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Leviticus 19

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1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.

3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.

4 Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.

5 And if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, ye shall offer it at your own will.

6 It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if ought remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire.

7 And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted.

8 Therefore every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned the hallowed thing of the LORD: and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

9 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.

10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.

11 Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.

12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

13 Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.

14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD.

15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.

17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.

18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

19 Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.

20 And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free.

21 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass offering.

22 And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the LORD for his sin which he hath done: and the sin which he hath done shall be forgiven him.

23 And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of.

24 But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to praise the LORD withal.

25 And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the LORD your God.

26 Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times.

27 Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.

28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

29 Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.

30 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.

31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

32 Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.

33 And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him.

34 But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

35 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure.

36 Just balances, Just weights, a Just ephah, and a Just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.

37 Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the LORD.

   

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Apocalypse Explained # 696

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696. And to those that fear thy name, the small and the great.- That this signifies, and to all those, of whatever religion, who worship the Lord, is evident from the signification of fearing the name of the Lord God, as denoting to worship the Lord (of which presently); and from the signification of the small and the great, as denoting of whatever religion; for the small mean those who know little of the truths and goods of the church, and the great, those who know much, thus those who worship the Lord little and much. For so far as a man knows the truths of faith, and lives according to them, in so far does he worship the Lord, for worship is not from man, but from the truths from good that are in man, since these are from the Lord, and the Lord is in them. Those that fear Thy name, the small and the great, mean all who worship the Lord of whatever religion, because, just previously, mention is made of servants, prophets, and saints, by whom are meant all those within the church who are in truths of doctrine, and in a life according to them. Therefore by those that fear Thy name, the small and the great, are meant all those without the church who worship the Lord according to their religion; for those who worship the Lord, and live in any kind of faith and charity, according to their religion, also fear God's name. In fact, this verse treats of the Last Judgment upon all, both the evil and the good. A last judgment takes place upon all, both those within and those without the church, and then all those who, from their religion, fear God, and live in mutual love, in uprightness of heart and sincerity, are saved; for all such by all intuitive faith in God, and by a life of charity, are associated as to their souls with the angels of heaven, and are thus conjoined with the Lord and saved. For every one after death comes to his own in the spiritual world, with whom he was associated as to his spirit during his life in the natural world.

[2] The small and the great signify less or more, that is, those who worship the Lord less or more, thus those who are less or more in truths from good, because the spiritual sense of the Word has no reference to persons, having regard to nothing but the thing signified; and the expression the small and the great there does imply persons, for it means men who worship God. For this reason, instead of the small and the great, less or more are meant in the spiritual sense, thus those who worship less or more from genuine truths and goods. It is similar in respect to the servants, prophets, and saints, treated of just above, by whom, in the spiritual sense, are not meant prophets and saints, but, apart from persons, truths of doctrine and a life according to them. While these are meant, also all those who are in truths of doctrine and in a life according to them are included, for these things are in angels and men as their subjects. But in such case to think only of angels and men is natural, while to think of truths of doctrine and of life - these being the things that make angels and men - is spiritual. It is therefore evident how the spiritual sense, in which angels are, differs from the natural sense, in which men are, that is, in every particular which a man thinks, there inheres something of person, space, time, and matter, while angels think of things apart from these. For this reason, the speech of angels is incomprehensible to man, because it flows from intuition of the thing, and thus from wisdom separated from such things as are proper to the natural world, and thus respectively indeterminate in regard to such things.

[3] To fear Thy name signifies to worship the Lord, because to fear signifies to worship, and Thy name signifies the Lord; for in the preceding verse it is said, that the twenty-four elders gave thanks to the Lord God, Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come, therefore to fear Thy name means to worship the Lord. In the Word, both that of the Old and that of the New Testament, the expressions the name of Jehovah, the name of the Lord, the name of God, and the name of Jesus Christ are used, and in such cases name means all those things whereby He is worshipped, thus all things of love and of faith; and, in the highest sense, the Lord Himself is meant, because where He is, there also are all things of love and faith. That such is the signification of the name of Jehovah, of the Lord God, and of Jesus Christ, may be seen above (n. 102, 135, 224), and it is also evident from these words of the Lord:

"If two of you shall agree on earth in my name, as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by my Father, who is in the heavens; for where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:19, 20).

Here to agree together in the name of the Lord, and to be gathered together in His name, does not mean in the name alone, but in those things that belong to the Lord, which are truths of faith and goods of love, by means of which He is worshipped.

[4] To fear, when spoken of the Lord, signifies to worship and to reverence, because in worship, and in all things pertaining to it, there is a holy and reverential fear, which leads one to feel that He is to be honoured, and in no way to be grieved. For it is as with children towards their parents, parents towards their children, wives towards their husbands, and husbands towards their wives, similarly as with friends towards friends, in whom there is respect and a fear of giving offence; such fear and respect are in all love and in all friendship, so that love and friendship without such fear and respect are like unsalted food which is insipid. This now is the reason why to fear the Lord means to worship Him from such love.

[5] It is said that to fear Thy name signifies to worship the Lord, and yet those who fear Him mean, here, those who are without the church, to whom the Lord is unknown, because they do not possess the Word. Nevertheless all such as have, in regard to God, an idea of a Human, are accepted by the Lord, for God under the Human form is the Lord; but those, whether within or without the church, who do not think of God as a Man, on their coming into their spiritual life, which takes place after their departure out of this world, are not accepted by the Lord, because they have no determinate idea concerning God, but only an indeterminate one, which is no idea at all, or if it be it is nevertheless dissipated. This is the reason why all who come from the earths (e terris) into the spiritual world, are first explored in regard to what idea of God they have held and have brought with them. If they have no idea of Him as a Man, they are sent to places of instruction, and are taught that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and that, when they think of God, they must think of the Lord, and that otherwise there can be no conjunction with God, nor consequently any association with angels. Then all those who have lived a life of charity receive instruction, and worship the Lord; but all those who declare that they have had faith, but who have not been in the life of faith, which is charity, do not receive instruction; they are therefore separated, and sent away into places below the heavens, some into the hells, and some into that part (terra) which is called in the Word "the lower earth," where they suffer severely. Still, however, the Gentiles, to whom the laws of religion are laws of life, receive doctrine concerning the Lord more readily than Christians, and they do so especially because their only idea of God has been that of a Divine Man. We have said these things in order that it may be known why it is that to fear Thy name means to worship the Lord.

[6] In many places in the Word the expression to fear Jehovah God is used, by which worship is meant; it therefore shall be explained in a few words what worship in particular is meant by fearing God. All worship of Jehovah God must be from the good of love by means of truths. Worship from the good of love alone is not worship, neither is that worship which is from truths alone without the good of love; but both are necessary. For the essential of worship is the good of love, but good exists and is formed by means of truths, and therefore all worship must be by means of truths from good. Because this is so, therefore in many passages in the Word, where it is said "to fear Jehovah God," it is also said "to keep " and "do His words and commandments." In these places therefore to fear signifies worship by means of truths, and to keep and do signifies worship from the good of love; for doing is of the will, thus of love and of good, and fearing is of the understanding, thus of faith and of truth, for all truth which is of faith belongs properly to the understanding, and all good which is of love belongs properly to the will. From this it can be seen, that the fear of Jehovah God has reference to worship by means of truths of doctrine, which are called also truths of faith. Such worship is meant by the fear of Jehovah God, because Divine Truth causes fear, for it condemns the evil to hell; but not so Divine Good, for so far as this is received by means of truths by men and angels, it takes away condemnation. It is consequently evident that so far as man is in the good of love there is the fear of God; and that in proportion as dread and terror pass away, and become a holy fear attended with reverence, so far man is in the good of love and in truths therefrom, that is, so far as there is good in his truths. It consequently follows, that fear in worship is varied with every one, according to the state of his life, and also that the sanctity attended with reverence that is in the fear of those who are in good, is also varied according to the reception of good in the will, and according to the reception of truth in the understanding, that is, according to the reception of good in the heart and the reception of truth in the soul.

[7] But what has just been stated will be more evident from the following passages in the Word.

In Moses:

"What doth Jehovah God require of thee, but to fear Jehovah thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve Jehovah thy God from thy whole heart, and from thy whole soul" (Deuteronomy 10:12, 20).

It is here said to fear Jehovah God, to walk in His ways, to love Him, and to serve Him, and by all these expressions worship by means of truths from good is described, worship by means of truths is meant by fearing Jehovah God and serving Him, and worship from good by walking in His ways and loving Him. Therefore it is also said, from the whole heart, and from the whole soul, heart signifying the good of love and of charity which pertains to the will, and soul the truth of doctrine, and of faith which pertains to the understanding. The heart corresponds to the good of love, and in man to his will; and soul corresponds to the truth of faith, and in man to his understanding; for soul (anima) means the animation or respiration of man, which is also called his spirit. That soul in the Word signifies the life of faith, and heart the life of love, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 2930, 9050, 9281).

[8] In the same:

"Ye shall go after Jehovah your God, and shall fear him, that ye may keep his precepts, and hear his voice and serve him, and cleave to him" (Deuteronomy 13:4).

To go after Jehovah God, to keep His precepts, and to cleave to him, signify the good of life, thus the good of love, from which is worship; and to fear Jehovah God, to hear His voice, and to serve Him, signify the truths of doctrine, thus the truths of faith by means of which there is worship. Since all worship of the Lord must be by means of truths from good, and not by means of truths without good, nor by means of good without truths, therefore in every particular of the Word there is a marriage of good and truth, as in the passages already cited, and also in the following. (Concerning the marriage of good and truth in the particulars of the Word, see above n.238 at the end, 288, 660).

[9] In the same:

"Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God, him thou shalt serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and in his name thou shalt swear" (Deuteronomy 10:20).

Here also to fear Jehovah God, and to serve Him, involve truths of worship, and to cleave to Jehovah God, and to swear in His name, involve the good of worship. For to cleave to is an expression relating to the good of love, since he who loves also cleaves to; to swear in the name of Jehovah has a similar meaning, for what is about to be done is confirmed by that means. To serve involves truths of worship, because servants, in the Word, mean those who are in truths, and this for the reason that truths serve good, as may be seen above (n. 6, 409).

[10] In the same:

"That thou mayest fear Jehovah thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments; thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God, and him shalt thou serve, and in his name shalt thou swear, ye shall not go after other gods; Jehovah hath commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear Jehovah our God" (Deuteronomy 6:2, 13, 14, 24).

Worship by means of truths from good, or by means of faith from love, is also described here. To fear Jehovah God and to serve Him, means worship, by means of truths of faith, and to keep and do his statutes and commandments, and to swear in the name of Jehovah, means worship from the good of love. For to keep and to do statutes and commandments is the good of life, which is the same as the good of love, since he who loves also lives. To swear in the name of Jehovah has a similar meaning, for to swear denotes to confirm by life. That to fear Jehovah and to serve Him, denotes worship according to truths of doctrine, has been shown above. For there are two things which constitute worship, namely, doctrine and life; doctrine without life does not constitute it, neither life without doctrine.

[11] Similarly in the following passages.

In Deuteronomy:

"Assemble the people that they may hear, and that they may learn and may fear Jehovah your God, and may observe to do all the words of the law" (Deuteronomy 31:12).

In the same:

"If thou wilt not observe to do all the commandments of this law, to fear this glorious and venerable name, Jehovah thy God" (Deuteronomy 28:58).

In the same:

The king "shall write for himself a copy of the law, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, wherein he may learn to fear Jehovah his God, to keep all the words of the law, and the statutes to do them" (Deuteronomy 17:18, 19).

In the same:

"Thou shalt keep the commandments of Jehovah thy God, to go in his ways, and to fear him" (Deuteronomy 8:6).

And in the same:

"Who will give that they may have a heart to fear me, and to keep my commandments all the days?" (5:29).

In these passages fearing Jehovah God is connected with keeping and doing the commandments of the law, also with going in his ways, because as stated, all internal spiritual worship of God, consisting in the good of life, must be performed according to truths of doctrine, since these must teach. Worship according to truths of doctrine is signified by fearing Jehovah, and worship from the good of life by keeping His commandments and going in His ways, to go in the ways of Jehovah denoting to live according to truths of doctrine; and because worship according to truths of doctrine is meant by fearing Jehovah, therefore it is said that the fear of Jehovah shall be learned from the law. But let it be observed, that the fear of Jehovah denotes internal spiritual worship, which must be in external natural worship; for internal spiritual worship consists in thinking and understanding truths, thus in thinking reverently and in a holy manner of God, which is to fear Him, while external natural worship consists in doing those truths, that is, in keeping the commandments and words of the law.

[12] In David:

"Teach me, Jehovah, thy way, teach it me in truth, unite my heart to the fear of thy name" (Psalm 86:11).

To teach the way signifies to teach the truth in agreement with which the life ought to be lived, therefore it is said, teach it in truth. That good of love must be conjoined with truths of faith is signified by, unite my heart to the fear of Thy name, the heart signifying love, and fear the holiness of faith, which must be united, that is, must be together, in worship.

[13] Again:

"Blessed is every one that feareth Jehovah, that walketh in his ways" (Psalm 128:1).

To fear Jehovah here also denotes to think of God in a reverent and holy manner, and to walk in His ways denotes to live according to Divine truths. There is worship by means of both of these; but in external worship, which consists in living according to Divine truths, there must be internal worship, which is to fear Jehovah, therefore it is said that he feareth Jehovah who walketh in His ways.

Again:

"Blessed is the man who feareth Jehovah, who delighteth greatly in His commandments" (Psalm 112:1).

The signification here is similar to that of the verse above; for to delight greatly in the commandments of Jehovah is to love them, consequently to will and to do them.

[14] In Jeremiah:

"They feared not, neither walked they in my law, nor in my statutes" (44:10).

Not to fear denotes not to think of God from the truths of the Word, thus not reverently and in a holy manner; not to walk in the law of God, nor in His statutes, denotes not to live them, commandments denoting the laws of internal worship, and statutes the laws of external worship.

[15] In Malachi:

"If I be a Father, where is my honour; if I be Lord, where is the fear of me?" (1:6).

The terms honour and fear are used, because honour is said of worship from good, and fear of worship by means of truths. (That honour is used in reference to good, may be seen above, n. 288, 345); therefore also honour is said of Father, and fear of Lord, for Jehovah is called Father from Divine Good, and Lord, in this place, from Divine Truth.

[16] In the same prophet:

"My covenant was with" Levi, "of life and of peace, which I gave him with fear; and he feared me" (2:5).

Levi here means the Lord as to the Divine Human, and the covenant of life and of peace signifies the union of His Divine with Himself (cum Ipso), and fear and fearing signify holy truth, with which there is union.

[17] In Isaiah:

"The spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding; the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah, whence his offering of incense shall be in the fear of Jehovah" (11:2, 3).

These words are also said of the Lord, and they describe the Divine Truth, in which and from which are all wisdom and all understanding. The Divine Truth that was in the Lord, when He was in the world, and which since the glorification of His Human goes forth from Him, is meant by the spirit of Jehovah, which rested upon Him; that He has Divine Wisdom and Divine Power therefrom, is meant by the spirit of wisdom and understanding, and by the spirit of counsel and might. That thence He has omniscience and essential holiness in worship, is meant by the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah; and because fear signifies holiness of worship from Divine Truth, therefore it is said, whence His offering of incense shall be in the fear of Jehovah; for to offer incense signifies worship from the spiritual-Divine which is Divine Truth. That this is the signification of offering incense may be seen above (n. 324, 491, 492, 494, 567). It is said, the spirit of wisdom, understanding, knowledge and fear, for spirit means the proceeding Divine, the spirit of wisdom the celestial Divine, which is the proceeding Divine received by the angels of the inmost or third heaven; the spirit of understanding the spiritual Divine, which is the proceeding Divine received by the angels of the middle or second heaven; the spirit of knowledge the natural Divine, which is the proceeding Divine received by the angels of the ultimate or first heaven and the spirit of the fear of Jehovah means all the holiness of worship from these Divines.

[18] In Jeremiah:

"I will give them one heart and one way, to fear me all their days for good to them; and I will make with them the covenant of an age; and my fear will I put in their heart, that they may not depart from me" (32:39, 40).

I will give them one heart and one way to fear Me, signifies one will and one understanding to worship the Lord, the heart signifying the good of the will, way the truth of the understanding which leads, and fear the holy worship therefrom. I will make with them the covenant of an age, and My fear will I put in their heart, signifies conjunction by means of the good of love, and by means of the truth of that good in worship, covenant denoting conjunction, and fear in the heart, the holiness of worship from truth in the good of love; that they may not depart from Me, signifies for the sake of conjunction. Since conjunction with the Lord is effected by means of truths from good, and not by means of truths without good, nor by means of good without truths, therefore both are here mentioned.

[19] In David:

"O house of Aaron, trust ye in Jehovah, ye that fear Jehovah, trust in Jehovah" (Psalm 115:10, 11).

The house of Aaron signifies all those who are in the good of love, and those that fear Jehovah signify all those who are in truth from that good.

In the Apocalypse:

"The angel who had the eternal gospel said, Fear God, and give glory; adore him" (14:7).

To fear God and give glory to Him signifies to worship the Lord from holy truths; and to adore Him signifies from the good of love.

In David:

"Let all the earth fear before Jehovah; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. Behold the eye of Jehovah is upon them that fear him, that wait for his mercy" (Psalm 33:8, 18).

In the same:

"The good pleasure of Jehovah is in them that fear him, in them that wait for his mercy" (Psalm 147:11).

Because the fear of Jehovah signifies the reception of Divine Truth, and mercy the reception of Divine Good, it is therefore said that the eye and the good pleasure of Jehovah are upon them that fear Him, upon them that wait for His mercy.

[20] In Isaiah:

"The mighty people shall honour thee, the city of the strong nations shall fear thee" (25:3).

Here also to honour signifies worship from good, for honour is said of the good of love; and worship from truths is signified by fearing the Lord, as said above. By mighty people are signified the men of the church who are in truths from good, for all power is therefrom; the city of the strong nations signifies those who are in truths of doctrine, and by means of these in the good of love; and as all spiritual power is from that source, therefore they are called strong nations. From these words also it is clear that there is a marriage of good and truth in every particular of the Word; for to honour is said of good, and to fear of truth, both of them in worship. The term people is used of those who are in truths, and by means of these in good, but nations of those who are in good, and from that in truths. And because all power in the spiritual world is from the conjunction of good and truth, therefore the people are called mighty, and the nations strong.

[21] The fear of Jehovah also in the following passages signifies worship in which there is holiness by means of truths.

In Isaiah:

"The heart" of the people "hath departed far from me, and their fear toward me hath become a commandment taught of men" (29:13).

In the same:

"Who among you feareth Jehovah, hearing the voice of his servant? He that walketh in darkness, and hath no brightness; that trusteth in the name of Jehovah, and leaneth upon his God" (50:10).

In Jeremiah:

"They shall bear all the good which I do unto them, that they may fear and be moved for all the good, and for all the peace which I will do unto it" (33:9).

In David:

"The angel of Jehovah encampeth round about them that fear him, to deliver them. Fear Jehovah, ye his saints, for there is no want to them that fear him" (Psalm 34:7, 9).

In the same:

"Who have no changes, neither fear they God" (Psalm 55:19).

In the same:

"The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom, a good understanding have all they that do them" (Psalm 111:10).

Because fear has reference to Divine Truth from which are holiness in worship, wisdom and intelligence, therefore it is said, the fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom, a good understanding, that is, intelligence, have all they that do them.

In the same:

"They that fear Jehovah shall praise him; all the seed of Jacob shall honour him, and all the seed of Israel shall fear him" (Psalm 22:23).

[22] In Luke:

"The mercy" of God "is unto generation of generations to them that fear him" (1:50).

That to fear Jehovah God means and therefore signifies to have a sense of holiness and reverence, consequently to worship him in a holy and reverent manner is also evident from these passages.

In Moses:

"Ye shall keep my Sabbaths, and my sanctuary shall ye fear" (Leviticus 19:30);

"Ye shall reverence" (26:2).

In the same:

"The work of Jehovah, how is that to be feared (reverenced), which I will do" (Exodus 34:10).

In the same:

"And Jacob was afraid, and said, How [greatly] to be feared (reverenced) is this place; this is none other but the house of God, and the gate of heaven" (Genesis 28:17).

That to fear, when said of the Divine, and of the holiness of heaven and of the church, signifies to revere and to hold in reverence, is evident from the above passages, also from this fact, that the same word which in Hebrew signifies to fear, also signifies to revere and to venerate.

This is also evident from these words in Luke:

"There was a judge in a certain city who feared not God, neither reverenced man, who said within himself, Although I fear not God, nor reverence man" (18:2, 4).

It is said to fear God, and to reverence man, because to fear signifies to reverence in a higher degree.

[23] In Matthew:

Jesus said, "Fear not them who are able to kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna" (10:28; Luke 12:4, 5, 7).

Here however to fear signifies to stand in fear of dying spiritually, consequently natural fear, which is fearfulness and dread; but spiritual fear is a holy fear, that abides interiorly in all spiritual love variously according to the quality and extent of the love. In this fear is the spiritual man; he knows also that the Lord does not do evil to any one, much less does He destroy any one, as to body and soul in Gehenna, but that He does good to all, and desires to raise up every one, as to body and soul, into heaven to Himself. This is why the fear of the spiritual man is a holy fear, lest through evil of life and falsity of doctrine man should turn away from and thus injure that Divine love in himself. But natural fear is a fearfulness, dread, and terror of dangers, and punishment, and thus of hell; this fear abides in all corporeal love, and also variously according to the quality and extent of that love. The natural man who is in such fear knows no otherwise than that the Lord inflicts evil upon the evil, condemns them, casts them into hell, and punishes them, and on this account such persons are in fear and dread of the Lord. Most of the Jewish and Israelitish nation were in this fear, because they were natural men; for this reason the expression "to be afraid and to tremble before Jehovah" is so frequently used, and also "they were in fear and trembling;" for the same reason it is said of the sons of Israel that "they were sore afraid" when the Divine Law or Divine Truth was promulgated from Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:18-20; Deuteronomy 5:23-25).

[24] It is this fear that is meant in part by "The dread of Isaac" by whom Jacob sware to Laban (Genesis 31:42, 53); for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the Word, mean the Lord; Abraham means the Lord as to the celestial Divine, Isaac, as to the spiritual Divine, and Jacob, as to the natural Divine. The spiritual Divine signified by Isaac is the Divine Truth, which terrifies natural men, and because Laban was a natural man, it is therefore said, Jacob sware to him, by the dread or terror of Isaac. An almost similar fear is meant in Isaiah:

"Ye shall sanctify Jehovah Zebaoth, for he is your fear and your dread" (8:13).

Here fear has reference to the spiritual man, and dread to the natural man. As the spiritual man should not be in such fear as the natural man is in, it is therefore said, "Fear not."

In Isaiah:

Jacob and Israel "Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, calling thee by thy name, thou art mine" (43:1).

In Luke:

"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (12:32);

and in Jeremiah:

"Fear not, Jacob my servant, and be not afraid, O Israel, for I will keep thee from afar; Jacob shall be tranquil and at rest, none making him afraid" (30:9, 10)

and in many other passages. Moreover, that fear, terror, consternation, and similar expressions signify various disturbances of the feelings (animi), and changes of the state of the mind, may be seen above (n. 667, 677).

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.

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Arcana Coelestia # 3969

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3969. 'And she said, God has taken away my reproach. And she called his name Joseph, saying, May Jehovah add to me another son' in the highest sense means the Lord as regards the Divine Spiritual, in the internal sense the spiritual kingdom or the good of faith, and in the external sense salvation, also fruitfulness and multiplication. This is clear from the representation of 'Joseph' in the Word, dealt with below, also from the meaning of 'God has taken away my reproach', as well as 'May Jehovah add to me another son', for the name Joseph was derived from the verbs 'to gather up' and 'to add'. 'God has taken away my reproach' means that Rachel was now no longer barren, and so no longer 'dead', as she spoke of herself to Jacob in verse 1 above; see 3908. For 'Rachel' represents the affection for interior truth, that is, the interior man as regards truth, 3758, 3782, 3793, 3819. The interior man is so to speak dead as regards truth and good if the exterior or natural man does not correspond to it as regards goods and truths, see 3493, 3620, 3623. They must be so joined each to the other that they are not two but together form one man.

[2] But the two cannot become joined together until the natural or external man has been prepared, that is, until it has received and acknowledged the general truths which have been meant by Jacob's ten sons by Leah and the servant-girls, and until the good of the natural man has been joined to the truths in that man, which joining together was meant by Jacob's last son by Leah, namely Zebulun, who was so called from the expression 'dwelling together', 3960, 3961. After this joining together has taken place the interior man and the exterior man enter into the heavenly marriage spoken of in 3952. The reason they do not enter it until then is a very deep arcanum, for it is the good of the interior man which in that case joins itself to the good of the exterior man, and through that exterior good to the truth in the exterior man. At the same time the good of the interior man joins itself through the affection for truth in that interior man to the good of the exterior man and also to the truth there, and so joins itself directly and indirectly. concerning this direct and indirect linking together, see 3314, 3573, 3616. Since the interior man is only then joined to the exterior, and until this joining together has taken place the interior man is seemingly non-existent and so seemingly dead, as stated above, the phrase 'God has taken away my reproach' is therefore used. This then is what is meant by 'the reproach' which God is said to have 'gathered up', that is, to have taken away, meaning to have released her from it.

[3] But the words which follow - 'May Jehovah add to me another son', from which Joseph received his name - mean a second arcanum, which is this: 'Joseph' represents the Lord's spiritual kingdom and so the spiritual man, for that kingdom exists within every spiritual man. There are two things which constitute the spiritual man - charity and faith, or what amounts to the same, good and truth. Charity from which faith, or good from which truth springs, is the thing that Joseph represents. And faith which has charity within it, or truth which has good within it, is the thing that the second son means - that Benjamin represents, dealt with at Genesis 35:16-18. So Joseph means the celestial-spiritual man, and Benjamin the spiritual-celestial. The nature of the difference between them may be seen from what has been said fairly often already about good from which truth springs and truth that has good within it. This then is what is meant by Rachel's second utterance 'May Jehovah add to me another son'. But these arcana cannot be seen except by those who are governed by charity from which faith springs, for interiorly those people are dwelling in the light of heaven, which light also includes intelligence within it. But those arcana cannot be seen by those who are dwelling solely in the light of the world, for that light does not include intelligence except insofar as it holds the light of heaven within itself. To angels who dwell in the light of heaven these arcana belong among the most ordinary things they know.

[4] From these considerations one may now see that the words 'God has taken away my reproach' and 'May Jehovah add to me another son' in the highest sense mean the Lord as regards the Divine Spiritual, and in the internal sense the Lord's spiritual kingdom or the good of faith, for such good is the spiritual as this exists in that kingdom. But the reason why those words in the external sense mean salvation, also fruitfulness and multiplication, is that these come as the product of that good, 3971. But what the Lord's spiritual kingdom is may become clear from what has been stated and shown many times already about that kingdom, that is to say, it consists of those who are governed by charity and from charity by faith. This kingdom is distinct and separate from the Lord's celestial kingdom, for the celestial kingdom consists of those who are governed by love to the Lord and from that love by charity. The latter constitute the third or inmost heaven, whereas the spiritual constitute the second or interior heaven.

[5] The reason why the name God is used first, in 'God has taken away my reproach', then Jehovah, in 'May Jehovah add to me another son', is that God has regard to the ascent from truth up to good but Jehovah to the descent from good down to truth. The spiritual man is governed by the good of faith, that is, by the good from which truth springs; but prior to his becoming spiritual he is governed by the truth of faith, that is, by truth that has good within it. For the name God is used when truth is the subject, but Jehovah when good is the subject, 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921.

[6] The fact that 'Joseph' represents the Lord's spiritual kingdom, or the spiritual man, and so represents the good of faith, becomes clear also from those places in the Word where his name is mentioned, as in the prophecy of Jacob, who by then was Israel,

The son of a fruitful one is Joseph, the son of a fruitful one beside a spring; O daughters, he trails over the wall; and the archers will exasperate him and shoot at him and hate him. And he will sit in the strength of his bow, and the arms of his hands will be made strong by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob; from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel. By the God of your father, and he will assist you; and with Shaddai, and he will bless you with the blessings of heaven from above, with the blessings of the deep lying beneath, with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father will prevail over the blessings of my ancestors, even to the desire of the everlasting hills. They will be upon the head of Joseph and upon the crown of the head of the Nazirite among his brothers. Genesis 49:22-26.

These prophetic utterances in the highest sense contain a description of the Lord's Divine Spiritual, in the internal sense a description of His spiritual kingdom. What each detail entails will in the Lord's Divine mercy be discussed in the explanation of that chapter.

[7] Similarly in the prophecy of Moses,

For Joseph he said, Blessed by Jehovah is his land, of the precious things of heaven, of the dew, of the deep also lying beneath, and of the precious things of the fruits of the sun, and of the precious things of the produce of the months, and of the precious things of the mountains of the east, and of the precious things of the everlasting hills, and of the precious things of the earth and of its fullness; and the good pleasure of Him dwelling in the bramble bush. They will come upon the head of Joseph and upon the crown of the head of the Nazirite among his brothers. Deuteronomy 33:13-17.

[8] Because 'Israel' represents the Lord's spiritual Church, 3305, 3654,

Jacob, who by then was Israel, said to Joseph,

Your two sons who were born to you in the land of Egypt, before I came to you in Egypt, will be mine. Ephraim and Manasseh will be as Reuben and Simeon. May the angel who has redeemed me from every evil bless the boys, that in them my name may be called, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and may they increase into a multitude in the midst of the earth. Genesis 48:5, 16.

There are two things which constitute the spiritual Church - the understanding and the will, the understanding being represented by 'Ephraim' and the will by 'Manasseh'. From this one can see why Joseph's two sons were adopted by Jacob, by then Israel, and acknowledged as his own. Ephraim is also mentioned often in the Word, especially the prophetical part, in which places that name means the ability which the spiritual Church possesses to understand what is true and what is good.

[9] In Ezekiel,

Jehovah said, Son of man, take a stick and write on it, For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions. And take another stick and write on it, For Joseph - the stick of Ephraim and of the whole house of Israel, his companions and join them together, one to the other into one stick for you, that both may be one in your 1 hand. Thus said the Lord Jehovih, I, behold, I am taking the stick of Joseph which is in the hand of Ephraim and of the tribes of Israel his companions, and I will add them to the stick of Judah, and make them into one stick, and they will be one in My hand. And I will make them into one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king to them all, and they will no longer be two nations, nor will they ever be divided into two nations again. Ezekiel 37:16-17, 19, 22.

This refers to the Lord's kingdom, to the celestial and to the spiritual - 'Judah' being the celestial kingdom, 3654, 3881, 3921 (end), and 'Joseph' the spiritual. It is also said that those kingdoms will not be two but one - they were actually made one by the Lord's Coming into the world.

[10] By the Lord's Coming the spiritual were saved, see 2661, 2716, 2833, 2834. It is those who are spiritual that the Lord is speaking about in John,

And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd. John 10:16.

This is what is meant by 'the two sticks', the stick of Judah and the stick of Joseph, which will be joined into one, and will be one in the Lord's hand, like one nation, even as they are one in the Lord's kingdom. For celestial angels constitute the third heaven, which is the inmost heaven, but spiritual angels the second, which is the interior heaven, and in that kingdom they are one because one flows into the other, namely the celestial heaven into the spiritual. The spiritual kingdom is so to speak the groundwork on which the celestial is based, and in this way the two are made firm and stable. For the Divine celestial within the third or inmost heaven is love to the Lord, the celestial-spiritual in that heaven being charity. The latter, namely charity, is the chief thing in the second or interior heaven where spiritual angels are. This shows the nature of influx and also how things are made firm and stable by means of influx. 'Wood' means good, both the good which belongs to love to the Lord and the good which belongs to charity towards the neighbour, 2784, 2812, 3720. For this reason the command was given to write Judah and Joseph on the two sticks which were to be made one.

[11] In Zechariah,

I will make the house of Judah powerful, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will restore them, 2 for I have had compassion on them, and they will be as though I had not forsaken them, for I am Jehovah their God and I will answer them. Zechariah 10:6.

This too refers to the two kingdoms, the celestial and the spiritual, 'Judah' being the celestial kingdom and 'Joseph' the spiritual. Also referred to is the salvation of the spiritual.

[12] In Amos,

Thus said Jehovah to the house of Israel, Seek Me and you will live. Seek Jehovah and you will live, lest like fire He invades the house of Joseph and it devours and there is nobody quenching it. Hate evil, and desire good, and establish judgement in the gate; it may be that Jehovah God Zebaoth will have compassion on the remnant of Joseph. Amos 5:4, 6, 15.

Here also those who are spiritual are meant by 'Joseph'. 'The house of Israel' means the spiritual Church, 3305, 3654, 'Joseph' the good of that Church. Hence the statement 'Jehovah said to the house of Israel, Seek Me and you will live, lest like fire He invades the house of Joseph'.

[13] In David,

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock. You who are seated on the cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up Your might and come to save us. Psalms 80:1-2.

Here similarly 'Joseph' means the spiritual man, 'Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh' being three essentials of that Church.

[14] In the same author,

Raise a song, and sound the timbrel, the sweet harp with the lyre; blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the festival, on our feast day. For it is a statute for Israel, a judgement to the God of Jacob. [As] a testimony for Joseph He appointed it, when He went out against the land of Egypt. I heard a language that I did not know. Psalms 81:2-5.

From each individual word or term used here it is evident that 'Joseph' means the spiritual Church or spiritual man. For there are in the Word terms which present spiritual realities and terms which present celestial ones, and these terms occur consistently throughout the Word. In this quotation terms that present spiritual realities are used - 'a song', 'the timbrel', 'the harp with the lyre', and 'blowing the trumpet at the new moon, at the festival, on a feast day'. From this also it is evident that the subject is the spiritual Church meant by 'Joseph'.

[15] In Ezekiel,

Thus said the Lord Jehovih, This is the boundary by which you will inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel, the portions for Joseph. Ezekiel 47:13.

This refers to the Lord's spiritual kingdom, and therefore the phrase 'the portions for Joseph' is used. The Lord's Divine spiritual is that which is also called His kingship, for the Lord's kingship is Divine Truth, but His priesthood Divine Good, 2015, 3009, 3670. The Lord's kingship itself is that which 'Joseph' represents, in that he was made king in the land of Egypt. That representation will in the Lord's Divine mercy be dealt with when that chapter is reached.

[16] As regards the Lord's Divine spiritual, or Divine Truth, which is represented in the highest sense by 'Joseph', it does not exist within the Lord but flows from the Lord; for the Lord is nothing else than Divine Good. But Divine Truth proceeds from Divine Good. To use a comparison, it is like the sun and the light of the sun. Light does not exist within the sun but proceeds from the sun. Or it is like fire. Light does not exist in fire but proceeds from it. And in the Word Divine Good itself is compared to the sun and also to fire, and is actually called sun and fire. The Lord's celestial kingdom receives its life from the good which proceeds from the Lord, but the spiritual kingdom receives its life from the truth derived from that good. For this reason in the next life the Lord is seen as the Sun by those who are celestial, but as the Moon by those who are spiritual, see 1053, 1521, 1529-1531, 3636, 3643. For both warmth and light proceed from the sun. Its warmth is comparable to the good of love, which is also called celestial and spiritual warmth, its light to the truth flowing from it, which is also referred to as spiritual light, see 3636, 3643. But the celestial warmth and the spiritual light which proceed from the Lord as the Sun in the next life, include within them the good of love and the truth of faith, and so include wisdom and intelligence, 1521-1523, 1542, 1619-1632, 2776, 3138, 3190, 3195, 3222, 3223, 3339, 3485, 3636, 3643, 3862. For things which proceed from the Lord are living.

[17] From this one may see what the Divine Spiritual is; in what the spiritual kingdom and the celestial kingdom have their origins; and also that the spiritual kingdom is the good of faith, which good is charity, flowing in from the Lord directly, and also indirectly through the celestial kingdom. In the Word the Divine Spiritual which proceeds from the Lord is called the Spirit of truth, and is holy truth. The Divine Spiritual does not belong to any spirit but is the Lord's, who imparts it through a spirit sent by Him, as becomes clear from the Lord's own words in John,

When He the Spirit of truth comes He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak. He will also declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, for He will receive from what is Mine and declare it to you. John 16:13-14.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. The Latin means my but the Hebrew means your.

2. literally, I will cause them to dwell

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.