3391. And Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out through a window, and saw. That this signifies the doctrine of faith looking to rational things in knowledges, is evident from the representation of Abimelech, as being the doctrine of faith that looks to rational things (n. 2504, 2509, 2510, 2533); from the signification of “king of the Philistines” as being doctrinal things (n. 3365); and from the signification of a window,” as being the intellectual faculty (n. 655, 658), consequently the internal sight, for this was formerly signified by “windows.” Thus to “look out through a window” is to perceive those things which appear by means of the internal sight, which in general are knowledges such as are of the external man. Rational things, or what is the same, appearances of truth, that is, truths spiritual, are not knowledges, but are in knowledges, for they belong to the rational, thus to the internal man, and it is the internal man which looks to the things of the external man, thus to truths in knowledges. For as knowledges are of the natural man, they are vessels that receive rational things (that truths Divine flow into the rational, and through this into the natural, and in this latter are exhibited as an image of many things in a mirror, may be seen above, n. 3368).

[2] That “windows” signify the things of the internal sight-that is, of the understanding-which in one word are called intellectual things, is evident from those passages of the Word which were adduced in n. 655; and further from the following.

In Joel:

They shall run to and fro in the city, they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up into the houses, they shall enter in by the windows as a thief (Joel 2:9);

speaking of the evils and falsities of the last days of the church; “climbing up into the houses” denotes destroying the goods of the will (that “house” denotes the goods of the will may be seen above, n. 710, 2233, 2334); and “entering in by the windows” denotes destroying truths and their knowledges which are of the understanding.

In Zephaniah:

Jehovah will stretch out His hands upon the north, and destroy Asshur; herds shall lie down in the midst of her; every wild animal of his kind; both the pelican and the osprey, shall pass the night in the pomegranates thereof; a voice shall sing in the windows, drought shall be upon the threshold, because he hath laid bare the cedar (Zeph. 2:13-14); where the destruction of the truths of faith by reasonings, which are “Asshur,” is treated of (n. 119, 1186); that a “voice shall sing in the windows” signifies the desolation of truth, thus of the intellectual faculty as to truth.

[3] In the book of Judges:

Through the window she looked forth, and the mother of Sisera cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? (Judg. 5:28);

this is the prophecy of Deborah and Barak concerning the resuscitation of a spiritual church; “looking forth through a window” denotes through the reasonings of those who deny truths and thus destroy what is of the church; for such reasonings are intellectual things in the opposite sense.

In Jeremiah:

Woe unto him that buildeth his house without righteousness, and his chambers without judgment; that saith, I will build me a roomy house and spacious chambers; and cutteth him out windows; and it is ceiled with cedar, and painted with vermilion (Jeremiah 22:13-14);

“[B]uilding a house without righteousness, and chambers without judgment” denotes building up a religious system from what is not good and not true (that “righteousness and judgment” are good and truth may be seen above, n. 2235); “cutting him out windows and ceiling with cedar, and painting with vermilion,” denotes falsifying intellectual and spiritual truths. The windows of the temple at Jerusalem represented nothing but that which belongs to intellectual and thus to spiritual things. The like is signified by the windows of the new temple described in Ezekiel (40:16, 40:22, 25, 40:33, 36; 41:16, 26); for anyone can see that in this Prophet the new temple, the new Jerusalem, and the new earth, are nothing else than the Lord’s kingdom; thus that the things mentioned in regard to them are such as belong to His kingdom.

2235. That “righteousness” has regard to good, and “judgment” to truth, is evident from the signification of “righteousness,” and from the signification of “judgment.” In the Word, “righteousness and judgment” are many times named together, but what they signify in the internal sense has not yet been known. In the proximate sense “righteousness” is predicated of what is righteous or just [justus], and “judgment” of what is right [rectus]. There is what is righteous when anything is judged from good, and this according to conscience; but what is right when anything is judged from the law, and thus from the righteousness of the law, thus also according to conscience, because it has the law for its rule. But in the internal sense “righteousness” denotes that which is from good, and “judgment” that which is from truth. Good is all that which belongs to love and charity; truth is all that which belongs to the derivative faith. Truth derives its essence from good, and is called truth from good, just as faith derives its essence from love, and in the same way judgment from righteousness.

[2] That such is the signification of “righteousness and judgment” is evident from the following passages in the Word.

In Jeremiah:

Thus saith Jehovah, Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and rescue the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor. Woe to him that buildeth his house in that which is not righteousness and his chambers in that which is not judgment. Did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and righteousness? Then he had that which is good (Jeremiah 22:3, 13, 15),

where “judgment” denotes the things that are of truth, and “righteousness” the things that are of good.

In Ezekiel:

If the wicked shall return from his sin, and do judgment and righteousness, all his sins that he hath sinned shall not be mentioned unto him; he hath done judgment and righteousness: he shall surely live. When the wicked turns himself from his wickedness, and does judgment and righteousness, for these he shall live (Ezekiel 33:14, 16, 19),

where in like manner “judgment” denotes truth, which is of faith; and “righteousness” good, which is of charity.

[3] So in Amos:

Let judgment flow like waters, and righteousness like a mighty river (Amos 5:24).

In Isaiah:

Thus saith Jehovah, Keep ye judgment, and do righteousness, for My salvation is near to come, and My righteousness to reveal itself (Isaiah 56:1).

In the same:

To peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it, with judgment and with righteousness, from henceforth and even to eternity (Isaiah 9:7),

denoting that they are in the truths of faith and in the goods of charity.

In the same:

Jehovah is exalted, for He dwelleth on high; He hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness (Isaiah 33:5),

where “judgment” denotes faith, “righteousness” love, and “Zion” the church. “Judgment” stands first because love comes through faith; but when “righteousness” stands first, it is because the faith is from love, as in Hosea:

I will betroth thee unto Me to eternity, and I will betroth thee unto Me in righteousness and judgment, and in mercy and in compassions; and I will betroth thee unto Me in faith, and thou shalt know Jehovah (Hos. 2:19-20),

where “righteousness” stands first, as also “mercy,” which are of love; and “judgment” follows, as also “compassions,” which are of faith from love; both are called “faith” or “faithfulness.”

[4] In David:

Thy mercy, O Jehovah, is in the heavens, thy truth reacheth unto the skies [aetheres]; Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God, Thy judgments are a great deep (Psalms 36:5-6),

where both “mercy” and “righteousness” are in like manner of love, and “truth” and “judgments” are of faith. In the same:

Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look forth from heaven. Yea, Jehovah shall give good, and our land shall yield its increase (Psalms 85:11-12),

where “truth,” which is of faith, denotes “judgment,” and “righteousness” love or mercy.

In Zechariah:

I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth and in righteousness (Zech. 8:8),

from which also it is evident that “judgment” denotes truth, and “righteousness” good; because “truth” is here used in place of “judgment.” In like manner in David:

He that walketh perfect, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh truth (Psalms 15:2).

[5] As faith is of charity, or as truth is of good, the truths of good are occasionally called the “judgments of righteousness;” and thus “judgments” signify almost the same as “precepts;” as in Isaiah:

They will seek Me day by day, and desire to know My ways, as a nation that doeth righteousness and forsaketh not the judgment of their God; they will ask of Me judgments of righteousness, they will desire to draw near to God (Isaiah 58:2).

That “precepts” signify the same may be seen in David:

Seven times a day have I praised Thee because of the judgments of Thy righteousness; all Thy precepts are righteousness (Psalms 119:164, 172).

It is especially said of the Lord that He “does judgment and righteousness,” when He creates man anew; as in Jeremiah:

Let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am Jehovah that doeth mercy, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I am well pleased (Jeremiah 9:24),

where mercy, which is of love, is described by “judgment and righteousness.” In the same:

I will raise up unto David a righteous offshoot, and He shall reign as King, and shall act intelligently, and shall do judgement and righteousness in the earth (Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15).

[6] Hence it is said in John:

If I go away, I will send the Comforter unto you; and when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; of sin, because they believe not on Me; of righteousness, because I go unto My Father, and ye shall see Me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged (John 16:7-11).

“Sin” here denotes all unfaithfulness. His “reproving in regard to righteousness” means in regard to all that is against good, when yet the Lord united the Human to the Divine to save the world-which is the meaning of “I go unto My Father and ye shall see Me no more.” His “reproving in regard to judgment” means in regard to all that is against truth, when yet evils were cast down into their hells so as no longer to be able to inflict injury-which is meant by the prince of the world being judged. In general, His “reproving in regard to sin, righteousness, and judgment,” means that it was in regard to all unfaithfulness against good and truth; and thus that there was no charity and faith; for in ancient times by righteousness and judgment were understood, as regards the Lord, all mercy and grace; and as regards man, all charity and faith.