Arcana Coelestia #46
46. That 'beasts' means affections residing with man - evil affections in evil men and good affections in good men - becomes clear from many examples in the Word, as in Ezekiel,
Behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, so that you will be tilled and sown; and I will multiply upon you man and beast, and they will be multiplied and be fruitful, and I will resettle you 1 to be as in your ancient times. Ezekiel 36:9-11.
This refers to regeneration. In Joel,
Fear not, you beasts of My field, for the dwelling-places of the wilderness have been made green. Joel 2:22.
In David,
I was stupid, a beast 2 was I with God. Psalms 73:12.
In Jeremiah,
Behold, the days are coming when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast, and I will watch over them to build and to plant. Jeremiah 31:27-28.
This refers to regeneration.
[2] 'Wild animals' (fera) has a similar meaning, as in Hosea,
I will make for them a covenant on that day, with the wild animals of the field, and with the birds of the air, 3 and with the creeping things of the earth. Hosea 2:18.
In Job,
You will not fear the wild animals of the earth, for your covenant will be with the stones of the field, and the wild beasts of the field will be at peace with you. Job 5:22-23.
In Ezekiel,
I will make with them 4 a covenant of peace, and I will banish the evil wild animal from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness. Ezekiel 34:25.
In Isaiah,
The wild animals of the field will honour me, for I have given water in the desert. Isaiah 43:20.
In Ezekiel,
In its branches all the birds of the air 3 made their nests and under its branches every wild animal of the field gave birth, and in its shadow dwelt all great nations. Ezekiel 31:6.
This refers to Assyria, which means the spiritual man and is compared to the Garden of Eden. In David,
Praise Jehovah, all his angels, praise Him from the earth, sea monsters, fruit trees, wild animals, and all beasts, creeping things, and flying birds! Psalms 148:2-4, 7, 9-10.
Here the list is precisely the same - sea monsters, fruit trees, wild animals, beasts, creeping things, and birds. Unless they all mean things that are alive in human beings, they cannot possibly be referred to as praising Jehovah.
[3] A careful distinction is made in the Prophets between beasts and wild animals of the earth, and between beasts and wild animals of the field. The practice of calling goods 'beasts' extends to calling people in heaven who are nearest to the Lord 'living creatures', both in Ezekiel and in John,
All the angels stood around the throne, and the elders, and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God. 5 Revelation 7:11; 19:4.
The expression 'creatures' is also used of people who are to have the gospel preached to them because they are to be created anew, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15.
Footnotes:
1. literally, I will cause you to inhabit
2. literally, beasts
3. literally, bird of the heavens (or the skies)
4. The Latin means with you; but the Hebrew means with them which Swedenborg has in other places where he quotes this verse.
5. The Latin means the Lamb; but the Greek means God which Swedenborg has in other places where he quotes this verse.
Arcana Coelestia #7720
7720. Verses 24-end And Pharaoh called Moses, and said, Go, serve Jehovah; only your flocks and your herds will stay behind. Your little children also will go with you. And Moses said, You must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings, and we must make them to Jehovah our God. And our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take some of them to serve Jehovah our God, and we ourselves do not know what we must serve Jehovah with until we get there. And Jehovah made Pharaoh's heart unyielding, and he would not send them away. And Pharaoh said to him, Go away from me; take care not to see my face again. For on the day you see my face you will die. And Moses said, Rightly have you spoken; I will not see your face again.
'And Pharaoh called Moses' means the presence of the law of God. 'And said, Go, serve Jehovah' means that they are to be left alone in order that they may worship the Lord their God. 'Only your flocks and your herds will stay behind' means but not from good. 'Your little children also will go with you' means that [they may worship Him] from truth. 'And Moses said' means the reply. 'You must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings' means that they must leave alone all the means through which worship must be offered. 'And we must make them to Jehovah our God' means which [worship] is acceptable to the Lord. 'And our livestock also must go with us' means that this [worship] must be from the good of truth. 'Not a hoof shall be left behind' means that nothing at all of the truth from good shall be lacking. 'For we must take some of them to serve Jehovah our God' means that they must be used in worship of the Lord. 'And we ourselves do not know what we must serve Jehovah our God with' means that what exactly will be needed for the worship to be performed is unknown. 'Until we get there' means until they have been removed from those steeped in utter falsities arising from evil. 'And Jehovah made Pharaoh's heart unyielding' means that they remained obstinately opposed to the Divine. 'And he would not send them away means that they had no mind to leave them. 'And Pharaoh said to him' means flaming anger at this point with God's truth. 'Go away from me means that he wished to know nothing at all about it. 'Take care not to see my face again' means that it should not enter their mind. 'For on the day you see my face you will die' means that if it did enter their mind it would be extirpated. 'And Moses said' means the reply. 'Rightly have you spoken' means that that is in truth so. 'I will not see your face again' means that God's truth will not enter their mind again.
