THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 60

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

1. ARISE, be you enlightened; for your light is come, and the glory of Jehovah has risen, upon you.

VERSES 1, 2, 3, 20. The advent of the Lord is here treated of. "Light" is the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, and "His glory and the brightness of His rising" are all things which appear in that light concerning the Lord, and concerning Faith in Him and Love to Him, "Darkness which shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples", are the obscure things of faith and of love; for the establishment of the church among the Gentiles or nations is the subject treated of. Hence it follows that by the "light" and "glory" which shall arise, and which shall be seen, and according to which they shall walk, are divine Truths concerning the Lord, and concerning faith in Him and love to Him from Him. Arcana Coelestia 10574. See also Arcana Coelestia 5922.

In these verses the Lord is treated of, and the nations are said to "come unto Him", and to "acknowledge Him as their God"; and, what is wonderful, the nations or Gentiles adore one only God under a human form; wherefore when they hear concerning the Lord, they receive and acknowledge Him; nor can the New Church be established amongst others. Arcana Coelestia 9256.

2. For, behold! darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples: but upon You shall Jehovah arise, and His glory shall be seen upon You.

Verses 2, 3. These things are said concerning the Lord. The Divine in Him is understood by "Jehovah shall arise upon You, and His glory shall be seen upon You"; the Divine Good of the Divine Love by "Jehovah shall arise upon You, and the Divine Truth from that Good by "His glory shall be seen upon You." "Nations" signify those who are in Goods, and "kings" those who are in Truths from Good; concerning the former it is said, "they shall come or walk to Your light", whereby is signified a life according to Divine Truth; and concerning the latter, "they shall walk to the brightness of Your rising", whereby is signified the life of intelligence from Divine Good; to "walk" denoting to live; "light", the Divine Truth; and the "brightness of His rising", the Divine Truth from the Divine Good, whence intelligence is derived. Apocalypse Explained 422.

3. And the nations shall come to Your light, and kings to the brightness of Your rising.

Verses 3, 5, 11, 12, 6, 22. The Lord is here treated of. By the "nations" are understood all who are in the Good of Love to Him, and by "kings" all who are in Truths of Faith in Him; hence it is evident who are meant by "the nations who shall walk to Your light", and by "the host of the nations who shall be brought", and who by "the kings that shall walk to the brightness of Your rising"; and also what is understood by "You shalt suck the milk of the nations [or Gentiles], and the breast of kings"; "milk" is the delight from the Good of love, in like manner the "breasts", because from them is milk. The multiplication of Truth and the fructification of Good is described, in verse 22, by "a little one becoming a thousand, and a small one a strong nation"; but by "the nations which shall be devastated " are understood all who are in evils. Apocalypse Explained 175.

4. Lift up, thine eyes round about, and see; all of them are gathered together, they come unto you: your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side.

Verse 4. Your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. - As to what is understood in the spiritual sense by these words, see above, Chapter 49:17, 22, 23, the Exposition.

5. Then shalt you behold, and shalt overflow [with joy]; and your heart shall be astonished, and dilated: when the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto you; when the wealth of the nations shall come unto you.

Verses 5, 6. When the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto You, etc. - These words treat of the Lord and of the divine, celestial, and spiritual things in His Natural [principle]. The "abundance of the sea" signifies the immense abundance of natural Truth; the "multitude of camels" denotes the abundance of common scientifics; "gold and frankincense" are Goods and Truths, which are "the praises of Jehovah"; "from Sheba" is from the celestial things of love and faith; as may be seen, n. Arcana Coelestia 113-117.

"The queen of Sheba coming to Solomon at Jerusalem, with very great riches, and with camels carrying spices; and very much gold, and precious stones", (1 Kings 10:1, 2) represented the wisdom and intelligence which the Lord [in the process of His glorification] acquired, who, in the internal sense, is "Solomon"; "the camels carrying spices, gold, and precious stones", signify those things which belong to wisdom and intelligence in the natural man. Arcana Coelestia 3048.

These words also treat of the Lord's spiritual kingdom. The "dromedaries of Midian and Ephah" signify doctrinals; the doctrinals of Good are "gold"; the doctrinals of Truth are "frankincense"; both are "the praises of Jehovah." Hence it may be seen what "Midian" and "Ephah" signify, namely, "Midian" signifies those who are in the Truths of Faith, and as "Ephah" (Genesis 25:4) was a son of Midian, derivations from the Truths of Faith are signified by him, [or by "the land of Ephah."] No one is admitted into the Lord's kingdom, but those who are in the Good of Faith; for the Good of Faith is the Good of life. The life of Faith remains, but not the doctrine or Truth of Faith, except so far as it forms one with the life; nevertheless, those who are in the Truth of Faith, that is, who profess Faith, and call it the essential [of religion], because they have been so taught to believe, and are, notwithstanding, in the Good of life; that is, who in heart are Christians, and not in mouth only, are in the spiritual kingdom of the Lord; for anyone can be easily persuaded to believe that Faith is the essential, when he has been thus taught by masters, and when in his juvenile age he has been imbued with that opinion, and because those who are esteemed most learned, and who are the heads of the church, thus teach. Arcana Coelestia 3242.

6. A multitude of camels shall cover you; the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all of them from Sheba shall come: gold and frankincense shall they bring; and they shall show forth the praises of Jehovah.

Verse 6. The advent of the Lord is here treated of.

By "the multitude of camels, and the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah"; are signified knowledges of Truth and of Good in abundance; "all from Sheba, who shall come", signifies from the knowledges of genuine Truth and Good; "Sheba" denoting such knowledges, as may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 1171, 3240.

By "the gold and frankincense which they shall bring", is signified worship from spiritual Good, which is derived from celestial Good, - "gold" signifying celestial Good, and "frankincense" spiritual Good; on account of such worship being meant, it is therefore said "They shall show forth the praises of Jehovah", by which is signified the preaching of the Gospel concerning the Lord, also the worship of Him. Apocalypse Explained 324.

Verses 6, 9. A multitude of camels shall cover you; - the islands shall trust in Me, etc.

- By "a multitude of camels" are understood all who are in the kuowledges of Truth and of Good, see Arcana Coelestia 3048, 3071; by "Sheba", whence they shall come, is understood where the knowledges themselves are, see Arcana Coelestia 1171, 3240; by "the gold and frankincense which they shall bring", are understood Goods and Truths derived from Good, which thence are grateful, - by "gold" the Goods, and by "frankincense" the Truths, see Arcana Coelestia 9993, 10177.

By "the islands which shall trust in Him", are understood the nations which are in divine worship, but more remote from the Truths of the church, see Arcana Coelestia 1158; by "the ships of Tarshish" are understood common knowledges of Truth and of Good, in which are contained many particular knowledges, see Arcana Coelestia 1977, 6385; by "the sons whom they shall bring from afar", are understood Truths more remote, see Arcana Coelestia 8613, 9487; "sons" denote Truths, as above, and "from afar" denotes which are more remote; by "their silver and their gold with them", are signified the knowledges of Truth and of Good which they possess.

Similar things are understood by what is written in Matthew, that "the wise men who came from the East to the place where the Lord was born, offered gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh"; (Matthew 2:11) they offered those things because they signified Goods and Truths; interior and exterior, which are gifts grateful to God. Apocalypse Explained 242.

7. All the cattle of Arabia shall be gathered unto you; unto you shall the rams of Nebaioth minister: they shall ascend with good pleasure on Mine altar; and I will glorify the house of My glory.

Verse 7. The subject here treated of is concerning the advent of the Lord, and these words have reference to the Lord Himself. By "all the cattle of Arabia which shall be gathered together", and by "the rams of Nebaioth which shall minister", are signified all spiritual Goods, external and internal; by "cattle" are understood external Goods, and by "rams" internal Goods; and by "Arabia " and "Nebaioth" things spiritual. "They shall ascend with acceptance on Mine altar, and I will glorify the house of My glory", signifies the Divine Human of the Lord, in which these things will be; the "altar" denoting His Divine Human as to Divine Good, and the "house of glory" the same us to Divine Truth, That the Lord as to His Divine Human is here understood appears from the former part of this chapter, where it is said, "Jehovah shall arise upon You, and His glory shall be seen upon You"; as also by what follows, where the Lord is described as to the Divine Wisdom, with which He was to be filled as to His Humanity. Inasmuch as the "altar", in a supreme sense, signifies the Divine Human of the Lord, therefore it also signifies heaven and the church; for the angelic heaven, properly considered, is from the Divine which proceeds from the Divine Human of the Lord, whence it is that the angelic heaven in its whole complex is as one Man, and is, therefore, also called the Grand Man, concerning which see what is shown in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 59-86; and concerning the like circumstance with respect to the church, see n. 57 in the same work; and inasmuch as all worship is from the Lord, for it is the Divine which is communicated to man from the Lord, in which the Lord Himself is present, hence by the "altar" is signified, in general, the all of worship which proceeds from the Good of love, and by the "temple" the worship which proceeds from the Truths derived from that Good; for all worship is either from Love or from Faith, or from Good or from Truth. Worship from the Good of love is such as exists in the celestial kingdom of the Lord; and worship from Truths derived from that Good, which Truths are also called Truths of Faith, is such as exists ill the spiritual kingdom of the Lord; concerning which see also what is further shown in the same work, n. 20-28. Apocalypse Explained 391.

The cattle of Arabia. - In respect to "Arabia" and " Kedar", see Chapter 21:11, 13, 14, the Exposition.

Verses 7, 8. All the cattle of Arabia, - the rams of Nebaioth, etc. Who are these that fly like a cloud? and like doves to their windows? - The illustration of the nations by the Lord's coming is here treated of.

By "all the cattle of Arabia which shall be gathered together", are signified all the knowledges of Truth and of Good; by "the rams of Nebaioth which shall minister", are signified Truths, which lend the life by virtue of spiritual affection. By, "flying like a cloud, and like doves to their windows", is denoted the investigation and examination of the Truth, from the sense of the letter of the Word; hence also by "flying" is signified circumspection; for by a " cloud" is meant the sense of the letter of the Word, by "doves" the spiritual affection of Truth, and by "windows" the Truth in the light. That such a sense is contained in these words, may appear from the signification, in the spiritual sense, of "the cattle of Arabia", of "the rams of Nebaioth", of a "cloud", of "doves." and of "windows." Apocalypse Explained 28.

8. Who are these that fly like a cloud? and like doves to their windows?

9. Verily the islands shall trust in Me; and the ships of Tarshish among the first: to bring your sons from afar; their silver and their gold with them: to the name of Jehovah your God, and to the Holy One of Israel; for He has glorified you.

Verses 8, 9. These things are said concerning the Lord, and by them is signified that they who are in simple Truth and Good would receive and acknowledge Him, who are such as perceive the Truths of the Word in a natural manner, which is according to the sense of the letter, and do them. By the "islands" are signified those who are in this kind of perception of the Word; and by the "ships of Tarshish", in the beginning, are denoted the Goods which they bear and do; for "Tarshish" signifies the natural man as to knowledges of Good, inasmuch as in Tarshish was gold and silver, and the ships carried these things thence, (1 Kings 10:22) and in the beginning the "gold", by which is signified Good; and Truths being from Good, it is therefore also said, "To bring your sons from afar." And inasmuch as by "islands" and the "ships of Tarshish" are signified the knowledges of Truth and of Good appertaining to the natural man, it is therefore said, "Who are these that fly like a cloud? and like doves to their windows?"-"clouds" signifying the Truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, "doves" the Goods therein, and "windows" Truths from Good in light. That "ships" signify the knowledges of Truth and of Good from the Word, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 1977, 6385; and that "windows" signify Truths in light, and thence what is intellectual, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 655, 658, 3391. Apocalypse Explained 406.

10. And the sons of the alien shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister unto you: for in My wrath I smote you, but in My good pleasure have I had mercy on you.

Verse 10. "Strangers" and the "sons of the alien" denote those who do not acknowledge the Lord, and are unwilling to acknowledge Him, whether they be out of the church or within it, thus who are in evils, and in the falsities of evil; for those who do not acknowledge the Lord must needs be in evils and the falsities of evil, for from the Lord is every Good and every Truth of Good. That this is the signification of "strangers", in a bad sense, is abundantly evident from the Word. (See (Jeremiah 2:25; 51:51; see also above, Chapter 1:7, the Exposition.) But when "strangers" and the "sons of the alien" are said to "build up the walls of Jerusalem", and to be "the husbandmen and the vinedressers of the people of Israel", (Isaiah 61:5) they denote those in the church who are in mere externals of worship without internals, and who are, consequently, reduced to the performance of menial services in the church. (See Chapter 61:5, 6, the Exposition.) Arcana Coelestia 10287.

In My wrath I smote you, but in My good pleasure have I had mercy on you. - To "smite in wrath", signifies temptation; "in good pleasure to have mercy", signifies deliverance from a principle of love. Apocalypse Explained 205.

11. And your gates shall be open continually; by day and by night they shall not be shut: to bring unto you the wealth of the nations, and that their kings may be brought.

12. For the nation and the kingdom which will not serve you shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly devastated.

Verses 11, 12, 18. The subject here treated of is concerning the Lord, and concerning the church about to be established by Him; and by the above particulars is described the perpetual admission of those who are in Good and thence in Truths.

By "the gates being open continually, and not shut by day and by night", is understood perpetual admission; by "the host of the nations [or Gentiles] are signified those who are in Good, and by "kings" those who are in Truths; and that all should serve the Lord, is understood by its being said that "the nation and the kingdom which will not serve You shall perish." That "nation" or "nations" signify those who are in Good, may be seen above, 11. 275; and that "kings signify those who are in Truths, n. 31. Apocalypse Explained 208.

13. The glory of Lebanon shall come unto you; the fir-tree, the pine, and the box together; to adorn the place of My sanctuary, and I will make the place of My feet glorious.

14. And the sons of them that afflicted you shall come bending before you; and all they that despised you shall bow themselves down at the soles of your feet: and they shall call you, The City of Jehovah; The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

Verse 13. The "glory of Lebanon", or the "cedar", is spiritual Good and Truth; the "fir-tree", the "pine", and the "Lox" are natural Goods and Truths which correspond. The "place of My sanctuary" is heaven and the church, and also the Word; the "place of My feet" is heaven, the church, and the Word in ultimates; that it is also the Word is, because heaven is heaven from the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord; in like manner the church; and the Divine Truth which makes the church and heaven is the Word. Hence it was that the inmost of the Tabernacle where the Ark was, in which the Law was deposited, was called the "Sanctuary"; the "Law" is the Word. Arcana Coelestia 9406.

See further as to the meaning of the "cedar", "fir-tree", "box", etc., Chapter 41:19, the Exposition.

I will make the place of My feet glorious. - By "the place of the feet" of the Lord, in the general sense, are understood all things of heaven and the church, inasmuch as the Lord as a Sun is above the heavens; but, in a particular sense, by "the place of His feet" is signified the church; for the church of the Lord is with men in the natural world, and the natural principle is the ultimate into which the Divine [sphere] closes, and upon which it as it were subsists. Hence it follows that the church on earth is also called "the footstool of the Lord"; as in Isaiah:

"The earth is the stool of My feet." (Isaiah 66:1)

See also Matthew 5:35. Apocalypse Explained 606.

15. Instead of your being forsaken and bated, so that no one passed through you, I will make you an eternal magnificence, a joy of perpetual generations.

Verses 15, 16. I will make you an eternal magnificence, etc. - Here "Zion" and "Jerusalem" are treated of, which are the celestial church, "Zion" its internal, and "Jerusalem " its external. To "suck the milk of the Gentiles", signifies the insinuation of celestial Good; to "suck the breast of kings", denotes the insinuation of celestial Truth. Everybody can see that there is a sense hidden in these words which does not appear in the letter, and that it is holy, because it is the divine Word; otherwise, what would be the meaning of "sucking the milk of, the Gentiles, and the breasts of kings"? The sense which is hidden, and which is holy, cannot possibly appear, unless it be known what is meant by "sucking", by "milk", by "Gentiles", by "breasts", and by "kings." Arcana Coelestia 6745.

16. And you shalt suck the milk of the nations; yea, you shalt suck the breast of kings: and you shalt know that I Jehovah am your Saviour and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

Verse 16. "Kings" denote Truths grounded in Good from the Lord, as may be seen above, n. 31; and "breasts" denote that Good, which is the Good of spiritual love. That the "breast" signifies the Good of spiritual love is from correspondence with heaven; for the whole heaven corresponds to all things of man, - the inmost or third heaven corresponds to the head, the middle or second to the breast, and the ultimate or first to the feet. On account of such, correspondence heaven is also called the Grand Man, and because the inmost or third heaven corresponds to the head, therefore by the "head" is signified the Good of celestial love, which is the Good of love to the Lord; the reason is, because that Good reigns in and makes that heaven; and because the middle or second heaven corresponds to the breast, therefore by the "breast" is signified the Good of spiritual love, which is the Good of neighbourly love, by reason that this Good reigns in and constitutes that heaven; and because the ultimate or first heaven corresponds to the feet, therefore by "feet" is signified the Good of natural love derived from spiritual, which is the Good of faith; the reason is, because that Good reigns in and constitutes that heaven. Apocalypse Explained 65.

Verses 16, 17. By "breasts" are signified the affections of what is Good and True, both because they belong to the province of conjugial love and because thereby infants are nourished hence it is that the "breasts" signify the conjunction of conjugial love with the love of infants. To "suck the breasts of kings", is to suck Good out of Truth, for by " "kings" are signified primary Truths. (See Arcana Coelestia 1672, 2015)

That by the milk of the nations [or Gentiles]", and by "the breast of lungs", something recondite, which is spiritual, is signified, must be evident; for otherwise they would be words without sense. That they signify what is good and True, is evident from those things which follow, namely:

"Instead of brass, I will bring gold; and instead of iron, I will bring silver"; for "brass" is natural Good, (Arcana Coelestia 425) "gold" is celestial Good; (Arcana Coelestia 113) "iron" is natural Truth and "silver" is spiritual Truth, (1551.) Arcana Coelestia 6432. See also 643, 1551.

17. Instead of brass, I will bring gold; and instead of iron, I will bring silver; and instead of wood, brass; and instead of stones, iron: and I will make your government peace, and your exactors righteousness.

18. Violence shall no more be heard in your land; nor devastation and destruction within your borders: but you shalt call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.

Verses. 17, 18. The subject treated of in this chapter is concerning the advent of the Lord, and the New Heaven and the New Church to be then established; and by the above words is understood that they shall be spiritual and not natural as before, namely, they who are conjoined to the Lord by the Good of love; and that there shall be no more dissension or disagreement between the internal or spiritual man, and the external or natural man. That they shall be spiritual, and not natural as before, is understood by "Instead of brass, I will bring gold; and instead of iron, I will bring silver; and instead of wood, brass; and instead of stones, iron"; "brass iron and stones " signifying things natural, and "gold, silver, and iron in the place thereof", denoting things spiritual - "gold" spiritual Good, "silver" the Truth of that Good, and "iron" spiritual-natural Truth. That the Lord will rule by the Good of love, is signified by "I will make your government peace, and thine exactors justice"; "government" denoting rule, "peace" the Lord, and "justice" Good from the Lord. That there will be then no more disagreement between the spiritual and the natural man, is signified by "violence shall no more be heard in the land, devastation and destruction [confractio] in your borders"; by violence is meant dissension: by"land, the internal spiritual man, inasmuch as in that man the church is, which, in general, is signified by "land." or "earth"; by "devastation and destruction which shall be no more", is denoted that there shall be no longer any evils and falsities; and by "in your borders", is signified in the natural man; for in the things appertaining to the natural man, spiritual things are terminated. The reason why "devastation" and "destruction" signify evils and falsities is, because evils devastate the natural man, and falsities destroy [or break him up]. Apocalypse Explained 305.

Verse 18. You shalt call your walls Salvation, etc. - That "walls" signify the Truths of Faith defending, see Chapter 26:1, the Exposition.

19. The sun shall be no more your light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto you: for Jehovah shall be to you an everlasting light, and your God shall be your glory.

Verses 19, 20. By the "sun" here is signified the love which is merely natural, and by the "moon" the natural lumen thence derived; but by the "sun" and "moon" last mentioned, is understood the Sun and Moon of the angelic heaven; and by that "Sun" is signified the Divine Love of the Lord, and by the "Moon" the Divine Truth. This may appear from its being first said, "The sun shall be no more your light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto you"; and afterwards, "Your Sun shall no more go down; neither shall your Moon withdraw itself." From these considerations it is now evident what the "sun" and "moon" signify in both senses. Apocalypse Explained 401.

By "the sun and the moon which shall shine no longer", is understood the love of self, and one's own intelligence; and by "the Sun and the Moon which shall set no more", are understood love from the Lord to the Lord, and intelligence and also faith from Him. Apocalypse Revealed 919.

20. Your sun shall no more go down; neither shall your moon withdraw itself: for Jehovah shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be fulfilled.

Verse 20. Treating concerning the Lord, and the New Heaven and the New Earth, that is, concerning the Church to be established by Him. That the Good of love to the Lord should not perish, nor the Good of charity towards their neighbour, in those who belong to that church, is understood by "Your Sun shall no more go down; neither shall your Moon withdraw itself:" for the Lord appears to those who are in the Good of love to Him as a Sun, and to those who are in Truths from the Good of charity towards their neighbour as a Moon; hence by "your Sun" is signified the Good of love to the Lord, and by "your Moon" the Good of charity, which, in its essence, is Truth from Good. That they shall be to eternity in Truths from the Good of love, and in Truths from the Good of charity, is understood by "Jehovah shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be fulfilled"; the "everlasting light" is said of those who are in the Good of love to the Lord, and the "fulfilment of the days of mourning" of those who are in the Good of charity towards their neighbour, or in Truths originating in that Good; for "mourning", in the ancient churches, represented grief all account of the loss or deprivation of Truth and of Good; that "they shall be fulfilled" signifies that they shall be ended, and that they shall be in Truths from Good. From these considerations it may appear what is signified, in the opposite sense, by "the sun being darkened at his rising", and by "the moon not causing her light to shine", as may be seen in Isaiah 13:10, the Exposition. Apocalypse Explained 401.

21. And your people shall be all just; for ever shall they possess the land: the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I maybe glorified.

Verse 21. As to "just" and also as to "justice", see Chapter 57:1, the Exposition.

The work of My hands. - All things which are done by the Lord are called "the works of His hands", which are properly His works, and in themselves are Goods and Truths, as in the above passage; see also Chap, Isaiah 64:8. But "the works of man's hands" are from his proprium, hence from what is evil and false, as may be manifest from this fact, that it was prohibited to "build an altar and a temple of hewn stones, or to move an iron tool upon them." (Exodus 20:25; Joshua 8:30, 31; 1 Kings 6:7) Apocalypse Revealed 457. See also above, as to "hewn stones", Chapter 9:10, the Exposition.

22. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I Jehovah will hasten it in its time.

Verse 22. By these words is signified the multiplication of Truths and the fructification of Goods. Apocalypse Explained 175.

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Isaiah Chapter 60.

1. ARISE, be you enlightened; for your light is come, and the glory of Jehovah has risen, upon you.

2. For, behold! darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples: but upon You shall Jehovah arise, and His glory shall be seen upon You.

3. And the nations shall come to Your light, and kings to the brightness of Your rising.

4. Lift up, thine eyes round about, and see; all of them are gathered together, they come unto you: your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side.

5. Then shalt you behold, and shalt overflow [with joy]; and your heart shall be astonished, and dilated: when the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto you; when the wealth of the nations shall come unto you.

6. A multitude of camels shall cover you; the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all of them from Sheba shall come: gold and frankincense shall they bring; and they shall show forth the praises of Jehovah.

7. All the cattle of Arabia shall be gathered unto you; unto you shall the rams of Nebaioth minister: they shall ascend with good pleasure on Mine altar; and I will glorify the house of My glory.

8. Who are these that fly like a cloud? and like doves to their windows?

9. Verily the islands shall trust in Me; and the ships of Tarshish among the first: to bring your sons from afar; their silver and their gold with them: to the name of Jehovah your God, and to the Holy One of Israel; for He has glorified you.

10. And the sons of the alien shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister unto you: for in My wrath I smote you, but in My good pleasure have I had mercy on you.

11. And your gates shall be open continually; by day and by night they shall not be shut: to bring unto you the wealth of the nations, and that their kings may be brought.

12. For the nation and the kingdom which will not serve you shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly devastated.

13. The glory of Lebanon shall come unto you; the fir-tree, the pine, and the box together; to adorn the place of My sanctuary, and I will make the place of My feet glorious.

14. And the sons of them that afflicted you shall come bending before you; and all they that despised you shall bow themselves down at the soles of your feet: and they shall call you, The City of Jehovah; The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15. Instead of your being forsaken and bated, so that no one passed through you, I will make you an eternal magnificence, a joy of perpetual generations.

16. And you shalt suck the milk of the nations; yea, you shalt suck the breast of kings: and you shalt know that I Jehovah am your Saviour and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

17. Instead of brass, I will bring gold; and instead of iron, I will bring silver; and instead of wood, brass; and instead of stones, iron: and I will make your government peace, and your exactors righteousness.

18. Violence shall no more be heard in your land; nor devastation and destruction within your borders: but you shalt call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.

19. The sun shall be no more your light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto you: for Jehovah shall be to you an everlasting light, and your God shall be your glory.

20. Your sun shall no more go down; neither shall your moon withdraw itself: for Jehovah shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be fulfilled.

21. And your people shall be all just; for ever shall they possess the land: the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I maybe glorified.

22. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I Jehovah will hasten it in its time.

9406. 'And under His feet' means the lowest level of meaning, which is that of the letter itself. This is clear from the meaning of 'feet' as natural things, dealt with in 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952, so that the soles under the feet are the lowest things in the natural order. The reason why the lowest level of meaning in the Word, which is the sense of the letter, is meant here by 'under the feet' is that these words refer to Divine Truth or the Word, which comes from the Lord and is the Lord, as may be recognized from what has come before. And the lowest level of God's truth or the Word is the Word as it exists in the sense of the letter, that is, the natural sense since it is intended for the natural man. The fact that the sense of the letter contains an internal sense, which in comparison is spiritual and heavenly, is clear from all those things which have been shown up to now regarding the Word. But the more worldly- and bodily-minded a person is, the less he understands this, because he does not allow himself to be raised into spiritual light and from there to see what the Word is like, namely that in the letter it is natural and in the internal sense is spiritual. For it is possible to see from the spiritual world or the light of heaven what lower things down to the lowest are like, but not from below upwards, 9401 (end), and so to see that the Word in the letter is as described above.

[2] Since the Word in the letter is natural, and natural things are meant by 'the feet', the lowest level of the Word, like the lowest of the Church, is called 'the place of Jehovah's feet', also 'His footstool', ¹ as well as 'clouds and darkness' in comparison, as in Isaiah,

They will keep Your gates open continually, to bring to You the army ² of the nations, and their kings in procession. ³ The glory of Lebanon will come to You, the fir, the pine, and the box tree together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; and I will make the place of My feet glorious. Isaiah 60:11, 13.

This refers to the Lord and to His kingdom and Church. 'The army of the nations' is used to mean those with whom forms of the good of faith exist, and 'kings' to mean those with whom the truths of faith are present. For the meaning of 'nations' as those with whom forms of the good of faith exist, see 1259, 1328, 1416, 1849, 4574, 6005, and for that of 'kings' as those with whom truths are present, 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068, 6148. 'The glory of Lebanon', or the cedar, is spiritual good and truth; 'the fir, the pine, and the box tree' are corresponding, natural forms of good and truth; 'the place of the sanctuary' is heaven and the Church, and the Word as well; 'the place of the feet' is heaven, the Church, and the Word as well, on their lowest levels. The reason why the Word as well is meant is that heaven is heaven, and the Church likewise the Church, by virtue of Divine Truth emanating from the Lord, and Divine Truth which makes the Church and heaven is the Word. This also explains why the inmost part of the tent in which the ark containing the law was is called 'the sanctuary'; for 'the law' is the Word, 6752. In the same prophet,

The heavens are My throne and the earth My footstool. Isaiah 66:1.

[3] In David,

Exalt Jehovah our God, and worship at His footstool. Holy is He! Moses and Aaron were among His priests; He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud. Psalms 99:5-7.

'Jehovah's footstool' which they were to worship at is Divine Truth on its lowest levels, thus the Word. 'Moses and Aaron' in the representative sense are the Word, see 7089, 7382, 9373, 9374, and 'cloud' is the Word in the letter or Divine Truth on its lowest levels, see Preface to Genesis 18, and 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343 (end), 6752, 8106, 8781; and from all this it is evident what 'speaking in the pillar of cloud' means.

[4] In the same author,

We heard of Him in Ephrathah, we found Him in the fields of the wood. We will enter His dwelling-places, and we will bow down at His footstool. Psalms 132:6-7.

This refers to the Lord and the revelation of Himself in the Word. 'Finding Him in Ephrathah' means doing so in the spiritual-celestial sense of the Word, 4585, 4594, 'in the fields of the wood' in the natural or literal sense of the Word, 3220, 9011 (end). 'Footstool' stands for Divine Truth emanating from the Lord, as it exists on the lowest levels of the Word.

[5] In the same author,

Jehovah bowed heaven, and thick darkness was under His feet. He made darkness His hiding-place - darkness of waters, clouds of the heavens. From the brightness before Him His clouds passed away. Psalms 18:9, 11-12.

This refers to the Lord's coming and presence in the Word. 'Thick darkness under His feet' stands for the sense of the letter of the Word, as does 'darkness of waters' and 'clouds of the heavens'. The fact that this very sense holds within itself Divine Truth as this exists in the heavens is meant by 'He made darkness His hiding-place'; and the fact that at the presence of the Lord the internal sense then appears, as it exists in heaven, and in its glory, is meant by 'from the brightness before Him His clouds pass away'. In Nahum,

The way of Jehovah is in storm and tempest, and the clouds are the dust of His feet. Nahum 1:3.

Here also 'the clouds' stands for the Word in the sense of the letter, which is also meant by 'storm and tempest', in which 'the way of Jehovah' lies.

[6] When God's truth as it is in heaven shines through for a person in the actual sense of the letter, this sense is then portrayed as 'the feet', which have a shine 'like that of burnished bronze', as also in Daniel,

I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, a Man clothed in linen whose loins were girded with gold of Uphaz, and His body was like tarshish; ⁴ and His face was like the appearance ⁵ of lightning, and His eyes were like fiery torches; His arms and His feet were like the shine of burnished bronze, and the sound of His words like the sound of a crowd. Daniel 10:5-6.

Here 'a Man clothed in linen' is used to mean in the highest sense the Lord; and since the Lord is meant it is also used to mean Divine Truth emanating from Him. For Divine Truth that emanates from the Lord is the Lord Himself in heaven and in the Church. God's truth or the Lord on lowest levels is meant by 'arms and feet like the shine of burnished bronze', and also by 'the sound of His words like the sound of a crowd'; and something similar is meant in Ezekiel 1:7.

[7] The successive state of the Church on this planet so far as reception of God's truth emanating from the Lord is concerned is also meant by the statue seen by Nebuchadnezzar, in Daniel,

The head of the statue was gold, its breast and its arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, its legs were iron, its feet were partly iron and partly clay which did not cohere with each other. And the stone cut out of the rock smashed to pieces the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. Daniel 2:32-35, 43, 45.

The first state of the Church so far as reception of God's truth emanating from the Lord is concerned is 'the gold', because 'gold' means celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord, 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 8932. The second state is meant by 'the silver', this being spiritual good, which is the good of faith in the Lord and of charity towards the neighbour, 1551, 2954, 5658, 7999. The third state is meant by 'the bronze', which is natural good, 425, 1551. And the fourth state is meant by 'the iron', which is natural truth, 425, 426. 'The clay' means falsity, which does not cohere with truth and good. The smashing to pieces of the iron, bronze, silver, and gold by the stone cut out of the rock means the destruction of the Church so far as reception of truth from the Word is concerned when the sense of the letter of the Word is used to reinforce falsity and evil. This happens when the Church is in its final state, at which time it is no longer governed by any heavenly love, only by worldly and bodily love. This was how it was with the Word so far as reception of it among the Jewish nation was concerned when the Lord came into the world. And it is how it is with the Word among the majority at the present day. They are not even aware that there is anything inwardly present in the Word; and if they were told that there is and what it is like they would not accept it. Yet in most ancient times, which are meant by 'the gold', people saw within the sense of the letter of the Word nothing apart from what was heavenly, almost independently of the letter.

From all this it may now be recognized that 'the God of Israel' and what was seen 'under His feet' means the Word on its lowest level of meaning, which is the sense of the letter.

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