THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 18

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

1. WOE to the land shadowing with wings! which is beyond the rivers of Cush;

2. Which sends ambassadors on the sea, and in vessels of rushes on the face of the waters : Go, you swift messengers, to a nation distracted and spoiled; to a people terrible from the first, and hitherto; a nation meted out by line, and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!

VERSES 1, 2. What is meant by "the land shadowing with wings", and "the land which the rivers have spoiled", no one can know, unless it be known that the "land" denotes the church, and that the "rivers" denote falsities. "The land shadowing with wings" is the church which is in thick darkness as to divine Truths; these are signified by [the darkening of] "wings", as may be seen above, Chapter 8:8, the Exposition; "beyond the rivers of Cush" [or Ethiopia] , signifies as to knowledges from the literal sense of the Word, which are falsified. "The nation trodden down, to which the messengers should go, whose land the ricers had spoiled", signifies those out of the church who are in falsities from ignorance; "rivers" denoting Truths of doctrine, and, in an opposite sense, falsities; that "the messengers should go to them", signifies that they should be invited, in order that the church may be amongst them. Apocalypse Explained 304.

"The land shadowing with wings" is the church, which by reasonings from scientifics darkens itself; "beyond the rivers of Cush", signifies knowledges by which it confirms its false principles; (see Apocalypse Explained 1164) "which sends ambassadors on the sea"; denotes to consult scientifics, signified by the "sea"; (see Arcana Coelestia 28) "in vessels of rushes on the face of the waters", which" vessels" signify the vilest [or most common] receptacles of Truth, [which are merely sensual ideas and conceptions.] Arcana Coelestia 6723.

That by "Cush" [or Ethiopia, ] are signified the interior knowledges of the Word, by which they confirm false principles, is evident from Jeremiah:

"Egypt rises up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he says, I will go up, and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof. Come up, you horses; and rage, you chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; Cush and Puth, that handle the shield." (Jeremiah 46:8) Here "Egypt" stands for those who believe nothing [spiritual] except they understand it from scientifics; hence come all doubtful, negative, and false principles which is to "ascend", to "cover the earth", and to "destroy the city". "Cush" signifies the more universal or interior knowledges of the Word, by which false principles are confirmed; and " Puth " stands for knowledges from the literal sense of the Word, which are according to the appearances of the senses. Arcana Coelestia 1164

3. All you inhabitants of the world, and you dwellers on the earth, when the standard is lifted up on the mountains, behold! and when the trumpet is sounded, hearken!

Verse 3. By the "inhabitants of the world", and "dwellers on the earth", are signified all in the church who are in Goods and Truths, as above. The coming of the Lord is signified by "when the standard is lifted up on the mountains, behold! and when the trumpet is sounded, hearken! " "the standard upon the mouutains and the sounding of the trumpet" signifying convocation to the church. Apocalypse Explained 741.

As to the various meaning of a "standard", see above, Chapter 13:2, the Exposition.

4. For thus has Jehovah said unto me: I will sit still, and consider in My habitation; like the serene heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.

5. For before the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the blossom bas become a swelling grape, He shall cut off the shoots with pruninghooks, and the branches lIe shall take off, He shall cut away.

Verse 4. The "cloud of dew" signifies Truth from Good fructifying. Apocalypse Explained 594.

"Like the serene heat in the sunshine, and like the heat of harvest." These words, as the planting of a New Church is treated of, stand for love and charity. Arcana Coelestia 934.

6. They shall be left together to the bird of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the bird shall abhor it; and every beast of the earth shall despise it.

Verse 6. Speaking of "the land shadowed with wings", by which is understood the church, which, from the obscurity in which it is, catches at imaginary things for spiritual Truths, and thence, by reason of ignorance, comes into the negation thereof. By "birds and beasts" are also here signified thoughts of Truth-and affections of Good, as well- rational as natural, which are said to "abhor and despise it" [such a state of the church]; that such "abhorring and despising" cannot be predicated of birds and beasts, is manifest, but of the affections of Good and thoughts of Truth, that is, of those that are in them, Apocalypse Explained 650.

7. At that time shall a gift be brought to Jehovah of Hosts, from a people distracted and spoiled; and from a people terrible from the first, and hitherto; a nation meted out by line, and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled; to the place of the name of Jehovah of Hosts, to the mountain of Zion.

Verse 7. The subject here treated of is concerning the invitation of all to the church, wherefore also "people" and "nation" are named. "The mountain of Zion" signifies the church, to which they are invited; by "a people distracted and spoiled", are signified those with 'whom truths are taken away, altered, or perverted by those who are in falsities of doctrine; by "a nation meted out by line, and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled", are signified those with whom goods are treated in like manner :

"rivers" denoting falsities and reasonings from them. Apocalypse Explained 33.

By offering a "gift" on the altar, is signified all Divine Worship, by reason that Divine Worship, with the Jewish nation, consisted principally in offering burnt-offerings and sacrifices [as gifts]; by which were therefore signified all things of Worship, H. D. N. J. 214, 221.

Worship does not consist in prayers, and in external devotion, but in a life of charity; prayers are only its externals, for they proceed from man by [or through] his mouth; wherefore such as the man is as to life, such are his prayers. It is of no consequence that he puts himself in a posture of humility, kneeling on his 'knees, and groaning when he prays, for these are external things; and unless external things proceed from internal, they are only gestures and sounds without life, There is an affection in every single thing which man speaks, and every man, spirit, and angel is his own affection, for the affection of each is his life; it is the affection itself which speaks, and not the man without it; wherefore, such as the affection is, such is. the prayer. Spiritual affection is what is called charity towards the neighbour; in that case there is true worship; prayer is what proceeds from it.

Hence it may be manifest that the essential of worship is a life of charity, and its instrumental is gesture and prayer; or that the life of charity is the primary of worship, and prayer is its secondary. From which consideration it is evident that they who place all Divine Worship in oral piety, and not in actual piety, are in a great error. Actual piety consists in acting from a principle of sincerity and rectitude, and from a principle of justice and equity in every work and in every function, and this because it is commanded by the Lord in the Word; for thus man in all his works has respect to heaven and to the Lord, with whom he is thereby conjoined. But to act with sincerity and rectitude, with justice and equity, merely from the fear of the law, or the loss of reputation, of honour, and of gain, without at all thinking of the Divine Law, of the precepts of the Word, and of the Lord, and yet to pray devoutly in temples, is external piety, which, howsoever holy it appears, is still not piety, but is either hypocrisy, or is some pretence derived from habit, or is something persuasive grounded in a false principle that Divine Worship consists in that alone; for it does not look to heaven and to the Lord with the heart, but only with the eyes, the heart looks to self and the world, and the mouth speaks from habit of the body alone and its memory; by such worship man is conjoined to the world and not to heaven, and to self and not to the Lord. Apocalypse Explained 325.

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Isaiah Chapter 18

1. WOE to the land shadowing with wings! which is beyond the rivers of Cush;

2. Which sends ambassadors on the sea, and in vessels of rushes on the face of the waters : Go, you swift messengers, to a nation distracted and spoiled; to a people terrible from the first, and hitherto; a nation meted out by line, and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!

3. All you inhabitants of the world, and you dwellers on the earth, when the standard is lifted up on the mountains, behold! and when the trumpet is sounded, hearken!

4. For thus has Jehovah said unto me: I will sit still, and consider in My habitation; like the serene heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.

5. For before the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the blossom bas become a swelling grape, He shall cut off the shoots with pruninghooks, and the branches He shall take off, He shall cut away.

6. They shall be left together to the bird of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the bird shall abhor it; and every beast of the earth shall despise it.

7. At that time shall a gift be brought to Jehovah of Hosts, from a people distracted and spoiled; and from a people terrible from the first, and hitherto; a nation meted out by line, and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled; to the place of the name of Jehovah of Hosts, to the mountain of Zion.

1164. Weeping and mourning signifies grief of soul and heart. This is evident from the signification of "weeping," as being grief of soul, and from the signification of "mourning," as being grief of heart. Grief of soul and grief of heart differ as truth and good differ, for in the Word "soul" is predicated of truth, which is of faith, and "heart" of good, which is of love; so the expression occurs in the Word, "from the soul and heart." They differ also as will and understanding in man differ, and also as the respiration of the lungs and the motion of the heart differ. And as there is in the Word a marriage like the marriage of truth and good, or of faith and love, or of understanding and will, so it is here with "weeping and mourning," that is, "weeping" is from grief of soul, and "mourning" from grief of heart.

(Continuation)

[2] That a man may be led out of hell and led into heaven by the Lord, he must himself resist hell, that is, evils, as if from himself. If he does not resist as if from himself, he remains in hell and hell in him, nor is he separated from it to eternity. This follows from the laws of the Divine providence that are stated above and that have been explained. Moreover, experience will teach that this is true. Evils are removed from man either by punishments, or by temptations, and consequent turning away, or by the affections of truth and good. With those not reformed evils are removed by punishments; with those about to be reformed they are removed by temptations and consequent turning away; and with the regenerate by the affections of truth and good. The experience is this: When an unreformed or evil person endures punishments, as takes place in hell, he is kept in the punishments until it is perceived that of himself he does not will the evils; not until then is he set free. Thus is he compelled of himself to put away evils. If he is not punished even to that intention and will he continues in his evil. Yet even then the evil is not rooted out, because he has not compelled himself. The evil remains within, and returns when the fear ceases. With those about to be reformed evils are removed by temptations, which are not punishments but combats. Such persons are not compelled to resist evils, but they compel themselves and pray to the Lord, and thus are delivered from the evils which they have resisted. Such afterwards refrain from evils, not from any fear of punishment but from an aversion to evil; and at length this aversion to evil is their resistance. But with the regenerate there are no temptations or combats, but the affections of truth and good that keep evils far away from them; for they are wholly separated from hell, which is the source of evils, and are conjoined to the Lord.

[3] To be separated and removed from evils is the same thing as to be separated and removed from infernal societies. The Lord has the power to separate and remove from infernal societies, that is, from evils, and the power to transfer to heavenly societies, that is, to goods, anyone He may wish; but such a change can continue only for a few hours, after which the evils return. I have frequently seen this done; and seen that the evil continued evil as before. In the whole spiritual world there is not an instance of anyone's having been removed from evils in any other way than by combat or resistance as if from himself, or of anyone doing this except of the Lord alone.