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.

6367. Judah is a lion’s whelp. That this signifies innocence with innate forces, is evident from the signification of a “lion,” as being the good of love and the truth thence derived in their power (of which in what follows); thus a “lion’s whelp” denotes innocence with forces. The reason why it is said “with innate forces” is that “Judah” here is the celestial of love, and the celestial of love is in the will part (see n. 895, 927, 4493, 5113), thus it has innate forces; for man is born into the things of the will part; hence they of the Most Ancient Church, which was celestial, were born into the good of love insofar as they had good in their will. From this then it is that the forces are said to be “innate.” The reason why a “lion’s whelp” denotes innocence, is that a “lion” denotes the good of celestial love, and a “whelp” is as it were its infant, thus is innocence.

[2] That a “lion” denotes the good of celestial love and the derivative truth, in its power, and also that in the opposite sense it denotes the evil of the love of self in its power, is evident from passages in the Word where a “lion” is mentioned. That it denotes the good of celestial love is evident in John:

Behold the lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath conquered to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof (Revelation 5:5);

here the Lord is called a “lion” from the omnipotence belonging to His Divine love and the Divine truth thence derived. In other passages in the Word, Jehovah or the Lord is compared to a “lion,” as in Hosea:

They shall go after Jehovah; He shall roar like a lion; for He shall roar, and the sons shall come with honor from the sea (Hos. 11:10).

[3] In Isaiah:

Thus said Jehovah unto me, Like as when the lion roareth, and the young lion over his prey, if a fullness of shepherds come running upon him, he is not dismayed at their voice, and is not afflicted by their tumult; so shall Jehovah Zebaoth come down to fight upon Mount Zion and upon the hill thereof (Isaiah 31:4);

here the omnipotence of Divine good is compared to a “lion,” and the omnipotence of the Divine truth thence derived is compared to a “young lion,” for it is said that “Jehovah Zebaoth shall come down to fight upon Mount Zion and upon the hill thereof;” for “Mount Zion” signifies the good of Divine love, and the “hill thereof,” the Divine truth thence derived (see n. 795, 796, 1430, 4210).

[4] For the same reason the four animals in Ezekiel and in John, by which are meant cherubs, had the faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle.

In Ezekiel:

The likeness of the faces of the four animals: the face of a man and the face of a lion on the right side had they four; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; and they four had the face of an eagle (Ezekiel 1:10; 10:14).

And in Revelation:

Before the throne were four animals full of eyes before and behind. And the first animal was like a lion, and the second animal like a calf, the third animal had a face as a man, the fourth animal was like a flying eagle (Revelation 4:6-7).

That these animals were cherubs is said in Ezekiel 10, and is also plain from the description of them in John, namely, that they had eyes before and behind; for by “cherubs” are signified the Lord’s foresight and providence (n. 308); that they had the face of a lion was from the omnipotence of Divine truth from Divine good, which is of providence. It was similar with the cherubs about the new temple, in Ezekiel 41:19.

[5] That the celestial, who are in power from good and the derivative truth, which are from the Lord, are meant by “lions,” is evident in David:

There is no want to them that fear Jehovah. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger; but they that seek Jehovah shall not want any good (Psalms 34:9-10).

Again:

The lions roar after their prey, and to seek their food from God. The sun ariseth, they are gathered together, and lay them down in their habitations (Psalms 104:21-22).

And in the prophecy of Balaam:

At that time it shall be said to Jacob and Israel, What hath God wrought! Behold the people shall rise up as an old lion, and as a young lion shall he lift himself up; he shall not rest until he eat the prey (Numbers 23:23-24).

[6] And again:

When Balaam saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes, he said, He boweth down, he coucheth as a lion, and as an old lion, who shall rouse him up? (Numbers 24:2, 9).

It is the celestial that is here described, because it was the celestial order that the tribes represented by their encampment which Balaam saw in spirit when he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes (see n. 6335). This order is from the Divine good through the Divine truth from the Lord, and in this order is all power, here denoted by the “lion which boweth down and coucheth.”

[7] In Micah:

The remains of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep; who if he go through, treadeth down and scattereth, and there is none rescuing. Let thy hand be exalted over thine enemies, and let all thy foes be cut off (Mic. 5:8-9); where the “lion” and “young lion” denote celestial good and celestial truth, which are the “remains of Jacob.” The meaning is similar in Isaiah 21:8; Jeremiah 25:38; Ezekiel 32:2; Zech. 11:3. The like was represented by the lions at the ivory throne of Solomon, two at the sides of the throne, and twelve upon the six steps (1 Kings 10:18-20); also by the lions upon the borders of the ten bases of brass (1 Kings 7:29, 36).

[8] That in the opposite sense a “lion” signifies the evil of the love of self in its power, is plain from the following passages:

No lion shall be there, and no ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but they shall go free; thus the redeemed of Jehovah shall return and shall come to Zion with singing (Isaiah 35:9-10).

In Jeremiah:

Why is Israel become a prey? The young lions roar against him, they utter their voice, they reduce his land to a waste (Jeremiah 2:14-15).

Again:

The lion cometh up from his bramble, and the destroyer of the nations hath journeyed, he went forth from his place to reduce the land into a waste (Jeremiah 4:7).

Again:

They have not known the way of Jehovah, the judgment of their God. Wherefore a lion out of the forest hath smitten them, and a wolf of the plains will lay them waste (Jeremiah 5:4, 6).

And in Nahum:

Where is the habitation of the lions, and the pasture of the young lions; where the lion stalked, the old lion, the lion’s whelp, and none made afraid? The lion seizeth enough for his whelps, and strangleth for His old lionesses, and filleth his caves with prey, and his habitations with ravin. Behold I am against thee, saith Jehovah Zebaoth, and I will burn her chariot in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions; and I will cut off thy prey from the earth (Nah. 2:11-13);

speaking of Nineveh. In the above passages a “lion” denotes the power possessed by the evil of the love of self when it destroys and lays waste; and so in Jeremiah 12:8; 49:19; 50:17, 44; 51:38; Ezekiel 19:2-11; 33:2; Joel 1:6; Zeph. 3:3; Psalms 57:5; 58:6; 91:13; Revelation 13:2.