The 23rd Psalm is one of the best-known and most-loved literary works in the world, and it may well be the best poem ever written. It is also a fine example of the power of figurative language: We read deep things into the vision of ourselves as sheep, led to green pastures and good water by a kind shepherd. It’s empowering to feel the confidence to go fearlessly into the valley of the shadow of death, and to feel the love and caring of a table prepared by the Lord and a cup so full it overflows.

What people don’t know, however, is that this language actually has precise internal meanings, and that when we see them there is an even deeper beauty in the poem. That’s because what it actually describes is the path to heaven, and the fierce desire the Lord has to lead us there.

The first step is to let the Lord be our shepherd – to accept His teaching and His leadership. The green pastures and the still waters represent the things He will teach us for the journey. Then He begins working inside is, setting our spiritual lives in order, so that we desire to do what’s good and to love one another. That’s represented by restoring our souls and leading us in the paths of righteousness.

But we will still face challenges. We still live external lives, out in the world, and we are subject to desires that arise in those externals, in our bodily lives. That’s the valley of the shadow of death. But the rod and staff represent truth from the Lord on both external and internal levels, ideas that can defend us against those desires.

And if we keep following, the Lord will prepare a table for us – a place inside us that he can fill with love (the anointing oil) and wisdom (the overflowing cup). Thus transformed, we can enter heaven, with love for others (“goodness”) and love from the Lord (“mercy”) and can love and be loved to eternity.

One of many beautiful things about this is the fact that it is the Lord who really does all the work. In the whole text, the only action taken by the sheep is walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Other than that, they follow the Lord, trust the Lord, accept the blessings of the Lord. And that is really true! In external states (in the valley) we might seem to be doing the work ourselves, but internally, spiritually, we simply need to give ourselves to the Lord and let Him bless us.

The underlying idea here is that the Lord created us so that He could love us, in loving us wants us to be happy, knows that our greatest happiness will come from being conjoined to Him in heaven, and Himself wants nothing more than to be conjoined to us. So everything He does, in every moment of every day for every person on the face of the planet, is centered on the goal of getting that person to heaven. He wants each and every one of us in heaven more than we are capable of imagining. We just need to cooperate.

(Verweise: Apocalypse Explained 375 [34], 727 [2]; The Inner Meaning of the Prophets and Psalms 273)

677. And the rest became afraid, signifies the disturbance of mind and turning away of those who were to some extent spiritual. This is evident from the signification of "the rest," as being those who had not been merely external and natural, but also to some extent internal and spiritual (of which presently); also from the signification of "to become afraid," as being to be disturbed in mind and to be turned away from those who have been merely natural, and thus in mere falsities and evils.

[2] That "to become afraid" signifies such disturbance and turning away will be seen below. In the first place, let something be said about those who are meant by "the rest that became afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven," as being not merely natural, but also to some extent spiritual. For when from those who are merely natural the truths of good that resided in their externals are taken away, they are not disturbed by the influx of falsities and evils from hell, still less do they turn away; for their proper thought and will, which has been interiorly concealed with them, consists of mere falsities and evils therefrom and of evils and falsities therefrom; and when they are in these they are enraged against truths and goods, and thence are eager to destroy them. This is why the evil, when they are no longer in externals, are not afraid of evils and falsities, or even of hell, for these belong to their love, consequently to the delights of their life. But it is not so with those who are also spiritual; these are disturbed in mind and become afraid when they are infested by evils and falsities, which takes place when they are among the evil; for they fear the loss of their spiritual life, respecting which they are disturbed in mind and are alarmed, and supplicate the Lord for aid, and turn themselves away from the evil.

[3] When societies in the spiritual world are purified, which takes place whenever those who are evil, especially hypocrites, have insinuated themselves into them, and mingled themselves with the good there (the signs of whose presence are an obscuration of the understanding, a loss of the perception of good, a dullness of the affection of truth, and the like), then influx is let in from hell, at which the evil rejoice, but the good are disturbed in mind, and turn themselves away; thus there is a separation, and those who become afraid and turn themselves away are preserved, while the rest are cast out. Thence it is clear why it is that it is said that some "became afraid," and why this signifies the disturbance of mind and turning away of those who are to some extent spiritual.

[4] In the Word "to become afraid," "to be dismayed," and like expressions are often used in reference both to the good and to the evil, and "terror" and "dismay" signify a state of the mind disturbed and changed by an imminent or visible danger to the life; but this is one thing with the good and another with the evil; with the good it is a disturbance of mind and a change of state from imminent and visible danger to the soul, but with the evil it is from imminent and visible danger to the life of the body. This is because the good regard the life of the soul and not so much the life of the body as the chief and final thing, while the evil regard the life of the body and not so much the life of the soul as the chief and final thing; in fact, the evil do not in heart believe in that life, and such as do believe still love only the things that are of the body, such as the appetites and pleasures of various kinds. But with the good the reverse is true.

[5] To make clear that "to become afraid," "to be dismayed," "to dread," and the like, signify to be disturbed in mind from a change of state of the interiors, I will cite some passages from the Word by way of confirmation. In David:

My heart is agitated in the midst of me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me; fear and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath covered me (Psalms 55:4, 5).

This is said of temptations, in which evils and falsities break in from hell and inspire terror in regard to damnation; for as has been said above, the good become afraid and tremble on account of imminent dangers to the soul, thus from the invasion of evils into the thoughts and intentions of the will. Thus there are various disturbances of mind that in particular are signified by "agitation of heart," "terrors of death," "fear," "trembling," and "horror," which are here mentioned according to the order of their succession.

[6] In Isaiah:

The islands came ¹ and feared, the ends of the earth were agitated, they drew near and came (Isaiah 41:5).

This is said of the Lord's coming; and "the islands and ends of the earth" mean the Gentiles that are remote from the truths of the church; and their "fear and agitation" signify disturbances of mind from fear of being destroyed.

[7] In Ezekiel:

All hands are relaxed, and all knees go into waters, whence they shall gird themselves with sackcloth, terror shall cover them, and upon all faces there shall be shame; they shall cast their silver into the streets, and their gold shall be an abomination (Ezekiel 7:17-19).

This, too, treats of the Lord's coming, and these things are said of it; the various disturbances of the mind from grief on account of evils and from joy on account of goods are described by various expressions of fear and grief, as that "the hands are relaxed," "the knees go into waters," "terror shall cover them," and "upon all faces shall be shame," which signify not only various disturbances of mind and changes of state of the life, but also turnings from falsities and evils; for the falsities that they will reject are signified by the "silver that they shall cast into the streets," and the evils by "the gold that shall be an abomination;" "all knees shall go into waters" signifies grief on account of the loss of the good of love, and joy that it is now recovered, "knees" signifying the love of good, and "to go into waters" signifying to weep.

[8] The holy tremor that seizes upon, agitates, and convulses the inner parts of the head, when the Divine flows in and fills them is called "fear," "terror," "dread," as can be seen from the following passages. In Luke:

When Zacharias saw the angel he was troubled, and fear fell upon him; the angel therefore said to him, Fear not, Zacharias (Luke 1:12, 13).

Likewise when the virgin Mary saw the angel (Luke 1:29, 30).

When the angel of the Lord stood by the shepherds, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, they were afraid with a great fear; but the angel said to them, Be not afraid; behold, I proclaim unto you good tidings of great joy, which is ² to all the people (Luke 2:9, 10).

When Jesus was transfigured and was seen in glory, it is said that Peter, James, and John feared when they entered into the cloud (Luke 9:34).

And when they heard the voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son, they fell upon their faces and feared exceedingly; but Jesus drawing near touched them, saying, Arise, be not afraid (Matthew 17:5-7; Mark 9:6).

When the Lord healed the palsied man, it is said that fear took hold on all, and they glorified God; and they were filled with fear, saying, We have seen wonderful things today (Luke 5:26).

And when the Lord raised to life the dead young man of Nain, it is said that fear took hold on all, and they praised God (Luke 7:16).

So here in Revelation it is said that "they became afraid, and gave glory to the God of heaven." Furthermore:

When the women entered into the tomb they saw an angel sitting at the right side, clothed in a white robe; and they were terrified (Mark 16:5, 6).

And when the women departed from the tomb they were seized with fear, trembling, and amazement, and at the same time with great joy; and they told no one, for they were afraid; therefore Jesus said to them, Fear not; tell the brethren (Matthew 28:8, 10; Mark 16:8).

The two disciples going to Emmaus said to Jesus, Certain women terrified us (Luke 24:22).

From these passages it can be concluded that "terror" and "alarm" mean in the Word various disturbances of mind arising from the influx of such things as cause amazement, connected also with joy.

[9] Again, "terror" signifies in the spiritual sense terror on account of evils and falsities that are from hell, for these terrify the spiritual man, because they are the opposites of the goods and truths, which the spiritual man loves and the loss of which he fears. In this sense "terror" is mentioned in many passages of the Word. Thus in Isaiah:

About the time of evening behold terror; before the morning it is not (Isaiah 17:14).

"Evening" signifies the last time of the church, when there are mere evils and falsities; these are called "terror" because they are hell. But the "morning" signifies the first time of the church, when there are no evils and falsities, therefore it is said, "before the morning the terror is not."

[10] In Jeremiah:

Fear thou not, my servant Jacob, and be not terrified, O Israel, for behold, I save thee from afar; Jacob shall be tranquil and quiet, none shall make him afraid (Jeremiah 30:9, 10).

And in Zephaniah:

The remnant of Israel shall feed and be at rest, none making them afraid (Zephaniah 3:13).

"Jacob" and "Israel" mean those in the church who are in goods and truths; and "none terrifying and making afraid" signifies that nothing of evil and falsity from hell shall infest them. It is similar in many other passages. But what is signified by "fearing God" in the spiritual sense will be told in the explanation of the eighteenth verse of this chapter.