9780. And let them take unto thee olive oil. That this signifies the good of charity and of faith, is evident from the signification of “olive oil,” as being the good of celestial love (see n. 886), but here the good of spiritual love, which is the good of charity toward the neighbor and the good of faith. That this good is here signified by “olive oil,” is because it was for the luminary, that is, for the lampstand, and by the “lampstand” is signified the spiritual heaven (n. 9548). The spiritual heaven on earth is the spiritual church. “Oil,” and “the olive-tree,” in the Word signify both celestial good and spiritual good; celestial good where the subject treated of is the celestial kingdom or the celestial church, and spiritual good where it is the spiritual kingdom or the spiritual church. These kingdoms or churches are distinguished by their goods. The goods of the celestial kingdom, or of the celestial church, are the good of love to the Lord and the good of mutual love; and the goods of the spiritual kingdom, or of the spiritual church, are the good of charity toward the neighbor and the good of faith (n. 9741). These goods and the truths therefrom are treated of in the Word throughout, for the Word is the doctrine of good, because it is the doctrine of love to the Lord and of love toward the neighbor (see Matthew 22:35-40); and all good is of love, even the good of faith, for this comes forth from the good of love, and not without it.

[2] As the Word is the doctrine of good, therefore in order that the Word may be understood, it must be known what good is; and no one knows what good is unless he lives in good according to the Word; for when anyone lives in good according to the Word, then the Lord instills good into his life, from which the man perceives it and feels it, and consequently apprehends the nature of it; otherwise it does not appear, because it is not perceived. From this it can be seen in what state they are who merely know what is in the Word, and persuade themselves that it is so, and yet do not do it. They have no knowledge of good, consequently none of truth; for truth is known from good, and never without good, except as memory-knowledge devoid of life, which perishes in the other life.

[3] That “oil” and also “the olive” denote good, is evident from the passages in the Word where they are mentioned, as in Zechariah:

I saw a lampstand of gold. Two olive-trees were beside it; one on the right side of the flask, and the other on the left side thereof. These are the two sons of oil that stand beside the Lord of the whole earth (Zech. 4:2-3, 14); where “the two olive-trees,” and “the two sons of oil,” denote the good of love to the Lord, which is on His right, and the good of charity toward the neighbor, which is on His left. In like manner in John:

The two witnesses prophesied a thousand two hundred and sixty days. These are the two olive-trees and the two lampstands that stand before the God of the earth (Rev 11:3-4); where “the two olive-trees and the two lampstands” denote these same goods, which, being from the Lord, are called “the two witnesses.”

[4] Again:

I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, Hurt not the oil and the wine (Revelation 6:6); where “the oil” denotes the good of love and charity, and “the wine,” the good and truth of faith. Again:

I will set in the wilderness the cedar of Shittah, and the myrtle, and the wood of oil (Isaiah 41:19).

They shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together unto the good of Jehovah, to the wheat, and to the new wine, and to the oil (Jeremiah 31:12).

The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the grain is wasted, the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth (Joel 1:10).

The floors are full of pure grain, and the presses overflow with new wine and oil (Joel 2:24).

I will give the rain of your land in its season, that thou mayest gather in thy grain, thy new wine, and thine oil (Deuteronomy 11:14).

[5] “Grain, new wine, and oil” are here spoken of, but that these things are not meant can be seen by everyone who considers; for the Word, being Divine, is spiritual, not worldly, and therefore it does not treat of the grain, the new wine, and the oil of the earth, insofar as these are of service to the body for foods, but insofar as they are of service to the soul; for all foods in the Word signify heavenly foods, as do the bread and the wine in the Holy Supper. What “the grain” and “the new wine” signify in the passages here quoted, may be seen above (n. 3580, 5295, 5410, 5959); from this it is evident what “the oil” signifies.

[6] The case is the same with all things spoken by the Lord while He was in the world, as when He said of the Samaritan that “he came to the man who was wounded by thieves, and bound up his wounds and poured in oil and wine” (Luke 10:33-34). Here are not meant oil and wine, but the good of love and of charity, by “oil” the good of love, and by “wine” the good of charity and of faith; for the subject treated of, is the neighbor, thus charity toward him (that “wine” has this signification, see n. 6377).

[7] In like manner what the Lord said of the ten virgins, of whom “five took their lamps and no oil with them, and five took also oil,” and that the latter were admitted into heaven, but the former rejected (Matthew 25:3-4, and following verses); “oil in the lamps” denotes the good of love and of charity in the truths of faith; “the virgins who took their lamps and no oil” denote those who hear the Word, read it, and say that they believe, and yet do no good in consequence, and if they do any good, it is not done from the love of good or of truth, but from the love of self and of the world.

[8] As “oil” signified the good of charity, therefore also the sick were anointed with oil and were healed, as we read of the Lord’s disciples, who “went forth and cast out demons, and anointed with oil them that were sick, and healed them” (Mark 6:13). And in David:

Thou wilt make fat my head with oil; my cup shall run over (Psalms 23:5); where “to make fat the head with oil” denotes to endow with celestial good.

In Moses:

Jehovah fed him with the produce of the fields; He made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the stone of the rock (Deuteronomy 32:13);

speaking of the Ancient Church; where “sucking oil out of the stone of the rock” denotes to be imbued with good through the truths of faith.

[9] In Habakkuk:

The fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall produce be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall lie, and the fields shall yield no food (Hab. 3:17);

here neither fig-tree, nor vine, nor olive, nor fields are meant, but heavenly things to which they correspond; as also everyone is able to acknowledge from himself who acknowledges that the Word treats of such things as belong to heaven and the church, thus as belong to the soul. But they who think of nothing but worldly, earthly, and bodily things, do not see the internal things, and even do not wish to see them, for they say within themselves, What are spiritual things? What are celestial things? and so, What is heavenly food? That these are such things as belong to intelligence and wisdom they indeed know when it is so said; but that they belong to faith and love, they do not desire; for the reason that they do not imbue their life with such things, and therefore do not attain to the intelligence and wisdom of heavenly truths and goodnesses.

[10] In Ezekiel:

I washed thee with waters, and I washed away thy bloods from upon thee, and I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee with broidered work. Thy garments were fine linen, silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil. But thou didst take thy broidered garments, and coveredst images; and didst set Mine oil and Mine incense before them (Ezekiel 16:9-10, 13, 18).

Who cannot see that in this passage are not meant garments of broidered work, fine linen, and silk, nor oil, honey, or fine flour; but Divine things which are of heaven and the church; for the subject treated of is Jerusalem, by which is meant the church; and therefore by the several things mentioned are meant such things as are of the church. That by each particular is meant some special thing of the church, is evident; for in the Word, which is Divine, there is not a word that is worthless. (That “Jerusalem” denotes the church, see n. 3654; also what is meant by “broidered work,” n. 9688; by “fine linen,” n. 5319, 9469; by “fine flour,” n. 2177; by “honey,” n. 5620, 6857; by “washing with waters,” n. 3147, 5954, 9088 and by “washing away bloods,” n. 4735, 9127)

[11] In Hosea:

Ephraim feedeth on wind, they make a covenant with the Assyrian, and oil is carried down into Egypt (Hos. 12:1).

These things are quite unintelligible unless it is known what is meant by “Ephraim,” what by “the Assyrian,” and what by “Egypt;” yet there is here described the understanding of the man of the church, which is perverted through reasonings from memory-knowledges; for “Ephraim” denotes this understanding (n. 3969, 5354, 6222, 6238, 6267); “the Assyrian,” reasoning (n. 1186); and “Egypt,” memory-knowledge (n. 9391); consequently “to carry down oil into Egypt” denotes to defile in this way the good of the church.

[12] That the Lord so often went up the Mount of Olives (Luke 21:37; 22:39), was because “oil” and “the olive” signified the good of love, as also does a “mountain” (n. 6435, 8758). The reason was that while the Lord was in the world all things respecting Him were representative of heaven; for thereby the universal heaven was adjoined to Him; wherefore whatever He did and whatever He said was Divine and heavenly, and the ultimate things were representative. The Mount of Olives represented heaven in respect to the good of love and of charity; as also can be seen in Zechariah:

Jehovah shall go forth, and fight against the nations. His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before the faces of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives shall be cleft asunder, that a part thereof shall recede toward the east, and toward the sea, with a great valley; and a part of the mountain shall recede toward the north, and a part of it toward the south (Zech. 14:3-4).

[13] Here the Lord and His coming are the subject treated of; by “the Mount of Olives” is signified the good of love and of charity; thus the church, for these goods make the church. That the church would recede from the Jewish nation, and would be set up among the Gentiles, is signified by “the mountain being cleft asunder toward the east, toward the sea, and toward the north, and the south;” in like manner as by the words of the Lord in Luke:

Ye shall be cast down outside; whereas they shall come from the east, and the west, and from the north, and the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God (Luke 13:28-29).

In a universal sense by “Jehovah going forth and fighting against the nations,” and by “His feet standing upon the Mount of Olives which is before the faces of Jerusalem,” is meant that the Lord from Divine love would fight against the hells; for “the nations” denote evils which are from the hells (n. 1868, 6306), and “the Mount of Olives,” on which were His feet, denotes the Divine love.

1462. That relatively to the Lord, “Egypt” is the memory-knowledge of knowledges, but relatively to all other men is memory-knowledge [scientia] in general, is evident from its signification in the Word (concerning which above in 1164-1165 places, especially in n. 1164,1165). For the Ancient Church was in Egypt as well as in many other places n. 1238); and when this church was there, memory-knowledges [scientiae] flourished there more than anything else; hence by Egypt has been signified memory-knowledge. But after the people desired to enter by means of memory-knowledges into the mysteries of faith, and thus from their own power to investigate the truth of Divine arcana, Egypt became addicted to magic, and signified things of memory-knowledge which pervert, whence come falsities, and from these evils, as is evident in Isaiah 19:11.

[2] That useful memory-knowledges are signified by “Egypt,” thus in the present passage the memory-knowledge of knowledges, which is able to serve as vessels for celestial and spiritual things, is evident from the following passages in the Word.

In Isaiah:

They have seduced Egypt, the cornerstone of the tribes (Isaiah 19:13),

where it is called “the cornerstone of the tribes,” as it should serve for a support to the things that are of faith, which are signified by “the tribes.” Again:

In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak with the lip of Canaan, and swear to Jehovah Zebaoth; each shall be called the city of the sun. In that day there shall be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to Jehovah at the border thereof. And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto Jehovah Zebaoth in the land of Egypt; for they shall cry unto Jehovah because of the oppressors, and He shall send them a Saviour and a Prince, and He shall deliver them; and Jehovah shall become known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know Jehovah in that day; and they shall offer sacrifice and meat-offering, and shall vow a vow to Jehovah, and shall perform it. And Jehovah shall smite Egypt in smiting and in healing, and they shall return unto Jehovah, and He shall be entreated of them, and shall heal them (Isaiah 19:18-22).

Here Egypt is spoken of in a good sense, denoting those who are in memory-knowledges [scientifica], that is, in natural truths, which are the vessels of spiritual truths.

[3] Again:

In that day there shall be a path from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria shall come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve Assyria. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the land, which Jehovah Zebaoth shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance (Isaiah 19:23-25).

Here by “Egypt” is signified the memory-knowledge of natural truths; by “Assyria,” reason or rational things; by “Israel,” spiritual things; all of which succeed one another; and therefore it is said that “in that day there shall be a path from Egypt to Assyria,” and that “Israel shall be the third with Egypt and with Assyria.”

[4] In Ezekiel:

Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was thine expansion, that it might be to thee for an ensign (Ezekiel 27:7); concerning Tyre, by which is signified the possession of knowledges; “fine linen with broidered work” denotes the truths of memory-knowledges, that serve; for memory-knowledges, being of the external man, ought to serve the internal man. Again:

Thus saith the Lord Jehovih, At the end of forty years will I gather Egypt from the peoples whither they have been scattered, and I will bring back the captivity of Egypt (Ezekiel 29:13-14);

denoting the same that is said in many places concerning Judah and Israel, in that they should be gathered from the peoples and brought back from captivity.

In Zechariah:

And it shall come to pass that whoso of the families of the earth goeth not up unto Jerusalem to worship the King Jehovah Zebaoth, upon them there shall be no rain; and if the family of Egypt go not up and come not (Zechariah 14:17-18);

also concerning Egypt in a good sense, and by which the like is meant.

[5] That memory-knowledge, or human wisdom, is signified by “Egypt,” is evident also in Daniel, where the memory-knowledges of celestial and spiritual things are called “the hidden things of gold and silver,” and also “the desirable things of Egypt” (Daniel 11:43). And it is said of Solomon that “his wisdom was multiplied above the wisdom of all the sons of the east, and above all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (1 Kings 4:30). The house built by Solomon for Pharaoh’s daughter represented nothing else (1 Kings 7:8, etc.).

[6] That the Lord when an infant was brought into Egypt, signified the same that is here signified by Abram; and it took place for the additional reason that He might fulfill all the things that had been represented concerning Him. In the inmost sense the migration of Jacob and his sons into Egypt represented the first instruction of the Lord in knowledges from the Word, as is also manifest from the following passages. It is said of the Lord in Matthew:

An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and His mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I tell thee. And he arose and took the young child and His mother by night, and departed into Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called My son (Matthew 2:13-15, 19-21); concerning which it is said in Hosea:

When Israel was a child then I loved him, and called My son out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1);

from which it is evident that by the “child Israel,” is meant the Lord; and that His instruction when a child is meant by the words, “I called My son out of Egypt.”

[7] Again in Hosea:

By a prophet the Lord made Israel to go up out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he kept (Hosea 12:13-14); where in like manner by “Israel” is meant the Lord; by “a prophet” is signified one who teaches, and thus the doctrine of knowledges.

In David:

Turn us again, O God Zebaoth, cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. Thou didst bring a vine out of Egypt, Thou didst drive out the nations, and planted it (Psalms 80:7-8); where also the Lord is treated of, who is called “a vine out of Egypt” in regard to the knowledges in which He was being instructed.