THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 40

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

1. COMFORT you, comfort you, My people, says your God.

VERSES 1, 2. Treating of the advent of the Lord, and of the New Church to be established by Him. That the New Church is signified by "Jerusalem", to "the heart of which they should speak"; by "the warfare which is fulfilled", is signified the state of combat against evils; by "the infirmity being expiated or pardoned", is signified evil removed by the Lord; by "receiving double for all her sins", is denoted much suffering in combat or temptation. Apocalypse Explained 1115.

2. Speak you to the heart of Jerusalem, and proclaim unto her, that her warfare is fulfilled; that her iniquity is pardoned; that she has received from the hand of Jehovah double for all her sins.

Verse 2. As to tithe signification of "warfare" and of "wars", when mentioned in the Word, see Chapter 7:1, the Exposition.

That a man must combat against falsities and evils, in order that they may be removed by the Lord, and that on this account the church is called "militant", see Doctrine of Life, 98.

Her iniquity is pardoned [or expiated]. - By "expiation" is meant deliverance from damnation, and hence the pardoning and cleansing of sin. Arcana Coelestia 9076.

How false the doctrine of Expiation (or Atonement) is, as commonly received, may be seen illustrated and shown in Arcana Coelestia 9937.

She has received from the hand of Jehovah double for all her sins. - By "double" is signified much according to quantity and quality, as is evident from the following passages:

"Let them be confounded that persecute me; break them with a double breach [destruction]." (Jeremiah 17:18)

Also much according to the quantity and quality of their conversion from evils, as in these passages :

"Comfort you, My people; because her warfare is fulfilled, her iniquity is expiated; for she has received from the hand of Jehovah double." (Isaiah 40:1, 2)

Again,

"Return you to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope; this day do I declare that I will render unto you double." (Zechariah 9:12)

As to the law of retaliation, it is according to the literal sense that they whom they had seduced and destroyed, were to recompense them [who had seduced], as in Revelation 18:6; whereas, according to the spiritual sense, they were to recompense themselves, because every evil carries along with it its own punishment. The case herein is similar to what is said in many parts of the Word, that God will recompense and take vengeance upon the injustice and injuries done to Him, and will destroy the unjust out of anger and wrath, when nevertheless the evils themselves which they have committed against God, do this, consequently they do it to themselves; for this is the law of retaliation [jus talionis], which derives its origin from the following divine law:

"All things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you even so to them; this is the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31)

This law, in heaven, is the law of mutual love or charity, from which is produced what is opposite in hell, namely, that what anyone does to another, the same is done to himself: not that they who are in heaven do it, but they who are in hell do it to themselves, for the retribution of retaliation, grounded in their opposition to the above law of life in heaven, is, as it were, inherent in their evils. Apocalypse Revealed 762.

3. A voice of one proclaiming in the wilderness, Prepare you the way of Jehovah! make straight in the desert a highway for our God!

4. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill be made low; and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places a plain:

Verses 3, 4. The subject here treated of is also concerning the advent of the Lord, and the Last Judgment which then took place. The "voice of one proclaiming in the wilderness, Prepare you the way or Jehovah! make straight in the desert a highway for our God!" signifies that they should prepare themselves to receive the Lord; the "wilderness" is where there is no Good, because there is no Truth, thus where there is as yet no church. By "every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill be made low", is signified that all the humble in heart, who are those that are in Goods and Truths, shall be received, for they who are received by the Lord are raised up to heaven; and by "every mountain and hill shall be made low", is signified that all the high-minded, who are those that are in the love of self and the world, shall be put down. Apocalypse Explained 405.

As to what is meant by "mountains and hills being made low" at the time of Judgment in the spiritual world, see above, Chapter 2:12-17, the Exposition.

5. And the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of Jehovah has spoken it.

Verses 5-7. These things are said concerning the advent of the Lord, and the revelation of Divine Truth about to take place from Him. which is understood by "the glory Jehovah shall be revealed", and "they shall see it." That then there would be no scientific truth nor spiritual truth with man is signified by "all flesh is grass, and all the glory [or sanctity] thereof is as the flower of the field"; "grass" denoting scientific Truth, and the "flower of the field" spiritual Truth. That man is of such a nature and quality, is understood by "all flesh is grass", and by "the grass withers; verily the people is grass"; "all flesh" denoting every man, and the "people" [in a good sense] those who are in truths, but, in the opposite sense, those who are in falsities. Apocalypse Explained 507.

6. A voice says, Proclaim! And I said, What shall I proclaim? All flesh is grass, and all the glory thereof is as the flower of the field:

7. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the spirit of Jehovah blows upon it: verily the people is grass.

8. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the Word of our God shall stand for ever.

Verses 6-8. All flesh is grass, and all the glory thereof is as the flower of the field, etc.

- That "grass", "herb", and what is "green" signify scientifics, or knowledges of Truth, in which there is some spiritual life, see Chapter 15:6, the Exposition, [By the "grass withering" and the "flower fading" is consequently signified that the knowledges of Truth and of Good are destitute of any living or spiritual principle. Hence it is that this knowledge, rendered worthless by its not being applied to the uses of the spiritual life, is contrasted in verse 8 with the living Word of God.]

9. O [daughter of] Zion, that brings good tidings, get you up into the high mountain: O [daughter of] Jerusalem, that brings good tidings, lift up your voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid: say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

Verses 9, 10. Inasmuch as these things are spoken of the Lord and of His kingdom, and this is signified by "Zion" and "Jerusalem", therefore it is said that Zion and Jerusalem evangelize it, or "bring good tidings", -Zion from the Good of Love, and Jerusalem from Truths of Doctrine."

Evangelization, or "good tidings", from the Good of Love, is signified by "getting up upon the high mountain", and from the Truths of Doctrine, by "lifting up the voice with strength." By the "cities of Judah" is meant the doctrine of love to the Lord and of love to the neighbour in all its complex.

The Lord, as to Divine Truth and as to Divine Good, who was about to come and effect Judgment, is understood by "Behold your God!behold, the Lord Jehovih shall come with power; for the Lord is called "God", in the Word, from "Divine Truth, and "Jehovah" from Divine Good, and also the "Lord Jehovih"; to "come with power" is to effect judgment, thus to subjugate the cells. Apocalypse Explained 850.

As to the specific meaning of "Jehovih", as distinguished from "Jehovah", see Chapter 3:15, the Exposition and note.

Verses 9-11. That these things are said concerning the advent of the Lord is evident, and hence it is that "Zion" and "Jerusalem " are called evangelizers, or "bringers of good tidings."

- By "Zion" are understood all who are of the celestial church, who are those that are principled in love to the Lord, wherefore it is said "Get you up into the high mountain"; the "high mountain" denoting that love, as may be seen above, Apocalypse Explained 405.

By "Jerusalem" are understood all who are of the spiritual church, who are those that are principled in the doctrine of genuine Truth, wherefore it is said, "Lift up your voice with strength"; by which is signified confession from genuine Truths. By the "cities of Judah", to which it is said "Behold your God! behold, the Lord Jehovih shall come with power" are signified doctrinals from the Word; by "cities" doctrinals, and by "Judah" the Word. That "Zion" and "Jerusalem" are called evangelizers by reason that the "Gospel", [evangelium] signifies the advent of the Lord, is manifest, for it is said "Behold your God! behold, the Lord Jehovih shall come with power." That He will accomplish a Judgment, and defend those, who acknowledge Him, is signified by "His arm shall rule for Him, and "like a Shepherd shall He feed His flock", etc. Apocalypse Explained 612.

10. Behold, the Lord Jehovih shall come with power, and His arm shall rule for Him: behold, His reward is with Him, and the recompense of His work before Him.

Verse 10. And in the Apocalypse:

"Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give to every one as his work shall be." (Revelation 22:12)

"Behold, the Lord Jehovih shall come with power", Behold, your salvation cometh" and "Behold, He cometh quickly", signify the first and second advent of the Lord.

"His reward is with Him" signifies heaven and all things belonging thereto, inasmuch as where the Lord is, there is heaven; for heaven is not heaven from the angels there, but from the Lord with the angels.

That they shall receive heaven according to the love and affection of Good and of Truth from the Lord, is understood by "the recompense of His work before Him", and by " giving to every one according as his work shall be"; by the "work" for which heaven shall be given as a reward, nothing else is meant than what proceeds from the love or affection of Good and of Truth, inasmuch as nothing else can produce heaven in man; for every work derives all that it has from the love or affection whence it proceeds, as the effect derives all that it has from the efficient cause; wherefore, according to the quality of the love or affection, such is the work.

Hence it may appear what is understood by "the work according to which it shall be given", and by "the recompense of His work." Apocalypse Explained 695.

As to the true nature of heavenly "reward" and "recompense " see above, Chapter 3:10, the Exposition.

Verses 10, 12. Treating also concerning the Lord, and concerning Divine Truth, from which is heaven and the church, and all wisdom. The advent of the Lord, and the arrangement of all things in the heavens by Him, from His own proper power, is signified by "Behold, the Lord Jehovih shall come with power, and His arm shall rule for Him"; "His arm which shall rule" denoting His own power. The arrangement thence of all things in the heavens by Divine Truth, is signified by "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand; and has meted out the heavens with His span; and has comprehended the dust of the earth in measure; and has weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?"

By "measuring the waters", is signified to designate divine Truths; by "meting out the heavens with a span", is signified thence to set in order, or arrange the heavens; by "comprehending the dust of the earth in a measure", is denoted the same with respect to things inferior; by "the hollow of the hand, the span and the measure", are signified the same as by "measures" and by the "hand" namely, the quantity of a thing, and His own or proper power; by "weighing the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance", is meant to bring all things into subordination and equilibrium; the "scales" and the "balance" denoting just equilibrium, and the "mountains" and "hills" the superior heavens, - the "mountains" those which are principled in love to the Lord, and the "hills" those which are principled in charity to the neighbour. Apocalypse Explained 629.

11. Like a shepherd shall He feed His flock; in His arms shall He gather up the lambs, and shall carry them in His bosom; and He shall gently lead them that give suck.

Verse. 11. By "the flock which He shall feed like a Shepherd", are signified those who are in the good of charity and by "the lambs whom He shall gather up in His arms, are signified those who are in love to Him, which love, viewed in itself, is innocence, and therefore all who are principled in it are in the heaven of innocence, which is the third heaven and inasmuch as that love is signified by "lambs", it is therefore also said:

"He shall gently lead them that give suck." By "sucklings" and infants in the Word, are understood those who are in innocence as may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 277, 280. Apocalypse Explained 314.

12. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand; and has meted out the Heavens by His span; and has comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure; and has weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

Verse 12. In this passage is described, by "measures", the just arrangement and estimation of all things in heaven and in the church, according to the quality of Good and of Truth. The "measures" by which this is described are the hollow of the hand, the span, the tierce, the scale, and balances. By "waters" are signified truths; by the "heavens", interior or spiritual Truths and Goods; by the "dust of the earth", exterior or natural truths and goods; - each appertaining to heaven and the church. By "mountains", the goods of love; by "hills", the goods of charity; and by "weighing them", the estimation and arrangement of them according to their quality. That these words have such a signification, can only be seen from the science of correspondences. Apocalypse Explained 33.

13. Who has directed the Spirit of Jehovah, and as a man of His counsel has informed Him?

14. With whom has He consulted, that he should instruct Him, and teach Him the path of judgment; that he should teach Him knowledge, and show Him the way of understanding?

15. Behold, the nations are as a drop from the bucket, and are accounted as the small dust of the balance: behold, the islands He takes up as an atom;

Verses 13, 14. The "Spirit of Jehovah" is the Divine Truth; that to "teach Him the path of judgment" is to render Him knowing, intelligent, and wise, is evident. Arcana Coelestia 9857.

Verse 15. Inasmuch as most things in the Word have also an opposite sense, so "islands", in that sense, signify the falsities opposite to the truths which are in the natural man. In that sense "islands" are mentioned in the above passage, where "nations" denote evils, and "islands" falsities. Apocalypse Explained 406.

As to the meaning of "peoples" and "nations", see Chapter 9:2, 3; 25:3, 7, 8, the Exposition.

16. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn; nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering.

17. All the nations are as nothing before Him; they are accounted by Him as less than nothing, and emptiness.

Verse 16. [That is, the forests of Lebanon are not sufficient to supply fuel for burnt-offerings, adequate to the worship and praise of Jehovah. As to the meaning of "sacrifices" and of "burnt-offerings in worship, see Chapter 1:11, the Exposition.]

18. To whom therefore will you liken God ? or what likeness will you compare unto Him?

19. The workman casts a graven image; and the smith overlays it with gold, and casts chains of silver.

Verses 18-20. By these words is described how doctrine is forged and compacted by falsities, thus by such things as are from self-derived intelligence, for all these are falsities.

By the "workman" and "smith", likewise by the "Wise [or skilful] workman" whom he seeks to himself, is understood one that feigns and forms such a doctrine.

That it may appear as good in the external form is signified by "overlaying it with gold"; that falsities may cohere and appear as truths, is signified by "casting chains of silver"; that so it may be acknowledged, and that the false may not be seen, is signified by "Choosing wood that will not rot", and by "preparing a graven image that will not be moved. Apocalypse Explained 587. See also Arcana Coelestia 8869, 10406.

As to "graven and molten images", see above, Chapter 2:7, 8, 20, the Exposition.

20. He that cannot afford an oblation chooses wood that will not rot; he seeks for himself a wise workman to prepare a graven image, which shall not be moved.

Verse 20. By "wood" here signified evil which is adored as good, for the "graven image" denotes the evil of worship; "wood that will not rot signifies some good from the Word which is adulterated, and thence becomes evil. This is said to "choose", because that which is derived from the Word persuades, and thereby does not perish in the mind; for thus it is with every evil and false confirmed from the Word. His "seeking a wise [or skilful] workman", signifies to seek one who, from self-deemed intelligence, has the gift of confirming and falsifying. Apocalypse Explained 1145.

21. Have you not known? have you not heard? has it not been declared unto you from the beginning? have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

Verse 21. He who does not know what is signified by a "foundation", and what by the "earth", conceives no otherwise than that the bottoms of the earth are here meant "the foundations of the earth", although he may perceive, if he attends, that something else is meant; for what would it be "to know to hear, and to understand the foundations of the earth"? Hence it may be evident that by the "foundations of the earth" are signified such things as are of the church.

That "earth", in the Word, denotes the church, is very manifest from the passages in the Word where "earth" is named; see those which are cited, Arcana Coelestia 9325; and that its "foundations" are the truths of faith, for these truths of the church are foundations, as may also be still further manifest from the following passages:

They do not acknowledge, neither do they understand; they walk in darkness: all the foundations of the earth totter." (Psalm 82:5)

That the "foundations of the earth" do not totter, but the truths of the church, to those who do not acknowledge and do not understand them, and who walk in darkness, is evident. Arcana Coelestia 10043.

That the "earth" signifies the church, see Chapter 14, the Exposition.

Verses 21-23. Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth. It is He that sits upon the circle of the earth, that reduces princes to nothing; that makes the judges of the earth as emptiness.

By the "princes" who shall be reduced to nothing, and by the "judges of the earth" whom He makes as emptiness, are signified those things which are from self-derived intelligence, and from self-derived judgment. Apocalypse Explained 304.

22. It is He that sits upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as locusts; that extends the heavens as a curtain, and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in:

Verse 22. To "sit upon the circle of the earth", means upon the heavens, for the heavens encompass the earth as a circle a centre; whence the Lord is called the "Most High", and "He that dwells in the highest.

"The inhabitants of the earth are as locusts", signifies men in extremes or outermost principles for the "locust" signifies what is alive in ultimates, specifically truth in ultimates, and, in the opposite sense, the false.

"Who extends the heavens as somewhat thin [or a curtain]", signifies Omnipotence to amplify the heavens at will; and " spreads them out as a tent to dwell in", signifies nearly the same, but the latter expression denotes the amplification of the heavens as to Goods, and the former as to Truths. Apocalypse Explained 799

Concerning "locusts", see above, Chapter 33:4, the Exposition.

23. That reduces princes to nothing; that makes the judges of the earth as emptiness.

Verse 23. "Princes", in a good sense, are primary truths; but in a bad sense, as in this verse they are primary falsities; and "judges" are the evils in connection with those falsities. See Chapter 1:23; 3:6, 7, the Exposition,

24. Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their trunk shall not strike its root in the earth: and He shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither; and the whirlwind shall bear them away like the stubble.

25. To whom then will you liken Me, that I should be equal? says the Holy One.

Verse 24. He shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither; and the whirlwind shall bear them away, etc. - As to "winds" and "tempests" at the period of Judgment, see Chapter 17:13, the Exposition.

26. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who has created these. He leads forth their army by number; He calls them all by name: through the greatness of His strength, and the mightiness of His power, not a man fails.

27. Wherefore say you then, O Jacob, and why speak you thus, O Israel: My way is bidden from Jehovah, and my judgment has passed away from my God?

28. Hast you not known, bast you not heard, that the everlasting God is Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth? He faints not, neither is He weary; His understanding is unsearchable.

Verse 26. By "calling them all by name" is denoted that He knows the qualities of all, and gives to them according to their state of love and faith. Apocalypse Explained 148.

He leads forth their army by number; He calls them all by name, etc.

- By "the host [or army] of the heavens", in the literal sense, are understood the sun, the moon, and the stars, for these, in the Word, are called "the host of Jehovah"; but, in the spiritual sense, by the "host" are signified all the Goods and Truths of heaven and the church in the complex: for by the "sun" is signified the Good of Love, by the "moon" the Good of Faith, and by the "stars" the knowledges of Good and Truth. Hence it is evident what is signified by "Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who has created these."

By "creating", when predicated of Goods and Truths, is signified to form them in man, and so to regenerate him; by "leading forth their armies by number", is signified to arrange Goods and Truths, according to their quality, in those with whom they are; to "call them all by name", signifies to know the quality of all, and to dispose accordingly; for by "name", in the Word, is signified the quality of a thing or state, as in John :

"His sheep hear His voice; and He calls His own sheep by name, and leads them out." (John 10:3)

Where also it is said to "lead out" and to "call by name", as above in Isaiah, and by these expressions the same things are signified as above. Apocalypse Explained 453. See also Arcana Coelestia 10217.

Verses 26, 28. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who has created these; - Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, etc.

- These words treat of the reformation of man, which is signified by "to create"; by "the army which He leads forth "are understood all Goods and Truths; and "calling them by name" signifies reception according to the quality of each. By "creating the ends of the earth", is signified the restoration [or establishment] of the church, thus the reformation of those who are there. Apocalypse Explained 294.

What is further signified by a " name", and by being "called by a name", see above, Chapter 4:1; 26:8, the Exposition.

29. He giveth power to the faint; and to him that has no might He increases strength.

Verse 29. "Power" is predicated of Good, and "strength" of Truth. All power in the spiritual world is from Good by Truth, for without Good, Truth bas no power whatever. Truth is as a body, and Good is as the soul of that body; that the soul may do anything, it must be by its body. Hence it is evident that Truth without Good bas no power whatever, just as the body has no power without the soul, for the body is then a carcase; so also is Truth without Good. Arcana Coelestia 6344.

30. The youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

Verse 30. For the meaning of "young men", both in a good and in a bad sense, see Chapter 13:17, 18; 23:4; 31:8, the Exposition.

31. But they that wait upon Jehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles: they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.

Verse 31. To "renew strength" is to increase as to the willing of Good; to "mount up with wings like eagles" is to increase as to the understanding of Truth, thus as to the rational. The subject here is explained, as elsewhere, by, two expressions, of which the one involves the Good which is of the will, and the other the Truth which is of the understanding: in like manner "to run and not be weary", and "to walk and not faint." Arcana Coelestia 3001.

To "mount up with wings like eagles" is to be elevated to the knowledges of what is True and Good, and hence into intelligence; thus into the light of heaven, which is the Divine Truth, or the Divine-Spiritual principle, from which is all intelligence. Apocalypse Revealed 244; Apocalypse Explained 281, 283.

"Eagles", when mentioned in the Word, signify man's rational principles, which, when predicated of the good, are true rational principles, but when predicated of the wicked, are false rational principles, or principles of mere ratiocination.

"Birds", in general, signify man's knowledges, even in both a good and a bad sense, see n. 40, 745, 776; and each species corresponds to some particular species of knowledge.

"Eagles", as flying aloft and being sharp-sighted, signify rational principles. That this is the case, may appear from several passages in the Word, of which we shall adduce the following by way of confirmation; first, where "eagles" signify true rational principles, as in Moses:

"He found him in a desert land, and, in the waste howling wilderness; He led him about, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. As an eagle stirs up her nest, flutters over her young, spreads abroad her wings, takes them, bears them on her wings: so Jehovah alone did lead him." (Deuteronomy 32:10-12)

Instruction in the Truths and Goods of faith is what is here described and compared to an "eagle." In the description and comparison is contained the whole process of instruction until man is made rational and spiritual; all comparisons in the Word are made by significatives, and hence in the present case by an "eagle" denoting the rational principle.

So Again,

"And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt you say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: You have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto Myself"; (Exodus 19:3, 4) where the signification is the same.

That "eagles", in an opposite sense, signify rational principles not true, consequently false, is evident from the following passages:

" Jehovah shall bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies; a nation whose tongue you shalt not understand; a nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favour to the young." (Deuteronomy 28:49, 50)

"They who pursued us were swifter than eagles; they pursued us on the mountains, they have laid snares for us in the wilderness". (Lamentations 4:19)

And in Micah:

"Make you bald, and shave yourself upon the sons of your delights; dilate your baldness as an eagle, because they have removed from you." (Micah 1:16)

And in Obadiah:

"If you exalt yourself as an eagle, and if you set your nest amongst the stars, I will pull you down from there." (Obadiah 1:4)

In these passages by "eagle" is signified the false principle induced by reasonings grounded in the fallacies of the senses and in external appearances. Arcana Coelestia 3901.

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Isaiah Chapter 40

Prophecies of Comfort

1. COMFORT you, comfort you, My people, says your God.

2. Speak you to the heart of Jerusalem, and proclaim unto her, that her warfare is fulfilled; that her iniquity is pardoned; that she has received from the hand of Jehovah double for all her sins.

3. A voice of one proclaiming in the wilderness, Prepare you the way of Jehovah! make straight in the desert a highway for our God!

4. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill be made low; and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places a plain:

5. And the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of Jehovah has spoken it.

6. A voice says, Proclaim! And I said, What shall I proclaim? All flesh is grass, and all the glory thereof is as the flower of the field:

7. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the spirit of Jehovah blows upon it: verily the people is grass.

8. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the Word of our God shall stand for ever.

9. O [daughter of] Zion, that brings good tidings, get you up into the high mountain: O [daughter of] Jerusalem, that brings good tidings, lift up your voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid: say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

10. Behold, the Lord Jehovih shall come with power, and His arm shall rule for Him: behold, His reward is with Him, and the recompense of His work before Him.

11. Like a shepherd shall He feed His flock; in His arms shall He gather up the lambs, and shall carry them in His bosom; and He shall gently lead them that give suck.

12. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand; and has meted out the Heavens by His span; and has comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure; and has weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

13. Who has directed the Spirit of Jehovah, and as a man of His counsel has informed Him?

14. With whom has He consulted, that he should instruct Him, and teach Him the path of judgment; that he should teach Him knowledge, and show Him the way of understanding?

15. Behold, the nations are as a drop from the bucket, and are accounted as the small dust of the balance: behold, the islands He takes up as an atom;

16. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn; nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering.

17. All the nations are as nothing before Him; they are accounted by Him as less than nothing, and emptiness.

18. To whom therefore will you liken God ? or what likeness will you compare unto Him?

19. The workman casts a graven image; and the smith overlays it with gold, and casts chains of silver.

20. He that cannot afford an oblation chooses wood that will not rot; he seeks for himself a wise workman to prepare a graven image, which shall not be moved.

21. Have you not known? have you not heard? has it not been declared unto you from the beginning? have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22. It is He that sits upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as locusts; that extends the heavens as a curtain, and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in:

23. That reduces princes to nothing; that makes the judges of the earth as emptiness.

24. Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their trunk shall not strike its root in the earth: and He shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither; and the whirlwind shall bear them away like the stubble.

25. To whom then will you liken Me, that I should be equal? says the Holy One.

26. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who has created these. He leads forth their army by number; He calls them all by name: through the greatness of His strength, and the mightiness of His power, not a man fails.

27. Wherefore sayest you then, O Jacob, and why speakest you thus, O Israel: My way is bidden from Jehovah, and my judgment has passed away from my God?

28. Hast you not known, bast you not heard, that the everlasting God is Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth? He faints not, neither is He weary; His understanding is unsearchable.

29. He giveth power to the faint; and to him that has no might He increases strength.

30. The youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

31. But they that wait upon Jehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles: they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.

587. And idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, signifies false doctrinals that are from self-intelligence, that favor the loves of the body and of the world, and principles derived therefrom. This is evident from the signification of "idols," as being the falsities of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, which are from self-intelligence. But what "idols of gold, of silver, of brass, of stone, and of wood," signify in particular can be seen from the signification of "gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood;" "gold" signifies spiritual good, "silver" spiritual truth, "brass" natural good, "stone" natural truth, and "wood" sensual good. All these goods and truths enter into genuine doctrine, because such doctrine is both from the spiritual and from the natural sense of the Word. When a false doctrinal is confirmed by the spiritual things of the Word it becomes an idol of gold and an idol of silver; but when it is confirmed by the natural things of the Word, such as belong to the sense of its letter, it becomes an idol of brass and stone; and when it is confirmed by the mere sense of the letter it becomes an idol of wood; for both the interior or spiritual and the exterior or natural senses of the Word can be applied to confirm falsities, as can be seen from innumerable heresies which are all confirmed thereby.

[2] Falsities become confirmed when the genuine sense of the Word is not understood, and for the reason that self-loves and the principles derived therefrom are dominant, and when these are dominant man sees nothing from the light of heaven, but whatever he sees is from the light of the world separated from the light of heaven; and when the light of the world is separated from the light of heaven there is thick darkness in things spiritual. It is to be known that the sons of Israel took from Egypt and also from the nations round about the foul custom of worshiping idols; and as they were merely external men they also had that worship implanted in them from natural inclination, as can be seen from the idolatries of so many of the kings of Judah and Israel related in the Word, and also from Solomon himself who was the wisest of them; but still these idols which they made for themselves and worshiped, when they are mentioned in the Word, signify in the spiritual sense false doctrinals from self-intelligence, from which and according to which is worship.

[3] This signification of idols, too, has its cause from the spiritual world; there evil spirits who have framed for themselves falsities of doctrine are seen fashioning idols and marking them in various ways until they appear to be in a human form; they also make selections from various representatives and fit them together so as to cohere, and thus counterfeit that form in externals. It has been permitted me to witness the formation of such idols by leaders of the church, who have persuaded themselves that falsities are truths; and as they excelled in ingenuity they knew how to join the particulars together assiduously, and afterwards to clothe them. Such an idol I have seen made by the English, by which they represented that faith alone is the essential of salvation, and that it produces the goods of charity without any cooperation from man. Idols are formed in the spiritual world by those who are in falsities of doctrine that are from self-intelligence, because Divine truths, from which is the genuine doctrine of the church, induce upon angels the human form; for this reason also angels signify in the Word Divine truths; and for this reason falsities of doctrine that are confirmed from the Word are presented as idols in the human form; truths of the Word that are falsified and that are used as confirmations induce that form, but because the truths are falsified an idol is presented that has no life.

[4] That "idols, graven images, and molten images," signify the falsities of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Isaiah:

The artificer casteth a graven image, and the refiner spreadeth it over with gold and casteth chains of silver. He that is too impoverished for an oblation chooseth wood that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a wise artificer to prepare a graven image that shall not be moved (Isaiah 40:19, 20).

This describes how doctrine is fused and welded together by means of falsities, thus by means of such things as are from self-intelligence, for these are all falsities. The "artificer," the "refiner," and the "wise artificer," whom he seeketh unto him, mean one who fashions and forms such a doctrine. "To spread it over with gold" signifies that it may appear in the external form as good; "to cast chains of silver" signifies that falsities may fit together and appear as truths; "to choose wood that doth not rot, and to prepare a graven image that shall not be moved," signifies that the doctrine may be acknowledged and not seem to be false.

[5] In Jeremiah:

Every man has become foolish by knowledge; every refiner is put to shame by the graven image; for his molten image is a lie, and there is no breath in them; they are vanity, and a work of errors; in the time of their visitation they shall perish (Jeremiah 10:14, 15; 51:17, 18).

Because a "graven image" signifies the falsity of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, therefore it is said, "every man has become foolish by knowledge, and every refiner is put to shame by the graven image;" the "knowledge by which man becomes foolish" signifies self-intelligence, wherefore falsity therefrom is signified by "the graven image;" such falsity is also meant by "the molten image is a lie, vanity, and a work of errors." That there is no spiritual life in falsities, or in the things that are from self-intelligence, is meant by "there is no breath in them;" for life is solely in Divine truths, that is, in truths that are from the Lord, as He teaches:

The words that I speak unto you are spirit and are life (John 6:63).

[6] In Jeremiah:

He hath cut wood out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman with the axe. He doth deck it with silver and with gold; he doth fasten them with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are rigid like a palm-tree, but they speak not; they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. They are both brutish and foolish; the wood is a teaching of vanities. Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman and of the hands of the refiner; their garment is hyacinthine and purple; they are all the work of the wise. But Jehovah is the God of truth, He is the living God, and the King of an age (Jeremiah 10:3-5, 8-10).

That the "graven image" here means the falsity of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, fashioned and formed by the ingenious by means of self-intelligence, is evident from the particulars of this description when viewed in the spiritual sense. The self-intelligence by means of which it is cut out and formed is meant by "the work of the hands with the axe," and by "the work of the workman and of the hands of the refiner," and by "the work of the wise." That "the work of the hands of the workman and artificer" signifies what is from self-intelligence has been shown in the preceding article; the falsities that are from it are signified by "they are both brutish and foolish, the wood is a teaching of vanities;" that these have no life is signified by "they are rigid like a palm-tree, they speak not, they cannot go;" "to speak" and "to go" signify to live, and to live means to live spiritually. Confirmations from the Word are signified by "silver spread into plates brought from Tarshish," and by "gold from Uphaz," also by "hyacinthine and purple" which was their garment; "silver from Tarshish" signifies the truth of the Word, and "gold from Uphaz" the good of the Word, both falsified; "hyacinthine and purple" have a similar meaning. That every truth of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, is from Jehovah, that is, from the Lord, is meant by "Jehovah is the God of truth, the living God, the King of an age;" for the Lord is called "God" from Divine truth, and also "living," and "King."

[7] In Isaiah:

They that form a graven image are all of them vanity, and their most desirable things do not profit; and they are witnesses to themselves that they see not, and know not. For all his fellows shall be ashamed, and the workmen themselves. He fashioneth iron with the tongs, and worketh it in the coal, and strengthens ¹ it with sharp hammers, so he worketh it by the arm of his strength; yea, he is hungry until he hath no power, neither doth he drink water until he is exhausted. He fashioneth wood, he stretcheth out the line, and describeth it with a rule; he maketh it in its angles, and shapeth it by a circle, that he may make it in the form of a man, according to the beauty of man, to dwell in the house. To cut out for himself cedars, or he hath taken the box-tree or the oak; although it be for a man to burn, and he taketh of them to be warm, and also kindleth it to bake bread, yet he maketh a god and boweth himself down, he maketh of it a graven image and adoreth it. They know not nor discern, for they have forgotten so that their eyes do not see, and their hearts do not understand. And none taketh it into his heart, there is no knowledge or intelligence, neither doth he say, Is there not a lie in my right hand? (Isaiah 44:9-20).

This whole description of a "graven image" means the formation of doctrine from self-intelligence, and the particulars of the description signify the particulars of such formation. Why otherwise should there be in the Divine Word so extended a description of the mere formation of a graven image? That there is nothing but what is false, because it is from self-intelligence, is meant by "They that form a graven image are all of them vanity, and their most desirable things do not profit;" also by "they have no knowledge nor intelligence, neither doth he say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?" The self-intelligence out of which the falsity of doctrine is formed is described by "He fashioneth iron with the tongs, and worketh it in the coal by the arm of his power;" "to fashion iron with the tongs, and to work it in the coal," signifies to hammer out falsities that favor self-loves; to join falsities with falsities by means of fallacies that make them seem to be truths, is described by "he stretched out the line, and describeth it with a rule, he maketh it in its angles, he defineth it by a circle, that he may make it in the form of a man, according to the beauty of man, to dwell in the house;" "the form of a man" signifies an appearance of truth, and "the beauty of man," an appearance of intelligence therefrom, and "to dwell in the house" signifies an appearance of spiritual life therefrom. That from this there is no life of intelligence or of the perception of truth and good is signified by "They know not nor understand, their eyes do not see, and their hearts do not understand." It would be too lengthy to explain what each single thing signifies in particular in this description; it is only necessary that everyone shall be able to see that there is something signified more interior and wise than the mere formation of a graven image. Let it be known that in this description heavenly wisdom which is ineffable lies hidden, and that the angels are in this wisdom when these things are read by man, although the man thinks of nothing but a graven image and its formation; for there are here as many correspondences and as many arcana of wisdom therefrom as there are words.

[8] In Habakkuk:

What profiteth the graven image? For the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image and the instructor of a lie? For the former of its lie trustest in it, since he maketh dumb gods. Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the silent stone, Be watchful, it shall instruct! Behold, it is fixed with gold and silver, and there is no breath in the midst of it. But Jehovah is in the temple of His holiness (Habakkuk 2:18-20).

As a "graven image" means the falsity of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, in which there is nothing of spiritual life because it is from self-intelligence, it is said "What profiteth the graven image? For the maker thereof hath given it; the molten image and the instructor of a lie? in which the former of the lie trustest;" a "lie" signifying falsity, and "the instructor and former of a lie" signifying him who frames it; that there is no intelligence or life in it or from it is signified by "he maketh dumb gods, and there is no breath in the midst of it;" that every truth of doctrine, of the church, and of worship, is from the Lord alone is signified by "Jehovah is in the temple of His holiness;" "temple of holiness" meaning heaven, where and from which is Divine truth.

[9] In David:

Their idols are silver and gold, the work of the hands of man. They have a mouth but they speak not, eyes have they but they see not (Psalms 115:4, 5; 135:15, 16).

"Their idols are silver and gold" signifies external worship without internal, confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word not understood, and also by the fallacies of the senses; "the work of the hands of man" signifies what is from self-intelligence (that "the work of the hands" means what is from self-intelligence, see in the preceding article). "They have a mouth but they speak not, eyes have they but they see not," signifies that from these there is no thought nor any understanding of truth.

[10] From self-intelligence nothing but falsity comes, because man's self [proprium] is nothing but evil, for it favors his own love and his own intelligence; such, therefore, do not seek truths for the sake of truths, but only for the sake of reputation, renown, glory, and gain, and when these are dominant heaven cannot flow in with its light and open the sight and enlighten, consequently they see like owls, moles, and bats, in the dark, according to these words in Isaiah:

In that day a man shall cast away the idols of his silver and the idols of his gold, which they made for themselves to bow down to the moles and to the bats (Isaiah 2:18, 20).

In Jeremiah:

A drought is upon her waters and they have become dry; for this is a land of graven images, and they boast of horrible things. Therefore the tziim and the ijim shall dwell there, and the daughters of the owl shall dwell therein (Jeremiah 50:38, 39).

"A drought upon her waters" signifies that there is no truth; "the tziim and the ijim" signify infernal falsities and evils, and "the daughters of the owl" signify the affections of falsity. This is said of the land of Chaldea, and of Babylon, which signify the profanations of truth and good by falsities that favor evils, which such frame for themselves for the sake of dominion.

[11] In Hosea:

They have made for themselves a molten image of their silver, idols in their intelligence, all of them the work of the artificers; those that sacrifice man kiss the calves (Hosea 13:2).

Because a "molten image" signifies a doctrinal from self-intelligence it is said, "They have made a molten image of their silver, idols in their intelligence, all of them the work of the artificers;" and because by means of it they destroy spiritual life and put on what is merely natural, it is said, "those that sacrifice man kiss the calves," "to sacrifice man" signifying to destroy spiritual life, and "to kiss the calves" signifying to become merely natural.

[12] In Isaiah:

Behold they are all an iniquity, their works are nothing; their molten images are wind and emptiness (Isaiah 41:29).

Evils of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, are signified by "they are all an iniquity, their works are nothing," and falsities by "their molten images are wind and emptiness;" "wind and emptiness" are predicated in the Word of falsities from self. In Jeremiah:

Why have they provoked Me to anger with their graven images and with the vanities of aliens? (Jeremiah 8:19).

"Vanities of aliens" also signify the falsities of religion, like as "graven images," therefore it is said, "with their graven images, with the vanities of aliens."

[13] In Ezekiel:

Every man of the house of Israel who shall make idols to ascend upon his heart, and shall put the stumbling block of iniquity before his faces, shall yet come to the prophet; shall I, Jehovah, answer him who cometh with a multitude of his idols? (Ezekiel 14:4).

Here, too, "idols" stand for the falsities of doctrine which are from self-intelligence; to accept these falsities and to acknowledge them is signified by "making idols to ascend upon his heart;" and to be affected by them and live according to them is signified by "putting the stumbling block of iniquity before his faces;" that to such the Lord cannot reveal the genuine truths of doctrine so long as they are in these falsities is signified by "if he shall come to the prophet, shall I, Jehovah, answer him who cometh with a multitude of his idols?" A "prophet" means one who teaches truths, and in the abstract sense the doctrine of genuine truth which is from the Lord; and "a multitude of idols" signifies falsities in abundance, for from one falsity assumed as a principle, falsities flow forth in abundance, together with falsities in a series from their connection; this is why they are called "idols," in the plural, and "a multitude of idols."

[14] In the same:

I will sprinkle clean waters upon you that ye may be cleansed from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols will I cleanse you (Ezekiel 36:25).

Because "idols" signify falsities of doctrine it is said, "I will sprinkle clean waters upon you;" "clean waters" signifying genuine truths, and "to sprinkle them upon them" signifies to purify from falsities; these falsities are also called "uncleannesses," because they are falsities from evil, and falsities producing evil.

[15] In Micah:

I will make Samaria into a heap of the field, and I will make its stones to flow down into the valley, and I will open its foundations. Then all her graven images shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hire of her whoredom shall be burned up with fire, and all their idols will I lay waste; for she hath gathered them from the hire of a harlot, therefore to the hire of a harlot shall they return (Micah 1:6, 7).

"Samaria when it became idolatrous" represented the church devastated in respect to the truths of doctrine and the goods of life, or destroyed by the falsities of doctrine and by the evils of life; devastation in respect to all the truths of the church is signified by "it shall be made into a heap of the field, and its stones shall flow down into the valley, and its foundations shall be opened;" "the field" meaning the church; "the heap of the field" its devastation; "the stones" the truths of the church, and "foundations" the natural truths upon which the church is founded; the complete devastation of these is signified by "the stones shall flow down into the valley, and the foundations shall be opened;" the destruction of the church by the falsities of doctrine is signified by "her graven images shall be beaten to pieces, and her idols laid waste;" "the hire of whoredom which shall be burned up with the fire," signifies the falsification of truth by applications to favor the loves of self and of the world.

[16] "Graven images," "molten images," and "idols," have a similar signification in the following passages. In Isaiah:

As My hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols and their graven images of Jerusalem and Samaria, shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? (Isaiah 10:10, 11).

Ye shall judge unclean the covering of the graven images of thy silver, and the plating of the molten images of thy gold; thou shalt disperse them as a menstruous thing; thou shalt call it dung (Isaiah 30:22).

In that day a man shall cast away the idols of his silver and the idols of his gold, which your hands have made for you a sin (Isaiah 31:7).

Lest thou say, Mine idol hath done these things, and my graven image, and my molten image hath commanded them (Isaiah 48:5).

They shall be turned backward, they shall be ashamed with shame, that trust in a graven image, that say to a molten image, Ye are our gods (Isaiah 42:17).

A lion upon a watchtower said Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the earth (Isaiah 21:8, 9).

In Ezekiel:

Your altars shall be destroyed, and your sun images shall be broken; and I will make your slain to fall before your idols. And I will lay the carcasses of the sons of Israel before their idols (Ezekiel 6:4, 5).

In Micah:

In that day I will cut off thy graven images and thy statues out of the midst of thee; that thou mayest no longer worship the work of thy hands (Micah 5:10, 13).

In Moses:

And I will cast your bodies upon the bodies of your idols, and My soul shall abhor you (Leviticus 26:30).

The graven images of their gods shall ye burn up with fire; thou shalt not covet the silver or gold that is on them to take it unto thee, for it is an abomination to thy God (Deuteronomy 7:25).

Cursed be he who shall make a graven and a molten image, an abomination unto Jehovah, the work of the hands of the artificer, and shall put it in a secret place (Deuteronomy 27:15).

[17] "Idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood," have a similar signification as:

The gods of gold, of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone, that king Belshazzar praised when he drank wine with his nobles and wives out of the vessels of gold and silver that were brought from the temple of Jerusalem; on account of which the handwriting appeared on the wall, and the king [Nebuchadnezzar] ² was himself driven out from man, and became like a beast (Daniel 5:1, et seq.).

"The vessels of gold and silver of the temple of Jerusalem" signified the holy goods and truths of the church; "the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone, which the king of Babylon then praised," have a similar meaning as "idols" of the same, and these signify the evils and falsities of doctrine and of worship; "to praise" signifying to worship; "to drink out of the vessels of the temple of Jerusalem and at the same time to praise or worship those gods" signifies the profanation of good and truth by evils and falsities in worship; and because by profanation everything spiritual in man is destroyed, and man without the spiritual is not a man, so Nebuchadnezzar was driven away from man and became like a beast.

[18] Because an external without an internal must not be worshiped, but only an external from an internal, thus the internal in the external, it was forbidden to make any graven image in the likeness of anything living on the earth, in Moses:

Ye shall not make you a graven image, the shape of any similitude, the figure of male or female, the figure of any beast that is on the earth, the figure of any winged bird that flieth under heaven, the figure of anything that creepeth on the ground, the figure of any fish that is in the waters under the earth (Deuteronomy 4:16-18; 5:8).

This was prohibited because the Jewish nation, more than all other nations, was in externals without internals, and thus in the worship of all the external things that the nations called holy; and to worship external things other than those that represented heavenly things, which were the altar, the sacrifice upon it, the Tent of meeting, and the temple, was idolatrous. The Jewish worship of these, indeed, was also an idolatrous worship, but inasmuch as the church with them was a representative church their worship was accepted for the sake of the representation, although it did not affect them in respect to their soul, as can be seen from the various things shown respecting that nation in Arcana Coelestia (See what is collected in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n.248). And as the worship of an external anywhere else than where it was commanded, which was beside the tent in the desert and beside the temple and in the temple in Jerusalem, was the worship of the representative itself without any intuition of the thing represented, thus a worship of what is merely earthly apart from anything heavenly, therefore this was forbidden them, even to the extent that they should not make for themselves any graven images of such things; for the nature of that nation was such that as soon as they saw them made they worshiped them.

[19] That the idolatrous nations worshiped the images, not only of men but also of various beasts, birds, and creeping things, came from its having been handed down from the ancients that these objects signified things celestial and spiritual; as that "beasts" signified affections; "birds" the thoughts therefrom; and "creeping things" and "fishes" the same in the sensual-natural man. From this it came that when those who were in external worship without any internal heard that the holy things of heaven and the church were signified by these objects, they began to worship them; as the Egyptians, and from them the sons of Israel in the wilderness and afterwards in Samaria, worshiped calves, because "calves" with the ancients signified the good affections of the natural man.

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