2336. That a “street” signifies truth, may be seen from many passages in the Word, as in John, where the New Jerusalem is treated of:

The twelve gates were twelve pearls, every gate was one pearl; and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass (Revelation 21:21).

[2] The “New Jerusalem” is the Lord’s kingdom, which, being described as to good and truth, is described by “walls,” “gates,” and “streets.” By the “streets” are meant all things of truth which lead to good, or all things of faith which lead to love and charity; and because truths then become of good, thus transparent from good, the street is said to be “gold, as it were transparent glass.” Again:

In the midst of the street of it and of the river, on this side and on that, was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits (Revelation 22:2),

where also the New Jerusalem or the Lord’s kingdom is treated of. The “midst of the street” denotes the truth of faith, by means of which comes good, and which afterwards comes from good; the “twelve fruits” are what are called the fruits of faith; for “twelve” signifies all the things of faith (as shown above, n. 577, 2089, 2129-2130).

[3] In Daniel:

Know and perceive that from the going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem, even unto Messiah the Leader, shall be seven weeks, and sixty and two weeks, and it shall be restored and built with street and moat (Daniel 9:25),

where the Lord’s advent is treated of; “it shall be restored with street and moat,” denotes that there will then be what is true and good. That Jerusalem was not then restored and built is well known; and that it is not to be restored and built anew everyone may also know provided he does not keep his ideas fixed on a worldly kingdom, but on the heavenly kingdom that is meant by “Jerusalem” in the internal sense.

[4] In Luke:

The master of the house said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind (Luke 14:21).

They who remain in the sense of the letter apprehend from this nothing else than that the servant should go everywhere, and that this is signified by the “streets and lanes;” and that he should bring in everybody, and that this is signified by the “poor, maimed, lame, and blind.” But each of these words contains deep secrets within it, for they are the Lord’s words. That he should “go into the streets and lanes,” signifies that he should seek everywhere for some genuine truth, or truth which shines from good, or through which good shines. That he should “bring in the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind,” signifies such as were so called in the Ancient Church and were such as to the faith, but were in the life of good, who should thus be informed about the Lord’s kingdom-thus the nations which were not yet instructed.

[5] As “streets” signified truths, it was a representative rite among the Jews to teach in the streets (as appears in Matthew 6:2, 5, and in Luke 13:26-27). In the Prophets, “streets,” wherever named, signify in the internal sense either truths, or things contrary to truths, as in Isaiah:

Judgment is cast away backward, and righteousness standeth afar off; for truth hath stumbled in the street, and uprightness cannot enter (Isaiah 59:14).

Again:

Thy sons have fainted, and have lain at the head of all the streets (Isaiah 51:20).

In Jeremiah:

Death is come up into our windows, it is entered into our palaces, to cut off the child from the street, the young men from the roads (Jeremiah 9:21).

[6] In Ezekiel:

Nebuchadnezzar shall tread down all thy streets with the hoofs of his horses (Ezekiel 26:11),

speaking of Tyre, by which are signified the knowledges of truth (n. 1201); the “hoofs of the horses” denote the memory-knowledges that pervert truth.

In Nahum:

The chariots rave in the streets, they run to and fro in the roads (Nah. 2:4).

The “chariots” denote the doctrine of truth, which is said to “rave in the streets,” when falsity is in the place of truth.

In Zechariah:

There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls, playing in the streets (Zech. 8:4-5),

speaking of the affections of truth, and the consequent gladnesses and joys. (Besides other places, as Isaiah 24:11; Jeremiah 5:1; 7:34; 49:26; Lam. 2:11, 19; 4:8, 14; Zeph. 3:6).

1201. That “Zidon” signifies exterior knowledges of spiritual things, is evident from the fact that it is called the “first-born of Canaan;” for the firstborn of every church, in the internal sense, is faith n. 352, 367 as at here, where there is no faith, because no internal things, there are nothing but exterior knowledges of spiritual things which are in the place of faith; thus knowledges such as existed among the Jews, which are knowledges not only of the rites of external worship, but also of many things, such as doctrinals, which belong to that worship. That this is the signification of “Zidon” is also evident from the fact that Tyre and Zidon were extreme borders of Philistia, and were moreover by the sea; and therefore by “Tyre” interior knowledges are signified, and by “Zidon” exterior knowledges, that is, of spiritual things-which is also evident from the Word.

In Jeremiah:

On the day that cometh to lay waste all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Zidon every helper that remaineth; for Jehovah will lay waste the Philistines, the remnant of the isle of Caphtor (Jeremiah 47:4).

Here “the Philistines” denote the mere memory-knowledge of the knowledges of faith and charity; “Tyre” denotes the interior knowledges, and “Zidon” the exterior knowledges, of spiritual things.

[2] In Joel:

What are ye to Me, O Tyre and Zidon, and all the borders of Philistia? Forasmuch as ye have taken My silver and gold, and have carried into your temples My desirable good things (Joel 3:4-5).

Here “Tyre and Zidon” evidently denote knowledges, and are called “the borders of Philistia;” “silver and gold,” and “desirable good things,” are knowledges.

In Ezekiel:

The princes of the north, all of them, and every Zidonian who has gone down with the slain into the pit. When he has been made to lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with them that are slain with the sword; Pharaoh and all his crowd (Ezekiel 32:30, 32).

“The Zidonians” here denote exterior knowledges, which without internal things are nothing but memory-knowledges and therefore they are named in connection with Pharaoh, or Egypt, by whom memory-knowledges are signified.

In Zechariah:

Hamath also shall be bordered thereon; Tyre and Zidon, because she was very wise (Zechariah 9:2).

The subject here is Damascus; “Tyre and Zidon” denote knowledges.

[3] In Ezekiel:

The inhabitants of Zidon and of Arvad were thy rowers; thy wise men, O Tyre, were in thee, they were thy pilots (Ezekiel 27:8).

Here “Tyre” denotes interior knowledges; wherefore her wise men are called “pilots;” and “Zidon” denotes exterior knowledges, and therefore her inhabitants are called “rowers;” for such is the relation of interior knowledges to exterior.

In Isaiah:

Let the inhabitants of the isle be silent, the merchant of Zidon, that passes over the sea, they have replenished thee. And in great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river was her revenue, and she was the mart of nations. Be ashamed, O Zidon, for the sea hath spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, nor brought forth, nor have I brought up young men, nor caused virgins to grow up (Isaiah 23:2-4).

“Zidon” here denotes exterior knowledges, which, because there is nothing internal in them, are called “the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river her revenue, the mart of the nations,” and also “the sea,” and “the stronghold of the sea;” and it is said that she doth not “travail and bring forth”—which could not be comprehended in the literal sense, but is all perfectly clear in the internal sense; as is the case with other passages in the Prophets. Because “Zidon” signifies exterior knowledges, it is said to be “a circuit about Israel,” that is, around the spiritual church (Ezekiel 28:24, 26); for exterior knowledges are like a circuit round about.