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1 Mosebok 49:33

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33 När Jakob hade givit sina söner denna befallning, drog han sina fötter upp i sängen; och han gav upp andan och blev samlad till sina fäder.

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Arcana Coelestia # 6419

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6419. Of a daughter, she marcheth upon the wall. That this signifies for fighting against falsity, is evident from the signification of a “daughter,” as being the church (see n. 2362, 3963); here the spiritual church, because this is the subject here treated of; and from the signification of “marching upon the wall,” as being for fighting against falsity, as is plain from what follows: “the archers embitter him, and shoot at him, and hate him, and he shall sit in the strength of his bow,” whereby is signified the fighting of falsity against truth.

[2] “To march upon the wall” is said because in the internal sense the subject treated of is assault on truth by falsities, and defense of truth against falsity; for the spiritual church, which is represented by Joseph, is continually being assaulted, but the Lord continually defends it. Hence in the Word what belongs to this church is compared to a city, which has a wall, outworks, gates, and bars; and by the assaults on that city are described the assaults on truth by falsities; hence also a “city” signifies doctrinal things (n. 402, 2268, 2449, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493), and its “wall” the truths of faith which defend it, and in the opposite sense the falsities which are being destroyed. That a “wall” signifies the truths of faith which defend, is plain in Isaiah:

We have a strong city; salvation will He appoint for walls and bulwark. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth faithfulnesses may enter in (Isaiah 26:1).

Again:

Thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise (Isaiah 60:18).

Again:

Behold I have graven thee upon the hands, thy walls are continually before Me (Isaiah 49:16);

“walls” denote the truths of faith. Again:

I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem; they shall not be silent all the day and the night, keeping Jehovah in mind (Isaiah 62:6); where the sense is the same.

In Jeremiah:

Thus said Jehovah Zebaoth, I will turn back the weapons of war wherewith ye fight with the king of Babylon, besieging you without the wall. I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand (Jeremiah 21:4-5 (Jeremiah 21:6)).

Again:

Jehovah hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion; He hath made the rampart and wall to lament; they languish together. Her gates have sunk into the earth; He hath destroyed and broken her bars (Lam. 2:8-9).

In Ezekiel:

The sons of Arvad and thine army were upon thy walls round about; and the Gammadim were in thy towers; they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about, they have perfected thy beauty (Ezekiel 27:11);

speaking of Tyre, by which are signified the knowledges of good and truth.

[3] That such things are signified by a “city” and “walls,” is very evident from the description of the holy Jerusalem coming down out of heaven, which was seen by John. That a new church is signified thereby is plain from all the details; and by the “wall” thereof, the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. It is written of this in John:

The holy Jerusalem coming down from heaven, having a wall great and high; having twelve gates. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. He that spake with me measured the city and its gates, and the wall thereof. The wall thereof was a hundred forty and four cubits, which is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The building of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like unto pure glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every precious stone (Revelation 21:10-19);

[4] that the “wall” is the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and hence the truth of faith from the good of charity, is plain from everything said about the wall, that it “had twelve foundations and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb,” for by “twelve” are signified all (see n. 3272, 3858, 3913); by the “wall” and its “foundations,” the truths of faith, in like manner as by the “twelve apostles” (n. 3488, 3858, 6397); also that the “wall was one hundred and forty-four cubits,” for by this number the like is signified as by “twelve,” namely all, for it is twelve multiplied into twelve, and because this number when applied to a wall signifies all the truths and goods of faith, it is added that it is the “measure of a man, that is, of an angel;” and also that the “building of the wall was jasper, and its foundations were adorned with every precious stone,” for by “jasper” and “precious stones” are signified the truths of faith (n. 114).

[5] That in the opposite sense a “wall” signifies falsities which are being destroyed, is plain from the following:

A day of tumult in the valley of vision; the Lord Jehovih Zebaoth destroyeth the wall, and there is a shout toward the mountain; for Elam hath borne the quiver, with chariot of man, with horsemen, the horsemen placing have placed themselves even at the gate (Isaiah 22:5-7).

Again:

The fortress of the refuge of thy walls shall He depress, cast down, throw to the earth, even to the dust (Isaiah 25:12).

In Jeremiah:

Go ye up on her walls, and cast down (Jeremiah 5:10).

Again:

I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad (Jeremiah 49:27).

Again:

Lift up a standard against the walls of Babylon, keep the watch, set the watchmen (Jeremiah 51:12).

In Ezekiel:

They shall overthrow the walls of Tyre, and destroy her towers; and I will scrape her dust from her, and make her the dryness of a rock (Ezekiel 26:4).

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

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Arcana Coelestia # 3963

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3963. And afterwards she bare a daughter. That this signifies the affection of all these general truths; and also the church of faith in which there is good, is evident from the signification of a “daughter,” as being affection, and also the church (see n. 2362); but the affection of what, and what kind of church, appears from what is added-as the celestial church when “Zion” is added, which is called the “daughter of Zion,” and the spiritual church when “Jerusalem” is added, which is called the “daughter of Jerusalem;” and so in other cases. Here, where nothing is added, the church of faith in which there is good is signified by “daughter;” for up to this point the general truths of faith within which there is good have been described, and their reception and acknowledgment; these truths being signified by the “ten sons” of Jacob; and as immediately after them a daughter is said to have been born, it is evident from the series that this means the church in which are all these truths.

[2] Whether we speak of the church of faith in which there is good, or of the spiritual church, it is the same; and also if we speak of the affection of all, that is, of all these general truths; for the church exists from the affection of truth in which there is good, and the affection of good from which is truth; but not from the affection of truth in which there is not good, nor from the affection of good from which is not truth. They who say that they are of the church, being in the affection of truth and not in the good of truth, that is, who do not live according to truths, are much mistaken. These are outside the church, although within its congregation; for they are in the affection of evil, with which truth cannot be conjoined. Their affection of truth is not from the Lord, but from themselves; for they have regard to themselves, to the intent that by the knowledges of truth they may gain reputation, and thereby honors and wealth; but they have no regard to the church, nor to the Lord’s kingdom, and still less to the Lord. But they who are in the affection of good from which there is not truth, are not of the church, although within its congregation; for they are in natural and not spiritual good, and suffer themselves to be led into every kind of evil and falsity, if only the appearance of good is induced upon the evil, and the appearance of truth upon the falsity (see n. 3470, 3471, 3518).

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