead," signifies that He was rejected. Moreover, that the Lord, by the passion of the cross, also glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine, see New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 294-295, 302, 305.