At face value, the Ten Commandments can seem intense and unforgiving. But Emanuel Swedenborg’s understanding of the internal sense of the Bible—spiritual meanings that lie beneath the literal words—can give us a new perspective on these familiar rules.

In this episode of their Swedenborg and Life web series, hosts Curtis Childs and Jonathan Rose study the inner meaning of the first commandment.

(References: Apocalypse Revealed 950; Arcana Coelestia 8864, 8865, 8868, 8869, 8875, 8878, 8879, 8880, 8881)

8863. Verses 2-7 I am Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves. You shall not have other gods before My face. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness [of things] which are in the heavens above, and which are on the earth beneath, and which are in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow down to them, and you shall not serve them; for I am Jehovah your God, a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the sons, ¹ on the third and on the fourth [generations] of those who hate Me, and showing mercy to thousands who love Me and keep My commandments. You shall not take the name of [Jehovah] your God in vain; for Jehovah will not render him innocent who takes His name in vain.

'I am Jehovah your God' means the Lord in respect of the Divine Human reigning universally, in every single aspect of goodness and truth. 'Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves' means deliverance by Him from hell. 'You shall not have other gods before My face' means that there must be no thought about truths from any source other than the Lord. 'You shall not make for yourself a graven image' means no product of self-intelligence. 'Or any likeness' means a resemblance of those things which are from God. 'Which are in the heavens above, and which are on the earth beneath' means which exist in spiritual light, and which exist in natural light. 'And which are in the waters under the earth' means which exist on the level of the bodily senses. 'You shall not bow down to them, and you shall not serve them' means that no Divine worship must be offered to them. 'For I am Jehovah your God' means that the Divine from the Lord is in every single thing. 'A jealous God' means that as a result there is falsity and evil. 'Visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the sons' means the consequent propagation of falsity from evil. 'On the third and on the fourth [generations]' means in a long sequence, and joined together. 'Of those who hate Me' means those who completely reject the Lord's Divinity. 'And showing mercy to thousands' means goodness and truth imparted to them for evermore. 'Who love Me' means who receive the good of love. 'And keep My commandments' means who receive the truths of faith. 'You shall not take the name of your God in vain' means instances in which the truth or the good of faith is profaned or blasphemed. 'For Jehovah will not render him innocent who takes His name in vain' means that these things cannot be forgiven.

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