The Inner Meaning of the Prophets and Psalms #0

By Emanuel Swedenborg
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Inner Meaning: Prophets, Psalms (Schreck translation - updated)


Table of Subjects 1

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1. The Lord's advent.

2. The successive vastation of the church.

3. The church totally devastated, and its rejection.

4. The rejection of the Lord by the church.

5. Temptations of the Lord in general.

6. Temptation even to despair.

7. The combats of the Lord with the hells.

8. Victory over them, or their subjugation.

9. The passion of the cross.

10. The glorification of the Human of the Lord, or its union with the Divine.

11. A new church in place of the former.

12. A new church together with a new heaven.

13. The state of humiliation before the Father.

14. 2

15. A last judgment by the Lord.

16. Celebration and worship of the Lord.

17. Redemption and salvation by the Lord.

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Editor's Introduction: In this work, Emanuel Swedenborg outlined the internal meaning of all the Prophetical Books, from Isaiah to Malachi, and the Psalms, and then the first 16 chapters of Genesis. It provides a survey of the inner meaning of a substantial portion of the Old Testament, in one place.

This work was written by Swedenborg in Latin, in 1761. It was translated from Latin into English by Rev. J. E. Schreck, and this translation was published by the Swedenborg Foundation, in New York, in 1900. This modified version of Schreck's 1900 translation does not update the text; instead just modifying numbering and formatting for clarity of use online.

Each chapter of each book of the Prophets has one corresponding numbered section in Swedenborg's explanation of its inner meaning, or internal sense. Swedenborg listed the verses that relate to each outlined point. We have added hyperlinks to the verse references, shown to the left of each outlined point. The Psalms and initial chapters of Genesis are treated in a similar fashion.

This work was not published by Swedenborg, but it is consistent with other more detailed treatments made in his published works. For example, Swedenborg refers to this work in Doctrine of the Lord 37.

Readers may also find these comparisons useful:

- No. 124 of this work, explaining Ezekiel 1, with The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Sacred Scripture 97,

- Nos. 161, 162, explaining Ezekiel 38, and 39, with Apocalypse Revealed 859,

- No. 236, explaining Zechariah 4, with Apocalypse Revealed 43, and

- Nos. 244-246 of this work, explaining Zechariah 12, 13, 14, with Apocalypse Revealed 707.

In the manuscript, at the beginning, Swedenborg wrote out a list of works that he intended to write and publish. While it's clearly related to the project of outlining the internal meaning of the Prophets, Psalms, and historical parts of the Word, it seems to be an independent list. We reproduce Rev. Schreck's translation of that list here:

"To Be Published:

1. Concerning the Lord.

2. Concerning the Sacred Scripture or concerning the Word of the Lord.

3. All things of religion and of the worship of God in one complex in the Decalogue.

4. Concerning Faith.

5. Angelic wisdom concerning the Divine Providence.

6. Angelic wisdom concerning the Divine omnipotence and omniscience, and concerning infinity and eternity.

7. Angelic wisdom concerning life.

8. Angelic wisdom concerning the Divine love and Divine wisdom."

Footnotes:

1. In the original Latin manuscript, Swedenborg cross-referred the outlined internal sense to a more general Table of Subjects, shown above. In the following passages, those references are shown in parentheses, e.g. (3) would refer to subject number 3 above. We received the Latin text for this "front matter" from the Heavenly Doctrines Publishing Foundation.

2. Editor's Note (Schreck): No. 14 is crossed out by Swedenborg in his MS., and is never referred to in the text. It reads, "The state of unition with His Divine," which is the same as No. 10.

Doctrine of the Lord 3 for an outline of a similar set of themes that form the internal sense of the prophetical books.

De Sensu Interno Librorum Propheticorum et Psalmorum Davidis (original)


In 1761, Emanuel Swedenborg wrote an outline, in Latin, entitled "Librorum Propheticorum et Psalmorum Davidis". In it, he sketched out in brief he inner meaning of the Prophetical Books of the Word, from Isaiah to Malachi, and the Psalmuss, and then the first 16 chapters of Genesis. It provides a survey of the inner meaning of a substantial portion of the Old Testament, in one place. This work was not published by Swedenborg, but it was written after Arcana Coelestia, and it is largely consistent with other more detailed treatments made in his published works. 1

In the original Latin manuscript, Swedenborg cross-referred the outlined internal sense to a more general Table of Subjects 2 , shown just below.

SUMMARIAE EXPOSITIONS SENSUS INTERNI PROPHETARUM ET PSALMORUM

Contenta in angustara coacta sunt sequentia.

1. De Domini adventu.

2. De Ecclesiae vastatione successiva.

3. De Ecclesia devástata totaliter, et de ejus rejectione.

4. De rejectione Domini ab Ecclesia.

5. De tentationibus Domini in genere.

6. De tentationibus usque ad desperationem.

7. De pugnis Domini cum infernis.

8. De victoria super Ulis, seu de subjugatione illorum.

9. De Passione crucis.

10. [De] glorificatione Humani Domini, seu de unitione cum Divino.

11. De nova Ecclesia loco prioris.

12. De nova Ecclesia, et simul de novo Coelo.

13. Status humiliationis coram Patre.

[14. Status unitionis cum Divino suo.] 3 15. De ultimo judicio ab Ipso.

16. Celebratio et cultus Domini.

17. De redemtione et salvatione, à Domino.

17.1. De Ecclesia devastata.

17.2. De pugnis cum infernis seu tentationibus.

17.3. De ultima quae fuit Passio crucis.

17.4. De glorificatione Humani.

17.5. De nova Ecclesia.

17.6. De novo Coelo.

In the following passages, those references are shown in parentheses, e.g. (3) would refer to subject number 3 above.

Each chapter of each book of the Prophets has one corresponding numbered section in Swedenborg's explanation of its inner meaning, or internal sense. Swedenborg listed the verses that relate to each outlined point. We have added hyperlinks to the verse references, shown to the left of each outlined point. The Psalmuss and initial chapters of Genesis are treated in a similar fashion.

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In the same manuscript, at the beginning, Swedenborg wrote out a list of works that he intended to write and publish. While it's clearly related to the project of outlining the internal meaning of the Prophets, Psalmuss, and historical parts of the Word, it seems to be an independent list. We reproduce that list below, with its prefatory remarks:

NOTAE CRITICAE EDITОRIS.

Operis hujus posthumi Codex, qui est formae maximae oblongae, titulo caret, sed in Bibliotheca Regiae Academiae Holmiensis numero i notatus, et in dorso inserí plus est „Sensus prophetiсus." Primae ejus paginae lineis ad perpendiculum demissis sunt bibartitae, sed vacuae, numeris 532 ad 536, et (omissis 337. 338-) 339 ad 345 signatae, post quas prima auctoris verba sunt p. 346 - in prima columna:

„Quae edenda

1.) De Domino.

2.) De scriptura sacra seu de Verbo Domini

3.) Omnia religionis et cultus Dei in uno complexu in Decalogo.

4.) De fide.

5.) Sapientia Angelica de Divina Providentia.

6.) Sapientia Angelica de Divina Omnipotentia et Omniscientia, deque Infinitate et Aeternitate.

7.) Sapientia Angelica de vita.

8.) Sapientia angelica de Divino Amore et de Divina Sapientia."

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De statu humiliationis Domini 4 quod oraverit ad Patrem.

Quod oraverit ad Patrem Matth: XIV: 23; Joh: XVII: 9, 15, 20; Luc: V: 15; Luc: XXII: 37 ad 47; Marc: I:35; VI: 46; Marc: XIV: 32 ad 39.

et super crux ne desererit; et alibi

Quod tunc conjungerit Divino suo, ut cum baptisaretur, quod apereretur coelum, Luc: III:21.

cum transformatur, ibi orabat, Luc: IX:28, 29.

et cum orabat de glorificatione, quod dictum quod glorificatus et ulterius glorificabitur Joh: XII:42-43 [Joh. 12:28] 5

Se peterent in nomine Domini, quod Ispe faciet, Joh:XIV, 13.14

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Ex Davide 6

quod dederint Ispi fel [Ps. 69:21]

quod vestes diviserint [Ps. 22:18]

quod odio habuerint Ipsum sine causa [Ps. 35:19]

Lapis quam rejecerunt architectis, Ps. CXVIII: 21, 22, 22 7

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[2] 8

1. De Ecclesia devastata

2. De pugnis cum infernis, seu tentationibus

3. De ultima quae fuit Passio crucis

4. De glorificatione Humani

5, De nova Ecclesia

6. De novo Coelo

Footnotes:

1. Swedenborg refers to this work in Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae de Domino 37.

Readers may also find these comparisons to be useful:

- The explanation of Ezechiel 1 (in n. 124 of this work) with Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae de Scriptura Sacra 97,

- Nos. 161 and 162 of this work, explaining Ezechiel 38, 39, with Apocalypsis Revelata 859,

- No. 236 of this work, explaining Sacharias 4, with Apocalypsis Revelata 43, and

- Nos. 244-246 of this work, explaining Sacharias 12, 13, 14, with Apocalypsis Revelata 707.]

2. In the beginning of this manuscript, Swedenborg listed the topics, or subjects, that he would use to classify his explanations of the chapters and verses of the Prophets, Psalmuss, and the first 16 chapters of Genesis. We have added lookup hyperlinks so that the reader can refer back to this list readily. We received the Latin text for this "front matter" from the Heavenly Doctrines Publishing Foundation.

3. Editor's Note (Schreck): No. 14 is crossed out by Swedenborg in his MS., and is never referred to in the text. It reads, "The state of unition with His Divine," which is the same as item number 10 in the list.

4. In the manuscript, there's also this list of passages from the New Testament that relate to the Lord's states of humiliation and glorification.

5. The transliterated Latin file that we used as a source had "quod glorificatus et alters glorificaberit," which we have changed to "quod glorificatus et rursus glorificaberit," to match Schmidius. The reference to John 12:42-43 should probably be to Joh. 12:28.

6. There are some brief notes about parallels between the Psalmuss of David and of the Lord's life in the world.

7. The transliterated Latin file that we used as a source had Ps. CXIII as a reference, but the correct reference here would be to Psalmus CXVIII, or Psalmus 118.

8. The manuscript also has this brief summary of the series of spiritual events that will happen as the church fails and a new one is begun. See Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae de Domino 3 for an outline of a similar set of themes that form the internal sense of the prophetical books.

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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.