Arcana Coelestia #9057
9057. 'Blow for blow' means if anything of affection in the understanding is wiped out or injured. This is clear from the meaning of 'blow' as the wiping out or injuring of affection in the understanding, that is, of affection for truth. 'Blow' is expressed in the original language by a word that means a bruise resulting from a gathering of blood or corrupted blood; and 'blood' in the internal sense is the truth of faith derived from the good of love and in the contrary sense truth that has been falsified and rendered profane, 4735, 6978, 7317, 7326. 'A blow' therefore is truth that has been injured or wiped out. 'Blows' or 'plagues' 1 have the same meaning in Revelation 9:20; 11:6; 13:12; 15:1, 6, 8; 16:21; 18:8; also in Jeremiah 30:12, 14, 17; Ezekiel 7:2; Zechariah 14:12-15; Psalms 38:5; and in Luke 10:30-35, where it speaks about the one who fell among thieves, who inflicted blows on him, and left him half dead, and about a Samaritan who bandaged his blows, poured in oil and wine, lifted him onto his own animal, and brought him to an inn.
[2] A person with an understanding of the internal sense of the Word can know why the Lord said that a Samaritan bandaged the victim's blows, poured in oil and wine, and set him on his own animal. In the internal sense 'a Samaritan' means someone with an affection for truth; 'bandaging blows' means healing that affection when it has been injured; 'pouring in oil and wine' means introducing the good of love and the good of faith; and 'lifting onto his animal' means supporting with his own power of understanding. Thus those words were used to describe charity towards the neighbour, in a natural way for the benefit of people in the world and in a spiritual way for the benefit of angels in heaven - in a natural way in the sense of the letter, and in a spiritual way in the internal sense. The reason why 'a Samaritan' is someone with an affection for truth is that in the Word 'Samaria' means that affection. For the meaning of 'oil' as the good of love, see 886, 3728, 4582; of 'wine' as the good of faith, 1798, 6377; of 'an animal' as the power of understanding, 2761, 2762, 2781, 3217, 5321, 5741, 6125, 6401, 6534, 7024, 8146, 8148. The Lord spoke in this manner, but few understand it; for they think that such details were mentioned by Him merely in order to make up some story that was a parable. But in that case they would not be words from God. Words from God all hold within themselves such things as tell of the Lord, of heaven, and of the Church, in every tiny detail, see above in 9049 (end).
Note a piè di pagina:
1. The Latin word plaga is sometimes rendered blow, at other times plague.
Isaiah 19
1
The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
2
And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
3
And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.
4
And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts.
5
And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.
6
And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.
7
The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.
8
The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.
9
Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded.
10
And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish.
11
Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellers of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?
12
Where are they? Where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the LORD of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.
13
The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof.
14
The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.
15
Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.
16
In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it.
17
And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it.
18
In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction.
19
In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD.
20
And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.
21
And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it.
22
And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them.
23
In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians.
24
In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:
25
Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.
