3780. And he said into them, Hath he peace? That this signifies, Is not this good from the Lord’s kingdom? is evident from the signification of “peace,” concerning which in what follows. In the historical sense inquiry is made concerning Laban, as to whether he hath peace, but in the internal sense the inquiry is concerning the good which is represented by Laban. That Laban represents the collateral good of a common stock, that is, such good as exists among the Gentiles, who are in the general church, that is, in the Lord’s kingdom, may be seen just above (n. 3778). From this it is evident what is signified by the words, “Is not this good from the Lord’s kingdom?”

[2] In regard to peace, in the supreme sense it signifies the Lord Himself, and hence in the internal sense His kingdom, and it is the Lord’s Divine inmostly affecting the good in which are those who are therein. That these things are signified in the Word by “peace,” is evident from many passages; as in Isaiah:

Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, God, Hero, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom (Isaiah 9:6-7); where the “Prince of Peace” manifestly denotes the Lord; and “the increase of His government and peace” denotes the things which are in His kingdom, thus His kingdom itself. Again:

The work of righteousness shall be peace, and the labor of righteousness quietness and security for ever; and My people shall dwell in a habitation of peace (Isaiah 32:17-18);

in which passage the Lord’s kingdom is treated of, where peace, quietness, and security succeed each other; a “habitation of peace” denotes heaven.

[3] Again:

The angels of peace weep bitterly; the paths are laid waste, the wayfaring man hath ceased (Isaiah 33:7-8);

“angels of peace” denote those who are in the Lord’s kingdom, thus that kingdom itself, and in the supreme sense the Lord; the “paths being laid waste, and the wayfaring man ceasing,” signifies that there is no longer truth anywhere. (That “paths” and “ways” are truths, see above, n. 627, 2333). Again:

How delightful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that saith unto Zion, Thy God ¹ reigneth (Isaiah 52:7); where “he that bringeth good tidings and publisheth peace” denotes the Lord’s kingdom. Again:

The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My mercy shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed (Isaiah 54:10).

Again:

The way of peace have they not known; and there is no judgment in their tracks (Isaiah 59:8).

In Jeremiah:

I will take away My peace from this people, saith Jehovah, even compassion and mercy (Jeremiah 16:5).

[4] Again:

The folds of peace are laid waste, because of the burning of the anger of Jehovah (Jeremiah 25:37).

Again:

The prophet who prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet ² shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that Jehovah hath sent him (Jeremiah 28:9).

Again:

I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Jehovah, thoughts of peace (Jeremiah 29:11).

So in Haggai:

The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former; for in this place will I give peace (Haggai 2:9).

And in Zechariah:

They shall be a seed of peace; the vine shall give her fruit, and the earth shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew (Zech. 7:12).

In David:

Keep integrity ³ and behold the upright, because the end for that man is peace (Psalms 37:37).

In Luke:

Jesus saith to His disciples, Into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it; but if not, it shall turn to you again (Luke 10:5-6).

In John:

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you (John 14:27).

Again:

Jesus said, These things have I spoken unto you that in Me ye may have peace (John 16:33).

[5] In all these passages in the supreme sense “peace” signifies the Lord; and in the representative sense His kingdom, and good from the Lord therein, thus the Divine which flows into good, or into the affections of good, which also causes joy and happiness from the inmost. From this it is manifest what is meant by these words of the benediction:

Jehovah lift up His faces upon thee and give thee peace (Numbers 6:26);

and what by the salutation used of old, “Peace be unto you;” and the same addressed by the Lord to the apostles (John 20:19, 21, 26). See also what is said concerning peace elsewhere (n. 92, 93, 1726, 2780, 3170, 3696).

V:

2333. And in the morning ye shall rise and go on your way. That this signifies confirmation in good and truth, may be seen from the signification of “rising in the morning,” and also from the signification of “going on the way.” In the Word “morning” signifies the Lord’s kingdom and whatever belongs to the Lord’s kingdom, thus principally the good of love and of charity, as will be confirmed from the Word at verse 15; and a “way” signifies truth (see n. 627 r which reason it is said that after they had been in his house and had passed the night there (by which is signified that they had an abode in the good of charity that was with him), they should “rise in the morning and go on their way,” by which is signified being thereby thus confirmed in good and truth.

[2] From this, as from other passages, it is evident how remote from the sense of the letter, and consequently how much unseen, is the internal sense, especially in the historical parts of the Word; and that it does not come to view unless the meaning of every word is unfolded in accordance with its constant signification in the Word. On this account, when the ideas are kept in the sense of the letter, the internal sense appears no otherwise than as something obscure and dark; but on the other hand when the ideas are kept in the internal sense, the sense of the letter appears in like manner obscure, nay, to the angels as nothing. For the angels are no longer in worldly and corporeal things, like those of man, but in spiritual and celestial things, into which the words of the sense of the letter are wonderfully changed, when it ascends from a man who is reading the Word to the sphere in which the angels are, that is, to heaven; and this from the correspondence of spiritual things with worldly, and of celestial things with corporeal. This correspondence is most constant, but its nature has not yet been disclosed until now in the unfolding of the meaning of the words, names, and numbers in the Word, as to the internal sense.

[3] That it may be known what is the nature of this correspondence, or what is the same, how worldly and corporeal ideas pass into corresponding spiritual and celestial ideas when the former are elevated to heaven, take as an example “morning” and “way.” When “morning” is read, as in the passage before us to “rise in the morning,” the angels do not get an idea of any morning of a day, but an idea of morning in the spiritual sense, thus such a one as is described in Samuel: “The Rock of Israel He is as the light of the morning when the sun riseth, a morning without clouds” (2 Samuel 23:3-4); and in Daniel: “The holy one said unto me, Until evening, when morning comes, two thousand three hundred” (Daniel 8:14, 26). Thus instead of “morning” the angels perceive the Lord, or His Kingdom, or the heavenly things of love and charity; and these in fact with variety according to the series of things in the Word which is being read.

[4] In like manner where “way” is read—as here, to “go on your way”—they can have no idea of a way, but another idea which is spiritual or celestial, namely, like that in John, where the Lord said: “I am the way and the truth” (John 14:6); and as in David: “Make Thy ways known to me, O Jehovah, lead my way in truth” (Psalms 25:4-5); and in Isaiah: “He made Him to know the way of understanding” (Isaiah 40:14). Thus instead of “way” the angels perceive truth, and this in both the historical and the prophetical parts of the Word. For the angels no longer care for the historical things, as these are altogether inadequate to their ideas; and therefore in place of them they perceive such things as belong to the Lord and His kingdom, and which also in the internal sense follow on in a beautiful order and well-connected series. For this reason, and also in order that the Word may be for the angels, all the historical things therein are representative, and each of the words is significative of such things; which peculiarity the Word has above all other writing.