272. And they had on their heads golden crowns, signifies all truths arranged into order by Divine good, thus also all the former heavens. This is evident from the signification of "four and twenty elders sitting upon four and twenty thrones, arrayed in white garments," as being all truths of the heavens, thus all the heavens both higher and lower (of which just above, n. 270, 271); also from the signification of a "golden crown," as being Divine good, from which are truths (of which in what follows). All the truths of heaven and of the church are from Divine good; truths that are not therefrom are not truths. Truths that are not from good are like shells without a kernel, and like a house in which no man dwells, but a wild beast; such are the truths that are called truths of faith apart from the good of charity; the good of charity is good from the Lord, thus Divine good. Now as "the elders upon thrones" signify the truths of the heavens, and "golden crowns" the good from which these are, therefore the elders were seen with crowns. The "crowns of kings" have a like signification; for "kings" in a representative sense signify truths, and "crowns" upon their heads signify the good from which the truths are (that "kings" signify truths may be seen above, n. 31. For this reason the crowns are of gold, for "gold" in like manner signifies good (See above. n. 242).

[2] That "crowns" signify good and wisdom therefrom, and that truths are what are crowned, can be seen from the following passages. In David:

I will make the horn to spring forth for David; I will set in order a lamp for Mine anointed; his enemies will I clothe with shame; but upon himself shall his crown blossom (Psalms 132:17-18).

Here "David" and "anointed" mean the Lord (See above, n. 205[1-6]); "horn" His power; "lamp" is the Divine truth from which is Divine intelligence; "Crown" the Divine good from which is Divine wisdom, and from which is the Lord's government; and the "enemies," that shall be clothed with shame, are evils and falsities.

[3] In the same:

Thou showest anger with Thine anointed. Thou hast condemned even to the earth his crown (Psalms 89:38-39).

Here also "anointed" stands for the Lord, and "anger" for a state of temptation, in which He was when in combats with the hells. "Anger" and "condemnation" describe the lamentation at that time, as the Lord's last lamentation on the cross, that He was forsaken; for the cross was the last of His temptations or combats with the hells; and after that last temptation He put on the Divine good of the Divine love, and thus united the Divine Human to the Divine Itself which was in Him.

[4] In Isaiah:

In that day shall Jehovah of Hosts be for a crown of adornment, and for a diadem of splendor, unto the remnant of His people (Isaiah 28:5).

Here "crown of adornment" means wisdom that is of good from the Divine; and "the diadem of splendor" intelligence that is of truth from that good.

[5] In the same:

For Zion's sake will I not be silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp burneth; and thou shalt be a crown of splendor in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal tiara in the hand of thy God (Isaiah 62:1, 3).

Here "Zion" and "Jerusalem" mean the church, "Zion" the church which is in good, and "Jerusalem" the church which is in truths from that good; therefore it is called "a crown of splendor in the hand of Jehovah," and "a royal tiara in the hand of thy God;" a "crown of splendor" is wisdom that is of good, and a "royal tiara" is intelligence that is of truth; and because "crown" signifies wisdom that is of good it is said to be "in the hand of Jehovah;" and because "tiara" signifies intelligence that is of truth it is said to be "in the hand of God;" for "Jehovah" is used where good is treated of, and "God" where truth is treated of (See Arcana Coelestia 2586, 2769, 6905).

[6] In Jeremiah:

Say to the king and to the mistress, Humble yourselves, sit ye; for your headtire is come down, the crown of your splendor (Jeremiah 13:18);

a "crown of splendor" meaning wisdom that is of good ("splendor" is the Divine truth of the church, Arcana Coelestia 9815).

[7] In the same:

The joy of our heart hath ceased; our dance is turned into mourning; the crown of our head hath fallen (Lamentations 5:15, 16);

"the crown of the head that hath fallen" means the wisdom which those who are of the church have through Divine truth, which wisdom hath ceased, together with internal blessedness.

[8] In Ezekiel:

I put a jewel upon thy nose, and ear-rings on thine ears, and a crown of splendor upon thine head (Ezekiel 16:12).

This refers to Jerusalem, which is the church, here the church at its first establishment; "the jewel upon the nose" signifies the perception of good; and "the ear-rings on the ears" the perception of truth and obedience; and the "crown upon the head" signifies wisdom therefrom.

In Job:

He hath stripped from me the glory, and taken away the crown of my head (Job 19:9);

"glory" meaning intelligence from Divine truth, and a "crown of the head" the wisdom therefrom.

[9] in Revelation:

I saw, and behold a white horse; and He that sat on him had a bow, and there was given unto Him a crown; and He went forth conquering and to conquer (Revelation 6:2).

"The white horse and He that sat on him" is the Lord in respect to the Word; "the bow" is the doctrine of truth by which the combat is waged; from which it is clear that "crown," since it is attributed to the Lord, is the Divine good that He put on even in respect to the human, as a reward of victory.

[10] Again:

Afterwards I saw, and behold a white cloud; and on the cloud One sat like unto the Son of man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle (Revelation 14:14);

a "white cloud" standing for the literal sense of the Word (Arcana Coelestia 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8281, 8781);

"the Son of man" meaning the Lord in respect to Divine truth;

"the golden crown," the Divine good from which is Divine truth;

and "the sharp sickle," the dispersion of evil and falsity.

[11] That a "crown" is Divine good from which is Divine truth was represented by the plats of gold upon the front of the miter that was upon Aaron, which plate was also called a "crown" and a "coronet;" it is thus described in Exodus:

Thou shalt make a plate of gold, and grave upon it with the engraving of a signet, Holiness to Jehovah; and thou shalt put it on a thread of blue, and it shall be on the miter, over against the face of it (Exodus 28:36, 37).

That this plate was called a "crown of holiness" and a "coronet," see Exodus 39:30; Leviticus 8:9. (But what was specially signified thereby, see Arcana Coelestia 9930-9936, where the particulars are explained.)

6423. 'And he will sit in the strength of his bow' means that he is protected by the militancy of the truth of doctrine. This is clear from the meaning of 'sitting' as being protected, for one who 'sits in the strength of his bow' is protected; and from the meaning of 'bow' as doctrine, dealt with in 2686, 2709. The strength that doctrine possesses resides in truth, for doctrine without truth in it has no strength. Regarding truth, that it possesses power and strength, see 878 (end), 3091, 4931, 4934, 4977, 6344. The reason why truth has 'strength' is that good acts by means of truth; for the nature of good is such that nothing at all evil or false can draw near it. Nor thus can any member of the hellish crew do so; that crew flees far away when good draws near, or when an angel governed by good does so. However, in order to fight that crew from hell present with a person and to protect him in every way, and in order also to protect spirits recently arrived from the world, as well as those on the lower earth, good acts by means of truth; for in that way it can draw near.

[2] How much power is contained in truth has been made clear to me from things I have been allowed to see in the next life. A certain person governed by natural truth, because he had been concerned for what was right when he had lived in the world, passed through many hells, from which he talked to me and described them. Such power and strength were present in him that hellish spirits were not at all able to molest him, so that he was protected as he passed from one hell to another, which is something people who are not guided by truth cannot possibly do. From all this one may see that 'he will sit in the strength of his bow' means that he is protected by the truth of doctrine. The fact that the militancy of truth provides such protection follows from what has gone before, where it says that the archers shoot at him and hate him.