Arcana Coelestia #42
42. Verse 21 And God created the great sea monsters, and every living creature that creeps, which the waters produced abundantly according to their kinds; and all winged birds according to their kinds; and God saw that it was good.
As has been stated, 'fish' means facts, here facts quickened and brought to life through faith from the Lord. 'Sea monsters' means those facts' general sources, below which and from which details derive. Nothing whatever exists in the universe that does not depend on some general source for its commencement and continuance. In the Prophets sea monsters or whales are mentioned several times, and in those places they mean those general sources of facts. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, who represents human wisdom or intelligence - that is, knowledge in general - is called 'a great sea monster', as in Ezekiel,
Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster lying in the midst of his 1 rivers, who has said, It is my river and I have made myself. Ezekiel 29:3.
[2] And elsewhere in Ezekiel,
Raise a lamentation over Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and say to him, You are like a monster in the seas, and you have come forth in your rivers, and have troubled the waters with your feet. Ezekiel 32:2
These words mean people who wish to penetrate the mysteries that are part of faith by means of facts, and so from themselves. In Isaiah,
On that day Jehovah will make a visitation with His hard and great and strong sword upon Leviathan the full-length serpent, 2 and upon Leviathan the twisting serpent, and He will slay the monsters that are in the sea. Isaiah 27:1.
'Slaying the monsters in the sea' means preventing people's knowing facts even in their general aspects. In Jeremiah,
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel has devoured me, he has troubled me, he has made me an empty vessel, he has swallowed me up like a sea monster, he has filled his belly with my delicacies, he has cast me out. Jeremiah 51:34.
This stands for the fact that mankind did swallow cognitions of faith, which are 'the delicacies' here, just as the sea monster swallowed up Jonah. In that story the sea monster stands for people who treat general cognitions of faith as mere facts, and behave accordingly.
Bilješke:
1. The Latin means your; but the Hebrew means his which Swedenborg has in other places where he quotes this verse.
2. i.e. a serpent that is on the move and not coiled up
Psalms 136
1
O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
2
O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.
3
O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
4
To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.
5
To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.
6
To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.
7
To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:
8
The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:
9
The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.
10
To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever:
11
And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever:
12
With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.
13
To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:
14
And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:
15
But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever.
16
To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.
17
To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:
18
And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:
19
Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever:
20
And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever:
21
And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:
22
Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.
23
Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:
24
And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.
25
Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.
26
O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.
