THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 23

(Note: Rev. Smithson's translation of the Isaiah text is appended below the explanation)

1. THE burden of Tyre. Howl, O you ships of Tarshish! for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no one entering in: from the land of Chittim it is made manifest unto them.

VERSES 1, 2. Tyre and Zidon were the ultimate borders of Philistia, and were near the sea; whence by "Tyre" are signified interior knowledges, and by "Zidon" exterior knowledges, and this of things spiritual, which also appears from the Word, as in Jeremiah:

"Because of the day that cometh to spoil all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Zidon every helper that remains; for Jehovah will spoil the Philistines, the remains of the island of Caphtor"; (Jeremiah 47:4),

where by the "Philistines" are signified the sciences of the knowledges of faith and charity; by "Tyre" the interior knowledges, and by Zidon the exterior knowledges of things spiritual.

So in Joel:

"What have you to do with Me, O Tyre and Zidon, and all the borders of Philistia? Because you have taken My silver and gold, and have carried into your temples My desirable good things"; (Joel 3:4, 5),

where "Tyre and Zidon" manifestly denote knowledges, and are called the "borders of Philistia"; for "silver and gold, and desirable good things, are knowledges.

So in Ezekiel:

"The princes of the north, all of them, and all the Zidonians, who have gone down with the slain. He shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised, with the slain with the sword, Pharaoh and all his company"; (Ezekiel 32:30, 32),

where the "Zidonians ' signify exterior knowledges, which, without internal, are nothing but mere scientifics; wherefore they are mentioned together with "Pharaoh", or Egypt, by whom are signified scientifics.

So in Zechariah:

"Hamath also shall have its border thereby; Tyre and Zidon, for he was very wise"; (Zechariah 9:2) speaking of Damascus; "Tyre and Zidon" denote knowledges.

So in Ezekiel:

"The inhabitants of Zidon and of Arvad were your mariners: your wise ones, O Tyre, that were in you, were your pilots"; (Ezekiel 27:8),

where "Tyre" denotes interior knowledges, wherefore her wise ones are called "pilots"; and "Zidon" denotes exterior knowledges, wherefore her inhabitants are called "mariners " [rowers], for such is the relation of interior knowledges to exterior.

So in Isaiah:

"The inhabitants of the island are silent; the merchants of Zidon, they that pass over the sea, have replenished you. And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, was her revenue; and she was the mart of the nations. Be you ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea has spoken, even the fortress of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, nor brought forth children; neither have I nourished young men, nor brought up virgins"; (Isaiah 23:2-4),

where "Zidon" denotes exterior knowledges, which, having nothing internal in them, are called "the seed of Sihor", "the harvest of the river, her revenue", "a mart of the nations", and also "the sea", and "the fortress of the sea".

It is said that "she does not travail, nor bring forth"; which expressions, in the literal sense, seem without meaning, but in the internal sense they have a clear signification, as is the case with other passages in the Prophets.

Because "Zidon" signifies exterior knowledges, it is called "they that are round about Israel", or the spiritual church; (Ezekiel 28:24, 26) for exterior knowledges are like things that are around. Arcana Coelestia 1201.

As to the knowledges of Truth and Good, and their indispensable necessity to the regeneration and salvation of man, see above, Chapter 17:1, the Exposition.

Verses 1-3. Howl, O you ships of Tarshish! for it [TyreJ is laid waste, etc. - The holy things of the church, which are here described, no one can know except from the internal sense. Every one knows that the holy things of heaven and the church are everywhere in the Word, and that it is from this that the Word is holy. In the sense of the letter the subject treated of is concerning the merchandise of Tyre and Zidon, which are not holy, without a more interior sense, which is holy.

But what, in this sense, is signified by the "merchandise of Tyro", will be evident when explained. The "ships of Tarshish" are the doctrinals of Truth and Good. "Tyre and Zidon" are the knowledges of Good and Truth; "no house, and no one entering in", signifies that there is no longer any Good, into which Truth can be implanted. "The inhabitants of the island who are silent", are the more remote goods; "the seed of Sihor" is scientific truth"; the harvest of the river [or the Nile], her revenue", is the good which is hence out of the church. Arcana Coelestia 9295.

Ships of Tarshish. - As to the spiritual signification of the "ships of Tarshish" see also above, Chapter 2:12-17, the Exposition.

Verses 1-5. The burden of Tyre; - the inhabitants of the island are silent; the merchants of Zidon, they that pass over the sea, have replenished you etc. - By "Tyre" and "Zidon" are signified the knowledges of Good and Truth, wherefore it is said "The merchants of Zidon, they that pass over the sea"; a "merchant" denoting one who procures to himself those knowledges and communicates them. That they procured to themselves nothing of Good and Truth thereby, is signified by "The sea has spoken, saying, I have not travailed, nor brought forth children; neither have I nourished young men, nor brought up virgins"; for to "travail" and to "bring forth is to produce something from knowledges; "young men" are truths, and "virgins" goods. That thence the use of knowledges and of sciences would perish, is signified by these words, "As at the tidings out of Egypt, so shall they be seized with pain at the tidings of Tyre. Apocalypse Explained 275

Verses 1, 2, 4, 5, 6. Howl, O you ships of Tarshish! for it [Tyre] is laid waste, so that there is no house, no one entering in: from the land of Chittim it is made manifest unto them, etc. - The desolation of Truth in the church is described in these words; for by the "ships of Tarshish" are signified the knowledges of Good from the Word, and by "Tyre" the knowledges of Truth thence. That there is no good in consequence of there being no truths, is signified by "Howl, O you ships of Tarshish! for Tyre is laid waste, so that there is no house, no one entering in." That falsities then enter, until there are no more any goods of Truth and truths of Good in the natural man, is signified by "From the land of Chittim it is made manifest unto them, the inhabitants of the island are silent; the merchants of Zidon, they that pass over the sea, have replenished you." The "land of Chittim" signifies falsities; the "inhabitants of the island", the goods of Truth in the natural man, as was explained above; the "merchants of Zidon" signify knowledges from the Word; ''passing over the sea" means which are in the natural man; " who [that is, the merchants of Zidon] have replenished you", signifies those who have enriched you therewith. The devastation of Truth and of Good in the natural man is further described by "Be you ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea has spoken, even the fortress of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, nor brought forth children; neither have I nourished young men, nor brought up virgins." By "Zidon", as well as by "Tyre, are signified the knowledges of Good and Truth in the church; By. "the sea, and the fortress of the sea", is signified the whole natural man, by I have not travailed, nor brought forth", is signified that there is not anything of the church conceived or generated; by "young men. are signified the affections of Truth, and by "virgins" the affections of Good. That this was the case in consequence of knowledges from the Lord, and confirming scientifics being applied to falsities and evils, is signified by "As at the tidings out of Egypt, so shall they be seized with pain at the tidings of Tyre." "Egypt signifies scientifics; "Tyre", knowledges from the Word, - in the present case, devastated by falsities and evils to which they are applied; and inasmuch as there is lamentation on account thereof, it is therefore said that "they shall be seized with pain. That all Good and Truth in the natural man would thus perish, is signified by "Pass you over to Tarshish; howl, O you inhabitants of the Island!" "Tarshish" signifies the interior goods and truths in the natural man; the "inhabitants of the island", the exterior goods and truths in the same; and to "howl", signifies grief by reason of devastation. Apocalypse Explained 406.

2.The inhabitants of the island are silent; the merchants of Zidon, they that pass over the sea, have replenished you.

3. And by great waters the seed of Sichor, the harvest of the river [Nile], was her revenue; and she was the mart of the nations.

Verse 2. The merchants of Zidon, etc. - The Lord likened the kingdom of heaven to a "merchant man", (Matthew 13:45) to teach us that "merchants", when mentioned in the Word, are those who procure to themselves the knowledges of Truth and Good, and thence intelligence and wisdom. By "pearls" are signified knowledges, and also truths themselves; and by "the pearl exceedingly precious", is signified the acknowledgement of the Lord. And by "the man selling all that he had", is signified to alienate all things which are of self-love; and by "buying it" is signified to procure to himself that divine Truth. Apocalypse Explained 480. See also Arcana Coelestia 2967, 5886; Apocalypse Revealed 726, 916.

Verses 2, 14. They that pass over the sea have replenished you; - your stronghold is laid waste, etc. - By the "ships of Tarshish " are understood doctrinals from the Word, for those ships carried "gold" and "silver", by which are signified goods and truths, and the knowledges thereof from the Word; and because by "Tyre" is signified the church as to the knowledges of Truth and Good, - in this passage, devastated, hence it is said "Howl, O you ships of Tarshish! for Tyre is laid waste. By "the inhabitants of the island" are understood those who are in the goods of life, according to their doctrinal principles. By "the merchants of Zidon" are signified those who are in Truths from the Word, concerning which it is said, that", they have replenished you." By "your stronghold", or fortress, is signified doctrine from the Word, which guards or protects [like a fortress]; and by its being laid waste is signified that there is no perception of it, and hence no Truth, for truths are falsified by ideas not just concerning them: Apocalypse Explained 514.

4. Be you ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea has spoken; even the fortress of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, nor brought forth children; neither have I nourished young men, nor brought up virgins.

5. As at the tidings out of Egypt, so shall they be seized with pain at the tidings of Tyre.

6. Pass you over to Tarshish; howl, O you inhabitants of the island!

7. Is this your joyous [city], whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall bear her far away to sojourn.

Verse 4. The sea has spoken even the fortress of the sea, saying, I have travailed; etc. - By "the sea, and the fortress of the sea", is signified the natural principle, where the knowledges signified by Tyre and Zidon" are. That not any have been reformed by those knowledges, is signified by "I have not travailed, nor brought forth children"; and that there is consequently no understanding of Truth and no affectIon of Truth, is signified by "neither have I nourished young men, nor brought up virgins." Apocalypse Explained 865.

8. Who has counselled this against Tyre, the crowning [city], whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honoured of the earth?

9. Jehovah of Hosts has counselled it; to pollute the pride of all [her] beauty; to make contemptible all the honoured of the earth.

10. Pass through your land, like a river, O daughter of Tarshish; the girdle is no more.

11. He has stretched out His hand over the sea; He has shaken the kingdoms: Jehovah has commanded concerning Canaan, that they should destroy her strong places.

Verse 8. Who has counselled this against Tyre, the crowning [city], whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honoured of the earth!

Again in Ezekiel:

"All the ships in the sea were for the trading of your trading; Tarshish was your trader in silver, iron, tin and lead; they gave your markets. Javan, Tubal, and Meshch, these were your merchants, with the soul of man and vessels of brass they gave your trading. The sons of Dedan were your merchants; many islands, the merchants of your hand. Syria was your trader with chrysoprasus. But your wealth and your tradings, your markets, and they who trade your trading, shall fall into the heart of the seas in the day of your fall." (Ezekiel 27:1, to the end.)

Who cannot see that by the "tradings" and "merchandise" there mentioned are not understood tradings and merchandise, for what has the Word, which in itself is divine and celestial and teaches man concerning God, heaven, and the church, concerning eternal life, and the like, in common with such things?

Hence it may be evident to every one that all the particular things there mentioned signify things spiritual, which appertain to heaven and the church, not only the names of the places with which the tradings were transacted, but also the particular merchandise thereof. But to expound all the particulars in the spiritual sense would be too prolix in this place; it is sufficient for the present purpose that it be known that the "tradings" there mentioned signify the acquisitions and communications of the knowledges of Truth and Good, and that the "merchandise", or wares, signify those knowledges themselves which are multifarious. Apocalypse Explained 840.

The crowning city. - A "crown" signifies wisdom, intelligence, and eternal felicity, as may be seen from those passages in the Word where "crown" is mentioned. Apocalypse Explained 125, 152, 195.

[It hence follows that Tyre is called a "crowning city", because all intelligence and wisdom come from the knowledge of revealed Truth, or the Word, and from their right application.]

Verses 1, 10, 13, 17. Howl, O you ships of Tarshish! from the land of Chittim it is made manifest unto them, etc. - That neither the ships of Tarshish, nor Tyre, nor the land of Chittim, nor the land of the Chaldeans, nor the Assyrian, are here understood, may appear from every particular thing contained in this chapter. But by the "ships of Tarshish" are understood the knowledges of Truth and Good, and likewise by "Tyre", by the "land of Chittim", what is idolatrous; by the "land of the Chaldeans", the profanation and destruction of Truth; and by the "Assyrian", ratiocination from falsities.

Hence it is evident what is signified by the "ships of Tarshish howling because Tyre is devastated", namely, that there are no more any knowledges of Truth.

That "it shall be made manifest unto them from the land of Chittim", signifies that what is idolatrous is from thence.

"The girdle is no more" signifies that there is no more coherence of Truth with Good. "To the land of the Chaldeans", signifies that so there is profanation and destruction of Truth.

"The Assyrian has laid the foundation into heaps", signifies that ratiocination from falsities has destroyed. To "return to her meretricious gain", and to "commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the earth that are upon the face of the ground", signifies falsification of all the Truths of the church. Apocalypse Explained 304.

12. And He bath said, You shalt rejoice no more, O you oppressed virgin, the daughter of Zidon! Arise, pass over to Chittim; even there you shalt have no rest.

Verse 12. O you oppressed virgin, the daughter of Zidon! - As to the meaning of "daughter" and "virgin", see above, Chapter 16:2. Exposition.

The girdle is no more. - For the spiritual signification of a "girdle", see Chapter 3:18-25; 11:5, the Exposition.

13. Behold the land of the Chaldeans! this is not a people; the Assyrian has laid the foundation into heaps: they raised the watchtowers, they set up the palaces thereof; this people has reduced her to a ruin.

14. Howl, you ships of Tarshish: for your stronghold is laid waste.

Verse 13. Behold the land of the Chaldeans! this is not a people.

"The land of the Chaldeans: this is not a people", signifies falsities.

"The Assyrian has founded it [into heaps]" for reasonings; "watchtowers" here signify phantasies. Arcana Coelestia 1368.

15. And it shall be in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: at the end of seventy years it shall be to Tyre as the song of a harlot.

16. Take the harp, go about the city, O harlot forgotten; strike sweetly the harp; multiply the song, that you mayest be remembered.

Verses 15, 10. At the end of seventy years it shall be to Tyre as the song of a harlot, etc.

By "Tyre" is signified the church as to the knowledges of spiritual Truth and Good, as was said above - in this case, the church in which those knowledges are falsified. A "harlot" signifies the falsification of Truth, as may be seen above, Apocalypse Explained 141;. and by "taking the harp, going about the city, playing sweetly", etc., the exultation and boasting of the false over the destruction of Truth. Apocalypse Explained 323.

As to the spiritual signification of a "harlot" and of "fornication", so often mentioned in the Prophets, see above, Chapter 1:21, the Exposition.

Verses 15, 17. Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one King, etc. - That all numbers in the Word are significative, and that they signify things, see Arcana Coelestia 1963, 1988; and that numbers multiplied signify the same with the simple ones from which they are compounded, see Arcana Coelestia 5291, 5335.

Thus "seventy" the same as "seven" [only in greater fulness]. That "seventy" denotes an entire period, thus a full state, is evident from the following passages.

"Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one King: at the end of seventy years it shall be unto Tyre as the song of a harlot; and it shall be at the end of seventy years that Jehovah will visit Tyre." (Isaiah 24:15, 17)

"Seventy years" denote an entire period from beginning to end, [In this case, the entire period of the devastation of Tyre.]

"According to the days of one King" signifies the state of Truth within the church; for " days" are states, Arcana Coelestia 6505, and "King" is Truth, Arcana Coelestia 1672, 2015.

Everyone who well considers this passage, may see that by "Tyre" is not meant Tyre, and that without the internal sense it cannot be understood what it is for "Tyre to be forgotten, or to be given to oblivion seventy years", and what it is for this to be "according to the days of one King."

See also Jeremiah 25:11, 12; 29:10; and Daniel 9:24; where it is plain that "seventy years" and "seventy weeks" signify a full or complete state of the subject treated of, [and not seventy years or weeks in a literal sense.] Arcana Coelestia 6508.

As to the spiritual signification of the number "seven" see above Chapter 4:1, the Exposition.

["One King" does not signify any one given king, but the number "one", like the number "seventy", has its spiritual meaning, and signifies what is perfect, entire, and genuine. (Apocalypse Explained 374)

Thus "Tyre shall be forgotten, or given to oblivion seventy years according to the days of one King", implies that Tyre, or that state of the church which perverts the knowledges of what is True and Good from the Word, would be destroyed as to the states of all genuine Truth; "days": signifying states, "one" what is genuine and perfect, and "King" Truth.

That the number "one" does not signify numerically one, is evident from what is said in Psalm 27:4 :

"One [thing] have I desired", etc., which is a genuine or perfect state of worship, denoted by the things which follow, namely, - "That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple."

Again, when the Lord says, "One [thing] you lack", (Mark 10:21), He did not mean simply one thing, but a perfect state of love to God and of charity to his neighbour, denoted by the things which follow, namely, "That he should sell what he had", that is, renounce his proprium and deny himself; "give to the poor", a life of charity; and "come and follow Him", to acknowledge and worship the Lord; - by which his state would become one, that is, genuine and perfect.]

17. And it shall be at the end of seventy years, that Jehovah will visit Tyre: and she shall return to her meretricious gain; and she shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the earth that are upon the face of the ground.

Verses 17, 18. And it shall be at the end of seventy years, that Jehovah will visit Tyre, etc.

"Tyre", in the Word, is the church as to the knowledges of Truth and Good, the "meretricious gain" denotes the same knowledges applied to evils and falsities by perversion; her ''merchandise" is the selling thereof; to "commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the earth", denotes with all the truths of the church.

The reason why it is said that "her merchandise and her meretricious gain shall at length be holy to Jehovah", is because thereby are signified knowledges of Truth and Good by them applied to falsities and evils, and man, by the knowledges themselves, viewed in their true nature and quality; may become wise; for knowledges are the means of becoming wise, and they are also the means of becoming insane, when they are falsified by applications to evils and falsities.

Similar things are signified where it is said that "they should make to themselves friends of the unjust mammon"; (Luke 16:9) and by its being commanded that "the sons of Israel should borrow from the Egyptians gold, silver, and raiment, and take them away with them"; (Exodus 3:21, 22; 12:35, 36) for by the "Egyptians" are signified scientifics of every kind, which they applied to falsify truths. Apocalypse Explained 141.

The knowledges of what is True and Good from the Word, signified by "Tyre", are called "meretricious gain" when they are taught for for the sake of gain, honour and fame; for in this way they are, as it were, sold, and are not taught for the sake of Truth itself. This, in the Word, is called "meretriciousness and whoredom." To "commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the earth", is thus to act with all the truths of the church; "upon the faces of the ground", signifies wheresoever the church is." Arcana Coelestia 10570.

18. But her merchandise and her meretricious gain shall be holy to Jehovah: it shall not be treasured up, nor shall it be kept in store; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before Jehovah, for food sufficient, and for clothing [as of] old.

Verse 18. But her merchandise and her meretricious gain shall be holy to Jehovah, etc. - The "merchandise" and "meretricious gain" are the knowledges of what is Good and True from the Word applied to evil uses. That these knowledges should be given to the good who apply them to good uses, is meant by "her merchandise being for them that dwell before Jehovah, for food sufficient, and for clothing themselves as of old." The case is this: the knowledges of what is Good and True, with the evil, are applied to evil uses; and the same knowledges, with the good, are, applied to good uses. The knowledges are the same, but the application of them to uses makes their quality, whether good or bad, with each individual. These knowledges, as spiritual treasures, are like worldly riches, which by one person are applied to good uses, and by another to evil uses. Hence it is that riches, with each person, are of such a nature as the uses to which they are applied. From this it is clear that the same knowledges, like the same riches, which were in the possession of the evil, can be in the possession of the good, and be made subservient to good uses. Hence it may be seen what was represented by the command that "the sons of Israel should borrow of the Egyptians vessels of gold and of silver", etc., (Exodus 11:2, 3) and should thus spoil or rob them. Such robbing would never have been commanded by Jehovah, unless it had represented in the spiritual world such things, namely, the taking away, at the time of Judgment, of the treasures of knowledge from the evil, and transferring them to the good. Thus the Lord says, in respect to the wicked servant" Take therefore the talent from him, and give it to him that has ten talents; for unto everyone that has shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that has not shall be taken away even that which he has." (Matthew 25:28, 29) Arcana Coelestia 7770.

The merchandise of Tyre shall before them that dwell before Jehovah, for food sufficient, etc. - By the "merchandise of Tyre" are signified the knowledges of Good and Truth of every kind; to "dwell before Jehovah" signifies to live from the Lord; to have "food sufficient" signifies to receive, perceive, and appropriate the knowledges of Good sufficiently for the nourishment of the soul; to "clothe himself as of old" [or, with what is ancient], signifies to imbibe the knowledges of genuine Truth; for to cover is predicated of truths, because "garments" signify truths, "clothing" good, and "old" [or ancient] is predicated of what is genuine, inasmuch as genuine Truths were with the ancients. Apocalypse Explained 617. See also above, in respect to "the kings of antiquity", Chapter 19:11, the Exposition.

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Isaiah Chapter 23.

1. THE burden of Tyre. Howl, O you ships of Tarshish! for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no one entering in: from the land of Chittim it is made manifest unto them.

2. The inhabitants of the island are silent; the merchants of Zidon, they that pass over the sea, have replenished you.

3. And by great waters the seed of Sichor, the harvest of the river [Nile], was her revenue; and she was the mart of the nations.

4. Be you ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea has spoken; even the fortress of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, nor brought forth children; neither have I nourished young men, nor brought up virgins.

5. As at the tidings out of Egypt, so shall they be seized with pain at the tidings of Tyre.

6. Pass you over to Tarshish; howl, O you inhabitants of the island!

7. Is this your joyous [city], whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall bear her far away to sojourn.

8. Who has counselled this against Tyre, the crowning [city], whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honoured of the earth?

9. Jehovah of Hosts has counselled it; to pollute the pride of all [her] beauty; to make contemptible all the honoured of the earth.

10. Pass through your land, like a river, O daughter of Tarshish; the girdle is no more.

11. He has stretched out His hand over the sea; He has shaken the kingdoms: Jehovah has commanded concerning Canaan, that they should destroy her strong places.

12. And He bath said, You shalt rejoice no more, O you oppressed virgin, the daughter of Zidon! Arise, pass over to Chittim; even there you shalt have no rest.

13. Behold the land of the Chaldeans! this is not a people; the Assyrian has laid the foundation into heaps: they raised the watchtowers, they set up the palaces thereof; this people has reduced her to a ruin.

14. Howl, you ships of Tarshish: for your stronghold is laid waste.

15. And it shall be in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: at the end of seventy years it shall be to Tyre as the song of a harlot.

16. Take the harp, go about the city, O harlot forgotten; strike sweetly the harp; multiply the song, that you mayest be remembered.

17. And it shall be at the end of seventy years, that Jehovah will visit Tyre: and she shall return to her meretricious gain; and she shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the earth that are upon the face of the ground.

18. But her merchandise and her meretricious gain shall be holy to Jehovah: it shall not be treasured up, nor shall it be kept in store; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before Jehovah, for food sufficient, and for clothing [as of] old.

304. Verse 3. And no one was able, in heaven nor upon the earth, nor under the earth, to open the book, neither to look thereon, signifies manifestation that no one knows and perceives of himself anything whatever of the state of life of all in general, and of each one in particular. This is evident from the signification of "And no one was able to open the book, neither to look thereon," as being that no one of himself knows and perceives the states of the life of all in general and of each one in particular (of which see just above, n. 303); also from the signification of "in heaven nor upon the earth nor under the earth," being that no one anywhere has such knowledge, not even in the slightest degree; for "in heaven, upon the earth, and under the earth," means the three heavens; and by all who are there heaven in its entire complex is meant. And as heaven is heaven from the Divine truth that flows in from the Lord and is received by the angels, and not at all from any self-intelligence of the angels, for this is no intelligence, so the same words signify that no one has any knowledge or perception whatever from himself. That angels in heaven as well as men in the world have a selfhood [proprium], which regarded in itself is nothing but evil, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 592), and as evil receives nothing of intelligence and wisdom, it follows that angels equally with men understand nothing at all of truth from themselves, but solely from the Lord. Angels are such for the reason that all angels are from the human race, and every man retains after death what is his own [suum proprium], and angels are withheld from the evils that pertain to what is their own [proprii eorum] and are kept in goods by the Lord. (That all angels are from the human race, and not one is created such from the beginning, see in the small work on The Last Judgment 14-22; and that they are all withheld from evil, and kept in good by the Lord, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 166.)

[2] "In heaven," "upon the earth," and "under the earth," signify the three heavens, because the angels that are in the third or highest heaven dwell upon mountains; and those that are in the second or middle, upon hills; and those that are in the first or lowest, in plains and valleys below these. For in the spiritual world, where the spirits and angels are, it is just as it is in the natural world where men are, that is, there are lands, hills, and mountains; and in appearance the resemblance is such that there is no difference at all; therefore men after death scarcely know otherwise than that they are still living on the earth, and when the privilege is granted them to look into our world, they see nothing dissimilar. Moreover, the angels who are in the lowest heaven call that heaven where the angels of the third heaven dwell, because it is high above them, and where they themselves dwell they call earth; moreover, the third or highest heaven, which is upon the mountains, does not appear, to those who are below or upon that earth, otherwise than as the highest region of the atmosphere covered with a thin bright cloud appears before us, thus as the sky appears to us. From this it can be seen what is here meant, specifically, by "in heaven," "upon the earth," and "under the earth." (But more can be seen on this subject in the work on Heaven and Hell, where Appearances in Heaven are treated of, n 170-176; and The Habitations and Dwelling Places of Angels, n. 183-189)

[3] As men have not known that there is a like surface of the earth in both worlds, the natural and the spiritual, therefore they have not perceived otherwise when they have read the Word than that "heaven" and "earth" there mean the heaven visible before our eyes, and the earth inhabited by men; from this arose the belief in the destruction of heaven and earth, and the creation of a new heaven and a new earth at the day of the Last Judgment; when yet "heaven" and "earth" there mean the heaven and the earth where spirits and angels dwell, and in the spiritual sense the church with angels and with men (for there is a church with angels equally as with men, as may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 221-227). It is said, in the spiritual sense, for an angel is not an angel, nor is a man a man, from the human form, which both have, but because of heaven and the church with them. This is why "heaven" and "earth," where angels and men dwell, signify the church; "heaven" the internal church and also the church with angels, and "earth" the external church and also the church with men. But since it can only with difficulty be believed that "earth" in the Word means the church, because it is not yet known that in every particular of the Word there is a spiritual sense, whence a material idea adheres and keeps the thought fixed in the nearest meaning of the expression, I wish to illustrate and confirm it by a number of quotations.

[4] In Isaiah:

Behold, Jehovah maketh the earth empty and maketh it void, and He shall disfigure the faces thereof; in emptying the earth shall be emptied, and in spoiling it shall be spoiled; the habitable earth shall mourn and be confounded; the world shall be confounded; the earth shall be profaned under its inhabitants; therefore a malediction shall devour the earth, and the inhabitants of the earth shall be burnt up, and a man shall be rare. A shout over the wine in the streets; the gladness of the earth shall be banished; it shall be in the midst of the earth as the shaking of an olive tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is ended. From the uttermost part of the earth we have heard songs, Glory to the righteous. The floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth quake; in breaking the earth is broken, in rending the earth is rent asunder, in moving the earth is moved; in tottering the earth shall totter as one drunken; and it shall be moved to and fro as a veil; but it shall be in that day that Jehovah will visit upon the host of the height in the height, and upon the kings of the earth who are upon the earth (Isaiah 24:1, 3-6, 11, 13, 16, 18-21).

Here it is very clear that "earth" does not mean the earth, but the church. Let the particulars be run over and considered. One who is in a spiritual idea does not think, when "earth" is mentioned, of the earth itself, but of the people on it and their quality; still more is this true of those who are in heaven; who, since they are spiritual, perceive that the church is meant. Here the church destroyed is treated of; its destruction in respect to the good of love and the truth of faith, which constitute it, is described by "Jehovah maketh the earth empty and maketh it void," "in emptying the earth shall be emptied, in spoiling it shall be spoiled," "it shall mourn and be confounded," "it shall be profaned," and "a malediction shall devour it;" "the floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of it quake;" "it is broken," "it is rent asunder," "it is moved," "it shall totter as one drunken." These things can be said neither of the earth, nor of any nation, but only of the church.

[5] In the same:

Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, to lay the earth waste; and He shall destroy the sinners out of it. For the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof do not cause their light to shine, the sun hath been darkened in its rising, and the moon maketh not bright her light. I will make a man more rare than fine gold; wherefore I will cause the heavens to tremble and the earth shall quake out of its place (Isaiah 13:9-10, 12-13).

It is clear from the particulars understood in the spiritual sense, that "earth" here means the church. The end of the church is here treated of, when truth and good, or faith and charity, are no more. For "the stars and constellations that do not cause their light to shine," signify the knowledges of truth and good; the "sun that has been darkened in its rising," signifies love; the "moon that maketh not bright her light," signifies faith; a "man made more rare than fine gold," signifies intelligence and wisdom: this makes clear what is signified by "Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh to lay the earth waste. I will cause the heavens to tremble and the earth shall quake out of its place;" "the day of Jehovah" is the last end of the church, when there is the judgment; the "earth" is the church. It can be seen that the earth itself does not quake out of its place, but that the church is removed when love and faith are not. "To quake out of its place" signifies to be removed from its former state.

[6] In the same:

Behold, the Lord, as a deluge of hail, a storm of slaughter, as a deluge of mighty waters. He shall cast down to the earth with the hand. A consummation and decision I have heard from the Lord Jehovih of hosts upon the whole earth (Isaiah 28:2, 22).

This is said of the day of judgment upon those who are of the church. The day of judgment, when the church is at an end is meant by "a consummation and decision I have heard from the Lord Jehovih of Hosts upon the whole earth;" it is therefore said "as a deluge of hail, a storm of slaughter, as a deluge of mighty waters. He shall cast down to the earth with the hand;" by "hail" and "a deluge of it" falsities that destroy the truths of the church are signified; by "slaughter," and "a storm of it," evils that destroy the goods of the church are signified; by "mighty waters" falsities of evil are signified. (That a "deluge" or "flood" signifies immersion into evils and falsities, and the consequent destruction of the church) see Arcana Coelestia (Arcana Coelestia 660, 705, 739, 756, 790, 5725, 6853 the like is meant by "casting down to the earth," or a violent rain.

[7] In the same:

The land shall become burning pitch; from generation to generation it shall be desolate (Isaiah 34:9-10).

"Burning pitch" signifies every evil springing from love of self, through which the church entirely perishes and is desolated; it is therefore said, "the land shall become burning pitch; from generation to generation it shall be desolate." Who does not see that such things are not said of the land itself?

[8] In the same:

The land mourneth and languisheth; Lebanon blusheth, and hath withered away (Isaiah 33:9).

Here also the "land" means the church, which is said "to mourn" and "to languish" when falsities begin to be accepted and acknowledged in place of truths; it is therefore said, "Lebanon blusheth and hath withered away;" "Lebanon" signifying the like as "cedar," namely, the truth of the church.

[9] In Jeremiah:

The lion is gone up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations hath gone forth from his place to make thy land a waste; thy cities shall be destroyed. I saw the earth, when lo, it was void and empty; and towards the heavens, and lo, they had no light. I saw the mountains, and lo, they quaked and all the hills are overturned. Jehovah said, The whole earth shall be a waste. For this shall the land mourn, and the heavens above be black (Jeremiah 4:7, 4:23-24, 27-28).

Here also the vastation of the church is treated of, which takes place when there are no longer truth and good, but falsity and evil in place of them. This vastation is described by "the lion going up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations going forth from his place;" "the lion" and "the destroyer of the nations" signifying falsity and evil, laying waste. The "mountains that quake," and the "hills that are overturned," signify love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor. This is the signification of "mountains" and "hills," because those who are in love to the Lord dwell upon mountains in heaven, and those who are in charity towards the neighbor, upon hills (See what has been said above, also in the work on Heaven and Hell, 188, and in the notes there, letter c, original edition). "The heavens where there was no light, and that were black" signify the interiors of the men of the church, which, when closed by evils and falsities, do not admit light from heaven, but darkness from hell instead. From this it can be seen what is signified by "the lion and the destroyer of the nations making the land a waste;" so likewise by "I saw the earth, and lo, it was void and empty;" also by "the whole earth shall be a waste; for this shall the land mourn," namely, that the earth is not meant, but the church.

[10] In the same:

How long shall the land mourn, and the herb of every field [wither]? for the evil of them that dwell therein the beasts shall be carried off, and the fowl. The whole land is made waste because no man layeth it to heart. Wasters are come upon all the bare heights in the wilderness; for the sword of Jehovah devoureth from one end of the land even to the other end of the land. They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns (Jeremiah 12:4, 11-13).

That the "land" here signifies the church is evident, from its being said that "the land shall mourn, and the herb of every field [wither]," and that "the beasts and the birds shall be carried off for the evil of them that dwell therein, and because no man layeth it to heart." "The herb of every field" signifies every truth and good of the church, and the "beasts and the fowl" signify the affections of good and truth; and since the church is signified by the "land," and it is here treated of as being vastated, it is said "wasters are come upon all the bare heights in the wilderness; for the sword of Jehovah devoureth from one end of the land even to the other end of the land. They have sown wheat, and have reaped thorns." "The bare heights in the wilderness upon which the wasters came" signify the things that are of charity, "wilderness" meaning where there is no good because no truth; "the sword of Jehovah" signifies falsity destroying truth; "from one end of the land to the other end of the land" signifies all things of the church; "to sow wheat and reap thorns" signifies to take from the Word the truths of good and to turn them into the falsities of evil, "wheat" meaning the truths of good, and "thorns" the falsities of evil.

[11] In Isaiah:

Upon the ground of my people shall come up the thorn and briar; the palace shall be deserted; the multitude of the city shall be forsaken (Isaiah 32:13-14).

The "thorn and briar that shall come up upon the ground" signify falsity and evil; the "palace that shall be deserted" signifies where good dwells; and the "multitude of the city that shall be forsaken" signifies where there are truths; for "city" signifies the doctrine of truth.

[12] In the same:

All the land shall be a place of briars and brambles; but as to all the mountains that shall be hoed with the hoe, there shall not come thither the fear of the briar and bramble; but there shall be the sending-forth of the ox and the trampling of the sheep (Isaiah 7:24-25).

"Briars and brambles" signify falsity and evil; which makes evident what is signified by "all the land shall be a place of briars and brambles." "The mountains that shall be hoed with the hoe" signify those who from the love of good do goods, that with them there shall be no falsity and evil, but good, natural as well as spiritual, is signified by "there shall not come thither the fear of the briar and bramble, but there shall be the sending forth of the ox, and the trampling of sheep;" that is, thither shall oxen be sent, and there the sheep shall trample, "ox" signifying natural good, and "sheep" spiritual good.

[13] In Ezekiel:

Thy mother is a lioness; she couched among lions; one of her whelps went up; he desolated the cities; the land and the fullness thereof was made waste by the voice of his roaring (Ezekiel 19:2-3, 7).

"Mother" signifies the church; a "lioness" and "lions" signify the power of evil and falsity against good and truth; the "roaring of the lion" signifies the lust of destroying and desolating; the "cities that he desolated" signify doctrine with its truths, which makes evident what is signified by "the land and the fullness thereof was laid waste," namely, the whole church.

[14] In the same:

They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their waters with astonishment, that the land may be laid waste from the fullness thereof, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein; and the cities that are inhabited shall be desolated, and the land shall be a waste (Ezekiel 12:19-20).

Here "the land and the cities that shall be desolated and shall be a waste" have the same signification as above, namely, "the land" signifies the church, and "cities" doctrine with its truths; it is therefore said, "because of the violence of all them that dwell therein." Since this is what is meant, it is first said that "they shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their waters with astonishment," "bread" and "water" in the Word signifying all the good of love and truth of faith (See Arcana Coelestia 9323), and "eating" and "drinking" signifying instruction and appropriation (n. 3168, 3513, 3832, 9412).

[15] In David:

I called upon Jehovah, and cried unto my God. Then the earth tottered and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled and tottered when He was wroth (Psalms 18:6-7).

Here the "earth" stands for the church, which is said to "totter and quake" when it is perverted by the falsification of truths; and then "the foundations of the mountains" are said "to tremble and totter," for the goods of love, which are founded upon the truths of faith, vanish; "mountains" meaning the goods of love (as above), and their "foundations" the truths of faith; which also shows that the "earth" is the church.

[16] In the same:

The earth is Jehovah's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein; and He hath founded it upon the seas, He hath established it upon the rivers (Psalms 24:1, 2).

The "earth" and the "world" stand for the church, and "fullness" for all things thereof; the "seas upon which He hath founded it," mean the knowledges of truth in general; the "rivers" doctrinals; because the church is founded on both of these, it is said that "He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers." That this cannot be said of the earth and the world is clear to anyone.

[17] In the same:

We will not fear, when the earth shall be changed, and when the mountains shall be moved in the heart of the seas, when the waters thereof are in tumult and do foam. The nations are in tumult, the kingdoms are moved, when He giveth forth His voice the earth shall dissolve (Psalms 46:2-3, 6).

The "earth" evidently means the church, since it is said "to be changed" and "to dissolve," also that "the mountains shall be moved in the heart of the seas, and the waters thereof shall be in tumult," and "the nations are in tumult and the kingdoms are moved." "Mountains" signify (as above) the goods of love, which are said "to be moved in the heart of the seas" when the essential knowledges of truth are perverted; "waters" signify the truths of the church, which are said "to foam" when they are falsified; "nations" signify the goods of the church, and in a contrary sense, its evils; and "kingdoms" the truths of the church, and in a contrary sense, its falsities; and also those who are in the one and the other."

[18] In the same:

O God, Thou hast cast us off; Thou hast been angry; bring back rest to us. Thou hast made the earth to quake, Thou hast broken it up; heal the breaches thereof, for it is moved (Psalms 60:1-2).

It can be seen that these things are said of the church, and not of the earth, for it is said, "Thou hast made the earth to quake, Thou hast broken it up; heal the breaches thereof, for it is moved;" and as "the earth" signifies the church, and here the church vastated, it is said, "O God, Thou hast cast us off, Thou hast been angry; bring back rest to us."

[19] In the same:

When I shall receive the set time, I shall judge with uprightness. The earth and all the inhabitants thereof shall be dissolved; I will make firm the pillars of it (Psalms 75:2-3).

Here, likewise, the "earth" stands for the church, which is said to "dissolve" when the truths by which there is good fail; truths, because they support the church, are called its "pillars," which God will make firm; it is not the pillars of the earth evidently that are made firm. As the restoration of the church is here described, it is said, "When I shall receive the set time, I shall judge with uprightness." The truths of the church, here called the "pillars of the earth," are also called the "bases of the earth" (1 Samuel 2:8); and the "foundations of the earth," in Isaiah:

Do ye not understand the foundations of the earth? It is He that dwelleth upon the circle of the earth, that bringeth the princes to nothing; and maketh the judges of the earth as emptiness (Isaiah 40:21-23).

The "princes who will be brought to nothing," and the "judges of the earth, whom He will make as emptiness," signify the things that are from self-intelligence and from one's own judgment.

[20] In Jeremiah:

A tumult cometh even to the end of the earth. Thus said Jehovah, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth. And the slain of Jehovah shall be in that day from the end of the earth even unto the end thereof (Jeremiah 25:31-33).

The "end of the earth" and the "sides of the earth" signify where the ultimates of the church are, and where evils and falsities begin; and "from the end of the earth to the end thereof" signifies all things of the church; from this it can be known what is signified by "a tumult shall come to the end of the earth," and "a great tempest shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth," also by "the slain of Jehovah in that day shall be from the end of the earth to the end thereof." The "slain" signify those in whom the truths and goods of the church are extinguished (See Arcana Coelestia 4503[1-11]).

[21] In Isaiah:

The isles saw, they feared; the ends of the earth trembled, they drew near, and came. I will make the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into a spring of waters (Isaiah 41:5, 18).

The establishment of the church among the Gentiles is thus described; they are signified by the "isles" and the "ends of the earth;" for "isles" and "the ends of the earth" in the Word signify those who are far removed from the truths and goods of the church because they do not have the Word, and consequently, are in ignorance. That a church is to be established with such is signified by "I will make the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into a spring of waters." That is called a "wilderness" where there is not yet good because there is not yet truth, and for the same reason it is called "dry land;" a "pool of waters" and a "spring of waters" signify good, because they signify truth; for all spiritual good, which is the good of the church, is acquired by means of truths.

[22] In the same:

Woe to the land shadowed with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Cush. Go, ye messengers, to a nation trodden down, whose land the rivers have despoiled (Isaiah 18:1-2).

No one knows what is meant by "a land shadowed with wings," and "a land that the rivers have despoiled," unless he knows that "land" means the church, and "rivers" falsities; "a land shadowed with wings" is a church that is in thick darkness in respect to Divine truths (that these are signified by "wings," see above, n. 283; "beyond the rivers of Cush" signifies in respect to the knowledges themselves from the sense of the letter of the Word, which have been falsified; "a nation trodden down, to which the messengers should go, whose land the rivers have despoiled," signifies those out of the church who are in falsities from ignorance; "rivers" meaning the truths of doctrine, and in a contrary sense falsities; that "the messengers should go to them" signifies that they should be invited to receive the church.

[23] In the same:

In the fury of Jehovah of Hosts the land is obscured (Isaiah 9:19).

A "land obscured" signifies the things of the church in thick darkness, that is, in falsities; for the falsities of evil are said to be in thick darkness, but truths in light.

[24] In the same:

Jehovah shall remove man, and forsaken places shall be multiplied in the midst of the land (Isaiah 6:12);

"man whom Jehovah shall remove," signifying him who is wise, and abstractly, wisdom (as may be seen above, n. 280; "forsaken places multiplied in the midst of the land" signifying that there shall be no good at all, because no truth; "the midst of the land" meaning where truth is in the highest light; consequently when there is no light there, thick darkness pervades the whole; thus there is nowhere any truth at all.

[25] In the same:

Jehovah shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He put to death the wicked (Isaiah 11:4).

"The rod of Jehovah's mouth which shall smite the earth," signifies truth in ultimates, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word; "the breath of the lips which shall put to death the wicked," signifies truth in the spiritual sense of the Word; these truths are said "to smite the earth," and "to put to death the wicked," when such are condemned by truths; for by truths everyone is judged and is condemned.

[26] In the same:

The earth is at rest, and is quiet. Hell hath stirred up the Rephaim because of thee, all the powerful of the earth. They that see thee shall say, Is this the man that maketh the earth to tremble, that maketh the kingdoms to quake; that hath made the world as a wilderness and threw down the cities thereof? Thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people. Prepare slaughter for his sons, that they rise not up and possess the land, and the faces of the world be filled with cities. I will break the Assyrian in My land, and upon My mountains I will tread him down (Isaiah 14:7, 9, 16-17, 20-21, 25).

These things are said of the king of Babylon, by whom is signified the destruction of truth by the love of ruling over heaven and earth; which love the truths of the Word or of the church are made to serve as means; here their damnation is treated of. The "Rephaim whom hell stirred up," mean those who are in the direful persuasion of what is false, who are therefore called the powerful of the earth; "to make the earth to tremble," "to make the kingdoms quake," "to make the world as a wilderness," and "to throw down the cities thereof," signifies to pervert all things of the church; "earth" and "world" mean the church, "kingdoms" the truths that constitute it; and "cities" all things of doctrine. From this it is clear what is signified by, "Thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people." The "Assyrian who shall be broken in the land and trodden down upon the mountains," signifies the reasonings from falsities against truths; "to be broken" means to be dispersed, and "to be trodden down" means to be wholly destroyed; "mountains upon which this is done," signify where the good of love and charity reigns, for there, or with such, all reasoning from falsities is dispersed or destroyed.

[27] In the same:

Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; from the land of Chittim it shall manifestly come to them. Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish; the girdle is no more. Behold the land of the Chaldean; Assyria hath founded it into heaps. Jehovah will visit Tyre, that she may return to the hire of whoredom and commit whoredom with all the kingdoms of the earth upon the faces of the ground (Isaiah 23:1, 10, 23:13, 17).

Neither ships of Tarshish, nor Tyre, nor the land of Chittim, nor the land of the Chaldeans, nor Assyria, are here meant, as can be seen from the particulars in this chapter; but "the ships of Tarshish" mean the knowledges of truth and good, "Tyre" the like; "the land of Chittim" what is idolatrous; "the land of the Chaldeans" the profanation and destruction of truth, and "Assyria" reasoning from falsities. From this it is clear that, "Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is desolated" signifies that there were no longer any knowledges of truth; "from the land of Chittim it shall manifestly come to them" signifies idolatry therefrom; "the girdle is no more" signifies that there is no longer any coherence of truth with good; "behold the land of the Chaldeans" signifies that thus there is profanation and destruction of truth; "Assyria hath founded it into heaps" signifies that reasonings from falsities have destroyed it; "to return to the hire of whoredom" and "to commit whoredom with all kingdoms upon the faces of the ground" signifies the falsification of all truths of the whole church.

[28] In the same:

The king of Assyria shall pass on through Judah, he shall overflow and pass through, he shall reach even to the neck; and the flappings of his wings ¹ shall be the fullness of the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel (Isaiah 8:8).

Here, too, "the king of Assyria" signifies the reasoning from falsities against truths; "he shall pass on through Judah, he shall overflow and pass through" signifies that this shall destroy the good of the church (to "overflow" is predicated of falsities, because they are signified by "waters"); "he shall reach even to the neck" signifies that thus there shall be no longer any communication of good and truth; and "the flappings of his wings shall be the fullness of the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel" signifies that falsities shall be opposed to all the truths of the Lord's church; "the breadth of the land" signifies the truths of the church (See Heaven and Hell 197), consequently, in a contrary sense, falsities; therefore the "flappings of his wings" signify reasonings from falsities against truths; "fullness" signifies all; thus "the fullness of the breadth of the land" signifies all the truths of the church.

[29] In the same:

In that day shall the bud of Jehovah be for adornment and glory, and the fruit of the earth for magnificence and splendor to those left of Israel (Isaiah 4:2).

The "bud of Jehovah," that shall be for adornment and glory, signifies the truth of the church; and the "fruit of the earth," that shall be for magnificence and splendor, signifies the good of the church; "Israel" signifies the spiritual church. Evidently it is the truth and good of the church, and not the bud and the fruit of the earth, that shall be for adornment, glory, magnificence, and splendor. When it is said the truth and good of the church, the truth of faith and the good of love are meant, for all truth is of faith, and all good is of love.

[30] In the same:

Thou hast added to the nation, O Jehovah; Thou hast been glorified; Thou hast removed all the ends of the earth (Isaiah 26:15).

The "nation to which Jehovah has added" signifies those who are in the good of love, whom He has claimed to Himself; "the ends of the earth which He has removed" signify the falsities and evils that infest the church, from which He has purified them.

[31] In the same:

Thine eyes shall behold the king in his beauty, they shall behold a land of far distances (Isaiah 33:17).

"To see the king in his beauty," means to see genuine truth, which is from the Lord alone; "to behold a land of far distances" signifies to behold the extension of intelligence and wisdom.

[32] In the same:

I have given thee for a covenant to the people, to restore the earth. Sing aloud O heavens, and exult O earth, and break forth O mountains with a song (Isaiah 49:8, 13).

This treats of the Lord and His coming; the establishment of the church by Him is described by "I have given thee for a covenant of the people, to restore the earth," to "restore the earth" being to reestablish the church; it is known that the Lord did not restore the earth to the Jewish people, but that He established a church among the Gentiles; the joy in consequence is described by, "Sing aloud O heavens, and exult O earth, and break forth O mountains with a song," "the heavens" being the heavens where angels are who are in the interior truths of the church, "the earth" the church among men, and "the mountains" those who are in the good of love to the Lord.

[33] In Jeremiah:

The land is full of adulterers; for because of malediction the land mourneth; the pastures of the wilderness are dried up (Jeremiah 23:10).

"Adulterers" signify those who adulterate the goods of the church; therefore it is said, "the land is full of adulterers, and because of the malediction the land mourneth;" the "pastures of the wilderness that are dried up" signify no spiritual nourishment in such a church; that is called "wilderness" where there is no truth.

[34] In the same:

A drought is upon her waters, so that they shall become dry; for it is a land of graven images (Jeremiah 50:38).

"A drought upon the waters, so that they shall become dry" signifies that there are no more truths, "waters" being truths; "for it is a land of graven images" signifies the church destroyed by falsities which are from self-intelligence, which they call truths, "graven images" signifying those falsities.

[35] In Ezekiel:

The end hath come upon the four quarters of the earth; the earth is full of the judgment of bloods, and the city is full of violence (Ezekiel 7:2, 23).

"The end hath come upon the four quarters of the earth" signifies the last time and the last state of the church, when its end is, the four quarters being all truths and goods of the church, and in a contrary sense, all its falsities and evils, thus all things of the church; "the earth full of the judgment of bloods" signifies that it is filled with evils of every kind, "bloods" being the evils that offer violence to the goods of love and charity and wholly destroy them; "the city full of violence" signifies the doctrine of that church likewise offering violence.

[36] In the same:

All the luminaries of light in heaven will I make black over thee, and will set darkness upon thy land (Ezekiel 32:8).

"The luminaries of light in the heavens" mean the sun, moon, and stars; the "sun" signifying love, the "moon" faith therefrom, and the "stars" the knowledges of good and truth; from this it is clear what is signified by "I will make them black over thee," namely, that these no longer exist; thence also it is clear what is signified by "I will set darkness upon thy land," namely, that there will be falsities in the church," "darkness" meaning falsities, and "land" the church.

[37] In the same:

Prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and to the hills and to the watercourses and to the valleys, Behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you that ye may be tilled and sown (Ezekiel 36:6, 9).

"The land of Israel" means the church; "mountains, hills, watercourses, and valleys" signify all things of the church from the first to the last things thereof, "mountains" are the goods of love to the Lord, "hills" the goods of charity towards the neighbor-these are the first things of the church; "watercourses and valleys" are truths and goods that are the last things of the church. That this is the meaning can be seen from what was said at the beginning of this article, namely, that those in heaven who are in the good of love to the Lord dwell upon mountains, those who are in charity towards the neighbor upon hills, and those who are in goods and truths in the lowest heaven in plains and valleys; "watercourses" are the truths of doctrine there; to implant these is signified by "I will turn unto you that ye may be tilled and sown. "

[38] In Hosea:

In that day I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; and the earth shall hear the corn and the new wine and the oil, and these shall hear Jezreel, ² and I will sow her unto me in the earth (Hosea 2:21-23).

Evidently these things are to be understood spiritually, and not naturally according to the sense of the letter, for it is said that "these shall hear Jezreel; and I will sow her unto me in the earth;" therefore the "heavens" mean the heavens where the Lord is; and the "earth" the church where also the Lord is; "corn, new wine, and oil" signify all the things of spiritual nourishment, which are the goods of love and charity and the truths of faith.

[39] In Malachi:

He shall not destroy for you the fruit of the ground, neither shall the vine in the field be barren to you; all nations shall proclaim you happy, and ye shall be a land of good pleasure (Malachi 3:11-12).

These things are said of those with whom is the church; and because "the fruit of the ground," and "the vine in the field" signify the goods and truths of the church ("fruit" goods, and "the vine" its truths), therefore they are called "a land of good pleasure."

[40] In David:

Let thy good spirit lead me into the land of uprightness; vivify me, O Jehovah, for Thy name's sake (Psalms 143:10-11).

"The land of uprightness" stands for the church in which is the right and the true; and because "the spirit of Jehovah" signifies Divine truth, and everyone receives spiritual life through that, therefore it is said, "Let Thy good spirit lead me," and "vivify me, O Jehovah."

[41] As the "earth" signifies the church, and where the church is there is heaven, therefore heaven is called "the land of the living," and "the land of life;" "the land of the living" in Isaiah:

I said, I shall not see Jah in the land of the living (Isaiah 38:11);

and in Ezekiel:

Who caused terror in the land of the living (Ezekiel 32:23-27).

"The land of life," in David:

Unless I had believed to see good in the land of life (Psalms 27:13).

[42] In Moses:

The stone shall be entire and just, the ephah shall be entire and just, that thy days may be prolonged upon the earth (Deuteronomy 25:15).

"Days to be prolonged upon the earth" does not mean a lengthening of life in the world, but the state of life in the church, thus in heaven; for "to be prolonged" is predicated of good and its increase, and "day" signifies the state of life; and as "a stone entire and just," which was a weight, and "an ephah entire and just," which was a measure, signify truth and good and their quality, and both together signify justice, "stone" signifying truth, and "measure" good, and as not to deceive by weight and measure is to be just, therefore such shall have the life of the church and afterwards life in heaven, which is meant by "their days upon the earth shall be prolonged."

[43] The like is signified by this precept in the Decalogue:

Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be prolonged upon the earth (Exodus 20:12).

Those who honor father and mother have heaven and the happiness there, because in heaven no other father but the Lord is known, for all there have been generated anew from Him; and in heaven by "mother" the church is meant, and in general, the kingdom of the Lord. It is clear that those who worship the Lord and seek his kingdom will have life in heaven, also that many of those who honor father and mother in the world do not live there long.

[44] In Matthew:

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).

"Inheriting the earth" signifies not possession of the earth, but possession of heaven and blessedness there; the "meek" mean those who are in the good of charity.

[45] In Isaiah:

Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name God-With-Us: butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to reject the evil and to choose the good; for before the Lad knoweth to reject the evil and to choose the good, the land which thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of its two kings. It shall come to pass in that day, by reason of the abundance of milk they yield, He shall eat butter; for butter and honey shall everyone eat that is left in the midst of the land (Isaiah 7:14-16, 21-22).

It is known that these things were said respecting the Lord and His coming; "butter and honey," which He shall eat, signify the goods of love; "butter" the good of celestial and spiritual love, "honey" the good of natural love; this means that He would appropriate the Divine to Himself even in respect to the Human; "to eat" signifying to appropriate. That "the land shall be forsaken before He knoweth to reject the evil and to choose the good" signifies that when He should be born there would not be anything of the church remaining in the whole world; and because those where the church was, rejected every Divine truth and perverted all things of the Word, and explained it in favor of self, it is said of the land, that is, the church, "which thou abhorrest from the presence of its two kings; "king" signifying the truths of heaven and of the church; "two kings" the truth of the Word in the internal or spiritual sense, and the truth of the Word in the external or natural sense. "Milk" signifies truth through which good comes, and as "butter" signifies the good therefrom, "by reason of the abundance of yielding milk, butter shall everyone eat that is left in the midst of the land" signifies that every truth shall be from good.

[46] In Matthew:

In the consummation of the age, all the tribes of the earth shall lament (Matthew 24:30).

"The consummation of the age" which is treated of in that chapter, is the last time of the church, when judgment takes place; "all the tribes of the earth" signify all truths and goods of the church, which are said "to lament" when they are no more.

[47] In Luke:

Then shall there be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, the sea and the waves roaring; men expiring for fear and for expectation of the things coming upon the whole earth; for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. That day as a snare shall come upon all that dwell upon the face of the whole earth (Luke 21:25-26, 35).

Here also the last time of the church is treated of, when judgment takes place, and the "earth" and the "world" here mean the church. "The distress of nations upon the earth," "the fear and expectation of the things coming upon the earth, and upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth" signifies upon those who are in the spiritual world, not upon those who are in the countries in the natural world. (That there are lands in the spiritual world also, see what is said at the beginning of this article; and that the Last Judgment was accomplished there, see in the small work on The Last Judgment.) It has been told before what "sun," "moon," and "stars" signify, in which are signs, namely, that "sun" signifies love, "moon" faith therefrom, and "stars" the knowledges of good and truth; the "sea and waves roaring" signify the reasonings and assaults of truth from the sense of the letter of the Word, wrongly and perversely applied. The "powers of the heavens that shall be shaken" signify the Word in the sense of the letter, since this sense is the foundation of the spiritual truths that are in the heavens. (See Heaven and Hell, in the article that treats of The Conjunction of Heaven with Man by the Word, n.303-310.)

[48] In Isaiah:

Sing aloud ye heavens; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth with singing, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein; for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob. I am Jehovah, that maketh all things; that stretchest forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by Myself (Isaiah 44:23-24).

"Sing aloud, ye heavens; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth with singing, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein" signifies all things of heaven and of the church, both internal and external, all of which have reference to good and to truth. Things internal are signified by "the heavens," things external by "the lower parts of the earth;" "mountains" mean the good of love, the "forest" means natural truth, and the "trees" therein mean the knowledges of truth. Because such things are signified, it is said, "for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob," "Jacob" in the Word signifying the external church, and "Israel" the internal church; "to stretch forth the heavens," and "to spread abroad the earth" signifies the church on all sides, which is spread forth and extended by the multiplication of truth and the fructification of good, with those who are of the church.

[49] In Zechariah:

Jehovah stretcheth out the heavens, and foundeth the earth, and formeth the spirit of man in the midst of him (Zechariah 12:1).

Here, too, in like manner "heavens" and "earth" signify the church everywhere, thus in respect to its interiors and as to its exteriors; therefore it is also said, "He formeth the spirit of man in the midst of him."

[50] In Jeremiah:

The gods that have not made the heaven and the earth, let them perish from the earth and from under the heavens. Jehovah maketh the earth by His power, prepareth the world by His wisdom, and stretcheth out the heavens by His intelligence. At the voice which He giveth forth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapors to ascend from the end of the earth (Jeremiah 10:11-13; 51:15-16).

Because the "heavens" and the "earth" signify the church (as above), it is said, "Jehovah maketh the earth by His power, prepareth the world by His wisdom, and stretcheth out the heavens by His intelligence;" and therefore also it is said, "At the voice which He giveth forth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapors to ascend from the end of the earth;" "the voice that Jehovah giveth forth" signifies Divine truth proceeding from Him; the "multitude of waters in the heavens" signifies truth in abundance, for "waters" signify truths; and "the vapors that He causeth to ascend from the end of the earth" signify the ultimate truths of the church, "vapors" are those truths; and "the end of the earth" is the ultimate of the church; and as "gods" signify the falsities of doctrine and of worship, which destroy the church, it is said, "The gods that have not made the heaven and the earth, let them perish from the earth and from under the heavens."

[51] In David:

Jehovah, who by intelligence maketh the heavens, and spreadeth out the earth above the waters (Psalms 136:5-6).

Because "heaven" and "earth" signify the church, and the church is formed by truths, and the truths of the church constitute intelligence, it is said, "Jehovah maketh the heavens by intelligence, and spreadeth out the earth above the waters," "waters" meaning the truths of the church.

[52] In Isaiah:

Thus saith Jehovah God, that createth the heavens, and stretcheth them out, that spreadeth forth the earth and the products thereof, that giveth breath to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein (Isaiah 42:5).

"To create the heavens" and "to spread forth the earth and the products thereof" signifies to form the church and to reform those who are in it, "products" meaning all things of the church; therefore it is said, "that giveth breath to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein." That "to create" is to reform, see above n. 294.

[53] In the same:

Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the [higher] clouds flow down with righteousness; let the earth open, and bring forth the fruit of salvation. I have made the earth, and created man upon it. Thus said Jehovah who created the heavens; God Himself who formeth the earth and maketh it and prepareth it: I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness (Isaiah 45:8, 12, 18-19).

"Heavens" and "earth" here plainly mean all things of the church, both its internals and externals; for it is said, "Drop down, ye heavens, and let the [higher] clouds flow down with righteousness; let the earth open, and bring forth the fruit of salvation." "Heavens" signify the interiors of the church, because the interiors that are of man's spiritual mind are the heavens with him. (That with the man with whom the church is there is a heaven, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 30-57.) "To create the heavens and to form the earth, and make and prepare it," signifies to fully establish the church.

[54] In the same:

Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered (Isaiah 65:17).

"To create new heavens and a new earth" signifies to establish a new church in respect to its interiors and exteriors, both in the heavens and on earth (as above).

[55] In the same:

Who hath heard a thing like this? shall the earth bring forth in one day? shall a nation be begotten at one time? For as the new heavens and the new earth which I am about to make shall stand before Me, so shall your seed and your name stand (Isaiah 66:8, 22).

Because the "earth" signifies the church, it is said, "shall the earth bring forth in one day? shall a nation be begotten at one time?" "To bring forth," and "birth," and "to beget," and "begetting," in the Word, signify spiritual birth and begetting, which are of faith and love, thus reformation and regeneration. What the "new heavens" and the "new earth" signify has been told above.

[56] In Jeremiah:

I have made the earth, man and beast that are upon the faces of the earth, and I give it to him who is right in My eyes (Jeremiah 27:5).

"Man and beast that are upon the faces of the earth" signify the affections of truth and good in the spiritual and the natural man (See n. 280; and Arcana Coelestia 7424, 7523, 7872); and since these affections with men constitute the church in them it is said, "I have made the earth, man and beast that are upon the faces of the earth, and I give it to him who is right in My eyes." Everyone knows that God gives the earth not alone to those who are right in His eyes, but also to those who are not right, while the church He gives to those only who are right; "right" signifying truth and its affection.

[57] In Isaiah:

The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and the dwellers therein shall die in like manner (Isaiah 51:6).

The "heavens that shall vanish away," and the "earth that shall wax old like a garment" signify the church; this step by step falls, and at length is desolated; but not so the visible heaven and the habitable earth; therefore it is said, "and the dwellers therein shall die in like manner," "to die" signifying to die spiritually:

The heavens and earth shall pass away (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17);

has a like signification.

[58] In Revelation:

Four angels standing upon the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow upon the earth (Revelation 7:1).

"The four corners of the earth," and "the four winds of the earth" signify all truths and goods of the church in the complex; for they have the like signification as the four quarters of heaven (that these have this signification, see Heaven and Hell, On the Four Quarters in Heaven, n141-153). To "hold the four winds" signifies that truths and goods do not flow in because they are not received; therefore it is said that "the wind should not blow upon the earth." "The earth" signifies the church elsewhere in Revelation (as Revelation 10:2, 5-6, 8; 12:16; 13:13; 16:2, 14; 20:8-9, 11; 21:1), as well as in many other places in the Word, too numerous to be cited.

[59] As the church was signified by the "earth" and especially by the "land of Canaan," because the church was there, and as the church which was there was a representative church, so all things there were representative, and all that was said to them by the Lord signified the spiritual or interior things of the church, and this even to the land itself and its products; as in these words in Moses:

If thou wilt keep the commandments, Jehovah will lead thee into a good land, into a land of brooks of waters, of fountains, of depths coming forth out of valley and mountain; a land of wheat, of barley, of vine, of fig, of pomegranate; a land of the olive, of oil, of honey; a land where thou shalt eat bread without scarceness; it shall lack nothing; a land where the stones are iron and out of the mountains is digged copper; and thou shalt eat, and shalt be satisfied in this good land (Deuteronomy 8:6-10).

This is a description of all things of the church, both its interiors and its exteriors; but to explain what the particulars signify would be tedious and not to the present purpose.

[60] Because the "land" signifies the church it was among the blessings, that if they lived according to the commandments:

The land would yield its increase, evil beasts would cease out of the land, nor would the sword pass through the land (Leviticus 26:3-4, 6).

That "the land would yield its increase" signifies that there would be good and truth in the church; that "evil beasts would cease" signifies that there would not be evil affections and lusts, which destroy the church; that "the sword would not pass through the land" signifies that falsity would not cast out truth.

[61] Again, as the "land" signifies the church, it was also decreed that:

The seventh year should be a sabbath of the land, and that there should be no labor upon it (Leviticus 25:1-8).

It is therefore said also that:

The land was defiled on account of their evils, and would vomit them out because of their abominations (Leviticus 18:25-28).

Because the "land" [or ground] signified the church:

The Lord spat on the earth, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man, and said, Go wash thee in the pool of Siloam (John 9:6-7, 11, 15);

So the Lord, when the Scribes and Pharisees questioned Him respecting the woman taken in adultery, stooping down, wrote twice on the earth (John 8:6, 8);

which signified that the church was full of adulteries, that is, full of the adulteration of good and the falsification of truth; therefore the Lord said to them:

He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her; but they went out one by one, beginning from the elders, even unto the last (John 8:7, 9).

[62] As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so has the "earth," which in that sense signifies the church vastated; it is vastated when the good of love and the truth of faith are no more, but instead thereof evil and falsity; as these damn man, the "earth" in that sense signifies damnation, as in the following places: Isaiah 14:12; 21:9; 25:12; 26:19, 21; 29:4; 47:1; 63:6; Lamentations 2:2, 10; Ezekiel 26:20; 32:24; Numbers 16:29-33; 26:10; and elsewhere.

Footnotes: