9272. Six years thou shalt sow thy land. That this signifies the first state, when the man of the church is being instructed in the truths and goods of faith, is evident from the signification of “six years,” as being the first state of the man who is being regenerated (of which below, n. 9274); and from the signification of “sowing the land,” as being when the truths and goods of faith are being implanted. That this is signified by “sowing the land” is because all things of the field, of seeding, and of its produce, signify such things as are of the church in general, and as are of the man of the church in particular, who is a man that has been regenerated through the truth of faith and the good of charity from the Lord. Hence it is that “field” and “ground” in the Word signify those in the church who receive the truths and goods of faith, as a field receives seeds. Wherefore also in the Word mention is often made of a “field,” of “seed,” of “sowing,” of “harvest,” of “produce,” of “grain” and “wheat,” and of “bread” from these, as well as of all other things that belong to a field.

[2] He who does not know how the case is with the state of heaven, believes no otherwise than that these expressions in the Word are mere metaphors and comparisons. But they are real correspondences. For when the angels discourse about the regeneration of man by the Lord through the truths of faith and the goods of charity, then below in the world of spirits there appear fields, crops, fallow lands, and also harvests; and this by reason of their correspondence. He who knows this can also know that such things in the world have been created according to correspondences; for universal nature (that is, the sky with the sun, moon, and stars, and the earth with the objects of its three kingdoms) corresponds to such things as are in the spiritual world (n. 2993, 5116, 5377). (That in this way nature is a theater representative of the Lord’s kingdom, see n. 3483; and that from this all things in the natural world have their subsistence, n. 2987, 2989-2991, 3002, 8211.) From all this it is evident why the things belonging to a field, that is, which are sown in a field, and are reaped from a field, signify such things as are of the church in general and in particular. (That even the comparisons used in the Word are from things which correspond, see n. 3579, 8989)

[3] That “sowing the land,” that is, a “field,” denotes to teach and learn the truths and goods of faith which are of the church; and that the “produce” denotes the goods of truth therefrom, may be seen from many passages in the Word; as in Isaiah:

Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, therefore shall thou plant plants of delights; but with the shoot of a strange one thou shalt set it: in the day thou shalt cause thy plant to grow, and in the morning thy seed to blossom: the harvest shall be a heap in the day of possession; but the grief is desperate (Isaiah 17:10-11);

here such things are mentioned as grow on the earth; yet it is evident that holy things of the church are meant by them; namely, by “planting plants of delights,” such things as are favorable to the affections; and by “setting the land with a shoot of a strange one,” to teach truths not genuine.

[4] In Jeremiah:

Thus said Jehovah to the man of Judah and to Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to Jehovah, and take away the foreskins of your heart (Jeremiah 4:3-4).

That “to sow among thorns” denotes to teach and learn truths, but which are choked and rendered unfruitful by the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and concupiscence, the Lord teaches in Mark 4:7, 18-19. Wherefore it is said, that they should “circumcise themselves to Jehovah, and take away the foreskins of their heart,” that is, that they should purify themselves from such things as choke the truths and goods of faith, and render them unfruitful (that this is the meaning of “circumcising” see n. 2039, 2056, 2632, 3412, 3413, 4462, 7045). The like is signified in Jeremiah by “sowing wheat and reaping thorns” (Jeremiah 12:13).

[5] In Micah:

I have been wearied with smiting thee, with laying thee waste because of thy sins. Thou shalt sow, but shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olive, but shalt not anoint thee with oil; and the must, but shalt not drink the wine (Micah 6:13, 15);

“sowing and not reaping” denotes to be instructed in the truths of faith, but without profit; “treading the olive, but not anointing oneself” denotes to be instructed about the good of life, but still not to live in it; “treading the must, but not drinking the wine” denotes to be instructed about the truths which are from good, but still not to appropriate them to oneself. That such things of the church or of heaven are signified by these words is plain from those which precede, namely, that they were to be laid waste in this manner “because of their sins;” for the wicked and sinful man receives instruction, but merely stores it up among memory-knowledges, which he brings forth from his memory in order to get reputation, fame, honors, and wealth, thus to serve an evil use and end. From this the truths and the goods in which he has been instructed lose the life of heaven, and become dead, and finally deadly.

[6] In Isaiah:

Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth the foot of the ox and the ass (Isaiah 32:20);

“to sow beside all waters” denotes to be instructed in all kinds of truths which are for use; “to send forth the foot of the ox and the ass” denotes to be instructed in external goods and truths. Again:

Jacob shall cause those who are to come to take root; Israel shall blossom and bloom, so that the faces of the world shall be filled with produce; thy teachers shall not any more be forced to flee away, and thine eyes shall look unto thy teachers; and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, go ye in it. Then shall Jehovah give the rain of thy seed, wherewith thou shalt sow the land; and bread of the produce of the earth, and it shall be fat and rich; in that day shall thy cattle feed in a broad meadow; and the oxen and the asses that till the land shall eat clean provender. The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that Jehovah shall bind up the breach of His people, and shall heal the wound of their stroke (Isaiah 27:6; 30:20-26).

[7] To everyone who reflects it is plainly evident that by its being said that Jehovah should “give the rain of the seed wherewith they should sow the land, and bread of the produce of the earth;” that “their cattle should feed in a broad meadow;” that “the oxen and the asses that till the land should eat clean provender;” that “the light of the moon should be as the light of the sun, and the light of sun should be sevenfold,” there are signified such things as are of the church, and also that they signify instruction in the truths and goods of faith; because it is said, “thine eyes shall look unto thy teachers, and thine ears shall hear a word, saying, This is the way, go ye in it.” For “teachers” denote those who instruct, and “the way in which they should go” denotes the truth of doctrine and the good of life. But the specific signification of each expression is clear from the signification of “rain,” of “seed,” of “produce,” of “land,” of “cattle,” of a “broad meadow,” of “oxen and asses tilling the land,” and of “clean provender which they should eat;” also from the signification of “the light of the moon and of the sun,” likewise of “sevenfold,” and of “seven days.” And as by these expressions are signified such things as are of the church, that is, such as are of doctrine and of life, it follows that this will come to pass in the day that Jehovah shall “bind up the breach of His people, and heal the wound of their stroke;” for “the breach of the people” denotes the falsity of doctrine which gradually creeps in from the badness of the teachers, from concupiscences, and from other causes; “the wound of the stroke” denoting the consequent evil of life.

[8] As with the Israelitish and Jewish people all things were representative of things heavenly and Divine, so also were the fields, and their produce; likewise the vineyards, oliveyards, and all plantings; as also herds and oxen, and the mountains, hills, valleys, rivers, and all other things that were presented before their senses. From this also it was that they were enriched with such things when they kept and did the statutes and judgments, according to the promises in the Word throughout, as in Moses:

If ye shall walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments, and do them, I will give your rains in their season, and the land shall yield her produce, and the tree of the field shall yield its fruit (Leviticus 26:3-4).

The vine shall give its fruit, and the earth shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew; whence it shall come to pass, that as ye have been a curse among the nations, ye shall be a blessing (Zech. 8:12-13).

[9] The contrary befell them when they worshiped other gods, for then they no longer represented heavenly and Divine things, but infernal and diabolical ones. Wherefore then there was no longer fruitfulness nor produce; but consumption and wasting, according to these words in Moses:

If ye serve other gods, the anger of Jehovah shall be kindled against you, and He shall shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and the land yield not her produce (Deuteronomy 11:16-17).

When Jeshurun waxed fat, he kicked, and forsook God. They sacrifice unto demons, to gods whom they knew not; wherefore a fire is kindled in Mine anger, and it shall burn even to the lowest hell, and shall consume the land and its produce (Deuteronomy 32:15, 17, 22).

[10] From all this it is now evident what is signified by “sowing the land,” and by its “produce,” and also whence these have their signification. It is also evident what is signified by these things in David:

Jehovah maketh a wilderness into a pool of waters, and a land of drought into watersprings. There He maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may sow fields, and plant vineyards, and get them fruit of produce (Psalms 107:35-37).

Let all the peoples confess Thee. The earth shall yield its produce; God shall bless us (Psalms 67:5-7).

Jehovah maketh His people ride on the high places of the earth, and feedeth them with the produce of the fields; He maketh him to suck honey out of the cliff of the rock, and oil out of the stone of the rock (Deuteronomy 32:13).

2039. That every male be circumcised. That this signifies purity, is evident from the representation and derivative signification in the internal sense of “circumcising.” Circumcision, or the cutting off of the foreskin, signified the removal and wiping away of those things that were impeding and defiling celestial love, and which are the evils of cupidities (especially the evils of the cupidities of the love of self) and the derivative falsities. The reason of this signification is that the organs of generation, in both sexes, represent celestial love. There are loves of three kinds that constitute the celestial things of the Lord’s kingdom, namely, conjugial love, love for infants, and the love for society, or mutual love. Conjugial love is the principal love of all, because it has within it the end of greatest use, namely, the propagation of the human race, and thereby of the Lord’s kingdom, of which it is the seminary. Love toward infants follows next, being derived from conjugial love; and then comes the love for society, or mutual love. Whatever covers up, obstructs, and defiles these loves, is signified by the foreskin; and the cutting off of this, or circumcision, was therefore made representative; for insofar as the evils of cupidities, and the falsities derived from them are removed, insofar the man is purified; and insofar celestial love can appear. How contrary to celestial love, and how filthy, is the love of self, has been stated and shown above (n. 760, 1307, 1308, 1321, 1594, 2045, 2057). From what has now been said, it is clear that in the internal sense “circumcision” signifies purity.

[2] That circumcision is only a sign of covenant, or of conjunction, may be plainly seen from considering that the circumcision of the foreskin amounts to nothing at all without the circumcision of the heart; and that it is the circumcision of the heart, or purification from the filthy loves above referred to that is signified by it, as is plainly evident from the following passages in the Word.

In Moses:

Jehovah thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love Jehovah thy God in thy whole heart, and in thy whole soul, that thou mayest live (Deuteronomy 30:6);

from which it is evident that to “circumcise the heart” is to be purified from filthy loves, in order that Jehovah God, or the Lord, may be loved with all the heart and with all the soul.

[3] In Jeremiah:

Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns; circumcise yourselves unto Jehovah, and take away the foreskin of your heart, O man of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 4:3-4);

to “circumcise one’s self to Jehovah, and remove the foreskin of the heart,” is to remove such things as obstruct heavenly love; all which shows that the circumcision of the heart is an interior thing that is signified by the circumcision of the foreskin.

In Moses:

Ye shall circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and shall no longer harden your neck, doing the judgment of the orphan and the widow, and loving the stranger to give him bread and raiment (Deuteronomy 10:16, 18); where also it is clear that to “circumcise the foreskin of the heart” is to be purified from the evils of filthy loves and from the falsities derived from them. The celestial things of love are described by these works of charity, namely, “doing the judgment of the orphan and the widow,” and “loving the stranger to give him bread and raiment.”

[4] In Jeremiah:

Behold, the days come in which I will visit upon everyone that is circumcised in the foreskin, upon Egypt, and upon Judah, and upon Edom, and upon the sons of Ammon, and upon Moab, and upon all that are cut off at the corner, that dwell in the wilderness; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart (Jeremiah 9:25-26); where it is evident that circumcision is significative of purification, for they are called the “circumcised in the foreskin,” but still are reckoned among the uncircumcised nations, as are even the Jews; and Israel is said to be “uncircumcised in heart.” And it is the same in Moses:

If then their uncircumcised heart be humbled (Leviticus 26:41).

[5] That by the “foreskin” and by “one that is uncircumcised” is signified uncleanness, is evident in Isaiah:

Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on the garments of thy beauty, O Jerusalem, the city of holiness; for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean (Isaiah 52:1).

By “Zion” is meant the celestial church, and by “Jerusalem” the spiritual church, into which what is “uncircumcised,” that is, the “unclean,” shall not enter.

[6] That circumcision is a sign of a covenant, or a token of conjunction, is clearly evident from the fact that the like was represented by means of the fruits of trees, which also were to be circumcised, concerning which in Moses:

When ye shall have come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees of food, ye shall circumcise the foreskin thereof, its fruit; three years shall they be unto you as uncircumcised, it shall not be eaten; and in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holiness for praises unto Jehovah (Leviticus 19:23-24);

“fruits,” like the “heart,” represent and signify charity, as may be seen from many passages in the Word; and thus their “foreskin” signifies the uncleanness which obstructs and contaminates charity.

[7] Wonderful to say, when the angels who are in heaven have the idea of purification from natural defilements, with the utmost rapidity there is represented in the world of spirits something like circumcision; for the angelic ideas pass over into representatives in the world of spirits. In the Jewish Church some of the representative rites originated in this source, and some did not. Those with whom that quick circumcision was represented in the world of spirits, were in the desire to be admitted into heaven; and before they were admitted, there was this representation. This shows why Joshua was commanded to circumcise the people, when, having passed over Jordan, they were entering the land of Canaan; for the entrance of the people into the land of Canaan represented this very admission of the faithful into heaven.

[8] For this reason circumcision was commanded a second time, concerning which in Joshua:

Jehovah said unto Joshua, Make thee swords of rocks, and circumcise the sons of Israel the second time; and Joshua made him swords of rocks, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins; and Jehovah said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you; and he called the name of that place Gilgal [Rolling off] (Joshua 5:2-3, 9).

The “swords of rocks” signify the truths with which they were to be imbued, in order that thereby they might castigate and disperse filthy loves; for without the knowledges of truth no purification is possible. (That a “stone” or “rock” signifies truths, has been shown before, n. 643, 1298; and that a “sword” is predicated of the truths by which evils may be castigated, is evident from the Word.)