10044. Upon the head of the ram. That this signifies with the whole, is evident from the signification of “the head,” as being the whole man, thus the whole (see n. 10011). That “the head” denotes the whole is because it is the highest, and therein is the inmost of man; and from what is highest proceed all things which are beneath; as also from what is inmost proceed all things which are without, for such is the source in both these cases. The inmost with man is his will and understanding; these in their beginnings are in the head, and what thence proceed are acts, which are effects of the interior things in the body; and therefore when will and understanding are mentioned, the whole man is meant, for from these man is man. The acts of the body also have their all from the will; consequently a man is not regarded from the acts of the body, or works; but from the will in these. For this reason by “soul” in the Word is meant the whole man, and man is called a “soul,” as in Leviticus 4:27; 5:1, 4, 17; 6:2; 17:10, 15 and elsewhere.

[2] There are two things which signify the whole; namely, the highest, and the lowest. That the lowest or ultimate also signifies the whole, is because all the interior things, even from the first or highest, close in the ultimates, and are there together (n. 9828, 9836). Hence it is that the highest, through the ultimate, holds together in connection and in form all the interior things which are intermediate, so that they look to one end (n. 9828). That the ultimate also signifies the whole, is evident from many things in the Word, as that the whole man is called the “flesh” (Genesis 6:12; Numbers 16:22; 27:16; Isaiah 40:5; Zech. 2:13).

[3] As the ultimates also signify all things or the whole, therefore the hair and the beard, which are ultimate outgrowths of man, are taken for all or the whole; as also the feet and their toes; and the fingers of the hands. That the “hair” and “beard” are taken for all or the whole, is evident in Isaiah:

In that day shall the Lord shave with a razor by the king of Assyria the head, the hair of the feet, and also the beard (Isaiah 7:20);

“the king of Assyria” denotes reasoning such as is that of those who by means of it destroy things Divine (n. 1186); “to shave the head, the hair of the feet, and the beard” denotes to take away the ultimates, for when these are taken away the interior things flow asunder and perish. On this account also a priest was forbidden to shave his head (Leviticus 21:10); and also a Nazirite whose hair was called “the Naziriteship of God” (Numbers 6:1-27; n. 6437, 9407), and is also meant by “the crown of the head of the Nazirite of his brethren” (Genesis 49:25-26; Deuteronomy 33:16). Hence also it is said that “the hairs of the head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30), by which is signified that all things and everything in man is so; also that “a hair of the head shall not perish” (Luke 21:18).

[4] That the feet also and their toes, and the fingers of the hands, signify all things and thus the whole, is evident in John:

Peter said, Lord, Thou shalt wash not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus said to him, He that is washed needeth not save to be washed as to his feet, and is wholly clean (John 13:9-10).

The “feet” denote the natural, which is the ultimate (n. 2162, 3147, 4938-4952, 9406). And in what follows in this chapter of Exodus:

Thou shalt put of the blood of the ram upon the lap of Aaron’s ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot (Exodus 29:20);

denoting upon each and all things signified by the “ear,” the “hand,” and the “foot.”

[5] As the highest and the lowest, or what is the same, the first and the last, alike signify all things and each, or the whole with the parts, therefore the omnipotence and omniscience of the Lord are described by His being “the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 1:8, 11; 21:6; 22:13; Isaiah 41:4).

[6] That all things are held together in connection, and stand together, from the First or Highest through the last or lowest, is thus described in Isaiah:

I am the First, and I am the Last. ¹ My hand hath laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand hath spanned the heaven; when I call them together, they stand together (Isaiah 48:12-13).

The “hand” and “right hand” of Jehovah, or of the Lord, denote omnipotence; “the earth of which He hath laid the foundation” denotes the ultimate or last; “the heaven which He hath stretched out” denotes that which is between the First and the Last; to “call them together that they may stand together” denotes to hold together all the interior things through the ultimate in connection and in form, so that they may look to one end. The one end to which they are to look is “He who is the First and the Last;” ¹ that He is the Lord, is evident in Isaiah:

Thus said Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, I am the First and I am the Last ¹ (Isaiah 44:6);

“the King of Israel” denotes the Lord (John 18:37); and that the “Redeemer” is the Lord is manifest.

In Revelation:

These things saith the First and the Last, ¹ who was dead and hath lived again (Revelation 2:8).

[7] That the first holds together all things in connection through the ultimate, can be seen from the Word, and from man. The Word in ultimates is the sense of its letter, and the Word in its first is the Lord, and the Word in its interior things is its internal sense, which is perceived in the heavens, and causes those who are there to look to one end, which is the Lord (concerning this secret, see n. 9360, 9824).

[8] In regard to man: Man in ultimates is the church on earth; Man in the first is the Lord; man in the interior things is heaven, for before the Lord the church and heaven are as one man, from which heaven is called the Grand Man (treated of at the end of many chapters, see the places cited at the end of n. 10030). There is a continual connection, and an influx according to the connection, of all things from the Lord through the heavens to the church on earth. By the heavens are meant the angels who are there; by the church are meant men who are true men of the church; and by Man in the first is meant the Lord as to His Divine Human. That from the First through the last or ultimate all things are held together in connection, and stand together, is meant by the words of the Lord above quoted from Isaiah:

I am the First and I am the Last, My hand hath laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand hath spanned the heaven; when I call them together, they stand together (Isaiah 48:12-13).

(That by “the earth” in the Word is meant the church, has also been abundantly shown, see the places cited in n. 9325.)

[9] An idea of this subject can be had from the ultimate and the inmost with man. His ultimate is the skin, his inmost is the heart, his intermediates or interior things are the viscera. From the heart even to the skin through the viscera there is a continuous connection by means of the blood-vessels, for these proceed from the heart, and terminate in the skin. That the skin is the ultimate that holds together the interior things in connection is plain, for when the skin is taken away the interior things flow asunder. From all this it can be seen whence it is that as the highest or inmost signifies each and all things, so also does the lowest or ultimate.

[10] From all this also is laid open the secret why the Lord glorified His Human even as to its ultimates. The ultimates are called bones and flesh, and therefore the Lord said to His disciples, who supposed that they saw a spirit:

Behold My hands and My feet that it is I Myself; feel Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have (Luke 24:37, 39).

That the Divine Itself was the First in Him, is known, for He was conceived of Jehovah, and that which is conceived of the father is the first of man; that the Lord glorified even the ultimates of His Human is plain from His words above, and also from the fact that He left nothing of His Human in the sepulchre. (That the interior things close and rest in the ultimates, and are there together, and that the ultimates hold together the interior things in connection, even in spiritual things, see n. 9216, 9828; that therefore strength and power are in ultimates, n. 9836; and that therefore holiness is in ultimates, n. 9824; and that in ultimates revelations are made and answers given, n. 9905.)

Footnotes:

5313. Only in the throne will I be greater than thou. That this signifies that nevertheless it will appear as if from the natural, because from the celestial of the spiritual through the natural, is manifest from the signification of “being greater than another,” as here being to be greater in appearance or to the sight; and from the signification of a “throne,” as here being the natural. For the natural is meant by a “throne” when the celestial of the spiritual is meant by “him that sitteth upon it;” for the natural is like a throne for the spiritual, here the celestial of the spiritual. In general that which is lower is like a throne for the higher; for the higher is and acts therein, and indeed through the lower, and what is done appears as if done by the lower, because, as just said, it is done through it. This is what is meant by Pharaoh saying to Joseph, “Only in the throne will I be greater than thou.”

[2] A “throne” is often mentioned in the Word where the subject treated of is Divine truth and judgment therefrom; and by “throne” in the internal sense is signified that which belongs to the Divine royalty, and by “him that sitteth upon it,” the Lord Himself as King or Judge. But the signification of “throne,” like that of many other things, is according to the application. When the Divine Itself and the Lord’s Divine Human are meant by “him that sitteth on the throne,” then the Divine truth which proceeds from Him is meant by the “throne;” but when the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord is meant by “him that sitteth on the throne,” then the universal heaven filled with Divine truth is meant by the “throne;” but when the Lord as to the Divine truth in the higher heavens is meant by “him that sitteth on the throne,” then the Divine truth in the lowest heaven and also in the church, is meant by the “throne.” Thus the significations of “throne” are relative. That by a “throne” is signified that which belongs to Divine truth, is because truth is signified in the Word by a “king,” and also by a “kingdom.” (That truth is signified by a “king” may be seen above, n. 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, 3009, 3670, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068; and by a “kingdom,” n. 1672, 2547, 4691)

[3] But what is specifically meant in the Word by a “throne” is plain from the connection in which it is spoken of, as in Matthew:

I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King (Matthew 5:34-35).

Again in another place:

He that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by Him that sitteth thereon (Matthew 23:22).

Here it is expressly said that heaven is “God’s throne;” and by the “earth,” called His “footstool,” is signified that which is below heaven, thus the church. (That the “earth” is the church may be seen above, n. 566, 662, 1066, 1068, 1262, 1413, 1607, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535) Likewise in Isaiah:

Thus saith Jehovah, The heavens are My throne, and the earth is My footstool (Isaiah 66:1);

and in David:

Jehovah hath made firm His throne in the heavens (Psalms 103:19).

In Matthew:

When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory (Matthew 25:31);

speaking of the Last Judgment, and He that sitteth on the throne is called the “King” (Matthew 25:34, 40). Here the “throne of glory” in the internal sense is the Divine truth that is from the Divine good in heaven; “He that sitteth on that throne” is the Lord, who, being the Judge from Divine truth, is here called the “King.”

[4] In Luke:

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give unto Him the throne of His father David (Luke 1:32);

said by the angel to Mary. Everyone can see that the throne of David here is not the kingdom David had, or a kingdom on earth, but a kingdom in heaven; and therefore by “David” is not meant David, but the Lord’s Divine royalty; and by “throne” is signified the Divine truth that goes forth and makes the Lord’s kingdom.

In Revelation:

I was in the spirit; and behold a throne was set in heaven, and on the throne was one sitting. And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper stone and a sardius; and there was a rainbow round about the throne in look like an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty thrones, and upon the thrones I saw four and twenty elders sitting. And out of the throne went forth lightnings and thunderings and voices. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne that are the seven spirits of God. And before the throne there was a glassy sea like unto crystal; and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, four animals full of eyes before and behind. And when the animals have given glory and honor and thanks to Him that sitteth upon the throne, who liveth forever and ever, the four and twenty elders shall fall down before Him that sitteth upon the throne, and shall worship Him that liveth forever and ever, and shall cast their crowns before the throne (Revelation 4:2-10).

[5] In these verses is representatively described the throne of the Lord’s glory, and thereby the Divine truth proceeding from Him, but if the signification of these representatives is not known, scarcely anything can be known of the meaning of these prophetic words, and they will be supposed to be devoid of anything more deeply Divine than the sense of the letter; in which case the heavenly kingdom will be thought of as if it were an earthly kingdom. And yet by a “throne set in heaven” is signified the Divine truth there, thus heaven as to Divine truth; and by “Him that sat upon the throne” is meant the Lord. That “to look upon He appeared like a jasper stone and a sardius” is because by these stones, as by all the precious stones spoken of in the Word, is signified Divine truth (see n. 114, 3858, 3862); and by “stones” in general the truths of faith (n. 643, 1298, 3720, 3769, 3771, 3773, 3789, 3798).

[6] By the “rainbow round about the throne” are signified truths pellucid from good; and this because colors in the other life are from the light of heaven, and the light of heaven is Divine truth (in regard to rainbows in the other life see what is said above, n. 1042, 1043, 1053, 1623-1625; and also in regard to colors, n. 1053, 1624, 3993, 4530, 4677, 4741, 4742, 4922). By the “twenty-four thrones round about the throne” are signified all things of truth in one complex, the like as is signified by “twelve.” (That “twelve” denotes all things of truth in a complex may be seen above, n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913.) The “lightnings, thunderings, and voices that proceeded out of the throne” signify the terrors caused by the Divine truth with those who are not in good. The “seven lamps of fire burning” are affections of truth from good, which do hurt to those who are not in good, and therefore are called the “seven spirits of God who do hurt,” as is plain from the following verses.

[7] The “glassy sea before the throne” is all the truth in the natural, thus knowledges (that these things are the “sea” may be seen above, n. 28, 2850). The “four animals in the midst of the throne and round about the throne full of eyes before and behind” are things of the understanding from the Divine in the heavens, “four” signifying their conjunction with the things of the will. For truths are of the intellectual part and goods are of the will part, whence it is said that they were “full of eyes before and behind,” because “eyes” signify things of the understanding, and hence in a higher sense the things of faith (see n. 2701, 3820, 4403-4421, 4523-4534). (That “four” denotes conjunction, the same as “two,” may be seen above, n. 1686, 3519, 5194.) The holiness of the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is described in the rest of the passage.

[8] As by the “twenty-four thrones and the twenty-four elders” are signified all things of truth or all things of faith in one complex, and the like by “twelve,” it is evident that all things of truth, from which and according to which Judgment is effected, are what is meant in the internal sense by the “twelve thrones on which the twelve apostles were to sit,” of which we read thus in Matthew:

Jesus said to the disciples, Verily I say unto you, that ye who have followed Me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit upon the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28);

and in Luke:

I appoint unto you a kingdom, as the Father hath appointed unto Me; that ye may eat and drink upon My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 22:29-30).

That the “twelve apostles” denote all things of truth may be seen above (n. 2129, 2553, 3354, 3488, 3858); and also the “twelve sons of Jacob,” and hence the “twelve tribes of Israel” (n. 3858, 3913, 3926, 3939, 4060, 4603); and that the apostles cannot judge even one person (n. 2129, 2553).

[9] Likewise in Revelation:

I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them (Revelation 20:4); where also by “thrones” are signified all things of truth, from which and according to which Judgment is effected. The like is also meant by the “angels with whom the Lord is to come to judgment” (Matthew 25:31); that by “angels” in the Word something in the Lord is signified may be seen above (n. 1705, 1925, 2319, 2821, 3039, 4085), in this instance they signify truths from the Divine, which truths in the Word are also called “judgments” (n. 2235).

[10] In very many other places also a “throne” is attributed to Jehovah or the Lord, and this because there is in thrones what is representative of a kingdom. When there is discourse in a higher heaven about Divine truth and Judgment, a throne appears in the ultimate heaven. This is the reason why a “throne” is representative, and is so often spoken of in the prophetic Word, and why from most ancient times thrones became the mark of kings, and as such a mark signify royalty, as in the following passages.

In Moses:

Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi, and he said, Because a hand is upon the throne of Jah, there shall be the war of Jehovah against Amalek from generation to generation (Exodus 17:15-16).

What is meant by a “hand upon the throne of Jah,” and by the “war of Jehovah against Amalek from generation to generation,” no one can know except from the internal sense, and unless he knows what is meant by a “throne,” and what by “Amalek.” By “Amalek” in the Word are signified the falsities that assail truths (n. 1679), and by a “throne” the Divine truth itself that is assailed.

[11] In David:

Jehovah, Thou hast maintained my judgment and my cause; Thou hast sat upon the throne, the Judge of justice. Jehovah shall remain to eternity, He hath prepared His throne for judgment (Psalms 9:4, 7).

Again:

Thy throne, O God, is forever and to eternity, a scepter of rectitude is the scepter of Thy kingdom (Psalms 45:6).

Again:

Clouds and thick darkness are round about Him; justice and judgment are the support of His throne (Psalms 97:2).

In Jeremiah:

In that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of Jehovah; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it (Jeremiah 3:17);

“Jerusalem” denotes the Lord’s spiritual kingdom.

[12] This kingdom is meant also by the “new Jerusalem” in Ezekiel, and by the “holy Jerusalem coming down from heaven” in Revelation. The Lord’s spiritual kingdom is where Divine truth in which is good is the chief thing, and the celestial kingdom is where the chief thing is Divine good from which as Divine truth, and this shows why Jerusalem is called the “throne of Jehovah;” and why it is said in David:

In Jerusalem are set thrones for judgment (Psalms 122:5).

But Zion is called the “throne of the glory of Jehovah” in Jeremiah:

Hast Thou utterly renounced Judah? Hath Thy soul loathed Zion? Despise it not for Thy name’s sake, defile not the throne of Thy glory (Jeremiah 14:19, 21); where by “Zion” is meant the Lord’s celestial kingdom.

[13] The manner in which the Lord in respect to judgment is represented in heaven, where things such as are occasionally related in the prophets are visibly presented to the sight, is seen in Daniel:

I beheld till the throne were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like clean wool; His throne was a flame of fire, and the wheels thereof burning fire; a stream of fire issued and went forth before Him; thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him; the judgment was set, and the books were opened (Daniel 7:9-10).

Such things are constantly seen in heaven, all being representative, and they appear from the discourse of the angels in the higher heavens, which on descending presents such objects to the sight. Angelic spirits to whom perception is given by the Lord know what these things signify, as for instance the “Ancient of days,” the “garment white as snow,” the “hair like clean wool,” the “throne like a flame of fire,” the “wheels a burning fire,” the “stream of fire issuing from him.” By the “flame of fire” and the “stream of fire” is there represented the good of Divine love (see n. 934, 1906 [4906], 5071, 5215).

[14] So in Ezekiel:

Above the expanse that was over the head of the cherubim was the likeness of a throne, as the look of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the look of a man upon it above (Ezekiel 1:26; 10:1).

And also in the first book of Kings:

I saw, said Micaiah the prophet, Jehovah sitting on His throne, and the universal army of the heavens standing by Him on His right hand and on His left (1 Kings 22:19).

One who is not aware what these terms represent, and thence signify, must believe that the Lord has a throne like kings on earth, and that there are such things as are here mentioned; yet there are not such things in the heavens, but they are so presented to view before those who are in the ultimate heaven, and from them as from pictures they see Divine arcana.

[15] The Lord’s royalty, by which is signified the Divine truth that proceeds from Him, was represented also by the throne constructed by Solomon, regarding which it is thus written in the first book of Kings:

Solomon made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold. There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were hands on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the hands, and twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps (1 Kings 10:18-21).

Thus was represented the “throne of glory,” the “lions” being Divine truths fighting and conquering, and the “twelve lions” all these truths in one complex.

[16] As almost all the things in the Word have also an opposite sense, so too has a “throne,” and in this sense it signifies the kingdom of falsity, as in Revelation:

To the angel of the church in Pergamos: I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s throne is (Revelation 2:12-13).

The dragon gave the beast that came up out of the sea his power, and his throne, and great authority (Revelation 13:2).

The fifth angel poured out his vial upon the throne of the beast; and his kingdom was darkened (Revelation 16:10).

And in Isaiah:

Thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend into the heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God (Isaiah 14:13);

speaking of Babylon.