406. Hitherto it has been shown what mountain signifies; it now remains to be shown what island signifies, for it is said,

"Every mountain and island were moved out of their places."

And elsewhere:

"Every island fled away, and the mountains were not found" (Apoc. 16:20).

By islands in the Word are not meant islands, nor those who dwell upon islands, but the natural man is meant as to the truths which are in him, and hence, in the abstract, the truths of the natural man are signified. The truths of the natural man are truths scientific (vera scientifica), which are under the view of the rational man, and the knowledges (cognitions) of truth are what are under the view of the spiritual man; knowledges of truth are what the natural man knows from the Word, and truths scientific are what the natural man sees from the Rational, by which also he is accustomed to confirm the truths of the church.

There are in man two minds, the one higher or interior, called the spiritual mind, and the other lower or exterior, called the natural mind. The natural mind is first opened and cultivated in men because this is nearest the world; the spiritual mind, however, is opened and cultivated afterwards, but only in proportion as man by life receives the knowledges of truth from the Word, or from doctrine from the Word; therefore it is not opened with those who do not apply them to the life. And when the spiritual mind is opened, then the light of heaven flows in through that mind into the natural [mind], and enlightens it, and thus this mind becomes spiritual-natural; for the spiritual mind then sees in the Natural, nearly as a man sees his face in a mirror, and acknowledges those things which agree with itself; but when the spiritual mind is not opened, as is the case with those who do not apply to their life the knowledges of truth and good in the Word, then a mind is still formed with such a man inwardly in the Natural, but this mind consists of actual evils and falsities. The reason is, that the spiritual mind is not opened, by which the light of heaven can be let into the Natural by a direct way, but only through chinks round about, whence a man has the faculty to think, to reason, and speak, and also the power to understand truths; but still not that of loving them, or of doing them from affection. For the faculty of loving truths because they are truths, is only possible by the influx of the light of heaven through the spiritual mind; for the light of heaven [flowing in] through the spiritual mind is conjoined with the heat of heaven, which is love, such as the light of the world is comparatively in the time of spring; but the light of heaven flowing only through chinks into the Natural, is a light separated from the heat of heaven, which is love, such as the light of the world is comparatively in the time of winter.

Hence it may be evident, that the man with whom the spiritual mind is opened, is like a garden and a paradise; and that the man with whom the spiritual mind is not opened, is like a desert, and land covered with snow; because the mind makes the man, for the mind of man consists of understanding and will; hence it is the same whether you say the mind or the man, or whether you say the spiritual and natural mind, or you say the spiritual and natural man. The natural mind, or natural man, as to its truths and falsities, is signified by islands in the Word; as to truths, with those with whom the spiritual mind is opened, and as to falsities, with those with whom the spiritual mind is shut.

[2] That these are signified by islands, is evident from the following passages in the Word.

In Ezekiel:

"Thus said the Lord Jehovih to Tyre; Shall not the islands shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is accomplished in the midst of thee? And all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones. The isles shall tremble in the day of thy fall, and the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled at thy departure. All the inhabitants of the isles were astonished at thee, and their kings were sore afraid, their faces were troubled" (26:15, 16, 18; 27:35).

In these two chapters the subject treated of is Tyre, by which is signified the church as to the knowledges (cognitions) of truth and good, and thence are signified in the abstract the knowledges of good and truth. The intelligence and wisdom of the men of the church, by the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, are here first treated of, and afterwards the church vastated as to these. The church vastated as to these, or where the knowledges of truth and good have perished, is described by what is said by the prophet in those verses; the vastation of the knowledges of truth and good by, "when the wounded cry, and when the slaughter is accomplished in the midst of thee," for by the wounded are meant those with whom truths are extinguished, and by the slaughter is meant the very extinction of truth and good. That then all the knowledges (cognitions) which man from his infancy has imbibed from the Word, and all the truths scientific by which he has confirmed them, are disturbed, moved out of their place, and recede, is signified by, "the islands shall shake, and all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones"; also by, "The isles shall tremble in the day of thy fall, and the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled"; the isles denoting such knowledges and scientifics as are in the natural man; the princes of the sea denoting primary things therein; the sea signifying the natural man and all things therein in general. That all the goods of truth of the natural man, from the knowledges of truth having been vastated, shall be changed as to their state, is signified by, "All the inhabitants of the isles were astonished at thee, and their kings were afraid, their faces were troubled." The inhabitants of the isles denote the goods of truth of the natural man; for by, to inhabit, in the Word, is signified to live, and by inhabitants, the goods of life; kings denote all truths from good; faces signify the interiors and the affections; to be astonished, afraid, and disturbed, signify to be altogether changed as to state. From these things it is evident what those things involve in the internal sense, namely, that all the knowledges of truth and good, and the confirming scientifics which a man from infancy has learnt from the Word, and from teachers, shall change their places and their state in the natural man, and are unseen, when falsities enter.

[3] In Isaiah:

"The king of Assyria shall lead the captivity of Egypt, and the crowd of Ethiopia [which is] to be carried away; then they shall be afraid and ashamed for Ethiopia their expectation, and for Egypt their glory; and the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help, that we may be delivered from before the king of Assyria; and how shall we be liberated?" (20:4-6).

From these words no one can perceive anything respecting the church, but only a something obscurely historical, the occurrence of which is not known, as that the king of Assyria shall lead away Egypt and Ethiopia into captivity, and that the dwellers of some isle would grieve in heart over it; but yet, here as elsewhere, the concerns of the church are treated of, which concerns are evident when it is known that the king of Assyria signifies the Rational perverted, and thence reasoning from false scientifics which favour the delight of the natural loves, over which the natural man grieves, because it is perverted thereby. For by, "the king of Assyria shall lead the captivity of Egypt, and the crowd of Ethiopia [which is] to be carried away," is signified, that the perverted Rational will claim to itself the scientifics of the natural man, and will confirm itself thereby, and also by its delights, which [such scientifics] favour. The king of Assyria denotes the perverted Rational; to lead captive, and carry away the crowd, denotes to apply them and to confirm them. Egypt denotes the scientific of the natural man, and Ethiopia denotes the delight which it favours. That the goods of truth of the natural man grieve on that account, or that the natural man, in which are the goods of truth, grieves, is signified by all those things that follow, namely, that "they shall be afraid and ashamed for Ethiopia their expectation, and for Egypt their glory; and the inhabitant of the isle shall say in that day"; with what follows. The inhabitant of the isle denotes the good of truth of the natural man, or the natural man in whom is the good of truth; the inhabitant signifying good, and an island truth, both in the natural man (as above). That there is such a sense in these words can hardly be believed, when yet it is therein.

[4] In the same:

"They shall lift up their voice, they shall shout; for the majesty of Jehovah they shall cry from the sea. Wherefore honour Jehovah in the fire (urim), the name of the God of Israel in the isles of the sea" (24:14, 15).

The vastation of the church is treated of in this chapter, and in these verses the establishment of a new church among the Gentiles; the joy of these is what is described by, "They shall lift up their voice, they shall shout; for the majesty of Jehovah they shall cry from the sea," or from the west. For by the sea, when the west is meant thereby, is signified the Natural. The reason is that those who dwell in the western quarter in the spiritual world are in natural good, but in the eastern quarter those who are in celestial good; and because the Gentiles, from whom the church [was formed], were in natural good, it is therefore said, honour ye Jehovah in the fire (urim), the name of the God of Israel in the isles of the sea. By this is signified that they would worship the Lord from the goods and truths of the natural man, for the term urim signifies fire, or a hearth, by which is denoted the good of love of the natural man. The isles of the sea signify the knowledges of truth and good, which are the truths of the natural man; and to honour signifies to worship and adore. By Jehovah and the God of Israel is meant the Lord, who is called Jehovah where the subject treated of is good, and the God of Israel where the subject is truth; it is therefore said, "honour ye Jehovah in the fire" (urim), that is, from good, and "the name of the God of Israel in the isles of the sea," that is, from truths. Hence also it is evident, that by the isles of the sea are signified the truths of the natural man.

[5] In the same:

"He shall not extinguish, neither break in pieces, till he have set judgment in the earth; and the isles shall hope in his law. Sing unto Jehovah a new song, his praise the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, its fulness; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare his praise in the islands" (42:4, 10-12).

The Lord and the new church to be established by Him, are also here treated of, and by the isles are meant those who are only in truths from the natural man, and, consequently, who are as yet remote from true worship; hence by, "till he have set judgment in the earth, and the isles shall hope in his law," is signified, until He has given intelligence to those who belong to the church, and knowledges of truth to those who are more remote from the church. To set judgment denotes to give intelligence; to hope in the law denotes to give the knowledges of truth, for the earth signifies those who are of the church, and, in the abstract, the church itself as to intelligence from spiritual truths; and the isles, those who are remote from the church, and, in the abstract, the church as to the knowledges of truth and good, or the church as to the truths of the natural man corresponding to spiritual truths. By, "Sing unto Jehovah a new song, his praise the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and the fulness thereof," is signified the worship of the Lord by those who are remote from the church, and, in an abstract sense, the worship of the natural man from truths and goods. To sing a song, and to praise, signify worship from a glad mind; the end of the earth signifies those who are in the ultimates of the church, and, in an abstract sense, the ultimates of it. The sea and the fulness thereof, signify the natural man and all things therein. The isles and the inhabitants signify the truths and goods of the natural man; the isles the truths thereof, and the inhabitants the goods thereof, as said above. What is signified by, "Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, and the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains," see above (n. 405), where they are explained. By, "Let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare his praise in the islands," is signified worship from internals and externals. To give glory denotes worship from internals, and to declare praise denotes to worship from externals, for externals declare; and islands denote the truths of the natural man, from which worship [proceeds].

[6] In the same:

"Attend unto me, my people, and give ear unto me, O my nation; for a law shall proceed from me, and I will stir up my judgment for a light of the people. My justice is near, my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the peoples; the isles shall hope in me, and on mine arm shall they trust" (51:4, 5).

These things are said concerning the Lord; "Attend unto me, my people, and give ear unto me, O my nation," signifies all of the church who are in truths and goods; people denoting those who are in truths, and nation those who are in goods. It is said, attend and give ear, in the plural, because all are meant. "A law shall proceed from me, and I will stir up my judgment for a light of the people," signifies that from Him [are] Divine good and Divine truth, whence is enlightenment; law signifying the Divine good of the Word, and judgment the Divine truth of the Word. For a light of the people signifies enlightenment. "My justice is near, my salvation is gone forth," signifies judgment, when those are saved who are in the good of love and in the truths thence. Justice is said of the salvation of those who are in good at the day of judgment, and salvation of the salvation of those who are in truths. "Mine arms shall judge the people," signifies judgment upon those of the church who are in falsities, people here being taken in an opposite sense. "The isles shall hope in me, and on mine arm shall they trust," signifies the approach of those to the church who are remote from the truths of the church, and their trust in the Lord; isles signifying, those who are remote from the truths of the church, because they are in natural light, and not yet in spiritual light from the Word; and to trust on His arm, signifies confidence in the Lord who has all power; arm, when said of the Lord, denoting omnipotence.

[7] In the same:

"Listen, O isles, and hearken, ye people from afar" (49:1).

Isles [stand] for those who are in truths, and people from afar for those who are in goods, and, in the abstract, truths and goods, both in the natural man. From afar is said of the goods in the natural man, whereas near [is said] of the goods in the spiritual man. People here signify goods, because in the original tongue they are called by a different expression from the people by whom are signified truths; for by this expression they are also denominated nations, by whom are signified goods, as is evident from the same expression in Genesis (25:26).

[8] In Jeremiah:

"Hear the Word of Jehovah, ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off" (31:10).

Nations mean those who are in goods, and, in the abstract, goods; and islands mean those who are in truths, and, in the abstract, truths in the natural man. Afar off signifies remote from the truths of the church, which are spiritual (that afar off signifies this, may be seen, n. 8918); but those words, in the purely spiritual sense, signify that the internal man shall teach the external, or the spiritual the whole natural [man] the truths of the Word, for this it is that the nations declare in the islands afar off; but this pure sense, which the angels possess, can scarcely be perceived by men, because they are scarcely able to think apart from persons and places; because the thought of men is natural, and natural thought differs from spiritual thought in this, that it is tied down to places and persons, and is, consequently, more finite than the spiritual. This also is the reason why many things that have been explained, perhaps hardly fall into the ideas of the thought of those who keep the sight of the mind upon the meaning of the expressions.

[9] In David:

"The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring a present; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer a gift" (Psalms 72:10).

These words relate to the Lord, and by to bring and offer a present is meant to worship. And by the kings of Tarshish and of the isles are meant the interior and exterior truths of the natural man; by the kings of Tarshish, the interior truths, and by the islands, the exterior truths thereof. By the kings of Sheba and Seba are meant the interior and exterior goods of the natural man; by Sheba, the interior goods thereof; and by Seba, the exterior goods thereof. By the truths of the natural man are meant the knowledges of truths, and by the goods of the natural man are meant the knowledges of goods. That these are meant by Sheba and Seba, may be seen, n. 1171, 3240; and that the former are meant by Tarshish, will be seen just below; and because those are meant, those also are meant who are in the knowledges of truth and good.

[10] In Isaiah:

"Who are these that fly as clouds, and as doves to their windows? Because the isles confide in me, and the ships of Tarshish in the beginning, to bring thy sons from far" (60:8, 9).

These things also are said concerning the Lord; and by them is signified that those who are in simple truth and good, who are such as perceive the truths of the Word in a natural manner, that is, according to the sense of the letter, and do them, would receive and acknowledge Him. The islands signify those who perceive the Word in a natural manner, that is, according to the sense of the letter; and "the ships of Tarshish in the beginning" denote the goods which they bear and do; for Tarshish signifies the natural man as to knowledges, and "Tarshish in the beginning" the natural man as to the knowledges of good, because there were gold and silver in Tarshish, and the ships carried these things thence (1 Kings 10:22), and gold in the beginning, by which is signified good; and because truths are from good, it is therefore said also, "to bring thy sons from far." And because by islands and the ships of Tarshish are signified the knowledges of truth and good pertaining to the natural man, it is therefore said, "Who are these that fly as clouds, and as doves to their windows?" clouds signifying the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word; doves, the goods therein; and windows, truths from good in light. (That ships signify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, may be seen, n. 1977, 6385; and that windows signify truths in light, and thence the intellectual part, n. 655, 658, 3391.)

[11] In the same:

"Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for Tyre is laid waste, so that there is no house, nor doth any one enter; from the land of Chittim he shall plainly come to them. The inhabitants of the island are silent, the merchant of Zidon who passeth over the sea, they have replenished thee. Blush, O Zidon, for the sea saith, I have not travailed, neither brought forth the fortification of the sea. I have not brought up young men, I have not brought virgins to adult age. At the report from Egypt they shall be seized with grief, as at the report of Tyre. Pass over into Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle" (23:1, 2, 4-6).

The desolation of truth in the church is thus described; for by the ships of Tarshish are signified the knowledges of good from the Word, and by Tyre the knowledges of truth thence. That there is no longer good because there are no truths, is signified by, "Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, so that there is no house, nor doth any one enter in." That falsities then enter until there are no longer any goods of truth and truths of good in the natural man, is signified by, "from the land of Chittim he shall plainly come to them." The inhabitants of the island are silent, the merchant of Zidon, who passeth over the sea, they have replenished thee. The land of Chittim signifies falsities; the inhabitants of the island signify the goods of truth in the natural man, as explained above; the merchant of Zidon signifies knowledges from the Word; who passeth over the sea, signifies, which are in the natural man; who have replenished thee, namely, the ships of Tarshish, signifies, who have enriched thee by them. The vastation of truth and good in the natural man is further described by, "Blush, O Zidon; for the sea saith, I have not travailed, neither brought forth the fortification of the sea. I have not brought up young men, I have not brought virgins to adult age." By Zidon, as well as by Tyre, are signified the knowledges of truth and good in the church. By, the sea, even the fortification of the sea, is signified the whole natural man; by, I have not travailed, neither brought forth, is signified that there is not anything of the church conceived or generated; by young men are signified the affections of truth, and by virgins the affections of good. That this was the case in consequence of knowledges from the Word and confirming scientifics being applied to falsities and evils, is signified by, "at the report from Egypt they shall be seized with grief, as at the report of Tyre." Egypt signifies scientifics; Tyre, knowledges (cognitions) from the Word; here those vastated by falsities and evils to which they are applied; and inasmuch as there is lamentation on this account, it is therefore said, they shall be seized with grief. That all good would thus perish in the natural man, and [all] truth therein, is signified by, pass over into Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle. Tarshish signifies the interior goods and truths in the natural [man]; the inhabitants of the isle signify the exterior goods and truths therein, as also above; to howl signifies grief on account of vastation.

[12] In Jeremiah:

"I took the cup out of Jehovah's hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom Jehovah sent me. All the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isle which is in the passage of the sea" (Jeremiah 25:17-22).

Many nations are enumerated there that are not here adduced; by all these are signified the goods and truths of the church in general and in particular, which are vastated. And by the kings of Tyre and Zidon are signified the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, in the natural man; for all knowledges of truth and good, so far as they are knowledges, are in the natural man. Such become truths and goods when there is a life according to them, because they are received in the spiritual man by life. By, "the kings of the isle which is in the passage of the sea," are signified the knowledges of truth in the ultimate of the natural man, which is called the Natural Sensual, because through this there is a passage into the interiors of the natural man, the sea signifying the natural man in general (as may be seen above, n. 275, 342). The vastation of these things is meant by the cup of Jehovah which he made the nations to drink.

[13] In the same:

"Because of the day that cometh to lay waste all the Philistines, and to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth; for Jehovah layeth waste the Philistines, the remnant of the island of Caphtor" (47:4).

By the Philistines are meant those who are in faith alone, or in faith separate from charity, therefore they are also called the uncircumcised, by which is signified that they have no charity (see n. 2049, 3412, 8093, 8313). By cutting off from Tyre and Zidon every helper that remaineth, is signified that they have no longer any knowledge of truth and good; the helper that remaineth signifies that they are no longer concordant; the same is also signified by the remnant of the island of Caphtor.

[14] In the same:

"Pass over into the isles of the Chittimites, and see; send into Arabia, and consider well, and see whether there be such a thing, whether a nation hath changed their gods" (2:10, 12).

That they would pass over and send into the isles of the Chittimites and into Arabia, does not signify that they would send thither, but to all who live naturally in truths and goods according to their religion. The isles of the Chittimites denote where those are who live naturally in truths, and Arabia where they are who live naturally in goods, namely, according to their religion. The Chittimites and Arabia signify such persons and such things; for all those who have not the Word, or any revelation from heaven, and live according to their religion, live naturally; for to live spiritually is to live only according to truths and goods from the Word, and from revelation out of heaven.

[15] In Zephaniah:

"Jehovah will be formidable upon them: for he will make lean all the gods of the nations, that they may worship him, every one from his place; all the isles of the nations, ye Ethiopians also, shall be slain by my sword" (2:11, 12).

By these words in the internal sense, is signified that the falsities of evil will be dissipated, and that truths and goods will be given to those who indeed are in falsities, but not in the falsities of evil. By the gods of the nations, which Jehovah will make lean, are signified the falsities of evil; by gods, falsities; by the nations, evils; and by making lean is signified the removal of evils from falsities. By the isles of the nations, and by the Ethiopians, are signified those who indeed are in falsities, but not in the falsities of evil, and abstractedly, falsities, but not the falsities of evil. And because falsities not of evil are in the natural man, therefore, by the isles of the nations is signified the natural man as to those, or as to those falsities in the natural man; these falsities are signified by, slain by my sword. (Concerning the falsities of evil, and the falsities not of evil, see the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 21.)

[16] In David:

"He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. The islands shall bow themselves before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust" (Psalms 72:8, 9).

These things are said concerning the Lord; and by having dominion from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth, is meant His dominion over all things of heaven and the church; for in the spiritual world the boundaries are seas, and the intermediates are earths, where there are habitations for angels and spirits. Hence by, "from sea to sea," are signified all things of heaven, and because all things of heaven all things of the church are also signified; for the goods of love, and the truths thence, constitute heaven and also the church, therefore by, "from sea to sea," are signified also all things of the church. All things of heaven and of the church are signified by, "from the river unto the ends of the earth"; but by these words are signified all things of heaven and of the church as to truths, and by, from sea to sea, all things of heaven and of the church as to goods. For seas in the spiritual world are the boundaries of the earth east and west; and in the earths from the east towards the west dwell those who are in the good of love; but the river signifies the first boundary, and the ends of the earth [signify] the last [boundaries] from south to north, where those dwell who are in truths from good, which boundaries also the rivers Jordan and Euphrates respectively represented to the land of Canaan. The places that are about the ultimate boundaries, are meant by islands, by which, therefore, are signified truths in ultimates; these, although they are not truths are still accepted as truths. For genuine truths are diminished from the centre towards the boundaries, because those who are around the boundaries are in natural light, and thus not in spiritual light. By enemies are signified evils, concerning whom it is said that they shall lick the dust, that is, that they are accursed.

[17] In the same:

"Jehovah reigneth; the earth shall rejoice; many isles shall be glad" (Psalms 97:1).

By these words is signified that the church where the Word is and the church where the Word is not, consequently, those who are in spiritual truths and those who are not in spiritual truths, shall rejoice on account of the Lord's kingdom. By the earth is signified the church where the Word is, and by the islands [the church] where the Word is not, consequently, those who are remote from spiritual truths; for the truths of the Word are alone spiritual, whereas with those who are outside the church, because they have not the truths of the Word, there are only natural truths; hence it is that they are called islands.

[18] By islands in the Word are not meant some islands of the sea, but places in the spiritual world inhabited by those who are in a natural knowledge of cognitions (scientia cognitionum) in some degree harmonising with the knowledges of truth and good in the Word; these places sometimes appear there as islands in the sea; whence, in an abstract sense, by islands are signified the truths of the natural man. This denomination is from the sea, in which there are islands, for the sea signifies the generals of truth, or the truths of the natural man in general. These things are signified by islands in Genesis:

"The sons of Javan were Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim. From these were the isles of the nations dispersed in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations" (10:4, 5).

And in Isaiah:

"He shall come to gather all nations and tongues, that they may come and see my glory. And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations" (66:18, 19; likewise Isaiah 11:10-12).

[19] Because most things in the Word have also an opposite sense, so also have islands; in which sense islands signify the falsities opposed to the truths which are in the natural man. In this sense islands are mentioned in the following passages.

In Isaiah

"I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools" (42:15).

This may be seen explained in the preceding article.

In Ezekiel:

"I will send a fire on Magog, and among the careless inhabitants of the isles" (39:6).

In Isaiah:

"Anger to his adversaries, retribution to his enemies; to the islands he will retaliate retribution" (59:18).

In the same:

"Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as one of the least of things" (40:15).

The nations here mean evils, and the isles falsities.

In the same:

"Keep silence, O islands; let the people renew their strength; let them come near, then let them speak; let us come near together to judgment. The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth trembled" (41:1, 5).

374. (Verse 6) A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny. That thereby is signified, that the genuine good of the church is of no account with them, and also the genuine truth, is clear from the signification of measure (choenix), which was the measure for wheat and barley among the Greeks, as denoting the quality of estimation, for by measure in the Word, as was said in the article above, is signified the quality of a thing as to good and as to truth. From the signification of wheat, as denoting the good of the church in general, concerning which we shall speak presently; from the signification of barley, as denoting the truth of that good, which will be also treated of presently; and from the signification of a penny, which is the price of estimation, as denoting as if it were of no account. This piece of money, because it was the smallest of all, consequently, signifies the least price, but here as if it were of no price. The reason is, because by the red horse, spoken of above, is signified the understanding of the Word destroyed as to good, and by the black horse, the understanding of the Word destroyed as to truth (see above, n. 364, and 372); and when the understanding of the Word as to good and truth is destroyed, then the genuine good and genuine truth of the church are estimated as it were at nothing. The reason why it is estimated here at a penny, is, because some piece of money must be assumed, in order that some price may be expressed in the sense of the letter. Because it is said that a balance was in the hand of him that sat on the horse, and that he measured the wheat and the barley, therefore that piece of money, which was the least of all, is taken for the price of estimation; and because there was no longer any understanding of the Word as to good and as to truth, therefore, by a penny, in the spiritual sense, is here signified [that the estimation is] as it were of no account.

[2] The reason why it is said a measure of wheat and three measures of barley, is, because the number one is said of good, and three of truths. And by one, when it is said of good, is signified what is perfect, thus also what is genuine; and by three, when said of truths, is signified what is full, thus also what is genuine; hence it is that a measure of wheat, and three measures of barley, signify the genuine good and the genuine truth of the church. The reason why wheat signifies good, and barley the truth thereof, is, because all things of the field signify the things of the church; and the things of the field, as crops of various kinds, serve for food; and things that are for the food and nourishment of the body, signify, in the spiritual sense, such things as nourish the soul or mind, all of which have relation to the good of love, and the truth of faith; hence wheat and barley especially have such a signification, because bread is made from them. (That foods of every kind signify spiritual food, thus the things pertaining to knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom, consequently the good and truth from which these are, may be seen, n. 3114, 4459, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5410, 5426, 5576, 5582, 5588, 5655, 5915, 8408, 8562, 9003; of bread in general, in the small work concerning the New Jerusalem 218; that field signifies the church. n, 2971, 3766, 9139.) That wheat and barley signify such things, is from correspondence, as may be seen from the things that appear in the spiritual world, where all appearances are correspondences. Plains, fields, crops of various kinds, and also loaves appear there; whence it is known that they correspond, and, consequently, that they have a signification according to correspondences.

[3] That wheat and barley signify the good and truth of the church, wheat the good thereof, and barley the truth, is evident from the passages in the Word where they are mentioned, as from the following. In Jeremiah:

Jehovah "who hath dispersed Israel, shall gather him together, and shall guard him as a shepherd doth his flock; for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and hath liberated him out of the hand of him that was stronger than he; hence shall they come and sing in the height of Zion, and they shall flow together to the good of Jehovah, to the wheat, to the new wine, and to the oil, and to the sons of the flock and of the herd; and their soul shall become as a watered garden" (31:10-12).

The establishment of a new church is here treated of. By Israel and Jacob is signified that church; by Israel the spiritual internal church, and by Jacob the external, for every church is internal and external. The establishment of it is described by, "Jehovah shall gather him together, and shall guard him as a shepherd doth his flock; for he hath redeemed Jacob, and liberated him out of the hand of him that was stronger than he." By redeeming is signified to reform (as may be seen above, n. 328); by the hand of him that was stronger than he, is signified from the evil and falsity which before had possession; their internal joy, or joy of heart, arising from celestial good and the truths thence, is signified by, "hence shall they come and sing in the height of Zion, and they shall flow together to the good of Jehovah, to the wheat, to the new wine, and to the oil, and to the sons of the flock and of the herd." To sing in the height of Zion signifies internal celestial joy, or such as exists in the Lord's celestial kingdom, to sing denoting that joy (see above, n. 326); height denoting what is internal, and Zion the celestial kingdom. Wheat signifies the good of the natural man; new wine, the truth thereof; oil, the good of the spiritual man; the sons of the flock signify spiritual truths, and the sons of the herd natural truths; because these are signified, they are called the goodness of Jehovah. That hence they have intelligence and wisdom, is signified by, "their soul shall become as a watered garden"; for by a garden in the Word is signified intelligence, and being watered its increase continually; that wheat, new wine, oil, the sons of the flock and herd, are not meant here, is evident, for it is said that Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and that their soul shall become as a watered garden.

[4] In Joel:

"The field is wasted, the land hath mourned; for the corn is wasted; the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. The husbandmen were ashamed; the vine-dressers howled over the wheat and over the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished" (1:10-12).

These things are not said concerning a field and its barrenness, but concerning the church and its vastation; therefore by field, land, corn, new wine, and oil, are not meant these things, but by the field and by land, the church; by the field, the church as to the reception and increase of truth and good, and by the earth, the church as to the nation therein; by corn, good of every kind in the external man; by new wine, the truth also therein; by oil, the good of the internal man; by the husbandmen who were ashamed, and the vine-dressers who howled over the wheat and over the barley, are signified those who are of the church, and by the wheat and barley are signified the good and the truth thereof; and by the harvest of the field which, consequently, perished, is signified all worship from them.

[5] In Jeremiah:

"The spoilers are come upon all the hills in the wilderness; for the sword of Jehovah shall devour from the end of the earth even to the end of the earth; there is no peace to any flesh. They have sown wheat, and reaped thorns" (12:12, 13).

These things also are said concerning the church and its vastation. By the hills in the wilderness upon which the spoilers are said to come, is signified that all the good of charity has perished through evils and falsities; hills in the Word signify where the good of charity resides, and, in an abstract sense, that good itself. The wilderness signifies where it exists no more, because there is no truth; and spoilers signify evils and falsities whereby good and truth perish. By the sword of Jehovah devouring from the end of the earth even to the end of the earth, is signified falsity destroying all things of the church; by the sword devouring, falsity destroying, and from the end of the earth even to the end of the earth, are signified all things of the church. By, "there is no peace to any flesh," is signified that there is no longer internal rest on account of the dominion of evil and falsity; by, "they have sown wheat, and reaped thorns," is signified that instead of the goods of truth there are evils of falsity, wheat denoting the goods of truth, and thorns denoting the evils of falsity.

[6] In the same:

Ishmael, who was of the seed of the kingdom, slew Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land, and all the Jews who were with him, and the Chaldeans, also the men from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria; "but ten men were found among them who said unto Ishmael, Slay us not; for we have things hid in the field, wheat and barley, and oil and honey. So he forbare, and slew them not" (41:1-8).

By these historical statements, in the internal sense, is described the condemnation of those who profane holy things; for by Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon made governor over the land, and by the Jews who were with him, also by the Chaldeans, and the men from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, are meant those who profane, and, in an abstract sense, profanations of every kind. For the king of Babylon signifies the profanation of good and truth, their condemnation is signified by their being slain, for by, to be slain, is signified to be slain spiritually (see n. 315); but by the ten men, who said to Ishmael, "Slay us not; for we have things hid in the field, wheat and barley, and oil and honey," are meant those who have not profaned the holy things of the church, because inwardly they possess good and truth; for those who profane have inwardly nothing of good and truth, but only outwardly when they speak and preach, whereas, those who do not profane have good and truth inwardly, and this is meant by their saying, that they had things hid in the field, wheat, barley, oil, and honey; wheat and barley signify the goods and truths of the external man, oil signifies the good of the internal man, and honey, the delight thereof; by ten men are signified all those who are of such a description, the number ten signifying all men and all things; by his forbearing and not slaying them, is signified that they were not profane, thus not condemned; by Ishmael are represented those who are in the genuine truths of the church; this is also signified by the seed of the kingdom from which he was. Such are the things involved in these historical statements, the historical parts of the Word possessing an internal sense as well as the prophetical parts.

[7] In Moses:

"Jehovah thy God bringeth thee unto a good land, a land of rivers of water, of fountains and depths that issue out of valley and mountain; a land of wheat and barley, and of vine, and fig-tree, and pomegranate; a land of olive oil and honey" (Deuteronomy 8:7, 8).

In the sense of the letter the land of Canaan is thus described, but in the spiritual sense the Lord's church, this being signified by the land of Canaan according to this sense; and all the kinds of good and truth pertaining to the church are recounted. The reason why the land is called a land of rivers of water, is, because rivers of water signify the doctrinals of truth. By fountains and depths issuing out of valley and mountain, are signified interior and exterior truths from the Word; by fountains the interior truths thence, and by depths the exterior truths. The latter are said to issue out of the valley, because a valley signifies what is lower and exterior, where such [truths] are; and the former are said to issue out of the mountain, because a mountain signifies what is higher and interior, where such [truths] are. By a land of wheat and barley, and of vine and fig-tree, and pomegranate, is signified the church as to good and truth of every kind; wheat and barley signifying good and truth from a celestial origin; the vine and fig-tree, good and truth from a spiritual origin; and the pomegranate, the knowledges of good and truth. And by a land of olive oil and honey, is signified the church as to the good of love and its delight. He who does not know the spiritual sense of the Word believes simply that the land of Canaan alone is described by these words, in which case the Word would be only natural and not spiritual, and yet the Word in its internal is everywhere spiritual, and it is spiritual when by the above words are understood the spiritual things that are signified, namely, goods and truths of every kind. But what is specifically signified by rivers, fountains, depths, a valley, a mountain, the vine, the fig-tree, the pomegranate, the olive, oil, and honey, is shown in the Arcana Coelestia, all the passages of which it would take too long to adduce; yet several of them have been pointed out, and will be pointed out, in this work upon the Explanation of the Apocalypse; these may be consulted in their proper places.

[8] In Job:

"If I have eaten the strength of the earth without silver, or have caused the soul [of the owners] thereof to expire, let the thorn come forth instead of wheat, and the wild vine instead of barley" (Job 31:38-40).

To eat the strength of the earth without silver, signifies to appropriate to oneself the good of the church without the truth, the earth denoting the church, and silver denoting truth; and to cause the soul [of the owners] thereof to expire, signifies thus to make void spiritual life. "Let the thorn come forth instead of wheat, and the wild vine instead of barley," signifies that evil is regarded as good, and falsity as truth; wheat denoting good, the thorn evil, barley truth, and the wild vine falsity; for good can only be procured by truths.

[9] In Isaiah:

"I have heard a consummation and decision from the Lord Jehovih of hosts upon the whole earth. Will the ploughman plough all day to sow, will he open and harrow his ground? When he hath made plain the faces thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fennel, and cast in the measured wheat and the appointed barley and the appointed spelt? Thus he is instructed to judgment, his God doth teach him" (28:22, 24-26).

By these words, in the spiritual sense, there is described the church with the Jewish and Israelitish nation as being altogether destroyed, and that it was to no purpose to learn and know the Word, but that the good and truth thereof may be applied to the use of life; hence and not otherwise intelligence [can be received] from the Lord. That the church with that nation was altogether destroyed, is meant by, "I have heard a consummation and decision from the Lord Jehovih of hosts upon the whole earth," consummation and decision denoting complete destruction, and the whole earth denoting the whole church, that is, everything thereof; its being to no purpose to learn and know the Word, is signified by, "Will the ploughman plough all day to sow? will he open and harrow his ground?" to plough for sowing denoting to learn, and to harrow the ground denoting to deposit in the memory. That the good and truth of the Word should be applied to the use of life, is signified by, "When he hath made plain the faces thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fennel, and cast in the measured wheat and the appointed barley and the appointed spelt?" When he hath made plain the faces of the ground, and scattered the fennel, signifies when he has prepared by the Word; the measured wheat and the appointed barley and the appointed spelt, signify to apply good and truth to the use of life; wheat denoting good, barley truth, and spelt knowledges; that hence, and in no other way, is there intelligence from the Lord, is signified by, "Thus he is instructed to judgment, his God doth teach him"; judgment signifying intelligence, and his God doth teach him, signifying that it is from the Lord.

[10] In Moses:

"Jehovah made him ride upon the high places of the earth, and he fed him with the produce of the fields; he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flint of the rock; butter of the herd and milk of the flock, with fat of lambs, and rams of the sons of Bashan, and of goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou drinkest the pure blood of grapes" (Deuteronomy 32:12-14).

These things are said of the Ancient Church established by the Lord after the deluge, which was in intelligence and wisdom, because in the good of charity and in the faith thence. Their wisdom and intelligence from the Lord, is signified by, "Jehovah made them to ride upon the high places of the earth, and fed them with the produce of the fields"; the celestial and spiritual goods which they receive by truths, are described by, "He made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flint of the rock; butter of the herd and milk of the flock, with the fat of lambs, and of rams of the sons of Bashan, and of goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou drinkest the pure blood of grapes"; wheat signifies here all good in general, and the blood of grapes, also pure wine, all the truth thence.

[11] In David:

"O that my people had hearkened unto me, and, Israel had walked in my ways! I should have fed them with the fat of wheat; and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied them" (Psalms 81:13, 14, 16).

By the fat of wheat, and by honey out of the rock, with which they would be fed and satisfied, are signified good of every kind from celestial good and the delight thereof from the Lord; for by fat is signified celestial good; by wheat, good of every kind; by honey, the delight of good; and by a rock, the Lord. That they will possess these things if they live according to the Lord's precepts, is meant by its being said, "O that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!" ways in the Word signifying truths and also precepts, and to walk signifying to live.

[12] In the same:

"Praise Jehovah, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion. For he strengtheneth the bars of thy gates; he blesseth thy sons in the midst of thee. He maketh thy borders peace, and filleth thee with the fat of wheat" (Psalms 147:12-14).

By Jerusalem and Zion is meant the church; by Jerusalem, the church as to the truths of doctrine, and by Zion the church as to the goods of love; who maketh thy border peace, signifies all things of heaven and the church, for border signifies all those things; "He filleth thee with the fat of wheat," signifies with every good of love and with wisdom, fat signifying the good of love, and wheat all things therefrom, which being from good are also goods; because these things are signified, therefore it is said, "the fat of wheat."

[13] In Hosea:

"Jehovah said" unto the prophet, "Go again, love a woman beloved of her companion, and an adulteress, according to the love of Jehovah toward the sons of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of grapes. And I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for a homer of barley, and a half homer of barley" (3:1, 2).

The quality of the Jewish and Israelitish church as to doctrine and worship was represented by this, namely, that by vain traditions they had falsified all things of the Word, although they worshipped it as holy. A woman beloved of her companion, and an adulteress, whom the prophet was to love, signifies a church of such a quality, a woman the church, and being loved by her companion and an adulteress, the falsification of truth and the adulteration of good; "according to the love of Jehovah toward the sons of Israel, who look to other gods," signifies falsities of doctrine and evils of worship, these things being signified by looking to other gods; loving flagons of grapes, signifies the Word in the sense of the letter alone, for wine signifies truths of doctrine from the Word, grapes the goods of it from which are truths, and a flagon signifies that which contains, thus the ultimate sense of the Word, which is the sense of the letter, which they apply to their own falsities and evils; that he bought her to him for fifteen pieces of silver, signifies at a very small price, fifteen denoting very little; the homer of barley and the half homer of barley signify so little of good and truth, as to be scarcely any.

[14] In Matthew:

John [said] concerning Jesus, "He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and with fire; whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather the wheat into the garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable" (3:11, 12).

By baptizing with the Holy Spirit and with fire, is signified to reform the church, and to regenerate the man of the church by means of Divine truth and Divine good; to baptize signifies to reform and regenerate; the Holy Spirit, the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; and fire, the Divine good of His Divine love; by the wheat which He will gather into the garner, and by the chaff which He will burn with fire unquenchable, are signified good of every kind, which is of heavenly origin, that it shall be preserved to eternity, consequently, those who are in that [good]; and falsity of every kind, which is of infernal origin, that it shall be destroyed, consequently, those who are in it; and because wheat, a garner, and chaff are mentioned, a fan and a floor are also mentioned, and by the fan is signified separation, and by the floor, where the separation takes place.

[15] In the same:

Jesus said, "The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder coming said unto him, Master, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? Then he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants said, Wilt thou therefore that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up at the same time the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn" (13:24-30).

What these words involve is very evident from the spiritual sense, the particulars there being correspondences; for the Lord when He was in the world, spoke by pure correspondences, because from the Divine. The Last Judgment is here treated of, when the good shall be separated from the evil, and the good will come into heaven, and the evil into hell. The good seed in the field, which the man sowed, signifies the truths of the church, which are from good; the field signifies the church, where those are; and sowing signifies influx and reception, thus also instruction; the man who sowed the seed, denotes the Lord through the Word, in which are all the truths of the church; his enemy coming and sowing the tares while men slept, and then going his way, signifies that with natural men the falsities of evil flow in from hell, and are received; for to sleep signifies to live the natural life without the spiritual (as may be seen above, n. 187); the enemy signifies hell, and the tares signify the evils of falsity. What the remaining portions even to the end signify, is evident from what is adduced in the small work concerning the Last Judgment 70); for they involve mysteries which are there laid open; here we need say only, that wheat signifies the good of truth, and thence those who are in good by means of truth; and that by tares are signified the evil of falsity, and thence those who are in evil by means of falsities. That these things are said concerning the Last Judgment, is clear from what follows in the same chapter, where it is said:

"He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the seed are the sons of the kingdom; the tares are the sons of the wicked one; the enemy is the devil; the harvest is the consummation of the age" (verses 38, 39);

the consummation of the age denotes the last time of the church, when Judgment takes place. From these passages adduced from the Word, it is evident that wheat signifies the good of the church in general, and barley the truth thereof.