526. And the third part of them was darkened.- That this signifies that all those things were changed into falsities of evil, and into the evils of falsity, is evident from the signification of darkness which denotes falsities, and hence of being darkened which denotes to be changed into falsities. The reason why it denotes to be changed into the falsities of evil and the evils of falsity is, that it is said the third part of the sun was darkened, the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; and the sun signifies the good of love, the moon, the good and truth of faith, and the stars, the cognitions of good and truth. Therefore the third part of the sun being darkened, signifies that the good of love was changed into evil, and the falsity thence, which is the falsity of evil. For good is changed into evil, and thence falsity, but the truth of faith, signified by the moon, is changed into falsity, and thence evil, which is the evil of falsity. The evil of falsity is the falsity of doctrine, from which proceeds evil of life, and the falsity of evil is evil of life, from which proceeds falsity of doctrine.

[2] The reason why darkness signifies falsity, is, that light signifies truth, and falsity is the opposite of truth, as darkness is of light. Moreover, when a man does not possess the light of life, which is the Divine Truth, the shadow of death is then in him, which is falsity. For man, from his proprium, is in every evil, and the falsity therefrom, and he can be removed from them only by means of the truths of the church; where therefore there are no truths, there the falsities of evil are. That truths are the only means by which man can be removed from evils, purified and reformed, may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 24).

[3] That darkness in the Word, signifies falsities of various kinds, is evident from the following passages.

In Joel:

"The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come" (2:31).

By the sun being turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, is signified the same as by the third part of the sun and the third part of the moon being darkened, namely, that at the end of the church the falsity of evil will be in the place of the good of love, and the evil of falsity in the place of the truth of faith. Similar things are signified elsewhere also in the Word, where mention is made of the darkening of the sun and moon.

[4] Thus in Isaiah:

"For the stars of the heavens, and the constellations thereof, shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his rising, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine" (13:10; 24:21, 23).

In Ezekiel:

"When I shall extinguish thee, I will cover the heavens; and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not make her light to shine. All the luminaries of light in the heavens will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land" (32:7, 8).

Again, in Joel:

"The day of Jehovah is near in the valley cut off. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their shining" (3:14, 15).

In the same:

"The day of Jehovah cometh, a day of darkness and thick darkness, a day of cloud, and obscurity, the earth quaketh before him, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their shining" (2:1, 2, 10).

And in the Evangelists:

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven" (Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24, 25).

These things are said concerning the last time of the church, when there are no longer any spiritual good and truth, or good and truth of heaven and the church, but only evil and falsity. That the goods and truths of the church, which are called the goods of love and the truths of faith, are changed into evils and falsities, is signified by the sun and moon being obscured and darkened, and the stars not giving their light. The last judgment, which then follows, is signified by the day of Jehovah great and terrible; and because this takes place when the church is in darkness and thick darkness, therefore it is also called a day of darkness, and of thick darkness, and also a day of cloud and obscurity, as also in the following passages.

[5] In Amos:

"Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah! what to you is the day of Jehovah? It is a day of darkness and not light. Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light? even thick darkness, and no brightness in it?" (5:18, 20).

And in Zephaniah:

"The day of Jehovah, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and thick darkness, a day of clouds and gloominess" (1:14, 15).

And in Isaiah:

"In that day he shall look into the land, which behold is darkness and sorrow, and the light becomes darkened in the ruins thereof" (5:30).

And again:

"He shall look unto the earth; and, behold, distress and thick darkness, the gloom of straitness; and driven with thick darkness" (8:22).

And again:

"Behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the people" (60:2).

So in Jeremiah:

"Give glory to Jehovah your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight, then shall we look for light, but he will turn it into the shadow of death, and make it thick darkness" (13:16).

These passages also relate to the last time of the church, when the Lord shall come into the world, and judgment be accomplished; because at that time there is no longer any good of love, or truth of faith, but evil of falsity, and the falsity of evil, that day is therefore called a day of darkness and of thick darkness.

[6] The same is signified by the darkness over all the land from the sixth hour to the ninth, when the Lord was crucified (Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44-49). By the darkness over all the land was represented, that in the entire church there was nothing but evil and the falsity thence and the falsity and the evil thence. The three hours also signify what is full and absolute; for all the details related in the Evangelists concerning the passion of the Lord, contain in them interior things of heaven, and signify celestial Divine things, and these can be made evident only by means of the internal spiritual sense.

[7] That falsity is signified by darkness, is still further evident from the following passages.

Thus in Isaiah:

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness" (5:20).

To put darkness for light, and light for darkness, signifies to call falsity truth, and truth falsity; that darkness denotes falsity and light truth, is clear, for good and evil are first mentioned, afterwards therefore, truth and falsity.

[8] So in John:

"And this is the judgment, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, for their works were evil" (3:19).

The Lord here calls Himself the light because He was the Divine Truth itself when in the world; therefore light signifies the Lord as to Divine Truth, and also Divine Truth from the Lord; and because darkness is opposed to light, therefore the darkness which men loved rather than the light, signifies the infernal falsity, which is the falsity of evil. That the falsity of evil is here meant by darkness, is evident from the words, for their works were evil. The falsity of evil exists from evil works or evils of the life; for as good conjoins to itself truth, so evil conjoins to itself falsity, the one is from the other.

[9] Similar things are signified by light and by darkness in the following passages in John:

"In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not" (1:4, 5).

Again:

Jesus said, "I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (8:12).

And again:

Jesus said, "Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you; for he that walketh in the darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me may not abide in darkness" (12:35, 46).

In these passages darkness signifies infernal falsity. For light of which darkness is the opposite, signifies Divine truth. Light signifies Divine Truth, because light in the heavens in its essence, is the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord; see in the Heaven and Hell 126-140). Since the Divine Truth is the light in the heavens, it follows that the falsity of evil, which is the falsity in the hells, is darkness; it does not indeed appear as darkness to those who are in the hells, for they do see one another, but the light (lumen) by which they see is like that from ignited charcoal, and such light, when the light of heaven flows into it, becomes complete darkness. For this reason the caverns and dens in which [the infernals] are, appear, to those who are in the heavens, like gloomy caves.

[10] From these considerations it is evident why darkness signifies the falsities of evil, and why the Lord said that those who are cast into hell should be cast into outer darkness (Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 25:30).

So in David:

"The enemy persecuteth my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to sit in darkness, as the dead of the world" (Psalm 143:3).

Here, by the enemy who persecuteth his soul, is signified, in the spiritual sense, evil; therefore his being made to sit in darkness, signifies to be in falsities.

[11] So in Isaiah:

"Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us; we look for light, but, behold darkness; for brightness, but we walk in thick darkness" (59:9).

By judgment is far from us, is signified that there is no understanding of truth; neither doth justice overtake us, signifies that there is no good of life; we look for light, but, behold, darkness, signifies expectation of truth, but behold falsity; and for brightness, but we walk in thick darkness, signifies the expectation of goods by truths, but behold the life of falsity from evils. For brightness signifies the goods of truth, because light signifies truth, and truth is resplendent from good; thick darkness signifies the falsities of evil, and to walk signifies to live.

[12] So in Luke:

"But this is your hour, and the power of darkness" (22:53).

This the Lord said to the chief priests, the rulers of the temple, and the elders who took Him by means of Judas. The power to do this wickedness the Lord calls the power of darkness, because they were in the falsities of evil, in falsities concerning the Lord, and in evils against Him; by darkness is here also meant hell, because such falsities of evil are there.

[13] So again:

The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye is clear, thy whole body also shall be full of light; but if thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed, therefore, that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp doth give thee light" (11:34, 35, 36; Matthew 6:22, 23).

The eye here signifies the understanding, and the pure or single eye, the understanding of truth from good; but the evil eye signifies the understanding of falsity from evil; the body which is said to be either full of light or darkness, signifies the whole man. It may then be concluded that the signification of these words in their series, is, that the whole man is of such a nature as the quality of his understanding from the will. For every man is his own good and his own truth, because he is his own love or his own affection, therefore his nature is entirely such as that of his understanding from the will. For all truth is of the understanding, and all good of the will; the body being only obedience, because it is the effect from an efficient cause, and the efficient cause is the understanding from the will; the quality therefore of the one is according to the quality of the other, since every effect derives all that it has from the efficient cause. That care must be taken, lest truth once perceived in the understanding and received into the will, be turned into falsity, which is done from evil, is meant by, "Take heed, therefore, that the light which is in thee be not darkness," for falsities consequently become worse; therefore it is said in Matthew in the passage already quoted, "If, therefore, the light which is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness."

[14] Darkness also signifies the falsities of evil in the prophet Isaiah:

"Sit thou silent, and enter into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for they shall call thee no more the mistress of kingdoms" (47:5).

Here, the daughter of the Chaldeans signifies the falsification of truth, and hence darkness signifies the falsities of evil, since evil falsifies truth. The falsity of evil was also signified by the thick darkness, which was over all the land of Egypt, during three days, while the children of Israel had light in their dwellings (Exodus 10:21, 22, 23); also by the darkness in Genesis 15:12, 17, and in many other passages.

[15] It has been shown so far, that darkness, in the Word, signifies the falsities of evil; that darkness also signifies falsities not of evil, such as were the falsities of religion with the upright Gentiles, originating in ignorance of the truth [shall now be shown]. That these falsities are also called darkness, is clear from the following passages:

In Isaiah:

"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined" (9:2).

And in Matthew:

"The people which sat in darkness saw great light; to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up" (4:16).

And in Luke:

The dayspring from on high hath appeared "to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death" (1:78, 79).

Again, in Isaiah:

"And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul then shall thy light rise in darkness, and thy thick darkness be as the noon day (58:10).

Again:

"He shall say to the bound, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves" (49:9).

Again, in the same prophet:

"And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of thick darkness and out of darkness" (29:18).

And again:

"And I will bring the blind by a way that they have not known; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight (42:16).

And in Micah:

"When I sit in darkness, Jehovah shall be a light unto me" (7:8).

In these passages, darkness signifies the falsities of ignorance, such as formerly existed, and at this day exist, with the upright Gentiles. These falsities are altogether distinct from the falsities of evil, for the latter contain in themselves evil, because they are from evil, while the former contain in themselves good, for they have good for an end. Those therefore who are in those falsities can be instructed in truths, and also when instructed they receive truths in the heart, because the good, which is in their falsities, loves the truth, and also conjoins itself with the truth when it is heard. The case is different with the falsities of evil; these are averse to, and reject all truth, because it is truth, and does not therefore agree with evil.

[16] In the Word, darkness also signifies mere ignorance arising from the deprivation of truth; as in David (Psalm 18:29; Psalm 139:11, 12). Darkness also signifies natural light (lumen naturale), for this, in comparison with spiritual light, is like darkness; wherefore also the angels, when they look down into the natural light of man, such as is in the natural cognition of men, regard it as darkness, and the things which are in it, as in darkness; this light (lumen), is signified by the darkness mentioned in Genesis (Micah 1:2-5). And because the sense of the letter of the Word is natural, therefore this also in the Word is called a cloud, and also darkness, in comparison with the internal sense, which is the light of heaven, and is called glory.

444. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand.- That this signifies good works, is evident from the representation, and hence signification, of Levi and his tribe, as denoting spiritual love which is called charity towards the neighbour. The tribe of Levi here signifies good works, because spiritual love or charity consists in doing goods, which are good works. Charity itself, considered in itself, is the affection for truth and good, and where that affection is, there a life according to truths and goods is found, for affection without a life according to the truths and goods by which it is bestowed has no existence; if it be thought to exist and to be present, it is a natural, not a spiritual affection. These two affections differ in this, that natural affection has for its end self and the world. Therefore the truths and goods with which a man is then affected he loves for his own reputation's sake, in order to obtain honours and wealth, in which case the life which he lives, according to the doctrinals he had learned, is merely put on from self for the sake of appearance and therefore is a life of pretence and interior hypocrisy. But spiritual affection has for its end the Lord, heaven, and eternal life, which it looks to in truths and goods, and so loves truths and goods spiritually. When a man possesses this affection he then loves to think and to will those things, consequently to live according to them. To live according to goods and truths is meant in the Word by doing, and the life itself, by the deeds and works so frequently mentioned in the Word. These things, therefore, are represented and signified by Levi and his tribe in the church with the Jews.

[2] Because this affection is the very essential of the church, therefore the tribe of Levi was made the priesthood; and the staff of Levi in the tent of the assembly blossomed with almonds; and for the same reason, an inheritance was not given to that tribe as to the other tribes, but [it was] amongst each of them. That the tribe of Levi was made the priesthood, is well known; for not only was Aaron made the chief priest, but also his sons succeeded him, and all the Levites were given them for the purpose of ministering. That Moses and Aaron were of the tribe of Levi, may be seen in Exodus (6:20); Numbers (18:2); and that the Levites were appointed to be ministers of Aaron and his sons, is seen in Moses. The tribe of Levi was chosen for the priesthood to keep the charge of the whole assembly before the tent of the congregation to do the service of the Tabernacle; and the Levites were given to Aaron, and taken instead of all the first-born.

[3] Concerning their ministry and offices see Numbers (3:1 to end). The priesthood was given to the tribe of Levi, because it represented, and thence signified, love and charity.

Love and charity are the affection for spiritual good and truth; for affection is the term used of love in its continuity, affection being the continuity of love. The same is also signified in the Word by the priesthood and its ministry. For this affection is the essential of the church, since where that is, there is the church, and where it does not exist the church does not exist. For the affection for good and truth is the very spiritual life of man, because when man is affected with good and truth, he is then in good and truth as to his life; his very thought is then nothing but affection in a varied form, for a man draws whatever he thinks, from his thought, since no one can think without affection. This then is the reason why the tribe of Levi was appointed to the priesthood. A similar thing is related of the Levites in Ezekiel, where a new earth, a new city, and a new temple are treated of (40:46; 43:19; 44:15; 48:11, 12).

[4] Because the tribe of Levi represented, and thence signified, charity in act, thus the goods of charity, which are good works, therefore the staff of Levi upon which was written the name of Aaron, and which was placed in the tent of the congregation, bloomed with almonds (Num. 17:2-11). Almonds signify the goods of charity, for all things of the church in man flourish from these, because when he possesses the goods of charity, he possesses intelligence and faith, being in the affection of understanding what he knows from the Word, and in the will to act according to what he knows. Since it is necessary for the good of charity to be in all things of the church, in order that the church may be in them, and because the very affection for good and truth, which is charity, gives the power to understand, and instructs all, therefore the tribe of Levi was not only appointed to the priesthood, but also neither lot nor inheritance was granted to that tribe as to the rest, but it was amongst all, as is evident in Moses (Num. 35:1 to end; and in Joshua 21:1 to end). On this account it is said in Moses,

"Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; Jehovah is his inheritance" (Deuteronomy 10:9).

[5] And because, as we have stated, every man acquires knowledge, intelligence and wisdom, according to his affection for good and truth, therefore it is also said in Moses,

"Jehovah God hath chosen" the sons of Levi "to minister unto him, and to bless in his name; and according to their mouth shall every controversy and every stroke be" (Deuteronomy 21:5).

These words, in the spiritual sense, signify that the affection for good and truth, which is charity, ministers to the Lord, and teaches the things pertaining to the church and worship, and distinguishes falsities from truths, and evils from goods; for "the sons of Levi," in the spiritual sense, signify the affection for good and truth, which is charity. From these observations it is evident that the tribe of Levi was chosen for the priesthood, and had an inheritance among all the tribes, not because that tribe was better than the rest, but because it represented charity in act, and good works, which are the effects of all good and truth in man.

[6] That the tribe of Levi signifies in the Word the goods of charity, which are good works, is also evident from the following passages.

In Jeremiah:

"In those days, and at that time, will I cause a just branch of David to grow up; and he shall execute judgment and justice in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is the name whereby He shall be called, Jehovah our Justice. There shall not be cut off from David a man sitting upon the throne of the house of Israel; and from the priests, the Levites there shall not be cut off a man from before my faces to offer the burnt-offering, and to kindle the meat-offering, and to do sacrifice continually. If ye shall render vain my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, then will also my covenant become of no effect with David my servant, that he shall not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers. As the host of the heavens is not numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured; so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites my ministers" (Jeremiah 33:15-17, [18,] 20-22).

Here the subject is the coming of the Lord, who is the branch of David, and is called Jehovah our Justice. That Judah shall then be saved, and Israel dwell safely, signifies that then those will be saved who are in love to the Lord. That Israel shall dwell safely signifies that then those who are in charity towards their neighbour will not be infested by evils and falsities. There shall not be cut off from David a man sitting upon the throne of the house of Israel, signifies that then Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord shall reign continually in the church, the throne of the house of Israel denoting the church where it reigns. And from the priests the Levites there shall not be cut off a man from before my faces to offer the burnt-offering, and to kindle the meat-offering, and to do sacrifice continually, signifies, that then there shall be worship continually from the good of love and charity, and from the truths of faith.

[7] The Levites signify those who are in such worship; the burnt-offering signifies worship from the good of love; the meat-offering worship from the good of charity towards the neighbour; and the sacrifice, worship from the truths of faith. If ye shall render vain my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night signifies if they did not observe these two things, which make conjunction with the Lord, love and faith; covenant denotes conjunction; the covenant of the day, conjunction by love, and the covenant of the night, conjunction by faith. Then will also my covenant become of no effect with David my servant, that he shall not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests my ministers, signifies that then they would have neither Divine truth, nor Divine Good. The Levites the priests and ministers are those who are in the good of love to the Lord, and in worship thence. As the host of the heavens is not numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured, signifies the knowledges of truth and good in the spiritual and natural man, the host of heaven denoting those knowledges in the spiritual man, and the sand of the sea the same in the natural man. So will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites my ministers, signifies the multiplication of Divine Truth, and the fructification of Divine Good, in those who have conjunction with the Lord. The Levites, the priests, here and elsewhere in the Word, signify those who are in the good of love and charity, and in the abstract sense that good itself.

[8] In Malachi:

"Behold, I send my angel, who shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, and the angel of the covenant whom ye desire; for he is as a refiner's fire, and as fuller's soap; and he shall sit refining and purifying the silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and shall purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to Jehovah a meat-offering in justice. Then shall the meat-offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant to Jehovah, according to the days of an age, and according to the former years" (3:1-4).

The signification of these things in the spiritual sense may be seen explained above (n. 242:9 and 433:12), where it is shown that by the sons of Levi are meant all those who are in the good of charity, and thence in the good of faith. The subject is the coming of the Lord. His Divine Human is meant by His temple, to which Jehovah the Lord shall come; and that He would purify those who are in the good of charity, and thence in the good of faith, is meant by His purifying and purging the sons of Levi. That the sons of Levi themselves are not meant is evident, for it is said that He shall then purify and purge them, and that the meat-offering of Judah and Jerusalem shall then be pleasant to Jehovah. It is known that the Lord did not purify and purge the Levites; nor was the meat-offering of Judah and Jerusalem pleasant to the Lord, for they were altogether against the Lord, and worship by sacrifices and meat-offering was at that time abrogated. For by Judah there, is meant all who are in the good of love to the Lord, and by Jerusalem the church which is in truths of doctrine; see above (n. 433).

[9] Again, in Moses:

"And of Levi he said, thy Thummim and thy Urim, to thy holy man whom thou didst prove in Massah, and with whom thou didst strive, at the waters of Meribah; who said to his father and to his mother, I have not seen you; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor know his sons; for they shall guard thy word, and they shall keep thy covenant. They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law; they shall put incense to thy nostril, and whole burnt-sacrifice upon thine altar. And accept the work of his hands; smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again" (Deuteronomy 33:8-11).

These words occur in the blessing of the sons of Israel by Moses, in which the subject treated of is the Word, which in the representative sense is signified by Moses. By Urim and Thummim is signified Divine Truth shining forth from Divine Good, therefore the Word; and by Levi is meant the spiritual affection for truth. The holy man whom they tempted in Massah, and at the waters of Meribah, means the Lord as to Divine Truth, for the rock at which that temptation took place signifies the Lord, and the waters issuing thence signify Divine truths. The father and mother to whom he said, "I have not seen you," signify the Israelitish church, which did not acknowledge the Lord, the church being called father from good, and mother from truth. His brethren whom he did not acknowledge, and his sons whom he knew not, mean the goods and truths of the church, which that church did not possess, brethren denoting goods, and sons denoting truths.

[10] But because the sons of Levi signify the goods and truths of the church, and generally, the spiritual affection for truth and good, it is therefore said of them, they shall guard thy word, and keep thy covenant; they shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law. This signifies that those who are in the spiritual affection for truth act according to the Word, and teach the goods and truths of the church, for it is the spiritual affection for truth that itself acts and teaches, because the Lord flows into that affection, doing the good in man, and teaching truth in him. The Word in this passage is the Divine Truth, and "to guard it" means to act, covenant denoting conjunction with the Lord by means of it. Judgments are truths of doctrine from the Word; the law is the good of truth; Jacob and Israel are the church. They shall put incense to thy nostril, signifies worship from the truths of doctrine; and whole burnt-sacrifice upon thine altar, signifies worship from the good of love. Smite through the loins of them that rise against him, signifies the dissipation of falsities by truths; and smite through the loins of them that hate him, that they rise not again, signifies the dissipation of evils. These things are said concerning Levi, because Divine Truth, which is the Word, is in those only who are in the spiritual affection for truth. The spiritual affection for truth is love for the truth itself, and esteem for it above every good of the world, because by means of it man has eternal life, which can be implanted in him only by means of truths, therefore by means of the Word, for the Lord teaches truths by the Word. The spiritual affection for truth, which is love for truths above every good of the world, is thus described by the Lord in Matthew:

"The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls; who, when, he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it" (13:45, 46).

A pearl signifies truth. That man cannot have eternal life except by means of truths from good, which is from the Lord, may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 24, to the end).

[11] That Levi signifies love and charity is evident from the words of his mother Leah when she bare him, which are these:

And Leah "conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my man (vir) adhere unto me, because I have borne him three sons; therefore she called his name Levi" (Genesis 29:34).

She conceived again and bare a son, signifies spiritual conception and birth; and said, Now this time will my man (vir) adhere unto me, signifies spiritual love, by means of which conjunction takes place, or charity; because I have borne him three sons, signifies what is successive; therefore she called his name Levi, signifies conjunction by means of love and its quality. These things are further explained in the Arcana Coelestia 3873-3877). Levi signifies adhesion, and adhesion signifies conjunction by means of spiritual love. The three sons of Leah, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, born in the order named, signify in their series the chief and primary essentials of the church, truth in the understanding, truth in the will, and truth in act, like the three disciples of the Lord, Peter, James, and John. For Peter signifies truth in the understanding, James, truth in the will, and John, truth in act, which is the good of life, or the good of charity; and adhesion, which in the original tongue is called Levi, signifies conjunction by means of love and charity. That adhesion has this signification may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 3875).

[12] That Levi in the highest sense signifies the Lord as to love and mercy, is evident in Malachi:

"And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant may be with Levi. My covenant of life and peace was with him; which I gave to him in fear, that he might fear me, therefore on account of my name he hath feared for himself. The law of truth was in his mouth, and perversity was not found in his lips; he walked with me in peace and uprightness, and did turn many away from iniquity; the lips of the priest shall seek [the law] from his mouth; for he is the messenger (angelus) of Jehovah of hosts. But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble in the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi" (Malachi 2:4-7,

[8]).

Here Levi, in the highest sense, means the Lord as to His Divine Human, for it is said of Levi, that "the law of truth was in his mouth, and perversity was not found in his lips," that "the lips of the priest shall seek [the law] from his mouth, for he is the messenger of Jehovah of Hosts." The covenant, therefore, of Levi means conjunction with the Lord by means of love and charity; the covenant of life and peace signifies that conjunction, and the fear which is also stated of Him, signifies love. The lips of the priest shall seek [the law] from his mouth "signifies, that all the truth of doctrine is from Him, and with those who are in love to Him. He is called the Angel of Jehovah from the Divine Truth which the Lord teaches in the Word and by means of the Word. Their departing out of the way, and causing many to stumble in the law, and corrupting the covenant of Levi, signifies that the church with the Israelites perverted the truths of the Word, and thence the goods of life, and therefore destroyed conjunction with the Lord; way signifying the truths of doctrine, the law, the goods thereof, and the covenant of Levi, conjunction with the Lord. From these things the signification of Levi and his tribe in the representative sense is evident, namely, the good of charity, which is the good of life, also the spiritual affection for good and truth, and, in the highest sense, the Lord as to spiritual love.

[13] Since most things in the Word have also an opposite sense, so have Levi and his tribe, and in this sense Levi signifies the evil of falsity, which is contrary to the good of charity; and also a life without charity, consequently, the absence of charity towards the neighbour. This is signified by Levi in the prophecy of Israel concerning his sons:

"Simeon and Levi are brethren; weapons of violence are their swords; into their secret let not my soul come, in their congregation let not my glory be united; because in their anger they slew a man, and in their good pleasure they unstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their wrath, for it was hard; I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel" (Genesis 49:5-7).

These words have been explained in the article above, where Simeon is treated of (n. 443:6).

[14] This opposite sense is also meant by the Levite in the Lord's parable concerning the man wounded by robbers. This parable shall be explained here, because it treats of charity towards the neighbour, and because the Lord spoke therein from beginning to end by correspondences, which have not hitherto been known.

A lawyer "willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, Who is my neighbour? Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead, and by chance there came down a certain priest that way; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two-pence (denarii), and gave them to the host, and said, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the robbers? And he said, He that showed mercy unto him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise" (Luke 10:29-37).

The subject involved in these words is charity towards the neighbour, and good works by means of which charity is in its effect and fulness. Jerusalem there signifies the church in which there is true doctrine, and Jericho, the church which is in possession of the knowledges of good and truth. The priest from Jerusalem signifies those in whom there is no love to the Lord, and the Levite, those in whom there is no charity towards the neighbour, which was the character of the people of Jerusalem at that time; but the Samaritan signifies the Gentiles, who were in the good of charity. The man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho signifies those who are willing to be instructed in the truths and knowledges of the church; the robbers amongst whom he fell signify those who were then in the perverted church, such as the Jewish church was at that time. Their stripping him of his raiment, wounding him, and leaving him half dead, signifies that they deprived him of truths, instilled falsities into him, and injured him in regard to spiritual life to such a degree that scarcely any remained.

To strip any one of raiment, signifies in the Word to deprive him of truths; to wound, signifies to injure the mind and spiritual life by means of falsities; and to be half dead signifies until almost destitute of that life; to have compassion signifies to exercise mercy and charity from an interior [principle], for mercy and charity form one. To bind up the wounds, and to pour in oil and wine, signify to provide a remedy against the falsities which had injured his life, by means of instruction in the good of love and the truth of faith, oil in the Word signifying the good of love, and wine, the good and truth of faith. To set him upon his own beast, signifies according to the capacity of his understanding, a beast of burden having here a similar meaning to that of a horse, namely, the understanding. To bring him to an inn, and take care of him, signifies, to [bring him to] those who are better instructed in the knowledges of good and truth, for an inn is a place where meat and drink are bought, and these signify the knowledges of good and truth, and therefore that spiritual nourishment, which is given by instruction. His giving to the host two-pence (denarii), and saying to him, "Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee," signifies the doing of all things of charity according to one's ability and power. From these things it is now evident what Levi, his tribe, and the Levites, signify in both senses. More may be seen concerning the representation and thence the signification of Levi, and the tribe named after him, in the Arcana Coelestia 3875, 3876, 3877, 4497, 4502, 4503, 6352, 10017).