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Joel 3

Студија

   

1 Sillä katso, niinä päivinä ja sillä ajalla, kuin minä Juudan ja Jerusalemin vankiuden palautan,

2 Tahdon minä koota kaikki pakanat, ja viedä heitä alas Josaphatin laaksoon; ja tahdon siellä heidän kanssansa riidellä, minun kansani ja minun perimiseni Israelin tähden, jonka he pakanain sekaan hajoittivat, ja jakoivat minun maani itsellensä,

3 Ja ovat minun kansastani arpaa heittäneet; ja ovat pojan porton edestä antaneet, ja piian myyneet viinan edestä, ja sen juoneet.

4 Mitä myös minun on teidän kanssanne, te Tyrosta ja Zidonista, ja te kaikki Philistealaisten rajat? vai tahdotteko te minulle kaiketi kostaa? Jos te minulle tahdotte kostaa, niin minä tahdon sen äkisti ja pian kostaa teidän päänne päälle.

5 Sillä te olette minun hopiani ja kultani ottaneet, ja minun kauniit kappaleeni teidän kirkkoihinne vieneet;

6 Ja myyneet Juudan ja Jerusalemin lapset Grekiläisille, heitä kauvas heidän rajoistansa saattaaksenne.

7 Katso, minä tahdon heidät sieltä herättää, johonka te heidät myyneet olette; ja tahdon sen kostaa teidän päänne päälle;

8 Ja tahdon myydä jälleen teidän poikanne ja tyttärenne Juudan lasten kautta; ne pitää heidät rikkaasen Arabiaan, kaukaisen maan kansalle myymän; sillä Herra on sen puhunut.

9 Julistakaat näitä pakanain seassa, pyhittäkäät sota, herättäkäät väkevät, käyköön edes, ja menköön ylös kaikki sotaväki.

10 Tehkäät vannanne miekoiksi ja viikahteenne keihäiksi. Ja joka heikko on, se sanokaan: minä olen väkevä.

11 Kootkaat teitänne, ja tulkaat tänne kaikki pakanat ympäristöltä, ja kootkaat teitänne; anna, Herra, sinun väkevät sinne astua alas.

12 Nouskaat pakanat ja menkäät ylös Josaphatin laaksoon; sillä minä tahdon siellä istua, ja tuomita kaikki pakanat ympäristöltä.

13 Sivaltakaat viikahteella, sillä elo on kypsä; tulkaat ja astukaat alas; sillä kuurnat ovat täydet, ja kuurna-astiat kuohuvat; sillä heidän pahuutensa on suuri.

14 Paljo kansaa pitää oleman ympärillä joka paikassa Tuomiolaaksossa; sillä Herran päivä on läsnä Tuomiolaaksossa.

15 Aurinko ja kuu pimenevät, ja tähdet peittävät valkeutensa.

16 Ja Herra on Zionista kiljuva, ja antaa kuulla äänensä Jerusalemista, että taivaan ja maan pitää vapiseman. Mutta Herra on kansansa turva, ja linna Israelin lapsille.

17 Ja teidän pitää tietämän, että minä Herra teidän Jumalanne asun Zionissa minun pyhällä vuorellani; silloin on Jerusalem pyhäksi tuleva, ja ei pidä muukalaisen käymän enään sen lävitse.

18 Sillä ajalla pitää vuoret makiaa viinaa tiukkuman, ja kukkulat rieskaa vuotaman, ja kaikki Juudan ojat pitää vettä täynnä oleman; ja lähde pitää Herran huoneessa käymän, ja Sittimin ojaan juokseman.

19 Vaan Egyptin pitää autioksi tuleman, ja Edom synkiäksi erämaaksi; sen vääryyden tähden, mikä Juudan lapsille tehty on, että he viattoman veren heidän maassansa vuodattaneet ovat.

20 Mutta Juudassa pitää ijankaikkisesti asuttaman, ja Jerusalemissa ijankaikkiseen aikaan.

21 Ja minä tahdon puhdistaa heidän verensä, jota en minä ennen ole puhdistanut; ja Herra on asuva Zionissa.

   


SWORD version by Tero Favorin (tero at favorin dot com)

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Apocalypse Explained #817

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817. And he spake as a dragon, signifies with a similar affection, thought, doctrine, and preaching, as belong to those who separate faith from the life of faith, which is charity. This is evident from the signification of "speaking," as being affection, thought, doctrine, and preaching. This is the signification of "speaking" because all the speech of man is from affection and the consequent thought. The affection itself is expressed by the sound of the speech, and the thought by its words. The affection and the thought are both of them in the speech, as everyone who reflects can see. The affection alone by itself cannot speak, it can only make a sound and sing; nor can thought alone by itself speak otherwise than as an automaton without life, since it is the affection that gives life to every expression of speech; and this is why a man is regarded by others according to the affection of his speech and not according to the words he utters. "To speak" signifies also to preach from doctrine, thus doctrine and preaching therefrom, because it is said that the beast "spake as a dragon;" and a "dragon" means those who are in faith separated from charity both in doctrine and in life (See above, n. 711, 714); and this beast means confirmations from the sense of the letter of the Word in favor of the separation of faith from life, and the resulting falsifications of the Word; consequently "to speak as a dragon" signifies that kind of religion in respect to doctrine and preaching.

[2] As faith separate from charity and the resulting falsification of the Word are described by the dragon and its two beasts, I will show in this article that a like heresy is depicted in the Word by "Cain," by "Reuben," and by the "Philistines," and the like is meant also by the "he-goat" in Daniel. For there have been several churches on this earth, namely, the Most Ancient, which was before the flood; the Ancient, which was after the flood; the Jewish, which followed the Ancient; and lastly the Christian Church. All of these churches degenerated in process of time into two enormous errors, into one which adulterated all the goods of the church, and into the other which falsified all its truths. The church that adulterated all the goods of the church is described in the Word by the "Babylonians and Chaldeans;" and the church that falsified all the truths of the church is described by "Cain," by "Reuben," and by the "Philistines," and by the "he-goat" in Daniel which fought with the ram and overcame it. The adulteration of the good of the church, which is described by the "Babylonians and Chaldeans," will be spoken of hereafter where "Babylon" is treated of in Revelation; but now the falsification of truth shall be treated of, which is described here in Revelation by "the dragon and his two beasts," and was also described by "Cain," and by the others above mentioned.

[3] That those who separate the knowledges of truth and good from a life according to them, and who believe that they may be saved by these alone, were represented by "Cain," has been briefly shown in the Arcana Coelestia where Cain and Abel are treated of; to which this shall be added. It is written of Cain:

That he was the firstborn of Adam, and that he tilled the ground, and brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to Jehovah; and that Abel was a shepherd of the flock, and brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof; also that Jehovah had respect unto the offering of Abel and not unto the offering of Cain, that therefore Cain's anger was kindled and he slew his brother; and that Cain was therefore accursed and rejected from the ground, and became a wanderer and fugitive in the earth; and that Jehovah set a sign upon Cain lest he should be slain, and decreed that whoever should slay him should have vengeance taken on him sevenfold (See Genesis 4).

It is to be known that all names of persons and places in the Word signify things and states of the church, especially the names in the first chapters of Genesis, because the stories in those chapters are made-up histories containing the deepest arcana of heaven, and yet they are most holy in the sense of the letter, because in every least word there is a spiritual sense that conjoins the heavens with the men of the church. What these stories involve in the spiritual sense and what the names of the persons there signify has been explained in the Arcana Coelestia. "Cain" signifies the knowledges of truth and good separated from a life according to them, thus from heavenly love, and "Abel" signifies heavenly love; or what is the same, "Cain" signifies truth separated from good, and "Abel" good conjoined with truth. And as truth is the first thing of the church, since every church is formed by means of truths, because every church begins from truths or from the knowledges of truth and good, therefore Cain was the firstborn, and was named "man" [vir] of Jehovah," "man of Jehovah" signifying in the Word the truth of heaven and the church; and the "ground" which Cain tilled signifies the church. The separation of truth from good is signified by the murder of Abel by Cain; for when everything of the church is placed in truths or in knowledges, and not in goods or in the affection of living according to truths, good with its affections is slain. And as everything of the church perishes when truth is separated from good, so Cain "was cast forth from the ground," which, as has been said, signifies the church. But because truths are the first things of the church, for life must be learned from truths, "a sign was set on Cain, lest someone should slay him; and it was decreed that if anyone should slay him he should be avenged seven-fold." And because truth without good is carried hither and thither, having nothing to lead it, and consequently falls successively into falsities, and departs from the way that leads to heaven, so Cain "was cast forth from the face of Jehovah, and became a wanderer and fugitive." The like is true of faith and charity, since faith is of truth and charity is of good; so when faith is separated from charity what is said of Cain takes place, namely, that "it kills Abel its brother," which is charity, and in consequence the church perishes, which is signified by "being cast forth from the ground, and becoming a wanderer and fugitive," for when faith is separated from charity truth is successively turned into falsity and falls away.

[4] It has been shown above n. 434, that "Reuben," the firstborn of Jacob, signified the light of truth and thence the understanding of the Word, and thus truth from good or faith from charity, as did the apostle Peter; and that conversely, "Reuben" represented truth separated from good, or faith separated from charity, and that this faith is signified by his adultery with Bilhah his father's concubine, in consequence of which the birthright was taken away from him and given to Joseph. To this may be added, that all heresies, so far as they are adulterations and falsifications of the Word, correspond to adulteries and whoredoms of various kinds, and these because of this correspondence are actually perceived in the spiritual world from those who are in heresies. The reason of this is that marriages as they exist in the heavens derive their spiritual origin from the conjunction of good and truth; and conversely, adulteries derive their origin from the conjunction of evil and falsity; and this is why heaven is compared in the Word to a marriage, and hell to adultery. And as there is in the hells the conjunction of evil and falsity, so there continually exhales therefrom a sphere of adultery. It is for this reason that "adulteries and whoredoms" signify in the Word the adulterations of the good of the church and the falsifications of its truth (See above, n. 141, 161).

[5] In respect to faith separated from charity, this is perceived in the spiritual world as the adultery of a son with a mother as also with a step-mother. This is so because that faith shuts out the good of charity; and when this is shut out the evil of the love of self and of the world takes its place, and that faith conjoins itself with that love. For every kind of faith must necessarily conjoin itself with some love; therefore when spiritual love, which is charity, is separated, faith then conjoins itself with the love of self or with the love of the world, which are the loves that are dominant in the natural man; and this is why so heinous an adultery results from faith separated from charity. From this then it is clear what is signified by the adultery of Reuben with Bilhah his father's concubine, and why he was rejected for this reason from the right of the primogeniture. This is also meant by the prophecy of Israel his father respecting Reuben:

Reuben my firstborn, thou art my power and the beginning of my vigor; excelling in exaltation and excelling in strength; light as water, thou shalt not excel, because thou wentest up to thy father's bed, then thou didst profane it, he went up to my couch (Gen. 49:3, 4).

These words may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 6341-6350). That such adultery is perceived in the spiritual world from faith separated from charity has been made evident to me from correspondences in that world. For whenever I have perceived afar off the sphere of adultery with a mother or stepmother, I have known at once that those who had confirmed themselves in faith alone both in doctrine and in life were near, and they were also then discovered; and when they had been explored they were found to have been such in the world.

[6] So much respecting Reuben; we will now speak of the Philistines; these also in the Word represent faith separated from love. It was for this reason that they were called the "uncircumcised;" for "one uncircumcised" signifies one who is destitute of spiritual love, and is solely in natural love, and with that love alone no religious principle can be conjoined, much less anything of the church; for every religious principle and everything of the church has regard to the Divine, to heaven, and to spiritual life; and these cannot be conjoined with any other than a spiritual love; but not with a natural love separated from a spiritual love; since natural love separated from spiritual love is man's own [proprium], and this, regarded in itself, is nothing but evil. All the wars that the sons of Israel waged against the Philistines represented the combats of the spiritual man with the natural man, and thence also the combats of truth conjoined with good against truth separated from good, which in itself is not truth but falsity. For truth separated from good is falsified in the idea of the thought respecting it, and for the reason that there is nothing spiritual present in the thought to enlighten it. For the same reason those who are in faith separated from charity have no truth, except merely in their speech or in their preaching from the Word, the idea of truth instantly perishing as soon as truth is thought about.

[7] Because this religion exists in the churches with all who love to live a natural life, so in the land of Canaan the Philistines were not subjugated, as the other nations of that land were, and consequently there were many battles with them. For all the historical things of the Word are representative of such things as pertain to the church; and all the nations of the land of Canaan represented things heretical confirming either the falsities of faith or the evils of the love; while the sons of Israel represented the truths of faith and the goods of love, and thus the church. But what was represented by the wars that the inhabitants of the land of Canaan carried on will be told in its place and time; here it shall merely be shown that the Philistines represented a religious principle separated from spiritual good, such as is the religious principle of faith alone separated from its life, which is charity. This is why the sons of Israel whenever they fell away from the worship of Jehovah to the worship of other gods were given over to their enemies, or were conquered by them:

Thus they were given over to the Philistines, and served them eighteen years, and afterwards forty years (Judges 10;Judges 13).

This represented their departure from the worship from the good of love and the truths of faith to worship from the evils of love and the falsities of faith. Likewise:

The sons of Israel were conquered and distressed by the Philistines (1 Samuel 4; 13; 28; 29; 31).

But when the sons of Israel returned to the worship of Jehovah, which was the worship from the good of love and the truths of faith, they conquered the Philistines (1 Samuel 7, 1 Samuel 14; 2 Samuel 5; 2 Samuel 8; 21; 23; 2 Kings 18). That these historical things involve such things can be seen only from the series of things there described when viewed in the internal sense, to present which here would occupy too much time; therefore one passage only from the prophetical parts of the Word shall be cited, from which it will be manifest that such things as pertain to the church were represented by the Philistines in these narratives.

[8] Thus in Isaiah:

Rejoice not, O Philistea, all of thee, because the rod that smiteth thee is broken; for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a basilisk, whose fruit shall be a fiery-flying serpent. Then the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety; and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant. Howl, O gate; cry out, O city; thou whole Philistea art dissolved; for from the north cometh a smoke, and none shall be alone in thy assemblies. What then shall one answer, ye messengers of the nation? That Jehovah hath founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of His people shall hope (Isaiah 14:29-32).

This describes Philistea, which signifies the church, or those in the church who indeed are in truths from the sense of the letter of the Word or from some other revelation, and yet are in filthy loves, consequently their truths are not living truths; and truths not living are turned into falsities when they are brought from exterior thought, which is the thought next to the speech, into interior thought, which belongs to the understanding, also when this thought considers truths in their origin, which those who are meant by "the Philistines" do not see. They do not see for the reason that while every man, even an evil man, has a faculty to understand, he has no good of the will, which is the good of life; for this good springs from love to God and from love to the neighbor, and it is these loves that cause that faculty to communicate with heaven and receive enlightenment therefrom.

[9] This chapter in Isaiah describes those who are in truths without good, and shows that with such all truths are turned into falsities. This, therefore, is the spiritual sense of these words: "Rejoice not, O Philistea, all of thee, because the rod that smiteth thee is broken," signifies that they should not rejoice because they are permitted to remain in their heresy by reason of the fewness of those who are in truths from good; "for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a basilisk" signifies that out of the sensual man a dogma destructive of all truth will arise; "the serpent's root" being the sensual, which is the ultimate of man's life, and "the basilisk" being the destruction of all truth. "Whose fruit shall be a fiery-flying serpent" signifies from which there will spring faith separated from charity; this faith is meant by "a fiery-flying serpent" because it flies upwards by means of reasonings and confirmations from things revealed that are not understood, and thus it kills the things that are living. In like manner "the basilisk" has a similar signification as "the dragon," which is also called "a serpent;" and "the fiery-flying serpent" has a similar signification as "the beast coming up out of the sea and the beast out of the earth," in this chapter of Revelation. "Then the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety," signifies that when that dogma is received by those who are natural and sensual men, and who believe themselves to be wiser than others, truths from good with those who desire what is true and will what is good, will become living; "the firstborn" in the Word signify truths born from good; the "poor" those who are not in truths but who still desire them, and the "needy" those who are not in goods but who in heart will them. "And I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant," signifies that all truths, from the first of them to the last, will be destroyed by falsities. "Howl, O gate; cry out, O city," signifies that no entrance will be granted to any truth, and that doctrine will be made up of mere falsities, "gate" signifying entrance to the truths of doctrine, and "city" doctrine. "Thou whole Philistea art dissolved" signifies the destruction of that church by mere falsities. "For from the north cometh a smoke" signifies that every falsity from evil will break in from hell, "the north" meaning hell, and "smoke" the falsity of evil. "And none shall be alone in thy assemblies" signifies that there shall not remain a single truth among their knowledges. "What then shall one answer, ye messengers of the nation?" signifies the enlightenment of those who are in the good of life from love to the Lord. "That Jehovah hath founded Zion" signifies that a church shall be established from them; "and in her the afflicted of His people shall hope" signifies that those who are not in wisdom from self, and who conquer in temptations against such falsities, shall have intelligence and salvation.

[10] The vastation of truth by falsities with those who are meant by "the Philistines" is also described by Jeremiah 47:1-7; likewise in Ezekiel 25:15, 16; in Joel 3:4-6; in Amos 1:8. That such falsify truths is meant by "the daughters of the Philistines," mentioned in Ezekiel 16:27, 57; also in 2 Samuel 1:20; "the daughters of the Philistines" there meaning the affections of falsity. Their religious principle was also represented by their idol called Dagon, which was set up in Ashdod, and which, according to their description, was formed like a man from the head to the navel, and like a fish from the navel downwards; its being like a man from the head to the navel represented the understanding derived from truths; and like a fish from the navel downwards represented the natural destitute of the good of love; for the lower part down to the knees corresponds to celestial love, and a "fish" signifies the natural man which is without spiritual good. (That "man" [homo] signifies the affection of truth, may be seen above, n. 280; that his "head" signifies the understanding of truth and intelligence therefrom, n. 553; that a "fish" signifies the natural man, n. 513; and that the generative organs signify from correspondence celestial love, see Arcana Coelestia 5050-5062. Moreover, the "emerods" with which the Philistines were smitten when the ark of God was held captive by them, signified truths defiled by evils of life; but these and other things related about them in 1 Samuel 5 may be seen explained above, n. 700)

[11] Truth defiled by evil of life is signified also by "the uncircumcised" (2 Samuel 1:20; Ezekiel 28:10; 31:18; 32:18, 19; 44:9). For the foreskin corresponds to corporeal love, because the member which it covers corresponds to spiritual and celestial love. And because "the Philistines" represented those who are in knowledge (scientia) and cognitions of truth without any spiritual and celestial good, they were called "uncircumcised." And as the sons of Israel were also actually of the same character, in order that they might nevertheless represent the church which is in spiritual and celestial good and in truths therefrom, it was commanded that they should be circumcised. From this it can be seen that the religious principle at this day that separates charity from faith is in the representative sense Philistea.

[12] So much respecting the Philistines. Something shall now be said about the goats and sheep, upon which judgment will be executed, according to the Lord's words in Matthew (Matthew 25:31-46 end). The common opinion is that the "goats" there mean all the evil, and it has not been known heretofore that the "goats" there mean those who are in faith separated from charity, and the "sheep" those who are in faith from charity. In a good sense "goats" mean those who are in natural good and in truths therefrom, which truths are called the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good from the natural sense of the Word. Such as these, or such good and such truth therefrom, are signified by the goats that were sacrificed. That there were also sacrifices of goats is evident from Leviticus 4:23; 9:2-4, 8-23; 16:2-20; 23:18, 19; Numbers 15:22-29; 28:11-15, 28:18-31; 29:1; and elsewhere. For all the beasts that were offered as sacrifices signified such things as pertain to the church, all of which have reference to goods and truths. The celestial goods and the truths therefrom in which are the angels in the third heaven were signified by "lambs," while the spiritual goods and truths in which are the angels in the middle heaven were signified by "rams," and the natural goods and truths therefrom, in which are the angels who are in the lowest heaven, were signified by "goats." Celestial goods and truths are with those who are in love to the Lord; but spiritual goods and truths are with those who are in love towards the neighbor; and natural goods and truths with those who live well according to truths from natural affection. This is the signification of these three kinds of beasts in various parts of the Word (as in Ezekiel 27:21; Deuteronomy 32:14).

[13] But as most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so "goats" signify in that sense those who are in faith separated from charity, for the reason that they are more lascivious than other animals, and that they signify in the genuine sense those who are in natural good and the truth thence, and all who are in faith separated from charity both in doctrine and in life are merely natural. That such are meant in the Word by "goats" has been shown me to the life in the spiritual world. There various beasts are seen; but they are not such beasts as exist in our world, that is, not beasts that have been born, but they are correspondences of the affections and of the thoughts therefrom of spirits and angels; consequently as soon as those affections and the thoughts therefrom vary and cease, these beasts vanish out of sight. That I might know that those who are in faith separated from charity, or rather the affections and thoughts of such from their faith, are represented by "goats," it was granted me to see some of those spirits; and they appeared before my eyes and the eyes of many others altogether as goats with horns. Moreover, when rams and sheep were sent among them these goats being kindled with anger rushed upon them, and strove to throw them down, but in vain. For in the spiritual world goats have no power against the rams or sheep, therefore the goats were overcome. Afterwards it was granted me to see the same as men; and this was a proof that the goats were identical with those who had lived in the world in faith separated from charity.

[14] From this what is signified by the "ram" and the "he-goat," and "the battle between them," in the eighth chapter of Daniel can be seen, namely, that the "ram" there means those who are in faith from charity, and the "he-goat" those who are in faith separated from charity. Thus the future state of the church is there described, namely, that faith separate would dissipate all charity, which is the good of life, and falsity therefrom would have rule in the Christian world. To illustrate this, I will present a summary of what is related in Daniel respecting the ram and the he-goat, as follows:

Daniel saw in vision a ram that had two horns, one higher than the other, but the higher came up last; and he made himself great. But then a he-goat of the goats came from the west over the faces of all the earth; and he charged upon the ram and smote him, and broke his two horns; and he cast the ram down to the earth, and trampled upon him. The he-goat had a horn between his eyes, and when this was broken there came up four horns in its place towards the four winds of the heavens; and out of one of them came forth one horn which grew exceedingly, even to the host of the heavens, and cast down some of the host and of the stars to the earth and trampled upon them. Yea, it exalted itself even to the prince of the host, and the continual burnt-offering was taken away from him, and the dwelling-place of his sanctuary was cast down; and it cast down the truth to the earth (Daniel 8:1-14, seq.).

That the "ram" here means those who are in faith from charity, and the "he-goat" those who are in faith separated from charity, may be seen above (n. 316 and n. 573, where the same things are explained; therefore I pass by any further explanation.

[15] Again that "he-goats" mean those who are in faith separated from charity, and "rams" those who are in faith from charity, is evident also in Ezekiel:

And as for you, O my flock, behold I judge between cattle and cattle, and between rams and he-goats (Ezekiel 34:17).

Likewise in Zechariah:

Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I will visit upon the he-goats (Zechariah 10:3).

From this it can be seen that the goats and the sheep in Matthew (25:31-46 to the end) have the same meaning; consequently works of charity only are there enumerated which were done by the sheep, and were not done by the goats. That such are there meant by the "goats" was proved also when the Last Judgment was accomplished upon those who belonged to the Christian Church; for then all those who were in faith separated from charity both in doctrine and life were cast into hell; and all who were in faith from charity were kept safe.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.

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Apocalypse Explained #543

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543. Verse 3. And out of the smoke there went forth locusts upon the earth, signifies that from infernal falsities they became corporeal-sensual in the church. This is evident from the signification of "smoke," as being infernal falsity (See above, n. 539). Infernal falsity is what is here signified by "smoke," because it has just been said that this smoke "went up out of the pit of the abyss," and "the pit of the abyss" signifies the hell where and from which are the falsities of evil that falsify the truths of the Word. The above is evident also from the signification of "locusts," as being man's ultimate sensual, which is in the falsity of evil (of which presently); also from the signification of "to go forth upon the earth," as being upon the church, for the "earth" signifies the church; moreover, the things contained in Revelation are predictions respecting the church and its state.

[2] That "locusts" signify man's ultimate sensual which is in the falsity of evil, can be seen from each and all the particulars related in this chapter to verse 12, in the explanation of which it is shown that "locusts" have no other meaning. But here it shall first be told what is meant by man's ultimate sensual. It does not mean the sensual of sight, of hearing, of smell, of taste, and of touch, for these things are proper to the body, but the ultimate of thought and affection, which is the first to be opened with infants, and which is such that they think of nothing else and are affected by no other objects than what make one with the senses just named. For infants learn to think by means of the senses, and to be affected by objects that are in accord with the things that are pleasing to the senses; consequently the first internal that is opened with them is the sensual that is called man's ultimate sensual, or the corporeal-sensual. But afterwards, as the infant grows older and becomes a boy, a more interior sensual is opened, from which he thinks naturally, and is also affected naturally. Later, in youth and early manhood, a still more interior sensual is opened, from which he thinks rationally, and if he is in the good of charity and faith, he thinks spiritually, and is also affected rationally and spiritually. This thought and affection is what is called the rational and spiritual man, while the former is called the natural man, and the first the sensual man.

[3] With every man the interiors that are of his thought and affection are opened successively, and this by a continuous influx out of heaven from the Lord. By this influx the sensual that most nearly adheres to the body is first formed, and from this man becomes sensual; afterwards the natural from which he becomes natural; and after this the rational and with it the spiritual, from which he becomes a rational and spiritual man; but this he becomes only so far as he thinks about God and about the Divine things that are from God, and this is formed and perfected so far as he is affected by these things, that is, so far as he wills and lives according to them. If he does not do this the spiritual man is opened in a general way, but is not formed, still less perfected. By the general opening of his spiritual man, man has the faculty of thinking, and from thought of speaking rationally; this is the general effect of the influx of heaven with every man. This makes clear that man's thoughts and affections may be spiritual, or natural, or also sensual; and that spiritual thoughts and affections are with those who think from God respecting God and Divine things; while there are only natural thoughts and affections with those who do not think from God respecting God and Divine things, but think only from themselves or from the world respecting themselves or the world. But it should be known that to think from self or from the world is to think not from these but from hell; for whoever does not think from God thinks from hell; no one can think from both at the same time. But those who deny God, and thence the Divine things of heaven and the church, and confirm themselves against these, all become sensual men more or less, according to confirmations; when they are thinking about spiritual things they think falsities only, and are affected by evils; and if they think any truths, whether spiritual, moral, or civil, it is only from the knowledge (scientia) of such things as are in the memory; and they see nothing beyond the nearest causes which they also are able to prove; and if they are affected by goods, it is only from a delight for the sake of self or the world, thus from a cupidity belonging to the love of self or the love of the world. The thought of the sensual man is what is called material thought, and its affection is what is called corporeal affection, which is cupidity.

[4] Furthermore, it is to be known that all the evils that man derives from his parents, which are called hereditary evils, have their seat in his natural and sensual man, but not in the spiritual; consequently the natural man, and especially the sensual man, is the opposite of the spiritual. For the spiritual man from infancy is closed, and is opened and formed only by Divine truths received by the understanding and will; and so far in extent and quality as the spiritual man is opened and formed, the evils of the natural and sensual man are removed, and goods are implanted in place of them. As all evils have their seat in the natural and sensual man it follows that falsities do also, because all falsities are of evil; for when man lusts and wills from evil he thinks and speaks from falsity. For the evil of the will, when it so forms itself in thought that it is manifest to others or to oneself as to its quality, is called falsity; thus falsity is the form of evil, as truth is the form of good. From this it can be seen who and of what quality the man is who is called a sensual man; also that a man becomes sensual when he follows out in act the evils into which he is born, and adds more to them from himself. So far as he does this and confirms himself in these evils, so far the spiritual man is kept closed; and when it is closed the natural and sensual man denies the Divine things that belong to heaven and the church, and acknowledges such things only as belong to the world and nature; and indeed, the sensual man is then so blind as to believe nothing but what he sees with his eyes and touches with his hands. Such are many of the learned, however intelligent and wise they may be thought to be from their ability of speaking from the knowledges [scientia] that are in the memory, and this apparently as the rational man speaks, since the spiritual mind is opened with them, as it is in every man in a general way, as has been said above.

[5] Because in what now follows in this chapter the locust is much treated of, and by it the sensual, which is the ultimate or extreme of the natural man, is signified, it is important that what the sensual is and what its quality is should be fully known, and thus who and what the sensual man is. I will therefore present here what is said and shown respecting it in the Arcana Coelestia, as follows: The sensual is the ultimate of man's life, adhering to and inhering in his corporeal, n. 5077, 5767, 9212, 9216, 9331, 9730. He is called a sensual man who judges all things from the senses of the body, and who believes nothing but what he can see with his eyes and touch with his hands, saying that this is something, and rejecting everything else, n. 5094, 7693. Such a man thinks in what is ultimate, and not interiorly from any spiritual light, n. 5089, 5094, 6564, 7693.

The interiors of his mind, which sees from the light of heaven, are closed, so that he sees there nothing of the truth of heaven and the church, n. 6564, 6844, 6845. In a word, he is in a gross natural light, and thus perceives nothing that is from the light of heaven, n. 6201, 6310, 6564, 6844, 6845, 6598, 6612, 6614, 6622, 6624. Thence interiorly he is against the things of heaven and the church, n. 6201, 6317, 6844, 6845, 6948, 6949. The learned who have confirmed themselves against the truths of the church are sensual, n. 6316. Sensual men reason acutely and readily, because their thought is so near their speech as to be almost in it, and because they place all intelligence in speaking merely from the memory, n. 195, 196, 5700, 10236. But they reason from the fallacies of the senses, by which the common herd are captivated, n. 5084, 6948, 6949, 7693. Sensual men are more crafty and malicious than others, n. 7693, 10236. The covetous, adulterers, the voluptuous, and the deceitful, are especially sensual, n. Arcana Coelestia 6310. Their interiors are foul and filthy, n. Arcana Coelestia 6201. Through their interiors they communicate with the hells, n. 6311. Those who are in the hells are sensual, and this in proportion to the depth of their hells, n. 4623, 6311. The sphere of infernal spirits conjoins itself with the sensual of man from behind, n. 6312. Those who reasoned from the sensual, and thence against the genuine truths of faith, were called by the ancients "serpents of the tree of knowledge [scientia]," n. 195, 196, 197, 6398, 6949, 10313. The sensual of man and the sensual man are further described, n. Arcana Coelestia 10236; and the extension of the sensual principle in man, n. 9731. Sensual things ought to be in the last place and not in the first, and with a wise and intelligent man they are in the last place, and are subject to things interior, but with an unwise man they are in the first place, and are dominant, and these are such as are properly called sensual, n. 5077, 5125, 5128, 7645. If sensual things are in the last place, through them a way is opened to the understanding, and truths are disengaged by a kind of extraction, n. Arcana Coelestia 5580. These sensual things of man stand next to the world, and admit the things that flow from the world, and as it were sift them, n. 9726.

Through these the external or natural man communicates with the world, and through rational things with heaven, n . 4009. Sensual things thus supply such things as are serviceable to the interiors belonging to the mind, n. 5077, 5081. There are sensual things that minister to the intellectual part, and others that minister to the will part, n. 5077. Unless the thought is elevated from sensual things, man has but little wisdom, n. 5089. A wise man thinks above the sensual, n. 5089, 5094. When a man's thought is elevated above sensual things he comes into a clearer light, and at length into heavenly light, n. 6183, 6313, 6315, 9407, 9730, 9922. Elevation above sensual things and withdrawal from them were known to the ancients, n. 6313. Man in his spirit is able to see things that are in the spiritual world if he can be withdrawn from the sensual things which are from the body and be elevated into the light of heaven by the Lord, n. 4622. The reason is that it is not the body that thinks, but the spirit of man in the body, and so far as man thinks in the body so far he thinks grossly and obscurely, thus in darkness, but so far as he does not think in the body he thinks clearly and in light, n. 4622, 6614, 6622. The ultimate of the understanding is sensual knowledge, and the ultimate of the will is sensual delight, concerning which see n. 9996. The difference between the sensual things that man has in common with the beasts and those not in common with them, n. 10236. There are sensual persons not evil because their interiors are not shut in the manner above referred to; the state of such in the other life, n. 6311.

[6] That the "locust" signifies nothing else but this sensual of man that has now been described can be seen also from other passages in the Word where the locust is mentioned. As in Moses:

Moses stretched forth his staff over the land of Egypt, and Jehovah brought along an east wind all the day, and all the night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locust. And the locust went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the border of Egypt, very grievous; before it there was no such locust, nor after it shall there be such. And they covered the surface of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left remaining; so that there remained not any green thing in the tree or in the herb of the field, in all Egypt. And the locust filled the house of Pharaoh, and the house of all his servants, and the house of all the Egyptians (Exodus 10:13-15, 6).

All the miracles in Egypt, like all other miracles recorded in the Word, involve and signify spiritual things pertaining to heaven and the church, thus the Egyptian plagues signify spiritual plagues; this plague of the locusts signifies the destruction of the whole natural man by the breaking in of evil and falsity from the sensual; "Egypt" signifies the natural man in respect to knowledge [scientificum] and to what is pleasurable in it, and "the locust" the falsity and evil of the sensual man laying waste the natural man, that is, driving out from it or destroying there all the truth and good of the church; it is therefore said, "and the locust went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all its border," "the land of Egypt" signifying the natural with the men of the church, and "its border" the sensual with them, for the sensual is the ultimate or most external of the natural, consequently its border; the "locust" means falsity and evil there. Because the falsity and the evil of the sensual man are the most grievous, for they are corporeal and earthly, it is said that the locust was "very grievous, and that before it there was no such locust, nor after it shall there be such;" and this for the reason that the Egyptians had a knowledge of correspondences, and from that a knowledge of the spiritual things which belong to heaven; but these they turned into magic. Because the falsity and the evil of the sensual man, when they break into the natural man, entirely lay it waste by destroying every truth and every good therein, it is said that "the locust covered the whole surface of the earth so that the land was darkened, and did eat every herb of the land, 1 and all the fruit of the tree," "the land of Egypt" meaning the natural with the men of the church, "the herb of the land" the truth there, and "the fruit of the tree" the good there. "The locust filling the house of Pharaoh, and of his servants, and of all the Egyptians," has a similar meaning, for "the house of Pharaoh, of his servants, and of all the Egyptians," signifies the natural mind in its whole extent, "house" in the Word signifying the interiors of man which belong to his mind and disposition, here the things of his natural mind.

[7] It is said that here "the locust going up over all the land of Egypt" signifies the breaking in of falsity and evil out of the sensual man into the natural; and yet the natural man is interior and the sensual exterior, and there is no breaking in or influx from the exterior into the interior, but only from the interior into the exterior. It should be known, therefore, that the breaking in or influx of the sensual man into the natural means the blocking up of the natural man until it becomes like the sensual, whereby evil and falsity become more widely extended, and the natural and the sensual become alike corporeal and earthly. In other cases, man learns from infancy to separate the sensual man from the natural, by speaking truth and doing good, even while his thoughts from the sensual man are false, and his will is evil; and this he continues to do until they are entirely separated, which is done when man is reformed and regenerated by the Lord. But if these are not separated man can think and will no otherwise than insanely, and thus speak 2 and act insanely.

[8] Because the "locust" here signifies the sensual in respect to falsity and evil, or, what is the same, the falsity and evil of the sensual man, the "locust" and the "caterpillar" have the same signification in David:

He sent among them a swarm that devoured them, and the frog that destroyed them. He also gave their increase unto the caterpillar, and their labor unto the locust (Psalms 78:45, 46).

And in the same:

He spake, and the locust came, and the caterpillar without number, which did eat up every herb in the land, and did eat up the fruit of their land (Psalms 105:34, 35).

But here the "locust" signifies the falsity of the sensual man, and the "caterpillar" its evil, or the falsity and evil in the sensual man and from it. The latter is signified by "caterpillar," and the former by "locust," because the caterpillar is also a locust, as is evident from this fact that this was said by David respecting the locusts in Egypt, and yet in Moses the locust only is mentioned, and not the caterpillar.

[9] The "locust" and the "caterpillar" have a similar signification in Joel:

That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten. Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine which has been cut off from your mouth (Joel 1:4, 5).

And elsewhere in the same:

The floors shall be full of pure grain, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. And I will recompense to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, My great army which I sent among you (Joel 2:24, 25).

Evidently these noxious little animals signify falsities and evils devastating or consuming truths and goods with the man of the church, since it is said that "all drinkers of wine should howl because of the new wine which is cut off from your mouth," "wine" and "new wine" signifying the truth of the church; likewise because it is said that "the floors shall be full of grain, and the presses shall overflow with new wine and oil," the "floor" signifying the doctrine of the church, "grain" and "oil" its goods, and "new wine" its truths.

[10] So in Nahum:

The fire shall devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall devour thee like the caterpillar; make thyself many as the caterpillar; make thyself many as the locust. Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of the heavens; the caterpillar spreadeth itself abroad and flieth away. Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy commanders as the locust of locusts, which encamp in the walls in the day of cold; when the sun ariseth they fly away, and their place is not known where they are (Nahum 3:15-17).

This is said of "the city of bloods," which signifies doctrine fabricated out of falsified truths, thus out of falsities; the destruction of those who are in a faith and life according to that doctrine is signified by "the fire shall devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off," "the fire that shall devour" signifying evil destroying good, and "the sword" falsity destroying truth; and because evil and falsity from the sensual man are meant it is said, "the caterpillar shall devour thee; make thyself many as the caterpillar; make thyself many as the locust; thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of the heavens." Multiplication like that of the caterpillar and of the locust is mentioned because falsifications of the Word are made in the greatest abundance by those who are sensual, thus by the sensual man, for the sensual man is signified here by the "caterpillar and locust" as has been said above. The sensual man falsifies the Word more than others, because the ultimate sense of the Word, which is the sense of its letter, is for the natural and sensual man, while the interior sense is for the spiritual man; consequently when man is not a spiritual man, but is natural and sensual, and is in evil and in falsities therefrom, he does not see the truths and goods in the Word, but applies its ultimate sense to confirm his falsities and evils. "Merchants" signify those who falsify and who communicate and who offer for sale. "Thy crowned are as the locust, and thy commanders as the locust of locusts," signifies that the primary and chief things of doctrine, that is, "a city of bloods," are the falsities of evil, and from these again come the falsities of evil; "which sit in the walls in the day of cold" signifies in the truths of the Word that do not appear to be truths, because they have become falsified, and are from evil, "walls" meaning truths that do not appear because they are falsified, and "the day of cold" meaning a state of the love of evil; "the sun ariseth, they fly away, and their place is not known where they are," signifies that they consume every truth and good, so that there is nothing left. "Multiplying as the locust" has a similar signification in Jeremiah 46:20, 22, 23; also in the (Judges 6:5) book (Judges 7:12) of Judges 6:5; 7:12.

[11] The "locust" signifies also falsity in the most external things, or the densest falsity, in Moses:

Thou shalt carry out much seed into the field, but shall gather but little; for the locust shall consume it (Deuteronomy 28:38);

which is one of the curses if they did not keep and do the commandments of Jehovah. "The seed of the field" means the truth of the Word, and the "locust" dense falsity from the sensual man that consumes and destroys it. "Locust" has a similar signification in Amos 7:1, 2; Isaiah 33:3, 4; and in David Psalms 109:22, 23.

[12] Because the sensual of man is the ultimate and lowest of the life of man's thought and affection (as has been said above) and because the lowest, when viewed by those who are in a higher or more eminent place, is little, for this reason it is compared to locusts. As in Isaiah:

Jehovah who dwelleth above the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as locusts (Isaiah 40:22).

This signifies that men in respect to intelligence are in things lowest, and the Lord in things highest.

[13] In like manner, men viewed by those who are in the persuasion of their superiority over others are compared to locusts, in Moses:

The spies of the land of Canaan said, We saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak which come of the Nephilim; and we were in our own eyes as locusts, and so we were in their eyes (Numbers 13:33).

The "Nephilim" and the "Anakim" signify in the Word those who are in the strongest persuasion of their being more eminent and wise than others; and in the abstract sense they signify direful persuasions (See Arcana Coelestia 311, 567, 581, 1268, 1270, 1271, 1673, 3686, 7686). That the spies appeared to these and also to themselves like locusts, is in agreement with the appearances in the spiritual world, for there, when those who are in a persuasion of their own superiority look at others, they see them as little and vile, and these then also appear such to themselves.

[14] As the "locust" signifies the sensual, which is the ultimate of the life of man's thought, or the ultimate in which the understanding closes, and upon which it rests, so this ultimate is like a base and foundation upon which interior or higher things stand, which belong to man's understanding and will, likewise the interior and higher things in the Word that are called spiritual and celestial. And as all things, to continue and to subsist, must have a foundation, so the sense of the letter of the Word, which is its ultimate and base, is natural and sensual; and this in a good sense, and, consequently, its truth and good, are meant by the "locust." This is why John the Baptist ate locusts, and why the sons of Israel were allowed to eat them. Of John the Baptist it is said:

That he had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6).

John the Baptist was so clothed because like Elijah he represented the Word; and by "his raiment of camel's hair, and leathern girdle, and eating locusts and wild honey," he represented the ultimate sense of the Word, which, as was said, is sensual-natural, because it is for the sensual-natural man. "Raiment" signifies truth clothing good; "camel's hair" the ultimate of the natural man, which is the sensual; the "locusts and wild honey" also signify that ultimate or the sensual as regards appropriation; the "locust" the sensual in respect to truth, "wild honey" the sensual in respect to good, and "eating" appropriation. It is to be known that in ancient times, when the churches were representative churches, all who were in ministries were clothed and also ate according to what they represented.

[15] That the sons of Israel were permitted to eat locusts is evident from these words in Moses:

Every winged thing that creeps, that walks on four feet, shall be an abomination unto you, but that which walks upon four, which has legs above its feet to leap withal upon the earth, ye shall eat; and among these the locust is mentioned (Leviticus 11:20-22).

To eat locusts was permitted on account of their having legs above the feet to leap with, because "legs" signify natural good conjoined to spiritual good, and "feet" natural truth from that good; and every truth that is from good ought to be appropriated and conjoined to man, but not truth that is not from good, for such truth is conjoined with some evil; therefore it is said that "every winged thing that creeps, that walks upon four, that had no legs above its feet, shall be an abomination." It is said also "to leap upon the earth," because "leaping," in reference to flying things, signifies to live, the same as "walking" in reference to the animals of the earth; and spiritual living comes from truths that are from good, which are signified by "leaping with the feet, above which are legs;" but spiritual dying comes from truths conjoined to evil, which is signified by "walking upon four feet, above which are no legs;" therefore to eat such is said to be "an abomination. "

[16] As a "horse" signifies the intellectual, and a "locust" the sensual, which is the ultimate of the intellectual, and the intellect lives when it is in its ultimate, the ancients spoke of horses as leaping and jumping like locusts. Thus in Job:

Dost thou give the horse might? Dost thou clothe his neck with shaking? Dost thou make him to leap as a locust? The glory of his nostril is terror (Job 39:19, 20).

The understanding is here described by a horse, namely, that like a horse it is mighty, it shakes and curves the neck, and leaps as it goes; and as the ultimate of the understanding is the sensual, and this is signified by the "locust," and the life of the understanding in this ultimate is signified by "jumping and leaping as it goes," therefore the horse is said "to leap as a locust." The most ancient books, among which is Job, were written by pure correspondences; for a knowledge [scientia] of correspondences was then the knowledge of knowledges; and those writers were held in highest esteem who were able to compose books abounding in the most numerous and significant correspondences. Such is the book of Job; but the spiritual sense therein collected from correspondences does not treat of the holy things of heaven and the church, as the spiritual sense in the Prophets does; consequently that book is not among the books of the Word; but yet passages are quoted from it on account of the correspondences of which it is full.

Фусноти:

1. Latin "land," the Hebrew in the passage quoted has "field."

2. Latin is "will."

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.