The Bible

 

Jeremiah 51:20

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20 Thou art my maul, [my] weapons of war: and with thee I will break in pieces the nations, and I will with thee destroy kingdoms;

Commentary

 

Tumult

  

In 1 Samuel 4:14, a tumult signifies divine truth descending toward lower things. (Arcana Coelestia 8823)

In Isaiah 33:3, it signifies the dismay of people in the church when they are visited by a Last Judgment, and their evils are disclosed. (Apocalypse Explained 659[22])

In Zechariah 14:13, tumult signifies the last state of the old church, involving a great change; and a combat against the love of evil. (Apocalypse Explained 650[42])

In Psalm 65:7, it signifies the disputations and reasoning of those people beneath heaven who are natural and sensuous. (Apocalypse Explained 706[23])

'A tumult,' or 'uproar,' as in Isaiah 13:4, signifies an eager desire to combat against truths. (Apocalypse Explained 453)

(References: Isaiah 4, 8, 8:4)

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #8823

Study this Passage

  
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8823. 'And the voice of the trumpet grew louder and louder' means revelation in its general aspects, which comes through the angelic heaven. This is clear from the meaning of 'the voice of a trumpet' as celestial or angelic truth joined to the Divine, dealt with in 8815, and so revelation in its general aspects, since God's truth is revelation, and what is revealed by means of heaven is very general compared with God's truth itself in heaven (for it is outside or round about, 8815, and what is round about or outside is general compared with what is in the middle or inside); and from the meaning of 'growing louder and louder' as increasing, for just as a sound is inaudible on high, where the air is rarer, but grows and sounds louder as it comes down to lower levels, where the air is denser, so Divine Good and Divine Truth on highest levels are peaceful and altogether without any agitation; but as they pass down to lower levels they become by degrees less peaceful and at length violently agitated. These things are described in the following way by the Lord to Elijah when he was in Horeb, in the first Book of Kings,

Go out, and stand on the mountain before Jehovah. Behold, Jehovah was passing by, so that a great and strong wind was breaking apart the mountains, and shattering the rocks before Jehovah; Jehovah was not in the wind. Then after the wind, an earthquake; but Jehovah was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, a fire; Jehovah was not in the fire. Finally after the fire, a slight whisper. 1 1 Kings 19:11-12.

Footnotes:

1. literally, a thin voice of silence

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.