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:

9468. 'And twice-dyed scarlet' means mutual love. This is clear from the meaning of 'scarlet' and 'twice-dyed' as celestial truth, which is the same thing as the good of mutual love. There are two kingdoms into which the angelic heaven is divided, the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom. In both there is an internal and an external, the internal in the celestial kingdom being the good of love to the Lord and the external the good of mutual love. This external good is what 'twice-dyed scarlet' serves to mean, 'scarlet' the actual good and 'twice-dyed' its truth. But in the spiritual kingdom the internal is the good of charity towards the neighbour and the external the good of obedience that is the product of faith. 'Twice-dyed scarlet' means the good of mutual love and its truth on account of its appearance in the next life; for when the sphere of that good and truth is revealed visually in the lowest heaven it appears there as the colour scarlet. For what comes down from the celestial heaven and appears on a lower level begins as flaming red but is turned into scarlet on the lower level by the whiteness of light in the middle heaven through which it passes. This explains why twice-dyed scarlet was to be used among the other colours on the curtains of the dwelling-place, Exodus 26:1, on the veil before the ark, Exodus 26:31, on the screen to the door of the tent, Exodus 26:36, on the screen to the gate of the court, Exodus 27:16, on the ephod, Exodus 28:6, on the belt, Exodus 28:8, on the breastplate of judgement, Exodus 28:15, and on the hem of the robe of the ephod, Exodus 28:33.

[2] The fact that 'twice-dyed scarlet' means the good of mutual love, which is the external good of the celestial kingdom or Church, is evident from the consideration that over the table where the loaves of the Presence were laid a twice-dyed scarlet cloth was to be spread, which was then to be covered with a covering of badger skin, Numbers 4:8. The inmost things of the celestial kingdom or Church were meant by what lay on the table, chiefly the loaves, but more external things by its coverings. This also accounts for the order in which the materials that were to be gathered together are listed, that is to say, the inmost things, which were the violet and the purple, are mentioned first; the more external things, which were the twice-dyed scarlet, the fine linen, and the wool of she-goats, are mentioned secondly; and the completely external things, which were the skins of red rams and the skins of badgers, are mentioned last. The like applies everywhere else in what follows.

[3] Since external celestial good and its truth is meant by 'twice-dyed scarlet', this colour is used to portray the outward sense of the Word and teachings derived from it. The reason for this is that the Word is Divine Truth emanating from the Lord's Divine Good, appearing as flaming light in the inmost heaven and as brilliantly white light in the middle heaven.

[4] The Word and teachings derived from the Word are portrayed in this way in the second Book of Samuel,

David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan, and entitled it, To teach the children of Judah the bow. Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul who clothed you in twice-dyed delicately, ¹ who placed an ornament of gold on your apparel. 2 Samuel 1:17-18, 24.

'Clothing in twice-dyed' stands for providing with truths that go with the good of mutual love, thus with truths from a celestial origin. This prophetic utterance refers to teachings about faith separated from teachings about love and charity; that is to say, it refers to truths which are snuffed out by such a separation but are then restored by those teachings about love and charity. For by 'the Philistines', who killed Saul and Jonathan, are meant those who champion teachings about faith separated from teachings about love and charity, 3412, 3413, 8093, 8096, 8099, 8313; and 'teaching the children of Judah the bow' means providing those who are governed by the good of love and charity with the truths that compose religious teachings.

'The children of Judah' are those governed by the good of love, see 3654, 3881, 5583, 5603, 5782, 5794, 5833, 6363.

'The bow' is teachings that send out the truth, 2686, 2709.

[5] In Jeremiah,

You who have therefore been laid waste, what will you do? If you clothe yourself in twice-dyed, if you deck yourself with ornaments of gold, in vain will you make yourself beautiful. Jeremiah 4:30.

This refers to the Church when it has been laid waste. 'Clothing oneself in twice-dyed and decking oneself with ornaments of gold' means pointing out the truths of doctrine from a celestial origin and the good ways to live, consequently pointing out truths and aspects of good derived from the Word. Something similar occurs in the same prophet,

Those who ate delicacies are desolate ² in the streets; those brought up in scarlet have embraced the dunghill. Lamentations 4:5.

'Being brought up in scarlet' stands for receiving instruction since early childhood in the good of mutual love derived from the Word.

[6] Because those things contained in the outward sense of the Word appear in heaven as the colour scarlet, for the reason stated above, people who use the outward sense of the Word to substantiate falsities arising from the evils of selfish and worldly love, thus ideas contrary to truths and forms of the good of love to the Lord and of mutual love, are said to be clothed in purple and scarlet. For their externals, being from the Word, display such an appearance; but their internals are profane. Such things are meant by 'scarlet' in John,

I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names. She was clothed in purple and scarlet. Revelation 17:3-4.

This refers to Babylon, which means a religion in which the holy things of the Word are made profane by the use of them to support false ideas that favour the devilish kinds of love, which are self-love and love of the world, and so to exercise control in heaven and on earth. Like things are also meant in another part of the same book, [where it is called,]

The great city, which was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and covered ³ with gold and precious stones and pearls. Revelation 18:16.

Therefore also fine linen, purple, and scarlet are listed among Babylon's wares in Revelation 18:12.

[7] Since the outward aspect of the Word appears in heaven as the colour scarlet, and since there is an influx from heaven into the human memory, in which the things derived from the Word appear in that shade of colour, scarlet was used with objects that served as a reminder of something, as in Moses,

The children of Israel shall make for themselves a fringe on the hems of garments, and they shall put on the fringe of the hem a violet ⁴ thread, that by means of it they might remember all the commandments of Jehovah and do them. ⁵ Numbers 15:38-39.

[8] For the same reason also it was customary in ancient times, when meaningful signs were in common use, to tie on a scarlet thread as the memorial or reminder of something, as one reads about Tamar's son Zerah, ⁶ on whose hand the midwife tied a twice-dyed thread, Genesis 38:28, 30, and about the prostitute Rahab, who tied a scarlet thread on the window, so that the spies would remember the promise, Joshua 2:18, 21.

[9] Since a person cannot be released from evils and falsities except by means of the truths and forms of good that reside with the person from the Word, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop were used in cleansings from leprosy, Leviticus 14:4-7, 49-52. For 'leprosy' means truth when it has been rendered profane, and so has been falsified, 6963, and 'being cleansed' means being released from those ills by means of truths and forms of good which are derived from the Word. Scarlet was in like manner used in the preparation of the water of separation and expiation involving the red cow, Numbers 19:6; the water of separation and expiation served as well to mean purification and release from evils and falsities by means of truths and forms of good that are derived from the Word.

[10] As the majority of things in the Word can have a contrary meaning, so too can 'twice-dyed' and 'scarlet'. Then they mean falsities and evils, which are the opposites of those truths and forms of good, as in Isaiah,

Though your sins are like twice-dyed, they will be as white as snow. Though they are as red as scarlet, they will be like wool. Isaiah 1:18.

The same applies to 'red', 'blood', 'flame', and 'fire'. In the true sense they mean forms of the good of love and faith, but in the contrary sense the evils which are their opposites.

Footnotes: