357. That a bow signifies doctrine fighting, or doctrine from which evils and falsities are fought against, and that arrows, javelins, and darts signify the truths of doctrine which fight, is evident from the following passages. In Zechariah:

"I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war shall be cut off. On the contrary, he shall speak peace to the nations. Return to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope, and I will bend Judah to me, and with the bow I will fill Ephraim, and I will stir up thy sons, O Zion, for Jehovah shall appear over them, and his dart shall go forth as the lightning; and the Lord Jehovih shall blow with the trumpet, and he shall go in the whirlwinds of the south" (9:10, 12-14).

The vastation of the Jewish church is here treated of, and the establishment of the church among the gentiles. The vastation of the Jewish church is described by, I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war shall be cut off; by which is signified that truth in doctrine would be no more, nor the understanding of truth, and thence no combat or resistance against falsity. By the chariot is signified the doctrine of truth; by the horse, the understanding thereof; by the bow of war, combat from doctrine against falsity. It is said the bow of war, because doctrine fighting is meant. By Ephraim is signified the church as to the understanding of truth, and by Jerusalem [the same] as to doctrine. And the establishment of the church among the nations, is described by these words, "On the contrary, he shall speak peace to the nations. Return to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope; and I will bend Judah to me, and with the bow I will fill Ephraim, and I will stir up thy sons, O Zion." By which is signified, that the church shall be established among those who are in the good of love to the Lord, and in truths thence. By peace is signified that good; by Judah those who are in that good; and by Ephraim those who are in the understanding of truth thence; therefore it is said concerning Ephraim, "with the bow he will fill him," that is, with the doctrine of truth. Their enlightenment in truths is described by these words, "His dart shall go forth as the lightning; and the Lord Jehovih shall blow with the trumpet, and he shall go in the whirlwinds of the south." The dart which shall go forth as lightning, signifies truth enlightened, thus truth from the good of love; He shall blow with the trumpet signifies the plain perception of good; and the whirlwinds of the south signify the plain understanding of truth, the south denoting the light of truth; the subject here treated of is the Lord, thus that those things are from the Lord.

[2] In Moses:

"The son of a fruitful one is Joseph, the son of a fruitful one near a fountain; the daughters, as he walketh upon the wall, shall embitter him, and shall shoot at him, the archers shall hate him; and he shall sit in the firmness of his bow, and the arms of his hands shall be strengthened by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob; thence is he the shepherd, the stone of Israel" (Genesis 49:22-24).

By Joseph, in the highest sense, is signified the Lord as to the spiritual kingdom. There are two kingdoms of heaven; one is called the celestial kingdom, and the other the spiritual kingdom; the celestial kingdom is described in the prophetic declaration concerning Judah, and the spiritual kingdom in this concerning Joseph. Those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom are in the good of love to Him, which is called celestial good; and those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom are in the good of love towards the neighbour, and thence in truths; and because all truths proceed from the Lord through the spiritual kingdom, it is thence that Joseph is called the son of a fruitful one, the son of a fruitful one near a fountain. By a fruitful one is signified spiritual good, which is the good of charity; by son is signified truth from that good; and by a fountain is signified the Word; combat against evils and falsities is described by "the daughters shall embitter him, and shoot at him, and the archers shall hate him," daughters signify those who are in evils, and who by falsities are desirous of destroying goods. Those who assault by evils are signified by, they shall shoot, and those who [assault] by falsities of evil by the archers who shall hate him. The Lord's victory over them is described by these words: "And he shall sit in the firmness of his bow, and the arms of his hands shall be strengthened by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, thence is he the shepherd, the stone of Israel." By sitting in the firmness of the bow is signified in the doctrine of genuine truth, and by the arms of his hands shall be strengthened by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, is signified the power [given] to them from the Lord; the arms of the hands denoting power, and the Mighty One of Jacob the Lord, who also is called the shepherd, the stone of Israel, from the doctrine of charity and of the faith thence which is from Him. That Joseph, in the highest sense, signifies the Lord as to the Divine Spiritual, and, in the internal sense, His spiritual kingdom, may be seen, n. 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417; and what [he signifies] besides, n. 4286, 4592, 4963, 5086, 5087, 5106, 5249, 5307, 5869, 5877, 6224, 6526).

[3] In the second book of Samuel:

"David lamented over Saul and over Jonathan his son; and wrote, For teaching the sons of Judah the bow" (1:17, 18).

In that lamentation the fighting of truth from good against falsity from evil is treated of; for by Saul as a king is there signified truth from good, for such truth is meant by a king in the Word (see above, n. 31); and by Jonathan, as the son of a king, is signified the truth of doctrine; therefore he wrote the lamentation, For teaching the sons of Judah the bow, by which is signified to teach them the doctrine of truth which is from good. The fighting of that truth against falsities and evils is described in that lamentation by these words:

"Without the blood of the slain, without the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan returned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty" (verse 22).

The blood of the slain signifies falsities conquered and dispersed; similarly the fat of the mighty signifies evils. That these are conquered and dispersed by the doctrine of truth which is from good, is signified by, "The bow of Jonathan returned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty," the bow of Jonathan denoting doctrine, and the sword of Saul denoting truth from good.

[4] In David:

"God teacheth my hands war, and placeth a bow of brass in mine arms" (Psalm 18:34).

By war here is signified war in the spiritual sense, which is that against evils and falsities; this war God teaches; and by the bow of brass is signified the doctrine of charity, God places this in the arms, that is, that it may prevail.

[5] In Isaiah:

"Who raised up one from the east, whom in justice he called to his train, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? He gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow" (41:2).

These things are said concerning the Lord, and concerning His dominion over evils and falsities. By the nations which He gave before him are signified evils; and by the kings over whom he made Him to rule, are signified falsities. That he disperses the latter and the former as nothing by means of His Divine truth, and the doctrine thence, is signified by, "He gave them as dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow," his sword denoting Divine truth, and his bow denoting doctrine. That evils and falsities are dispersed as nothing, is signified by, "As the dust, and as driven stubble"; it is said that evils and falsities are so dispersed, and it is meant that those who are in evils and thence in falsities are so [dealt with] in the other life.

[6] In Zechariah:

"Jehovah shall visit his flock, the house of Judah, and shall place them as the horse of his glory in the battle. Out of him [shall come forth] the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the bow of war" (10:3, 4).

This may be seen explained in the article immediately preceding, where the signification of the horse is treated of"; by the bow of war is signified the truth fighting from doctrine.

[7] In Habakkuk:

"Was Jehovah displeased with the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou ridest upon thy horses, thy chariots salvation? With bareness shall thy bow be made bare" (3:8, 9).

This was also explained in the preceding article; by, "Thy bow shall be made bare," is signified that the doctrine of truth shall be opened.

[8] In Isaiah:

"Before the swords shall they wander, before the drawn sword, and before the bended bow; and for the grievousness of the war all the glory of Kedar shall be consumed, and the remains of the number of the bow of the strong sons of Kedar shall be few" (21:15-17).

The subject here treated of, in the spiritual sense, is that the knowledges of good would perish, and that few would remain; by Kedar or Arabia are signified those who are in the knowledges of good, and abstractedly those knowledges themselves. That the knowledges of truth would perish by falsities and by the doctrine of falsity, is signified by, "Before the swords shall they wander, before the drawn sword, and before the bended bow." The sword denotes falsity combating and destroying, and the bow denotes the doctrine of falsity. That the knowledges of good would perish, is signified by these words, "for the grievousness of the war all the glory of Kedar shall be consumed," the grievousness of war denoting the state of assault, and all the glory of Kedar shall be consumed, denoting vastation. And that few knowledges of good would remain, is described by the remains of the number of the bow of the strong sons of Kedar shall be few. The bow of the mighty, denoting the doctrine of truth from the knowledges which prevail against falsities.

[9] In the same:

"He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; he hath made me a polished dart; in his quiver hath he hid me" (49:2).

The Lord is treated of here also; and by the sharp sword is signified truth dispersing falsity; by the polished dart truth dispersing evil; and by the quiver the Word. Hence it is manifest what is signified by, "He hath made my mouth as a sharp sword, and he hath made me a polished dart, and in his quiver hath he hid me," namely, that in Him and from Him is Divine truth, by which falsities and evils are dispersed, and that in Him and from Him is the Word, where and whence those truths are.

[10] In David:

"Lo, sons are the heritage of Jehovah; the fruit of the womb is his reward. As darts in the hand of a mighty man, so are the sons of youth. Blessed is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, when they speak with the enemies in the gate" (Psalms 127:3-5).

By the sons who are the heritage of Jehovah, are signified truths, whence is intelligence; by the fruit of the womb which is His reward, are signified goods, whence is happiness; by the sons of youth which are as darts in the hand of a mighty man, are signified the truths of the good of innocence; because nothing evil or false can resist those truths, therefore, it is said "they are as darts in the hand of a mighty man." The good of innocence is the good of love to the Lord; because those truths have such power, it is therefore said, "Blessed is the man that hath his quiver full of them"; by quiver here is signified the same as by bow, namely, doctrine from the Word. "They shall not be ashamed, when they speak with the enemies in the gate," signifies, that they shall be in no fear of evils from the hells; enemies denoting evils, and the gate denoting hell (as may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 428, 429, 583, 584, 585).

[11] In the same:

"The sons of Ephraim, who were armed, shooters of the bow, turned back in the day of battle. They kept not the covenant of God" (Psalms 78:9, 10).

By Ephraim here, as above, is signified the understanding of truth, and by his sons the truths themselves; therefore they are also called shooters of the bow, that is, combatants against evils and falsities. That in this case they did not resist these, because they were not conjoined with the Lord, is signified by, "they turned back in the day of battle, because they did not keep the covenant of God." Covenant denotes conjunction, and not to keep it, is not to live according to the truths and goods that conjoin. From the passages adduced it is evident, that by a bow is signified the doctrine of truth fighting against falsities and evils, and dispersing them.

[12] That this is signified by bow is still further evident from the opposite sense of it, in which bow signifies the doctrine of falsity fighting against truths and goods, and destroying them; and by darts and arrows the falsities themselves. The bow is mentioned in this sense in the following passages: In David:

"Lo, the wicked bend the bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart" (Psalms 11:2).

The wicked bending the bow, signifies that they frame doctrine; their making ready the arrow upon the string, signifies that they apply to it falsities that appear as truths; to shoot in darkness at the upright in heart, signifies to deceive those who are in truths from good. Bow here denotes the doctrine of falsity; arrow denotes falsity itself; to shoot denotes to deceive; and the darkness denotes appearances, for they reason from appearances in the world and from fallacies, by applying also the sense of the letter of the Word.

[13] In the same:

"The wicked uncover the sword, and bend their bow, to cast down the miserable and needy. Their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken" (Psalms 37:14, 15).

By the sword is signified falsity fighting against truth, and by the bow is signified the doctrine of falsity. To cast down the miserable and the needy, signifies to pervert those who are in ignorance of truth and good. Their sword shall enter into their own heart, signifies that they shall perish from their own falsity; and their bows shall be broken, signifies that their doctrine of falsity shall be dissipated, which also is done after their departure out of the world; then their falsities destroy them, and their doctrine, so far as it concerns truths adjoined to falsities, is dissipated.

[14] In the same:

"Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their arrows with a bitter word; that they may shoot in the hiding places at the perfect (Psalms 64:3, 4).

Because a sword signifies falsity fighting against truth, therefore, it is said they sharpen their tongue like a sword; and because an arrow signifies falsity of doctrine, therefore it is said "they bend their bow with a bitter word; to shoot in the hiding places at the perfect," signifies the same as above to shoot in darkness at the upright in heart, namely, to deceive those who are in truths from good.

[15] In Jeremiah:

"They are all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men, who bend their tongue, their bow is a lie; neither in the truth have they prevailed in the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, neither have they known me" (9:2, 3).

By adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men, are meant those who falsify the knowledges of truth and good; adulterers denote those who falsify the knowledges of truth, and the treacherous those who [falsify] the knowledges of good; concerning, such it is said that they bend the tongue, and that their bow is a lie, the bow denoting doctrine whence come the principles of falsity, and a lie denoting falsity; and hence it is also said, "in the truth they have not prevailed in the earth," that is, in the church, where genuine truths are; that those are of such a quality who are in a life of evil, and do not acknowledge the Lord, is signified by, "for they proceed from evil to evil, neither have they known me."

[16] In Jeremiah:

"Behold, I cause to come up against Babel an assembly of great nations from the land of the north; their darts as of a mighty one, none shall return vain; set yourselves in array against Babel round about, all ye that bend the bow shoot against her, spare not the arrows; make the shooters heard against Babel, all that bend the bow encamp against her round about, let there be no escape for her" (50:9, 14, 29, 42; 51:3).

By these words is described the total devastation of truth with those meant by Babel; these arrogate to themselves the Divine power, and indeed acknowledge the Lord, but deprive Him of all power of salvation, and thence profane Divine truths. And because the Lord very carefully provides that genuine truths may not be profaned, therefore, those [truths] are entirely taken away from them, and they are imbued with absolute falsities instead. By the assembly of great nations from the land of the north, are signified direful evils rising up from hell; the great nations denoting direful evils, and the land of the north denoting hell, where there is nothing but falsity; by their darts as of a mighty man, none shall return vain, is signified that thence they shall be imbued with absolute falsities. By "Put yourselves in array against Babel round about; all ye that bend the bow, shoot against her, spare not the arrows," is signified also as to all doctrinals; the total devastation of truth with them is signified by "all ye that bend the bow, camp against her round about; let there be no escape for her."

[17] In Isaiah:

"I stir up against them the Medes, who will not esteem the silver, and in the gold they will not delight, whose bows will dash in pieces the young men, and the fruit of the belly they will not pity; so shall Babel be as the overthrowing of God, Sodom and Gomorrah" (13:17-19).

These things also are said of Babel and of the devastation of all things of the church with those who are meant by Babylon, concerning which we have spoken just above. By the Medes are signified those who regard the truths and goods of heaven and the church as nothing; therefore it is said concerning them, "who will not esteem the silver, and in the gold they will not delight"; silver signifying truth, and gold good, both of the church. By their bows which shall dash in pieces the young men, and by the fruit of the belly which they shall not pity, are signified the doctrinals that destroy all truth and all the good thence; the young men signifying truths, and the fruit of the belly goods; and because all evil with them is from the love of self, and all falsity is from that evil, and because that evil and the falsity thence are condemned to hell, therefore it is said, "so shall Babel be as the overthrowing of God, Sodom and Gomorrah"; God's overthrowing signifying damnation to hell, and Sodom and Gomorrah signifying the evils from the love of self and the falsities thence. (That these things are signified by Sodom and Gomorrah, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 2220, 2246, 2322.)

[18] In the same:

"In that day, every place where there were a thousand vines for a thousand of silver, shall even be for thorn-brake and bramble-bush. With arrow and with bow shall he come thither; because the whole land shall be thorn-brake and bramble-bush" (7:23, 24).

The church devastated as to all truth and good is thus described; the quality of the church before, when genuine truths, which are truths from good, were there in abundance, [is described] by there being a thousand vines for a thousand of silver; a thousand vines denoting truths from good in abundance, a thousand of silver denoting that they are most highly esteemed because they are genuine; silver denoting truth, and a thousand many, thus, in abundance. But what the quality of the church became when vastated as to all truth and good, is described by these words, "with arrow and with bow shall he come thither; because the whole land shall be thorn-brake and bramble-bush." Arrow denotes falsity destroying truth, and the bow denotes the doctrine of falsity. A thorn-brake signifies falsity from evil, and a bramble-bush evil from falsity; the land denotes the church.

[19] In Jeremiah:

"Behold, a people cometh from the land of the north, and a great nation shall be stirred from the sides of the earth. They lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice resoundeth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, equipped as a man for war against thee, O daughter of Zion" (6:22, 23).

The devastation of the church by the falsities of evil is described here also; what a people from the land of the north signifies, and a great nation from the sides of the earth, also what their voice signifies which resoundeth as the sea, and their riding upon horses, was explained in the article just preceding. That they lay hold on bow and spear signifies falsity of doctrine destroying truth, and a spear the falsity of evil destroying good; the daughter of Zion denotes the church.

[20] In the same:

"The whole land is a desolation, for the voice of the horseman and of the archers the whole city fleeth; they have entered the clouds, they have ascended into the rocks, the whole city is deserted, no one dwelling therein" (4:27, 29).

This also may be seen explained in the article immediately preceding. The voice of the horseman and of the archers signifies reasonings from falsities, and assaults of the truth; the archers or those who bend the bow, denoting those who assault truths from falsities of doctrine; hence it is said the whole city fleeth, the whole city is deserted, city signifying the doctrine of the church.

[21] In Isaiah:

Jehovah "hath lifted up an ensign to the nations from far, and behold the swift one shall come quickly, his arrows are sharp, and all his bows bent; the hoofs of his horses are counted as rocks, and his wheels as the whirlwind" (5:26, 28).

By his arrows are sharp, and all his bows bent, are signified falsities of doctrine prepared to destroy truths; what is signified by the nations from far, and by the hoofs of the horses are counted like rocks, and by the wheels which are like a whirlwind, may be seen in the article just above, where they are explained.

[22] In Amos:

"He that handleth the bow shall not stand, neither the swift with his feet deliver himself; neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver his own soul. But the strong in his heart among the heroes shall flee naked in that day" (2:15, 16).

Man's own intelligence is here described, and confidence therefrom that he can reason from falsities against truths. By, "he that handleth the bow shall not stand, and the swift with the feet shall not deliver himself," is signified that he who knows how to reason readily and skilfully from the doctrine and the memory which belong to the natural man, cannot provide anything for his own salvation, or stand in the day of judgment. The same is signified by, he that rideth the horse shall not deliver his own soul. By the strong in heart who shall flee in that day, is signified that he who therefrom trusts in himself that he can reason from falsities, shall then be deprived of all truth; by the strong in heart is meant one who trusts in himself on that account, and by naked, is signified, deprived of all truth.

[23] In David:

"God is a just judge, God, who is angry all the day; if [the evil] will not return, he hath sharpened his sword, he hath bent his bow, and directed it, and hath prepared for him the instruments of death, he maketh his arrows burning" (Psalms 7:11-13).

It is here attributed to God, that He is angry with the wicked, that He sharpens His sword, that He bends and directs His bow, prepares instruments of death, and makes His arrows burning; but the spiritual sense means that man acts thus to himself. Those things are attributed to God in the sense of the letter, because that sense is natural, and for the natural man who believes that God is to be feared on account thereof; and fear with him operates as love does afterwards, when he becomes spiritual. It is therefore evident what is here signified by those words, namely, that the wicked man is angry with God, that he sharpens the sword against himself, and bends the bow and directs it, prepares the instruments of death, and makes his arrows burning. By, he sharpeneth the sword, is signified that he procures to himself falsity by which he fights against truths; by, he bended the bow and directs it, is signified that from falsities he makes for himself doctrine against truths; and by he prepareth the instruments of death, and maketh his arrows burning, is signified that from infernal love he makes for himself principles of falsity, by which he destroys good and its truths.

[24] In Lamentations:

The Lord "hath bent his bow like an enemy; he stood with his right hand as an adversary, he slew all the desirable things of the eyes" (2:4).

Here also similar things are attributed to the Lord, for a similar reason, as explained above. That He bends His bow like an enemy, and stands with His right hand like an adversary, signifies that the evil man does so to himself, that is, he defends evil against good, and falsity against its truths, from the doctrine which he has framed to himself from his own intelligence, and confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word. For in the Lamentations the vastation of all good and all truth with the Jewish nation, on account of the application of the sense of the letter of the Word to favour their own loves, is treated of; the bow there denotes the doctrine of falsity thence; the enemy denotes evil, and the adversary falsity. That, consequently, all understanding of truth and good perished, is signified by the Lord shall slay all the desirable things of the eyes, the desirable things of the eyes denoting all things belonging to intelligence and wisdom.

[25] In Moses:

"A fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall consume the earth with her produce, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. I will empty out evils upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them" (32:22, 23).

These words are in the song of Moses, in which the Israelitish and Jewish nation is treated of, and what they were in their heart is described, namely, that they had nothing of the church because there was absolute falsity from evil. By the earth and her produce which should be consumed, is signified the church, and all its truth and good; by the earth is signified the church, and by the produce, all its truth and good. By the foundations of the mountains which shall be set on fire, are signified truths upon which the goods of love are founded; specifically the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, because those are the foundations. By the evils that shall be emptied out upon them, and by the arrows which shall be spent upon them, is signified that they shall be imbued with all evils and falsities. What was the character of that nation from the beginning, and also what it is at this day, may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 248.

[26] In the first book of Samuel:

"The bows of the mighty are broken, and they who were smitten were girded with strength" (2:4).

This is a prophetic declaration of Hannah the mother of Samuel, in which the deprivation of truth with those who belonged to the church is treated of, because they had no spiritual affection of truth; also concerning the reception and enlightenment of those who were outside the church, because they had a spiritual affection of truth. That the doctrines of falsities in which those were who belonged to the church are as nothing, is signified by, the bows of the mighty are broken; and the reception and enlightenment of those who were outside the church, are signified by, they who were smitten were girded with strength; those are called smitten, who are bound by the falsities of ignorance; and strength is predicated of power and abundance of truth from good.

[27] In Jeremiah:

"Behold, I break the bow of Elam, the beginning of his power" (49:35).

By Elam is meant the knowledge (scientia) of the natural man, and confidence therefrom; by his bow is signified knowledge from which he fights as from doctrine; and by the beginning of his power is signified confidence; for knowledge avails nothing if it does not serve the rational and spiritual man. That by Elam is meant the knowledge which belongs to the natural man, is evident from those places where it is named in the Word (as Genesis 10:22; Isaiah 21:2; Jeremiah 25:24-26; 49:34-39; Ezekiel 32:24).

[28] In David:

Jehovah "maketh wars to cease even to the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear asunder; he burneth the chariots with fire" (Psalms 46:10).

Because by wars are signified spiritual combats, which are here those of falsity against the truth and against the good which belong to the church, it is hence evident what is signified by, Jehovah shall make wars to cease even to the end of the earth, namely, that all combat, and all disagreement [should cease] from the first to the last of the truth of the church, the end of the earth signifying its last. That there shall be no combat of doctrine against doctrine, is signified by, He shall break the bow; that there shall be no combat from any falsity of evil, is signified by, He shall cut the spear asunder; and that everything of the doctrine of falsity shall be destroyed, by, He shall burn the chariots with fire.

[29] In the same:

"In Salem is the tabernacle" of Jehovah, "and his dwelling place in Zion. There brake he the strings of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle" (Psalms 76:1-3).

The cessation of all combat and all dissension in the Lord's kingdom is here also treated of. By Salem where Jehovah's tabernacle is, and by Zion where His dwelling place is, are signified His spiritual kingdom, and His celestial kingdom; by Salem, the spiritual kingdom, where genuine truth is; and by Zion, the celestial kingdom, where genuine good is; and by, He shall break the strings of the bow, the shield, the sword, and the battle, is signified the dispersion of all combat of the falsities of doctrine against good and truth; the strings of the bow denoting the principal things of doctrine.

[30] In Hosea:

"In that day will I make a covenant for them with the beast of the field, and with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the ground; and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle from off the earth, and I will make to lie down safely" (2:18).

The Lord's advent is here treated of, and then His conjunction with all those who are in truths from good. By the covenant with the beast of the field, with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the ground, is signified conjunction with their affection of good, with their affection of truth, and with their affection for the knowledges of the truth and good that belong to the church; for the beast of the field signifies the affection of good; the bird of the heavens, the affection of truth; and the creeping thing of the ground, the affection for the knowledges of truth and good. That no beast, or bird, or reptile of the earth is here meant, every one sees; for how can any covenant be made with them? By, I will break the bow and the sword and the battle from off the earth, is signified that from conjunction with the Lord there shall exist no combat of falsity against truth; the bow here denotes doctrine, the sword denotes falsity, and the battle denotes combat.

[31] In Ezekiel:

"This is the day whereof I have spoken, then the inhabitants of the cities of Israel shall go forth, and they shall set on fire and burn the arms, and the shield and the buckler, with the bow and with the arrows, and with the handstaff, and with the spear, and they shall kindle a fire with them seven years" (39:8, 9).

Gog is here treated of, by whom are meant those who are in external worship and not in internal; these, because they are opposed to the spiritual affection of truth, which is to love truths because they are truths, and hence are in falsities as to doctrine, and in evils as to life; for no one can be reformed, that is, withdrawn from falsities and evils, but by truths. This is the reason why it is said, that the inhabitants of the cities of Israel shall go forth, and they shall burn the arms, and the shield and the buckler, with the bow and with the arrows, and with the handstaff, and with the spear. By the inhabitants of the cities of Israel are meant those who are in the affection of truth from good, that is, in the spiritual affection of truth, and thence in the doctrine of genuine truth; by burning the arms is signified to extirpate falsities of every kind; by the shield, falsity destroying good; by the buckler, falsity destroying truth; by the bow with the arrows, doctrine with its falsities; by the handstaff and the spear are signified one's own power and confidence. Such are those who place everything of the church, and thence of salvation, in external worship. That they should kindle a fire with them seven years, signifies that those falsities and evils shall be altogether extinguished; seven years signifying all things, what is full, and altogether (as may be seen above, n. 257, 299).

3969. 'And she said, God has taken away my reproach. And she called his name Joseph, saying, May Jehovah add to me another son' in the highest sense means the Lord as regards the Divine Spiritual, in the internal sense the spiritual kingdom or the good of faith, and in the external sense salvation, also fruitfulness and multiplication. This is clear from the representation of 'Joseph' in the Word, dealt with below, also from the meaning of 'God has taken away my reproach', as well as 'May Jehovah add to me another son', for the name Joseph was derived from the verbs 'to gather up' and 'to add'. 'God has taken away my reproach' means that Rachel was now no longer barren, and so no longer 'dead', as she spoke of herself to Jacob in verse 1 above; see 3908. For 'Rachel' represents the affection for interior truth, that is, the interior man as regards truth, 3758, 3782, 3793, 3819. The interior man is so to speak dead as regards truth and good if the exterior or natural man does not correspond to it as regards goods and truths, see 3493, 3620, 3623. They must be so joined each to the other that they are not two but together form one man.

[2] But the two cannot become joined together until the natural or external man has been prepared, that is, until it has received and acknowledged the general truths which have been meant by Jacob's ten sons by Leah and the servant-girls, and until the good of the natural man has been joined to the truths in that man, which joining together was meant by Jacob's last son by Leah, namely Zebulun, who was so called from the expression 'dwelling together', 3960, 3961. After this joining together has taken place the interior man and the exterior man enter into the heavenly marriage spoken of in 3952. The reason they do not enter it until then is a very deep arcanum, for it is the good of the interior man which in that case joins itself to the good of the exterior man, and through that exterior good to the truth in the exterior man. At the same time the good of the interior man joins itself through the affection for truth in that interior man to the good of the exterior man and also to the truth there, and so joins itself directly and indirectly. concerning this direct and indirect linking together, see 3314, 3573, 3616. Since the interior man is only then joined to the exterior, and until this joining together has taken place the interior man is seemingly non-existent and so seemingly dead, as stated above, the phrase 'God has taken away my reproach' is therefore used. This then is what is meant by 'the reproach' which God is said to have 'gathered up', that is, to have taken away, meaning to have released her from it.

[3] But the words which follow - 'May Jehovah add to me another son', from which Joseph received his name - mean a second arcanum, which is this: 'Joseph' represents the Lord's spiritual kingdom and so the spiritual man, for that kingdom exists within every spiritual man. There are two things which constitute the spiritual man - charity and faith, or what amounts to the same, good and truth. Charity from which faith, or good from which truth springs, is the thing that Joseph represents. And faith which has charity within it, or truth which has good within it, is the thing that the second son means - that Benjamin represents, dealt with at Genesis 35:16-18. So Joseph means the celestial-spiritual man, and Benjamin the spiritual-celestial. The nature of the difference between them may be seen from what has been said fairly often already about good from which truth springs and truth that has good within it. This then is what is meant by Rachel's second utterance 'May Jehovah add to me another son'. But these arcana cannot be seen except by those who are governed by charity from which faith springs, for interiorly those people are dwelling in the light of heaven, which light also includes intelligence within it. But those arcana cannot be seen by those who are dwelling solely in the light of the world, for that light does not include intelligence except insofar as it holds the light of heaven within itself. To angels who dwell in the light of heaven these arcana belong among the most ordinary things they know.

[4] From these considerations one may now see that the words 'God has taken away my reproach' and 'May Jehovah add to me another son' in the highest sense mean the Lord as regards the Divine Spiritual, and in the internal sense the Lord's spiritual kingdom or the good of faith, for such good is the spiritual as this exists in that kingdom. But the reason why those words in the external sense mean salvation, also fruitfulness and multiplication, is that these come as the product of that good, 3971. But what the Lord's spiritual kingdom is may become clear from what has been stated and shown many times already about that kingdom, that is to say, it consists of those who are governed by charity and from charity by faith. This kingdom is distinct and separate from the Lord's celestial kingdom, for the celestial kingdom consists of those who are governed by love to the Lord and from that love by charity. The latter constitute the third or inmost heaven, whereas the spiritual constitute the second or interior heaven.

[5] The reason why the name God is used first, in 'God has taken away my reproach', then Jehovah, in 'May Jehovah add to me another son', is that God has regard to the ascent from truth up to good but Jehovah to the descent from good down to truth. The spiritual man is governed by the good of faith, that is, by the good from which truth springs; but prior to his becoming spiritual he is governed by the truth of faith, that is, by truth that has good within it. For the name God is used when truth is the subject, but Jehovah when good is the subject, 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921.

[6] The fact that 'Joseph' represents the Lord's spiritual kingdom, or the spiritual man, and so represents the good of faith, becomes clear also from those places in the Word where his name is mentioned, as in the prophecy of Jacob, who by then was Israel,

The son of a fruitful one is Joseph, the son of a fruitful one beside a spring; O daughters, he trails over the wall; and the archers will exasperate him and shoot at him and hate him. And he will sit in the strength of his bow, and the arms of his hands will be made strong by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob; from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel. By the God of your father, and he will assist you; and with Shaddai, and he will bless you with the blessings of heaven from above, with the blessings of the deep lying beneath, with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father will prevail over the blessings of my ancestors, even to the desire of the everlasting hills. They will be upon the head of Joseph and upon the crown of the head of the Nazirite among his brothers. Genesis 49:22-26.

These prophetic utterances in the highest sense contain a description of the Lord's Divine Spiritual, in the internal sense a description of His spiritual kingdom. What each detail entails will in the Lord's Divine mercy be discussed in the explanation of that chapter.

[7] Similarly in the prophecy of Moses,

For Joseph he said, Blessed by Jehovah is his land, of the precious things of heaven, of the dew, of the deep also lying beneath, and of the precious things of the fruits of the sun, and of the precious things of the produce of the months, and of the precious things of the mountains of the east, and of the precious things of the everlasting hills, and of the precious things of the earth and of its fullness; and the good pleasure of Him dwelling in the bramble bush. They will come upon the head of Joseph and upon the crown of the head of the Nazirite among his brothers. Deuteronomy 33:13-17.

[8] Because 'Israel' represents the Lord's spiritual Church, 3305, 3654,

Jacob, who by then was Israel, said to Joseph,

Your two sons who were born to you in the land of Egypt, before I came to you in Egypt, will be mine. Ephraim and Manasseh will be as Reuben and Simeon. May the angel who has redeemed me from every evil bless the boys, that in them my name may be called, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and may they increase into a multitude in the midst of the earth. Genesis 48:5, 16.

There are two things which constitute the spiritual Church - the understanding and the will, the understanding being represented by 'Ephraim' and the will by 'Manasseh'. From this one can see why Joseph's two sons were adopted by Jacob, by then Israel, and acknowledged as his own. Ephraim is also mentioned often in the Word, especially the prophetical part, in which places that name means the ability which the spiritual Church possesses to understand what is true and what is good.

[9] In Ezekiel,

Jehovah said, Son of man, take a stick and write on it, For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions. And take another stick and write on it, For Joseph - the stick of Ephraim and of the whole house of Israel, his companions and join them together, one to the other into one stick for you, that both may be one in your ¹ hand. Thus said the Lord Jehovih, I, behold, I am taking the stick of Joseph which is in the hand of Ephraim and of the tribes of Israel his companions, and I will add them to the stick of Judah, and make them into one stick, and they will be one in My hand. And I will make them into one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king to them all, and they will no longer be two nations, nor will they ever be divided into two nations again. Ezekiel 37:16-17, 19, 22.

This refers to the Lord's kingdom, to the celestial and to the spiritual - 'Judah' being the celestial kingdom, 3654, 3881, 3921 (end), and 'Joseph' the spiritual. It is also said that those kingdoms will not be two but one - they were actually made one by the Lord's Coming into the world.

[10] By the Lord's Coming the spiritual were saved, see 2661, 2716, 2833, 2834. It is those who are spiritual that the Lord is speaking about in John,

And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd. John 10:16.

This is what is meant by 'the two sticks', the stick of Judah and the stick of Joseph, which will be joined into one, and will be one in the Lord's hand, like one nation, even as they are one in the Lord's kingdom. For celestial angels constitute the third heaven, which is the inmost heaven, but spiritual angels the second, which is the interior heaven, and in that kingdom they are one because one flows into the other, namely the celestial heaven into the spiritual. The spiritual kingdom is so to speak the groundwork on which the celestial is based, and in this way the two are made firm and stable. For the Divine celestial within the third or inmost heaven is love to the Lord, the celestial-spiritual in that heaven being charity. The latter, namely charity, is the chief thing in the second or interior heaven where spiritual angels are. This shows the nature of influx and also how things are made firm and stable by means of influx. 'Wood' means good, both the good which belongs to love to the Lord and the good which belongs to charity towards the neighbour, 2784, 2812, 3720. For this reason the command was given to write Judah and Joseph on the two sticks which were to be made one.

[11] In Zechariah,

I will make the house of Judah powerful, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will restore them, ² for I have had compassion on them, and they will be as though I had not forsaken them, for I am Jehovah their God and I will answer them. Zechariah 10:6.

This too refers to the two kingdoms, the celestial and the spiritual, 'Judah' being the celestial kingdom and 'Joseph' the spiritual. Also referred to is the salvation of the spiritual.

[12] In Amos,

Thus said Jehovah to the house of Israel, Seek Me and you will live. Seek Jehovah and you will live, lest like fire He invades the house of Joseph and it devours and there is nobody quenching it. Hate evil, and desire good, and establish judgement in the gate; it may be that Jehovah God Zebaoth will have compassion on the remnant of Joseph. Amos 5:4, 6, 15.

Here also those who are spiritual are meant by 'Joseph'. 'The house of Israel' means the spiritual Church, 3305, 3654, 'Joseph' the good of that Church. Hence the statement 'Jehovah said to the house of Israel, Seek Me and you will live, lest like fire He invades the house of Joseph'.

[13] In David,

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock. You who are seated on the cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up Your might and come to save us. Psalms 80:1-2.

Here similarly 'Joseph' means the spiritual man, 'Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh' being three essentials of that Church.

[14] In the same author,

Raise a song, and sound the timbrel, the sweet harp with the lyre; blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the festival, on our feast day. For it is a statute for Israel, a judgement to the God of Jacob. [As] a testimony for Joseph He appointed it, when He went out against the land of Egypt. I heard a language that I did not know. Psalms 81:2-5.

From each individual word or term used here it is evident that 'Joseph' means the spiritual Church or spiritual man. For there are in the Word terms which present spiritual realities and terms which present celestial ones, and these terms occur consistently throughout the Word. In this quotation terms that present spiritual realities are used - 'a song', 'the timbrel', 'the harp with the lyre', and 'blowing the trumpet at the new moon, at the festival, on a feast day'. From this also it is evident that the subject is the spiritual Church meant by 'Joseph'.

[15] In Ezekiel,

Thus said the Lord Jehovih, This is the boundary by which you will inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel, the portions for Joseph. Ezekiel 47:13.

This refers to the Lord's spiritual kingdom, and therefore the phrase 'the portions for Joseph' is used. The Lord's Divine spiritual is that which is also called His kingship, for the Lord's kingship is Divine Truth, but His priesthood Divine Good, 2015, 3009, 3670. The Lord's kingship itself is that which 'Joseph' represents, in that he was made king in the land of Egypt. That representation will in the Lord's Divine mercy be dealt with when that chapter is reached.

[16] As regards the Lord's Divine spiritual, or Divine Truth, which is represented in the highest sense by 'Joseph', it does not exist within the Lord but flows from the Lord; for the Lord is nothing else than Divine Good. But Divine Truth proceeds from Divine Good. To use a comparison, it is like the sun and the light of the sun. Light does not exist within the sun but proceeds from the sun. Or it is like fire. Light does not exist in fire but proceeds from it. And in the Word Divine Good itself is compared to the sun and also to fire, and is actually called sun and fire. The Lord's celestial kingdom receives its life from the good which proceeds from the Lord, but the spiritual kingdom receives its life from the truth derived from that good. For this reason in the next life the Lord is seen as the Sun by those who are celestial, but as the Moon by those who are spiritual, see 1053, 1521, 1529-1531, 3636, 3643. For both warmth and light proceed from the sun. Its warmth is comparable to the good of love, which is also called celestial and spiritual warmth, its light to the truth flowing from it, which is also referred to as spiritual light, see 3636, 3643. But the celestial warmth and the spiritual light which proceed from the Lord as the Sun in the next life, include within them the good of love and the truth of faith, and so include wisdom and intelligence, 1521-1523, 1542, 1619-1632, 2776, 3138, 3190, 3195, 3222, 3223, 3339, 3485, 3636, 3643, 3862. For things which proceed from the Lord are living.

[17] From this one may see what the Divine Spiritual is; in what the spiritual kingdom and the celestial kingdom have their origins; and also that the spiritual kingdom is the good of faith, which good is charity, flowing in from the Lord directly, and also indirectly through the celestial kingdom. In the Word the Divine Spiritual which proceeds from the Lord is called the Spirit of truth, and is holy truth. The Divine Spiritual does not belong to any spirit but is the Lord's, who imparts it through a spirit sent by Him, as becomes clear from the Lord's own words in John,

When He the Spirit of truth comes He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak. He will also declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, for He will receive from what is Mine and declare it to you. John 16:13-14.

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