6537. 'And they came to the threshing-floor of Atad' means the initial state. This is clear from the meaning of 'the threshing-floor' as the place where the good of truth exists, for what lies on a threshing-floor is grain, and by 'grain' is meant good which is derived from truth, 5295, 5410, and also the truth of good, 5959; and from the meaning of 'Atad' as the essential nature of that state, just like place-names in other parts of the Word. The reason why 'the threshing-floor of Atad' means that state - the state leading to goodness and truth existing within the Church - is that it was at the crossing of the Jordan, and by that crossing is meant introduction into cognitions of good and truth, dealt with in the next paragraph. For the Jordan served as the frontier leading into the land of Canaan; and since 'the land of Canaan' means the Church, 'the Jordan' accordingly means the initial things of the Church, that is, those through which lies entrance into the Church.

[2] Thus it is that 'the threshing-floor of Atad' means the initial state. And because the initial state was meant, the mourning took place next to a threshing-floor; for this was situated on the nearer side of the Jordan, from which position one had a view of the land of Canaan, which means the Church. The fact that 'a threshing-floor' means a place where the good of truth and the truth of good exist, thus where things of the Church exist, is clear in Joel,

Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in Jehovah your God. The threshing-floors are full of grain, and the presses overflow with new wine and oil. Joel 2:23-24.

'The children of Zion' stands for truths deriving from good, 'threshing-floors full of grain' for the fact that there is an abundance of truth and good.

[3] In Hosea,

Do not rejoice, O Israel, for you have committed whoredom under your God; you have taken delight in a harlot's reward on every threshing-floor. Threshing-floor and wine-press will not feed them, and new wine will be deceptive to her. Hosea 9:1-2.

'Committing whoredom' and 'taking delight in a harlot's reward' stands for falsifying truths and loving falsified truths; 'threshing-floors' stands for truths of good that have been falsified.

[4] Since 'a threshing-floor' meant good and also truth, they used to celebrate the feast of tabernacles at the time when they gathered in from the threshing-floor. Regarding that feast it says in Moses,

You shall celebrate the feast of tabernacles seven days, when you gather in from your threshing-floor, and from your wine-press. Deuteronomy 16:13.

The feast of tabernacles meant holy worship, thus worship springing from what was good and true, 3312, 4391.

3580. 'And abundance of grain' means natural good from this, 'and of new wine' means natural truth from the same. This is clear from the meaning of 'grain' as good, and from the meaning of 'new wine' as truth. When these two are used in reference to the natural they mean natural good and truth, but when they are used in reference to the rational they are 'bread and wine' - 'bread' being celestial good, see 276, 680, 1798, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3478, and 'wine' that which is spiritual, namely truth deriving from good, 1071, 1798. These meanings of 'grain' and 'wine' may also be seen from the following places in the Word:

In Haggai,

The heavens have withheld their dew, and the earth has withheld its increase. And I have called for a drought over the land, and over the mountains, and over the grain, and over the new wine, and over that which the earth brings forth. Haggai 1:10-11.

Here 'a drought' stands for a lack of dew and rain, and so for a lack of truth deriving from any good. 'A drought over the grain' is the lack of good, and 'a drought over the new wine' the lack of truth.

[2] In Moses,

Israel will dwell securely, alone at Jacob's spring, in a land of grain and new wine; and his heavens will distill dew. Deuteronomy 33:28.

'Alone' stands for those who are not infested by evils and falsities, 139, 471. 'A land of grain and new wine' stands for the good and truth of the Church.

In Hosea,

I will be as the dew to Israel, he will blossom ¹ as the lily, and strike root like Lebanon. His branches will go out, and his beauty will be like the olive, and his odour like that of Lebanon. Those dwelling in its shadow will turn back, they will quicken the grain and will blossom as the vine; the memory of it will be as the wine of Lebanon. Hosea 14:5-7.

Here 'the grain' stands for spiritual good, 'the wine' for spiritual truth.

In Isaiah,

A curse will consume the earth. The new wine will mourn, the vine will languish; all the merry-hearted will sigh. Isaiah 24:6-7.

This refers to the vastation of the spiritual Church. 'The new wine will mourn' stands for the fact that truth will come to an end.

[3] In Jeremiah,

Jehovah has redeemed Jacob. They will come and sing on the height of Zion, and they will converge towards the goodness of Jehovah. towards the grain, and towards the new wine, and towards the oil, and towards the young ² of the flock and of the herd. Jeremiah 31:11-12.

'The grain' and 'the new wine' stand for good and for truth derived from good, 'the oil' for the good which is both a producer and a product of these, 'the young of the flock and of the herd' for the truth which is acquired in this manner. This being the meaning of those things they are called 'the goodness of Jehovah'.

In Hosea,

She did not know that it was I who gave her the grain and the new wine and the oil, and who multiplied the silver and the gold which they made for Baal. Therefore I will return and take back My grain and My new wine in its season, and I will snatch away My wool and My flax. Hosea 2:8-9.

This refers to the Church when perverted, and it is evident that 'grain' is not used to mean grain, nor 'new wine' new wine, nor yet oil, silver, gold, wool, and flax to mean such material things. Rather, spiritual things are meant, that is, those which consist in what is good and true.

Something similar is the case where in the same prophet a new Church is dealt with,

I will betroth you to Me in faith, and you will know Jehovah. And it will be on that day, that I shall hear the heavens, and they will hear the earth, and the earth will hear the grain, and the new wine, and the oil, and these will hear Jezreel. Hosea 2:20-22.

'Jezreel' stands for a new Church.

In Joel,

Awake, you drunkards, and weep; and wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the new wine that has been cut off from your mouth. The field has been laid waste, the land is mourning because the grain has been laid waste; the new wine has dried up, the oil languishes. Joel 1:5, 10.

[4] In the same prophet,

Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in Jehovah your God, for He has given you the morning rain for righteousness, and will cause the morning and the evening rain to come down on you in the first [month]. And the threshing-floors will be full of perfect grain, and the presses will overflow with new wine and oil. Joel 2:23-24.

In the same prophet,

It will happen on that day, that the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk, and all the streams of Judah will flow with water, and a spring will come forth from the house of Jehovah. Joel 3:18.

This refers to the Lord's kingdom, it being spiritual things that are meant by 'new wine', 'milk', and 'water', the abundance of which is being described in this fashion.

In Zechariah,

Jehovah their God will serve them on that day, as a flock His people. For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine the virgins. Zechariah 9:16-17.

In David,

You visit the earth and delight in it; You greatly enrich it; the stream of God is full of water; You prepare their grain. The meadows clothe themselves with flocks, and the valleys are covered over with grain; let them clap their hands, let them also sing. Psalms 65:9, 13.

From all these places it is now evident what 'grain' is and what 'new wine' is.

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