2584. 'And they gave birth' means fertileness This is clear from the meaning of 'bearing' and 'childbirth'. In the internal sense of the Word none but spiritual and celestial things are meant, and therefore where the expressions conception or conceiving, childbirth or giving birth, birth or being born, generation or generating, are used, and when those who beget as father and mother, and those who are begotten as sons and daughters, are spoken of, such are not meant in any but a spiritual sense, for in itself the Word is spiritual and celestial. The same applies here also to 'giving birth', which means fertileness as regards matters of doctrine.

[2] The fact that no other kinds of childbirths are meant in the Word by childbirths may become clear from the following places: In Samuel,

Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, and those who were hungry have ceased to be so, until the barren has borne seven, and she who has many has left off. Jehovah takes life and He gives life; He causes [some] to go down into hell and [others] to come up. 1 Samuel 2:5-6.

In Jeremiah,

The bearer of seven languishes, she breathes her last. Her sun is going down while it is still day. Jeremiah 15:9.

In Isaiah,

Sing, O barren one, who did not bear, break forth into singing and shout, who has not gone into labour; for the sons of her that is desolate are more than the sons of her that is married, said Jehovah. Isaiah 54:1.

In David,

The voice of Jehovah causes the hinds to calve, and He strips the forests bare; and in His temple everyone says, Glory. Psalms 29:9.

In Isaiah,

Blush, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying, I have not gone into labour, I have not given birth, nor have I reared young men or brought up young women. As when the report comes to Egypt, they go into labour over the report of Tyre. Isaiah 23:4-5.

In the same prophet,

Before she went into labour she gave birth, and before pain came to her she brought forth a male child. Who has heard of such a thing as this? Who has seen such? Does a land give birth in one day? And shall I [bring to the point of birth and not] cause to give birth? said Jehovah. Shall I who cause to give birth shut up [the womb]? said your God. Isaiah 66:7-9.

In Jeremiah,

Ask, now, and see whether a male can bear. Why then have I seen every man, hands on loins, like one giving birth? Jeremiah 30:6.

In Ezekiel,

I will send fire on Egypt, and Sin will certainly go into labour, and No will be [breached]. Ezekiel 30:16.

In Hosea,

As for Ephraim, their glory will fly away like a bird, away from birth, and from the womb, and from conception. Hosea 9:11.

In the same prophet,

The pains of childbirth have come upon Ephraim, he is an unwise son, for now he will not present himself at the mouth of the womb of sons. Hosea 13:13.

In John,

A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. Carrying in the womb she cried out in labour, and was in anguish to give birth. A dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she had given birth to her child he might devour it. She gave birth therefore to a male child, who was to rule ¹ all nations with an iron rod. But the boy was caught up to God and His throne. Revelation 12:1-2, 4-5.

[3] From all these places anyone may see that no other conceptions and births are meant than those which are conceptions and births of the Church. The same may also be seen from the things said about Abimelech, that 'God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his women servants, and they gave birth'; and that 'Jehovah had completely closed every womb in Abimelech's house on account of the matter of Sarah, Abraham's wife'. What is meant in the internal sense by these words may become clear from the explanation of them, namely the character of the doctrine of faith when regarded from Divine truths, and the character of it when regarded from the rational. That is to say, when regarded from Divine truths, that is, from the Word, every single thing, both rational and factual, is confirmatory. But it is different when it is regarded from human things, that is from reason and knowledge. When regarded from the latter no good or truth at all is conceived; for to regard things from the Word is to do so from the Lord, but to regard them from reason and knowledge is to do so from man. The former gives rise to all intelligence and wisdom, the latter to all insanity and stupidity.

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4302. 'And he was limping on his thigh' means that truths were not yet arranged into such an order that together with good they could all enter celestial-spiritual good. This is clear from the meaning of 'limping' as possessing good which does not as yet contain genuine truths but does contain general truths into which genuine ones can be instilled and which are such as do not disagree with genuine ones, dealt with below. In the highest sense, however, in which the Lord is the subject, 'limping on the thigh' means that truths were not yet arranged into such an order that with good they could all enter celestial-spiritual good - 'the thigh' meaning celestial-spiritual good, see above in 4277, 4278.

[2] As regards the order which truths must possess when they enter good, in this case celestial-spiritual good, no intelligible explanation of it is possible, for one needs to know before that what order is, and then what kind of order goes with truths, also what celestial-spiritual good is and then how these truths enter by way of good into that celestial-spiritual good. Even if these matters were described they would not be understood except by those who see with heavenly perception; nothing at all would be understood by those who see with merely natural perception. For those who see with heavenly perception dwell in the light of heaven which comes from the Lord, a light that holds intelligence and wisdom within it. But those who dwell in natural light do not possess any intelligence or wisdom except insofar as the light of heaven flows into that natural light and uses it in such a way that things belonging to heaven may be seen - as in a mirror or in some representative image - within things belonging to natural light. For natural light does not render any spiritual truth visible unless the light of heaven is flowing into it.

[3] This alone can be said regarding the order in which truths must exist to enable them to enter good. As with goods, all truths - not only the general ones but also the particular, and indeed the most specific - must in heaven have been arranged into that order so that one truth relates to another within a form like that in which the members, organs, and viscera of the human body relate to one another. That is, their uses relate to one another in general, also in particular, as well as most specifically, and act so as to be a single whole. From this - that is to say, from the order in which truths and goods exist - heaven itself is called the Grand Man. Its actual life comes from the Lord, who from Himself arranges every single thing into such order. Consequently heaven is a likeness and image of the Lord. When therefore truths have been arranged into an order like that into which heaven is arranged they exist in heavenly order and are able to enter good. Truths and goods exist in such order with every angel, and they are also being arranged into such order with every person who is being regenerated. In short, the order of heaven consists in the proper arrangement of truths that are the truths of faith within goods that are those of charity towards the neighbour, and the arrangement of these goods within the good that is the good of love to the Lord.

[4] The fact that 'limping' means possessing good which does not as yet contain genuine truths but does nevertheless contain general truths into which genuine ones can be instilled, and which are the kind that do not disagree with genuine truths; and thus the fact that 'the lame' are those who do possess good though not genuine good because they are without knowledge of truth - good such as gentiles possess who lead charitable lives with one another - becomes clear from those places in the Word where the lame and those who limp are mentioned in the good sense, as in Isaiah,

The eyes of the blind will be opened. and the ears of the deaf will be opened; then will the lame man leap like a hart, and the dumb man sing with his tongue. Isaiah 35:5-6.

In Jeremiah,

Behold, I am bringing them from the north land, and I will gather them from the extremities of the earth, among them the blind one and the lame, the woman who is with child and her who is giving birth, together. Jeremiah 31-8.

In Micah,

On that day, said Jehovah, I will bring together her who limps and will gather her who has been driven away. And I will make her who limps into the remnant, and her who was driven away into a numerous nation; and Jehovah will reign over them in Mount Zion, from now on and for ever. Micah 4:6-7.

In Zephaniah,

At that time I will save her who limps and will gather her who has been driven away, and I will make them a praise and a name. Zephaniah 3:19.

Anyone can see that in these places 'the lame' and 'her who limps' does not mean the lame or one who limps; for it is said of them that they will leap, be gathered together, be made into the remnant, and be saved. But it is evident that people who are governed by good and less so by truths are meant, as upright gentiles are and also those like them within the Church.

[5] Such persons are also meant by 'the lame' to whom the Lord refers in Luke,

Jesus said, When you give a feast invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind, and you will be blessed. Luke 14:13-14.

And in the same gospel,

The householder said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor, and the maimed, and the lame, and the blind. Luke 14:21.

The Ancient Church distinguished the neighbour or neighbours to whom they were to perform charitable works into different categories. Some they called the maimed, others the lame, some the blind, and others the deaf, by which they meant those who were spiritually such. Some they also called the hungry, the thirsty, strangers, the naked, the sick, or prisoners, as in Matthew 25:35-36, and likewise widows, orphans, the needy, the poor, and the wretched, by whom they meant none others than those who were such so far as truth and good were concerned, who were to be furnished with whatever was appropriate to their needs, led into 'the way', and thereby receive counsel regarding their souls. But because at the present day charity does not constitute the Church but faith, what those categories of people are used to mean in the Word is totally unknown. Yet it is evident to everyone that it is not an inviting of the maimed, the lame, and the blind to a feast that is meant, nor that the householder commanded such persons to be brought in, but that those who are like this spiritually are meant. It is also evident to them that every single utterance of the Lord contains what is Divine, and so has a celestial and a spiritual sense.

[6] The Lord's words in Mark have a similar meaning,

If your foot causes you to stumble cut it off, it is better for you to enter into life lame than having two feet to be cast into the Gehenna of fire, into the unquenchable fire. Mark 9:45; Matthew 18:8.

A foot which has to be cut off if it causes stumbling means the natural which constantly sets itself against the spiritual and has to be destroyed if it is trying to crush truths, and so means that because of the disagreement and contrary-mindedness of the natural man it is preferable to be governed by simple good even though there is a denial of truth. This is what 'entering into life lame' means. As regards 'the foot' meaning the natural, see 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280.

[7] 'The lame' also means in the Word those who possess no good at all and consequently no truth, as in Isaiah,

Then the prey will be divided; the prey multiplying, those who limp will take the prey. Isaiah 33:23.

In David,

When I am limping they are glad and are gathered together; the lame whom I do not know are gathered together against me. Psalms 35:15.

Such persons being meant by 'the lame' it was also forbidden to sacrifice anything that was lame, Deuteronomy 15:21-22; Malachi 1:8, 13. Also, no lame person belonging to the seed of Aaron could serve in the priesthood, Leviticus 21:18. As with the lame likewise with the blind, for 'the blind' in the good sense means people who have no knowledge of truth, and in the contrary sense those who are subject to falsities, 2383.

[8] In the original language one word is used to express a person who is lame, another a person who limps. In the proper sense one who is lame means people who are governed by natural good into which spiritual truths are unable to flow owing to the outward natural appearances and the delusions of the senses, while in the contrary sense one who is lame means those who are not governed by any natural good but by evil, which totally blocks the inflow of spiritual truth. One who limps however means in the proper sense those who are governed by natural good into which general truths are allowed to enter but not particular and specific truths owing to lack of knowledge, whereas in the contrary sense one who limps means those who are subject to evil and so do not even allow general truths to enter in.