THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 5

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

PARABLES: THE WASTED VINEYARD

1. I WILL now sing to my Beloved, a song of my Beloved concerning His vineyard. My Beloved had a vineyard on a high and fruitful hill:

VERSES 1, 2. By "the vineyard which belonged to the Beloved in the horn of a son of oil", is signified the spiritual church, which is principled in truths originating in the good of love, thus which is most excellent, for a "vineyard" signifies the spiritual church, or the church which is principled in truths from good; the inauguration thereof is understood by the "horn of oil", forasmuch as inaugurations were performed by oil out of a horn; and a "son of oil" denotes truth derived from good.

By the "Beloved" is signified the Lord, because the churches are established by Him; wherefore it is said that "He fenced it, and gathered out the stones, and planted a noble vine"; the "noble vine" denoting spiritual truth from a celestial origin, or truth derived from the good of love; by the "grapes" which He expected that it should bring forth, are signified the goods of charity, which are goods of life; and by the "wild grapes" which it brought forth, are signified the evils which are opposed to the goods of charity, or evils of life. Apocalypse Explained 375.

In these words there still lies concealed such an arcanum as cannot be expressed by any forms of speech; for by these words is fully described the conjunction of the Lord's spiritual kingdom with His celestial kingdom, that is, the conjunction of the second heaven with the third, consequently the conjunction of the good of faith in the Lord, which is of the spiritual kingdom, with the good of love to the Lord, which is of the celestial kingdom.

A "vineyard" denotes the spiritual kingdom; "in a horn" denotes in power; thus "a son 'of oil" therein, denotes the external good of love in the celestial kingdom; for this kingdom, which is the inmost heaven of the Lord, is called "oil or olive-yard", because "oil" denotes the good of celestial love. Arcana Coelestia 9139.

2. And He fenced it round, and He cleared it of stones, and He planted it with a noble vine; and He built a tower in the midst of it, and He hewed out also a wine-press therein: and He expected that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes.

Verses 2, 4. He built a tower in the midst of it, and He hewed out also a wine-press therein: and He expected that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes, etc. "He built a tower in the midst of it", signifies the interior things .which receive influx, and by which there is a communication with heaven; He also "hewed out a wine-press in it", signifies the production of truth from good; and "He expected it to bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes", signifies the hope of the fructification of those things by virtue of the good of charity, but in vain, because there was iniquity in the place of good. Apocalypse Explained 918.

That "grapes" signify the good of the spiritual man, thus charity, may appear manifest from several passages in the Word, as in Isaiah, - "My Beloved had a vineyard in the horn of a son of oil; He expected that it "would bring forth grapes, but it produced wild grapes"; (Isaiah 5:1, 2, 4) where "vineyard" denotes the spiritual church; "He expected it to bring forth grapes", denotes the goods of charity; but "it produced wild grapes", denotes the evils of hatred and revenge. Apocalypse Explained 5117.

3. And now, O inhabitant of Jerusalem, and O man of Judah, judge, I pray you, between Me and My vineyard.

4. What could have been done more to My vineyard, than I have done unto it? why, then, when I expected that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?

Verses 3-6. By "vineyard." is here understood the church with that nation; by "I expected that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes", is signified that there appertained to it evils of the false instead of the goods of truth, which are of the church; by "removing the hedge thereof, and its being eaten up, and by breaking through the wall, and its being trodden down", is signified the destruction thereof as to goods and truths, and invasion by evils and falsities, which are signified by the "thorns and briers" which should come up; by "I will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it", is signified that there is no longer with them any reception of truth and good, through the Word, out of heaven. Apocalypse Explained 433.

In this passage, in the sense of the letter, the perverse state of the Israelites and Jews is treated of; but in the internal sense the perverse state of the [Christian] church is treated of, as represented by "Israel and Judah"; the "inhabitant of Jerusalem" is the good of the church; "inhabitant" denotes good, or, what is the same thing, those who are principled in good; and "Jerusalem", the church. In like manner, "the house of Israel" is significative; that "house" denotes good, and "Israel" the church; in like manner the "man of Judah", for by "man" is signified truth, and by "Judah" good, but with this difference, that the "man of Judah" denotes truth grounded in the good of love to the Lord, which is called celestial truth, that is, it signifies those who are principled in such truth. Arcana Coelestia 3654.

5. But now, I will indeed make known unto you what I will do to My vineyard: I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will destroy its wall, and it shall be trodden down:

Verse 5. By the "vineyard" is there signified the church of the Lord, which is called the spiritual church; by "removing the hedge", and "breaking through the wall", is signified to falsify and thus to destroy the truths that defend the church; the "wall" and the "hedge" about the vineyard denote the same as the wall and bulwarks of Jerusalem; by "devouring and treading under foot the vineyard" is signified to vastate the church, so that no good and truth can spring up therein, and thus to destroy it. Apocalypse Explained 632.

6. And I will make it a desolation: it shall not be pruned, neither shall it be weeded; but the brier and the thorn shall spring up in it : and I will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

Verse 6. By these words is understood that there shall not be any understanding of divine Truth or the Word in the church; "vineyard" denotes the church, the "clouds", the Word in the letter, and by their "raining no rain" is signified no understanding of divine Truth, Apocalypse Explained 594.

Here likewise it is said of Jehovah, that "He makes the vineyard a desolation, and commands the clouds that they rain no rain upon it"; when notwithstanding this is not done by Jehovah, that is, by the Lord, for He always flows in as well with the evil as with the good, which is understood by His "sending His rain upon the just and upon the unjust." (Matthew 5:45)

But the cause hereof is in the man of the church, in that he does not receive any influx of divine Truth; for when this is the case with man, he shuts up the interiors of his mind which should receive, and these being shut up, the divine influx is rejected. By the "vineyard, which is made a desolation", is signified the church; by "not being pruned nor weeded", is signified that it cannot be cultivated, and so prepared to receive; by the "brier and thorn which shall come up", are signified the falsities of evil; by "commanding the clouds that they rain no rain", is signified the non-reception of any influx of divine Truth out of heaven. Apocalypse Explained 644.

The state of desolation and vastation with those who are not regenerated, is also treated of in the Word throughout; in this state are they who altogether deny truths, or turn truths into falsities; this is the state of the church towards the end, when there is no longer either faith or charity, as is described in Isaiah 5:5-7.Arcana Coelestia 5376.

7. For the vineyard of Jehovah of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the man of Judah the plant of His delights: and He looked for judgment, but behold bloodshed! and for justice, but behold an outcry!

Verse 7. And He looked for judgment, but behold bloodshed! and for justice, but behold an outcry! - Speaking also of the vastation of Goodness and Truth. In this passage there occurs a species of reciprocation, as is common with the Prophets, which is such that evil is found in the place of Truth, signified by "bloodshed, or a scab, instead of judgment", and the false principle in the place of Good, signified by "an outcry, instead of justice"; for "judgment" is Truth, and "justice" is Good. That an" outcry" [clamor] signifies, in a bad sense, the false principle, cannot appear unless from the internal sense of the Word. The expression" outcry" sometimes occurs in the Prophets, when treating of vastation and desolation, on which occasion they speak of "howling" and "crying", signifying thereby that what is Good and True is vastated, and in such case by "howling and crying", in the internal sense, is described the false principle, as in Jeremiah, "A voice of the outcry of shepherds, and a howling of the powerful of the flock, because Jehovah lays waste their pasture;"(Jeremiah 25:36) where an "outcry of shepherds" denotes that they were principled in what is false, whence comes desolation. See also in the same Prophet, 47:2, 4; and in Zephaniah, 1:10, 14; and. other passages which might be adduced. Arcana Coelestia 2240.

An intense supplication is expressed in the Word by an "outcry", and this because the supplication, although tacit, of those who supplicate from the heart, is heard as an outcry in heaven. This occurs when men only think, and more if they deeply sigh from a sincere heart. This was represented by an "outcry" [or clamour] in the representative church; and hence it became a ritual among the Jews. It occurs in like manner with those who teach; they are heard in heaven as though they were crying out. Not only the thoughts but, especially the affections, which are of Goodness and Truth, speak in heaven; that they speak, and if ardent, cry out, has been granted me to know from experience, concerning which, of the Lord's Divine Mercy, I shall speak elsewhere. But the affections of what is evil and false are by no means heard in heaven, although a man who makes supplication from such affections, were to cry aloud, at the same tlme pressing his hands closely together [as in prayer], and praising, up his eyes to heaven; such affections are heard in hell and also as an outcry, if they are ardent. Arcana Coelestia 9202.

To "wait [or look] for judgment", is to wait for intelligence from divine Truth, and a life according to the precepts. Arcana Coelestia 9857.

8. Woe unto you who join house to house, who lay field unto field, until there be no place, and you dwell alone in the midst of the land!

9. To Mine ears [says] Jehovah of Hosts: Surely, [these] many houses shall become a desolation; the great and the good ones, without an inhabitant,

Verses 8, 9. In this passage it signifies the man in whom is evil. The house of man's mind is built up of scientifics, knowledges, and truths united with good. For to collect scientifics, and thereby to raise and to build up the external man; is, in its circumstances, not unlike the building of a house; wherefore the like is signified throughout the Word by "building", and by "erecting houses", as in Isaiah 65:21, 22. "House", in this passage, signifies where there is wisdom and intelligence, consequently where there are the knowledges of Good and of Truth. But in Isaiah 5:8, 9, "house" is used in the opposite sense, and denotes scientifics, by which come falsities. Arcana Coelestia 1488.

"House" signifies various things, as the church, good therein, also a man, and likewise his mind both natural and rational. Arcana Coelestia 9150.

Good pertaining to man is, in the Word, compared to a "house", and on this account 'a man who is principled in good is called the "house of God", but internal good is called the "father's house", whereas good which is in the same, degree is called the "house of brethren", but external good, which is the same as natural good, is called the "mother's house"; all good and truth also is thus born namely, -by an influx of internal good as a father into external good as a mother. Arcana Coelestia 3128.

10. For ten acres of vineyard shall yield [scarcely] one bath [of wine], and a homer of seed shall yield [scarcely] one ephah [of corn].

Verses 9, 10. By "ten" is signified all and much, as in the following passage in Isaiah:

"Many houses shall be a devastation, great and fair, without inhabitant; for ten acres of vineyard shall yield [scarcely] one bath"; treating of the desolation of truth with those who are of the church.

By "many houses which shall be a devastation", are signified the men of the church, specially as to truths from good.

By "great and fair", namely, houses, is signified the affection of good and intelligence of truth; for "great is predicated of good and the affection thereof, and "fair" is predicated of truth and the intelligence thereof; but here in the opposite sense.

By "ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath", is signified that in all things appertaining to the church with man, there is scarcely any truth from good; for by the "bath" is signified the same us by "wine", namely, truth derived from good; wherefore, by "ten acres of vineyard", are signified all things of the church with man. Apocalypse Explained 675.

That the number "ten", and also" tenths", signify remains, may appear from the following passage in Isaiah, Isaiah 5:9, 10; speaking of the vastation of things spiritual and celestial.

"Ten acres of vineyard making one bath", signifies that the remains of things spiritual were so few; and "a homer of seed yielding [scarcely] one ephah [of corn]", signifies that there were so few remains of things celestial. Arcana Coelestia 576.

"Ten acres" denote what is full, and also much; in like manner, a "homer"; but a "bath" and an "ephah" signify few', for when ten denote much, a tenth part means a few. Arcana Coelestia 8468.

11. Woe unto them who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink; who continue late in the evening, that wine may inflame them!

Verses 11, 12, 21, 22. These things are said of those who make to themselves doctrinals from self-derived intelligence, and not from the Lord or from the Word, which is from Him, whence they are in mere falsities; wherefore the perverted state of such persons who believe themselves to be enlightened, in consequence whereof they are in falsities of doctrine, and care not for the Word, from which alone the goods and truths of doctrine and of life can be known, is here described; to "rise early, or at the dawn of morning, and continue to evening", signifies their state of illustration; to "run after strong drink", and to be "inflamed with wine", signifies the fabrication of doctrinals from themselves:

"not to regard the work of Jehovah, nor see the operation of His hands", signifies not to attend to the Word and the goods of life and truths of doctrine there discovered; the "work of Jehovah" being predicated of the goods of life, and the "operation of His hands" of the truths of doctrine, each -from the Word; inasmuch as such persons are understood, therefore it is said, "Woe to them that are wise in their own eyes, and intelligent before their own faces"; and to be "wise in their own eyes", signifies from self-derived intelligence, and to be "intelligent before their own faces", signifies from self-derived affection; the "eyes" signifying understanding, and the "faces" affection; "woe to them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink", signifies to, such as aspire after great things, and are ingenious in confirming the falsities which favour the loves of self and their own principles; the "mighty" denoting those who aspire to great things, and "men of strength" those who are ingenious and seem to themselves to be intelligent; "to drink wine" [in a bad sense], is to imbibe falsities, and "to mingle strong drink", is to confirm them; such are all they who are in the love of self, and who seek after the fame of erudition, for such are in their proprium, and cannot be elevated therefrom, wherefore their thought is in the sensual corporeal principle, wherein no truth can, appear, nor spiritual good be perceived; whereas they who are not in the love of self, and seek intelligence for the use of life, are elevated by the Lord from the proprium into the light of heaven, whilst they are ignorant of it, and are thereby enlightened. Apocalypse Explained 376 Apocalypse Explained 376[1-40].

12. And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and the pipe, and wine, are their feasts: but the work of Jehovah they regard not; and the operation of His hands they do not behold.

Verse 12. The "harp", the "viol", the "tabret", the "pipe", and also" wine", are to be here understood in the opposite sense, in which they signify exultations and boastings from the falsities of evil; that such things are here signified, is evident from its being said, "Woe unto them, they regard not the works of Jehovah, nor behold the operation of His hands." A.. Apocalypse Explained 323.

Inasmuch as "wine" signifies the good of love and of faith, therefore in the supreme sense it signifies the Divine Truth from the Divine Good of the Lord, for from this, by influx, man, who receives, has the good of love and of faith. Whereas several expressions in the Word have also a contrary sense, so also has "'wine", in which sense it signifies the false principle derived from evil [as in this passage]. Arcana Coelestia 6877.

13. Wherefore My people goes into captivity for want of knowledge; and their glory are men [dying] of hunger, and their multitude are dried up with thirst.

14. Therefore hell has enlarged itself, and has stretched open its mouth without measure: her glory, and her multitude, and her throng, and all who exult in her, shall descend into it.

Verse 13. The desolation or destruction of the church for want of the knowledges of good and truth, is signified by "My, people goes into captivity for want of knowledge"; the Divine Truth which constitutes the church, is signified by "glory"; and that this is not in the church, and consequently neither is good, is signified by the "glory thereof being men [dying] of famine"; "men of famine" denoting those who are in no perception of good, and in no knowledges of truth; and that hence they have no truth, is signified by "the multitude thereof being dry with thirst"; "to be dry with thirst" denoting the defect of truth, and "multitude", in the Word, being predicated of truths. Apocalypse Explained 386.

"Thirst" denotes a defect of truth, and hence a privation of spiritual life. Apocalypse Explained 8568.

"Men of famine", signify a scarcity of celestial knowledges; "a multitude dried up with thirst", signifies a scarcity of spiritual knowledges. Arcana Coelestia 1460.

15. And the [mean] man shall be bowed down, and the [great] man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the haughty shall be cast down:

16. And Jehovah of Hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God the Holy [One] shall be sanctified in justice.

17. Then shall the lambs feed as on their pastures, and the deserted places of the fat ones shall the [flocks of] strangers consume.

Verse 16. Jehovah shall be exalted in judgment, etc. - Inasmuch as the Lord is Divine Good and Divine Truth, and since by "judgment" is signified Divine Truth, and by "justice" or righteousness Divine Good; therefore, in many places where the Lord is spoken of, "justice and judgment" are mentioned, and in other places that men ought to do "justice and judgment." Apocalypse Revealed 668.

18. Woe unto them who draw iniquity with cords of vanity; and sin, as with the thick traces of a waggon:

19. Who say, Let Him make speed, and let Him hasten His work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near, and come to pass, that we may know it !

20. Woe unto them who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Verse 18. "Vanity" denotes falsity, and indeed the falsity of doctrine and religion. Arcana Coelestia 2248.

"Cords "of variously twisted appearance and thickness are seen in the other life, and by them are represented various modes of conjunction; hence it is that in the Word "cords" and "ropes" signify, conjoining mediums, thus "cords of vanity" denote conjunctions of falsities, which are productive of iniquity or evil of life. Many passages might be adduced in proof of this, of which the following may suffice, as in Hosea, -

"I have drawn them with the cords of a man, with the thick cords of love"; (Hosea 11:4)

Here "cords" evidently signify conjoining mediums, for "love" is spiritual conjunction,

Again, in Jeremiah,

"My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken"; (Jeremiah 10:20)

Here, too, "cords" are used to signify conjoining find confirming mediums; the "tabernacle" is the church; which is the Lord's heaven upon earth. Arcana Coelestia 9854.

Verse 19. By the "Holy One of Israel" is meant the Lord as to His divine Human and indeed as to the divine Natural; by Israel and Jacob, in the supreme sense, is meant the Lord as to the divine Natural, by "Israel", as to the internal divine Natural, and by "Jacob", as to the external divine Natural. Arcana Coelestia 7091.

Verse 20. To "put darkness for light, and light for darkness, signifies to call the false truth and truth the false; that "darkness" denotes the false and "light" the truth, is evident, for good and evil are first mentioned; therefore, afterwards, mention is made of truth and the false. Apocalypse Explained 526.

Verses 20, 22. That good and truth adulterated is here signified by "bitter", is evident, for it is said, "Woe unto them, that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, by which is, signified the adulteration of good and the falsification of truth; for good is adulterated when good is called evil and evil good, and truth is falsified when darkness is put for light and light for darkness, "darkness" denoting falsities, and "light" denotIng truths; hence it is evident that similar things are signified by "putting sweet for bitter, and bitter for sweet"; also by its being said, "woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink; by "mighty to drink wine", are signified those who adulterate the truths of the Word, and by "men of strength to mingle strong drink", are signified those who falsify it; "wine and strong drink" denoting the truths of the Word, and "heroes, or the mighty, and men of strength", those who excel in ingenuity and subtlety In adulterating them. Apocalypse Explained 618.

21. Woe unto them who are wise in their own eyes, and intelligent before their own faces!

Verse 21. That the proprium is nothing but mere evil and the false, was made evident to me from this circumstance, that whatever any spirits spoke at any time from themselves was evil and false, insomuch that whenever it was only given me to know that they did speak from themselves, I knew instantly that what they said was false, notwithstanding the power of persuasion in themselves that what they said was true beyond all possible doubt. The case is the same with men also who speak from themselves. In like manner, whenever any have begun to reason concerning the things which respect spiritual and celestial life, or which relate to faith, it was given me to perceive that they were in a state of doubt, yea, of denial touching such things; for to reason about faith is to doubt and deny it. And whereas this proceeds from themselves, or from the proprium, they are mere falsities into which they fall, consequently into an abyss of darknesses, that is, of falsities; and when they are in this abyss, the least scruple prevails over a thousand truths, which scruple is like a small particle of dust falling on the pupil of the eye, and blindlng it in such a manner that it cannot see the universe, or anything contained therein. Concerning such persons the Lord thus speaks in Isaiah, - "Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight [or faces]." (Isaiah 5:21) Arcana Coelestia 215. .

22. Woe unto them who are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

23. Who justify the guilty for a reward, and take away the justice of the just from him!

Verse 22. They who believe nothing but what they comprehend by things sensual and scientific, were also called mighty to drink, as in Isaiah, "Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and intelligent in their own sight, Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink." They are called "wise in their own eyes, and intelligent in their own sight", because they who reason against the truths of faith think themselves wiser than others. Arcana Coelestia 1072 Arcana Coelestia 1072[1-6].

24. Therefore as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and, as the flame consumes the chaff, so shall their root become like rottenness, and their blossom shall go up like the dust: because they have rejected the law of Jehovah of Hosts, and despised the Word of the Holy One of Israel.

Verse 24. That hereby are signified the scientifics of truth, appears from the signification of "blossoms and flowers" as denoting the scientifics of truth: the reason why "blossoms" have this signification is, because they are germinations which precede, and in their manner produce fruits and seeds; for it is known that trees and plants bear blossoms before they bear fruit; the case is the same with man, as to intelligence and wisdom : the scientifics of truth precede, and in their manner produce those things which are of wisdom with man; for they serve his rational principle for objects, and thus for means of growing wise; hence it is that the scientifics of truth are as "blossoms", and the good of life, which is the good of wisdom, as "fruit." Inasmuch as all things which are in the spiritual world have reference to such things as appertain to man, by reason that heaven resembles one man, and corresponds to all the things, even the. most minute, appertaining to man, therefore also all things which are in the natural world, according to their agreement with such things as appertain to man, correspond, represent, and signify. Hence now it may be manifest from what ground it is that "blossoms" signify the scientifics of truth, and in general, truths, and that "fruit", and likewise "seeds", signify goods. That "blossoms" denote the scientifics of truth, and in general, truths, is manifest from the following passage :

"Their root shall be as corruption, and their blossoms as dust, because they have refused the law of Jehovah of Hosts, and have despised the Word of the Holy One of Israel." Arcana Coelestia 9553

25. Wherefore the anger of Jehovah is kindled against His people, and He has stretched out His hand against them, and has smitten them: and the mountains tremble, and their carcases are as the dung in the midst of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned back, but His hand is stretched out still.

Verse 25. Inasmuch as "a street" signifies the truth of doctrine leading and, in the opposite sense, the false, therefore by "the mud, the mire and the dung of the streets", is signified the false originating in the love of evil; these things are also said from appearances in the spiritual world, for in the cities in that world where falsities from evil reign, the streets appear full of dung, mire, and mud. Apocalypse Explained 652.

The reason why the "stretching out the hand" denotes the dominion of power, is, because the hand or arm has power when it is stretched out; therefore, when it is said of Jehovah, that "He stretched out the hand or arm", it signifies unlimited or infinite power in act. In very many passages also omnipotence is described by "Jehovah stretching out the hand", also by "His stretched out hand", and by "His stretched out arm"; as in Isaiah, - "The anger of Jehovah is kindled against His people, and He has stretched out His hand over them, and has smote them, and the mountains trembled." Arcana Coelestia 7673.

26. And He will erect a standard for the nations afar off, and He will hiss unto them from the end of the earth; and, behold, with speed shall they come swiftly:

27. None among them is faint, and none stumbles: none shall slumber or sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed; nor shall the latchet of their shoes be unbound:

Verses 26. That by a "standard", or sign, is signified a calling together to war, is manifest from this consideration, that when convocations were made, whether for journeyings, or for festivals, or for war, they "sounded the trumpet", and also "lifted up a sign or standard" upon the mountains. Arcana Coelestia 8624.

The subject here treated of is concerning those who are in ultimates or lowest things as to the understanding of truth, and as to perception of good; those ultimates are called things sensual, which are the ultimates of the natural man; from these, when separated from the spiritual man, stream forth all the evils and falsities which are in the church and in its doctrines. The evils thence derived are signified by the "nations which shall come from afar", and the falsities by "him who cometh from the end of the earth"; "afar off" and the "end of the earth" signifying those things which are remote from the goods and truths of the church; by the "arrows which are sharp", and by the "bows which are bent", are signified falsities of doctrine prepared to destroy truths; and by the "hoofs of the horses which are accounted as the rock", and by "his wheels which are as the whirlwind", are signified the ultimates of truth, such as are the things in the sense of the letter of the Word, and arguments and confirmations of the false thereby; the "hoofs of horses" denote the ultimates or lowest [principles] of the understanding, in this case of the understanding perverted, because separated from the understanding of the spiritual man; which ultimates being nevertheless from the sense of the letter of the Word, it is said "they are accounted as the rock"; and the "wheels" denote argumentations and confirmations thereby, which, because they appear strong, it is said are" as a whirlwind."Apocalypse Explained 355.

[As to the signification of "horses", see below, Chapter 31:1, 3, the Exposition.]

28. Whose arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are bent; the hoofs of their horses shall be accounted as a rock, and their wheels as a whirlwind:

Verse 28. The reason why hardness is expressed by a "rock", is also from the correspondence of a "rock" with truth from good, for to truth from good appertains all power, but when truth acts against the false from evil, then good is blunted, and the remaining truth acts hardly; truth without good is also hard, but still brittle. Apocalypse Explained 411.

"Arrows" [in a good sense] denote spiritual truths, "bow" doctrine, "horses' hoofs" natural truths, "wheels" the doctrine thereof; which things, having such a signification, are therefore sometimes attributed to Jehovah, to whom they can only be ascribed in a spiritual sense, otherwise they would be empty and improper expressions. Arcana Coelestia 2680.

But in this passage the destroyer of truth is meant, where" arrows" denote falsities, and "bows" the doctrine of the false; the "hoofs of the horses" signify sensual scientifics derived from a perverse intellectual principle; "wheels", the powers of perverting and destroying truths, as "a storm or whirlwind." Arcana Coelestia 8215.

29. Their roaring is like the roaring of a lion; like young lions shall they roar: they shall roar, and shall seize the prey; and they shall bear it away, and none shall deliver.

Verses 29, 30. Here also the "roaring as of a lion, and as of young lions", signifies grief and lamentation over the vastation of divine Truth in the church by the falsities of evil; by "seizing the prey, and none taking it from him", is signified the liberation and salvation of those who are in truths from good. The vastation itself is described by "Lo! darkness, anxiety [or distress], and the light being darkened in the ruins thereof"; "darkness" denotes falsities, "anxiety" denotes evil, the "darkening of the light", the evanescence of divine Truth, and "ruins" signify total subversion. Apocalypse Explained 601.

"Seizing", "rapine", "spoil", and "prey." are predicated of the Lord in the Word, from the circumstance of snatching away and delivering the good. Arcana Coelestia 644:1.

30. In that day shall they roar against them "like the roaring of the sea; and if one look into the land, lo ! darkness, distress, and the light is darkened in the ruins thereof.

Verse 30. This passage relates to the last time of the church, when the Lord shall come in to the world, and judgment be accomplished: inasmuch as at that time there is no longer any good of love or truth of faith, but evil of the false, and the false of evil, it is called a "day of darkness, and of thick darkness." Apocalypse Explained 526.

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Isaiah Chapter 5

1. I will now sing to my Beloved, a song of my Beloved concerning His vineyard. My Beloved had a vineyard on a high and fruitful hill:

2. And He fenced it round, and He cleared it of stones, and He planted it with a noble vine; and He built a tower in the midst of it, and He hewed out also a wine-press therein: and He expected that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes.

3. And now, O inhabitant of Jerusalem, and O man of Judah, judge, I pray you, between Me and My vineyard.

4. What could have been done more to My vineyard, than I have done unto it? why, then, when I expected that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?

5. But now, I will indeed make known unto you what I will do to My vineyard: I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will destroy its wall, and it shall be trodden down:

6. And I will make it a desolation: it shall not be pruned, neither shall it be weeded; but the brier and the thorn shall spring up in it : and I will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

7. For the vineyard of Jehovah of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the man of Judah the plant of His delights: and He looked for judgment, but behold bloodshed! and for justice, but behold an outcry!

8. Woe unto you who join house to house, who lay field unto field, until there be no place, and you dwell alone in the midst of the land!

9. To Mine ears [says] Jehovah of Hosts: Surely, [these] many houses shall become a desolation; the great and the good ones, without an inhabitant,

10. For ten acres of vineyard shall yield [scarcely] one bath [of wine], and a homer of seed shall yield [scarcely] one ephah [of corn].

11. Woe unto them who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink; who continue late in the evening, that wine may inflame them!

12. And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and the pipe, and wine, are their feasts: but the work of Jehovah they regard not; and the operation of His hands they do not behold.

13. Wherefore My people goes into captivity for want of knowledge; and their glory are men [dying] of hunger, and their multitude are dried up with thirst.

14. Therefore hell has enlarged itself, and has stretched open its mouth without measure: her glory, and her multitude, and her throng, and all who exult in her, shall descend into it.

15. And the [mean] man shall be bowed down, and the [great] man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the haughty shall be cast down:

16. And Jehovah of Hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God the Holy [One] shall be sanctified in justice.

17. Then shall the lambs feed as on their pastures, and the deserted places of the fat ones shall the [flocks of] strangers consume.

18. Woe unto them who draw iniquity with cords of vanity; and sin, as with the thick traces of a waggon:

19. Who say, Let Him make speed, and let Him hasten His work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near, and come to pass., that we may know it !

20. Woe unto them who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21. Woe unto them who are wise in their own eyes, and intelligent before their own faces!

22. Woe unto them who are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

23. Who justify the guilty for a reward, and take away the justice of the just from him!

24. Therefore as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and, as the flame consumes the chaff, so shall their root become like rottenness, and their blossom shall go up like the dust: because they have rejected the law of Jehovah of Hosts, and despised the Word of the Holy One of Israel.

25. Wherefore the anger of Jehovah is kindled against His people, and He has stretched out His hand against them, and has smitten them: and the mountains tremble, and their carcases are as the dung in the midst of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned back, but His hand is stretched out still.

26. And He will erect a standard for the nations afar off, and He will hiss unto them from the end of the earth; and, behold, with speed shall they come swiftly:

27. None among them is faint, and none stumbles: none shall slumber or sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed; nor shall the latchet of their shoes be unbound:

28. Whose arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are bent; the hoofs of their horses shall be accounted as a rock, and their wheels as a whirlwind:

29. Their roaring is like the roaring of a lion; like young lions shall they roar: they shall roar, and shall seize the prey; and they shall bear it away, and none shall deliver.

30. In that day shall they roar against them "like the roaring of the sea; and if one look into the land, lo ! darkness, distress, and the light is darkened in the ruins thereof.

594. Encompassed with a cloud, signifies the ultimate of the Word. This is evident from the signification of "encompassed," as being by what is outside of one, for that which is round about is also without, for it is more remote in the circumference; so here it means the ultimate. Also from the signification of a "cloud," as being Divine truth in ultimates, consequently the Word in the sense of the letter. This signification of "cloud" is evident from appearances in the spiritual world; also from the Word wherever "clouds" are mentioned. From appearances in the spiritual world, as follows: the universal angelic heaven consists solely of the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord; the reception of this constitutes angels. In the highest heaven this truth appears like a pure aura which is called ether; in the next lower heaven as less pure, almost like the atmosphere that is called air; in the lowest heaven it appears like something thinly aqueous over which is a vapor like a cloud; such is the appearance of Divine truth according to degrees in its descent. There is a like appearance when angels of the higher heavens speak about Divine truths; what they say is then presented to the view of those who are in the lowest heaven under the appearance of a cloud that floats hither and thither; the more intelligent of them know from its movement and brightness and form what the angels of the higher heavens are speaking about with each other. This makes evident why a "cloud" signifies Divine truth in ultimates. As most things in the Word were taken from the appearances in the spiritual world, and thence have a like significance as they have there, so is it with "clouds."

[2] That a "cloud" signifies in the Word the sense of the letter, which is Divine truth in ultimates, can be seen from the following passages. In the Gospels:

Jesus took Peter, James, and John into a high mountain; and He was transfigured before them; and His face did shine as the sun, and His garments became as the light. And behold, there appeared Moses and Elijah speaking with Him. While Peter was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, hear ye Him (Matthew 17:1-10; Mark 9:1-11).

And in Luke:

While Peter thus spake there came a cloud and overshadowed them; hence they feared as they entered into the cloud. But there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son; hear ye Him (Luke 9:34, 35).

In this transfiguration the Lord represented Divine truth, which is the Word; for the Lord, when He was in the world, made His Human Divine truth, and when He went out of the world He made His Human Divine good by uniting it with the Divine Itself, that was in Him from conception. (That the Lord made His Human Divine truth when He was in the world, and afterwards Divine good, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 303-306; and that the Lord is the Word, n. 263.) Consequently the particular things that were seen when He was transfigured signify the proceeding of Divine truth from the Lord's Divine good. The Divine good of Divine love which was in Him, and from which He had Divine truth in His Human, was represented by "His face did shine as the sun;" for the "face" represents the interiors, since these shine forth through the face; and the "sun" signifies the Divine love (See above, n. 401, 412). The Divine truth was represented by the "garments" which became as the light; "garments" in the Word signify truths, and "the Lord's garments" Divine truth (See also above, n. 64, 271, 395); this is why they appeared "as the light;" for Divine truth makes the light in the angelic heaven, and is therefore signified by "light" in the Word (respecting which see in the work on Heaven and Hell 126-140). Because it was the Word, which is Divine truth, that was represented, therefore "there appeared Moses and Elijah speaking with Him;" "Moses and Elijah" signifying the Word; "Moses" the historical Word, and "Elijah" the prophetical Word. The Word in the letter was represented by the "cloud that overshadowed the disciples, and into which they entered;" for the "disciples" represented in the Word the church, which at that time and afterwards was only in truths from the sense of the letter; and because, as has been said in the article above, revelations and responses are made by Divine truth in ultimates, and because this truth is such as is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word, it came to pass that "a voice was heard out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, hear ye Him," meaning that He is Divine truth, or the Word.

[3] He who does not know that a "cloud" in the spiritual sense of the Word means the Word in the letter, cannot know what arcanum is involved in this:

That in the consummation of the age they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory (Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; 14:61, 62; Luke 21:27).

And in Revelation:

Behold, Jesus Christ cometh with the clouds and every eye shall see Him (Genesis 1:7).

And again:

I saw, and behold a white cloud, and on the cloud One sat like unto the Son of man (Numbers 14:14).

And in Daniel:

I was seeing in the night visions, and behold, there was coming with the clouds of the heavens one like the Son of man (Daniel 7:13).

He who is ignorant that "the clouds of heaven" signify the truths of the Word in the sense of the letter, cannot know otherwise than that in the consummation of the age, that is, in the end of the church, the Lord is to come in the clouds of heaven, and manifest Himself to the world; but it is well known that since the Word was given, the Lord manifests Himself through that only, for the Word, which is Divine truth, is the Lord Himself in heaven and in the church. From this it can now be seen that the manifestation here predicted signifies His manifestation in the Word; and His manifestation in the Word was effected through His opening and revealing the internal or spiritual sense of the Word, for in that sense is the Divine truth itself, such as it is in heaven, and the Divine truth in heaven is the Lord Himself there. This makes clear that "the Lord's coming in the clouds of heaven with glory" signifies the revelation of Him in the sense of the letter of the Word from its spiritual sense. "The clouds of heaven" signify the things belonging to the sense of the letter, and "glory" signifies those belonging to the spiritual sense (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 1), also the revelation itself of the spiritual sense (in the small work on The White Horse); "Son of man" also signifies the Lord in relation to Divine truth (as may be seen above, n. 63, 151).

[4] That a "cloud" signifies Divine truth in ultimates, consequently the Word in the sense of the letter, can be seen further from the following passages. In Isaiah:

Behold, Jehovah rideth upon a light cloud, and cometh into Egypt, and the idols of Egypt are moved before Him, and the heart of the Egyptian melteth in the midst of him (Isaiah 19:1).

"Egypt" here does not mean Egypt, but the natural man when separated from the spiritual, which is then in falsities and evils, and through these perverts all the truths and goods of the church; that the natural man is destroyed by these falsities and evils when truth from good flows in from the Lord is described by these words of the prophet understood in the internal sense. Jehovah is said "to ride upon a light cloud" to signify that the Lord enlightens the understanding with truths; "to ride" in reference to Jehovah or the Lord, signifying to enlighten the understanding, and "a light cloud" signifying truth; that then "the idols of Egypt are moved, and the heart of the Egyptian melteth," signifies that the evils and falsities of the natural man, separated from the spiritual, then destroy the natural man; "idols" meaning falsities, the "heart" evils, and "Egypt" the natural man.

[5] In Moses:

There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth in heaven and in His magnificence upon the clouds, the abode of the God of antiquity, and underneath are the arms of the world (Deuteronomy 33:26, 27).

Here, too, "riding in heaven upon the clouds" signifies to enlighten the understanding by the influx of spiritual truth into natural truth, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word. Because Divine truth in the heavens is spiritual, and Divine truth on the earth is natural, and the latter is enlightened by the former, therefore it is said, "and in His magnificence upon the clouds;" "the abode of the God of antiquity" means Divine truth with the angels, and "the arms of the world," mean Divine truths with men; the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word are what are meant by "the arms of the world," for that sense is the very strength of Divine truth, "arms" signifying strength. (That the strength of Divine truth is in the sense of the letter can be seen in the article just above.)

[6] In David:

God rode upon a cherub and did fly, and was borne upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His hiding place; His tent round about Him the darkness of waters, the clouds of the heavens. At the brightness before Him the clouds passed (Psalms 18:10-12).

This, too, describes the enlightenment of the Word, and thus of the church; enlightenment by the influx of Divine truth from the heavens is signified by "God rode upon a cherub and did fly;" Divine truth in ultimates which is enlightened is signified by "the wings of the wind," "the darkness of waters," and "the clouds of the heavens," these signifying the various degrees of the understanding receiving enlightenment; that the obscurities of the ultimate sense are thereby dissipated is meant by "at the brightness before Him the clouds passed."

[7] In the same:

Sing unto God, praise His name; extol Him that rideth upon the clouds (Psalms 68:4).

Here, too, "Him that rideth upon the clouds" means the Lord as to enlightenment; "clouds" meaning truths in ultimates, which are enlightened, and these are enlightened by the influx of light, which is Divine truth, from the spiritual world or heaven.

[8] In Nahum:

Jehovah hath His way in the storm and in the tempest, and the clouds are the dust of His feet (Nahum 1:3).

Truth in ultimates, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word, is called "clouds, the dust of the feet of Jehovah," because it is the natural and lowest truth, into which Divine truth in heaven, which is spiritual, closes, and upon which it subsists. Divine truth in ultimates, because it is but little understood unless there is enlightenment from heaven, is a subject of discussion and controversy, and this is meant by "storm and tempest in which Jehovah hath His way," spiritual "storm and tempest" meaning discussion concerning the genuine sense, which nevertheless, with those who desire truth, the Lord enlightens by means of influx.

[9] In David:

His seed shall be to eternity, and His throne as the sun before Thee. ¹ It shall be established as the moon to eternity, and as a faithful witness in the clouds (Psalms 89:36, 37).

This is said of the Lord, and the "seed that shall be to eternity" signifies Divine truth which is from Him. The "throne that shall be as the sun and as the moon" signifies heaven and the church as to the good of love and as to the truth of faith; "throne" signifying heaven and the church; "as the sun" in respect to the good of love, and "as the moon" in respect to the truth of faith. "A faithful witness in the clouds" signifies that He is Divine truth, for "witness" in reference to the Lord, signifies that which proceeds from Him, and as that is His, it witnesses respecting Him.

[10] In the same:

Jehovah layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters; He maketh the cloud ² His chariot; He walketh upon the wings of the wind (Psalms 104:3).

These few words describe heaven and the church, and at the same time doctrine from the Word. "He layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters" signifies that the Lord forms the heavens and the church from Divine truths; "waters" signify Divine truths; "Jehovah's chambers" signify the heavens and the church, and "to lay beams" signifies to form. "He maketh the clouds His chariot" signifies doctrine from ultimate Divine truths; "clouds" meaning ultimate Divine truths, such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word, and a "chariot" doctrine; this is said because every doctrine of the church is to be formed from and confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word. "He walketh upon the wings of the wind" signifies the life which doctrine has from spiritual influx; "to walk" signifying to live, and in reference to the Lord life itself; "the wings of the wind" mean the spiritual things of the Word. (That "waters" signify truths, see above, n. 71, 483, 518, 537, 538.)

[11] In Isaiah:

I will lay waste My vineyard, I will even command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it (Isaiah 5:6).

This means that the church shall have no understanding of Divine truth or of the Word; "vineyard" signifying the church, "clouds" the Word in the letter, and "their raining no rain," that there shall be no understanding of Divine truth from the Word.

[12] In David:

Jehovah who covereth the heavens with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains (Psalms 147:8).

"To cover the heavens with clouds" signifies to defend and preserve the spiritual things of the Word which are in the heavens, by means of natural truths such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word; "who prepareth rain for the earth" signifies instruction therefrom for the church; "who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains" signifies nourishment thereby for those who are in the good of love.

[13] The like is signified by the following words in Isaiah:

Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds stream down with righteousness; let the earth open and bring forth the fruit of salvation (Isaiah 45:8).

And in Judges:

Jehovah, when Thou didst go forth out of Seir, when Thou didst march out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, yea, the clouds dropped waters (Judges 5:4).

"To go forth out of Seir, and to march out of the field of Edom," signifies, in reference to Jehovah, the enlightenment of the Gentiles by the Lord when He assumed the Human; "the earth trembling" signifies the state of the church then changed; "the heavens dropped, and the clouds dropped waters," signifies instruction, influx, and perception of Divine truth; "to drop" signifying instruction and influx; "waters" truths; "the heavens" the interior things of truth, and "clouds," the exterior, such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word.

[14] In David:

The clouds poured out waters; the skies gave forth a voice, and Thine arrows went forth (Psalms 77:17).

"The clouds poured out waters" signifies that there are genuine truths from the sense of the letter of the Word; "the skies gave forth a voice" signifies influx from the heavens; "Thine arrows went forth" signifies Divine truths therefrom. In Job:

God bindeth up the waters in His clouds, and the cloud is not rent under them. He spreadeth His cloud upon His throne (Job 26:8, 9).

Here, too, "clouds" stand for truths ultimate in order, and because these contain in themselves and enclose spiritual truths that they may not be dispersed, this is described and signified by "God bindeth up the waters in His clouds, and the cloud is not rent;" because exterior truths, which are called natural, also encompass and enclose interior truths, which are called spiritual, and are proper to the angels of the heavens, this is described and signified by "He spreadeth His cloud upon His throne."

[15] In Isaiah:

Jehovah said, I will be quiet, and I will behold in My dwelling place like clear heat upon light, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (Isaiah 18:4);

a "cloud of dew" signifying truth bringing forth fruit from good. In the same:

Jehovah will create over every dwelling place of Mount Zion and upon her convocations a cloud by day, and a smoke and the brightness of a flame of fire by night; for over all the glory shall be a covering (Isaiah 4:5).

"The dwelling place of Mount Zion" signifies the good of the celestial church, and "her convocations" signify the truths of that good; protection lest it should be hurt by too much light or too much shade is signified by "a cloud by day and a smoke, and the brightness of a flame of fire by night," and as every spiritual good and truth is preserved from harm by natural good and truth, it is said that "upon all the glory shall be a covering," "glory" meaning spiritual good and truth.

[16] The same is signified by:

The cloud that was upon the tabernacle by day, and the fire by night (Exodus 40:36-38; Numbers 9:15-23to the end;Numbers 10:11, 12, 34;14:14;Deuteronomy 1:33).

Jehovah went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, and by night in a pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21).

The pillar of the cloud stood between the camp of the sons of Israel and the camp of the Egyptians (Exodus 14:19-21).

In David:

God led them in the daytime in a cloud, and all the night in the light of fire (Psalms 78:14).

And elsewhere in the same:

Egypt was glad when they went forth, for the dread of them had fallen upon them. He spread out a cloud for a covering, and fire to make light the night (Psalms 105:38, 39).

"There was a cloud upon the tabernacle by day, and a fire by night," because the "tabernacle" represented heaven and the church, the "cloud" the Lord's presence through Divine truth, and the "fire" His presence through Divine good, which is called the good of faith, each ultimate in order; therefore they were as coverings over the tabernacle; for this reason it is said in the passages cited above from Isaiah and David, "over all the glory shall be a covering," and "He spread out a cloud for a covering."

The like is signified by:

The cloud that covered Mount Horeb, into which cloud Moses entered (Exodus 24:15-18).

And the like by:

The cloud in which Jehovah came down upon Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16, 18; 34:5).

And the like by:

The pillar of cloud that stood at the door of Moses' tent (Exodus 33:9, 10).

[17] So again of the "cloud" in Ezekiel:

I looked, and behold a wind of a tempest came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself in itself, and a brightness round about it (Ezekiel 1:4).

And in the same:

The cherubim stood on the right side of the house when the man entered in; and the cloud filled the inner court; and the glory of Jehovah mounted up from above the cherub upon the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of Jehovah's glory (Ezekiel 10:3, 4).

The "cherubim" signify the Lord in respect to guarding, that there be no approach except through the good of love; so, too, the "cherubim" signify the heavens, in particular the inmost or third heaven, because the angels who are there receive Divine truth in the good of love, therefore it is Divine truth, which is in its essence the good of love, that guards. This Divine truth, as it comes down out of the inmost heaven into the lower heavens, and at length into the world where men are, from being pure becomes thus by degrees more dense, consequently in the lowest degree it appears like a cloud; this is why it signifies Divine truth accommodated to the apprehension of the angels who are in the lowest heaven, who are spiritual-natural, and finally to the apprehension of men in the natural world. Moreover, as Divine truth in this degree is similar to the Divine truth in the sense of the letter of the Word, "cloud" signifies the Word as to the sense of the letter. It was this Divine truth that filled the court like a cloud, and at length the house, at the right side of which stood the cherubim; and as this Divine truth is inwardly the spiritual that shines from heavenly light, therefore it is called "glory," and it is said that "the court was full of the brightness of Jehovah's glory." Also in Job:

When God maketh the light of His cloud to be bright (Job 37:15).

[18] Because the higher heavens appear before the eyes of those who are in the lower heavens as covered by a light and bright cloud (for the reason that the lower angels are unable to see the higher or interior Divine otherwise than in accordance with their own quality), therefore also Divine truth in the higher heavens, or what is the same thing, the higher heavens themselves, are meant in some passages in the Word by "clouds;" for whether you say Divine truth or the heavens it is the same, since the heavens are heavens from Divine truth, and the angels there are angels from the reception of Divine truth. It is in this sense that "clouds" are mentioned in Isaiah:

Lucifer, thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend above the heights of the cloud; I will become like the Most High (Isaiah 14:13, 14).

In Jeremiah:

Forsake Babylon, and let us go everyone into his own land; for her judgment hath reached even unto the heavens, and it hath lifted up itself even to the clouds (Jeremiah 51:9).

And in David:

Give ye strength unto God; His excellency is over Israel, and His strength is above the clouds (Psalms 68:34).

The same is here signified by "clouds" as:

By the waters above the expanse (Genesis 1:7).

And by the waters above the heavens (Psalms 148:4);

for clouds consist of water. That "waters" signify Divine truths may be seen above (n. 71, 483, 518).

[19] As there are clouds that are lighter and brighter, also clouds that are denser and blacker, and lighter and brighter clouds appear beneath the heavens, but dense and black clouds are seen about many of the hells, it is evident that "clouds" in the contrary sense signify the falsities of evil which are contrary to truths from good, as in the following passages. In Ezekiel:

Egypt a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity (Ezekiel 30:18).

He shall ascend like a cloud to cover the land (Ezekiel 38:9).

Sheep scattered in the day of cloud and thick darkness (Ezekiel 34:12).

So the Last Judgment, when those who are in the falsities of evil are to perish, is called:

A day of cloud and of obscurity (Joel 2:2; Zephaniah 1:15).

The like is signified by:

The clouds and thick darkness that appeared to the sons of Israel when the law was given from Mount Sinai (Deuteronomy 4:11, 12, 15; 5:22-26);

for although Jehovah, that is, the Lord, came down upon that mountain in a bright cloud, yet it appeared before the eyes of the people, who were in the falsities of evil, as a thick dark cloud (See Arcana Coelestia 1861, 6832, 8814, 8819, 9434, 10551).

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