3942. And found dudaim in the field. That this signifies the things of conjugial love in the truth and good of charity and love, is evident from the signification of “dudaim” as being the things that belong to conjugial love (concerning which in what follows); and from the signification of the “field,” as being the church, and consequently the truth of faith and good of charity, because these make the church (n. 368, 2971, 3196, 3310, 3500, 3508, 3766). What the “dudaim” were, the translators do not know. They suppose them to have been fruits or flowers, to which they give names according to their several opinions. But of what kind they were it does not concern us to know, but merely the fact that among the ancients who were of the church, all fruits and flowers were significative; for they knew that universal nature is a theater representative of the Lord’s kingdom (n. 3483); and that all the things in its three kingdoms are representative; and that each thing represents some specific thing in the spiritual world, and therefore also each fruit and flower. That by the “dudaim” there is signified the conjugial of good and truth, may be seen from the series of things here in the internal sense; as well as from the derivation of that word in the original language; for it is derived from the word dudaim, which means loves and conjunction by means of them. That “dudaim” comes from this, and that it signifies that which is conjugial is evident from the following words:

In the morning we will arise to the vineyards; we will see whether the vine hath blossomed and hath put forth the grape, whether the pomegranates have put forth flowers; there I will give thee my loves [dudim]; the dudaim have given forth a scent (Song of Solomon 7:12-13).

All this shows what is signified by the “dudaim.”

[2] As regards the book in which this passage is found, and which is called “The Song of Solomon,” it is not among those called “Moses and the Prophets,” because it has not the internal sense; but it was written in the ancient style, and is full of significatives collected from the books of the Ancient Church, and of many things which in the Ancient Church signified celestial and spiritual love, and especially conjugial love. That this is the nature of that book is also evident from the fact that in its literal sense are many things not decorous, which is not the case with the books called “Moses and the Prophets;” but as within it there have been collected together such things as are significative of celestial and of conjugial love, it appears as if it possessed a certain mystic meaning.

[3] From this signification of the “dudaim” we can now see that by “Reuben found them in the field” there is signified the conjugial that is in the truth and good of love and charity; that is to say, that which can be conjoined. For in the spiritual sense the conjugial principle is nothing else than that truth which can be conjoined with good, and that good which can be conjoined with truth. From this also comes all conjugial love (n. 2728, 2729, 3132); and therefore genuine conjugial love is not possible except with those who are in good and truth, and thus are together in the heavenly marriage.

3705. The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it. That this signifies the good in which He was, that it was from what was His own, is evident from the signification of “land,” as being here the good of the natural, concerning which in what follows; from the signification of “whereon thou liest,” as being that in which He was; and from the signification of “giving it to thee,” as being from what was His own; concerning which also in what follows. That the “land” signifies the good of the natural which will hereafter be represented by Jacob, is because by the “land of Canaan” is signified the Lord’s kingdom (see n. 1413, 1437, 1585, 1607, 1866); and because it signifies the Lord’s kingdom, it also in the supreme sense signifies the Lord (see n. 3038); for the Lord is the all in all of His kingdom, and whatever there is not from Him, and does not look to Him, is not of His kingdom. The Lord’s kingdom is also signified in the Word by “heaven and earth” (n. 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118); but in this case its interior is signified by “heaven,” and its exterior by “earth” (n. 82, 1411, 1733, 3355); consequently in the supreme sense “heaven” signifies the Lord as to His Divine rational, and “earth” as to his Divine natural; here therefore “the land whereon thou liest” signifies the good of the natural, in which He was and which was to be represented by Jacob. That “Jacob” denotes the Lord as to the Divine natural has already been frequently stated.

[2] Moreover, that the signification of “land” is various, see above (n. 620, 636, 1067, 2571, 3368, 3379); and this for the reason that Canaan, which is called the “holy land,” signifies the Lord’s kingdom in general; and when mention is made of “heaven” together with “land” (or “earth”), then, as before said, “heaven” signifies what is interior, and “earth” what is exterior; and consequently it also signifies the Lord’s kingdom on earth, that is, the church; and therefore it also signifies the man who is a kingdom of the Lord, or who is a church. Thus in such a man “heaven” signifies what is interior, and “earth” what is exterior; or what is the same, “heaven” signifies the rational, and “earth” the natural; for the rational is interior with man, and the natural exterior. And as “earth” has these significations, it also signifies that which makes man a kingdom of the Lord, namely, the good of love which is from the Divine; from all which it is evident how various are the significations of “earth” (or “land”) in the Word.

[3] That “to thee will I give it” signifies that it was from what was His own, may be seen from the signification of “giving,” in the Word, when it is predicated of the Lord; for as before shown, the Lord is Divine good and also Divine truth; and the former is what is called “Father,” and the latter “Son”; and whereas Divine good is of Himself, consequently His own, it follows that by “giving to thee,” when said by Jehovah, and predicated of the Lord, is signified that it is from what is His own. This shows what is signified in the internal sense by what the Lord so often said, that the Father “gave” to Him, that is, that He Himself gave to Himself; as in John:

Father, glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee; even as Thou gavest Him authority over all flesh; that whatsoever Thou hast given Him, to them He should give eternal life. I have glorified Thee on the earth; I have accomplished the work which Thou gavest Me to do. I have manifested Thy name unto the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the world; Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me. Now they have known that all things whatsoever Thou hast given Me are from Thee; for the words which Thou gavest Me I have given them. I pray for them whom Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine; and all things that are Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine (John 17:1-10); where by the Father “having given” is signified that they were from Divine good which was His; thus from what was His own.

[4] From all this it is evident how deep an arcanum lies concealed in each word that the Lord spoke; also how much the sense of the letter differs from the internal sense, and still more from the supreme sense. The reason why the Lord so spoke, was that man, who at that time was in total ignorance of any Divine truth, might still in his own way apprehend the Word, and thus receive it; and the angels in their way; for they knew that Jehovah and He were one, and that the “Father” signified the Divine good; hence also they knew that when He said that the Father “gave” to Him, it was that He Himself gave to Himself, and that thus it was from what was His own.