458. And palms in their hands, signifies in the good of life according to truths. This is evident from the signification of a "palm," as being the good of truth, that is, spiritual good (of which presently); also from the signification of "hands" as being power, and thus all ability in man (of which above, n. 72, 79); therefore that "palms were in their hands" signifies that the good of truth was in them, or that they were in good of truth. The good of truth, when it is with anyone, is the good of life, for truth becomes good by a life according to it; before that truth is not good in anyone. For when truth is merely in the memory and in thought therefrom it is not good, but it becomes good when it comes into the will and thence into act; for it is the will that transforms truth into good. This is shown by the fact that whatever a man wills he calls good, and whatever he thinks he calls truth. Man's interior will, which is the will of his spirit, is the receptacle of his love, for that which a man loves from his spirit he wills, and that which he thence wills he does; therefore the truth that is of his will is also of his love, and that which is of his love he calls good. This makes evident how good is formed in man by means of truths, and that every good that is good in man is the good of life. It is believed that there is good of thought also, although not of the will, since man can have in thought that this or that is good; but yet this is not good, but truth; the thought that there is such a thing as good is a truth; and knowing and thus thinking that a thing is good is regarded as a truth; but when that truth in the thought is so loved as to be willed, and from being willed is done, then, since it belongs to the love, it becomes good.
[2] This may be illustrated by the following example. There were spirits who in the life of the body had believed charity, and not faith alone, to be the essential of the church, and thus essential to salvation; nevertheless they had not lived the life of charity, for this was merely their thought and conclusion. But they were told that merely thinking, and from thought believing, that charity saves, and not willing and acting accordingly, is similar to believing that faith alone saves; therefore they were cast out. This makes evident that merely thinking good, and not willing and doing it, does not constitute good with anyone. The like would be true if a man should gain a knowledge of truths and goods themselves, and from mere thought should bear witness to them, without giving them life by willing and doing them. This has been said to make known that the good of truth, that is, spiritual good, when it is in anyone, is the good of life; and it is this that is signified by "palms in their hands."
[3] Because "palms" signify spiritual good, therefore in the temple built by Solomon there were, besides other things, palms sculptured on the walls, as described in the first book of Kings:
Solomon carved all the walls of the house round about with openings of cherubim and palm-trees and openings of flowers, within and without. Likewise upon the two doors (1 Kings 6:29, 32).
"The walls of the house" signify the ultimates of heaven and the church, which are effects that go forth from things interior, and the "doors" signify the entrance into heaven and the church; the "cherubim" upon them signify celestial good, which is the good of the inmost heaven; the "palms" spiritual good, which is the good of the second heaven; and "the flowers" spiritual-natural good, which is the good of the lowest heaven: thus these three signify the goods of the three heavens in their order. But in the highest sense, the "cherubim" signify the Lord's Divine Providence, and also guard; "palms" the Lord's Divine wisdom; and "flowers" His Divine intelligence; for Divine good united to Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, is received in the third or inmost heaven as Divine Providence, in the second or middle heaven as Divine wisdom; and in the first or lowest heaven as Divine intelligence.
[4] The "cherubim and palms" in the "new temple" have a similar significance in Ezekiel:
In the new temple there were made cherubim and palm-trees, so that a palm-tree was between a cherub and a cherub; and the cherub had two faces; from the ground unto above the door. Cherubim and palm-trees were made on the walls and on the folding doors (Ezekiel 41:18-20, 25, 26).
The "new temple" here signifies a new church to be established by the Lord when He came into the world; for this description of a new city, a new temple, and a new earth, signifies all things of a new church, and thence of a new heaven, and these are described by pure correspondences.
Because "the feast of tabernacles" signified the implantation of good by means of truths, it was commanded:
That they should then take the fruit of the tree of honor, leaves of palm-trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and should be glad before Jehovah seven days (Leviticus 23:39, 40).
"The fruit of the tree of honor" signifies celestial good, "palm-trees" spiritual good, that is, the good of truth, "boughs of thick trees" scientific truth with its good, and "willows of the brook" the lowest truths and goods of the natural man, which belong to external sensual things; thus these four signify all goods and truths in their order, from first to last in man.
[5] Because "palms" signify spiritual good, and from spiritual good is all joy of the heart, for spiritual good is the affection itself or the love of spiritual truth, therefore formerly by "palms in their hands" men testified their joy of heart, and also that they were acting from good. This is the signification of the following:
Many who came to the feast when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm-trees, and went forth to meet Him, and cried out, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel (John 12:12, 13).
[6] The "palm" signifies also spiritual good, or the good of truth, in the following passages. In David:
The righteous shall flourish as the palm-tree; he shall grow as the cedar in Lebanon. They that are planted in the house of Jehovah shall grow up in the courts of our God (Psalms 92:12, 13).
"The righteous" signifies those who are in good, for by the "righteous" in the Word those who are in the good of love are meant, and by the "holy" those who are in truths from that good (See above, n. 204); consequently it is said of the "righteous" that "he shall flourish as the palm-tree, and grow as the cedar in Lebanon," for the fructification of good with him is meant by "he shall flourish as the palm-tree," and the multiplication of truth by "he shall grow as the cedar in Lebanon;" the "palm" signifying spiritual good, the "cedar" the truth of that good, and "Lebanon" the spiritual church. The "house of Jehovah in which they are planted," and "the courts in which they shall grow up," signify heaven and the church, "the house of Jehovah" the internal church, and "the courts" the external church; planting is effected in the interiors of man, where the good of love and of charity resides, and growing up takes place in the exteriors of man, where the good of life resides.
[7] In Joel:
The vine is withered, and the fig-tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm-tree also, and the apple-tree, all the trees of the field are dried up; joy is dried up from the sons of man (Joel 1:12).
This describes the desolating of truth and good in the church, and thence of all joy of heart, that is, of all spiritual joy; for the "vine" signifies the spiritual good and truth of the church, the "fig-tree" the natural good and truth therefrom, and the "pomegranate" sensual truth and good, which is the ultimate of the natural; "palm" signifies joy of heart, from spiritual good, and "apple" the same from natural good derived from spiritual good; the "trees of the field that are dried up," signify the perceptions of good and the knowledges of truth, that there are none; and because spiritual joy and natural joy therefrom are signified by the "palm-tree" and the "apple-tree," it is added, "joy is dried up from the sons of man;" "sons of man" meaning in the Word those who are in truths from good, and "joy" signifying spiritual joy, which is solely from good through truths. Who cannot see that vine, fig-tree, pomegranate, palm-tree, apple-tree, and the trees of the field are not here meant? Why should it be said in the Word and of what consequence is it to the church to say that these trees are withered and dried up?
[8] In Jeremiah:
One cutteth wood out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman with the axe. He doth deck it with silver and with gold; he doth fasten them with nails and with hammers, that it move not; they are firm like a palm-tree (Jeremiah 10:3-5).
This describes natural good separate from spiritual, which is good from one's own (proprium), but this regarded in itself is not good, but the delight of cupidity chiefly from the love of self and the world, which is felt as a good. How man so forms this in himself as to give it the appearance of good, and to induce a persuasion that it is good, is described by "One cutteth wood out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman with the axe;" "wood" signifying good, here such good; "forest" the natural, here the natural separate from the spiritual; "the work of the hands of the workman with the axe" signifies what is from one's own [proprium] and from self-intelligence; the confirmation of this by means of truths and goods from the Word, which are thereby falsified, is described by "he doth deck it with silver and with gold," "silver" meaning truth, and "gold" good from the Word; making these to cohere by confirmations from one's own [proprium] is described by "he doth fasten them with nails and with hammers, that it move not;" their thus appearing as good formed by truths is signified by "they are firm like a palm-tree."
[9] In Moses:
They came to Elim, where were twelve fountains of waters and seventy palm-trees; and they encamped there by the waters (Exod. 15:27; Num. 33:9).
This history also contains a spiritual sense, for there is a spiritual sense in all the histories of the Word. Here "they came to Elim" signifies a state of illustration and affection, thus consolation after temptation; "twelve fountains of water" signify that they then had truths in all abundance; "seventy palm-trees" signify that they had goods of truths likewise; "and they encamped by the waters" signifies the arrangement of truth by good after temptation (this may be seen further explained in Arcana Coelestia, n. 8366-8370).
[10] Because "Jericho" signifies the good of truth:
That city was called the city of palm trees (Deuteronomy 34:3; Judges 1:16; 3:13);
for all names of places and cities in the Word signify such things as pertain to heaven and the church, which are called spiritual; and "Jericho" signifies the good of truth. Because of this signification of "Jericho," the Lord in the parable of the Samaritan said:
That he was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho (Luke 10:30);
which signifies by means of truths to good; for "Jerusalem" signifies the truth of doctrine, and "Jericho" the good of truth, which is the good of life, and this he exercised towards the man wounded by robbers.
[11] Again, because of this signification of Jericho:
When Joshua was by Jericho he saw a man standing with a drawn sword in his hand, who said to Joshua, Put off thy shoe from off thy foot in the place whereon thou standest, for it is holy. And Joshua did so (Joshua 5:13, 15).
So, too, when the sons of Israel had taken Jericho by carrying the ark round about it, the silver and the gold and the vessels of brass and of iron which they found there they put into the treasury of the house of Jehovah (Joshua 6:24). From the above it is evident why Jericho was called "the city of palm-trees."
[12] Furthermore, in the spiritual world, in the paradises where the angels are who are in spiritual good or in the good of truth, palm-trees are seen in great abundance, from which also it is clear that the "palm-tree" signifies the good of truth; for all things that appear in that world are representatives of the state of life and of the affections, thus of the good and truth with angels.
