THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 41

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

1. KEEP silence before Me, O islands; and let the peoples renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.

VERSE 1. ["Silence" is predicated of the church and of the individual when Judgment approaches. "When the interiors of the evil are opened, astonishment is occasioned, to which "silence" corresponds; thus when "the seventh seal was opened, (Revelation 8:1) there was silence in heaven for the space of half an hour", which signified the astonishment of the angels at the evil states of the church, when the interiors were opened, as signified by "the opening of the seals." "Silence" also corresponds to any strong emotion of the mind, by whatever cause excited. See Apocalypse Explained 487; Apocalypse Revealed 389.]

2. Who has raised up [One in] justice from the East, has called Him to His foot? has subdued nations before His face, and given Him dominion over kings? has made them like the dust to His sword, and like the driven stubble to His bow?

Verse 2. These things are said concerning the Lord, and concerning His dominion over evils and falsities. By "the unions which He subdued before Him", are signified evils; and by "the kings over whom He gave Him dominion, ' are signified falsities.

That both the former and the latter are dissipated as nothing by His Divine Truth, and by doctrine thence derived, is signified by "He gave them as dust to His sword, and as driven stubble to His bow"; His "sword" denoting Divine Truth, and His "bow" doctrine.

That evils and falsities are dispersed as nothing, is signified by "as the dust, and as driven stubble." It is said that" evils and falsities are so dispersed", and thereby are understood those who are in evils, and thence in falsities, in the other life. Apocalypse Explained 357.

These words relate to the Lord, who is said to be "raised up from the East", because He was conceived of the Divine Itself, which in its essence is Divine Love, from which also the Lord is the Sun of the angelic heaven.

To "call in justice" signifies to restore heaven and the church; for the "justice" of the Lord signifies, in the Word, that from His own power He saved the human race, which was effected by reducing all things in the heavens and the hells into order. Apocalypse Explained 422.

That the subjugation of the hells and the arrangement of the heavens by the Lord, likewise the glorification of His Humanity, and hence the salvation of those who receive the Lord in faith and love, is "Justice" and "Merit", which belong to the Lord alone, may be confirmed from many passages in the Word.

But they who do not know that spirits from the hells are with man, and that thence be has evils and falsities; and also that angels from heaven are with him, whence he has Goods and Truths, and that thus the life of man on the one hand is joined to the hells, and on the other to the heavens, that is, by the heavens to the Lord: and, further, they who do not know that man can by no means be saved, except the hells are subjugated and the heavens reduced to order, and thus all things made subject to the Lord, cannot understand this.

From this it is evident that the Good of the Lord's Merit is the only Good which reigns in heaven; for the Good of the Lord's Merit is also now the continual subjugation of the hells, and thus the safety or salvation of the faithful. That Good is the Good of the Lord's Love, for from Divine Love, whilst He was in the world, He fought and overcame. From divine power in the Human, hence acquired, He alone to eternity fights and conquers for heaven and the church, thus for the universal human race, and thus saves them.

This now is the Good of Merit which is called "Justice", because it is of Justice to subdue the efforts of the hells to destroy the human race, and thus to guard and to save the good and the faithful. Arcana Coelestia 9715.

3. He pursued them; He passed in peace; by a way He had not gone with His feet.

4. Who has performed and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I Jehovah, the first; and with the last, I am He.

Verses 3, 4. It should be known that one thing in the Word, especially in the Prophets, is described by a twofold expression, as in Isaiah:

"He passed in peace", etc.; "Who has performed and done It?" etc., where one expression relates to Good and the other to Truth or one to the things of the will, and the other to the things of the understanding; thus to "pass in peace" involves the things which are of the will:

"the way He had not gone with His feet", the things of the understanding; in like manner" to perform and to do."

Thus the things which are of the will and of the understanding, are in the Word conjoined, consequently the things which are of love and of truth or which is the same, celestial and spiritual things, that in every particular of the Word there may be something like a marriage, and may thus relate to the heavenly marriage [of the Good and the True] Arcana Coelestia 683.

5. The islands saw, and were afraid; the ends of the earth trembled: they drew near; and they came.

6. Everyone helped his neighbour; and said to his brother, Be strong.

Verse 5. Speaking of the advent of the Lord. By "the islands and the ends of the earth" are understood the nations which are remote from thw Truths of the church; and by "their fear and trembling" are signified commotions of mind, arising from the dread of perishing [at the period of Judgment] Apocalypse Explained 677.

Verses 5, 18. The islands saw, and were afraid, etc. I will make the desert a pool of waters, and the dry ground springs of waters. - The establishment of the church amongst the Gentiles is thus described they being signified by the "islands" and the "ends of the earth", for these expressions in the Word signify those who are further distant from the Truths and Goods of the church, inasmuch as they have not the Word; and consequently are in ignorance.

That the church shall be established among them, is signified by "I will make the desert a pool of waters, and the dry ground springs of waters"; it is called a "desert where there is not yet Good, because there is not yet Truth, from which it is also called the "dry land"; a "pool of waters" and "springs of waters" signify Good, because Truth; for all spiritual Good, which is the Good of the church, is procured by Truths. Apocalypse Explained 304.

Verse 6. Everyone helped his neighbour, etc.

- As to "neighbour" and "brother", see Chapter 19:2, the Exposition.

7. And the carpenter encouraged the founder; he that smooths with the hammer, him that smote the anvil, saying of the soldering, It is good: and he fixes it with nails, that it may not be moved.

Verse 7. Here "the carpenter encouraged [or strengthened] the founder" is predicated of what is evil; "he that smooths", etc., of the false. That what is "smooth" is predicated, in a good sense, of what is True, and, in the opposite sense, of what is false, may be proved from the following passages:

"Inflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree; among the smooth [things] of the valley is your portion"; (Isaiah 57:5, 6) where to be " inflamed "is said of evil, and "the smooth things of the valley" of what is false.

Again,

"Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongue they speak smooth things." (Psalm 5:9) Arcana Coelestia 3527.

Saying of the soldering, It is good.

- [The "soldering" (junctura) denotes, by correspondence, a conjoining medium, by which falsities are made to cohere together as though they were Truths. This "soldering" or this conjoining medium is, especially, fallacious reasoning, either from the letter of the Word not understood, or from false doctrines taken as principles of thought. As to "nails" and "pegs", which also signify conjoining mediums, see above, Chapter 22:23, the Exposition.]

8. But you, O Israel, My servant; you, O Jacob, whom I have chosen; the seed of Abraham, My friend:

9. You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and have called you from the sides thereof: and I said unto you, You art My servant; I have chosen you, and have not rejected you:

Verse 8. The regeneration of man is here treated of, where "Israel" and "Jacob", as in many other passages, are distinguished; and by " Israel" is signified the spiritual internal church, and by "Jacob" the external of the same. Both are called "the seed of Abraham", that is, of the celestial church, because the celestial, the spiritual, and the natural thus succeed each other. Arcana Coelestia 1025. See also 3441.

Verses 8, 9. By "Israel", in the supreme sense, is, understood the Lord as to the internal of the church, wherefore by "the seed of Israel" likewise is signified the divine Truth which is with those who are of the church signified by him; for by "Israel" is also understood the church with those who are interiorly natural, and in truths there from a spiritual origin, wherefore the church, which is spiritual-natural, is also thereby signified. Apocalypse Explained 768.

10. Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God: I have strengthened you, I have also helped you; yea, I have supported you with the right hand of My justice.

11. Behold, all they that were incensed against you shall be ashamed and confounded; the men that contended with you shall become as nothing, and shall perish.

12. You shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even the men that strove with you: they shall become as nothing, and as a thing of nought, even the men that warred against you.

13. For I am Jehovah your God, holding your right hand; saying unto you, Fear not; I will help you.

Verses 10, 13. I have strengthened you, I have also helped you; yea, I have supported you with the right hand of My justice, etc. "I have strengthened you, I have also helped you", signifies to give power and intelligence from Omnipotence and Omniscience, which is from Divine Good by Divine Truth; wherefore it is said - "I have supported you with the right hand of My justice"; by the "right hand" is signified Divine Truth, and by "justice?' Divine Good.

The power and wisdom thence derived to man, is denoted by "holding [or confirming] your right hand." Forasmuch as both, namely, Omnipotence and Omniscience, which appertain to the Lord from Divine Good by Divine Truth, are here understood, He is therefore called "Jehovah God"; for the Lord is called "Jehovah" from Divine Good, and "God" from Divine Truth, as may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 709, 732. Apocalypse Explained 298.

14. Fear not, you worm Jacob; you mortals of Israel: I will help you, says Jehovah, and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

15. Behold, I will make you a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: you shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small and shalt make the hills as chaff.

16. You shalt winnow them, and the wind shall bear them away; and the tempest shall scatter them: but you shalt rejoice in Jehovah; in the Holy One of Israel shalt you glory.

Verse 14. I will help you, says Jehovah; and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. - To "redeem'' signifies, in a proper sense, to restore and to appropriate to one's self what had been one's own, and it is predicated of slavery, of death, and of evil; when of slavery, "those are understood who, having been made slaves, are, in the spiritual sense, delivered from hell; when of death, those who are in damnation are understood; and when of evil, those are understood who are in hell, for the evil from which the angel redeemed Jacob, (Genesis 48:16) is hell. (Whereas the Lord delivered man from these things by making the Human in Himself Divine, therefore it is His Divine Human which, in the Word, is called "Redeemer", as in Isaiah 41:14; 49:7, 26; 54:5. In these passages is distinguished the Divine Itself, which is called "Jehovah", from the Divine Human, which is called "Redeemer" and the "Holy One of Israel." Arcana Coelestia 6281.

Verses 14-16. By "Jacob" is understood the external church as to Good and Truth, and hence also external Good and Truth, which is Good and Truth from the sense of the letter of the Word, in which they are principled who belong to the external Church. The reason why these are compared to a "new sharp threshing instrument having teeth" is, because a "threshing instrument" separated the wheat, barley, and other grain from the ear, and by these are signified the Goods and Truths of the church, as may be seen above, Apocalypse Explained 374, 375.

But here the comparison is used to denote the bruising and breaking up of evils and falsities: wherefore it is said "You shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff", by which is signified the destruction of evils arising from the loves of self and of the world, and also of the falsities thence derived. Hence it is also said, "You shalt winnow them and the wind shall bear them away, and the tempest shall scatter them", by which is signified that they shall be as of no account; "wind" and "tempest" are both mentioned, because evils and falsities are understood, for "wind" is predicated of truths, and, in an opposite sense, of falsities, and "tempest" or "storm" of the evils of the false. Apocalypse Explained 405.

As to "storms" and "whirlwinds" at the time of Judgment see Chapter 17:13, the Exposition.

17. The poor and the needy seek waters, and there are none; their tongue is parched with thirst: I Jehovah will hear them; the God of Israel, I will not forsake them.

Verses 17, 18. The subject here treated of is concerning the salvation of the Gentiles by the Lord who are called "poor and needy" from a defect and ignorance of Truth. Their desire of knowing Truths from those who are in the church, where there were not Truths, is described by "their seeking waters where there are none", and "their tongue being parched or failing for thirst"; "water" denoting Truth, and "thirst" the desire thereof.

That they shall be instructed by the Lord, is signified by "I will open in the high places rivers, and in the midst of the valleys fountains", to "open rivers", denoting to give intelligence; "in the high places", in the interior man; "In the midst of the valleys" denotes the exterior man; and to "make fountains", to instruct in Truths.

To "make the desert into a pool of waters, and the dry ground into springs of waters", signifies abundance of Truth with those who before were in defect and ignorance thereof; the "desert" denotes where there is no Good because no Truth, and the "dry ground" where there is no Truth and thence no Good; the "pool of waters" and the "springs of waters" signify abundance of the knowledges of Truth.

From these considerations it is evident that waters, fountains, springs, rivers, and pools of water are not here [literally] meant, but the knowledges of Truth and intelligence thence derived, whence comes salvation. Apocalypse Explained 483,

To "open rivers in the high places" denotes to give interior intelligence; "fountains in the midst of the valleys" signifies to instruct the external man in Truths. Apocalypse Explained 518.

18. I will open in the high places rivers, and in the midst of the valleys fountains: I will make the desert into a pool of waters, and the dry ground in to springs of waters,

Verses 18, 19. These words signify to give intel]igence from spiritual Truth and from natural truths; "rivers in the high places" signifying intelligence from spiritual Truths, and "fountains in the midst of the valleys" intelligence from natural truths by "making the desert into a pool of wafers, and the dry ground into spring waters", is signified to fill with truths the spiritual man and the natural man, where before there were not any truths: the spiritual Ulan, in whom before there was not any truth, is understood by a "desert", and the natural man, into whom there was not before any spiritual influx, is understood by the "dry ground."

Truths in abundance, appertaining to the spiritual man, are understood by the "pool of waters" and truths in abundance, appertaining to the natural man, by "springs of waters." By "giving in the desert the cedar of Shittah, the myrtle, and the oil-tree", is signified to give rational truths and the perception thereof; and by "setting in the wilderness the fir, the pine, and the box", are signified, in like manner, natural truths, which are scientifics and knowledges, with the understanding thereof. The "cedar" denotes rational truth of a superior order, the "myrtle" rational truth of an inferior order, and the "oil-tree" the perception of Good and thence of Truth; the "fir" denotes natural truth of a superior order, the "pine", natural truth of an inferior order, and the "box", the understanding of Good and Truth in the natural principle. Apocalypse Explained 730.

19. In the desert I will give the cedar of Shittah, the myrtle, and the oil-tree: I will set the fir-tree in the wilderness; the pine, and the box together:

Verse 19. These things are said concerning the establishment of the church by the Lord amongst the nations. By the "wilderness" and "desert" is signified where there was before no Good because no Truth; by "the cedar of Shittah, the myrtle, and the oil-tree, is signified spiritual and celestial Good; and by "the fir, the pine, and the box", the Good and Truth thence derived in the natural principle; for every "tree" mentioned in the Word has a particular signification which relates to the Good and Truth of the church; and the "cedar of Shittah", the "myrtle", and the "oil-tree", signify such things as are in the spiritual or internal man, and the "fir", the "pine", and the "box", such as are in the natural or external man. Apocalypse Explained 875.

The "wood and timber of Shittah" was the wood of the most excellent species of cedar, and by the "cedar" is signified the spiritual principle of the church. That the "wood of Shittim" was a species of cedar, is evident from Isaiah 41:19, where the "cedar of Shittah" stands for spiritual Good, and the "oil-tree" for celestial Good. "Shittim-wood" is the Good of Merit, which is of the Lord alone, and which is the only Good that reigns in heaven and which makes heaven; hence it was that that wood was the only wood which was employed in the construction of the Tabernacle, by which heaven was represented; and also of the Ark in which was the Testimony, - its bars or staves; also the Table upon which was the shew-bread, and its bars or staves; likewise the boards of the Sanctuary, and the bars and columns of the Covering; in like manner the Altar, and its bars or staves, were all made of this wood, as may be seen from Exodus 25:10, 13, 23, 28; 26:15, 26, 37.

The Good of Merit is the Good proceeding from the Divine Human of the Lord, which is Christian Good, or spiritual Good with man; it is this Good by which man is saved, for the good which is from any other source is not good, because the Divine is not in it, thus heaven is not in it; and consequently there is no salvation in it. Arcana Coelestia 9172.

20. That they may see, and may know, and may consider, and understand together, that the hand of Jehovah has done this, and that the Holy One of Israel bath created it.

Verse 20. The subject here treated of is concerning the establishment of the church amongst the nations. "Desert" signifies their not being in Good, because in ignorance of Truth; for all Good into which man is reformed is given only by Truths. "That they may see, and may know, and may consider, and understand together", signifies knowledges, understanding, perception, and affection, which are of the love of Good and Truth. From such significations it is evident that by "the Holy One of Israel creating this" is signified reformation, consequently that to "create" is to reform. Apocalypse Explained 294. See also True Christian Religion 573.

The Holy One of Israel has created it.

- As to "creating" and the end for which the Universe has been "created", see Chapter 43:1, 7. Exposition.

21. Produce your cause, says Jehovah: bring forth your strong [reasons], says the King of Jacob.

Verse 21 That the Lord invites man to "reason" with Him, in order that his rational mind and his reflective faculties may be directed to spiritual things, see Chapter 1:18, the Exposition.

As to the negative employment of our "reason", when exercising it from the fallacies of our sensual mind and from negative principles against the Word, which is the origin of all infidelity, and as to the affirmative or right use of our "rational faculties", when reasoning respecting the Divine Word and its Truths, see above, Chapter 36:1, the Exposition.

22. Let them bring them forth, and tell us what shall happen: I let them show the former things, what they are; and we will lay them to heart, and we shall know the event thereof: or declare to us things to come hereafter.

23. Show us the signs of what will be the future, that we may know that you are gods: yea, do good, or do evil; that we may be dismayed, and behold. it together.

Verses 22, 23. That to speak of things future is of the Lord alone, and not of any man or of any spirit, is expressed by "Show us the signs of the future that we may know that you are gods." This is the conclusion of those thIngs which precede, wherefore to "show a sign" is to testify by persuasion that what is saId may be believed. Apocalypse Explained 706.

As to the further meaning of a "sign", see Chapter 45:11, 13.; see also above, Chapter 8:18, the Exposition.

24. But, behold, you are less than nothing; and your work is less than nought: an abomination is he that chooses you!

Verse 24. You are less than nothing; - an abomination is he that chooses you. - [These words imply that whatsoever in the church does not exist from faith in the Lord, and from the Truths of the Word, is of no use whatever to the salvation of man.]

25. I will raise up one from the north, and he shall come; from the rising of the sun shall he call upon My name: and he shall trample on princes as upon mire, even as the potter treads down the clay.

Verse 25. The reason why "from the rising of the sun unto the setting thereof" signifies all from first to last who are in the Good of love to the Lord, is because all who are in heaven have their habitations according to the quarters; and they who are in the Good of love to the Lord dwell from the east to the west, - in th e east those who are in the clear Good of love, and in the west those who are in the obscure Good of love; hence by "from the rising of the sun to the setting" are signified all who are in that Good from first to last. Its being said in Isaiah "I will raise up one from the north, and he shall come; from the rising of the sun", etc., signifies those who are without the church, and those who are within it; for by the "north" is signified where Truth is in obscurity, and thus those who are without the church, because they are in an obscure principle as to Truths, by reason that they have not the Word, and hence do not know anything concerning the Lord; and by "the rising of the sun" are signified those who are within the church, because they have the Word, in which the Lord is always present, and so in His rising. That by "the east, or rising of the sun", and by "the west, or setting of the sun", are understood the Good of love in clearness, and the Good of love in obscurity, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 141, 148; and that by the "north" is signified Truth in obscurity, may be seen in the same chapter, the quarters in the spiritual world being there treated of. By "the setting of the sun" is also signified the state of the church when it is in ignorance, which is its first state; and by "the rising of the sun" is signified its state when it is in light." By "the setting of the sun", is also signified the state of the church when it is in evils and falsities thence derived; and by "the rising of the sun", when it is in Goods and Truths thence derived. Apocalypse Explained 401.

As to the "Sun" of the spiritual world, see Chapter 30:26, the Exposition.

He shall trample on princes as upon mire, etc. - That "princes" in a good sense signify primary Truths, but in an opposite sense primary falsities, see Chapter 1:23; 10:7, 8, the Exposition. As to "mire" and "mud", see Chapter 5:25, the Exposition.

26. Who has declared this from the beginning, that we, should know it? and beforehand that we might say, It is just? There was not one that showed it; not one that declared it. there was not one that heard your words.

27. [I] first [said] to Zion, Behold, behold them! and I gave to Jerusalem the messenger of good tidings.

Verses 26, 27. [It does not appear that Swedenborg has quoted these verses, but they evidently imply that the Lord, by His Word, is the only Source of all Truth and Goodness to His church and to the human mind, and that "idols" and "graven images, as denoting false doctrines, the traditions of men, and the figments of self-derived intelligence, are "less, or worse than nothing."]

28. But I looked, and there was no man; and from among them, and there was no counsellor, that, when I inquired of them, could return a word.

Verse 28. In the Word, and especially in the Prophets, the term "man" [vir] is often named, namely, "man and wife", "man and woman", "man and inhabitant", and also "man [vir] and man [homo]"; and by "man" [vir, ish], in the internal sense, is signified that which is of the understanding, which is Truth; and by "wife", "woman", "inhabitant", and "man" [homo, adam], that which is of the will, which is Good, as in Isaiah:

"I looked, and there was no man [vir], and no counsellor", etc. (Isaiah 41:28)

Again,

"I came, and there was no man", etc. (Isaiah 1:2)

See also Isaiah 59:14-16; (Jeremiah 5:1; Zephaniah 3:6. Arcana Coelestia 3134.

29. Behold, they are all iniquity; their works are nothing: wind and emptiness are their molten images.

Verse 29. "Wind and emptiness" denote the falsities of evil and the evils of the false; "wind" the falsities of evil, and "emptiness" the evils of the false; for where there is emptiness and vacuity, that is, where there is no Good and no Truth, there is evil and the false. That falsities are here signified by "wind", is evident from its being said, "They are all iniquity; their works are nothing"; likewise by its being said, "Wind and emptiness are their molten images"; for by "molten images " are signified the things which man hatches from self derived intelligence, all which are evils and falsities. Apocalypse Explained 419.

As to "molten and graven images" and "idols", see Chapter 2:20; 40:18-20, the Exposition.

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Isaiah Chapter 41

1. KEEP silence before Me, O islands; and let the peoples renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.

2. Who has raised up [One in] justice from the East, has called Him to His foot? has subdued nations before His face, and given Him dominion over kings? has made them like the dust to His sword, and like the driven stubble to His bow?

3. He pursued them; He passed in peace; by a way He had not gone with His feet.

4. Who has performed and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I Jehovah, the first; and with the last, I am He.

5. The islands saw, and were afraid; the ends of the earth trembled: they drew near; and they came.

6. Everyone helped his neighbour; and said to his brother, Be strong.

7. And the carpenter encouraged the founder; he that smooths with the hammer, him that smote the anvil, saying of the soldering, It is good: and he fixes it with nails, that it may not be moved.

8. But you, O Israel, My servant; you, O Jacob, whom I have chosen; the seed of Abraham, My friend:

9. You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and have called you from the sides thereof: and I said unto you, You art My servant; I have chosen you, and have not rejected you:

10. Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God: I have strengthened you, I have also helped you; yea, I have supported you with the right hand of My justice.

11. Behold, all they that were incensed against you shall be ashamed and confounded; the men that contended with you shall become as nothing, and shall perish.

12. You shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even the men that strove with you: they shall become as nothing, and as a thing of nought, even the men that warred against you.

13. For I am Jehovah your God, holding your right hand; saying unto you, Fear not; I will help you.

14. Fear not, you worm Jacob; you mortals of Israel: I will help you, says Jehovah, and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

15. Behold, I will make you a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: you shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small and shalt make the hills as chaff.

16. You shalt winnow them, and the wind shall bear them away; and the tempest shall scatter them: but you shalt rejoice in Jehovah; in the Holy One of Israel shalt you glory.

17. The poor and the needy seek waters, and there are none; their tongue is parched with thirst: I Jehovah will hear them; the God of Israel, I will not forsake them.

18. I will open in the high places rivers, and in the midst of the valleys fountains: I will make the desert into a pool of waters, and the dry ground in to springs of waters,

19. In the desert I will give the cedar of Shittah, the myrtle, and the oil-tree: I will set the fir-tree in the wilderness; the pine, and the box together:

20. That they may see, and may know, and may consider, and understand together, that the hand of Jehovah has done this, and that the Holy One of Israel bath created it.

21. Produce your cause, says Jehovah: bring forth your strong [reasons], says the King of Jacob.

22. Let them bring them forth, and tell us what shall happen: I let them show the former things, what they are; and we will lay them to heart, and we shall know the event thereof: or declare to us things to come hereafter.

23. Show us the signs of what will be the future, that we may know that you are gods: yea, do good, or do evil; that we may be dismayed, and behold. it together.

24. But, behold, you are less than nothing; and your work is less than nought: an abomination is he that chooses you!

25. I will raise up one from the north, and he shall come; from the rising of the sun shall he call upon My name: and he shall trample on princes as upon mire, even as the potter treads down the clay.

26. Who has declared this from the beginning, that we, should know it? and beforehand that we might say, It is just? There was not one that showed it; not one that declared it. there was not one that heard your words.

27. [I] first [said] to Zion, Behold, behold them! and I gave to Jerusalem the messenger of good tidings.

28. But I looked, and there was no man; and from among them, and there was no counsellor, that, when I inquired of them, could return a word.

29. Behold, they are all iniquity; their works are nothing: wind and emptiness are their molten images.

419. That the wind should not blow, signifies that the good be not injured, and the evil be not cast out before the day. This is evident from the signification of "wind," as meaning the Divine proceeding, which is Divine good united to Divine truth; therefore "that the wind should not blow" signifies that the influx might be moderate and gentle; "the wind not blowing upon the earth" signifies that the good may not be injured, and the evil cast out before the day, because the separations of the good from the evil and the casting out of the evil in the spiritual world are effected by various degrees of moderation and intensity of the Divine proceeding from the Lord as a sun. When this flows in moderately the good are separated from the evil, and when it flows in intensely the evil are cast out; and for the following reasons: when the Divine from the Lord flows in moderately there is everywhere tranquillity and serenity, wherein all appear such as they are in respect to the state of their good, for all then stand forth in light; consequently those who are in good from a spiritual origin are then separated from those who are in good merely from a natural origin; for the Lord looks upon those who are in spiritual good and leads them, and thus separates them. Those who are in good from a spiritual origin are those referred to in what follows where they are said "to be sealed on their foreheads," for they are spiritual, and are angels of heaven; but those who are merely in good from a natural origin are not good because they are not spiritual, for the good appearing with them is evil, because it has regard to self and the world as an end. Such do good in external form with reference to their own glory, honor, and gain, and not with reference to the neighbor's good, consequently they do good only that they may be seen of men. Those who are merely natural are those who are "not sealed," and who are afterwards rejected. But when the Divine from the Lord flows in intensely, the goods with the evils are dispersed, because these goods are in themselves not goods but evils, and evils do not endure the influx of the Divine. This causes the externals in such to be closed up, and when these are closed up the interiors are opened, in which there is nothing except evils and falsities therefrom; and this brings them into pain, anguish, and torment, on account of which they cast themselves down into the hells, where there are evils and falsities like their own.

[2] When the influx of the Divine is intensified, which occurs when the evil are to be cast out, then lower down in the spiritual world a wind springs up that blows strongly like a storm or tempest; this wind is what is called in the Word "the east wind" (of which presently). The casting down of the evil is described also in the Word by violent and impetuous winds, by storms, and by tempests. "The wind of Jehovah" has a similar signification as "the spirit of Jehovah," for the wind of respiration is meant, which is also called spirit (or breath). On this account in the Hebrew and many other languages spirit is expressed by the same word as wind. This is why the greater part of mankind have no other idea of spirit and of spirits than of wind like the wind of respiration; and from this have come the notions in the learned world also that spirits and angels are like wind in which there is merely a vital principle of thought; and this is the reason also that so few of these allow themselves to be persuaded that spirits and angels are men, endowed with body, face, and organs of sensation, like men on the earth. "Wind" and "spirit," in reference to man, signify the life of truth, or a life according to the truths or precepts of the Lord, because respiration, which pertains to the lungs, corresponds to that life, while the heart and its motion corresponds to the life of good. For there are two lives, which should make one in man, the life of truth and the life of good; the life of truth is the life of man's understanding, while the life of good is the life of his will; for truths have their seat in the understanding because these constitute the understanding, while goods have their seat in the will because these constitute the will. "Soul and heart," in the Word, when mentioned together, have a similar significance.

[3] From this it can be seen what is meant by "the wind" and "the spirit of Jehovah," namely, the Divine truth, and by "the four winds," Divine truth united to Divine good. Since wind means the wind or breath of respiration, and it signifies Divine truth and spiritual life with those who receive it, so this wind is called also "the breath of the nostrils of Jehovah," and also "the breath of His mouth," and "breathing;" as can be seen from the following passages.

In Ezekiel:

And I saw, and upon the dry bones, sinews and flesh came up, and skin covered them above, yet there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy about the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit, Thus the Lord Jehovih hath said, Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live (Ezekiel 37:8, 9).

What is here signified by "the dry bones" was told in the preceding article, namely, those who have no spiritual life, or no life through Divine truth. The breathing in of this life by the Lord is signified by "Prophesy about the spirit, and say to the spirit, Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." Here "spirit" evidently means the breath of respiration, for there were sinews, flesh, and skin, but as yet no breathing; therefore it is said, "Say to the spirit, Breathe upon them." From this it can be seen that this "spirit" or "wind" signifies spiritual life. That common breathing was not meant is evident from its being said that "these dry bones were the house of Israel," meaning that the house of Israel was without spiritual life; and from its being said of them afterwards, "I will put My spirit in you, that ye may live, and I will place you in your own land that ye may live" ( Ezekiel 37:14); which signifies that they are to be regenerated that a church may be made of them. Regeneration is effected by a life according to Divine truth, from which is spiritual life; and "to bring them back to the land" signifies that they may become a church, the land of Canaan signifying the church.

[4] In Moses:

Jehovah God breathed into his nostrils ¹ the soul of lives, and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7).

Here, too, in the sense of the letter, the wind of breathing is meant, as it is said He "breathed into his nostrils;" but spiritual life, which is the life of intelligence and wisdom through Divine truth, is evidently meant, since it is said that He breathed into him "the soul of lives," and that thus man became "a living soul;" "the soul of lives" and "a living soul" meaning spiritual life; for man without that soul is called a dead man, although in respect to the body and the senses he is alive. This, too, makes evident that "soul," "spirit," and "wind" in the Word mean spiritual life.

[5] In John:

Jesus said to the disciples, Peace be unto you; as the Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. And when He had said this He breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit (John 20:21, 22).

The Lord "breathed on them, and said to them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit," signifies the like, as Jehovah "breathed into Adam's nostrils the soul of lives" namely, spiritual life; for the Holy Spirit signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, from which is spiritual life. That they should teach Divine truth from the Lord is signified by "as the Father hath sent Me, even so send I you;" for the Lord when He was in the world was Divine truth itself, which He taught from His Divine good which was in Him from conception. This Divine is what the Lord here and in other places calls "the Father;" and because when He went out of the world He united Divine truth to Divine good that in Him they might be one, and because thenceforth Divine truth proceeds from Him He said, "as the Father hath sent Me, even so send I you."

That the wind of respiration signifies spiritual life comes from correspondence (See Arcana Coelestia 3883-3896). The quality of all in the spiritual world is known from their respiration merely. Those who are in the life of the respiration of heaven are among the angels; but those who are not in that respiration, if they come into heaven, are unable to breathe there, and are therefore in anguish like that of suffocation (respecting which see also Arcana Coelestia 1119, 3887, 3889, 3892, 3893). From this correspondence the term "inspiration" is derived, and the prophets are called "inspired," and the Word is said to be "Divinely inspired."

[6] From all this it can be seen what is signified by the Lord's words in John:

Except one be born of the water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it willeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh and whither it goeth; so is everyone that is born of the spirit (John 3:5, 7, 8).

"To be born again" means to be regenerated; and as man is regenerated by a life according to Divine truth, and all Divine truth through which man is regenerated proceeds from the Lord, and flows into him he knows not when, so it is said, "The wind bloweth where it willeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh and whither it goeth," thus is described the life of man's spirit, which he has by regeneration, "wind" meaning the Divine truth through which he has that life. So long as he is in the world man is utterly ignorant of how Divine truth flows in from the Lord, for he then thinks from the natural man, and merely perceives a something that flows in from the spiritual man into the natural; this therefore is what is meant by "thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh and whither it goeth." The "water" of which man is born signifies truth from the Word, and the "spirit" a life according to it. (That "water" signifies truth, see above, n. 71)

[7] In Lamentations:

The breath [spiritus] of our nostrils, the anointed of Jehovah, was taken in their pits; of whom we had said, Under his shadow we shall live among the nations (Lamentations 4:20).

"The anointed of Jehovah" here means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, for "the anointed of Jehovah" has a similar signification as a king. (That a "king" signifies in the highest sense the Lord in respect to Divine truth, see above, n. 31; and "the anointed of Jehovah" the same, n. 375.) This is why it is said "the breath of our nostrils, of whom we had said, Under his shadow we shall live;" for "the spirit and breath of the nostrils" signifies in the highest sense Divine truth, as has been said above. That Divine truth perished through falsities of evil is signified by "was taken in their pits;" "pits" meaning the falsities of evil.

[8] Again in Lamentations:

Jehovah Thou hast heard my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry (Lamentations 3:56).

"To hide the ear at the breathing and at the cry" signifies at worship, confession, and prayers, which are from truths and from goods; for all worship, confession, and prayer must be from truths and goods; to be heard they must be from both; if they are from truths alone they are not heard, because there is no life in them; the life of truth is from good. "Breathing" is here predicated of truths, and "cry" of goods (that "cry" is predicated of goods will be seen elsewhere).

[9] In Moses:

Everything that had in its nostrils the breath of the spirit of lives, of all that was on the dry land, died (Genesis 7:22).

What these words signify in the sense of the letter everyone can see, namely, that all things upon the earth were destroyed by the flood, thus all men then living, except Noah and his sons; but what these words signify in the spiritual sense may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 805, 806, where they are explained), namely, that "the breath of the spirit of lives in the nostrils" means spiritual life, which those had who were of the Most Ancient Church; for "the flood" signifies the end of that church and the Last Judgment, which took place when everything of the church was extinct. In David:

They have ears but they hear not; neither is there any breath [ventus] in their mouth (Psalms 135:17);

"no breath in their mouth" signifying that there was no truth in the thought, for "mouth" signifies thought.

[10] In Jeremiah:

The wild asses pant for breath like whales; their eyes were consumed because there was no herb (Jeremiah 14:6).

"To pant for breath like whales" signifies that there is no truth to be imbibed; "because there was no herb" means because there is no truth in the church. As the evil are cast down by a more powerful influx of Divine truth and good proceeding from the Lord as a sun, as has been said above, so the casting down of those who are in the falsities of evil is described also by "the breath of the nostrils of Jehovah." As in Isaiah:

Topheth is prepared of old; the pile thereof is fire and much wood made ready; the breath of Jehovah like a brook of brimstone doth kindle them (Isaiah 30:33).

In David:

The channels of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were disclosed, at the rebuke of Jehovah, at the blast of the breath of Thy nostrils (Psalms 18:15).

In Moses:

By the breath of Thy nostrils the waters were heaped up; Thou didst blow with Thy wind, the sea covered them (Exodus 15:8, 10).

And in Job:

Plotters of iniquity, by the blast of God they perish, by the breath of His nostrils are they consumed (Acts of the Apostles 4:8, 9).

In all these passages "the blast," "the breath," and "the breathing of the nostrils of Jehovah" means the Divine proceeding, which disperses and casts down the evil when it flows in intensely and strongly; but respecting this influx more will be said in what follows, where "tempests," "storms," and "the east wind" are treated of.

[11] Again, that "the wind of the earth" also signifies the Divine proceeding is also from correspondence with the winds in the spiritual world; for there exist winds in the spiritual world also, and these arise from the determining of Divine influx, and arise in the lower parts of the earth there. In the heavens rarely any other than gentle winds are perceived; but with those who dwell lower down, upon the lands, winds are frequent, for they grow stronger as they descend; their direction is from the quarters into which the Divine inflows, especially from the north. Because the winds there are from a spiritual origin they also signify spiritual things, in general Divine truth, from which they exist. As in David:

Jehovah layeth the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He maketh the clouds His chariot; He walketh upon the wings of the wind; He maketh His angels winds, His ministers a flaming fire (Psalms 104:3, 4).

"Waters," "clouds," and "wings of the wind," signify Divine truth in ultimates, such as is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word; because this is in ultimates, it is said "He layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters, He maketh the clouds His chariot, He walketh upon the wings of the wind;" "waters" meaning truths in ultimates, likewise "clouds," and "the wings of the wind" and "chariots" meaning the truth of doctrine; "He maketh His angels winds, and His ministers a flaming fire," signifies that He makes them to be receptions of Divine truth and Divine good; "angels" mean those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom, and because such are recipients of Divine truth it is said "He maketh them winds;" while "ministers" mean those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom, and as these are recipients of the Divine good it is said "He maketh them a flaming fire;" "a flaming fire" signifying the good of love and the truth therefrom. (That those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom are recipients of Divine truth, and those who are in the celestial kingdom recipients of Divine good, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 20-28; that angels are called "angels" from reception of Divine truth, see above, n. 130, 412; and that ministers are called "ministers" from the reception of Divine good, see also above, n. 155; and that "fire" signifies the good of love, n. 68)

[12] In the same:

Jehovah bowed the heavens, He came down, and thick darkness was under His feet; and He rode upon a cherub, He did fly, and was borne upon the wings of the wind (Psalms 18:9, 10).

Jehovah "bowed the heavens, He came down," signifies visitation, which precedes the Last Judgment; "thick darkness under His feet" signifies the falsities of evil in lower things; "He rode upon a cherub, He did fly, and was borne upon the wings of the wind," signifies omnipresence with the Divine, "the wings of the wind" meaning Divine truth in ultimates (as above).

[13] In Jeremiah:

The Maker of the earth by His power, He prepareth the world by His wisdom, by His intelligence He stretcheth out the heavens; at the voice that He uttereth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He maketh the vapors to go up from the end of the earth; He maketh lightnings for the rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasuries (10 :12, 13; 51:15, 16).

And in David:

He maketh the vapors to go up from the ends of the earth; He maketh lightnings for the rain; and He bringeth forth the wind out of His treasuries (Psalms 135:7).

This describes in the spiritual sense the reformation of man and the establishment of the church. Because of that reformation and establishment the Lord is called "the Maker of the earth," and elsewhere "the Former" and "Creator;" "earth" meaning the church. The Divine good, by which reformation is effected, is signified by "He prepareth the world by His wisdom;" "world" means the church, and is predicated of good. The Divine truth, which is also a means, is signified by "at the voice that He uttereth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens;" "the voice that He uttereth" signifying the influx of Divine truth, and "the multitude of waters in the heavens" reception; "waters" meaning truths. Ultimate truths, which are the knowledges from the sense of the letter of the Word, are signified by "the vapors from the ends of the earth;" spiritual truths therefrom are signified by "lightnings for the rain," "lightnings" called from the light of heaven, and "rain" from influx; thus reformation through Divine truth from the Lord is signified by "He bringeth forth the wind out of His treasuries." This is the meaning of all these things in the heavens.

[14] In David:

He casteth forth His hail like morsels; who can stand before His cold? He sendeth His word, He melteth them; He maketh His wind to blow, the waters flow. He declareth His word unto Jacob, His statutes and His judgments unto Israel (Psalms 147:17-19).

This, too, is a description of reformation, but in respect to the natural man. Here knowledges and cognitions which are in man before reformation are signified by "hail like morsels; who can stand before His cold?"-for man before reformation is utterly frigid, and that coldness is also plainly felt when the Divine flows in out of heaven; and as such coldnesses are dissipated by the reception of Divine good and Divine truth, thus by reformation, it is said, "He sendeth His word, He melteth them; He maketh His wind to blow, the waters flow;" "word" signifying Divine good united to Divine truth, "wind" Divine truth, and "the waters flow," the reception of truth; and this being the signification of these words it is added, "He declareth His word unto Jacob, His statutes and judgments unto Israel;" "Jacob" and "Israel" signifying the church, "Jacob" the church that is in good, and "Israel" the church that is in truths; "statutes and judgments" mean external and internal truths which are from good.

[15] In the same:

Praise Jehovah, fire and hail, snow and vapor; stormy wind doing His word (Psalms 148:7, 8).

"Fire and hail, snow and vapor, and wind," evidently signify something different from these, for why should it be said of such things in the Divine Word that "they praised Jehovah?" But "fire and hail, and snow and vapors" signify the delights of the loves of the natural man, and its knowledges and cognitions; for these are "fire and hail, and snow and vapor" before man is reformed and made spiritual, the sphere of life of such when it flows out from them, presenting in the spiritual world appearances like these; and the worship of the Lord from these things is signified by their "praising Jehovah," "to praise" meaning to worship; "stormy wind" signifies Divine truth in respect to reception; it is therefore said "stormy wind doing His word;" "doing His word" signifying to receive into life the things of doctrine.

[16] As all things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so has "wind," and in that sense it signifies falsity, as in the following passages. In Isaiah:

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

"Wind and a void" mean the falsities of evil and the evils of falsity; "wind" meaning the falsities of evil, and "a void" the evils of falsity; for where there is a void and emptiness, that is, absence of good and truth, there are evil and falsity; "wind" signifies where there are falsities, as is evident from its being said "they are all iniquity, their works are nothing;" also from its being said "their molten images are wind and a void," for "molten images" signify such things as man hatches out of self-intelligence, and these are all falsities and evils. In Jeremiah:

And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them (Jeremiah 5:13).

"Prophets" signify those who teach truths, and in an abstract sense the truths of doctrine, here the falsities of doctrine; falsities are signified by "wind;" therefore it is added, "the word is not in them," "word" signifying Divine truth.

[17] In the same:

I will scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness (Jeremiah 13:24).

"The wind of the wilderness" signifies where there is no truth, and therefore falsity, for "wilderness" in the Word signifies where there is no good because there is no truth. In the same:

The wind shall feed all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity (Jeremiah 22:22).

"Shepherds" in the Word signify those who teach the good of life and lead to it, which is done by means of truths; but here "shepherds" mean those who do not teach the good of life, still less lead to it, because they are in falsities; this is meant by "the wind shall feed all thy shepherds;" "wind" meaning the falsity which they seize upon and love; "the lovers" who shall go into captivity, signify the delights of the loves of self and the world, and thence the delights of the evil; "lovers" meaning such delights, and "captivity" detention in the hells.

[18] In Hosea:

Ephraim feedeth on wind, and pursueth the east wind; every day he multiplieth lying and devastation, and they make a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried down into Egypt (Hosea 12:1).

"Ephraim" signifies the intellectual of the church; "Assyria" reasoning, and "Egypt" the knowing faculty (scientificum); therefore "Ephraim feedeth on wind, and pursueth the east wind," signifies that the intelligent in the church imbue themselves with falsities which altogether disperse truths; "wind" meaning falsity, and "east wind" falsity drying up and dispersing truths. Because of this signification of "wind" and "east wind" it is added, "every day he multiplieth lying and devastation;" "lying" meaning falsity, and "devastation" the dispersion of truth; "they make a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried down into Egypt," signifies that by reasonings from knowledges (scientifica) falsely applied they pervert the truths and goods of the church; "to make a covenant with Assyria" signifying to reason from falsities and to destroy truths, and "to carry down oil into Egypt" signifying to destroy the good of the church by knowledges [scientifica]; for he who is in principles of falsity applies to them the knowledges [scientifica] he has imbibed from childhood, since his understanding sees nothing else. For the understanding is formed either of truths or of falsities; if of truths, man sees truths, if of falsities he sees falsities; he sees them in the natural man, in the memory of which knowledges [scientifica] have their seat; and from these he selects such as favor his principles, and those that do not favor them he either perverts or rejects.

[19] In the same:

Ephraim is joined to idols. Their wine is gone; in whoring they have committed whoredom; they are given up to love; her shields give disgrace. The wind hath bound her up in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices (Hosea 4:17-19).

"Ephraim" signifies the church in respect to the understanding of truth; here that it has no understanding of truth but of falsity; the falsities of the church are signified by "idols;" which makes clear what is signified by "Ephraim is joined to idols;" "the wind in its wings" signifies reasoning from fallacies, from which are falsities. (What the rest signifies see above, n. 283, and 376, where it is explained.)

Wind in the wings (Zechariah 5:9);

has a similar meaning. In Jeremiah:

Their camels shall be for prey, and the multitude of their cattle for a spoil; and I will disperse them to every wind, them that are the cut off of the corner (4 Jeremiah 49:32).

"To disperse them to every wind" signifies into every falsity and evil when truths and goods are destroyed. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 417)

[20] In Ezekiel:

A third part thou shalt disperse to the wind, and I will draw out a sword after them (Ezekiel 5:2, 12).

This is said of the hairs of the head and of the beard, which the prophet, by command, shaved off with a razor; and those hairs signify the ultimate of truth in the church, for the whole heaven and the whole church are before the Lord as one man; whence all things of heaven and of the church correspond to all things of man, both to those without man and to those within him (on which correspondence, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 87-102); therefore the hairs of the head and of the beard, as they are the ultimate things of man, correspond to the ultimates of truth and good. The ultimates of truth and good are such as are the ultimate truths of the sense of the letter of the Word. That these ultimates were perverted, falsified, and adulterated by the Jews is signified by what is here said of the hairs of the prophet's head and beard. "A third part thereof he should disperse unto every wind" signifies the destruction of all truth; and because when truth is destroyed mere falsities are seized on, it is added, "I will draw out a sword after them;" "sword" signifying the destruction of truth by falsity (See above, n. 131). Unless this signification of "hairs" is known, who could understand what is involved in the command to the prophet that "he should shave off the hairs of his head and of his beard, and a third part he should burn in the midst of the city, a third part he should smite with a sword round about it, and a third part he should disperse unto every wind, and that a sword should be drawn out after them"?

[21] That this signifies the falsification of truth by the Jews is clearly evident from what follows in the same chapter, where among other things it is said:

This is Jerusalem; she hath altered My judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and My statutes more than the lands that are round about her (Ezekiel 5:5, 6).

In the same:

All his bands I will disperse unto every wind; and I will draw out the sword after them (Ezekiel 12:14).

This has a similar signification. In Matthew:

The rain descended and the winds blew and beat upon that house, yet it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock (Matthew 7:24, 25, 27).

"The rain descended and the winds blew" signifies temptations, and consequently falsities rushing in; for spiritual temptations are nothing else than infestations of the mind by falsities and evils, so here, too, "winds" signify falsities. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 411)

[22] It has been said above, that in the spiritual world, as in the natural world, strong winds and tempests spring up; but the tempests in the spiritual world spring from the influx of the Divine into the parts below, where those are who are in evils and falsities; as that influx descends from the heavens towards the lands that lie below, it becomes more dense and appears like clouds, and with the evil, dense and dark according to the quantity and quality of the evil. These clouds are appearances of falsity from evil, arising from the spheres of their life; for round about every spirit and angel there is a sphere of life. When from the Lord as a sun the Divine is sent forth powerfully and flows into these dense and dark clouds, a tempest arises which is perceived by spirits there in like manner as tempests on the earth are perceived by men. It has at different times been granted me to perceive these tempests and also the east wind by which the evil were dispersed and cast into the hells, when the Last Judgment was in progress. From this it can be seen what "tempests," "storms," and "violent winds" signify in the following passages. In Isaiah:

Thou shalt disperse them, that the wind may carry them away and the tempest scatter them (Isaiah 41:16).

In Jeremiah:

Behold, ² the tempest of Jehovah has gone forth in wrath, a whirling tempest; it shall hurl itself upon the head of the wicked (Jeremiah 23:19; 30:23).

In David:

I will speed my escape from the rushing wind, from the tempest (Psalms 55:8).

In the same:

O my God, pursue them with Thy tempest, and affright them with Thy storm (Psalms 83:13, 15).

In Ezekiel:

I will make a wind of tempests to break through in My wrath, and in Mine anger there shall be an overflowing rain, for a consummation (Ezekiel 13:13).

In Jeremiah:

Evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth (Jeremiah 25:32).

In Isaiah:

Thou shalt be visited of Jehovah of Hosts with tempest, storm and with the flame of a devouring fire (Isaiah 29:6).

In Amos:

I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with a tempest in the day of storm (Amos 1:14).

In Nahum:

Jehovah hath His way in the storm and in the tempest (Nahum 1:3).

In Zechariah:

The Lord Jehovih shall blow with the trumpet, and shall go with tempests of the south (Zechariah 9:14).

In David:

Upon the wicked a wind of storm, the portion of the cup of the wicked (Psalms 11:6).

In the same:

Our God shall come, and shall not be silent; about Him the tempest shall blow violently (Psalms 50:3).

In Hosea:

They sow the wind, therefore they shall reap the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7).

In these passages "tempest" and "storm" signify the dispersion of falsities and evils, because those who are in the falsities of evil are cast down into hell by a tempestuous wind.

[23] In David:

They that go down to the sea in ships, that do work in many waters. And He spake, and maketh the wind of the tempest to stand, and He raised up its waves on high. He made the tempest to stand still, that their waves might be hushed (Psalms 107:23, 25, 29).

This treats of temptations and of the deliverance from them. "The wind of the tempest," and thus "the waves of the sea lifted up," signify temptations; and as spiritual temptations come through falsities breaking into the thoughts, which is the source of remorse of conscience and grief of mind and spirit, these are signified by "the wind of the tempest stood, and He raised up its waves on high;" deliverance from them is signified by "He made the tempest to stand still, that the waves might be hushed."

[24] The same is signified by these words in Mark:

There arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was now filling. But Jesus was in the stern, slumbering on a pillow; and they awake Him, and say unto Him, Carest Thou not that we perish? And He awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Be still, be dumb. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm (Mark 4:37-39).

And in Luke:

As they sailed Jesus fell asleep; and there came down a storm of wind on the lake, and they were filling ³ [with water], and were in danger; and coming to Him they awoke Him, saying, Master, Master, we perish. And having awakened, He rebuked the wind and the raging of the sea; and they ceased, and there was a calm (Luke 8:23, 24).

This miracle of the Lord, like all the rest, involves arcana of heaven and interior things of the church. The difference between Divine miracles and those not Divine is that Divine miracles also signify Divine things, because the Divine is in them, while miracles not Divine signify nothing, because there is nothing of the Divine within them; and moreover, in the description of the Divine miracles in the Word, and in every particular thereof, there is a spiritual sense. This miracle involves spiritual temptations; "a great storm of wind, so that the waves beat into the boat, and it was filling," signifies such temptations; and that when they were in extreme fear, "Jesus awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Be still, be dumb; and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm," signifies deliverance from temptations. Moreover, every single word here contains a spiritual sense; but this is not the place to unfold it particularly, but only to note that the "storm" and "tempest of wind" signify temptations, for these are irruptions of falsities, or inundations of the mind by falsities. This, too, is plain from the rebuke of the wind and the waves, and from the words of the Lord to the sea, "Be still, be dumb," as if He were speaking to those things or those persons that induce temptations.

[25] Furthermore, the winds that spring up in the spiritual world appear to arise there from different quarters, some from the south, some from the north, and some from the east; those from the south disperse truths with such as are in falsities, and those from the east disperse goods with such as are in evils. The winds disperse these because the winds spring from a powerful and strong influx of the Divine through the heavens into the parts below, and where the influx enters it fills truths and goods, that is, it fills the minds and spirits of those who are in truths and goods with the Divine; therefore those, the interiors of whose mind and spirit consist merely of falsities and evils, while exteriorly truths are mixed with falsities and goods are mixed with evils, cannot endure such influx from the Divine, consequently they withdraw into their falsities and evils which they love, and reject the truths and goods, which they do not love except for the sake of self and appearance.

[26] This makes clear what effect is there produced by the wind coming from the east, which is called "the east wind," namely, that with the evil it disperses all the goods and truths which they presented in external form before the world, and all the truths which they talked about for the sake of appearances. This is why withering and drying up are ascribed to that wind, "withered" signifying where there is no good, and "dried up" where there is no truth, as can be seen from passages in the Word where that wind is mentioned. As in Ezekiel:

Behold the vine planted, when the east wind shall touch it, in drying up shall it not dry up? (Ezekiel 17:10).

In the same:

The vine was plucked up in Mine anger, she was cast down to the earth, and the east wind withered her fruit; and the rods of her strength were broken and withered (Ezekiel 19:12).

In Hosea:

Ephraim, fierce among his brethren; an east wind shall come, the wind of Jehovah coming up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up; he shall plunder the treasure of every vessel of desire (Hosea 13:15).

In Jonah:

And it came to pass when the sun arose that God prepared a scorching east wind (Jonah 4:8).

[27] Moreover, the east wind also destroys all things where the evil are, their lands, their habitations, and their treasures (as may be seen in the little work on The Last Judgment 61); it destroys because the lands, habitations, and treasures in the spiritual world are correspondences; therefore when these perish the things that correspond also perish; on this account, when a land in that world on which the evil dwell is destroyed there rises up the aspect of a new land for the good. Because there is such a force in the east wind in the spiritual world, so for the sake of the correspondence:

An east wind was brought by which the waters of the Red Sea were dried up (Exodus 14:21);

And that brought on the locusts (Exodus 10:13);

It is called a hard wind (Isaiah 27:8);

A wind that broke the ships of Tarshish (Psalms 48:7);

A wind that broke Tyre in the heart of the seas (Ezekiel 27:26);

And that scattered enemies (Jeremiah 18:17).

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