THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 45

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

1. THUS says Jehovah to His Anointed, to Cyrus, whom I hold by the right hand, to subdue nations before Him; and I will loose the loins of kings: I will open before Him the two-leaved doors; and the gates shall not be shut:

2. I will go before You, and make the crooked places straight: the folding gates of brass will I break in pieces, and the bars of iron will I cut in sunder:

VERSE 1. By "Cyrus", in a representative sense, is understood the Lord. His Omnipotence and Omniscience from Divine Good by Divine Truth, by virtue of which in the world He subjugated all the hells, and afterwards keeps them subjugated for ever, is signified by "whom I hold by the right hand, to subdue nations before Him, and I will loose the loins of kings", likewise by "I will open before Him the two-leaved doors, and the gates shall not be shut."

By "the nations which should be subdued before Him", are signified the hells as to evils, and by "the kings whose loins He should loose", are signified the hells as to falsities; by "the doors which will be opened before Him, and the gates which shall not be shut", is understood that from Omniscience all things are manifested to Him, and that from Omnipotence He has the power of saving. Apocalypse Explained 298.

Verses 1-3.Here the Lord as to His Divine Human is treated of, who, in the representative sense, is "Cyrus." To "open before Him the doors", is to give access to the Divine Itself; hence it is that He also, as to His Human, is called "God", and in this passage the "God of Israel." Arcana Coelestia 8989.

By "opening the doors, that the gates may not be shut"; is signified perpetual admission; by "nations" and "kings" are meant they who are in Goods and in Truths, and, abstractedly, Goods and Truths, as was said above.

By "treasures of darkness" and by "hidden riches of secret places", is signified interior intelligence and wisdom from heaven; for the things which enter by the "gate" which is open from heaven, concerning which we have spoken above, come in secretly, and affect all things which are with man, whence arises the spiritual affection of Truth, whereby things which were before unknown are revealed. Apocalypse Explained 208.

By "Koresh." [Hebrew] or by "Cyrus" are understood those who serve as instruments for the restoration of the church, who are consequently sent before; but that they are only instruments is here clearly stated. Cyrus is before called "Shepherd", who will do the [Lord's] will; thus the instrumental is designated by the same name as the principal cause, as elsewhere, when the Angel of GOD MESSIAH is called "Jehovah", because JEHOVAH GOD spoke by him, Yea, this mode of speaking extends further, as when it is said that "Jehovah kills", (Exodus 4:24; 32:10) and that "He does evil", as in verse 7 of this chapter, and similar things; this is so said because they are mere instruments which have such things in themselves as to produce such effects [ut fiat]; here Cyrus is called the "Anointed of Jehovah" from a similar cause. To "take hold of His right hand", is to effect this; to "subdue nations before Him", namely, to obedience, [signifies] that they may be prepared for His coming, thus to "open the doors", etc. "I will go before You" involves what is similar, that GOD MESSIAH alone will effect this; "making crooked things straight" signifies perverse doctrine, which, about the time of the coming of GOD MESSIAH, is perverse [crooked]; for the world is then compared to a "desert" and to a "desolate place"; the "folding gates of brass" are those things which are natural, and which have perverted man; the "bars of iron" are corporeal things, which have made the way of Truth "crooked." (Swedenborg's Notes on Isaiah, p. 115.)

Verse 2. I will make the crooked places straight, etc. - The "crooked being made straight" denotes the evil of ignorance turned into Good, for "length" and the "things of length" are predicated of Good; the "rough ways" (Chapter 40:4) being made smooth, denote that the falsities of ignorance shall be turned into Truths, for "way" is predicated of Truth. Arcana Coelestia 3527.

The bars of iron will I cut asunder. - The "bars" [or staves] with which the ark carried signify power, and also the "bars" with which the gates of cities were fastened, as is evident from the following passages:

"The sword falls upon his cities, and consumes his bars." (Hosea 11:6) "For your sake have I sent to Babylon, and will cast down all her bars." (Isaiah 43:14) "The folding gates of brass will I break in pieces, and the bars of iron will I cut in sunder." (Isaiah 45:2) Arcana Coelestia 9496.

3. And I will give unto You the treasures of darkness, and the hidden riches of secret places: that You mayest know that I am Jehovah, who calls You by Your name, the God of Israel.

4. For the sake of Jacob My servant, and of Israel My chosen, I have even called You by Your name: I have surnamed You, though You have not known Me.

Verse 3. The "treasures of darkness" and the "hidden riches of secret places", are such things as are of heavenly intelligence and wisdom which are hidden from the natural man. Arcana Coelestia 10227

Spiritual "riches", in respect to the good, are nothing else but Goods and Truths with which they are gifted and enriched by the Lord. "Wealth" and "riches", in respect to the evil, are nothing else but evils and falsities which they have acquired to themselves. Such things are also signified by "wealth" in the Word. Arcana Coelestia 1694.

Verses 3, 4. That You mayest know that I am Jehovah, who calls You by Your name; - for the sake of Jacob My servant, and of Israel My chosen, etc..."I have called You by Your name" denotes that He knew the quality of the state of the church; for "Jacob" and "Israel" are the church, - "Jacob" the external church, and "Israel" the internal church. Apocalypse Explained 148. See also Arcana Coelestia 3441.

As to the "name" of the Lord, see above, Chapter 26:8, the Exposition.

5. I am Jehovah, and there is none else; beside Me there is no God: I have girded You, though You have not known Me:

Verse 5. That the Lord JESUS CHRIST is the ONE only GOD of heaven and earth, or that He is JEHOVAH in His Humanity, see above, Chapter 1:2, the Exposition.

I have girded You, etc. - What is meant by "girding" and by "girdle", when predicated of the Lord, see Chapter 11:5, 6, the Exposition.

6. That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me: I am Jehovah, and there is none else;

Verse 6. From the rising of the sun, and from the west, etc. - See Chapter 41:25; 43:5, 6, the Exposition.

7. Forming light, and creating darkness; making peace, and creating evil: I, Jehovah, do all these.

Verse 7. [These words imply] that GOD MESSIAH is the only Former of the new man; a comparison is taken from the sun, that GOD MESSIAH, as a Sun, "forms wisdom and light", that is, intelligence; and He "creates darkness", that it may serve "light" for everything useful; for without "darkness" there can be no reformation; but it is the conformation [of light with darkness] which makes that which is beautiful. It is said comparatively, and it is understood, that without a mixture of shade with light, nothing appears, yea, no colour, no distinction, consequently, no beauty. It is similar as to "peace", by which is understood Good; for no Good is given but in "peace which reigns", etc. etc. It is also the case with "evil" in respect to Good; which [evil], however, GOD MESSIAH does not form, but "creates", that hence Good may be "formed", etc. (Swedenborg's Notes on Isaiah, p. 116.)

[It does not appear that Swedenborg has quoted this verse in any of the works printed by himself; but from the rough notes adduced above, and from other passages in his writings, it appears, as a most general Truth, that all things, both "light" and "darkness", "good" and "evil": come from God, who, indeed, is the only Source of all existence; whether good or evil. This most general Truth is implanted in children, before they have learned to think and to make any discrimination in their ideas, and who consequently believe that evil, such as the evil of temptation, the evil of punishment, and of anger, etc., is inflicted by God, and consequently comes from Him. This most general Truth was believed by the Jews, and in general by the simple and the uninstructed in the church at the present day. From this cause it is that in order that the Word may be adapted to all states of mental development, even to the states of early childhood, its divine Truth in ultimates is clothed in many cases in a cloud of great obscurity, as in this verse, in which "darkness" as well as "light", "evil" as well as "good", are ascribed to Jehovah. For the human mind is, at first, in a kind of chaos, (Genesis 1:1, 2) in which light and darkness, good and evil, are, as it "were, mixed together, and both indiscriminately ascribed to God. But by the process of instruction and regeneration, these elements gradually become distinguished by the mind, when it is seen that only what is Good and True call come from God, and that all evil and falsity arise from the perversion of these things, as they are received by human minds in a perverse state; and that the Word in the letter ascribes, according to the appearance, all things, whether good or evil, to the Lord. Moreover, it should be observed that there is, by creation, a "darkness" which is the absence of "light", but not the opposite to "light", or opposed, in the sense of hostility, to "light; and that there is an "evil" which is the absence of Good, but not necessarily the opponent, in the sense of hostility, to Good. This is the necessary condition of the Finite, as contrasted with the Infinite; and in this sense God may be said to "create darkness and evil." Thus there is the evil of ignorance in the minds of children and of the uninstructed; - this evil is denoted by "the crooked places", (see verse 2 of this chapter, and Exposition; also Chapter 40:4) which, when the mind is instructed in Truths, can be "made straight", or converted into genuine Good; and there is also the darkness of ignorance, denoted by "the rough places", which, by instruction, can be "made smooth, or be converted into Truths from Good. This darkness must be well distinguished from the "darkness" of evil as opposed to Good, and from the "darkness" of negative and false reasonings as opposed to Truth. See Chapter 8:21, 22, note.]

8. Drop down, O you heavens, from above; and let the clouds shower down justice: let the earth open, and let them bring forth the fruit of salvation; and let justice spring up together: I, Jehovah, will create it.

Verses 8, 12, 18, 19. That by the "heavens" and the "earth" are here understood all things of the church, as well the internals as the externals thereof, is evident, for it is said "Drop down, O you heavens, from above; and let the clouds shower down justice: let the earth open, and let them bring forth the fruit of [or fructify] salvation", The reason why the "heavens" signify the interior things of the church is, because the interior things, which appertain to the mind of the spiritual man, are the heavens appertaining to man. That "heaven" appertains to man, with whom the church is, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 30-57.

By "creating the heavens, and forming the earth, and making and preparing it", is signified fully to establish the church. Apocalypse Explained 304.

By "the heavens dropping doum from above, and the clouds showering down justice", are signified instruction, influx, and perception of divine Truth. Apocalypse Explained 594.

9. Woe unto him that strives with his Former! a potsherd with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that forms it, What makes you? or shall your work [say of you], He has no hands?

Verse 9. A potsherd with the potsherds of the earth. - See above. Chapter 30:10, J1, 12, 14, the Exposition.

"He has no hands" signifies no power. Arcana Coelestia 878.

That the "hand", the "arm", and the "shoulder" correspond to power, see Chapter 25:11, the Exposition.

10. Woe unto him that says to his father, What begets you? or to the woman, What do you bring forth?

Verse. 10. These words treat of reformation, that it is from the Lord, and not from man. Apocalypse Explained 721.

11. Thus says Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and his Former: Ask of Me signs concerning My sons; and concerning the work of My hands command you Me.

12. I have made the. earth, and I have created man upon it: My hands, even Mine, have stretched out the heavens; and all the host of them I have commanded,

Verses 11, 13. The subject here treated of is also concerning the advent of the Lord, and the establishment of the church from Him. The Lord is understood by "Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and his Former", "who is called the "Holy One of Israel" from Divine Truth, and his "Former" from the establishment of the church thereby; and "Israel" denotes the church; therefore by "His sons concerning whom they asked signs", are understood those who are in Truths from the Lord; and by "the work of His hands", is understood their formation, and the establishment of the church with them. "I have raised Him up in justice, and I will make straight all His ways", signifies that to Him appertain Divine Good and Divine Truth; for "justice", in the Word, is predicated of Good, and "ways "of Truths leading, - in this case, Divine Truths, because predicated of the Lord. "He shall" build My city, and dismiss [or release] My captives", signifies that He shall restore the doctrine of Truth, and that He shall liberate those who are in falsities from ignorance; for a "city" signifies the doctrine of Truth, and "captivity" the falsities of ignorance, in which the Gentiles were, and thereby in spiritual captivity. "Not for price, nor for reward", signifies gratis from Divine Love. Apocalypse Explained 706.

As to "captivity" and "captives", see Chapter 61:1, the Exposition.

13. I have raised Him up in justice, and I will make straight all His ways: He shall build My city, and dismiss My captives; not for price, nor for reward, says Jehovah of Hosts.

14. Thus says Jehovah, The labour of Egypt, find the merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to You, and they shall be Thine: they shall come after You; in bonds shall they come over; they shall bow down unto You, and shall pray unto You, [saying] In You only is God; and there is none else; there is no God else.

Verse 13. By "the justice in which Jehovah has raised Him up", is signified the Good of love; and by "His ways, which He will make straight", are signified Truths proceeding from that Good.

By "the city which He shall build", is signified the doctrine of the church; and by "the captives whom He shall dismiss", are signified the opening and revelation of divine Truths with those who were heretofore secluded from them. That the Lord will do these things gratis, is signified by "not for price, nor for reward." Apocalypse Explained 811.

Jehovah of Hosts. - For the signification of the phrase "Jehovah of Hosts", when mentioned in the Word, see Chapter 1:9, 24, the Exposition.

Verse 14. These things are said concerning the Lord, who is treated of in the whole of this chapter.

By "the labour of Egypt", and by "the merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans", is signified the delight of natural love, arising from the acquisition of the knowledges of Truth and of Good; those knowledges themselves are signified by the "Sabeans", who are called "men of stature [or length]" from Good; for "length" signifies Good and the quality thereof, and "breadth" Truth and its quality. That they would accede to the church, and acknowledge and adore the Lord, is signified by "they shall come over to You, and they shall be Thine; they shall bow down unto You." That the natural man with them should serve the spiritual, and thereby the Lord, is signified by "in bonds shall they come over"; for they are said to "come in bonds" with whom the cupidities appertaining to the natural man are restrained. That they shall acknowledge the Lord alone to be God, is understood by "they shall pray unto You, [saying] In You only is God; and there is no God else." Apocalypse Explained 654.

15. Verily, You art a God that hidest Yourself, O God of Israel, the Saviour!

Verses 14, 15. In You only is God; and there is none else; verily, You art a God that hides Yourself, O God of Israel, the Saviour. - From these passages, and from many others of similar import, it clearly appears that the LORD our Saviour is JEHOVAH Himself who is at once the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Regenerator; for it was JEHOVAH who came into the world and accomplished the work of redemption, without which neither man nor angel could have been saved. Hence it is that the divine commandment, "You shalt have no other Gods before Me", enjoins that no other GOD is to be worshipped than the Lord JESUS CHRIST. True Christian Religion 294.

That the Lord JESUS CHRIST is "JEHOVAH GOD", see Chapter 1:2, the Exposition.

Verse 15. ["That hides Yourself" refers to the assumption of the Humanity, in which, during His life in the world, GOD, being clothed with the infirmities of our fallen nature, was, as it were, hidden; but after He had become fully glorified, He brought Himself fully out to view as the "Father of Eternity "]

16. They are ashamed, they are confounded, all of them: together shall they go in to disgrace, the makers of idols.

17. But Israel shall be saved in Jehovah with an eternal salvation: you shall not be ashamed, neither shall you be confounded, to the ages of eternity.

Verse 16. That the "makers of idols" (or of deceptions), or those who frame from self-derived intelligence false doctrines, will, from their evils and falsities at the time of Judgment, be disgraced and confounded, see Chapter 24:21, 23, 40:18-20, the Exposition.

18. For thus says Jehovah, who created the heavens; God Himself who formed the earth and made it; He has established it, He has created it not to be empty, He has formed it to be inhabited: I am Jehovah, and there is none else.

19. I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I have not said to the seed of Jacob, Seek you Me in vain: I am Jehovah, who speaks justice; who declares things that are right.

Verse 18. By "heavens" and by "earth", and by creating, signified to reform the church as well in internals as in externals; by" creating it not to be empty" is signified that it is not without Truth and Good, in which they are who are reformed, - the want of the principles is "emptiness"; by "He has formed it to be inhabited, is signified that they should live according to Good and Truth, and from them, for to " inhabit " signifies to live. Apocalypse Explained 294.

20. Assemble yourselves, and come; draw near together, you that are escaped from among the nations: they know nothing that carry about the wood of their graven image, and that pray to a god which cannot save.

21. Declare it, and bring them near; and let them take counsel together: who has made this known from ancient times? who has declared it from the first? Is it not I, Jehovah? there is no other God but Me: a just God, and a Saviour; there is none beside Me!

Verse 20. They know nothing that carry about the wood of their graven image, and that pray to a god which cannot save. - [To "carry about the wood of their graven image", etc., is to live and to worship according to false doctrine, and thus to be in evil.]

22. Look unto Me, and be you saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.

Verse 22. As to what is meant by the ends or extremities of the earth, see above Chapter 42:10, 11; 43:5, 6, the Exposition.

23. By Myself have I sworn; justice is gone forth from My mouth; the word, and it shall not be revoked: that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear:

Verse 23. Treating concerning the advent of the Lord. By "every knee shall bow", is signified that all who are in natural Good from spiritual, shall worship Him, - the "knee" signifying the conjunction of natural. Good with spiritual; hence it is evident that "bending the knees" signifies acknowledgement, thanksgiving, and adoration, from spiritual Good and delight in the natural man.

By "every tongue shall swear", is meant that all shall confess Him who are in Good from religion; to "swear", denoting to confess, and the "tongue" the religion according to which they live. Apocalypse Explained 455.

It is said in the Word that Jehovah God, or the Lord, "swears", but this is only according to the sense of the letter, for it is not suitable to God Himself, or the Divine Truth, to swear; but when God, or the Divine Truth, wills to have anything confirmed before men, then that confirmation, descending into a natural sphere, falls into an oath, or into the usual form of an oath in the world. Hence it is evident that, although God never swears, still, in the sense of the letter of the Word, which sense is natural, it is said that He does "swear." It was allowed to the ancients, who were in the representatives and significatives of the church, to "swear by Jehovah God", that they might testify the Truth; and by that "oath" was signified that they thought what was True, and willed what was Good. This was especially allowed the sons of Jacob, inasmuch as they were altogether external and natural men, and not internal and spiritual; and merely external or natural men are willing to have Truth confirmed and testified by oaths, but internal or spiritual men are unwilling to admit of such confirmation, yea, they hold oaths in aversion, and think of them with horror, especially of those which have God for their object, and the holy things of heaven, and the church, being content to say, and to have it said that such a thing is true, or that it is so, according to the Lord's words, - "You shalt not swear at all"; also; "Let your discourse be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay", etc. Inasmuch as to "swear" is not of the internal or spiritual man, and as the Lord, when He came into the world, taught men to be internal and spiritual, and for this end, after having abrogated the externals of the [Jewish] church, He opened its internals, therefore, also, He prohibited "swearing by God, and by the holy things of heaven and the church." (See Matthew 5:33-37)

The holy things by which men are not to swear, are there mentioned, namely, "heaven", "earth", "Jerusalem", and the "head"; and by "heaven" is meant the angelic heaven, wherefore it is called "the throne of God"; by "earth" is meant the church, wherefore it is called, "God's footstool"; by "Jerusalem is meant the doctrine of the church, wherefore it is called "the city of the great King"; and by the "head" is meant intelligence thence derived, wherefore it is said, "You canst not make one hair white or black", by which is signified that man of himself cannot understand anything. Apocalypse Explained 608. See also Arcana Coelestia 2842 Arcana Coelestia 2842[1-10], 9166, and Heaven and Hell 271.

24. Only in Jehovah, said He to me, are justice and strength! to Him they shall come; they shall be ashamed, all who were incensed against Him.

Verse 24. By "all who were incensed against Jehovah shall be ashamed", is signified that all who are in evils and falsities shall recede from them. To be "angry against Jehovah", signifies to be in falsities from evil. Apocalypse Explained 693. See also Arcana Coelestia 357.

For the further meaning of "anger", when mentioned in the Word, see above, Chapter 42:24, 25, the Exposition.

25. In Jehovah shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.

Verse 25. By the "seed of Israel" are signified the things which belong to the church, or charity and faith; for these make the church with man. Arcana Coelestia 10248.

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Isaiah Chapter 45

1. THUS says Jehovah to His Anointed, to Cyrus, whom I hold by the right hand, to subdue nations before Him; and I will loose the loins of kings: I will open before Him the two-leaved doors; and the gates shall not be shut:

2. I will go before You, and make the crooked places straight: the folding gates of brass will I break in pieces, and the bars of iron will I cut in sunder:

3. And I will give unto You the treasures of darkness, and the hidden riches of secret places: that You mayest know that I am Jehovah, who calls You by Your name, the God of Israel.

4. For the sake of Jacob My servant, and of Israel My chosen, I have even called You by Your name: I have surnamed You, though You have not known Me.

5. I am Jehovah, and there is none else; beside Me there is no God: I have girded You, though You have not known Me:

6. That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me: I am Jehovah, and there is none else;

7. Forming light, and creating darkness; making peace, and creating evil: I, Jehovah, do all these.

8. Drop down, O you heavens, from above; and let the clouds shower down justice: let the earth open, and let them bring forth the fruit of salvation; and let justice spring up together: I, Jehovah, will create it.

9. Woe unto him that striveth with his Former! a potsherd with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that forms it, What makest you? or shall your work [say of you], He has no hands?

10. Woe unto him that says to his father, What begettest you? or to the woman, What dost you bring forth?

11. Thus says Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and his Former: Ask of Me signs concerning My sons; and concerning the work of My hands command you Me.

12. I have made the. earth, and I have created man upon it: My hands, even Mine, have stretched out the heavens; and all the host of them I have commanded,

13. I have raised Him up in justice, and I will make straight all His ways: He shall build My city, and dismiss My captives; not for price, nor for reward, says Jehovah of Hosts.

14. Thus says Jehovah, The labour of Egypt, find the merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to You, and they shall be Thine: they shall come after You; in bonds shall they come over; they shall bow down unto You, and shall pray unto You, [saying] In You only is God; and there is none else; there is no God else.

15. Verily, You art a God that hides Yourself, O God of Israel, the Saviour!

16. They are ashamed, they are confounded, all of them: together shall they go in to disgrace, the makers of idols.

17. But Israel shall be saved in Jehovah with an eternal salvation: you shall not be ashamed, neither shall you be confounded, to the ages of eternity.

18. For thus says Jehovah, who created the heavens; God Himself who formed the earth and made it; He has established it, He has created it not to be empty, He has formed it to be inhabited: I am Jehovah, and there is none else.

19. I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I have not said to the seed of Jacob, Seek you Me in vain: I am Jehovah, who speaks justice; who declares things that are right.

20. Assemble yourselves, and come; draw near together, you that are escaped from among the nations: they know nothing that carry about the wood of their graven image, and that pray to a god which cannot save.

21. Declare it, and bring them near; and let them take counsel together: who has made this known from ancient times? who has declared it from the first? Is it not I, Jehovah? there is no other God but Me: a just God, and a Saviour; there is none beside Me!

22. Look unto Me, and be you saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.

23. By Myself have I sworn; justice is gone forth from My mouth; the word, and it shall not be revoked: that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear:

24. Only in Jehovah, said He to me, are justice and strength! to Him they shall come; they shall be ashamed, all who were incensed against Him.

25. In Jehovah shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.

811. That "captivity" signifies in the Word spiritual captivity, which is a shutting out from Divine truths, that is, from the understanding of them in the Word, also destruction by the falsities of evil and by the evils of falsity, can be seen from passages in the Word where "captivity" is mentioned; as in the following. In Luke:

They shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive among all nations; and Jerusalem shall finally be trampled down (Luke 21:24).

This chapter treats of the consummation of the age, which means the last time of the church, when there is no longer any truth remaining. "To fall by the edge of the sword" at that time signifies the destruction of truth by falsities; "sword" signifying the combat of falsity against truth, and also the destruction of truth by falsities. "They shall be led captive among all nations" signifies persuasions and thence obsessions by evils of every kind; for when truths have been destroyed not only do falsities succeed in their place, but evils also. "All nations" signify evils of every kind; "Jerusalem shall be trampled down" signifies a complete destruction and perversion of the doctrine of the church; "Jerusalem" signifying the church in respect to doctrine, and "to be trampled down" signifying to be wholly destroyed, which is done chiefly by falsifications and adulterations of the Word.

[2] In Ezekiel:

They shall be led captive among the nations, and the altars shall be laid waste, and the idols shall be broken, and the slain shall fall in the midst of you (Ezekiel 6:1-10).

"The altars being laid waste" signifies that all worship from the good of love shall perish; "the idols becoming broken" signifies that all worship from the truths of that good shall perish; and "the slain shall fall in the midst of you" signifies that they shall perish by falsities, "to be slain by the sword" signifying this.

[3] In Lamentations:

Hear, all ye people, and behold my grief; my virgins and my young men have gone into captivity (Lamentations 1:18).

This is a lamentation over the devastation of all truth in the church; this lamentation is described by "Hear, all ye people, and behold my grief;" that all the affection of truth has been destroyed is signified by "my virgins have gone into captivity," a "virgin" signifying the affection of truth; and that all understanding of truth has been destroyed is signified by "my young men have gone into captivity," "young men" signifying the understanding of truth and intelligence.

[4] In Amos:

If they have gone into captivity before their adversaries, thence do I command the sword that it may slay them (Amos 9:4).

"If they have gone into captivity before their adversaries" signifies, if they have suffered evils to take possession of them; "adversaries" meaning evils, and "to go into captivity" meaning to be possessed by them. "Thence do I command the sword that it may slay them" signifies that falsities will shut them out from the understanding of truths, and will destroy them.

[5] In David:

God abandoned the habitation of Shiloh, the tent He inhabited among men; and He gave His strength into captivity, and His splendor into the hand of the adversary (Psalms 78:60, 61).

"The habitation of Shiloh" signifies the church that is in the good of love, and the "tent" signifies the church that is in the truths of doctrine; thence it is clear what is signified by "God abandoned the habitation of Shiloh, the tent He inhabited among men," namely, that the goods of love and the truths of doctrine have been destroyed. The "strength" that He gave into captivity signifies spiritual truth from celestial good; and "to give into captivity" signifies to shut out from an understanding of it, and thus destruction by falsities; and the "splendor that He gave into the hand of the adversary" signifies natural truth from spiritual; this is signified by "splendor;" and its destruction by evils is signified by "being given into the hand of the adversary."

[6] In Ezekiel:

The prophet was commanded to remove out of the place, and to bring out the vessels of removal through the wall before their eyes, to bring them out in the darkness, and to cover his face that he see not the earth; and say, I am your prodigy; like as I have done, so shall it be done to them; they shall go into exile, into captivity (Ezekiel 12:1-12).

By this the prophet represented the state of the church at that time, that there were no longer any truths remaining that had not been destroyed by falsities. For all the prophets represented the church in respect to doctrine from the Word. "To remove out of the place," and "to bring out the vessels of removal through the wall in darkness, and to cover his face that he see not the earth," represented that all the truths of doctrine from the Word had been cast out; "to remove out of the place" signifies rejection; "vessels of removal" signify the truths of doctrine; the "wall" through which he brought them out signifies the ultimate, which encompasses and defends truths (the ultimate of doctrine being the sense of the letter of the Word, which is called a "wall" because it contains and includes the spiritual sense); the "darkness" in which he was to bring them out signifies falsities; "to cover his face that he see not the earth" signifies that truths of good are no longer seen in the church. Because the prophet represented these things it is said, "like as I have done, so shall it be done to them; they shall go into exile and into captivity." Thence it is clear that "to go into exile" signifies the dispersion of truth, and "to go into captivity" signifies to be possessed by falsities.

[7] In Habakkuk:

I will raise up the Chaldeans, a nation that marcheth into the breadths of the land; it shall gather captivity like the sand; it shall mock at kings and rulers shall be a derision unto it (Habakkuk 1:6, 9, 10).

"The Chaldeans" signify those who destroy the truths of the church; "the breadths of the land" signify the truths of the church; that they will destroy all truths by falsities is signified by "it shall gather captivity like the sand;" that the truths and goods of the Word will be derided and blasphemed is signified by "that nation shall mock at kings, and rulers shall be a derision unto it," "kings" signifying the truths of the Word, and "rulers" its goods.

[8] In Jeremiah:

Nebuchadnezzar shall come and shall smite the land of Egypt, they who are for death to death, they who are for captivity to captivity, they who are for the sword to the sword; and I will kindle a fire in the houses of Egypt that he may burn them up, and carry them away captive; finally he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd arrayeth himself with his garment (Jeremiah 43:11, 12).

"Nebuchadnezzar," or "the king of Babylon," means in the Word those who destroy all things of the church by evils; and "the Chaldeans" those who destroy all things of the church by falsities; and in an abstract sense "the king of Babylon" signifies the evils that destroy, and "the Chaldeans" their falsities. "Nebuchadnezzar shall come and smite the land of Egypt" signifies the destruction of the natural man in respect to all goods and all truths thence from the Word; "they who are for death to death" signifies destruction by evils; "they who are for captivity to captivity" signifies destruction by shutting out from and deprivation of truth; "they who are for the sword to the sword" signifies destruction by falsities thence; "to kindle a fire in the houses of Egypt that he may burn them up, or carry them away captive," signifies that the loves of self and of the world will destroy all things of the natural man by evils and falsities; "fire" signifying those loves; "houses of Egypt" signify all things of the natural man; "to burn them up" signifies to destroy by evil loves, and "to carry them away captive" signifies to destroy by falsities thence. "Finally he shall array himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd arrayeth himself with his garment" signifies that the falsities of evil and the evils of falsity will possess the whole natural man. This is compared to the garment of a shepherd, because a "garment" signifies truth clothing good, but here falsity clothing evil; for the natural man is like a garment to the spiritual man, for it encompasses and includes it.

[9] In Jeremiah:

They who are for death to death, they who are for famine to famine, and they who are for captivity to captivity (Jeremiah 15:2).

This describes the total vastation of good and truth in the church; for in the preceding verse it is said, "Though Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My soul could not be towards this people; cast them out before My face, that they may go forth;" therefore "they who are for death to death" signifies that those who reject goods perish by evils; "they who are for famine to famine" signifies that those who reject truths perish by falsities; "they who are for captivity to captivity" signifies that those who love evils and falsities are taken possession of by them.

[10] In Isaiah:

Like as My servant Isaiah hath gone naked and barefoot three years, so shall the king of Assyria lead the captivity of Egypt, and the crowd of Cush that is to be carried away, boys and old men, naked and barefoot, even the buttocks uncovered, the nakedness of Egypt (Isaiah 20:3, 4).

"The king of Assyria" signifies reasoning from the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man; and "Egypt" signifies the natural man; so "the king of Assyria shall lead the captivity of Egypt" signifies that reasoning from falsities will destroy all the truths in the natural man, which are such as the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 532.)

[11] In Daniel:

Also their gods with their princes, with their vessels of desire, silver and gold, shall he carry captive into Egypt; and he shall stand more years than the king of the north. The intelligent of the people shall instruct many; yet they shall fall together by the sword and by flame and by captivity and by depredation, for days (Daniel 11:8, 33).

This treats of the war between the king of the north and the king of the south, "the king of the north" signifying falsity ruling in the church, and "the king of the south" truth defending the church against falsity; that nevertheless falsities will predominate in the church in the latter end of days is here foretold and described. "Their gods and their princes, and vessels of desire, and silver and gold, that shall be carried captive into Egypt," signify that the defending truth will take away all truths and goods of the church from those who are in falsities; its spiritual truths are signified by "their gods and princes," natural truths by "their vessels of desire," and all truth and good in general by "silver and gold," and the taking away and defense of these is signified by "carrying captive into Egypt." "To fall together by sword and flame" signifies to perish by falsities and evils therefrom; and "to fall together by captivity and depredation" signifies the deprivation of all things of truth and good.

[12] In Jeremiah:

When the prophet was given over to the prison he prophesied that all Judah should be carried away into captivity to Babylon, and should there die and be buried (Jeremiah 20:1-6; 27).

This "prophet," like "prophet" in general, signifies the doctrine of the church from the Word; his being "given over to the prison" represented that the like was done in respect to the church and its doctrine, which is signified by all Judah being carried away into captivity to Babylon. The captivity of the tribe of Judah in Babylon seventy years represented the complete destruction of truth and devastation of the church.

[13] In the same:

The wind shall feed all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity; then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness (Jeremiah 22:22).

"Shepherds" in an abstract sense signify the goods of the church, and "lovers" its truths; the "wind" that shall feed the shepherds signifies the hollowness and emptiness of doctrine; the "captivity" into which the lovers shall go signifies a shutting out from all truths and from the understanding of them; "to be ashamed and confounded" signifies to be destitute of all good and truth; for thus, when they come among the angels, are they ashamed and confounded.

[14] In Moses:

I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh, with the blood of the stain and of captivity, and the gall of the revenges of the adversary (Deuteronomy 32:42).

"To make arrows drunk with blood" signifies the delirium of mind from the Word falsified; "the sword shall devour flesh" signifies that falsities will destroy all things of good; "with the blood of the slain and of captivity" signifies the extinction and shutting out of all truth, "slain" meaning the extinction of truth by falsities, and "captivity" the shutting out of truth by falsities. "With the gall of the revenges of the adversary" signifies with the malice and cruelty of hell; "the gall of revenges" meaning malice and cruelty, and the "adversary" meaning hell.

[15] In Isaiah:

Bel hath bowed low, Nebo hath stooped, their idols are to the wild beast and to the beast; they have stooped and bowed low together, and their soul shall go into captivity (Isaiah 46:1, 2).

"Their idols to the wild beast and to the beast" signifies that their falsities are infernal falsities, and evils therefrom; "they have stooped and bowed low together" signifies that they will fall apart; "their soul shall go into captivity" signifies that they shall go into hell, where they will be shut out from all truth.

[16] In Obadiah:

In that day strangers led his strength captive, and aliens entered his gates and cast the lot upon Jerusalem (Obadiah 1:11).

This is said of Edom, which signifies the truth of the natural man, but here the falsity; "the strangers that led his strength captive" signify the falsities of the church destroying its truths, "strength" signifying truth, since all spiritual strength consists in truths; "the aliens who entered the gates" signify the falsities of doctrine destroying the truths through which entrance is given into interior truths; "Jerusalem, upon which they cast the lot," signifies the doctrine of the church from the Word, thus dispersed, "to cast the lot" meaning to disperse.

[17] In Jeremiah:

Woe to thee, Moab, the people of Chemosh have perished; for thy sons are taken into captivity, and thy daughters into captivity; yet I will bring back the captivity of Moab (Jeremiah 48:46, 47).

"Moab" means those who are in natural delight, and who therefore adulterate the goods of the Word; "the people of Chemosh" mean those who are in natural truth; "sons are taken into captivity and daughters into captivity" signifies that the truths and goods of their church are shut out by falsities and evils; "sons" meaning truths, and "daughters" goods; "I will bring back the captivity of Moab in the end of days" signifies that truths will be opened to those who are meant by "Moab," and they will be instructed in them, "the end of days" signifying the Lord's coming.

[18] In many places in the Word it is said that "captives are to be brought back," and captives mean the Gentiles; and these are called "captives" because they are shut out from truths, which, however, will be opened to them by the Lord. As in Isaiah:

Jehovah hath anointed Me to proclaim good tidings unto the poor; He hath sent Me to bind up the broken in heart; to preach liberty to the captives, and to the bound, to the blind (Isaiah 61:1).

This is said of the Lord; and "the poor" to whom Jehovah hath anointed Him to preach good tidings signify those who are in few truths, and yet desire truths that their soul may be sustained by them; "the broken in heart" signify those who in consequence are in grief; "the captives" to whom He was to preach liberty signify those who are shut out from truths and thus from goods; and to these truths are to be opened, and by them they will be imbued with goods. The "bound" and the "blind" signify those to whom it is denied to see truths, meaning the Gentiles that afterwards received truths from the Lord.

[19] In the same:

I have raised him up in justice, and I will make straight all his ways; he shall build My city and he shall let go My captivity, not for price nor reward (Isaiah 45:13).

This, too, is said of the Lord; and the "justice" in which Jehovah hath raised him up signifies the good of love; and "his ways which He will make straight" signify the truths proceeding from good; the "city which he shall build" signifies the doctrine of the church; and the "captivity which he shall let go" signifies the opening and revelation of Divine truths with those who had heretofore been shut out from them. That the Lord will do these things freely is signified by "not for price nor reward."

[20] In Jeremiah:

The sons of Israel and the sons of Judah are oppressed together, and all that take them captive hold them fast, they refuse to let them go. Their Redeemer is strong; pleading He will plead their cause, and will give quiet to the land (Jeremiah 50:33, 34).

This also is said of the Lord, who is meant by "their Redeemer is strong;" "to plead their cause" signifies visitation and judgment upon those who oppress them by falsities, and consequent deliverance from them; "to give quiet to the land" signifies protection from falsities, "the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah," who are said to be oppressed, do not mean the sons of Israel and of Judah, but the Gentiles that are in truths and goods from the Lord; and as these are restrained by those who deceive them and shut out truths from them, it is said that "those that take them captive hold them fast, and refuse to let them go."

[21] In David:

Thou hast ascended on high; Thou hast led captivity captive (Psalms 68:18).

This, again, is said of the Lord; and "to lead captivity captive" signifies to deliver from the falsities that have held them captive. In Isaiah:

Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or shall the captivity of the just be delivered? For thus Jehovah hath said, Even the captivity of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the violent shall be delivered (Isaiah 49:24, 25).

This also is said of the Lord, and of the bringing back of the sons of Zion from captivity; and "the sons of Zion" mean those who are in love to the Lord and in truths therefrom. That they had been shut out from truths by those who eagerly confirmed falsities, and yet they were delivered by the Lord, is signified by "Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, and shall the captivity of the just be delivered?"

[22] In David:

Who will give out of Zion the salvation of Israel? When Jehovah shall bring back the captivity of His people Jacob shall exult, Israel shall be glad (Psalms 14:7; 53:6).

Here also "Zion" means those who are in the good of love from the Lord; deliverance from evils by the Lord and salvation are meant by "Who will give out of Zion the salvation of Israel?" "To bring back the captivity of His people" means deliverance from falsities and evils; "Jacob shall exult, Israel shall be glad," means the joy with those who are in the external church and of those who are in the internal church because of their deliverance, "Jacob" meaning those who are of the external church, and "Israel" those who are of the internal church; and both mean the Gentiles.

[23] In Jeremiah:

Fear not, My servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel; behold I will keep thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of thy captivity, so that Jacob may return, and be quiet and tranquil, and none shall make him afraid (Jeremiah 46:27; 30:10).

Here, too, "Jacob and Israel" mean the Gentiles, "Jacob" those who are of the external church, and "Israel" those who are of the internal church; "to keep them from afar" signifies to save them although they are far from salvation; "to keep from the land of captivity" signifies to deliver from the falsities by which they have been shut out from the truths and goods of heaven and the church; "to return and be quiet and tranquil, and none shall make afraid," signifies to be protected from falsities which are from hell.

[24] In the same:

All that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, all shall go into captivity; and they that plundered thee shall be for plunder; and all that preyed upon thee will I give for a prey. I will bring back the captivity of the tents of Jacob; and I will have compassion on his habitations, that the city may be built upon its own heap, and the palace shall be inhabited after its own manner (Jeremiah 30:16, 18).

"All that devour thee shall be devoured, all thine adversaries shall go into captivity, and they that plundered thee shall be for plunder, and all that preyed upon thee will I give for a prey," has a similar signification as the passage in Revelation here explained, namely, "if anyone shall lead into captivity he shall go into captivity; and if anyone shall kill with the sword he must be killed with the sword." (What the rest signifies has been explained above, n. 799.)

[25] In the same:

I will be found of you, and I will bring back your captivity, and I will bring you together out of all nations, and I will bring you back to the place whence I caused you to depart (Jeremiah 29:14).

This, too, describes the deliverance of the Gentiles from spiritual captivity, which is a shutting out from the truths and goods of heaven and the church, whereby salvation is effected. In Zephaniah:

In that time I will bring you, and in time will bring you together unto Me, for I will give you for a name and a praise to all the peoples of the earth, when I bring back your captivity before your eyes (Zephaniah 3:20).

This, too, means the bringing back of the Gentiles from spiritual captivity. In Amos:

I will bring back the captivity of My people Israel, that they may build the waste cities and inhabit them, and plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof; and they shall make gardens and eat the fruit of them (Amos 9:14).

This may be seen explained above (n. 376, 405).

[26] In Isaiah:

Put on thy strength, O Zion; put on the garments of thy splendor, O Jerusalem, the city of holiness; for there shall not add to come any more into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean; shake thyself from the dust; sit, O Jerusalem; open the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion (Isaiah 52:1, 2).

"Zion" means a church that is in the good of love to the Lord; truth from that good is signified by the "strength that Zion shall put on;" and the truths of doctrine of that church are signified by "the garments of splendor that Jerusalem shall put on." "The uncircumcised and the unclean, who shall not add to come any more," signify the evils of earthly loves and their falsities; "to shake herself from the dust, to arise and to sit," signifies, in respect to Jerusalem, deliverance from infernal falsities and elevation to the truths of heaven. "To open the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion," signifies deliverance from being withheld from truths by falsities that hinder the reception of influx out of heaven, "daughter of Zion" meaning those who are in the affection of truth from the good of love from the Lord. In the verses that follow it is said of the sons of Israel:

That they sojourned in Egypt, and that Assyria oppressed them (Isaiah 4);

which signifies that they were shut out from truths by reasonings from the knowledges (scientifica) of the natural man.

[27] In the same:

The peoples shall take them and shall lead them to their place, and the house of Israel shall possess them for a heritage upon the land of Jehovah, for manservants and for maidservants; that they may thus take captive them whose captives they were, and they shall have dominion over their exactors (Isaiah 14:2).

This, too, treats of the bringing back of the sons of Israel, and by sons of Israel the Gentiles are meant. That those who shut out others from truths and lead them astray by falsities are shut out from truths and led astray by falsities, is signified by "they shall take captive them whose captives they were, and they shall have dominion over their exactors."

[28] In Hosea:

In the house of Israel I have seen a filthy thing; there is Ephraim's whoredom; Israel is polluted and Judah hath set a harvest for thee, when I shall bring back the captivity of My people (Hosea 6:10, 11).

This treats of the state of the church among the Jews about the time of the Lord's coming; "Ephraim's whoredom," which is "the filthy thing in the house of Israel," signifies the falsification of the Word; "whoredom" signifying falsification, and "Ephraim" the understanding of the Word. "Israel is polluted, and Judah hath set a harvest for thee," signifies that the church was in mere falsities, and that they applied the Word to confirm falsities, "Judah" signifying the Word, and "harvest" the abundance of such things in the Word as they applied. That this would be the state of the Jewish Church when truths should be opened before the Gentiles, by which they might be delivered from falsities, is signified by "when I shall bring back the captivity of My people."

[29] In the historical parts of the Word the captivities of the sons of Israel by various enemies, and their deliverances, have a like signification, as:

That they were forced to serve Cushan, king of Syria, and were delivered by Othniel (Judges 3);

That they served Eglon, king of Moab, and were delivered by Ehud (Judges 3);

That they were given over to Jabin, king of Canaan, and delivered by Deborah (Judges 4);

That they were given over to the Midianites, and delivered by Gideon (Judges 6);

That they were given over to the Philistines and Ammonites, and delivered by Jephthah (Judges 10, Judges 11).

Similar things were signified by:

The captivity of the Jews seventy years in Babylon (2 Kings 25).

For the historical parts of the Word are all representative of such things as pertain to the church, and the expressions by which the historical facts are described are all significative.

[30] The "bound" have a similar signification in the Word as "captives," as in the following passages:

The bound in the pit shall be gathered together, and they shall be shut up in a prison; but after a multitude of days shall they be visited (Isaiah 24:22).

By the blood of thy covenant I will send forth the bound out of the pit wherein is no water (Zechariah 9:11).

The sighing of the bound shall come before Thee (Psalms 79:11).

He hath made the world into a wilderness and destroyed his ¹ 22 cities. He hath opened not the house for His bound ones (Isaiah 14:17).

To open the blind eyes, to lead him that is bound out of prison, them that sit in darkness out of the prison house (Isaiah 42:7).

The king said, I was in prison, and ye came ² unto me (Matthew 25:36).

Jesus said, Ought not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound lo these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the day of the sabbath? (Luke 13:16).

Footnotes: