2826. For now I know that thou fearest God. That this signifies glorification from the Divine love, is evident from the signification of “knowing,” when predicated of the Lord’s Divine, as being nothing else than to be united, or what is the same, to be glorified; for it was being united to the Human Divine by means of temptations (n. 1737, 1813); and from the signification of “fearing God,” or of the “fear of God,” as being here the Divine love. And because this is predicated of the Lord’s Divine rational as to truth, it is here said to fear “God,” and not “Jehovah;” for when truth is treated of, it is said “God;” but when good, “Jehovah” (n. 2586,, 2769, 2822). That the Divine love is that by which the Lord united His Human Essence to His Divine Essence, and the Divine Essence to the Human, or what is the same, glorified Himself, may be seen above (n. 1812, 1813, 2253). What “fearing God” signifies in the Word, may be seen from a great many passages when understood as to the internal sense. The “fear of God” there signifies worship, and indeed worship either from fear, or from the good of faith, or from the good of love; worship from fear when the non-regenerate, worship from the good of faith when the spiritual regenerate, and worship from the good of love when the celestial regenerate are treated of.

[2] I. That the “fear of God” in general signifies worship, is manifest in the book of Kings:

The sons of Israel feared other gods, and walked in the statutes of the nations. The nations sent into Samaria feared not Jehovah in the beginning, therefore Jehovah sent lions among them; and one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear Jehovah. Jehovah made a covenant with the sons of Israel and commanded them, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them; but ye shall fear Jehovah, and bow yourselves down unto Him, and sacrifice to Him (2 Kings 17:7-8, 24, 26, 28, 32-33, 36-37, 41);

here “fearing” manifestly denotes worshiping.

In Isaiah:

Because this people have drawn nigh unto Me with their mouth, and have honored Me with their lips, and their heart hath removed itself far from Me, and their fear of Me is a commandment of men which hath been taught (Isaiah 29:13); where their “fear of Me” denotes worship in general; for it is said that the fear was a commandment of men.

In Luke:

There was in a city a judge who feared not God and regarded not man (Luke 18:2);

“fearing not God” means not worshiping Him.

[3] II. That the “fear of God” signifies worship from fear when the nonregenerate are treated of, is manifest from the following passages in Moses:

When the Law was promulgated upon Mount Sinai, the people said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, God is come to prove you, and that His fear may be before you, that ye sin not (Exodus 20:19-20).

And again:

Now why shall we die? for this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of Jehovah our God anymore, then we shall die. Go thou near, and hear all that Jehovah our God shall say; and speak thou unto us all that Jehovah our God shall say unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Who will give them to have such a heart as this, to fear Me, and keep all My commandments always (Deuteronomy 5:25, 27-29);

here the “fear of God before you that ye sin not, and a heart to fear Me, and keep all My commandments,” signifies worship from fear, in respect to them, because such was their quality; for they who are in external worship, and not in internal, are driven to the observance of the law and to obedience by fear; but still they do not come into internal worship or into holy fear [timor sanctus] unless they are in the good of life, and know what is internal, and believe it. In the same:

If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, to fear this glorious and fearful name, Jehovah thy God, Jehovah will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, plagues great and sure, and sore diseases and sure, and He will bring upon thee again all the sickness of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of, and they shall cleave unto thee (Deuteronomy 28:58-60);

here also to “fear the glorious and fearful name of Jehovah God” is to worship from fear; and that this might exist among those of such a character, all evils even to cursings were attributed to Jehovah (n. 592, 2335, 2395, 2447).

In Jeremiah:

Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee; know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and a bitter that thou hast forsaken Jehovah thy God, and that My fear is not in thee (Jeremiah 2:19).

In Luke:

I say unto you, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, but after that have no more that they can do; but I will warn you whom ye shall fear; fear Him who after He hath killed, hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, fear Him (Luke 12:4-5; Matthew 10:28);

here also “fearing God” involves worshiping from some fear, because fear drove them to obedience, as before said.

[4] III. That to “fear God” or “Jehovah” signifies worship from the good of faith, where the spiritual regenerate are treated of, is manifest from the following passages.

In Moses:

The king shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book before the priests the Levites, and it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear Jehovah his God, to keep all the words of this law, and these statutes, to do them (Deuteronomy 17:18-19).

In the internal sense “king” denotes the truth of faith; for royalty represented the Lord’s spiritual kingdom (n. 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069). Hence to “fear Jehovah his God,” is to worship Him from the truth of faith; and because this is inseparable from the good of charity, it is described by “keeping the words of the law and the statutes to do them.”

In Samuel:

Behold Jehovah hath set a king over you. If ye will fear Jehovah and serve Him, and hearken unto His voice, then shall both ye and the king that reigneth over you be followers of Jehovah your God (1 Samuel 12:13-14);

here also in the internal sense “fearing Jehovah” denotes worshiping from the good and truth of faith, as before, because a king or royalty is treated of.

[5] In Joshua:

Now fear Jehovah, and serve Him in integrity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served (Josh. 24:14); where also to “fear Jehovah” denotes worshiping from good and truth, which is of the spiritual man; for “integrity” is predicated of the good of faith (n. 612), and “truth” of the truth of faith.

In Jeremiah:

They shall be My people, and I will be their God; and I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and of their children after them; and I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put My fear in their heart, that they shall not depart from Me (Jeremiah 32:38-40).

That “fearing God” here is worshiping from the good and truth of faith, is evident from the series, and from the use of the words “people” and “God.” (That those are called “people” who are in truth, may be seen above, n. 1259, 1260; and that “God” is named where truth is treated of, n. 2586, 2769, 2807 at the end.) In Isaiah:

The strong people shall honor Thee, the city of the mighty nations shall fear Thee (Isaiah 25:3); where “fearing God” also denotes worshiping from spiritual truth, for it is predicated of “people” and “city.” (That a “city” is doctrinal truth may be seen above, n. 402, 2268, 2450, 2451.)

[6] In David:

What man is he that feareth Jehovah? Him shall He teach the way that He shall choose (Psalms 25:12); where the “man that feareth Jehovah” denotes him who worships Him; and that this is said of the spiritual man is manifest from its being said, “him shall He teach the way.” (That a “way” is truth, may be seen above, n. 627, 2333) And again with similar meaning:

Blessed is every one that feareth Jehovah, that walketh in His ways (Psalms 128:1).

In the same:

They that fear Jehovah shall glorify Him; all the seed of Jacob shall glorify Him, and all the seed of Israel shall stand in awe of Him (Psalms 22:23);

here to “stand in awe of him” means to worship from the truth of faith; for the “seed of Israel” is the spiritual of the church, or the good and truth of faith (n. 1025, 1447, 1610).

In Moses:

Now Israel, what doth Jehovah thy God require of thee, but to fear Jehovah thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve Jehovah thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of Jehovah, and His statutes (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).

Here is described what it is to “fear God,” with the spiritual man, that is, “Israel;” namely, that it is to walk in the ways of Jehovah, to love Him, to serve Him, and to keep His precepts and His statutes.

In John:

I saw an angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel, saying with a great voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come (Revelation 14:6-7);

here to “fear God” denotes holy worship from the good and truth of faith.

In Luke:

Jesus said to him that was palsied, Arise, take up thy couch, and go unto thy house; and amazement took hold upon them all; and they glorified God, and they were filled with fear (Luke 5:24-26); where “fear” denotes holy fear, such as is that of those who are being initiated into the good of love by the truth of faith.

[7] IV. That to “fear God” or “Jehovah” signifies worship from the good of love, when the celestial regenerate are treated of.

In Malachi:

My covenant was with Levi, of lives and peace; and I gave them to him that he might fear, and he feared Me, and for My name was he broken. The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not in his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness (Malachi 2:5-6); where the Lord is treated of, who here in the internal sense is “Levi;” “Levi” signifies the priesthood, and signifies love; “fear” here denotes the good of Divine love; the “law of truth,” truth; and “peace and uprightness,” both.

[8] In Isaiah:

There shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots; and the spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah, and of His scent in the fear of Jehovah (Isaiah 11:1-3); where also the Lord is treated of. The “spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah” denotes the Divine love of truth; and His “scent in the fear of Jehovah,” the Divine love of good.

[9] In David:

The precepts of Jehovah are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of Jehovah is clean, standing forever; the judgments of Jehovah are truth, made righteous together (Psalms 19:8-9); where “the fear of Jehovah is clean” denotes love; and “the judgments of Jehovah are truth” denotes faith. (That “righteousness” is predicated of the good of love, and “judgment” of the truth of faith, may be seen above, n. 2235) and these are said to be “made righteous together,” when truth becomes good, or when faith becomes charity.

[10] In the same:

Behold the eye of Jehovah is upon them that fear Him, upon them that wait for His mercy (Psalms 33:18).

And again:

Jehovah delighteth not in the strength of the horse, He taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. Jehovah taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that wait for His mercy (Psalms 147:10-11).

The “strength of the horse” denotes one’s own power of thinking truth (that a “horse” denotes the intellectual faculty, may be seen above, 2760-2762); the “legs of a man” denote one’s own power of doing good; “they that fear Jehovah” denote those who worship Him from the love of truth; and “they that wait for His mercy,” those who worship from the love of good. Where good is spoken of in the Prophets, so also is truth; and where truth is spoken of, so also is good, on account of the heavenly marriage of good and truth in everything (see n. 683, 793, 801, 2516, 2712, 2713).

[11] In the same:

Jehovah will bless the house of Israel, He will bless the house of Aaron, He will bless them that fear Jehovah, both small and great (Psalms 115:12-13);

here “they that fear Jehovah” denote those who worship from the good of faith, which is the “house of Israel,” and from the good of love, which is the “house of Aaron;” they are both named on account of the heavenly marriage, as said above, in everything in the Word.

[12] In Isaiah:

The truth of thy times shall be strength of salvations, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of Jehovah itself a treasure (Isaiah 33:6); where “wisdom and knowledge” denote the good of faith conjoined with its truth; and the “fear of Jehovah,” the good of love. In the same:

Who is among you that feareth Jehovah, hearkening to the voice of His servant (Isaiah 50:10)?

“he that feareth Jehovah” denotes him that worships from love; “he that hearkeneth to the voice of His servant,” him that worships from faith. When the one is of the other, then there is the heavenly marriage.

[13] From the passages which have been adduced from the Word it is evident that the “fear of God” is worship, either from fear, or from the good of faith, or from the good of love. But the more there is of fear in the worship, the less there is of faith, and the less still of love; and on the other hand, the more of faith there is in the worship, and especially the more there is of love, the less there is of fear. There is indeed a fear within all worship, but under another appearance and another condition, and this is holy fear. But holy fear is not so much the fear of hell and of damnation, as it is of doing or thinking anything against the Lord and against the neighbor, and thus anything against the good of love and the truth of faith. It is an aversion, which is the boundary of the holy of love and the holy of faith on the one side; and as it is not a fear of hell and damnation, as before said, those have it who are in the good of faith; but those have less of it who are in the good of love, that is, who are in the Lord.

[14] V. Therefore to “fear” signifies also to distrust, or not to have faith and love, as in Isaiah:

Thus saith thy Creator, O Jacob, and thy Former, O Israel, Fear not, for I have redeemed thee; I have called thee by thy name, thou art Mine (Isaiah 43:1, 5; 44:8).

In Luke:

The oath which He sware to our father Abraham, that He would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him (Luke 1:73-74).

In the same:

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32).

In Mark:

Jesus said unto the ruler of the synagogue, Fear not, only believe (Mark 5:36; Luke 8:49-50).

In the same:

Jesus said, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? (Mark 4:40).

In Luke:

The hairs of your head are all numbered; fear not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows (Luke 12:7).

In these passages to “fear” is to distrust, or not to have faith and love.

2015. Kings shall go forth from thee. That this signifies that all truth is from Him, is evident from the signification of a “king,” in both the historical and the prophetic Word, as being truth (stated above, n. 1672, but not yet fully shown). From the signification of “nations” as being goods, and from the signification of “kings” as being truths, we can see the nature of the internal sense of the Word, and also how remote it is from the sense of the letter. He who reads the Word, especially the historical portion, has no other belief than that the nations there are nations, and kings, and thus that nations and kings are treated of in the very Word itself. But the idea of nations, as well as that of kings, altogether perishes when it is received by the angels, and in their place there succeed good and truth. This cannot but appear as strange and indeed as a paradox, but still it is really so, and the truth of it may appear to everyone from considering that if, in the Word, nations were signified by “nations,” and kings by “kings,” then the Word of the Lord would involve scarcely anything more than any other history, or any other writing, and thus would be a merely worldly affair, when yet there is nothing in the Word that is not Divine, and therefore celestial and spiritual.

[2] Take as a single instance what is said in this verse, that Abraham should be made fruitful and should be made nations, and that kings should go forth from him-what is this but a merely worldly matter, and in no respect heavenly? For in these things there is only the glory of the world, which is nothing at all in heaven; but if this is the Word of the Lord, there must be in it the glory of heaven, and none of the world’s glory. Therefore the sense of the letter is altogether obliterated and vanishes when it passes into heaven; and it is so purified that nothing that is worldly is intermingled. For by “Abraham” is not meant Abraham, but the Lord; by his being “made fruitful” is not meant that his posterity should increase exceedingly, but that the good of the Lord’s Human Essence should increase to infinitude; by the “nations” are not meant nations, but goods; and by the “kings,” not kings but truths. Still the history according to the sense of the letter remains true; for it is true that it was so said to Abraham; also that he was made fruitful, and that nations and kings came from him.

[3] That “kings” signify truths, may be seen from the following passages.

In Isaiah:

The sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee; thou shalt suck the milk of the nations, and the breast of kings shalt thou suck (Isaiah 60:10, 16);

what it is to “suck the milk of nations” and “the breast of kings,” is by no means plain from the letter, but it is from the internal sense, in which it signifies to be gifted with goods, and instructed in truths.

In Jeremiah:

There shall enter in by the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses (Jeremiah 17:25; 22:4);

to “ride in chariots and on horses” is a prophetical saying which signifies an abundance of intellectual things, as may appear from very many passages in the Prophets; and thus by “kings entering in by the gates of the city” is signified in the internal sense that they should be imbued with truths of faith. This is the heavenly sense of the Word, into which the worldly literal sense passes.

[4] Again, in the same Prophet:

Jehovah hath despised in the indignation of His anger the king and the priest; the gates of Zion have sunk into the earth; He hath destroyed and broken her bars; her king and her princes are among the nations; the law is not (Lamentations 2:6, 9);

“the king” here denotes the truth of faith; “the priest” the good of charity; “Zion” the church which is being destroyed, and whose bars are being broken; hence “the king and the princes are among the nations,” that is, truth and the things which are of truth will be banished to such an extent that there will be no “law,” that is, nothing of the doctrine of faith.

In Isaiah:

Before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the ground shall be forsaken, which thou loathest in the presence of her two kings (Isaiah 7:16); where the Lord’s coming is treated of; the “ground which shall be forsaken” denotes faith, of which there would then be none, and the truths of which are the “kings that would be loathed.”

[5] In the same Prophet:

I will lift up My hand to the nations, and raise up My ensign to the peoples; and they shall bring thy sons in their bosom, and thy daughters shall be carried upon the shoulder; and kings shall be thy nourishers, and their queens those that give thee suck (Isaiah 49:22-23);

“the nations” and “the daughters” denote goods; and “the peoples” and “the sons” truths (as shown in Part First, where it may be seen that “nations” denote goods, n. 1259, 1260, 1416, 1849; and that “daughters” have a similar signification, n. 489-491; also that “peoples” denote truths, n. 1259, 1260; and “sons” likewise, n. 489, 491, 533, 1147). “Kings” therefore denote truths in general, by which they will be nourished, and their “queens” the goods from which they will be “suckled.” Whether you say goods and truths, or those who are in goods and truths, it is the same.

[6] Again in the same Prophet:

He shall sprinkle many nations, upon him kings shall shut their mouth-for that which was [not] told them have they seen; and that which they did not hear have they understood (Isaiah 52:15),

where the Lord’s coming is spoken of; the “nations” denote those who are affected by goods, and “kings” those who are affected by truths.

In David:

Now, O ye kings, be intelligent; be instructed, ye judges of the earth; serve Jehovah with fear, and exult with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish in the way (Psalms 2:10-12).

“Kings” denote those who are in truths; who also from their truths are often called “king’s sons;” “the Son” here denotes the Lord, who is here called “the Son” because He is the truth itself, and because all truth is from Him.

[7] In John:

They shall sing a new song, Worthy art Thou who takest the book, and openest the seals thereof; Thou hast made us unto our God kings and priests, that we may reign upon the earth (Revelation 5:9-10); where they who are in truths are called “kings.”

The Lord also calls such persons “the sons of the kingdom,” in Matthew:

He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the seed is the sons of the kingdom, and the tares are the sons of the evil one (Matthew 13:37-38).

In John:

The sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the Kings that are from the sun rising might be prepared (Revelation 16:12).

That by the “Euphrates” is not meant the Euphrates, nor by “the kings from the sun-rising” any kings therefrom, is evident (what is meant by the “Euphrates” may be seen above, n. 120, 1585, 1866); so that “the way of the kings that are from the sun-rising” means the truths of faith that are from the goods of love.

[8] In the same:

The nations that are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor into it (Revelation 21:24); where “the nations” denote those who are in goods, and “the kings of the earth” those who are in truths, as may be inferred from the fact that these words are prophetic, and not historical.

In the same:

With the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters the kings of the earth have committed whoredom, and have been made drunken with the wine of her whoredom (Revelation 17:1-2).

And again:

Babylon hath made all the nations drink of the wine of her whoredom, and the kings of the earth have committed whoredom with her (Revelation 18:3, 9); where in like manner it is evident that kings are not meant by “the kings of the earth;” for the falsification and adulteration of the doctrine of faith, that is, of truth, is treated of, and this is the “whoredom;” “the kings of the earth” denote the truths that are falsified and adulterated.

[9] In the same:

The ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, that have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority [potestas] as kings with the beast for one hour. These shall have one mind, and shall give their power and authority to the beast (Revelation 17:12-13).

That these “kings” are not kings, is evident to everyone; for if so it would be wholly unintelligible that the ten kings should receive authority as kings one hour. So too in another passage:

I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war with him that sat upon the horse, and with his army (Revelation 19:19).

That “he that sat upon the horse” is “the Word of God,” is openly stated in verse 13; and it is against this that the kings of the earth are said to have been gathered together. “The beast” denotes the goods of love, profaned; and “the kings” denote the truths of faith, adulterated; these are called “the kings of the earth,” because they are within the church. (That “the earth” is the church may be seen above, n. 662, 1066, 1067, 1262.) The “white horse” denotes the understanding of truth; and “he that sat upon the horse,” the Word. This meaning is still more manifest in Daniel (chapter 11), where the war between “the king of the south” and “the king of the north” is treated of; by which terms are signified the truths and falsities that had fought, the combats being described here also in an historical manner by this “war.”

[10] As “a king” signifies truth, it may be seen what is meant in the internal sense when the Lord is called a King and also a Priest; and also what it was in the Lord that was represented by kings, and what by priests. Kings represented His Divine truth, and priests His Divine good. All the laws of order by which the Lord governs the universe as King, are truths; but all the laws by which He governs the universe as Priest, and by which also He rules truths themselves, are goods; for government from truths alone would condemn everyone to hell; but government from goods lifts everyone out thence and uplifts him into heaven (see n. 1728). Because in the Lord’s case these two are conjoined, they were anciently represented by kingship conjoined with priesthood; as with Melchizedek, who was king of Salem and at the same time priest to God Most High (Genesis 14:18); and afterwards with the Jews, among whom the representative church was instituted in its own form, by judges and priests, and afterwards by kings.

[11] But as the kings represented truths, which ought not to have command, for the reason, as before said, that they condemn, therefore the desire to have kings was so displeasing as to call for rebuke, and the nature of truth as regarded in itself was described by the rights [jus] of the king (1 Samuel 8:11-18); and at an earlier day it was commanded by Moses (Deuteronomy 17:14-18) that they should choose genuine truth which is from good, and not spurious; and that they should not defile it by reasonings and memory-knowledges [scientifica]. This is what is involved in the directions concerning a king, given in Moses in the place just cited; which no one can possibly see from the sense of the letter, but yet is evident from the several points contained in the internal sense; so that “king” and “kingship” evidently represented and signified nothing else than truth.