625. Over peoples, and nations, and tongues, and many kings.- That this signifies with all those who are in truths and goods as to life, and at the same time in goods and truths as to doctrine according to every one's religion, consequently that the Word may be taught as to goods of life and as to truths of doctrine, is evident from the signification of peoples and nations, as denoting those who are of the spiritual church, and those who are of the celestial church. Those who are of the spiritual church are called in the Word peoples, but those who are of the celestial church are called nations. Those who are of the spiritual church, and are called peoples, are in truths as to doctrine and life; and those who are of the celestial church, and are called nations, are in the good of love to the Lord, and thence in good as to life (concerning this signification of people and nations in the Word, see above, n. 175, 331); and from the signification of tongues, and many kings, as denoting those who are in goods and truths as to life and doctrine, but according to each one's religion. For tongues signify the goods of truth, and confession thereof according to each one's religion (see above, n. 330, 455); and kings signify truths which are from good, and many kings, various truths which are from good, but according to each one's religion (concerning this signification of kings, see above, n. 31, 553).

[2] Various truths from good are signified by "many kings," because the peoples and nations out of the church were for the most part in falsities as to doctrine, but still, because they lived a life of love to God and of charity towards the neighbour, the falsities of their religion were accepted by the Lord as truths, because the good of love was interiorly in their falsities, and the good of love qualifies all truth, and in such case qualifies the falsity that is believed by such to be truth; the good also, which lies concealed within, causes such, when they come into the other life, to perceive genuine truths, and receive them. Moreover there are truths that are only appearances of truth, such as are those contained in the sense of the letter of the Word; these appearances of truth are also accepted by the Lord as genuine truths when the good of love to the Lord, and the good of charity towards the neighbour are in them; in the other life also the good that lies hidden within dissipates appearances, and lays bare spiritual truths, that are genuine truths. From these things the meaning of "many kings" is evident. But concerning falsities with the Gentiles in which there is good, see the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 21).

[3] From what has been said and shown in this and the preceding article, it is plain, that the command to John that he must prophesy again over peoples, and nations, and tongues, and many kings, signifies that the Word must as yet be taught to those who are in goods and truths as to doctrine, and thence as to life. But because it is said, "over peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings," also these words signify, that the Word must be taught as to goods of life and as to truths of doctrine, for the Word in its whole extent contains these two.

[4] This is the sense of those words apart from persons, which is the truly spiritual sense. The sense of the letter in most places is concerned with persons, and it also names them, but the truly spiritual sense is entirely apart from persons. For the angels, who are in the spiritual sense of the Word, in everything which they think and speak, have no idea of person or place, because the idea of person and place limits and confines the thoughts, and consequently renders them natural. But it is different when the idea is abstracted from persons and places; and this is the reason why they have intelligence and wisdom, and why angelic intelligence and wisdom are inexpressible. For while man lives in the world, he is in natural thought; and natural thought derives its ideas from persons, places, and times, and from material things, and, if these were taken away from man, his thought which comes to perception would perish, for he comprehends nothing without such things. But angelic thought is without ideas derived from persons, places, times, and material things; for this reason angelic thought and speech therefrom are inexpressible, and are also incomprehensible to man.

[5] The man, however, who has in the world lived a life of love to the Lord and of charity towards his neighbour, comes into that inexpressible intelligence and wisdom after his departure out of the world; for his interior mind, which is the very mind of his spirit, is then opened, and the man, when he becomes an angel, then thinks and speaks from it, and therefore thinks and speaks such things as he could neither utter nor comprehend in the world. Every man possesses such a spiritual mind, which is like the angelic mind; but because, in the world, he speaks, sees, hears, and feels, by means of the material body, it lies hid within the natural mind, or lives above it, and he is then altogether ignorant of what he is thinking in the spiritual mind; for the thought of that mind then flows into the natural mind, and is there limited, bounded, and so presented as to be seen and perceived. A man does not know so long as he lives in the body in the world that he interiorly possesses such a mind, and therein angelic wisdom and intelligence, because, as stated, all things that concern that mind flow into the natural mind, and thus become natural according to correspondences. These things are said in order that the quality of the Word in the spiritual sense may be known, when that sense is regarded altogether apart from persons and places, that is apart from those things that take their quality from the material things pertaining to the body and the world.

455. And peoples, and tongues.- That this signifies all those who are in falsities from ignorance and from various religions, is evident from the signification of peoples, as denoting those who are in truths of doctrine, and in the opposite sense, those who are in falsities of doctrine, concerning which see above (n. 175); but in the present case, those who are in falsities of doctrine from ignorance; here those who are saved, although they have been in falsities from the doctrine of their religion, are treated of; for all those are saved who are in the good of life according to the tenets of their religion, which they have believed to be truths, although they are not truths, since falsity is not imputed to any one who lives well according to the tenets of his religion, because it is no fault of his that he does not know truths; for the good of life according to religion contains within itself the affection of knowing truths, and these such persons also learn and receive when they come into another life, because every affection remains with man after death, and especially the affection of knowing truths, since this is a spiritual affection; and a man, when he becomes a spirit, is his own affection, and therefore, the truths which they desire they then drink in, and thus they receive them deeply into their hearts; (That the falsities of religion, if a man lives well, are accepted by the Lord as truths, may be seen above, n. 452); and from the signification of tongues, which denote their confessions from religion, for by tongues are meant speech, and speech signifies confession and religion, because the tongue utters and confesses those things that belong to religion.

[2] In the Word, the lip, mouth, and tongue are frequently mentioned; and the lip signifies doctrine, the mouth thought, and the tongue confession. The reason of these significations is that the lip, the mouth, and the tongue, are the external organs of man, by which internal things are made manifest, and internal things are those signified in the internal or spiritual sense. For the Word in the letter consists of exterior things, which appear before the eyes, and are perceived by the senses; for this reason the Word in the letter is natural, and this is the case in order that the Divine Truth which it contains may be there in its ultimate, and so in its fulness; but those external natural things, comprehend in themselves internal spiritual things, which are therefore the things signified.

[3] That tongues signify confessions from religion, and according to the tenets of religion, is evident from the following passages.

In Isaiah:

"The time will come for gathering together all nations and tongues, that they may come and see my glory" (66:18).

This is said of the coming of the Lord. Nations and tongues signify all who are in the good of life according to their religions; tongues signify religions from confession; therefore it is said, "That they may come and see my glory," glory signifying Divine Truth, by which the church exists.

[4] In Daniel:

"Behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of the heavens; and there was given him dominion and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and tongues, should serve him" (7:13, 14).

That the Son of man, who was to come in the clouds of heaven, means the Lord, is evident. The clouds of the heavens mean the Word in the letter, in which it is said that the Lord will come, because the Word treats of Him, and in its inmost sense of Him alone. For this reason it is said "the Son of man," for the Lord is called "the Son of man" from Divine Truth, which is the Word. But more may be seen above (n. 36) upon this subject, where the following words in the Apocalypse are explained: Behold he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him (1:7). The Lord's power from Divine Good is meant by dominion, and from Divine Truth, by glory, while heaven and the church are meant by a kingdom. People, tongues, and nations, signify all those who are in doctrine and in a life according to their religion. Those who are in doctrine are called peoples; those who are in life, nations; while tongues denote religions.

[5] In Zechariah:

"In those days ten men out of all tongues of the nations, shall take hold of the skirt of a man that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you" (8:23).

The spiritual sense of these words may be seen above (n. 433:26). A Jew means those who are in love to the Lord and in truths of doctrine from Him; and by all tongues of the nations are meant those who are of various religions.

[6] Similar things are signified by tongues in the following passages.

In Moses:

"From these were dispersed the isles of the nations in their lands, every one according to his tongue, according to their families, in their nations." The habitations of the sons "of Shem, according to their families, according to their tongues, in their lands, according to their nations" (Genesis 10:5, 31).

In the Apocalypse:

"Thou must prophesy again over peoples, and nations, and tongues, and many kings" (10:11).

And again:

"And from among the peoples, and kindreds, and tongues, and nations, shall they see their dead bodies three days and a half" (11:9).

And again:

"And it was given unto" the beast "to make war with the saints, and to overcome them; and power was given him over every tribe, and tongue, and nation" (13:7).

Again:

"I saw an angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the eternal gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and tribe, and tongue, and people" (14:6).

And again:

"The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues" (17:15).

Waters here signify the truths of the Word, for waters in the Word denote truths, and, in the opposite sense, falsities. Therefore, by peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues, are here meant those who are in truths falsified, which in themselves are falsities, and thence in evils of life.

[7] So in Luke:

The rich man said to Abraham, "Have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame" (16:24).

In this parable, as well as in the rest, the Lord spoke by correspondences, as is evident from this, that the rich man does not mean the rich, neither does Abraham mean Abraham. The water with which Lazarus might cool the rich man's tongue does not mean water, and neither does "tongue" mean the tongue, nor does "flame" mean flame, for in hell no one is tormented by flames. But by the rich man are meant those who are of the church where the Word is, out of which they have spiritual riches, which are truths of doctrine. Therefore by the rich man are there meant the Jews, who were then in possession of the Word; by Abraham is meant the Lord; by the water into which Lazarus might dip the tip of his finger, is signified truth from the Word; by the tongue, thirst and eager desire to pervert the truths of the Word; and by flame, the various and manifold punishment of that eager desire. Hence the signification of those words in a series is evident; and that by cooling the tongue with water is signified to allay the thirst and eager desire to pervert truths, and by means of them to confirm falsities. Who cannot see that it is not meant that Lazarus should dip the tip of his finger in water to cool the tongue?

[8] Again in Zechariah:

"This shall be the plague wherewith Jehovah will smite all the peoples that shall fight against Jerusalem; the flesh of every one shall consume away while he stands upon his feet, and his eyes shall consume away in their sockets, and his tongue shall consume away in his mouth" (14:12).

These things are spoken of those who endeavour to destroy the truths of doctrine by falsities; this is signified by fighting against Jerusalem, for Jerusalem signifies the church as to doctrine, and thence the truths of the doctrine of the church. By the flesh consuming away is signified that all the good of love and of life would perish, for this is signified by flesh. By standing upon their feet, is meant upon bones without flesh, which signifies that they would become altogether corporeal-natural, for the feet signify those things which pertain to the natural man, and in the present case, its lowest things. By their eyes consuming away in their sockets, is signified that all the understanding of truth would perish, for the eyes signify the understanding. By his tongue consuming away in the mouth is signified that all perception of truth and affection for good would perish. The tongue also signifies perception of truth and affection for good; perception of truth from the fact that it speaks, and affection for good, from the fact that it tastes, for taste signifies appetite, desire, and affection.

[9] In the book of Judges:

"Jehovah said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the waters with his tongue as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped in their hand, was three hundred men. These were led against Midian, and smote him" (7:5-7).

By Midian are here meant those who care nothing for truth, because they are merely natural and external, therefore they were smitten by those who lapped water in their hand with their tongue like a dog; for by these are meant those who desire truths, that is those who from some natural affection have a desire to know truths, for a dog signifies appetite and desire, waters signify truths, and lapping them with the tongue signifies to long for, and to be affected with desire; Midian was therefore smitten by these. Who cannot see that this would not have been commanded unless it had been significative?

[10] In David:

"Thou hidest them in the secret of thy faces from the pride of man; thou concealest them in a tabernacle from the strife of tongues" (Psalm 31:20).

Here the secret of the faces in which Jehovah hides them, signifies the Divine Good of the Divine Love, for the "faces of Jehovah" signifies the good of love and secret signifies interiorly in man. The pride of man signifies the pride of his own intelligence; the tabernacle in which He concealed them signifies Divine Truth; and the strife of tongues signifies the falsity of religion, from which they reason against truths. Hence it is evident what these words signify in a series.

[11] In Jeremiah:

"Lo, I will bring a nation upon you, a nation whose tongue thou shalt not know, nor understand what they say; they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread" (5:15-17).

It is not meant by these words that a nation of an unknown tongue, or of an unintelligible speech, should be brought; but an evil nation of an altogether different religion is meant, whose dogmas they would not know, nor would understand the reasonings based on them. In the abstract sense the falsities of evil are signified, which are altogether opposite to the truths of good; for nation, in the abstract sense, denotes evil, and tongue in this case the falsity of religion, and to speak denotes to reason therefrom, therefore the words follow, "they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread." For by harvest are signified truths by means of which there is good, by bread is signified the good thence, and eating up signifies to consume and take away.

[12] In Ezekiel:

"For thou art not sent to a people deep of lip, and heavy of tongue; unto the house of Israel; not to great peoples deep of lip and heavy of tongue whose words thou hast not understood; had I sent thee to them, would they not have obeyed thee?" (3:5, 6).

A people deep of lip and heavy of tongue, whose words cannot be understood, signifies those who are in unintelligible doctrine, and thence in an abstruse religion, whose dogmas cannot be apprehended. Lip signifies doctrine, tongue religion, and words the dogmas thereof. Wherefore by these people are meant the Gentiles who do not possess the Word, from which Jehovah, that is, the Lord, is known. That they would receive Divine truths if instructed, is signified by their obeying, if he had been sent unto them.

[13] In Isaiah:

"Thou shalt not see an obdurate people, a people of depths of lip that thou understandest not, barbarous in tongue [in which there is] no intelligence" (33:19).

By a people of depths of lip and by barbarous in tongue are signified similar things to those meant by peoples of a deep lip and heavy of tongue mentioned above. It is evident that a people whose speech is unintelligible is not meant, for it is also said, and barbarous in tongue [in which there is] no intelligence, for there may be intelligence in the tongue or speech, but not in their religion.

[14] Again:

"I have sworn, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear" (45:23).

The subject here is the coming of the Lord, and by every knee shall bow, is signified that all those who are in natural from spiritual good shall worship Him, the knee signifying the conjunction of natural good with spiritual. Hence it is evident that bending the knees signifies acknowledgment, thanksgiving, and adoration from spiritual good and delight in the Natural. Every tongue shall swear, signifies that all will confess Him who are in good from religion; to swear denotes to confess, and the tongue denotes the religion according to which they live.

[15] In David:

"My tongue shall speak of thy justice all the day, and of thy praise" (Psalm 35:28).

Here also the tongue signifies confession from the doctrine of the church, for it is said that it speaks; justice is stated of the good, and praise of the truth thereof, as in other parts of the Word.

So again:

"My tongue also shall speak of thy justice all the day long" (Psalm 71:24).

[16] In the same:

"Let" the wicked "beset me with gall; the mischief of their lips covers them; burning coals overwhelm them. Let them be cast into deep pits by fire that they rise not again. A man of tongue shall not be established in the earth" (Psalm 140:9-11).

Gall signifies truth falsified, which in itself is falsity; the mischief of their lips signifies the falsity of doctrine thence, for lips signify doctrine. By burning coals overwhelming them, and by the fire by which they are to be cast into deep pits are signified pride on account of their own intelligence, and the love of self through which they fall into absolute falsities; burning coals signify the pride of one's own intelligence; fire, the love of self; and pits, falsities. All falsities of doctrine in the church, and all falsifications of the Word, exist also from the pride of man's own intelligence, and from the love of self. It is evident, therefore, that a man of tongue shall not be established in the earth, signifies a false religion.

[17] Again:

"I lie down, my soul in the midst of lions; the sons of men are inflamed; their teeth are spears and darts, and their tongue is a sharp sword" (Psalm 57:4).

Lions signify those who plunder the church of truths, and thus destroy it; the sons of men who are inflamed signify those who are in the truths of the church, and in the abstract, the truths themselves, which are said to be inflamed by the pride of man's own intelligence, whence arise falsities. Their teeth are spears and darts, signifies reasonings from external sensuals, and thus from the fallacies and falsities of religion, by which truths are destroyed, the teeth signifying the ultimates of the life of man, which are external sensual things, and in the present case reasonings from them. The tongue signifies the falsities of religion, wherefore it is said, "their tongue is a sharp sword," for by a sword is signified the destruction of truth by falsities.

[18] So in Job:

"Wilt thou draw out leviathan with a hook? and press down his tongue with a rope?" (Job 41:1).

In this and the preceding chapter, the behemoth and the leviathan are spoken of, and each signifies the natural man. The behemoth signifies the natural man in regard to goods, which are called the delights of natural love; and the leviathan, the natural man in regard to truths, which are called scientifics and knowledges, from which there is natural light (lumen). Both of these are described by pure correspondences, in the ancient style of writing. That reasoning by means of scientifics (scientifica) from the light of nature cannot be restrained except by God, is described in this and the following chapter by the leviathan, and also by these words, "Wilt thou draw out leviathan with a hook? or press down his tongue with a rope?" The tongue signifies reasoning from scientifics. That the leviathan signifies the natural man in regard to scientifics, is evident from other passages, where it is named, as in Isaiah 27:1; Psalm 74:14; Psalm 104:26, and also from the fact that the sea-monster, which is meant by the leviathan, signifies the natural man as to scientifics.

[19] Again, in Isaiah:

"The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be swift to speak" (32:4).

The rash mean those who readily seize upon and believe whatever is said, and therefore falsities also. Of these it is said, that they shall understand and know, which means to receive truths. The stammerers mean those who are able to apprehend the truths of the church only with difficulty; their tongue shall be swift to speak means, that they shall confess them from affection; "swift," is said of affection.

[20] In the same prophet:

"Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing; for in the desert shall waters break out, and rivers in the plain of the desert" (35:6).

These things are said concerning the coming of the Lord. The lame signify those who are in good, but not in genuine good, because in ignorance of truth, by means of which good exists; to leap as a hart signifies to have joy from perception of truth. The dumb signify those who cannot confess the Lord, nor the genuine truths of the church, because of their ignorance of truth; by their singing is signified joy from the understanding of truth. By waters breaking out in the desert is signified that truths shall be made known where they did not exist before; and rivers in the plain of the desert signify intelligence there, for waters signify truths, and rivers, intelligence.

[21] From these explanations it is evident what is signified in the spiritual sense by the deaf man, who had an impediment in his speech, and whom the Lord healed as recorded in Mark.

Jesus took the deaf man that had an impediment in his speech, "and put his finger into his ears, and he spat, and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, he saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened; and straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plainly" (Mark 7:32, 33-35).

That all the miracles of the Lord, because they were Divine, involved and signified those things that pertain to heaven and the church; and that therefore the healings of diseases signified the various healings of the spiritual life, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 7337, 8364, 9031). The deaf man signifies those who are not in the understanding of truth, and therefore not in obedience. By an impediment in his speech are signified those who confess the Lord and the truth of the church with difficulty; the opening of his ears by the Lord signifies obedience and the perception of truth; and by the tongue, whose string was loosed by the Lord, is signified the confession of the Lord, and of the truths of the church.

[22] By the apostles and others speaking with new tongues after the resurrection of the Lord, was also signified the confession of the Lord, and of the truths of the new church; concerning this it is thus written in Mark:

Jesus said, "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues" (16:17).

The casting out of devils, means the removal and rejection of the falsities of evil, and speaking with new tongues, confession of the Lord and the truths of the church from Him. Therefore to the apostles "there appeared cloven tongues like as of fire, which sat upon them. And then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues" (2:3, 4). By the fire was signified the love of truth; by being filled with the Holy Spirit, was signified the reception of Divine Truth from the Lord; and by new tongues are meant confessions from the love of truth or from zeal. For, as said above, all Divine miracles, therefore all the miracles recorded in the Word, involved and signified spiritual and celestial things, that is to say, such things as pertain to heaven and the church, for this distinguishes Divine miracles from miracles not Divine. It would be superfluous to adduce more passages from the Word to prove that tongues do not mean speech in the ordinary meaning of the word, but confessions from the truths of the church, and, in the opposite sense, confessions from the falsities of religion.