THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 4

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

1. AND seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, Our own bread will we eat, and with our own raiment will we be clothed: only let us be called by your name, to take away our reproach.

VERSE 1. The subject here treated of is concerning the end of the church, when there is no longer any truth, for these words precede, "Your men shall fall by the sword, and your strength in the war", by which is signified that the understanding of truth would be destroyed by falsities, so that there would be no longer resistance in combats; and it follows "In that day the Germ of Jehovah shall be for beauty and glory", which being said concerning the advent of the Lord, signifies that truth should spring up anew in the church; by "seven women taking hold of one man", is signified that from affection they would desire and seek Truth, but would not find it; "man" (ish) denoting Truth; "women", affections or desires for Truth and "seven", what is holy. That they would not find instruction in genuine Truths, and thereby spiritual nourishment, is signified by their saying - "Our own bread will we eat and with our own raiment will we be clothed"; "bread" denoting instruction and spiritual nourishment; and "raiment", truth clothing good. That it is only [genuine] Truth which can be applied, and by application conjoined, is signified by "only let us be called by your name", or "let your name be named upon us"; and inasmuch as all honour is from the spiritual affection of Truth and the conjunction thence derived, and as otherwise there is no honour, therefore it is said - "Take away our reproach." Apocalypse Explained 555.

Seven women. - The ground and reason why the number "seven" signifies holy things, or what is holy, and, in an opposite sense, what is profane, is from, the signification of numbers in the world of spirits. In that world every number involves something. Numbers both simple and compound have occasionally appeared visibly to me, once also in a long series, and I wondered what they signified, and it was said that they existed from angelic discourse. ["Women", whether called daughters or virgins, signify either the affections of Truth or of Good, according to the subject, whether Zion or Jerusalem, etc., with which they are mentioned. See above, Chapter 1:8, the Exposition.]

This was known to the most ancient people who were celestial men, and discoursed with angels, and hence they formed ecclesiastical computation by numbers, whereby they expressed as to universals those things which by words they expressed as to particulars. But what each number had involved, did not remain with posterity, only what was signified by the simple numbers, as two, three, six, seven, eight, twelve, and hence twenty-four, seventy-two, and seventy-seven, especially that by "seven" is signified what is most holy, namely, in the supreme sense, the Divine Itself, and, in the representative sense, the celestial principle of love. Hence it is that the state of the celestial man was signified by the "seventh" or Sabbath day, as shown above, Arcana Coelestia 84-87. Arcana Coelestia 5205.

Let us be called by your name. - To be called by a "name", in the Word, signifies to be imbued with the nature and quality of him by whose name we are called. Thus to be called a Christian means to be imbued with the nature and quality of Christ. Those who separate the name from the nature, or who live not in agreement with the precepts and nature of Him by whose name they are called, are Christians in name only and not in reality, and cannot have "their names (which means the quality of faith, and charity from the Lord, Arcana Coelestia 6674) written in heaven"; (Luke 10:20) that is, cannot, be saved, because by an evil life they have contracted a nature contrary to that which prevails in heaven. To have "the Lord's new name written upon us", (Revelation 3:12) is to be so imbued with His nature and spirit as to worship Him alone. See Apocalypse Revealed 196. See also Arcana Coelestia 2009. Apocalypse Explained 256, 436, 563, 806.

2. In that day shall the Germ of Jehovah be for beauty and glory, and the fruit of the land for magnificence and for adornment to the escaped of Israel.

Verse 2. The "Germ of Jehovah which shall be for beauty and glory", signifies the Truth of the church; and the "fruit of the land which shall be for magnificence and adornment", signifies the Good of the church: as "Israel" signifies the spiritual church, it is evident that it is Truth and Good, and not the "germ and fruit of the land" which shall be for "beauty, glory, magnificence, and adornment." When it is said that "Truth and Good are of the church", the truth of faith and the good of love are understood, for all truth is of faith and all good is of love. Apocalypse Explained 304.

For beauty and glory, for magnificence and adornments - It should be known that all things in the Lord's kingdom have relation either to Goodness or to Truth, that is, to those things which are of love, and which are of the faith which has charity for its ground. Those things which have relation to Goodness, or which are of love, are called celestial; but the things which have relation to Truth, or which are of faith springing from charity, are called spiritual. Inasmuch a in all things of the Word, even in the most minute particulars, the Lord's kingdom is treated of, and, in the supreme sense, the Lord Himself; and as the Lord's kingdom is the marriage of Goodness and Truth, which is the heavenly marriage, and as in the Lord is the Divine Marriage from which the heavenly marriage comes, therefore that marriage is in all things of the Word, which is especially obvious in the Prophets and in the Psalms, where repetitions of the same thing occur with only a change of expressions or words; such as "joy and gladness", "nations and peoples", "beauty and glory", "magnificence and adornment", etc. But these repetitions are by no means empty tautologies, for one expression signifies what is celestial, namely, that which is of love or goodness, and the other what is spiritual, namely, that which is of the faith of charity or of truth. Hence it is evident how the heavenly marriage, that is, the Lord's kingdom, is in every particular of the Word, and, in the supreme sense, the Divine Marriage itself, or the Lord. Arcana Coelestia 4137.

3. And it shall come to pass, whosoever is left in Zion, and remains in Jerusalem, shall be called holy; every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem :

Verses 2, 3. The escaped of Israel, the left in Zion, and he that remains in Jerusalem, etc. Mention is made of "remains " and also of "residues" in the Word throughout, but by the former and the latter have been understood only remains and residues of a people or nation according to the letter, whilst it has been heretofore altogether unknown that, in the spiritual sense, they signify goods and truths in the interior man stored up by the Lord, as in the following passages: "In that day shall the Germ of Jehovah be for beauty and glory, and the fruit of the land for magnificence and for adornment to the escaped of Israel; and it shall come to pass, whosoever is left in Zion, and remains in Jerusalem, shall be called holy; every one written for life, or among the living in Jerusalem." (Isaiah 4:2, 3) "They that were left in Zion, and they that remained in Jerusalem" were in no wise made "holy", nor more "written for life" or "among the living" than the rest; whence it is plain that by those who were "left" and who were "remaining", are meant the things that were "holy and written for life", or "among the living", which things are Goods conjoined to Truths in the interior man, stored up by the Lord. Arcana Coelestia 5897.

Deliverance is effected by remains, that is, by Goods and Truths stored up with man by the Lord; they who receive those Goods and Truths, that is, who suffer them to be implanted in their interiors, escape damnation, and are amongst the residues. Hence it is that mention is made of "the escaped" in the Word throughout, where "residues and remains" are spoken of, as in Isaiah 4:2, 3. Arcana Coelestia 5899.

[In respect to remains, see also above, Chapter 1:9, the Exposition.]

4. When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion; and shall have purged the bloods of Jerusalem from the midst of her, by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

Verse 4. To "wash away the filth of the daughters of Zion", signifies to purify the affections of those who are of the celestial church from the evils of the love of self; "filth" denoting the evil of the love of self; "daughters", the affections; and "Zion", the church principled in love to the Lord, which is thence called the celestial church. To "purge the bloods of Jerusalem", signifies to purify the same from the falsities of evil; "by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning", signifies by the understanding of truth and by the affection of truth; "spirit" denoting the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord; the "spirit of judgment", the understanding of truth thence derived; and the "spirit of burning", the spiritual affection of truth, for it is this which produces expurgation. Apocalypse Explained 475.

Inasmuch as by "blood", in the genuine sense, is signified the holy [principle], so in the opposite sense, by "blood" and "bloods", are signified those things which occasion violence to it, and indeed from this ground, because by "shedding innocent blood" is signified to violate what is holy; on which account also wicked principles of life and profane principles of worship were called "bloods." That "blood" and "bloods" have such a signification, is evident from the following passage, Isaiah 4:4. Arcana Coelestia 4735 Arcana Coelestia 4735[1-15].

5. And Jehovah shall create upon every dwelling-place of Mount Zion, and upon all her assemblies, a cloud by day, and smoke; and the brightness of a flaming fire by night: and over all the Glory shall be a covering.

Verse 5. By "Zion" is also signified the church, as to the Word; the internal or spiritual sense of the Word, as to good, is understood by the "dwelling-place" thereof; the external or literal sense, as to truths, is understood by the "cloud by day", and as to good, by the "brightness of a flaming fire by night." This sense, forasmuch as it covers and is the repository of the spiritual sense, is called" a covering over all the Glory", denoting the spiritual sense. These are also said to be "created", because they are the truths of heaven and the church. Apocalypse Explained 294.

By the "dwelling-place of Mount Zion" is signified the good of the celestial church, and by the "assemblies" thereof are signified the truths of that good; the defence thereof lest it should be hurt from too much light or from too much shade, is signified by "the cloud in the daytime and by the smoke, and by the brightness of a flaming fire in the night"; and inasmuch as all spiritual good and truth is preserved from being hurt by natural good and truth, therefore it is said that "over all the Glory shall be a covering"; "glory" denoting spiritual good and truth. Apocalypse Explained 594.

6. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge, and a covert from storm and from rain.

Verse 6. As a "tabernacle" denotes the ultimate of Divine Truth which hides the interiors, its being , "for a shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge against inundation or storm and rain", denotes that man may be safe and not hurt. AC 9433.

Guard to prevent hurt from too much light or too much shade, is signified by "a cloud by day and by smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night"; wherefore it is said that "over all the Glory shall be a covering", and that "the tabernacle shall be for a shade during the day from heat"; lest falsities should break in, ill consequence of too much light or too much shade, is signified by its "being in refuge and covert against inundation or storm and rain"; "inundation" and "rain" denoting the irruption of falsities. Apocalypse Explained 504

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Isaiah Chapter 4

1. AND seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, Our own bread will we eat, and with our own raiment will we be clothed: only let us be called by your name, to take away our reproach.

2. In that day shall the Germ of Jehovah be for beauty and glory, and the fruit of the land for magnificence and for adornment to the escaped of Israel.

3. And it shall come to pass, whosoever is left in Zion, and remains in Jerusalem, shall be called holy; every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem :

4. When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion; and shall have purged the bloods of Jerusalem from the midst of her, by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

5. And Jehovah shall create upon every dwelling-place of Mount Zion, and upon all her assemblies, a cloud by day, and smoke; and the brightness of a flaming fire by night: and over all the Glory shall be a covering.

6. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge, and a covert from storm and from rain.

594. Encompassed with a cloud, signifies the ultimate of the Word. This is evident from the signification of "encompassed," as being by what is outside of one, for that which is round about is also without, for it is more remote in the circumference; so here it means the ultimate. Also from the signification of a "cloud," as being Divine truth in ultimates, consequently the Word in the sense of the letter. This signification of "cloud" is evident from appearances in the spiritual world; also from the Word wherever "clouds" are mentioned. From appearances in the spiritual world, as follows: the universal angelic heaven consists solely of the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord; the reception of this constitutes angels. In the highest heaven this truth appears like a pure aura which is called ether; in the next lower heaven as less pure, almost like the atmosphere that is called air; in the lowest heaven it appears like something thinly aqueous over which is a vapor like a cloud; such is the appearance of Divine truth according to degrees in its descent. There is a like appearance when angels of the higher heavens speak about Divine truths; what they say is then presented to the view of those who are in the lowest heaven under the appearance of a cloud that floats hither and thither; the more intelligent of them know from its movement and brightness and form what the angels of the higher heavens are speaking about with each other. This makes evident why a "cloud" signifies Divine truth in ultimates. As most things in the Word were taken from the appearances in the spiritual world, and thence have a like significance as they have there, so is it with "clouds."

[2] That a "cloud" signifies in the Word the sense of the letter, which is Divine truth in ultimates, can be seen from the following passages. In the Gospels:

Jesus took Peter, James, and John into a high mountain; and He was transfigured before them; and His face did shine as the sun, and His garments became as the light. And behold, there appeared Moses and Elijah speaking with Him. While Peter was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, hear ye Him (Matthew 17:1-10; Mark 9:1-11).

And in Luke:

While Peter thus spake there came a cloud and overshadowed them; hence they feared as they entered into the cloud. But there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son; hear ye Him (Luke 9:34, 35).

In this transfiguration the Lord represented Divine truth, which is the Word; for the Lord, when He was in the world, made His Human Divine truth, and when He went out of the world He made His Human Divine good by uniting it with the Divine Itself, that was in Him from conception. (That the Lord made His Human Divine truth when He was in the world, and afterwards Divine good, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 303-306; and that the Lord is the Word, n. 263.) Consequently the particular things that were seen when He was transfigured signify the proceeding of Divine truth from the Lord's Divine good. The Divine good of Divine love which was in Him, and from which He had Divine truth in His Human, was represented by "His face did shine as the sun;" for the "face" represents the interiors, since these shine forth through the face; and the "sun" signifies the Divine love (See above, n. 401, 412). The Divine truth was represented by the "garments" which became as the light; "garments" in the Word signify truths, and "the Lord's garments" Divine truth (See also above, n. 64, 271, 395); this is why they appeared "as the light;" for Divine truth makes the light in the angelic heaven, and is therefore signified by "light" in the Word (respecting which see in the work on Heaven and Hell 126-140). Because it was the Word, which is Divine truth, that was represented, therefore "there appeared Moses and Elijah speaking with Him;" "Moses and Elijah" signifying the Word; "Moses" the historical Word, and "Elijah" the prophetical Word. The Word in the letter was represented by the "cloud that overshadowed the disciples, and into which they entered;" for the "disciples" represented in the Word the church, which at that time and afterwards was only in truths from the sense of the letter; and because, as has been said in the article above, revelations and responses are made by Divine truth in ultimates, and because this truth is such as is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word, it came to pass that "a voice was heard out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, hear ye Him," meaning that He is Divine truth, or the Word.

[3] He who does not know that a "cloud" in the spiritual sense of the Word means the Word in the letter, cannot know what arcanum is involved in this:

That in the consummation of the age they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory (Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; 14:61, 62; Luke 21:27).

And in Revelation:

Behold, Jesus Christ cometh with the clouds and every eye shall see Him (Genesis 1:7).

And again:

I saw, and behold a white cloud, and on the cloud One sat like unto the Son of man (Numbers 14:14).

And in Daniel:

I was seeing in the night visions, and behold, there was coming with the clouds of the heavens one like the Son of man (Daniel 7:13).

He who is ignorant that "the clouds of heaven" signify the truths of the Word in the sense of the letter, cannot know otherwise than that in the consummation of the age, that is, in the end of the church, the Lord is to come in the clouds of heaven, and manifest Himself to the world; but it is well known that since the Word was given, the Lord manifests Himself through that only, for the Word, which is Divine truth, is the Lord Himself in heaven and in the church. From this it can now be seen that the manifestation here predicted signifies His manifestation in the Word; and His manifestation in the Word was effected through His opening and revealing the internal or spiritual sense of the Word, for in that sense is the Divine truth itself, such as it is in heaven, and the Divine truth in heaven is the Lord Himself there. This makes clear that "the Lord's coming in the clouds of heaven with glory" signifies the revelation of Him in the sense of the letter of the Word from its spiritual sense. "The clouds of heaven" signify the things belonging to the sense of the letter, and "glory" signifies those belonging to the spiritual sense (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 1), also the revelation itself of the spiritual sense (in the small work on The White Horse); "Son of man" also signifies the Lord in relation to Divine truth (as may be seen above, n. 63, 151).

[4] That a "cloud" signifies Divine truth in ultimates, consequently the Word in the sense of the letter, can be seen further from the following passages. In Isaiah:

Behold, Jehovah rideth upon a light cloud, and cometh into Egypt, and the idols of Egypt are moved before Him, and the heart of the Egyptian melteth in the midst of him (Isaiah 19:1).

"Egypt" here does not mean Egypt, but the natural man when separated from the spiritual, which is then in falsities and evils, and through these perverts all the truths and goods of the church; that the natural man is destroyed by these falsities and evils when truth from good flows in from the Lord is described by these words of the prophet understood in the internal sense. Jehovah is said "to ride upon a light cloud" to signify that the Lord enlightens the understanding with truths; "to ride" in reference to Jehovah or the Lord, signifying to enlighten the understanding, and "a light cloud" signifying truth; that then "the idols of Egypt are moved, and the heart of the Egyptian melteth," signifies that the evils and falsities of the natural man, separated from the spiritual, then destroy the natural man; "idols" meaning falsities, the "heart" evils, and "Egypt" the natural man.

[5] In Moses:

There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth in heaven and in His magnificence upon the clouds, the abode of the God of antiquity, and underneath are the arms of the world (Deuteronomy 33:26, 27).

Here, too, "riding in heaven upon the clouds" signifies to enlighten the understanding by the influx of spiritual truth into natural truth, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word. Because Divine truth in the heavens is spiritual, and Divine truth on the earth is natural, and the latter is enlightened by the former, therefore it is said, "and in His magnificence upon the clouds;" "the abode of the God of antiquity" means Divine truth with the angels, and "the arms of the world," mean Divine truths with men; the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word are what are meant by "the arms of the world," for that sense is the very strength of Divine truth, "arms" signifying strength. (That the strength of Divine truth is in the sense of the letter can be seen in the article just above.)

[6] In David:

God rode upon a cherub and did fly, and was borne upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His hiding place; His tent round about Him the darkness of waters, the clouds of the heavens. At the brightness before Him the clouds passed (Psalms 18:10-12).

This, too, describes the enlightenment of the Word, and thus of the church; enlightenment by the influx of Divine truth from the heavens is signified by "God rode upon a cherub and did fly;" Divine truth in ultimates which is enlightened is signified by "the wings of the wind," "the darkness of waters," and "the clouds of the heavens," these signifying the various degrees of the understanding receiving enlightenment; that the obscurities of the ultimate sense are thereby dissipated is meant by "at the brightness before Him the clouds passed."

[7] In the same:

Sing unto God, praise His name; extol Him that rideth upon the clouds (Psalms 68:4).

Here, too, "Him that rideth upon the clouds" means the Lord as to enlightenment; "clouds" meaning truths in ultimates, which are enlightened, and these are enlightened by the influx of light, which is Divine truth, from the spiritual world or heaven.

[8] In Nahum:

Jehovah hath His way in the storm and in the tempest, and the clouds are the dust of His feet (Nahum 1:3).

Truth in ultimates, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word, is called "clouds, the dust of the feet of Jehovah," because it is the natural and lowest truth, into which Divine truth in heaven, which is spiritual, closes, and upon which it subsists. Divine truth in ultimates, because it is but little understood unless there is enlightenment from heaven, is a subject of discussion and controversy, and this is meant by "storm and tempest in which Jehovah hath His way," spiritual "storm and tempest" meaning discussion concerning the genuine sense, which nevertheless, with those who desire truth, the Lord enlightens by means of influx.

[9] In David:

His seed shall be to eternity, and His throne as the sun before Thee. ¹ It shall be established as the moon to eternity, and as a faithful witness in the clouds (Psalms 89:36, 37).

This is said of the Lord, and the "seed that shall be to eternity" signifies Divine truth which is from Him. The "throne that shall be as the sun and as the moon" signifies heaven and the church as to the good of love and as to the truth of faith; "throne" signifying heaven and the church; "as the sun" in respect to the good of love, and "as the moon" in respect to the truth of faith. "A faithful witness in the clouds" signifies that He is Divine truth, for "witness" in reference to the Lord, signifies that which proceeds from Him, and as that is His, it witnesses respecting Him.

[10] In the same:

Jehovah layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters; He maketh the cloud ² His chariot; He walketh upon the wings of the wind (Psalms 104:3).

These few words describe heaven and the church, and at the same time doctrine from the Word. "He layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters" signifies that the Lord forms the heavens and the church from Divine truths; "waters" signify Divine truths; "Jehovah's chambers" signify the heavens and the church, and "to lay beams" signifies to form. "He maketh the clouds His chariot" signifies doctrine from ultimate Divine truths; "clouds" meaning ultimate Divine truths, such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word, and a "chariot" doctrine; this is said because every doctrine of the church is to be formed from and confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word. "He walketh upon the wings of the wind" signifies the life which doctrine has from spiritual influx; "to walk" signifying to live, and in reference to the Lord life itself; "the wings of the wind" mean the spiritual things of the Word. (That "waters" signify truths, see above, n. 71, 483, 518, 537, 538.)

[11] In Isaiah:

I will lay waste My vineyard, I will even command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it (Isaiah 5:6).

This means that the church shall have no understanding of Divine truth or of the Word; "vineyard" signifying the church, "clouds" the Word in the letter, and "their raining no rain," that there shall be no understanding of Divine truth from the Word.

[12] In David:

Jehovah who covereth the heavens with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains (Psalms 147:8).

"To cover the heavens with clouds" signifies to defend and preserve the spiritual things of the Word which are in the heavens, by means of natural truths such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word; "who prepareth rain for the earth" signifies instruction therefrom for the church; "who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains" signifies nourishment thereby for those who are in the good of love.

[13] The like is signified by the following words in Isaiah:

Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds stream down with righteousness; let the earth open and bring forth the fruit of salvation (Isaiah 45:8).

And in Judges:

Jehovah, when Thou didst go forth out of Seir, when Thou didst march out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, yea, the clouds dropped waters (Judges 5:4).

"To go forth out of Seir, and to march out of the field of Edom," signifies, in reference to Jehovah, the enlightenment of the Gentiles by the Lord when He assumed the Human; "the earth trembling" signifies the state of the church then changed; "the heavens dropped, and the clouds dropped waters," signifies instruction, influx, and perception of Divine truth; "to drop" signifying instruction and influx; "waters" truths; "the heavens" the interior things of truth, and "clouds," the exterior, such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word.

[14] In David:

The clouds poured out waters; the skies gave forth a voice, and Thine arrows went forth (Psalms 77:17).

"The clouds poured out waters" signifies that there are genuine truths from the sense of the letter of the Word; "the skies gave forth a voice" signifies influx from the heavens; "Thine arrows went forth" signifies Divine truths therefrom. In Job:

God bindeth up the waters in His clouds, and the cloud is not rent under them. He spreadeth His cloud upon His throne (Job 26:8, 9).

Here, too, "clouds" stand for truths ultimate in order, and because these contain in themselves and enclose spiritual truths that they may not be dispersed, this is described and signified by "God bindeth up the waters in His clouds, and the cloud is not rent;" because exterior truths, which are called natural, also encompass and enclose interior truths, which are called spiritual, and are proper to the angels of the heavens, this is described and signified by "He spreadeth His cloud upon His throne."

[15] In Isaiah:

Jehovah said, I will be quiet, and I will behold in My dwelling place like clear heat upon light, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (Isaiah 18:4);

a "cloud of dew" signifying truth bringing forth fruit from good. In the same:

Jehovah will create over every dwelling place of Mount Zion and upon her convocations a cloud by day, and a smoke and the brightness of a flame of fire by night; for over all the glory shall be a covering (Isaiah 4:5).

"The dwelling place of Mount Zion" signifies the good of the celestial church, and "her convocations" signify the truths of that good; protection lest it should be hurt by too much light or too much shade is signified by "a cloud by day and a smoke, and the brightness of a flame of fire by night," and as every spiritual good and truth is preserved from harm by natural good and truth, it is said that "upon all the glory shall be a covering," "glory" meaning spiritual good and truth.

[16] The same is signified by:

The cloud that was upon the tabernacle by day, and the fire by night (Exodus 40:36-38; Numbers 9:15-23to the end;Numbers 10:11, 12, 34;14:14;Deuteronomy 1:33).

Jehovah went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, and by night in a pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21).

The pillar of the cloud stood between the camp of the sons of Israel and the camp of the Egyptians (Exodus 14:19-21).

In David:

God led them in the daytime in a cloud, and all the night in the light of fire (Psalms 78:14).

And elsewhere in the same:

Egypt was glad when they went forth, for the dread of them had fallen upon them. He spread out a cloud for a covering, and fire to make light the night (Psalms 105:38, 39).

"There was a cloud upon the tabernacle by day, and a fire by night," because the "tabernacle" represented heaven and the church, the "cloud" the Lord's presence through Divine truth, and the "fire" His presence through Divine good, which is called the good of faith, each ultimate in order; therefore they were as coverings over the tabernacle; for this reason it is said in the passages cited above from Isaiah and David, "over all the glory shall be a covering," and "He spread out a cloud for a covering."

The like is signified by:

The cloud that covered Mount Horeb, into which cloud Moses entered (Exodus 24:15-18).

And the like by:

The cloud in which Jehovah came down upon Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16, 18; 34:5).

And the like by:

The pillar of cloud that stood at the door of Moses' tent (Exodus 33:9, 10).

[17] So again of the "cloud" in Ezekiel:

I looked, and behold a wind of a tempest came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself in itself, and a brightness round about it (Ezekiel 1:4).

And in the same:

The cherubim stood on the right side of the house when the man entered in; and the cloud filled the inner court; and the glory of Jehovah mounted up from above the cherub upon the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of Jehovah's glory (Ezekiel 10:3, 4).

The "cherubim" signify the Lord in respect to guarding, that there be no approach except through the good of love; so, too, the "cherubim" signify the heavens, in particular the inmost or third heaven, because the angels who are there receive Divine truth in the good of love, therefore it is Divine truth, which is in its essence the good of love, that guards. This Divine truth, as it comes down out of the inmost heaven into the lower heavens, and at length into the world where men are, from being pure becomes thus by degrees more dense, consequently in the lowest degree it appears like a cloud; this is why it signifies Divine truth accommodated to the apprehension of the angels who are in the lowest heaven, who are spiritual-natural, and finally to the apprehension of men in the natural world. Moreover, as Divine truth in this degree is similar to the Divine truth in the sense of the letter of the Word, "cloud" signifies the Word as to the sense of the letter. It was this Divine truth that filled the court like a cloud, and at length the house, at the right side of which stood the cherubim; and as this Divine truth is inwardly the spiritual that shines from heavenly light, therefore it is called "glory," and it is said that "the court was full of the brightness of Jehovah's glory." Also in Job:

When God maketh the light of His cloud to be bright (Job 37:15).

[18] Because the higher heavens appear before the eyes of those who are in the lower heavens as covered by a light and bright cloud (for the reason that the lower angels are unable to see the higher or interior Divine otherwise than in accordance with their own quality), therefore also Divine truth in the higher heavens, or what is the same thing, the higher heavens themselves, are meant in some passages in the Word by "clouds;" for whether you say Divine truth or the heavens it is the same, since the heavens are heavens from Divine truth, and the angels there are angels from the reception of Divine truth. It is in this sense that "clouds" are mentioned in Isaiah:

Lucifer, thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend above the heights of the cloud; I will become like the Most High (Isaiah 14:13, 14).

In Jeremiah:

Forsake Babylon, and let us go everyone into his own land; for her judgment hath reached even unto the heavens, and it hath lifted up itself even to the clouds (Jeremiah 51:9).

And in David:

Give ye strength unto God; His excellency is over Israel, and His strength is above the clouds (Psalms 68:34).

The same is here signified by "clouds" as:

By the waters above the expanse (Genesis 1:7).

And by the waters above the heavens (Psalms 148:4);

for clouds consist of water. That "waters" signify Divine truths may be seen above (n. 71, 483, 518).

[19] As there are clouds that are lighter and brighter, also clouds that are denser and blacker, and lighter and brighter clouds appear beneath the heavens, but dense and black clouds are seen about many of the hells, it is evident that "clouds" in the contrary sense signify the falsities of evil which are contrary to truths from good, as in the following passages. In Ezekiel:

Egypt a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity (Ezekiel 30:18).

He shall ascend like a cloud to cover the land (Ezekiel 38:9).

Sheep scattered in the day of cloud and thick darkness (Ezekiel 34:12).

So the Last Judgment, when those who are in the falsities of evil are to perish, is called:

A day of cloud and of obscurity (Joel 2:2; Zephaniah 1:15).

The like is signified by:

The clouds and thick darkness that appeared to the sons of Israel when the law was given from Mount Sinai (Deuteronomy 4:11, 12, 15; 5:22-26);

for although Jehovah, that is, the Lord, came down upon that mountain in a bright cloud, yet it appeared before the eyes of the people, who were in the falsities of evil, as a thick dark cloud (See Arcana Coelestia 1861, 6832, 8814, 8819, 9434, 10551).

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