The Bible

 

Genesis 1:29

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29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4786

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4786. 'And his father wept for him' means interior mourning. This is clear from the meaning of 'weeping' as the extremity of grief and sadness, and so as interior mourning. In the ancient Churches the external practices by which, internal things were represented included those of wailing and weeping over the dead. Their wailing and weeping meant interior mourning, although their actual mourning was not interior. One reads the following, for example, about the Egyptians who had set out with Joseph to bury Jacob,

When they came to the threshing-floor of Atad which is at the crossing of the Jordan they wailed there with an exceedingly great and grievous wailing, and he mourned for his father seven days. And the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing-floor of Atad, and they said, This is a grievous mourning by the Egyptians. Genesis 50:10-11.

And one reads about David weeping over Abner,

They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people wept. 2 Samuel 3:32.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #924

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924. From a thousand six hundred furlongs. That this signifies evils in their whole extent is evident from the signification of furlongs, as denoting productions in a series. For furlongs, like miles, and ways in general, signify progressions in a series according to thoughts from affection. And from the signification of a thousand six hundred, as denoting goods in their whole extent, and in the opposite sense, as in this case, evils in their whole compass. For the number one thousand six hundred signifies the same as sixteen; and the number sixteen, the same as four and two. And all these numbers are said of goods, and in the opposite sense of evils. For the greater numbers arising from multiplication have a signification similar to the lesser and simple from which they arise by multiplication; as twelve thousand the same as twelve; and twelve the same as three and four multiplied into themselves; see above (n. 430, 851). That three, in the Word, is said of truths; and two, also four, of goods; thus in the opposite sense, three of falsities, and two and four of evils, may also be seen above (n. 532). It is, therefore, evident that by from a thousand six hundred furlongs are signified productions of evils in a continual series, thus evils in their whole compass.

That by those two devastators of the church, meant by Babylon, and by the beast of the dragon, are now being produced and have been produced, evils in a continual series, and by their means evils in their whole compass, may be shown from many examples. But the devastation of the church by the beast of the dragon has been shown in the explanations of chapters xii. and xiii.; and the devastation by Babylon will be shown below in the explanations of chapters xvii. and xviii.

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.