3187. And may thy seed inherit the gate of those that hate thee. That this signifies the Lord’s spiritual kingdom derived from the marriage of good and truth in the Divine Human, to which kingdom pertain charity and faith where before were evil and falsity, may appear from what was said and explained above (n. 2851), where nearly the same words occur. That “seed” denotes those who are called the spiritual, thus in the universal sense all who constitute the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, or what is the same, that kingdom itself, is evident from the signification of “seed,” as being charity and faith (see n. 1025, 1447, 1610, 1940), and accordingly those who are in charity through faith (for that these are the spiritual, may be seen above, n. 2088, 2184, 2507, 2708, 2715, 2954; also that these have charity and faith from the marriage of good and truth in the Lord’s Divine Human, thus that they have salvation therefrom, n. 2661, 2716, 2833, 2834).

[2] In the Ancient Church this was a customary devout wish to a betrothed virgin, when she was going to be married: “Be thou for thousands of ten thousands, and may thy seed inherit the gate of thine enemies,” or of “them that hate thee;” but the wise ones of that church by these words understood spiritual things; namely, that when they entered into the marriage of good and truth, that is, when they were regenerate, then goods and truths would be fructified to thousands of ten thousands, that is, immeasurably; and that charity and faith would succeed in the place where evil and falsity were before; but when the wisdom of the Ancient Church expired, they then no longer received from this devout wish any spiritual sense, but a wholly worldly sense, namely, that the posterity might be innumerable, and that it might take possession of and inherit the land of the Gentiles. Pre-eminently did the descendants of Jacob so understand these words; and they confirmed themselves in so doing by the fact that they not only increased immensely, but also inherited the land, which was to them the gate of their enemies; not knowing that all these things were representative, that is, representative of the Lord’s celestial and spiritual kingdom, and that on the expulsion thence of evils and falsities there would succeed in their place good and truth; which meaning will clearly appear when of the Lord’s Divine mercy these representatives are opened.

[3] In particular, that is, with every man who becomes a kingdom of the Lord, the case also is this: Before he becomes this kingdom, that is, before he is being regenerated, he is inwardly nothing but evil and falsity; and infernal and diabolical spirits have possession of that which is called the “gate” (concerning which see n. 2851); but when he is becoming a kingdom of the Lord, that is, when he is being regenerated, then evils and falsities, or what is the same, infernal and diabolical spirits, are driven out, and good and truth enter and inherit that place; and then there is in him a conscience of good and truth. And as the case is in particular, so also is it in general. From all this it is evident what is meant in the internal sense by the above words.

1044. And it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. That this signifies a sign of the presence of the Lord in charity, and that the “earth” here denotes the Own of man, is evident from what has been already said. That the “earth” signifies the Own of man, is evident also from the internal sense and from the connection in which it here occurs. For it was said before: “this is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you and every living soul that is with you” by which was signified whatever has been regenerated. But here it is said, differently: “it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.” From this, and also from the repetition of the words “sign of a covenant” it is plain that here something else is signified, and in fact that the “earth” means that which is not and cannot be regenerated, which is the Own of man’s will part.

[2] For man when regenerated is as to the intellectual part the Lord’s, but as to his will part is his own, these two parts in the spiritual man being opposed. But though the will part of man is opposed, yet it cannot but be present; for all the obscurity in his intellectual part, or all the density of his cloud, is from it. It continually flows in from it, and in proportion as it flows in, the cloud in his intellectual part is thickened; but in proportion as it is removed, the cloud is made thin. Thus it is that by the “earth” is here signified the Own of man. (That by the “earth” is signified the corporeal part of man, as well as many other things, has been shown before.)

[3] This condition of things between the will and the understanding is as if two who were formerly conjoined by a covenant of friendship, as were the will and the understanding in the man of the Most Ancient Church, had their friendship broken, and enmity had arisen-as took place when man wholly corrupted his will part-and then when a covenant is again entered into, the hostile part is set forth as if the covenant were with it, but it is not with it, because it is utterly opposite and contrary, but it is with that which flows in from it—as already said-that is, with the Own of the understanding. The “token” or “sign” of the covenant is this, that in proportion as there is the presence of the Lord in the Own of the understanding, in the same proportion the Own of the will will be removed. The case herein is exactly as it is with heaven and hell. The intellectual part of the regenerated man, from charity, in which the Lord is present, is heaven; his will part is hell. So far as the Lord is present in this heaven, so far is this hell removed. For of himself man is in hell, and of the Lord is in heaven. And man is being continually uplifted from hell into heaven, and so far as he is uplifted, so far his hell is removed. The “sign” therefore, or indication, that the Lord is present, is that man’s will part is being removed. The possibility of its removal is effected by means of temptations, and by many other means of regeneration.