THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 49

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

1. ATTEND, O islands, unto Me; and hearken, you peoples, from afar: Jehovah has called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother has He made mention of my name.

VERSE 1. "Islands" signify those who are in Truths, and "peoples from afar" those who are in Goods, and, abstractedly, Truths and Goods, both in the natural man; "from afar" is predicated of Goods which are in the natural man, but what is "near" of Goods in the spiritual man. "Peoples" here signify Goods, because in the original it is a different term from that by which Truths are signified. Apocalypse Explained 406. See also Arcana Coelestia 1158, 2709.

Verses 1, 12. By the "islands", and by the "peoples from afar", and "from the north and from the sea", are understood the Gentiles or nations with whom the church was to be established. Hence it is evident that externals are distant from internals, and stand, as it were, afar off; hence it is that, in the Word, by "afar off" is signified the external, or what is removed from the internal, as in the above passage, and in the following:

"Hear, O you that are afar off, what I have done; and acknowledge, O you that are near, My power." (Isaiah 33:13)

By those who are "afar off" are there understood the nations or Gentiles, because remote from internal Truths; and by the "near" are understood those who are of the church, and in Truths from the Word. Apocalypse Explained 1133.

As to "islands", see Chapter 41:5, the Exposition.

Verses 1, 5. The Lord, in many parts of the Word, is called "Creator", "Maker", and " Former from the womb", and also "Redeemer", by reason that He creates man anew, reforms, regenerates; and redeems. It may be supposed that the Lord is so called because He created man, and forms him in the womb, but still it is a spiritual creation and formation which is here understood; for the Word is not only natural, but also spiritual, - natural for men, who are natural, and spiritual for the angels, who are spiritual, as may also appear from this consideration, that the things here said are said concerning Israel, and, in the supreme sense, concerning the Lord.

By "Israel" is understood the church, thus every man of the church; and inasmuch as the Lord knows the quality of every one as to the Good of love and the Truth of faith, therefore it is said "Jehovah has called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother has He made mention of my name."

By "calling and knowing the name" of anyone, is signified to know his quality; "from the womb" denotes as to the Good of love, and "from the bowels of my mother", as to Truths from that Good. By "Jacob", who shall be brought back unto Him, and "Israel", who shall be gathered unto Him, is signified the church; by "Jacob" the external church, and by "Israel" the internal, - the latter being in the spiritual man, the former in the natural. Apocalypse Explained 710.

These words also treat of the Lord. To "make mention of His name" is to instruct as to His quality. Arcana Coelestia 2009.

2. And He has set my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand has He concealed me, and He has made me a polished shaft; in His quiver has He hid me;

Verse 2. Where by the "mouth" of the prophet is signified Divine Truth, wherefore it is compared to a "sharp sword", whereby is understood its penetrating power, and dispersing and destroying the false. Apocalypse Explained 908.

In the shadow of His hand has He concealed me, etc. - Treating also concerning the Lord. By the "sharp sword" is signified Truth dispersing the false; by the "polished shaft" is denoted Truth dispersing the evil; and by the "quiver" is signified the Word. Hence it is evident what is meant by "He has set my mouth like a sharp sword, and has made me a polished shaft, and in His quiver has He hid me", that is, that in Him and from Him is Divine Truth, by which falsities and evils are dispersed, and that in Him and from Him is the Word, where and whence those Truths are. Apocalypse Explained 357.

The "sharp sword" is Truth fighting; and the "polished shaft" is the Truth of doctrine. Arcana Coelestia 2799.

3. And He has said unto me, You art My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

Verses 3, 6. Israel, in whom I will be glorified. - Meaning the Divine Human of the Lord. Arcana Coelestia 3441.

4. And I said, I have laboured in vain; for nought, and for vanity, I have spent my strength: nevertheless my judgment is with Jehovah, and the recompense of my work with my God.

5. And now [thus] says Jehovah, my Former from the womb to be His servant, to bring back Jacob unto Him, and that Israel unto Him may be gathered: then shall I be glorious in the eyes of Jehovah, and my God will be my strength:

Verse 4. Speaking of the establishment of the New Church from the Lord. That it could not be established with the Jewish nation, because Truths could not be received by that nation from any spiritual affection, is understood by "I said, I have laboured in vain; for nought [or emptiness], and for vanity, I have spent my strength." That still a spiritual church is provided by the Lord, that is, with the Gentiles, is signified by "My judgment is with Jehovah, and the recompense of my work with my God."

By "recompense" is here signified the church, which is in the spiritual affection of Truth; by "labour" and 'by "work" is understood the combat of the Lord against the hells; and the subjugation of them, whereby the Lord restored the equilibrium between heaven and hell, in which man can receive Truth and become spiritual; concerning which equilibrium, see the work on Heaven and Hell 589-603, and in the small work on the Last Judgrnent, n. 33, 34, 73, 74. Apocalypse Explained 695.

6. And He said, It is a light thing that You should be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: [but] I will also give You for a light to the nations, to be My salvation to the end of the earth.

7. Thus says Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One; to Him who is despised in soul, whom the nation abhors; to the Servant of rulers: Kings shall see Him, and shall rise up; princes also, and they shall bow themselves down; for the sake of Jehovah, who is faithful; of the Holy One of Israel, for He has chosen You.

Verse 6. [These words seem to imply that the Lord, or Jehovah in His Humanity, would not only" raise up the tribes of Israel", etc., that is, establish the true church, but that from Him should come the "light" and "salvation" for all nations and peoples, and for the entire universe. That the tribes of Israel and the Jews will not again, in a literal sense, be gathered to their own land, as is supposed by many from not knowing the spiritual sense of the Word, can be abundantly proved. See the Exposition of Isaiah Chapter 66:20.]

My salvation to the end of the earth. - See above, Chapter 42:10-12, the Exposition.

8. Thus says Jehovah, In the time of acceptance have I answered You, and in the day of salvation have I helped You; and I will preserve You, and give You for a covenant of the people; to restore the land, to give possession of the desolate heritages:

Verse 8. I will give You for a covenant of the people, etc. - To "give for a covenant of the people", signifies that conjunction may be with the Lord and by Him; to "restore the land", is to restore the church; and to "give possession of the desolate heritages", signifies to restore the Goods and Truths of the church which were destroyed. Apocalypse Explained 701.

As to the "Covenant", see above, Chapter 42:6, the Exposition.

Verses 8, 13. I will give You for a covenant of the people, to restore the land. Sing, O you heavens; and rejoice, O earth; you mountains, break forth into song, etc.

- Treating of the Lord and of His advent. The establishment of the church by Him is signified by "I will give You for a covenant of the people, to restore the land"; to "restore the land" denoting to re-establish the church. It is well known that the Lord did not restore the land to the Jewish people, but that He established the church amongst the Gentiles. The joy in consequence thereof is described by "Sing, O you heavens; rejoice, O earth; you mountains, break forth into song." By the "heavens" are understood the heavens where are the angels who are in the interior Truths of the church; by the "earth" is understood the church with men; and by the "mountains", those who are in the Good of love to the Lord. Apocalypse Explained 304.

9. Saying to the prisoners, Go forth; to those that are in darkness, Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and on all the eminences shall be their pasture.

Verse 9. These words treat manifestly of the Lord. The "prisoners" [or the bound] are, in particular, those who were detained in the lower earth until the advent of the Lord, and who were then elevated into heaven; and, in general, those who are in Good, and kept, as it were, bound by falsities, from which, however, they endeavour to come forth. To "feed in the ways" is to be instructed in Truths; that "ways" are Truths, see Arcana Coelestia 627, 2333; and that to "feed" is to be instructed, n. 5201. "On all eminences shall be their pasture", signifies to be nourished in Good; for "eminences", like mountains, are the Goods of love. Arcana Coelestia 6854. See also 6078.

By "the bound [or prisoners], to whom He shall say, Go forth", and by "those that are in darkness, to whom He shall say, Show yourselves", are signified the Gentiles who have lived in Good according to their religion, and yet were in falsities from ignorance, who are called "bound" when they are in temptations; "darkness" denotes falsities from ignorance. Apocalypse Explained 481.

As to the "lower earth" in the world of spirits, and the "prisoners", or the "bound", who are detained there until they are devastated of their false principles, see Chapter 24:22, the Exposition.

10. They shall not hunger, neither shall they thirst; neither shall, the heat nor the sun smite them: for He that has mercy on them shall lead them, and, shall guide them to springs of water.

Verse 10. Any one who thinks deeply may see that hunger and thirst for natural meat and drink are not here meant, neither the natural sun and heat which shall not smite them, nor natural springs of water to which they shall be led; by "hunger" and "thirst", therefore, is signified to hunger and thirst for such things as belong to eternal life, or which communicate that life, which, in general, have reference to the Good of love and the Truth of faith", hunger" relating to the former, and "thirst" to the latter. The "heat" and the "sun" signify the heat derived from false principles and the love of evil; for these take away all spiritual hunger and thirst. The "springs of water, to which the Lord will lead them", signify illustration in all Truth; a "spring" or "fountain" denoting the Word and doctrine from the Word; "water" denoting Truth; and to "lead", when predicated of the Lord, denoting to illustrate. From these considerations it may appear what is signified by the words of the Lord in John:

"I am the Bread of Life: He who cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he who believes on Me shall never thirst"; (John 6:35) where that to "hunger" is to come to the Lord; and that to "thirst" is to believe on Him, is evident; to "come to the Lord" is to do His commandments, Apocalypse Explained 386.

That "the heat shall not smite them", signifies that the false originating in concupiscence shall not affect them. Apocalypse Explained 481.

11. And I will make all My mountains a way, and My highways shall be exalted.

Verse 11, 13. By "mountains", in the plural number, are understood both mountains and hills, thus both the Good of love and the Good of charity. The "mountains and hills being made into a way, and the highways being exalted", signifies that they who are in those Goods shall be in genuine Truths, - to be "made or set into a way" signifying to be in Truths; and for "the highways to be exalted", is meant to be in genuine Truths, for "ways" and "highways" signify Truths, which are said to be "exalted" by Good; and Truths derived from Good are genuine Truths. Their joy of heart in consequence thereof is signified by "Sing, O you heavens; and rejoice, O earth; "internal joy by "Sing, O you heavens", and external joy by "Rejoice, O earth." Confessions from joy originating in the Good of love, are signified by "You mountains, break forth into song." That this was on account of reformation and regeneration, is signified by "for Jehovah has comforted His people." That the mountains in the world are not here understood, is evident, for to what purpose would it be for "mountains to be made into a way", for "the highways to be exalted", and likewise for" the mountains to break forth into singing"? Apocalypse Explained 405.

12. Lo! these shall come from afar; and lo! these from the north and from the sea; and these from the land of Sinim.

Verse 12. The "north" signifies those who are in obscurity as to Truth; the "west" [or the sea], those who are in obscurity as to Good; and they are said to "come from afar" who are remote from the light which is from the Lord. Arcana Coelestia 3708 Arcana Coelestia 3708[1-23].

As to the "east", "west", "north", and "south", see Chapter 43:5, 6, the Exposition.

From the land of Sinim. - [It is not known what country "Sinim" designated, but it is probable that it was adopted as an appellation for the south, as the "sea" in this verse, and frequently elsewhere, is for the west. In this way the four quarters are designated, - "from afar" denoting the east, or those who are remote from the acknowledgement and love of the Lord; and "Sinim", those who are remote from the light or intelligence of Truth proceeding from that love.]

13. Sing, O you heavens; and rejoice, O earth; you mountains, break forth into song: for Jehovah has comforted His people, and will have mercy on His afflicted.

Verse 13. See the Exposition of Isaiah Chapter 44:23.

14. But Zion says, Jehovah has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me,

15. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, these may forget; but I will not forget you.

Verses 14, 15. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion. on the son of her womb?-This is said because in the spiritual sense regeneration is understood, wherefore comparison is made with a "woman" and "her love towards her infant." The case is the same with those who are regenerated by the Lord. Apocalypse Explained 710.

16. Behold, on the palms of My hands have I graven you; your walls are continually before Me.

Verse 16. To "engrave" or to "write on stone", also on the "palms of the hands", signifies perpetual remembrance. "Your walls are continually before Me;"-"walls" are the Truths of faith. (Arcana Coelestia 6419, 9841)

See, as to the meaning of a "city", "walls", "bulwarks", etc., Chapter 26:1, the Exposition.

17. They shall hasten your sons; your destroyers and your devastators shall depart from you.

Verses 17, 18. These things are said of "Zion", by which is signified the celestial church. By "the sons who shall make haste" are understood the Truths of that church. That "sons" are Truths has been frequently shown above; hence it is said that "she [Zion] should clothe herself with them all, as with an ornament; and should bind them about her, as a bride [her jewels]", -which words can be said of, the Truths of the church, but not of the "sons" of Zion. Arcana Coelestia 10540.

Verses 17, 22. They shall hasten your sons; your destroyers and your devastators shall depart from you, etc. - The establishment of a New Church by the Lord is treated of in these words. By "the sons whom they shall hasten, and whom they shall bring in their bosom", and by "the daughters whom they shall carry upon their shoulder", are understood all who are in Truths and in the affection thereof and abstractedly from persons, Truths themselves, and their affections, with those who will be of the New Church. "Your destroyers and your devastators" signify the falsities of evil; that these will be removed is signified: by "they shall depart from you." Apocalypse Explained 724.

18. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all these gather themselves together, they come to you. As I live, says Jehovah, surely you shalt clothe yourself with them all, as with an ornament; and shalt bind them on you, as a bride [her jewels],

19. For your wastes and your desolate places, and the land of your destruction, shall even now be too narrow for the inhabitants; and they that swallowed you up shall be far away.

20. The sons, of whom you wast bereaved, shall yet say in thine ears, This place is too narrow for me; make room for me that I may dwell.

21. And you shalt say in thine heart, Who has begotten me these? I was bereaved [of my sons], and solitary; an exile, and an outcast; and these, who has nourished them up? Lo! I was forsaken, and alone; these, where were they?

Verses 18, 20, 21. These words treat of "Zion", or of the celestial church and of its fructification after vastation. The "sons of bereavement." stand for Truths, of which in vastation she was deprived, but which were afterwards restored and immensely increased. (Arcana Coelestia 5536 Arcana Coelestia 5536[1-5])

In the whole of this chapter the desolation of those who are regenerated is treated of, and of their regeneration and fructification after desolation and at length, [in verse 26] of the punishment of those who desolate or oppress. Arcana Coelestia 5376.

22. Thus says the Lord Jehovih, Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations, and to the peoples will I exalt My standard: and they shall bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall be borne on their shoulder.

Verses 22, 23. These words treat of the Lord, and of those who worship and adore Him. To "lift up the hand to the nations and to the peoples a standard", is to bring to Himself all who are in the Goods of love and in Truths hence derived; of them it is said that "they should bring their sons in the bosom, and their daughters on the shoulder"; "sons" are the affections of Truth, and "daughters" are affections of Good; of them it is also said that "kings should be their nursing fathers [or nourishers], and their queens [or princesses]their nursing mothers"; "kings" are the veriest Truths and "queens" their Goods; and because man is regenerated and also nourished by these Truths and Goods, it is said they shall be your nourishers and your nurses [giving suck]. This is the internal sense of these words; who, without that sense, could understand them? That man is regenerated by Truths, and by a life according to them, see Chapter 1:2; 8:3, the Exposition. Apocalypse Explained 175.

The whole of this chapter treats of the advent of the Lord and of the salvation of those who receive Him, as is evident from verses 6-9; consequently it is not the salvation of the Jews which is here treated of much less their restoration to the land of Canaan. That the Jewish nation was not understood in the passages here adduced, may also appear from this circumstance, that it was the worst, of all nations, and idolatrous in heart; and that they were not introduced into the land of Canaan on account of any goodness and justice of heart, but on account of the promise made to their fathers; likewise that there were no Truths and Goods of the church with them, but falsities and evils; and that they were therefore rejected and expelled from the land of Canaan, as may appear from all those passages in the Word wherever that nation is described. Apocalypse Explained 433. See Chapter 66:20, 22, the Exposition.

Verse 22. For the meaning of a "standard", see Chapter 13:2, the Exposition.

23. And kings shall be your nursing fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers: with their faces to the earth they shall bow down unto you, and shall lick the dust of your feet; and you shalt know that I am Jehovah, and that they who trust in Me shall not be ashamed.

Verse 23. Because "kings" signify those who are in Truths derived from the Good of love to the Lord, therefore it became a custom from ancient times that "kings", when they were crowned; should be distinguished by certain insignia, which signify Truths derived from Good, as that a "king" should be anointed with oil, that he should wear a crown of gold, that he should hold a sceptre in his right hand, that he should be clothed with a purple robe, that he should sit upon a throne of silver, and that he should ride with his insignia upon a white horse; for "oil" signifies Good, from which is Truth, see Arcana Coelestia 886 Arcana Coelestia 886[1-2], 4638; a "crown of gold" upon the head [is wisdom, and] has a similar signification, n. 9930; a "sceptre", which is a staff, is the power of Truth from Good, Arcana Coelestia 4581, 4876; the "robe", divine Truths in the spiritual kingdom, 9825; and "purple", the spiritual love of Good, 9467 ; a "throne", the kingdom of Truth derived from Good, 5315, 6397; "silver", that Truth itself, 1551, 1552; and a "white horse", the understanding illustrated therefrom, as may be seen in the work concerning the White Horse 1-5. (See also above, Chapter 31:1, the Exposition.) That rituals about the coronation of "kings" involve such things, but that the knowledge thereof is at this day lost, see also Arcana Coelestia 4581, 4966. Apocalypse Explained 31.

24. Shall the prey be taken away from the mighty? or shall the captivity of the just be delivered?

25. Yea, thus says Jehovah, Even the captivity of the mighty shall be taken away, and the spoil of the terrible shall be delivered: for with him that contends with you I will contend, and your sons I will save.

Verses 24, 25. These words treat of the Lord, and of the bringing back of the sons of Zion from captivity, but by the "sons of Zion" are meant those who are in love to the Lord, and thence in Truths. That they were secluded from Truths by those who strenuously confirmed falsities, and that still they were liberated by the Lord, is signified by " Shall the prey be taken away from the mighty? or shall the captivity of the just be delivered? Yea, thus says Jehovah, Even the captivity of the mighty shall be taken away, and the spoil of the terrible shall be delivered: for with him that contends with you I will contend, and your sons I will save." Apocalypse Explained 811.

[The "prey of the mighty", the "captivity of the just", and the "spoil of the terrible", would seem specifically to denote those who are held captive in the lower earth of the spiritual world, or in vastations, to whom the Lord, after His resurrection, "went to preach"; (1 Peter 3:19) and whom He delivered from those who are here called the "mighty" and the "terrible", that is, the evils and falsities by which they had been held captive. The "captivity of the just" denotes those who, although in false principles, were nevertheless in good intentions, of which "justice" is here predicated. See, as to the further meaning of "vastations", and the nature of those who undergo them, Chapter 24:22, the Exposition.]

26. And I will feed thine oppressors with their own flesh; and with their own blood, as with new wine, shall they be drunken: and all flesh shall know that I Jehovah am your Saviour, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

Verse 26. That by "flesh", in a bad sense, is signified the proprium of man's will which, viewed in itself, is evil, may appear from the above and from the following passages:

"A man shall eat the flesh of his own arm." (Isaiah 9:20)

And in Jeremiah:

"I will feed you with the flesh of their sons, and with the flesh of their daughters; and they shall devour every man the flesh of his companion." (Jeremiah 19:9)

And in Zechariah: "The rest shall eat everyone the flesh of another." (Zechariah 11:9) Apocalypse Explained 1082. See Chapter 9:19-21, the Exposition.

To "feed oppressors with their own flesh" is to feed thrm with their own evil. Arcana Coelestia 8409.

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Isaiah Chapter 49.

1. ATTEND, O islands, unto Me; and hearken, you peoples, from afar: Jehovah has called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother has He made mention of my name.

2. And He has set my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand has He concealed me, and He has made me a polished shaft; in His quiver has He hid me;

3. And He has said unto me, You art My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

4. And I said, I have laboured in vain; for nought, and for vanity, I have spent my strength: nevertheless my judgment is with Jehovah, and the recompense of my work with my God.

5. And now [thus] says Jehovah, my Former from the womb to be His servant, to bring back Jacob unto Him, and that Israel unto Him may be gathered: then shall I be glorious in the eyes of Jehovah, and my God will be my strength:

6. And He said, It is a light thing that You should be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: [but] I will also give You for a light to the nations, to be My salvation to the end of the earth.

7. Thus says Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One; to Him who is despised in soul, whom the nation abhorreth; to the Servant of rulers: Kings shall see Him, and shall rise up; princes also, and they shall bow themselves down; for the sake of Jehovah, who is faithful; of the Holy One of Israel, for He has chosen You.

8. Thus says Jehovah, In the time of acceptance have I answered You, and in the day of salvation have I helped You; and I will preserve You, and give You for a covenant of the people; to restore the land, to give possession of the desolate heritages:

9. Saying to the prisoners, Go forth; to those that are in darkness, Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and on all the eminences shall be their pasture.

10. They shall not hunger, neither shall they thirst; neither shall, the heat nor the sun smite them: for He that has mercy on them shall lead them, and, shall guide them to springs of water.

11. And I will make all My mountains a way, and My highways shall be exalted.

12. Lo! these shall come from afar; and lo! these from the north and from the sea; and these from the land of Sinim.

13. Sing, O you heavens; and rejoice, O earth; you mountains, break forth into song: for Jehovah has comforted His people, and will have mercy on His afflicted.

14. But Zion says, Jehovah has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me,

15. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, these may forget; but I will not forget you.

16. Behold, on the palms of My hands have I graven you; your walls are continually before Me.

17. They shall hasten your sons; your destroyers and your devastators shall depart from you.

18. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all these gather themselves together, they come to you. As I live, says Jehovah, surely you shalt clothe yourself with them all, as with an ornament; and shalt bind them on you, as a bride [her jewels],

19. For your wastes and your desolate places, and the land of your destruction, shall even now be too narrow for the inhabitants; and they that swallowed you up shall be far away.

20. The sons, of whom you wast bereaved, shall yet say in thine ears, This place is too narrow for me; make room for me that I may dwell.

21. And you shalt say in thine heart, Who has begotten me these? I was bereaved [of my sons], and solitary; an exile, and an outcast; and these, who has nourished them up? Lo! I was forsaken, and alone; these, where were they?

22. Thus says the Lord Jehovih, Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations, and to the peoples will I exalt My standard: and they shall bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall be borne on their shoulder.

23. And kings shall be your nursing fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers: with their faces to the earth they shall bow down unto you, and shall lick the dust of your feet; and you shalt know that I am Jehovah, and that they who trust in Me shall not be ashamed.

24. Shall the prey be taken away from the mighty? or shall the captivity of the just be delivered?

25. Yea, thus says Jehovah, Even the captivity of the mighty shall be taken away, and the spoil of the terrible shall be delivered: for with him that contends with you I will contend, and your sons I will save.

26. And I will feed thine oppressors with their own flesh; and with their own blood, as with new wine, shall they be drunken: and all flesh shall know that I Jehovah am your Saviour, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

6674. 'Of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah' means the nature and state of the natural where that factual knowledge resided. This is clear from the meaning of 'the name' as the essential nature, dealt with in 144, 145, 1896, 2009, and also the state, 1946, 2643, 3422, 4298. For the names contained in the Word all serve to mean different realities, each name embodying in a nutshell all the characteristics, thus the nature and state of that reality to which it refers. Here therefore the names Shiphrah and Puah mean the nature and state of the natural where true factual knowledge resides since this is the reality to which those names refer, as is evident from what appears immediately before this in 6673. A person who is unaware of the fact that a name serves to mean the nature and state of the reality to which it refers can only think that no more than the name is meant when that name is mentioned.

[2] Thus he can only think that when the Lord speaks of His name no more than this is meant, when in fact what is meant is the essential nature of the worship of Him, that is to say, every aspect of faith and charity through which He is to be worshipped, as in Matthew,

Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20.

Not the name is meant here, but worship flowing from faith and charity. In John,

As many as received Him, to them He gave power to be sons of God, to those believing in His name. John 1:12.

Here also 'name' is used to mean faith and charity from which the Lord is worshipped. In the same gospel,

These things have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. John 20:31.

Here the meaning is similar.

[3] In the same gospel,

If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:13-14.

And elsewhere,

Whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give it to you. John 15:16-17; 16:23-24.

The real meaning here is not that they were to ask the Father in the Lord's name, but that they were to ask the Lord Himself. For no access lies open to Divine Good, which is the Father, 3704, except through the Lord's Divine Human, as the various Churches also well know. This being so, asking the Lord Himself is a request made in accordance with the truths of faith; and if the request is indeed made in accord with them it is granted, as He Himself also says in the place in John quoted immediately before - If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. This matter is made even clearer by the fact that the Lord is meant by Jehovah's 'name', when mentioned as follows in Moses,

I send an angel before you to guard you on the way. Take notice of His face, and hearken to His voice, and do not provoke Him, since My name is in the midst of Him. Exodus 23:20-21.

[4] In John,

Father, glorify Your name. A voice came from heaven, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. John 12:28.

In the same gospel,

I have manifested Your name to the men (homo) whom You gave to Me out of the world. I made known to them Your name, and I will make it known, that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them. John 17:6, 26.

From these quotations it is evident that the Lord's Divine Human is Jehovah's name or whole essential nature. Consequently all Divine worship begins in the Divine Human; and the Divine Human is what one is to worship, for by worshipping this one worships the Divine Himself, no thought of whom can otherwise be formed. And if no such thought can be formed, there can be no communion with Him either.

[5] The truth that the Lord's 'name' is everything constituting the faith and love through which He is to be worshipped is still further evident from the following places: In Matthew,

You will be hated by everyone for My name's sake. Matthew 10:22.

In the same gospel,

He who receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. Matthew 18:5.

In the same gospel,

Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields, for My name's sake, will receive a hundredfold. Matthew 19:29.

In the same gospel,

They shouted, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Matthew 21:9.

In Luke,

Truly I tell you; for you will not see Me until [the time] comes so that you say, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Luke 13:35.

In Mark,

Whoever gives you drink from a cup of water in My name because you are Christ's, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward. Mark 9:41.

In Luke,

The seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are obedient to us in Your name. Jesus said to them, Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are obedient to you, but rejoice rather that your names have been written in heaven. Luke 10:17, 20.

'Names written in heaven' are not those people's their faith and charity.

[6] Much the same is meant by 'names written in the Apocalypse,

You have a few names also in Sardis, who have not soiled their garments. He who conquers will be clad in white garments and I will not blot his name out of the book of life; and I will confess his name before the Father and before His angels. Revelation 3:4-5.

Like wise in John,

The one entering by the door is the shepherd of the sheep; he calls his own sheep by name. John 10:2-3.

In Exodus,

Jehovah said to Moses, I know you by name. Exodus 33:12, 17.

In John,

Many believed in His name, seeing His signs which He did. John 2:13.

[7] In the same gospel,

He who believes in Him is not judged: but he who does not believe is judged already because he has not be lifted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18.

In Isaiah,

They will fear the name of Jehovah from the west. Isaiah 59:19.

In Micah,

All the peoples walk in the name of their God and we will walk in the name of our God. Micah 4:5.

In Moses it says they were to worship Jehovah God in the place which He would choose and in which He would put His name. Deuteronomy 12:5, 11, 14. Similar phrases occur in Isaiah 18:7 and Jeremiah 7:12, and in many other places besides these, such as Isaiah 26:8, 13; 41:25; 43:7; 49:1; 50:10; 52:5; 26:16; Ezekiel 20:14, 44; 36:21-23; Micah 5:4; Malachi 1:11; Deuteronomy 10:8; Revelation 2:17; 3:12; 13:8; 14:11; 15:2; 17:8; 19:12-13, 16; 22:3-4.

[8] The fact that Jehovah's name means everything involved in the worship of Him, thus in the highest sense everything that goes out from the Lord, is clear in the Blessing,

Jehovah bless you and keep you;

Jehovah make His face shine upon you and be merciful to you;

Jehovah lift up His face upon you and give you peace.

So shall they put My name upon the sons of Israel. Numbers 6:23-27.

From all this one may now see what is meant by the following commandment in the Decalogue,

You shall not take the name of your God in vain, for Jehovah will not hold him innocent who has taken His name in vain. Exodus 20:7.

One may likewise see what is meant in the Lord's Prayer by hallowed be Your name, Matthew 6:9.