THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 3

(Note: Rev. Smithson's translation of the Isaiah text is appended below the explanation)

1. For, behold, the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, removes from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff; the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of waters;

2. The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the diviner, and the old man;

Verse 1. To "remove the stay and the staff" denotes the power and strength of life from Truth and Good; the "stay of bread" denotes power from Good, the "stay of waters", power from Truth. "Staff", in the original tongue, is an expression implying to lean upon and be supported, which in the spiritual world is effected by Truth and Good. Arcana Coelestia 9028.

Verses 1, 2. The whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of waters; the mighty man, and the man of war, etc. - To "remove the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of waters, "signifies all the good of love and truth of faith, from which spiritual life exists; "bread" denotes the good of love, and "water" the truth of faith; and a "staff" and a "stay" denote powers, and thence all things appertaining to spiritual life. To "remove the mighty man and the man of war", signifies all resistance against evils and falsities; to "remove the judge and the prophet", signifies all the good and truth of doctrine; and to "remove the diviner and the old man", means all intelligence and wisdom. Apocalypse Explained 433.

3. The commander of fifty, and the honourable, and the counsellor, and the wise in magic, and the intelligent in incantation.

4. And I will make boys their rulers, and infants shall govern them.

5. And the people shall be oppressed, one man by another, and a man by his neighbour: the boy shall raise himself up against the aged, and the despised against the honoured.

Verse 3. Incantations were in use among the ancients, and were performed three ways: First, By keeping another's hearing and thereby his mind continually attending to what they were saying and talking of, by not relaxing their speech or allowing any intermission, and at the same time by aspiring and inspiring thought joined with affection by the breath into the sound of the voice, by which means the hearer could not think anything from himself; in this manner the lovers of falsehood violently infused their falsities. Secondly, They infused a persuasion, which was done by detaining the mind from everything of a contrary nature, and directing the attention solely to the idea of what was said by themselves, hence the spiritual sphere of the enchanter's mind dispelled the spiritual sphere of the other's mind, and stifled it; this was the kind of spiritual fascination which the magi formerly made use of, and it was called tying up or shackling the understanding. This sort of incantation or enchantment appertained only to the spirit or thought, but the former was also for the lips or speech. Thirdly, The hearer kept his mind so fixed in his opinion, that he almost shut his ears against hearing anything from the speaker - which was done by holding his breath, and sometimes by a tacit mussitation, and so by a continued negation of his adversary's sentiment. This kind of incantation was practised by those who heard others; but the two former by those who spake to others. These three kinds of incantation were practised by the ancients, and are still in use among infernal spirits; but among men in the world, there remains only the third kind among those who have confirmed in themselves false principles of religion from the pride of their own intelligence, for these, when they hear things contrary thereto, do not admit them into their thought any nearer than just into contact, and then from the interior bosom of their mind they send forth, as it were, fire which consumes them of which the other does not know anything but by conjecture from the face and sound of the voice in the reply, provided the enchanter does not restrain by dissimulation that fire, that is, the anger of his pride. This incantation is at this day the cause that truths are not accepted, and with many that they are not understood. That in ancient times many magic arts prevailed, and among these incantations, is evident from Moses. (Deuteronomy 18:9-11)

A persuasion of what is false, and the consequent destruction of the Truth is signified in the following passages:

"By the incantation of Babylon all nations were seduced." (Revelation 18:23. See also Isaiah 47:10-12; 2 Kings 9:22)

On the other hand, "incantation" [is used in a good sense], and signifies the rejection of what is false by means of Truths, which was also effected by tacit thought and mussitation, out of zeal for Truth in opposition to what is false, as is plain from Psalm 58:4, 5; Jeremiah 8:17; Isaiah 26:16. (See Hebrew text.) Apocalypse Revealed 462.

6. Then a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father [saying], You have raiment; be you a prince over us, and let this [our] ruin be under your hand.

7. In that day shall he lift up [his voice], saying, I will not be a binder up [of wounds]; for in my house is neither bread nor raiment: make me not a prince of the people.

Verses 6. 7. Then a man shall take hold of his brother, etc. - The subject here treated of, in the internal sense, is concerning the perverted state of the church, when Truth is no longer acknowledged to be truth, nor is it known what Good is. "A man's taking hold of his brother in the house of his father", denotes the acknowledging of everything whatsoever to be good; "raiment denotes truth; "prince", the primary principle of doctrine thence derived. "In my house is neither bread nor raiment, means that there was neither Good nor Truth. Arcana Coelestia 3703 Arcana Coelestia 3703[1-23].

Verses 6, 7, 17-24. The "garment" which the prince had, denotes the truth appertaining to doctrine; the various "clothing and ornaments of the daughters of Zion", which are here enumerated are all kinds and species of Good and Truth, whereof they were to be deprived, Arcana Coelestia 2576.

8. For Jerusalem stumbles, and Judah falls; because their tongue and their doings are against Jehovah, to rebel against the eyes of His glory.

9. The obstinacy of their countenance doth witness, against them, and they declare their sin as Sodom; they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for to themselves have they rewarded evil.

Verse 8. Because their tongue and their doings are against Jehovah, to rebel against the eyes of His glory. - Signifies that all their doctrine and their life is altogether against Divine Truth; "tongue" denoting doctrine; "doings", the life; and "the eyes of the glory of Jehovah", the Divine Truth; to "rebel", is to be against it. Apocalypse Explained 433.

Verses 8, 9. Because their tongue and their doings are against Jehovah, etc. the obstinacy of their countenances, etc. - By Their tongue and their doings which are against Jehovah", are signified thought and affection : by the "tongue", thought, because the tongue speaks what the man thinks; and by the "doings", affection, because a man does what is of his affection. These are "against Jehovah and rebel against the eyes of His glory", when they are against the Divine Good and against the Divine Truth; for by "Jehovah", in the Word, is understood the Lord as to Divine Good proceeding from His Divine Love, and by His "glory" is understood the Divine Truth; to be against this is signified by "rebelling against the eyes of His glory."The"obstinacy of their countenances which witnesses against them", signifies the refusal and non-admission of divine Truth and divine Good into their thoughts and affections, which are their interiors, and are signified by "countenances" or faces. Apocalypse Explained 412.

10. Say you to the just, that good [shall be their portion]; for the fruit of their doings shall they eat.

Verse 10. - By "the just, or righteous, eating the fruit of their doings", is signified the celestial Good which man receives by a life according to divine Truth from the Lord, and, as it were, acquires to himself by his own labour and study. Apocalypse Explained 617.

11. Woe to the wicked! evil [shall be his portion]; for the reward of his hands shall be given him,

Verse 11. - Inasmuch as few know what is properly understood by "reward", it shall here be briefly explained. By "reward", when predicated of the good, is properly understood that delight, satisfaction, and blessedness which is contained in the love or affection of Good and Truth, for that love or that affection has in itself all the joy of heart which is called heavenly joy, and also heaven. The reason is, because the Lord is in that love, or in that affection, and with the Lord is also heaven. This joy, therefore, or this delight, satisfaction, and blessedness is what is properly understood by the reward which they shall receive who do good and speak truth from the love and affection of Good and Truth, thus from the Lord, and by no means from themselves; and whereas they act and speak from the Lord and not from themselves, therefore the reward is not of merit but of grace. From these considerations it may appear that he who knows what heavenly joy is, may know also what reward is; what heavenly joy is, in its essence, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 395-414; this, therefore, is signified by the "reward" which is given to those who are in truths from good. But the "reward" of those who are in falsities from evil, is joy or delight, satisfaction, and blessedness in the world, but hell after their departure out of the world. Apocalypse Explained 695.

12. As for My people, children are their oppressors, and - women lord it over them: My people! your leaders cause you to err, and abolish the way of your paths.

Verse 12. By "oppressors or exactors, infants, and women", are signified those who violate, are ignorant of, and, pervert truths; by "oppressors or exactors", those who violate truths; by "infants", they who are ignorant of them; and by "women", the cupidities which pervert them. The "leaders who cause to err", signify those who teach; to "abolish the way of the paths", signifies' not to know the leading truth. Apocalypse Explained 555.

13. Jehovah shall set up Himself to plead; He stands to judge the peoples.

Verse 13. Jehovah stands to judge the peoples. - It is also said concerning the Lord Himself, that He "stood to judge", because it is said of the Divine Proceeding from the Lord, which is called Divine Truth, inasmuch as judgment is from it: thus in Isaiah, - "Jehovah has set Himself up to plead, and stands to judge." Apocalypse Explained 639.

14. Jehovah will enter into judgment with the elders of His people, and with the princes thereof: for you have burnt up the vineyard; the plunder of the poor is in your houses.

Verse 14. By "the elders of the people and the princes", are signified the same as by the twelve disciples, namely all of the church who are in the truths and goods thereof, and, in the abstract sense, the truths and goods of the church in every complex. Apocalypse Explained 851.

For, you have burnt up the vineyard. - "Vineyard" manifestly denotes the church as to the good and truth of faith; for the "elders", with whom Jehovah will come into judgment, denote the goods of the church, and "princes" denote the truths thereof. Arcana Coelestia 9130.

The reason why to "desolate" denotes to deprive by lusts, and thereby to consume, is because by the term, which in the original tongue is expressed "to desolate", is properly signified to set on fire and burn up, hence also to devour and consume; and this being the derivation of, that expression, by "desolating" is here signified the consumption which is effected by lusts; since the lusts appertaining to man are fires which consume; for there appertains to man the fire of life, and the light of faith; the fire of life is his love, and the light of life is his faith. The love of good, that is, love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour, constitute the fire of life appertaining to a good man and to an angel of heaven, and the love of truth and the faith, of truth constitute the light of life appertaining to them: but the love of evil, that is, the love of self and the love of the world, constitute the fire of life appertaining to an evil man and to a spirit of hell; and. the love of the false, and the faith of the false, constitute the lumen of life appertaining to them; but the love of evil is called, in the Word, the "burning of fire", because it burns and consumes those things which are of the love of good and truth. That consumption by lusts is signified by that expression in the original tongue, is evident from the following passage :

"Jehovah will come into judgment with the elders of his people, and the princes thereof; you have consumed [set fire to] the vineyard." Arcana Coelestia 9141.

15. What mean you, that you tread down My people, and grind the faces of the poor? says the Lord Jehovih of Hosts.

Verse 15. What mean you, that you tread down My people, and grind the faces of the poor? - To "grind the faces of the poor", signifies to destroy the affections of knowing truth with those who are in ignorance thereof, and yet desire to be instructed; to "grind" signifying to-destroy, and "faces", the affections of knowing truths, and "the 'poor", those who are in ignorance of truth, and desire to be instructed, for these are they who are spiritually poor. Apocalypse Explained 412.

Saith the Lord JEHOVIH of Hosts. - In the Word frequent mention is made of the Lord JEHOVIH, yea, wherever Jehovah the Lord is spoken of, He is called not Lord JEHOVAH but Lord JEHOVIH; and He is especially so called where the subject treated of is concerning temptations; as in Isaiah, - "Behold, the Lord JEHOVIH will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him: behold, His recompense is with Him, and His work before Him, He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather His lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that give suck"; (Isaiah 40:10, 11) where the Lord JEHOVIH "coming with strong hand" denotes victory in temptation-combats, and "His arm ruling for Him "means that it is derived from His own power: What the "recompense" is, which was spoken of in the preceding verse, is here declared, that is, that it is the salvation of the whole human race, which is what is meant by "His feeding His flock as a shepherd; gathering the lambs with His arm, carrying them in His bosom, and gently leading those that give suck"; all which are operations of inmost or Divine Love. Arcana Coelestia 1793. See also Apocalypse Explained 601, 850.

16. Moreover says Jehovah, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with the neck stretched forth and with ogling eyes, and mincing as they walk, and tinkling with their feet:

Verses 16-22. The "daughters of Zion: who are haughty, or extol themselves", denote the affections of evil within the church; the "rings. and the ornaments of the nose", which shall be taken away denote Good and its badges; the "dress-vestments, or changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles", denote Truth and its badges. Arcana Coelestia 3013.

17. The Lord will make bald the crown of the daughters of Zion; and Jehovah will lay bare their nakedness,

Verse 17. - The "daughters of Zion" signify the celestial church, and the things belonging to that church, but in this case perverted; by the "crown of the head which shall be made bald" is signified intelligence, of which it shall be deprived; and the "buttock which shall be made naked" signifies the love of evil and of the false. Apocalypse Explained 240

18. In that day the Lord will remove the ornament of their ankle-bands, and of their networks, and of their moon -like crescents ;

19., And the ear-rings, and the bracelets, and the thin veils;

20. The turbans, the stepping-chains, and the head-bands, and the scent-boxes, and the amulets;

21. The finger-rings, and the ornaments of the nose ;

22. The dress-vestments, and the tunics, and the shawls, and the purses;

23. The min-ors, and the fine linen [shifts], and the hoods, and the large veils.

24. And instead of perfume there shall be putridity; and instead of a girdle, a rent; and instead of braided-work [of hair], baldness; and instead of a robe, a wrapper of sackcloth; and a brand [mark] instead of beauty.

25. Your men shall fall by the sword, and your strength in the war.

Verses 18-25. They who do not think beyond the sense of the letter, know no other than that all those things, with which the daughters of Zion are said to be adorned, are to be understood according to the letter; and that on account of their ornament, and the loftiness and pride thence derived, the men of that kingdom would perish, for it is said that "your men shall fall by the sword, and your strength in "war"; but that such things are not meant, may be known to those who elevate the mind in some degree above the letter; these know, from various passages in the Word, that by "the daughters of Zion" are not meant the daughters of Zion, but such things as are of the church; as also by "the daughters of Jerusalem", "the daughters of Judah", and several others. When therefore the church, and those things which are of the church, are signified by "the daughters of Zion", it follows that, by their" ornaments", recounted in the above passage, are signified the truths and goods of the church, and that each ornament denotes some specific truth and good; for in the Word nothing is said without a meaning, not even one expression; and whereas that church was to be deprived of its truths and goods, which are signified by those ornaments; therefore it is said, that "instead of a perfume, shall be putridity; instead of a girdle, a rent; instead of braided-work [of hair], baldness; instead of a robe, a wrapper or girding of sackcloth; a brand or burning, instead of beauty"; and also that "your men should fall by the sword, and your-strength in war:" for by "perfume" is signified Divine Truth, as to its perceptive principles; by "putridity" [or a stench], its privation; by a "girdle" is signified the bond containing truths and goods in their connection; a "rent" instead of it, denotes their dissolution and dissipation; by "braided-work [of hair]", scientific truth; by "baldness", the deprivation of the intelligence of truth and of the wisdom of good; by "burning", their consumption by the evils of self-love; by "beauty", the form of truth derived from good in the church, thus its perfection; and by a "sword", whereby men shall fall, , the false principle destroying truth and good; by "no strength in war" is signified not any resistance against evil and the false, for "war" denotes spiritual combat and temptation. From these consideratlons, it is now evident that by "ornaments" in general, is signified the Divine Truth of the church. Arcana Coelestia 10540 See also Apocalypse Explained 637.

Verse 24. "Perfume" [or sweet smell], denotes interior truth; "putridity" [or stench], the privation thereof. Arcana Coelestia 10199.

26. And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit on the ground.

Verse 26. By "gates" are signified knowledges of what is true and good out of the Word, because by them man is introduced [as through gates] into the church. Apocalypse Revealed 899.

"Lamentation and mourning" [here predicated of the gates of

Jerusalem], signify grief on account of the devastation of the church as to Truths and as to Good. Apocalypse Explained 555.

To be "desolate and naked", signifies to be destitute of all Truth and Good. Apocalypse Explained 1081.

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Isaiah Chapter 3

1. For, behold, the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, removes from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff; the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of waters;

2. The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the diviner, and the old man;

3. The commander of fifty, and the honourable, and the counsellor, and the wise in magic, and the intelligent in incantation.

4. And I will make boys their rulers, and infants shall govern them.

5. And the people shall be oppressed, one man by another, and a man by his neighbour: the boy- shall raise himself up against the aged, and the despised against the honoured.

6. Then a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father [saying], You have raiment; be you a prince over us, and let this [our] ruin be under your hand.

7. In that day shall he lift up [his voice], saying, ~ will not be a binder up [of wounds]; for in my house is neither bread nor raiment : make me not a prince of the people.

8. For Jerusalem stumbles, and Judah falls; because their tongue and their doings are against Jehovah, to rebel against the eyes of His glory.

9. The obstinacy of their countenance doth witness, against them, and they declare their sin as Sodom; they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for to themselves have they rewarded evil.

10. Say you to the just, that good [shall be their portion]; for the fruit of their doings shall they eat.

11. Woe to the wicked! evil [shall be his portion]; for the reward of his hands shall be given him,

12. As for My people, children are their oppressors, and - women lord it over them: My people! your leaders cause you to err, and abolish the way of your paths.

13. Jehovah shall set up Himself to plead; He stands to judge the peoples.

14. Jehovah will enter into judgment with the elders of His people, and with the princes thereof: for you have burnt up the vineyard; the plunder of the poor is in your houses.

15. What mean you, that you tread down My people, and grind the faces of the poor? says the Lord Jehovih of Hosts.

16. Moreover says Jehovah, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with the neck stretched forth and with ogling eyes, and mincing as they walk, and tinkling with their feet:

17. The Lord will make bald the crown of the daughters of Zion; and Jehovah will lay bare their nakedness,

18. In that day the Lord will remove the ornament of their ankle-bands, and of their networks, and of their moon-like crescents ;

19., And the ear-rings, and the bracelets, and the thin veils;

20. The turbans, the stepping-chains, and the head-bands, and the scent- boxes, and the amulets;

21. The finger-rings, and the ornaments of the nose ;

22. The dress-vestments, and the tunics, and the shawls, and the purses;

23. The min-ors, and the fine linen [shifts], and the hoods, and the large veils.

24. And instead of perfume there shall be putridity; and instead of a girdle, a rent; and instead of braided-work [of hair], baldness; and instead of a robe, a wrapper of sackcloth; and a brand [mark] instead of beauty.

25. Your men shall fall by the sword, and your strength in the war.

26. And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit on the ground.

412. And hide us from the face of Him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb, signifies lest they should suffer direful things from the influx of Divine good united to the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of "hide us," when it is said by those in whom the goods and truths of the church are destroyed by evils of life and falsities therefrom, as being lest they should suffer direful things (of which presently); also from the signification of "from the face of Him that sitteth upon the throne," as being the Lord in respect to Divine good in heaven; that "face," in reference to the Lord, means the Divine love, from which is Divine good in heaven, will be evident from the passages in the Word that will be cited presently; and that "He that sitteth upon the throne" means the Lord in respect to Divine good in heaven may be seen above (n. 297, 343). Also from the signification of "the anger of the Lamb," as being the casting into hell by the influx of Divine truth proceeding from the Lord.

That "the anger of Jehovah" or of the Lord signifies this, can be seen from passages in the Word to be cited in the following article. Moreover it may be seen above (n. 297, 343) that the Lord alone is meant by "Him that sitteth upon the throne," and by "the Lamb;" the Lord in respect to Divine good by "Him that sitteth upon the throne," and the Lord in respect to Divine truth by "the Lamb." The expression "the anger of the Lamb" does not mean that the Lord (who is meant by "Him that sitteth upon the throne" and by "the Lamb") is angry, for He is Divine good itself, and that cannot be angry, for anger has nothing to do with good itself; but it is so expressed in the sense of the letter of the Word, for reasons explained elsewhere; let it be merely shown here that "the face" of Jehovah, or of the Lord, signifies the Divine love, and thence Divine good in heaven and in the church; and in the contrary sense "to set His face against anyone," and "to hide or conceal His face," has a similar meaning as "wrath" and "anger;" also that "the face," in reference to man, means in both senses the interiors that belong to his mind and affection.

[2] That "the face," in reference to Jehovah or the Lord, signifies the Divine love and the Divine good therefrom is evident from the following passages. In David:

Make Thy faces to shine upon Thy servant; save me because of Thy mercy (Psalms 31:16).

"To make the faces to shine" signifies to enlighten in Divine truth from Divine love; this is signified by "making the faces to shine," because Divine truth, which proceeds from the Lord as a sun in the angelic heaven, gives all the light there, and also enlightens the minds of the angels and fills them with wisdom; consequently the Lord's face, in a proper sense, is the sun of the angelic heaven; for the Lord appears to the angels of the interior heavens as a sun, and this from His Divine love, for love in the heavens when presented before the eyes appears as fire, but the Divine love as a sun. From that sun both heat and light proceed, that heat is Divine good, and that light is Divine truth. From this it can be seen that "Make Thy faces to shine upon Thy servant" signifies to enlighten with Divine truth from Divine good; therefore it is also added, "save me because of Thy mercy;" mercy is of the Divine good. (But of the sun in the angelic heaven, and the heat and light from it, see in the work on Heaven and Hell; of The Sun there, n. 116-125; and of The Heat and Light from it, n 126-140)

[3] In the same:

Many say, Who will show us good? Jehovah, lift up the light of Thy faces upon us (Psalms 4:6).

In the same:

They shall walk, O Jehovah, in the light of Thy faces (Psalms 89:15).

In the same:

Turn us back, O God, and cause Thy faces to shine, that we may be saved (Psalms 80:3, 7, 19).

And in the same:

God be merciful unto us and bless us, and cause His faces to shine upon us (Psalms 67:1).

"The light of the faces" of Jehovah or of the Lord means Divine truth from Divine love (as above) and intelligence and wisdom therefrom, for both angels and men have all their intelligence and wisdom from Divine truth, or the Divine light in the heavens, therefore "make Thy faces to shine upon us," "lift up the light of Thy faces upon us," and "cause Thy faces to shine," in the above passages signify to enlighten in Divine truth, and to bestow intelligence and wisdom.

[4] The like is signified in the blessing of the sons of Israel in Moses:

Jehovah bless thee and keep thee; Jehovah make His faces to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee; Jehovah lift up His faces upon thee and give thee peace (Numbers 6:24-26).

"To make the faces to shine and to be gracious" signifies to enlighten in Divine truth, and to bestow intelligence and wisdom; and "to lift up the faces and give peace" signifies to fill with Divine good and to bestow love. Both are necessary to make man wise, for everyone that is in the spiritual world is enlightened by the light that is from the Lord as a sun, and yet those only become intelligent and wise who are at the same time in love, because the good that is of love is what receives truth; for they are conjoined because they agree and love one another. Only such, therefore, as have love see the sun in heaven, the rest see merely the light. "To be gracious," which is said of making the faces to shine, is predicated in the Word of truth; and "peace," which is said of lifting up the faces, is predicated of good.

[5] Since the Lord's Divine love is seen as a sun in heaven, from which is the light there, so:

When the Lord was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, His face did shine as the sun, and His garments became as the light (Matthew 17:2).

Also when He was seen by John:

His face did shine as the sun in his power (Revelation 1:16).

"The garments which became as the light" signify Divine truth, for "garments" in the Word signify truth, and this because all angels are clothed by the Lord according to their reception of Divine truth; and their garments are moreover from the light of heaven, and are shining and brilliant therefrom, and the light of heaven, as was said, is Divine truth. This makes clear why the Lord's garments when He was transfigured "became as the light." (But on these things more may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 177-182; also above, n. 64, 195, 271, 395.)

[6] In Matthew:

Jesus said of the child whom He had placed in the midst of the disciples, See that ye despise not one of these little ones; I say unto you, that their angels in the heavens do always behold the face of My Father who is in the heavens (Matthew 18:10).

It is said "their angels behold," because with every man there are spirits and angels, and the spirits and angels are such as the man is. With infant children there are angels from the inmost heaven; these see the Lord as a sun, for they are in love to Him and in innocence; this is meant in the nearest sense by "their angels behold the face of My Father;" "the face of the Father" meaning the Divine love which was in the Lord, consequently the essential Divine which is Jehovah; for the Father was in Him, and He in the Father, and they were one, as He Himself teaches. But these same words in the purely spiritual sense signify that the Lord in respect to His Divine good is in the good of innocence, for this is signified by "infant child" in the spiritual sense, and "the face of the Father" signifies the Lord's Divine good. Of "the servants of the Lord," by whom are meant those who are in Divine truths because they are in the good of love and charity, the same is said in Revelation:

The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in the New Jerusalem; and His servants shall do Him service; and they shall see His face ¹ (Revelation 22:3-4).

But on this see the explanation in the following.

[7] In Isaiah:

In all their distress He was distressed, and the angel of His faces saved them; because of His love and His pity He redeemed them; and He carried them and lifted them up all the days of eternity (Isaiah 63:9).

This treats of the Lord, who is called "the angel of the faces" of Jehovah from Divine truth which is from His Divine love; for "angel" in the Word signifies Divine truth; this is why the angels are called "gods" (See above, n. 130, 200, 302); and "the faces of Jehovah" mean the Divine love which is in the Lord, therefore it is also said, "because of His love and His pity He redeemed them; and He carried them and lifted them up all the days of eternity;" all this is of the Divine love. The Lord in respect to His Human was Divine truth, and from this He combated with the hells, and by it subjugated them; for this reason He is called "an angel," that is, in respect to His Divine Human. This chapter evidently treats of the Lord, and of His combats with the hells and of their subjugation.

[8] In David:

Thou hidest them ² in the hiding place of Thy faces from the elations of man; Thou concealest them in Thy covert from the strife of tongues (Psalms 31:20).

"To hide them in the hiding place of Thy faces" means in the Divine good that does not appear before others; and "to conceal in Thy covert" means in the Divine truth; "the elations of man" and "the strife of tongues" mean the evils of falsity and the falsities of evil; for "elations" are predicated of evils because they are of self-love, and "man" signifies truth and falsity; "the strife of tongues" means the falsity of evil. (What the evil of falsity and the falsity of evil are, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 21.)

[9] In the same:

Thou hast set our iniquities before Thee, and our hidden things in the light of Thy faces (Psalms 90:8).

"The light of Thy faces" means the light of heaven from the Lord as the sun there. Because this light is Divine truth itself, from which is all intelligence and wisdom, whatever comes into this light has its quality exhibited as in clear day; for this reason when the evil come into this light they appear just as they are, deformed and monstrous according to the evils concealed with them. This makes clear what is meant by "Thou hast set our iniquities before Thee, and our hidden things in the light of Thy faces."

[10] In Jeremiah:

Proclaim these words towards the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel; I will not cause My faces to fall upon you, for I am merciful (Jeremiah 3:12).

Here, too, "My faces" signify the Divine love, and every good that is of love; and "not causing the faces to fall" signifies not to let it be lowered or cease, for when the countenance falls then it ceases to look, which makes clear what is signified by "I will not cause My faces to fall upon you," so it is also said, "for I am merciful," mercy being the Divine love towards the miserable. "Proclaim towards the north" signifies towards those who are in falsities and in evils therefrom; so it is also said, "Return, thou backsliding Israel." "The north" signifies such, because those who are in falsities and in evils therefrom dwell in the northern quarter in the spiritual world. (Of falsities and the evils therefrom, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 21.) The bread upon the table in the tabernacle was called "the bread of faces," and the table itself "the table of faces" (Exodus 25:30; Numbers 4:7), because "the bread" there, the same as "the faces of Jehovah" signified the Divine good of the Divine love (See The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 212-213, 218).

[11] Because "the faces of Jehovah," or of the Lord, signify the Divine good united to Divine truth going out and proceeding from His Divine love, therefore also "the faces of Jehovah" signify the interiors of the church, of the Word, and of worship, for Divine good is in the interior of these; the exteriors of the church, of the Word, and of worship are only the effects and works therefrom. The interiors of the church, of the Word, and of worship are signified by "seeing," "seeking," and "entreating the faces of Jehovah." In Isaiah:

What is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? when ye shall come to see the faces of Jehovah? (Isaiah 1:11-12)

In Zechariah:

The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, In going let us go to entreat the faces of Jehovah, and to seek Jehovah of Hosts; thus many peoples and numerous nations shall come to seek Jehovah of Hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the faces of Jehovah (Zechariah 8:21-22).

In David:

My heart said unto thee, Seek ye my faces; Thy faces, O Jehovah, I do seek (Psalms 27:8).

We will make a joyful noise unto the Rock of our salvation; we will come before His faces with confession (Psalms 95:1, 2).

In Malachi:

Entreat the faces of God that He may be gracious unto us (Malachi 1:9).

In David:

My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God; when shall I come to appear before the faces of God? Hope thou in God, for I shall yet confess to Him; His faces are salvations (Psalms 42:2, 5).

In these passages, "faces of Jehovah," "of God," or "of the Lord," mean the interiors of the church, of the Word, and of worship, because Divine good and Divine truth, thus the Lord Himself, are in these interiors, and from them in externals; but are not in externals, namely, of the church, of the Word, and of worship apart from these.

[12] As it was the duty of all who went to Jerusalem to the feasts to carry with them such things as pertained to worship, and all worship is from the interiors which are of the heart and faith, and these interiors are signified by the gifts offered to the Lord, so it was commanded that everyone should offer some gift, which is meant by:

They shall not see My faces empty (Exodus 23:15).

The interiors of the church, of the Word, and of worship, are also signified by these words in Moses:

Jehovah spoke unto Moses, My faces shall go until I shall give thee rest. Then Moses said, If Thy faces go not make us not go up hence (Exodus 33:14-15).

This was said to Moses, because with that nation the Word was to be written, and also in the historical parts of the Word that nation was to be treated of, for with that nation a church was to be instituted which would be a representative church consisting of external things that corresponded to things internal; on this account it was said, "My faces shall go." (Respecting this see further in Arcana Coelestia 10567-10568, where it is explained.)

[13] But because that nation was only in the externals of the Word, of the church, and of worship, and not at all in the internals, therefore it was not granted to Moses to see the Lord's face, but only His back, according to these words in Moses:

Moses said, I pray Thee show me Thy glory; to whom He said, I will make all My good to pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; thou canst not see My faces, for man shall not see Me and live. I will put thee in a hole of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand until I shall have passed by; and when I shall take away My hand thou shalt see My hinder parts, but My faces shall not be seen (Exodus 33:18-23).

Here Moses represented that nation, what was its quality in respect to the understanding of the Word, and thence in respect to the church and worship, namely, that it was in externals only without internals. These externals were represented and signified by "the hinder parts" of Jehovah which were seen by Moses, and the internals by the front parts and "the face." That the internals that are in the externals of the Word, of the church, and of worship, were not seen and could not be seen by that nation, was represented and signified by Moses being placed in the hole of a rock, and by his being covered with the hand of Jehovah while He passed by. (But this has been more fully explained in Arcana Coelestia 10573-10584.)

[14] Furthermore, since "the faces of Jehovah" or the Lord mean the internals of the Word, of the church, and of worship, they mean especially the externals in which are internals; since internals make themselves to be seen in externals, as the internals of man do in his face and features. But the Jewish nation was such that it looked to externals only, and to internals not at all; and to look at externals and not at the same time at internals, or at externals without internals, is like looking at the image of a man that is without life; but to look at externals and at the same time at internals, or at externals from internals, is like looking at a living man; this therefore is, in the proper sense, "to see the face of Jehovah," or "to entreat His faces," in the passages cited above.

[15] Since the internals of the Word, of the church, and of worship, appear in the externals, or present themselves to be seen in externals, comparatively as the internals of man do in the face, it is evident what is signified in the internal sense by "seeing Jehovah" or the Lord "face to face," in the following passages. In Moses:

I have seen God face to face, and yet my soul is delivered (Genesis 32:30).

Jacob said this after he had wrestled with God, who appeared to him as an angel. In the book of Judges:

Gideon said, I have seen the angel of Jehovah face to face. And Jehovah said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not, thou shalt not die (Judges 6:22-23).

So, too, with Manoah and his wife (Judges 13:21-23).

And respecting the Israelitish people:

Jehovah spoke with you face to face from the mount, out of the midst of the fire (Deuteronomy 5:4).

Respecting which it is further said:

Jehovah hath made [us] to see His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the midst of the fire; we have seen this day that God doth talk to man and he remaineth alive (Deuteronomy 5:24).

And respecting Moses:

Jehovah spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh to his companion (Exodus 33:11; Deuteronomy 34:10).

[16] But it should be known that no man, nor even any angel, can see the Lord's face, since it is Divine love, and no one can sustain the Divine love such as it is in itself; for to see the Lord's face would be like letting the eye into the very fire of the sun, whence it would instantly perish. Such also is the Lord's Divine love viewed in itself; therefore to those in the interior heavens the Lord appears as a sun, and that sun is encompassed by many radiant circles, which are envelopments one after another, in order that the Divine love may proceed to the angels in heaven tempered and moderated, and thus the angels may sustain it; the Lord therefore appears as a sun to the angels of the higher heavens only, while to the angels of the lower heavens He appears merely as light, and to the rest as a moon. Nevertheless, in heaven the Lord appears to the angels, but under an angelic form; for He fills an angel with His aspect, and thus with His presence from afar, and this He does in various places, but everywhere in accommodation to the good of love and of faith with those to whom He appears. Thus the Lord was seen by Gideon, and by Manoah and his wife, also by Moses, and the Israelitish people. This, therefore, is what is meant by "seeing Jehovah face to face," and by "seeing Jehovah and not dying." It is clearly evident that the face itself in respect to the interiors which are of His Divine love was not seen, for it was said to Moses:

That no one can see Jehovah's face and live (Exodus 33:20).

Yet it is said that "they saw Jehovah face to face;" which shows clearly that "seeing the faces of Jehovah" in the passages cited above signifies seeing Him in the interiors of the Word, of the church, and of worship, which nevertheless is seeing Him in externals from internals. That the Jewish nation was in the externals of the Word, of the church, and of worship, apart from internals, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 248); what the external is apart from the internal, and what the external is in which is the internal, see n. 47).

[17] That the Jewish nation was such, was also represented and signified by:

Their covering the Lord's face, striking it, and spitting in it (Matthew 26:67; Mark 14:65; Luke 22:64);

for all things related in the Word respecting the Lord's passion represent and signify arcana of heaven and the church, and in particular the quality of the Jews in respect to the Word, the church, and worship. (That this is so, see above, n. 64, 83, 195 c.)

[18] It can be known from what has been thus far explained, what "the face" of Jehovah or the Lord signifies, namely, the Divine love, and all good in heaven and in the church therefrom; and from this it can be known what is signified by "hiding" or "concealing the faces," in reference to Jehovah or the Lord, namely, that it is to leave man in what is his own [proprium] and thus in the evils and falsities that spring forth from what is his own [proprium]; for man viewed in himself is nothing but evil and falsity therefrom, and that he may be in good he is withheld from these by the Lord, which is effected by being elevated out of what is his own [proprium]. From this it can be seen that "hiding and concealing the faces," in reference to the Lord, signifies to leave in evils and falsities; as in the following passages. In Jeremiah:

For all their evil I have covered My faces from this city (Jeremiah 33:5).

In Isaiah:

Your sins have hid God's faces from you, that He hath not heard (Isaiah 59:2).

In Ezekiel:

My faces will I turn away from them, that they may profane My secret, and that the violent may enter into it and profane it (Ezekiel 7:22).

The nations shall know that for their iniquity the sons of Israel were carried away; and therefore will I hide My faces from them (Ezekiel 39:23).

In Lamentations:

The face of Jehovah hath divided them; He will no more regard them (Lamentations 4:16).

In Micah:

Jehovah will hide His faces from them, even as they have made their works evil (Micah 3:4).

In David:

Thou didst hide Thy faces, I was troubled (Psalms 30:7).

Wherefore hidest Thou Thy faces, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression? (Psalms 44:24).

Thou hidest Thy faces, they are affrighted; Thou gatherest in their spirit, they expire, and return to their dust (Psalms 104:29).

In Moses:

My anger shall glow against the people in that day, and I will forsake them, and will hide My faces from them. In hiding I will hide My faces in that day because of all the evil which they have done (Deuteronomy 31:17-18).

I will hide My faces from them; they are a generation of perversions (Deuteronomy 32:20).

In Isaiah:

I will tarry for Jehovah, although He hideth His faces from the house of Jacob (Isaiah 8:17).

In David:

How long wilt Thou forget me, O Jehovah? how long wilt Thou hide Thy faces from me? (Psalms 13:1).

Hide not Thy faces from me; put not Thy servant away in anger (Psalms 27:9).

Hide not Thy faces from Thy servant, for I am in distress; hasten, answer me (Psalms 69:17).

O Jehovah why casteth Thou off my soul? Why hidest Thou Thy faces from me? (Psalms 88:14).

Hide not Thy faces from me in the day of my distress (Psalms 102:2).

Answer me, O Jehovah; hide not Thy faces from me, lest I become like them that go down into the pit (Psalms 143:7).

In Ezekiel:

When I shall have brought together the sons of Israel upon their own ground, then will I not hide My faces any more from them, for I will pour out My spirit upon the sons of Israel (Ezekiel 39:28-29).

In David:

He hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of Israel; neither hath He hid His faces from him; but when he cried aloud unto Him He heard (Psalms 22:24).

[19] In these passages it is said that Jehovah, that is, the Lord, conceals and hides His faces on account of iniquities and sins, and He is entreated not to conceal or hide them, and yet He never conceals or hides, that is, His Divine good and His Divine truth; for the Lord is Divine love itself and mercy itself, and desires the salvation of all; therefore He is present with all and with each one, even with those who are in iniquities and sins, and by this presence He gives them the freedom to receive Him, that is, truth and good from Him, consequently they also do receive if from freedom they desire to. Reception must be from freedom, in order that goods and truths may abide with man, and be with him as his own; for what a man does from freedom he does from affection, for all freedom is of affection, and affection is man's will; therefore what is received in freedom, or from man's affection, enters his will and endures. It then endures because the will is the man himself and in the will his life primarily resides, but secondarily in the thought or the understanding. This therefore is why man ought to receive Divine good and Divine truth, with which the Lord is always present.

[20] This is what is meant by:

Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him (Revelation 3:20).

But when man from freedom chooses evil he shuts the door to himself, and thus does not let in the good and truth that are from the Lord; consequently the Lord then appears to be absent. It is from this appearance that it is said that Jehovah conceals and hides His faces, although He does not conceal and hide. Moreover man as to his spirit then turns away from the Lord, and consequently does not perceive the good or see the truth, which are from the Lord; this is why it appears as if the Lord did not see him; and yet the Lord sees each and every thing pertaining to man. It is from this appearance also that the Lord is said to conceal and hide His faces, and also is said to set [ponere et dare] His faces against them, also that He regards them with the back of the neck and not with the faces, as in the following passages. In Jeremiah:

I have set My faces against this city for evil, and not for good (Jeremiah 21:10).

In the same:

I set My faces against you for evil, to cut off all Judah (Jeremiah 44:11).

In Ezekiel:

I will set My faces against that man, and I will lay him waste, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people (Ezekiel 14:8).

In the same:

I will set My faces against them; let them go forth from the fire and the fire shall devour them, when I shall have set My faces against them (Ezekiel 15:7).

In Moses:

He that shall eat any blood, I will set My faces against that soul, and I will cut him off (Leviticus 17:10).

In Jeremiah:

As the east wind will I scatter them before the enemy; with the back of the neck, and not with the face, will I regard them (Jeremiah 18:17).

That it is man who sets his face against the Lord and who turns himself away from the Lord, whence evil comes to him, is evident also from the Word. As in Jeremiah:

They have turned unto Me the back of the neck, and not the faces (Jeremiah 32:33).

In the same:

They have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return (Jeremiah 5:3).

In the same:

They have gone away in their own counsels, in the hardening of their evil heart, and they have become turned backwards and not forwards (Jeremiah 7:24).

And in Isaiah:

Your sins have hid God's faces from you (Isaiah 59:2).

[21] That the evil turn away their face from the Lord does not mean that they do it with the face of the body, but with the face of their spirit. Man can turn his face whatever way he pleases, since he is in a state of freedom to turn himself either towards heaven or towards hell, and moreover a man's face is taught to deceive for the sake of the appearance before the world; but when man becomes a spirit, which he does immediately after death, then he who had lived in evils turns the face altogether away from the Lord (as can be seen from what has been said and shown in the work on Heaven and Hell 17, 123, 142, 144-145, 151, 153, 251, 272, 511, 552, 561). This is what is meant by "they have turned unto Me the back of the neck, and not the face," and "they have become turned backwards and not forwards." And because such then come into the evil of punishment and hell, those who have turned themselves away suppose that this is from the Lord, and that He regards them with a stern countenance, and casts them down into hell, and punishes them just as an angry man would do, when yet the Lord regards no one in any other way than from love and mercy. It is from that appearance that these things are said in the Word. In Isaiah:

When Thou shalt do fearful things that we look not for, the mountains shall flow down before Thee (Isaiah 64:3).

In David:

It is burned with fire, it is cut down; they have perished at the rebuke of Thy faces (Psalms 80:16).

In the same:

The faces of Jehovah are against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth (Psalms 34:16).

In Moses:

Behold I send an angel before thee. Take ye heed of his faces; for he will not bear your transgression (Exodus 23:20-21).

In Ezekiel:

I will lead you into the wilderness of the peoples, and I will have judgment with you face to face (Ezekiel 20:35).

In Moses:

When the ark set forward, Moses said, Arise O Jehovah, let Thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Thee flee before Thy faces (Numbers 10:35).

In Revelation:

I saw a throne high and great, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away (Revelation 20:11).

[22] These things are said respecting the signification of the face in reference to Jehovah or the Lord. The face in reference to man signifies his disposition and affection, and consequently the interiors which belong to his mind, and this because the disposition and affections, or the interiors that belong to man's mind, present themselves to be seen in the face; this is why the face is said to be an index of the mind; the face also is an effigy of the interiors of man, for it represents them, and his countenance corresponds to them. That "faces" in reference to man signify affections of various kinds, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:

They say, Turn aside out of the way, decline out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from our faces (Isaiah 30:11).

"Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from our faces" signifies to cause the Lord to cease from the thought and affection, thus everything of the church, "the Holy one of Israel" meaning the Lord; to withdraw from the truth and good of the church, which is from the Lord and in which is the Lord, is signified by "Turn aside out of the way, decline out of the path," "way" and "path" meaning the truth and good of the church.

[23] In Lamentations:

They have not accepted the faces of the priests, and they were not gracious unto the faces of the old (Lamentations 4:16).

Again:

Princes were hanged up by their hand; the faces of the old were not honored (Lamentations 5:12).

"Not to accept the faces of the priests" signifies to value as nothing the goods of the church, which are of love and faith; for "the priests" represented the Lord in respect to Divine good, and thus signified the good of the church, and "faces" signify all things thereof that have reference to love and faith. "Not to honor the faces of the old" signifies to account as nothing all things of wisdom, "the old" signifying wisdom, and "faces" all things thereof, because they signify interior things; "the princes hanged up by their hand" signify that all intelligence was rejected, "princes" meaning the primary truths from which there is intelligence.

[24] In Moses:

Jacob said respecting Esau, I will appease his faces with the present that goeth before me, and afterwards I will see his faces; peradventure he will accept my faces (Genesis 32:19-20).

"To appease his faces," signifies to captivate his mind; "afterwards to see his faces" signifies to know what the disposition is; "peradventure he will accept my faces" signifies, peradventure he will receive me with a kindly disposition; "to accept the faces" meaning to have good will towards anyone from affection. In the same:

Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shall not regard faces, neither take a gift (Deuteronomy 16:19).

"Not to regard faces" signifies not to have the mind better disposed towards superiors, the rich, and friends, than towards inferiors, the poor, and enemies, because what is just and right is to be regarded without respect to person.

[25] In Malachi:

I have made you contemptible and lowly unto all the people, according as ye keep not My ways, and accept faces in the law (Malachi 2:9).

"Accepting faces in the law" has a similar signification as "regarding faces in judgment," quoted above, namely, to have the mind better disposed towards, and to show more favor to superiors, the rich, and friends, than to inferiors, the poor, and enemies. In Isaiah:

What mean ye? Ye crush the people, and grind the faces of the poor (Isaiah 3:15).

"To grind the faces of the poor" signifies to destroy the affections of knowing truths with those who are in ignorance of truth and yet wish to be instructed; "to grind" signifying to destroy, "faces" signifying the affections of knowing truths, and "the poor" those who are in ignorance of truth but wish to be instructed, for these are the spiritually poor.

[26] In David:

The daughter of Tyre shall bring an offering; the rich of the people shall entreat thy faces. The king's daughter is all glorious within; her vesture is inwrought with gold (Psalms 45:12-13).

"The king's daughter" signifies the spiritual affection of truth; "the daughter of Tyre" signifies the affection of the knowledges of truth and good; to be enriched with these is signified by "bringing an offering;" "the rich of the people" signify the intelligent, and in an abstract sense, the understanding of truth and good; to be gifted with these is signified by "entreating his faces;" for all things of intelligence dwell in the spiritual affection of truth, which therefore is signified by his "faces." (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 195)

[27] In the same:

Yet do I confess ³ Him, the salvations of my faces, my God (Psalms 42:11; 43:5).

"The salvations of my faces" signify all things that are within, thus those that are of the mind and the affections, accordingly those that are of love and faith; because these are what save they are called "salvations." Evil affections, which are lusts, are expressed by the same term, "faces," because they appear in the face, for the face is the external or natural form of the interiors, which are of the disposition and mind; and in the spiritual world these make one, for there it is not permitted to put on other faces than those that are from the affections, thus that correspond to the interiors which are of their mind. This is why the angels of heaven are radiant and lovely in face, while infernal spirits are dusky and misshapen in face.

[28] This, too is evidently the meaning of "faces" in the following passages. In Isaiah:

Throes and pangs seize them, they travail like a woman bringing forth; they are amazed every man at his companion; their faces are faces of flames (Isaiah 13:8).

This treats of the Last Judgment, when the evil are let into their interiors. The interiors of those who are in the love of self and the world, and thence in hatreds and revenges, are meant by "their faces are faces of flames;" and such also do they appear. Their torments from the influx of Divine good and Divine truth are signified by "throes and pangs seize them, they are in travail like a woman bringing forth." Their torments are likened to the throes and pangs of women bringing forth for the same reason that the comparison is used in Genesis 3:16; for evils and falsities are then conjoined; and when this is the case "pangs seize" when Divine good and truth flow in.

[29] In Ezekiel:

Say to the forest of the south, The flame of the grievous flame shall not be quenched, wherefore all faces from the south even to the north shall be burned therein (Ezekiel 20:47).

"The forest of the south" means falsity within the church, consequently those there who are in falsities; the church is signified by "the south" because it can be in the light of truth from the Word; and falsity from evil is signified by "forest;" the vastation and destruction of the church by the love of falsity from evil is signified by "the flame of the grievous flame, by which all faces shall be burned;" "all faces" meaning all the interiors of the men of the church in respect to the affections of truth and good, and the thoughts therefrom; "from the south even to the north" signifies all things of the church from first to last, or interior and exterior; "the south" meaning the interior or first things of the church, and "the north" the exterior or last things of the church; this is the signification of "the south" and "the north" because those who are in the light of truth from the Lord are in the southern quarter in the spiritual world; while in the hells under them are those who are in natural lumen by means of which they have confirmed themselves in falsities; and in the northern quarter are those who are in obscurity of truth from the Lord, and in the hells under them are those who are in falsities, but not in any natural lumen whereby they have confirmed their falsities.

[30] In Joel:

Before him the peoples tremble; all faces have gathered blackness (Joel 2:6).

This treats of evils and falsities devastating the church, and of the judgment upon those who are in them; those who are in falsities are signified by "the peoples who tremble;" their interiors which are in the falsities of evil are signified by "the faces that have gathered blackness;" "faces" meaning the interiors, and "blackness" the falsity of evil. The infernals who are in falsities from evil appear black in the light of heaven.

[31] In Daniel:

In the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king hard in faces shall rise up (Daniel 8:23).

This was said of the four horns of the he-goat, by which are there meant four kingdoms, but "kingdoms" there do not mean kingdoms but the states of the church, for "a he-goat of the goats" means faith separated from charity, which is called faith alone; "the latter end of their kingdom" signifies the end of the church, when there is no faith because there is no charity; "when the transgressors are come to the full" signifies when there are no longer truth and good, but evil and falsity; these words signify the like as "when iniquity is consummated and fulfilled" (respecting which see above, n. 397). "A king hard in faces" signifies no truth but only falsity in their interiors; "king" signifying truth, and in the contrary sense falsity; "faces" the interiors, and "hard in faces" the interiors without good; for where there is no good, truth is hard, while truth from good is mild, because living; and truth without good even becomes falsity in their interiors or thought, since they do not think about it spiritually but materially, because they think from things corporeal and worldly, and thus from the fallacies of the senses.

[32] In Ezekiel:

Sons hard in their faces, and hardened in heart (Ezekiel 2:4).

"Sons hard in their faces" signify those who are in truths without good, and in an abstract sense truths without good, which in themselves are falsities (as has been said above); and "hardened in heart" signifies those who do not admit good, and who are therefore in evil, for where good cannot enter evil enters; "the heart" signifies also in the Word the good of love, and "a hardened heart" signifies the same as "a stony heart," namely, where the good of love is not admitted; but "a heart of flesh" signifies where it is admitted.

[33] In Isaiah:

Their tongue and their doings are against Jehovah, to rebel against the eyes of His glory; the hardness of their faces answereth against them (Isaiah 3:8-9).

"Their tongue and their doings which are against Jehovah" signify thought and affection; "the tongue" thought, because the tongue utters what man thinks, and "doings" affection, because man does what is of his affection; these "are against Jehovah, and rebel against the eyes of His glory" when they are against Divine good and against Divine truth; for "Jehovah" in the Word means the Lord in respect to Divine good proceeding from His Divine love, and "His glory" means Divine truth; to be against this is signified by "rebelling against the eyes of His glory;" "the hardness of their faces which answers against them" signifies to refuse Divine truth and Divine good, and not to admit them into their thoughts and affections, which are their interiors.

[34] In Ezekiel:

Behold I have made thy faces hard against their faces, and thy forehead hard against their forehead (Ezekiel 3:8).

This was said to the prophet, by whom is signified the doctrine of truth and good combating against falsities and evils; therefore "his faces made hard against their faces" signifies the rejection of falsities by truths, and "his forehead hardened against their forehead" signifies the rejection of evil by good; for "faces" signify the affections of truth, or the affections of falsity, and "forehead" signifies the affection of good or the affection of evil. The affection of truth and good is hardened and becomes outwardly hard from zeal, when it is combating against falsity and evil, otherwise it could not repulse them; but it is not so inwardly. From this it can be seen how these words must be understood. Since "faces" signify man's interiors, or the things that are of his thought and affection, the same word in the Hebrew that means "face" means what is interior.

[35] (In these explanations various things have been said respecting "faces" which cannot be easily understood, perhaps, without further exposition; I will therefore add what has been said and shown respecting faces in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that the face is formed to a correspondence with man's interiors, n. 4791-4805, 5695; on the correspondence of the face and countenance with the affections of the mind, n. 1568, 2988, 2989, 3631, 4796, 4797, 4800, 5165, 5168, 9306; consequently the interiors shine forth from the face, n. 3527, 4066, 4796; with the ancients the face made one with the interiors, n. 3573, 4326, 5695; it also makes one with the interiors with the angels in heaven, and with sincere men in the world, n. 4796, 4797, 4799, 5695, 8250; in the other life the faces of all become such as their interiors are, n. 4798, 5695; experiences respecting changes of the face there according to the interiors, n. 4796, 6604; on the influx of the interiors of the mind, or of the understanding and will into the face and its muscles, n. 3631, 4800; with flatterers, dissemblers, hypocrites, and the deceitful, the face does not act as one with the interiors, n. 4799, 8250; with such the face is taught to feign sincerity, honesty, and piety, n. 4326; how influx from the brains into the face became changed in process of time, and with it the face itself in respect to its correspondence with the interiors, n. 4326, 8250; the natural of man is like an interior face to the spiritual mind and its sight, n. 5165, 5168. See also what has been said and shown respecting faces in the work on Heaven and Hell 46-48, 142-144, 457-459, 553.)

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