9340. 'And I will set your boundary from the Sea Suph even to the Sea of the Philistines' means the full range of truths from factual ones to interior truths of faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'setting the boundary from one place to another', when it refers to spiritual truths, as the full range; from the meaning of 'the Sea Suph' as truths on the levels of the senses and of factual knowledge, which are the lowest levels of the human mind (the Sea Suph was the final boundary of the land of Egypt, and 'Egypt' means factual knowledge in both senses, that is, true factual knowledge and false, 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 2588, 4749, 4964, 4966, 5700, 6004, 6015, 6125, 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692, 6750, 7779 (end), 7926, 8146, 8148; in this instance true factual knowledge is meant since the subject is the full range of spiritual matters of faith among the children of Israel, who represented the spiritual Church, 4286, 4598, 6426, 6637, 6862, 6868, 7035, 7062, 7198, 7201, 7215, 7223, 8805); and from the meaning of 'the Sea of the Philistines' as interior truths of faith. The reason why these truths are meant by 'the Sea of the Philistines' is that the sea where Tyre and Sidon lay was the boundary of the land of Philistia, and 'Tyre and Sidon' means cognitions or knowledge of truth and good, 1201, while 'the land of Philistia' means the knowledge of interior matters of faith, 1197, 2504, 2726, 3463.

[2] Since 'the land of Canaan' represented the Lord's kingdom, which is heaven and the Church, all places in the land therefore meant such things as form part of the Lord's kingdom, or heaven and the Church, which things are called celestial and spiritual, and are connected with the good of love to the Lord and the truths of faith in Him. For this reason the seas and rivers which were boundaries meant the final limits there, and therefore 'from sea to sea' or 'from river to river' meant the full range of those things, as may be seen in 1585, 1866, 4116, 4240, 6516. From all this it becomes clear that 'the boundary from the Sea Suph even to the Sea of the Philistines' means the range of spiritual things, which are matters of truth, from external ones to internal, thus truths ranging from factual ones to interior truths of faith. But the range of celestial things, which are aspects of the good of love, is described next by the words 'from the wilderness even to the River'. The fact that places belonging to the land of Canaan, including seas and rivers, mean such things in the Word, has been shown in explanations everywhere.

[3] What the full range of truths from factual ones to interior truths of faith is must be stated briefly. Truths which exist in the external man are called factual ones, but truths which exist in the internal man are called interior truths of faith. Factual truths reside in a person's memory, and when they are brought out from there they pass into the person's immediate awareness. But interior truths of faith are truths of life itself which are inscribed on the internal man, but few of which show up in the memory. These however are matters which will in the Lord's Divine mercy be spoken of more fully elsewhere. Factual truths and interior truths of faith were meant in Genesis 1:6-7 by the waters under the expanse and the waters above the expanse, 24; for the first chapter of Genesis deals in the internal sense with the new creation or the regeneration of a member of the celestial Church.

[4] The reason why 'Philistia', which also bordered on the land of Canaan as far as Tyre and Sidon, meant the interior truths of faith was that there also the representative Ancient Church had existed, as is evident from the remnants of Divine worship among them which are alluded to in historical sections and prophetical parts of the Word in which the Philistines and the land of Philistia are the subject, such as - in the prophetical parts - Jeremiah 25:20; Jeremiah 47:1-end; Ezekiel 16:27, 57; 25:15-16; Amos 1:8; Zephaniah 2:5; Zechariah 9:6; Psalms 56:1; ¹ 60:8; 83:7; 108:9. The situation with the Philistines was the same as it was with all the nations in the land of Canaan, in that they represented the Church's forms of good and its truths, and also evils and falsities. When the representative Ancient Church existed among them they represented celestial things which were aspects of good and spiritual things which were matters of truth. But when they fell away from true representative worship they began to represent devilish things which were aspects of evil and hellish things which were matters of falsity. This is the reason why 'Philistia', like all the other nations belonging to the land of Canaan in the Word, means either forms of good and truths, or else evils and falsities.

[5] The fact that interior truths of faith are meant by 'the Philistines' is clear in David,

Glorious things are to be spoken in you, O city of God. I will mention Rahab and Babel among those who know Me; also Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia. The latter was born here. ² Psalms 87:3-4.

'The city of God' means teachings presenting the truth of faith that are drawn from the Word, 402, 2268, 2449, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493, 5297; 'Tyre' means cognitions or knowledge of truth and good, 1201, and so does 'Ethiopia', 116, 117. From this it is evident that 'Philistia' means knowledge of the truths of faith.

[6] In Amos,

Are you not like the children of the Ethiopians to Me, O children of Israel? Did I not cause Israel to come up from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir? Amos 9:7.

This refers to the corruption and destruction of the Church after it had been established. 'The children of the Ethiopians' here are those in possession of cognitions of goodness and truth, which they use to substantiate evils and falsities, 1163, 1164. 'The children of Israel from the land of Egypt' are those who had been brought to spiritual truths and forms of good by means of factual truths, 'the children of Israel' being people in possession of spiritual truths and forms of good, thus in the abstract sense spiritual truths and forms of good, see 5414, 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833, 5879, 5951, 7957, 8234, and 'the land of Egypt' being factual truth, as shown above. The same is meant by 'the Philistines from Caphtor' and by 'the Syrians from Kir', to whom they are therefore likened. 'The Philistines from Caphtor' are people who had been brought to interior truths by means of exterior ones, but who perverted them and used them to substantiate falsities and evils, 1197, 1198, 3412, 3413, 3762, 8093, 8096, 8099, 8313, whereas 'the Syrians from Kir' are those who were in possession of cognitions of goodness and truth, which they likewise perverted, 1232, 1234, 3051, 3249, 3664, 3680, 4112.

[7] In Jeremiah,

... because of the day that is coming to lay waste all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that is left, for Jehovah is laying waste the Philistines, the remnants of the island of Caphtor. Jeremiah 47:4.

The subject in Jeremiah 47 is the laying waste of the Church's truths of faith, interior truths of faith being meant by 'the Philistines' and exterior truths by 'the remnants of the island of Caphtor'.

[8] In Joel,

What have you to do with Me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the borders of Philistia? Swiftly I will return your recompense upon your own head, inasmuch as you have taken My silver and My gold, and My good and desirable treasures you have carried into your temples. Joel 3:4-5.

'All the borders of Philistia' stands for all the interior and the exterior truths of faith; 'carrying silver and gold, and good and desirable treasures into their temples' stands for perverting truths and forms of good, and profaning them by putting them together with evils and falsities. For the meaning of 'silver and gold' as truths and forms of good, see 1551, 2954, 5658, 6112, 6914, 6917, 8932.

[9] In Obadiah,

At that time those in the south will be the heirs of the mountain of Esau, and of the plain of the Philistines, and they will become the heirs of the field of Ephraim; but Benjamin [will be the heir] of Gilead. Obad. verse 19.

This refers to the establishment of the Church; but spiritual things are implied by the names. 'Those in the south' are people who dwell in the light of truth, 1458, 3195, 3708, 5672, 5962; 'the mountain of Esau' is the good of love, 3300, 3322, 3494, 3504, 3576; 'the plain of the Philistines' is the truth of faith, 'the plain' being also that which constitutes matters of doctrine about faith, 2418; 'Ephraim' is the Church's power of understanding, 3969, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267; 'Benjamin' is the Church's spiritual-celestial truth, 3969, 4592, 5686, 5689, 6440; and 'Gilead' is the corresponding exterior good, 4117, 4124, 4747.

[10] In Isaiah,

He will gather the outcasts of Israel, and will assemble the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. They will fly down onto the shoulder of the Philistines towards the sea, together they will plunder the sons of the east. Isaiah 11:12, 14.

Here 'Israel' and 'Judah' are not used to mean Israel and Judah; rather, 'Israel' means those who are governed by the good of faith, and 'Judah' those who are governed by the good of love. 'Flying down onto the shoulder of the Philistines' stands for receiving and taking into possession interior truths of faith; and 'plundering the sons of the east' stands for receiving and taking into possession interior forms of the good of faith, for 'the sons of the east' are people who are governed by forms of the good of faith and with whom cognitions or knowledge of good exists, 3249. 3762. For the meaning of 'plundering' as receiving and taking into possession, see what has been shown in 6914, 6917, regarding the plundering of the Egyptians by the children of Israel.

[11] Since 'the land of Philistia' meant knowledge of the interior truths of faith, and since Abraham and Isaac represented the Lord, and the sojourning of these two in places meant instruction received by the Lord in the truths and forms of the good of faith and love, which belong to God's wisdom, therefore - to provide a figurative representation of this - Abraham was commanded to sojourn in Philistia, Genesis 20:1-end, and so too was Isaac, Genesis 26:1-24. Therefore also Abimelech king of the Philistines made a covenant with Abraham, Genesis 21:22-end, and also with Isaac, Genesis 26:26-end. Regarding all this, see the explanations to those chapters.

Footnotes:

372. And behold a black horse. That this signifies the understanding of the Word destroyed as to truth, is manifest from the signification of a horse, as denoting the understanding (see above, n. 355); and from the signification of black, as denoting what is not true; thus by a black horse is signified the understanding destroyed as to truth. The reason why black signifies what is not true, is, because white signifies what is true. That white is predicated of truth, and signifies it, may be seen above (n. 196). That white is predicated of truth and signifies it, is, because white derives its origin from the brightness of light, and light signifies truth; and the reason why black is predicated of what is not true, and signifies it, is, because black derives its origin from darkness, or from a deprivation of light, and darkness, because it exists from the deprivation of light, signifies ignorance of truth. That a black horse here signifies the understanding of the Word destroyed as to truth, is also evident from the signification of the red horse treated of above, as denoting the same destroyed as to good. In the church, also, in process of time good perishes first, and afterwards truth, and at length in the place of good succeeds evil, and in the place of truth falsity. This last state of the church is meant by the pale horse, which will be explained presently.

[2] That black signifies what is not true, is clear also from other passages in the Word, where it is mentioned; as in Micah:

"The night shall be unto you for a vision; and darkness shall arise to you for divination; and the sun shall go down upon the prophets, and the day shall grow black over them" (3:6).

By the prophets, of whom it is here treated, are signified those who are in truths of doctrine, and apart from persons, the truths of doctrine; that those who are meant by prophets should see evils, and divine falsities, is signified by, "The night shall be unto you for a vision; and darkness shall arise to you for divination." That they would know neither good nor truth, is signified by, "the sun shall go down upon the prophets, and the day shall grow black over them," the sun signifying the good of love, and day, the truth of faith, and to become black their not being seen or known.

[3] In Ezekiel:

"Yea, when I shall put thee out, 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" (32:7).

These words are spoken of Pharaoh king of Egypt, by whom is signified the Scientific applied to falsities, as is the case when the natural man enters from the sciences into things spiritual, and not the reverse. Thus, because it is contrary to order, they seize upon falsities and confirm them for truths. That then there is no influx from heaven, is signified by, "I will cover the heavens"; and that there are then no knowledges of truth, is signified by, "I will make the stars thereof dark," for stars denote the knowledges of truth; that, consequently, there is no good of love and no truth of faith, is signified by, "I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not make her light to shine," the sun signifying the good of love, and the moon the truth of faith. (That such things are signified by the sun and moon, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 116-125.) Similar things are signified by the sun, moon, and stars, in Joel:

"The earth was moved before him; the heavens trembled; the sun and moon became black, and the stars withdrew their shining" (2:10; 3:15).

And similar things in the Apocalypse:

"The sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood" (6:12).

What is specifically signified by those things will be seen in the following pages.

[4] In Ezekiel:

"In the day when he shall descend into hell I will cover the abyss over him, and I will restrain the streams thereof, so that the great waters shall be shut up, and I will make Lebanon black over him, and all the trees of the field shall faint over him" (31:15).

Assyria is here treated of, which is compared to a cedar, Assyria here signifying reasoning concerning the truths of the church from one's own intelligence, and a cedar the truth of the spiritual church. That thus all knowledges of truth would perish, and with them all truths which savour of good, and have their essence thence. The abyss that is veiled above him, and the streams that were restrained, denote the knowledges of truth, and intelligence thence; the abyss, or sea, signifies the Scientific and the cognitive faculties in general, which belong to the natural man, and the streams signify the things pertaining to intelligence; the great waters which shall be shut up signify truths which savour of good, and thence derive their essence, waters denoting truths, and great in the Word being said of good. Lebanon becoming black over him, and the trees of the field fainting over him, signify that the truths of the church will cease to exist, and that its knowledges will be without the perception of truth; for Lebanon, like the cedar, signifies the church as to truths, thus also the truths of the church; and the trees of the field signify the church as to the knowledges of truth, thus also the knowledges of the truth of the church; trees denoting the knowledges themselves, and a field the church; hence it is evident that to make Lebanon black signifies that there are no longer any truths of the church.

[5] In Lamentations:

"The Nazarites were whiter [albi] than snow, they were whiter [candidi] than milk. Their form is obscured beyond blackness; they are not known in the streets" (4:7, 8).

No one can know what these words signify, unless he knows what the Nazarites represented. The Nazarites represented the Lord as to the Divine Celestial; and because all the statutes of the church at that time represented such things as belong to heaven and the church, thus to the Lord, for all things of heaven and the church are from the Lord; and because the Nazarite was the principal representative of the Lord, hence by the above words is signified that every representative of the Lord had perished. The genuine representative of the Lord is described by the Nazarites being whiter than snow, and whiter than milk, by which expressions is signified the representative of Divine truth and Divine good in their perfection, white (album) being predicated of truth, [and] in like manner, snow; and whiteness (candidum) of the good of truth, [and] in like manner, milk. That every representative of Divine truth had perished, is described by, their form is obscured beyond blackness; they are not known in the streets; form signifying the quality of truth; blackness signifying its no longer appearing; streets signifying the truths of doctrine; and not to be known in them, signifying not to be recognized by genuine truths. What is further signified by the Nazarites will be told elsewhere.

[6] In Jeremiah:

"The whole earth shall be a desolation; yet will I not make a consummation. For this shall the whole earth mourn, and the heavens shall become black from above" (4:27, 28).

The whole earth shall be a desolation, signifies that the good and truth in the church will perish, the earth denoting the church; yet will I not make a consummation, signifies that something of good and truth would still remain; for this shall the earth mourn, signifies the weakness of the church thence; the heavens shall become black from above, signifies that there would be no influx of good and truth from the Lord through heaven; for the heavens are said to become black when no affection or perception of truth flows in from the Lord through heaven, because in the churches before the Lord's coming, which were representative churches, mourning represented spiritual grief of mind because there was no truth and good. For mourning was on account of oppression by an enemy, on account of the death of a father or mother, and other like circumstances; and by oppression by an enemy was signified oppression by evils which are from hell, and by father and mother was signified the church as to good and as to truth; because these things were represented by mourning with them, therefore they then went in black.

[7] As in David:

"I say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? Why shall I go in black on account of the oppression of the enemy?" (Psalms 42:9; 43:2).

In the same:

"I bowed myself in black as bewailing a mother" (Psalms 35:14).

In the same:

"I am bent, I am bowed down greatly; I have gone in black all the day" (Psalms 38:6).

In Malachi:

"Ye have said, What profit is it that we walk in black before Jehovah?" (3:14).

In Jeremiah:

"Upon the hurt of the daughter of my people I am hurt; I am become black" (8:21).

The daughter of the people signifies the church.

In Jeremiah:

"Judah hath mourned, and her gates are become languishing, they are become black even to the earth; and the cry of Jerusalem hath gone up; for their great ones sent their lesser ones for water; they came to the pits, and found not waters; their vessels are returned empty" (14:2, 3).

That black signifies spiritual grief of mind because there is no truth in the church, is evident from the particulars herein in the internal sense; for by Judah is signified the church as to the affection of good; and by Jerusalem, the church as to the doctrine of truth; by gates is signified admission thereto. That truths no longer existed in the church, is described by, the great ones have sent their lesser ones for water; they came to the pits and found not waters; their vessels are returned empty; waters signifying truths; pits, those things that contain them, which are doctrinals from the Word, and the Word itself, in which they no longer see truths. From these considerations it is evident that black and sable in the Word signify that there is no truth. Similarly also darkness, clouds, obscurity, and many things from which blackness arises; as in Joel:

"A day of darkness and of thick darkness, a day of cloud and obscurity" (2:2); and in other passages.