THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 53

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

1. WHO has believed our report? and to whom has the arm of Jehovah been revealed?

2. For He shall grow up before Him like a tender plant, and like a root from a dry ground: He has no form, nor honour, that we should regard Him; nor beauty, that we should desire Him.

VERSE 1. ln this chapter, from beginning to end, the subject treated of is concerning the Lord's temptations, thus concerning the state in which He was when He fought with the hells; for temptations are nothing else but combats against the hells. This state of temptations is here described by "bearing our sicknesses and sorrows", by being "bruised for our iniquities", etc. He is also here called "the Arm of Jehovah", by which is signified the Divine Power. That by being "bruised and wounded for our transgressions", etc., is signified a state of temptation, is evident, for on such occasion there are griefs, straitnesses, and desperations of mind, which thus torment. Such things are induced by the hells, for, in temptations, they assault the love itself of him against whom they fight; the love of everyone is the inmost principle of his life. The Lord's love was the love of saving the human race, which love was the esse of His life; for the Divine [principle] in Himself was that Love. This is also described in another place in Isaiah, where the Lord's combats are treated of, in these words:

"He said, Surely they are My people; therefore He became a Saviour, to them. In all their straitness He had straitness; on account of His love and His pity He redeemed them, and carried them all the days of eternity." (Isaiah 63:8, 9)

That the Lord, when he was in the world, endured such temptations, is briefly described in the Evangelists, but more fully in the Prophets, and especially in the Psalms of David. It is only said in the Evangelists that "He was led away into the wilderness, and afterwards tempted by the devil", and that "He was there forty clays, and with the beasts"; (Mark 1:12, 13; Matthew 4:1) but that He was in temptations, that is, in combats with the hells, from first childhood even to the end of His life in the world, He did not reveal; according to these words in Isaiah:

"He was oppressed [or sustained exaction], yet He opened not His mouth", etc. His last temptation was in Gethsemane; [Matthew 24:7; Mark 14:33-34] and afterwards the passion of the cross, by which He fully subdued the hells, as He Himself teaches in John:

"Father, deliver Me from this hour; but for this [cause] came I to this hour. Father, glorify Your name. There came forth a voice from heaven, [saying] I have both glorified it, and will glorify it. Then said Jesus, Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out." (John 12:27, 28, 31)

The "prince of this world" is the devil, thus the whole hell; to "glorify" is to make the Human [principle] Divine. The reason why mention is made only of "the temptation after forty days in the wilderness" is, because "forty days" signify and involve temptations to the full, thus of several years, as may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 8098, 9437; the "wilderness" signifies hell, and the "beasts" with which He there fought, the diabolical crew. Arcana Coelestia 9937.

To whom has the arm of Jehovah been revealed? -The Humanity of the Lord is called in the Word "the Arm of Jehovah." Several causes exist why God could not redeem mankind, that is, deliver them from damnation and hell, by any other process than that of assuming the Humanity. For redemption consisted in reducing the hells into subjection, and bringing the heavens into an orderly and arrangement, and afterwards renewing the church on earth; and there was no other possible means by which the Omnipotence of God could effect these purposes than by assuming the Humanity, just as there is no possibility for a man to work without hands and arms; therefore, in the Word, the Humanity is called "the Arm of Jehovah." (Isaiah 40:10; 53:1)

In like manner it is impossible for anyone to enter into a fortified city, and destroy the temples of its idols, unless he be furnished with mediate powers suited to such a design. It is also evident from the Word, that God, by means of His Humanity, was omnipotent in the accomplishment of that divine work; for God, who is in inmost, and thus in purest principles, could not possibly by any other means descend to ultimate or lowest principles, in which the hells are, and in which mankind were at that time; comparatively as the soul cannot act without a body, or as it is impossible to conquer enemies while they remain out of sight, or while they cannot be approached and attacked with some kind of weapons, such as spears, shields, or guns. For God to have effected redemption without assuming the Humanity, would have been as impossible as for Europeans to subdue the Indies without soldiers and shipping; or as it is impossible to make trees grow by heat and light alone, without air for their transmission, and unless earth be formed for their production; yea, it would have been as impossible as for a man to catch fish by casting nets in to the air instead of the water, For Jehovah, as He is in Himself cannot by all His Omnipotence approach any devil in hell, or any devil on earth, so as to curb his fury, and subdue his violence, unless He be in ultimate as He is in first principles; and He is in ultimates in His Humanity. Therefore, in the Word, He is called "the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End." True Christian Religion 84.

3. He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

Verses 3-5. A Man of sorrows [or pains]; - our sicknesses He has borne; - and by His wounds we are healed [or healing is given to us]. By "sicknesses" and "diseases" are meant spiritual diseases, which are evils destroying the life of the will of Good, and falsities destroying the life of the understanding of Truth, that is, destroying the spiritual life, which is the life of Faith and Charity. Natural "diseases" also correspond to such spiritual diseases; for every disease in the human race is from this cause, because from sin; every "disease" also corresponds to its own evil. The reason is, because the whole of the life of man is from the spiritual world; wherefore if his spiritual life sickens, evil is hence derived into his natural life, which there becomes a disease. Because diseases represented the iniquities and the evils of the spiritual life, therefore by the "diseases" which the Lord healed is signified deliverance from various kinds of the evil and the false which infested the church and the human race, and which would have brought upon them spiritual death; for divine miracles are distinguished from others by this, that they involve and regard states of the church and of the heavenly kingdom; on this account it was that the miracles of the Lord chiefly consisted in healing diseases. This is understood by the Lord's words to the disciples sent by John:

"Go and show John those things which you do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor hear the Gospel." (Matthew 11:4, 5)

Hence it is so often said that "the Lord healed all disease and all sickness among the people." (Matthew 4:23; 9:35, and in many other passages.) Arcana Coelestia 8364.

4. Surely our sicknesses He has borne; and our sorrows, He has carried them: yet we considered Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Verses 4, 6, 11. These words are said of the Lord; and the reason why "bearing iniquity" denotes to remove falsities and evils, or sins, with those who are in Good, is, because the Lord was represented by "Aaron", and all the work of salvation by his "office" or "priesthood." Hence it is said of "Aaron", who, as stated, represented the Lord, that "he bore the iniquity of the holy things." (Exodus 28:38)

That it is said of the Lord, that "He bore iniquities and sins for the human race", is known in the church; but still it is unknown what is understood by "bearing iniquities and sins." It is believed by some that it denotes that He took upon Himself the sins of the human race, and suffered Himself to be condemned even to the death of the cross; and that thus, because damnation for sins was cast upon Him, mortals are liberated from damnation; also that damnation was taken away by the Lord, through the fulfilling of the law, since the law would have damned everyone who did not fulfil it. But, by "bearing iniquity", are not meant those things, since every man's deeds remain with him after death, and then he is judged, according to their quality, either to life or to death; and therefore they cannot be taken away by transfer to another, who bears them. Hence it is evident that, by "bearing iniquities", something else is meant, but what is meant may be manifest from the "bearing" itself of iniquities or of sins by the Lord; for the Lord bears those things when He fights for man against the hells, for man, of himself, cannot fight against them, but the Lord alone does this, also continually for every man, with a difference according to the reception of Divine Good and Truth. The Lord, when He was in the world, fought against all the hells, and altogether subdued them; hence, also, He was made "Justice"; thus He redeemed from damnation those who receive Divine Good and Truth from Himself. Unless this had been effected by the Lord, no flesh could have been saved; for the hells are continually with man, and have dominion over him so far as the Lord does not remove them; and He so far removes them as man desists from evils. He who once conquers the hells, conquers them to eternity; and that this might be effected by the Lord, He made His Human Divine. He, therefore, who alone fights for man against the hells, or, what is the same thing, against evils and falsities, for these are from the hells, - He is said to "bear sins"; for He alone sustains that burden. The reason why, by "bearing sins", is also signified the removal of evils and falsities from those who are in Good, is, because this is a consequence: for so far as the hells are removed from man, so far evils and falsities are removed, for the latter and the former, as was said, are from the hells. Evils and falsities are sins and iniquities; how the case herein is, see what was shown above, Arcana Coelestia 9715, 9809, where the "merit" and "justice" of the Lord, and also "the subjugation of the hells" by Him, are treated of. Arcana Coelestia 9937.

5. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and by His wounds we are healed.

6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way: and Jehovah has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.

Verse 5. These things are predicated of the Lord, who is evidently treated of in this chapter, and thereby are described the temptations which He underwent in the world, in order that He might subdue the hells, and reduce all things there and in the heavens to order. Those grievous temptations are understood by His being "wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities", and by "the chastisement of our peace being upon Him"; salvation thereby is signified by being "healed by His wounds", or by "healing being given to us by His wounds.

By "peace", therefore is meant heaven and life eternal, which is given to those who are conjoined with Him; for the human race could, by no means, have been saved, unless the Lord had reduced all things in the heavens and in the hells to order, and at the same time had glorified His Humanity, which things were accomplished by means of temptations admitted in His Humanity. Apocalypse Explained 365.

7. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted; yet He opened not His mouth: as a lamb that is brought to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.

Verse 7. To be "oppressed" [or to suffer exaction] signifies temptations; to be "afflicted", their grievousness; "not to open His mouth" signifies patience. Apocalypse Explained 813.

8. From distress and from judgment He was taken: and who shall declare His generation? for He was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of My people was the stroke upon Him.

Verse 8. He was cut off out of the land of the living, etc. - It is not possible that there can be more than one single Fountain of Life from which the life of all things is derived, and it is not possible that any life can exist, which is truly life, except by faith in the Lord, who is real essential Life itself; nor can faith exist, in which is life, except from Him, consequently except He be in it; wherefore, in the Word, the Lord alone is called "living", and is named "the Living Jehovah." (Jeremiah 5:2; 12:16; 16:14, 15; 23:7; Ezekiel 5:11)

"Living for ever." (Daniel 4:34; Revelation 4:10; 5:14; 10:6)

A "Fountain of Life." (Psalm 36:8, 9)

A "Fountain of living waters." (Jeremiah 17:13)

Wherefore heaven, which lives by or from Him, is called "the land of the living." (Isaiah 38:11; 53:8; Ezekiel 26:20; 32:23-27, 32; Psalm 27:13; 142:5)

And they are called "living" who are in faith in the Lord, as in David:

"Who holds our soul amongst the living." (Psalm 66:9)

And they who are in faith are said to be in "the Book of Lives"; (Psalm 69:28) and in "the Book of Life." (Revelation 13:8; 17:8; 20:15)

Wherefore also they are said to be made to "live" who receive faith in Him. (Hosea 6:2; Psalm 85:6)

On the contrary, they who are not in faith are called "dead", as in Isaiah:

"The dead shall not live, the deceased shall not rise, because You have visited and destroyed them"; (Isaiah 26:14)

where the "dead" signify those who are puffed up with self-love, and to "rise" signifies to enter into life. They are also said to be "thrust through" [confossi]. (Ezekiel 32:23-31)

And hell is called "death." (Isaiah 25:8; 28:15)

They are also called "dead" by the Lord. [Matthew 4:16; John 5:25; 8:21, 24, 51, 52) Arcana Coelestia 290.

9. That He might give the impious to their sepulchre, and the rich in their deaths; although He had done no violence, neither was there any deceit in His mouth.

Verse 9. The whole of this chapter treats concerning the Lord, and here concerning His victories over the hells. By "the impious, whom He should give to their sepulchre", are understood the evil who should be cast down into hell, which is manifestly called a "sepulchre" by reason of those who are there being spiritually dead; by "the rich, whom He should give ill their deaths", are understood those of the church who are in falsities from evil, who are called "rich" by reason of the knowledges of Truth and of Good which they have from the Word; falsities from evil are signified by "deaths", inasmuch as they who are in them are spiritually dead. Apocalypse Explained 659.

He had done no violence, neither was there any deceit in His mouth. - In the Word "violence" is mentioned when holy things are violated by profaning them. Thus in Ezekiel:

"They shall eat their bread in anxiety, and drink their waters in desolation, that the land may be devastated of its fulness, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein"; (Ezekiel 12:19) the "bread" which they shall eat with anxiety are the celestial things, the "waters" which they shall drink in desolation are the spiritual things, to which "violence" had been offered, or which they bad profaned.

Again, in Jonah:

"Let every one be converted from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands"; (Jonah 3:8)

where an "evil way" is predicated of falsities which are of the understanding, and "violence" of the evils which are of the will.

Again, in Isaiah:

"He had done no violence, neither was there any deceit in His mouth"; (Isaiah 53:9) where "violence" is said of those things which are of the will, and "deceit in the mouth" of those things which are of the understanding. Arcana Coelestia 623.

10. Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise Him; He has made Him infirm: [saying] If You should make His soul guilt, He shall see [His] seed, He shall prolong [His] days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper by His hand.

Verse 10. The subject here treated of is also concerning the Lord, and His temptations, by which He subjugated the hells. The increasing grievousness of His temptations is described by "Jehovah's being willing [or pleased] to bruise Him", and by "making Him infirm", find the most grievous of all, which was the passion of the cross, is signified by "making His soul guilt"; by which is understood the last temptation whereby He fully subjugated the hells, and fully glorified His Human, whence comes redemption. The Divine Truth which afterwards proceeds from His Divine Human, and the salvation of all who receive Divine Truth, from Him, is signified by "He shall see [His] seed"; the eternal duration thereof is understood by "He shall prolong [His] days", -to "prolong", when predicated of the Lord, signifying eternal duration, and "days" states of light, which are states of illustration of all by Divine Truth. That this is from His Divine, for the salvation of mankind, is signified by "the will [or pleasure] of Jehovah shall prosper by His hand." Apocalypse Explained 768.

Verses 10, 11. These things are said of the Lord, who is treated of in the whole of this chapter. The temptations of the Lord, which were most grievous, because against the hells, are described by "Jehovah's being willing [or pleased] to bruise Him", and by "making Him infirm"; for by temptations the loves of the proprium are broken, thus the Lady is bruised and weakened. "If You should make His soul guilt", signifies if He undergo temptations even unto death. "He shall see [His] seed", signifies that Divine Truth shall proceed from Him; "seed" denoting Truth, and, where it is predicated of the Lord, Divine Truth. "He shall prolong [His] days", signifies Divine Good, which shall also proceed from Him; "long", and thence to "prolong", being predicated of Good, see above, n. 629; and "days" denoting states. "And the will [or pleasure] of Jehovah shall prosper by His hand", signifies that thus all and every thing in the heavens and in the earths shall be kept in divine order. "Of the travail of His soul", signifies by temptations; "He shall see [the fruit], and be satisfied", denotes glorification. These things are understood by those words in the supreme sense, in which the Lord is treated of; but in the respective sense by the same words is described the salvation of the human race, for which the Lord fought from Divine Love. It is said, "If You should make His soul guilt", as if it were a matter of doubt whether He should so make it; but this involves the same as what the Lord Himself says in John:

"I lay down My soul, and I take it again; no one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This precept I have received from My Father." (John 10:17, 18)

The arcanum which lies hid in these words, no one can see but he who knows the nature of the temptations by which man is regenerated; for therein man is preserved in his liberty, from which it appears to him as if he fought from himself; yea, in temptations his spiritual liberty is stronger than out of them, for it is more interior; unless man by virtue thereof fought in temptations, he could not be made spiritual; for all liberty is of love, wherefore man then fights from the love of Truth and thence from the love of eternal life: thus and no otherwise is the internal opened and man regenerated. From these few observations it may in some degree be seen what these words of the Lord involve, that is, that He fought from His own liberty, and at last laid down His soul, in order that He might do all things from His own proper power, and thence might become righteousness, from Himself which He could not have become except by virtue of His liberty; hence it is said, "I lay down My soul of Myself'; I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it again. This commandment I have received of My Father." They who are unacquainted with this arcanum, interpret these words like the Arians, saying that the Lord was not the actual, but the adopted Son of God, thus that lie was adopted because He was willing to lay down His soul, or undergo the death of the cross; not knowing that those words involve that the Lord, by virtue of His own proper power, fought from His Human against the hells, and overcame them, and by virtue of the same power glorified His Human, that is, united it to the essential Divine in Himself, and thereby made it Divine, which, without being left to Himself in absolute liberty as to the Human, could not possibly have been accomplished. From these considerations it is now evident why it is said in Isaiah, "If You should make His soul guilt." Apocalypse Explained 900.

11. Of the travail of His soul He shall see [the fruit], and be satisfied: by His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.

Verse 11. These things are also spoken concerning the Lord, who is manifestly treated of in the whole of this chapter, and indeed concerning His Divine Human. His combats with the hells, and subjugation of them, is signified by "the labour [or travail] of His soul", and by "His bearing their iniquities." By bearing their iniquities is not understood that He transferred them into Himself, but that He admitted into Himself the evils which are from the hells in order that He might subdue them; this, therefore, is what is understood by "bearing iniquity." The consequent salvation of those who are in spiritual faith, which is the faith of charity, is understood by its being said, "By His knowledge shall My righteous [or just] Servant justify many"; "knowledge" signifying Divine Truth, and thence Divine Wisdom and Intelligence; and "many" signifying all who receive, for "many", in the Word, is predicated of Truths, as "great" is of Good, and hence "many" denote all who are in Truths from Good from the Lord. The reason why it is said that "He justifies them" is, because to "justify" signifies to save from Divine Good, whence also He is called "just"; and inasmuch as the Lord performed and effected those things from His Divine Human, He is called the "Servant of Jehovah"; hence it is evident that Jehovah calls His Divine Human His " Servant", from its being subservient and efficient. Apocalypse Explained 409.

By His knowledge shall My righteous [or just] Servant justify many. - That the Human of the Lord was a " Servant" before it was Divine is evident from many passages in the Prophets; the reason is, because the Human appertaining to the Lord was nothing else before He had put it off and made it Divine. The Human which appertained to Him was from the mother, consequently it was infirm, having with it an hereditary principle from the mother, which He overcame by temptation-combats, find entirely expelled, insomuch that nothing remained of the infirm and hereditary principle derived from the mother; yea, at last nothing which was from the mother remained, so that He totally put off everything maternal, to such a degree as to be no longer her son, according to what He Himself says in Mark:

"They said unto Jesus, Behold, Your mother and Your brethren without seek You. And He answered them, saying, Who is My mother and My brethren? And looking round upon them who sat about Him, He said, Behold My mother and My brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, he is My brother, My sister, and My mother", (Mark 3:32-35; Matthew 12:46-49; Luke 8:20, 21)

And when He put off this Humanity, He put on the Divine Humanity, by virtue whereof He called Himself the "Son of Man", as He frequently does in the Word of the New Testament, and also the "Son of God"; and by the "Son of Man" is signified the essential Truth, and by the "Son of God" the essential Good which appertained to His Human Essence when made Divine; the former state was that of the Lord's humiliation, but the latter of His glorification, concerning which, see above, n. 1999. In the former state, that is, that of humiliation, when He had yet an infirm Humanity appertaining to Him, He adored Jehovah as one distinct from Himself, and indeed as a "Servant", for the Humanity is nothing else in respect to the Divinity, wherefore also, in the Word, "Servant" is predicated of the Humanity, as in Isaiah 42:1, 19 (see the Exposition); and in Isaiah 53:11:

"By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify many"; in the whole of which chapter the state of the Lord's humiliation is treated of. Arcana Coelestia 2159.

12. Therefore will I divide to Him [a portion] among the many, that with the mighty He may divide the spoil: because He poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Verse 12. To "divide the spoil", when said of the Lord, is to give [to the faithful] a possession in the heavenly kingdom; for by the "spoil" are signified those who are snatched away and delivered by the Lord; hence by "dividing the spoil" is signified distribution, namely, amongst those who are in heaven, which is the same as their possession [or inheritance] in the Lord's kingdom. That "rapine", "spoil", and "prey" are predicated of the Lord in the Word, is from the fact that He snatches away and delivers the good, as is evident from various passages, as from "Gen. 49:9:

"Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, you art gone up"; by which is signified that by the Lord is deliverance from hell by the celestial [principle]. (See Arcana Coelestia 6368)

Again:

"Like as the lion roars, even the young lion, over his prey, so shall Jehovah of Hosts descend to fight for the mountain of Zion." (Isaiah 31:4)

That to "eat the prey or the spoil" is [in a good sense] to appropriate to one's self the Goods which have been snatched away from evils, is evident from the prophetic declaration of Balaam in Moses:

"Behold, the people shall rise up as an old lion, and shall lift up himself as a young lion; he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey." (Numbers 23:24)

From these words it is evident that "rapine", "spoil", and "prey" is the snatching away, and the deliverance of the good by the Lord. Arcana Coelestia 6442, 6443. See also above, Chapter 5:29, 30; 31:4, the Exposition.

Because He poured out His soul unto death, etc. - That the Lord, during His abode in the world, passed through two states, called a state of exinanition and a state of glorification, is a Truth acknowledged in the church. The former state, or that of exinanition, is described in many passages in the Word, particularly in the Psalms of David, also in the Prophets, and more especially by Isaiah in the above passage. This same state was His state of humiliation before the Father, for He therein "prayed to the Father", and speaks of "doing His will", and ascribes all that He did or said to the Father. True Christian Religion 104.

And He made intercession for the transgressors. - There are four terms, namely, "mediation", "intercession", "atonement" [expiatio], and "propitiation", expressive of the grace of the One only GOD in His Humanity. God the Father can never be approached, nor can He come to any man, because He is infinite and dwells in His Esse, which is Jehovah, from which Esse, if He should come to a man, He would consume him or decompose him as fire does wood when it reduces it to ashes. This is evident from what He said to Moses, who desired to see Him:

"No man shall see Me, and live"; (Exodus 33:20) and the Lord says "No man has seen God at any time, except the Son, who is in the bosom of the Father"; (John 1:18; Matthew 11:27) also, that "No one has heard the voice of the Father, or seen His shape." (John 5:37)

It is written, indeed, that Moses "saw Jehovah face to face, and conversed with Him, as one man does with another"; but this was done by the medium of an angel, as was the case also with Abraham and Gideon. Now, since God the Father in Himself is such, therefore He was pleased to assume the Humanity, and in this Humanity to admit mankind to Himself, so as to hear them and converse with them; and this Humanity it is which is called the "Son of God", and which mediates, intercedes, propitiates, and atones [or expiates]. I will explain, therefore, what these four terms, predicated of the Humanity of God the Father, signify. "Mediation" signifies that the Humanity is the medium by which a man may come to God the Father, and God the Father to him, and thus be his Teacher and Guide unto salvation: therefore the "Son of God", by whom is meant the Humanity of God the Father, is called "Saviour", and on earth "Jesus", that is, Salvation. "Intercession" signifies perpetual mediation; for Love itself, the properties of which are mercy, clemency, and grace, perpetually intercedes, that is, mediates for those who do His commandments, and who are thus the objects of His divine love. "Atonement" signifies the removal of sins, into which a man would rush headlong were he to approach Jehovah unclothed with the Humanity. "Propitiation" signifies the operation of clemency and grace, to prevent a man from falling into damnation by sin, and, at the same time, to guard against the profanation of holiness; this was signified by the "propitiatory" or "mercy-seat" over the Ark in the Tabernacle. It is acknowledged that God spoke in His Word according to appearances, as when it is said "He is angry", that "He avenges", that "He tempts", that "He punishes", that "He casts into hell", that "He condemns", yea, that "He does evil"; when the truth is, that God is never angry with anyone, He never avenges, tempts, punishes, casts into hell, or condemns. Such things are as far from God as hell is from heaven, and infinitely farther. They are forms of speech, then, used only according to appearances; so, also, but in a different sense, are the terms "atonement", "propitiation", "intercession", and "mediation; for these are forms of speech expressive of the approach which is opened to God, and of the grace communicated from God by means of His Humanity, which terms being misunderstood, men have divided God into three, and upon that division have grounded all the doctrine of the church, and so falsified the Word. Hence has arisen "the abomination of desolation" foretold by the Lord in Daniel, and again in Matthew 24. True Christian Religion 135.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS CONCERNInG THE LORD'S TEMPTATIONS AND PASSION

There are some within the church who believe that the Lord, by the passion of the cross, took away sins and satisfied the Father, and thus did the work of redemption; some, also, that He transferred upon Himself the sins of those who have faith in Him, that He carried them, and cast them in to "the depth of the sea", that is, into hell. It may, therefore, be expedient to say, first, what is meant by bearing or carrying iniquities; and afterwards, what is meant by taking them away.

By "bearing or carrying iniquities", nothing else is meant, but sustaining grievous temptations, also suffering the Jews to do with Him as they had done with the Word, and to treat Him in like manner, because He was the Word; for the church, which at that time was amongst the Jews, was altogether devastated. And it was devastated by this, that they perverted all things of the Word, insomuch that there was not any Truth remaining among them; wherefore neither did they acknowledge the Lord. This was meant and signified by all things of the Lord's passion. In like manner it was done with the prophets, because they represented the Lord as to the Word, and hence as to the church; and the Lord was the real Prophet Himself.

The Lord's being "betrayed by Judas", therefore, signified that He was betrayed by the Jewish nation, amongst whom at that time the Word was, for Judas represented that nation. His being "seized and condemned by the chief priests and elders", signified that He was so treated by all that church. His being "beaten with rods, His face spit upon, being struck with fists, and smitten on His head with a reed", signified that it was so done by them with the Word, as to its Divine Truths, which all treat of the Lord.

By "crowning Him with thorns", was meant that they falsified and adulterated those Truths; by their "dividing His garments, and casting lots upon His coat", was understood that they dispersed all the Truths of the Word, but not its spiritual sense, which sense was signified by the Lord's "coat"; by their "crucifying Him", was understood that they destroyed and profaned the whole Word; by their "offering Him vinegar to drink", was signified that they offered Him merely things falsified and false, wherefore He did not drink it, and then said, "It is finished! By their "piercing His side", was meant that they absolutely extinguished all the Truth of the Word and all its Good; by His being "buried" was signified the rejection of the Human Principle remaining from the mother; and by His "rising again on the third day", was denoted His glorification. Similar things are signified by those things in the Prophets, and in David, where they are predicted. "Wherefore after that He was scourged and led forth, carrying the crown of thorns, and the purple garment put on by the soldiers, He said, Behold the Man!" (John 19:1-5)

This was said because by the "Man" was signified the church; for by the "Son of Man" is understood the Truth of the church, thus the Word. From these considerations it is now evident that, by "bearing iniquities", is meant to represent and effigy in Himself sins against the Divine Truths of the Word. That the Lord sustained and suffered such things as the Son of Man, and not as the Son of God, will be seen in what follows; for the "Son of Man" signifies the Lord as to the Word.

It may now be expedient to say something concerning what is meant by taking away sins. By "taking away sins", , the like is understood as by redeeming man and saving him, for the Lord came into the world that man might be saved; without His coming no mortal could have been reformed and regenerated, thus saved; but this can now be effected, since the Lord has taken away all power from the devil, that is, from hell, and has glorified His Human Principle, that, is, has united it to the Divine Principle of His Father. Unless these things had been effected, no man could have received any Divine Truth so as to abide with him, and still less any Divine Good; for the devil, who before had superior power, would have plucked them away from the heart. From these considerations it is evident that the Lord, by the passion of the cross, did not take away sins, but that He takes them away, that is, removes them with those who believe in Him, by living according to His precepts, as also the Lord teaches in Matthew:

"Do not suppose that I am come to dissolve the Law and the Prophets, Whosoever shall loosen the least of these precepts, and teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but he who does and teacheth, shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens." (Matthew 5:17, 19)

Everyone may see from reason alone, if he be in any illustration, that sins cannot be taken away from man, except by actual repentance, which consists in man seeing his sins, and imploring the Lord's aid, and desisting from them. To see, believe, and teach anything else, is not from the Word, neither is it from sound reason, but from lusts and a depraved will, which are the selfhood of man, by virtue whereof the understanding is infatuated. Doctrine of the Lord 15-17.

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Isaiah Chapter 53.

1. WHO has believed our report? and to whom has the arm of Jehovah been revealed?

2. For He shall grow up before Him like a tender plant, and like a root from a dry ground: He has no form, nor honour, that we should regard Him; nor beauty, that we should desire Him.

3. He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

4. Surely our sicknesses He has borne; and our sorrows, He has carried them: yet we considered Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and by His wounds we are healed.

6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way: and Jehovah has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.

7. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted; yet He opened not His mouth: as a lamb that is brought to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.

8. From distress and from judgment He was taken: and who shall declare His generation? for He was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of My people was the stroke upon Him.

9. That He might give the impious to their sepulchre, and the rich in their deaths; although He had done no violence, neither was there any deceit in His mouth.

10. Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise Him; He has made Him infirm: [saying] If You should make His soul guilt, He shall see [His] seed, He shall prolong [His] days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper by His hand.

11.Of the travail of His soul He shall see [the fruit], and be satisfied: by His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.

12. Therefore will I divide to Him [a portion] among the many, that with the mighty He may divide the spoil: because He poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

768. And went away to make war with the remnant of her seed, signifies and an ardent effort, springing from a life of evil, to assault the truths of doctrine of that church. This is evident from the signification of "going away," as being an ardent effort from a life of evil (of which presently); also from the signification of "making war," as being to assault and to wish to destroy (of which above n. 573, 734); also from the signification of "her seed," as being the truths of doctrine of the church (of which also presently). It is said "the remnant of her seed" because it means those who are in these truths, and in an abstract sense the truths of that church, which they believe themselves capable of assaulting and destroying. "To go away" signifies an ardent effort from a life of evil, because "to go" signifies in the spiritual sense to live, therefore in the Word the expressions "going with the Lord," and "walking with Him" and "after Him," are used, and these signify to live from the Lord; but when "going" is predicated of the dragon, whose life is a life of evil, it signifies to make an effort from that life; and because that effort is an effort from hatred, which is signified by "his anger" (See above, n. 754, 758), so an ardent effort is signified because he who makes an effort from hatred makes an ardent effort.

[2] As the hatred of those who are meant by "the dragon" is a hatred against those who are in the truths of doctrine of the church which is the New Jerusalem, therefore it is a hatred against the truths of doctrine that such have. For those who are in love towards anyone, as also those who are in hatred against anyone, are indeed in love towards a person or in hatred against a person with whom those things are which they either love or hate, and these are the truths of doctrine with them, therefore the truths of doctrine are signified by "the remnant of her seed." This shows that in the spiritual sense of the Word person is not regarded, but a thing abstracted from person, as here a thing that is with the person. This may be further illustrated by the saying in the Word that the neighbor must be loved as one loves himself, but in the spiritual sense this does not mean that the neighbor is thus to be loved in respect to person, but those things are to be loved which are from the Lord with the person; for a person is not actually loved because of his being a person or a man, but because of his being such as he is; thus the person is loved because of his quality, consequently that quality is meant by "neighbor," and that is the spiritual neighbor or the neighbor in the spiritual sense that must be loved; and this with those who are of the Lord's church is everything that proceeds from the Lord; and this in general refers to all good, spiritual, moral, and civil; therefore those who are in these goods love those who are in the same goods; and this therefore is to love one's neighbor as oneself.

[3] From this it can be seen that "the remnant of her seed," namely, of the woman who signifies the church, means those who are in the truths of doctrine of that church; and in a sense abstracted from persons which is the genuine spiritual sense, the truths of the doctrine of that church are meant.

Likewise elsewhere in the Word, as in the following passages. In Moses:

I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and the woman's seed. He shall trample on thy head and thou shalt wound his heel (Genesis 3:15).

This is a prophecy respecting the Lord. The "serpent" here signifies the sensual of man, where what is man's own has its seat, which in itself is nothing but evil; and the "woman" signifies the spiritual church, or the church which is in Divine truths. And as the sensual of man has been destroyed, and when the man of the church becomes spiritual he is elevated out of the sensual, it is said, "there shall be enmity between thee and the woman." "The seed of the serpent" signifies all falsity from evil, and "the seed of the woman" all truth from good, and in the highest degree Divine truth; and as all Divine truth is from the Lord, and as by it the Lord destroys falsity from evil, it is said "He shall trample on thy head, "He" meaning the Lord, and "head" all falsity from evil. That the sensual would still do injury to Divine truth in its ultimates, which is the Word in the sense of the letter, is signified by "He shall wound the heel;" "the heel" signifying that ultimate and that sense. That the ultimate of truth and the sense of the letter have suffered and do still suffer hurt from the sensual, can be seen from this single example, that the papists understand the woman here to mean Mary and the worship of her; therefore in their Bibles the reading is not "He," but "it" and "she." So in a thousand other passages.

[4] In Jeremiah:

Behold the days shall come in which I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast (Jeremiah 31:27).

This is said of the Lord, and of the New Church from Him. His coming is signified by "Behold the days shall come;" "to sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah" signifies to reform those who will be of that church, "the house of Israel" signifying the spiritual church, and "the house of Judah" the celestial church; and as reformation is effected by means of spiritual truths and by means of natural truths therefrom, it is said "with the seed of man and with the seed of beast;" "the seed of man" signifying spiritual truth from which man has intelligence, and "the seed of beast" signifying natural truth from which man has knowledge, also life according to it, both of these from the affection of good. That "man" signifies the affection of spiritual truth and good may be seen above (n. 280); and "beast" natural affection (n. 650); thus "the seed of man and the seed of beast" signify the truths of those affections.

In Malachi:

There is not one who doeth this who hath the spirit; is there one that seeketh the seed of God? (Malachi 2:15)

"Is there one that seeketh the seed of God?" signifies that no one seeks Divine truth; evidently "the seed of God" here signifies Divine truth; so "the born of God" mean those who are regenerated by the Lord by means of Divine truth, and a life according thereto.

[5] In Isaiah:

Jehovah willed to bruise Him, He hath weakened Him; if Thou shalt make His soul a guilt offering, He shall see seed, He shall prolong days, and the will of Jehovah shall prosper by His hand (Isaiah 53:10).

This is said of the Lord, and the whole of this chapter treats of His temptations, by means of which He subjugated the hells. The increasing grievousness of His temptations is described by "Jehovah willed to bruise Him, and to weaken Him;" the most grievous temptation, which was the passion of the cross, is signified by "if Thou shalt make His soul a guilt offering;" "to make His soul a guilt offering" signifies the last temptation, by which He fully subjugated the hells and fully glorified His Human, which is the means of redemption. The Divine truth that afterwards proceeded from His Divine Human, and the salvation of all who receive Divine truth from Him, is signified by "He shall see seed;" that this will continue forever is signified by "He shall prolong days;" "to prolong" signifying in reference to the Lord to continue forever, and "days" signifying states of light, which are states of the enlightenment of all by Divine truth; that this is from His Divine for the salvation of the human race is signified by "the will of Jehovah shall prosper by His hand."

[6] In the same:

Fear not, for I am with thee; I will bring thy seed from the sunrise, and I will bring thee together from the west; I will say to the north, Give, and to the south, Hold not back; bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the end of the earth (Isaiah 43:5, 6).

This is supposed to refer to the bringing back of the sons of Israel into the land of Canaan; but this is not the meaning here; but it means the salvation by the Lord of all who receive Divine truth from Him; and of whom the New Church consists; this is what is signified by "His seed which shall be brought from the sunrise, and brought together from the west, and which the north shall give and the south ¹ shall not hold back," therefore it also follows: "Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the end of the earth;" "sons" signifying those who are in the truths of the church, and "daughters" those who are in its goods. (But these words may be seen explained above, n. 422, 724)

[7] In the same:

On the right hand and on the left thou shalt break forth, and thy seed shall inherit the nations and make the desolate cities to be inhabited (Isaiah 54:3).

This is said of the church from the Lord with the Gentiles, which church is here meant by "the barren woman that did not bear," who should have many sons (verse 1). "The seed that shall inherit the nations" signifies the Divine truth that shall be given to the Gentiles; "to break forth on the right hand and on the left" signifies extension and multiplication; the "right hand" signifying truth in light, and the "left hand" truth in the shade, for the reason that in the spiritual world to the right hand is the south where those are who are in the clear light of truth, and to the left is the north where those are who are in an obscure light of truth. "To make the desolate cities to be inhabited" signifies their life according to Divine truths, which before this had been lost; "cities" meaning the truths of doctrine from the Word; "to be inhabited" signifying to live according to truths, and "desolate cities" those truths heretofore lost, that is, with the Jewish nation.

[8] In the same:

Their seed shall become known among the nations and their offspring in the midst of the peoples; all that see them shall acknowledge them that they are the seed that Jehovah hath blessed (Isaiah 61:9).

This, too, is said of the church to be established by the Lord. "The seed that shall become known among the nations" signifies Divine truth that will be received by those who are in the good of life; "and the offspring in the midst of the peoples" signifies life according to Divine truth; "those that see them and shall acknowledge that they are the seed" signifies enlightenment, that it is the genuine truth that they receive; "that Jehovah hath blessed" signifies that it is from the Lord. But such is the signification of these words in a sense abstracted from persons, but in a strict sense those are meant who will receive Divine truth from the Lord.

[9] In the same:

They are the seed of the blessed of Jehovah, and their offspring with them (Isaiah 65:23).

This, also, is said of the church from the Lord; and "the seed of the blessed of Jehovah" means those who will receive Divine truth from the Lord; and "their offspring," those who live according to it; but in the sense abstracted from persons, which is the genuine spiritual sense, "seed" means Divine truth, and "offspring," a life according to it (as just above). "Offspring" mean those who live according to Divine truth, and in an abstract sense life according to it, because the word in the original rendered "offspring" means going out or proceeding, and that which goes out or proceeds from Divine truth received is a life according to Divine truth.

[10] In the same:

As the new heavens and the new earth which I am about to make shall stand before Me, so shall your seed and your name stand (Isaiah 66:22).

This, too, is said of the Lord, and of the salvation of the faithful by Him; the New Church from Him is meant by "new heavens and a new earth;" by "new heavens" an internal church, and by "a new earth" an external church; that Divine truth and its quality shall endure is signified by "your seed and your name shall stand;" "seed" signifying Divine truth, which also is the truth of doctrine from the Word, and "name" signifying its quality. (That "name" signifies the quality of a thing and of a state, may be seen above, n. 148)

[11] In David:

Thou hast founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands; they shall perish, and Thou shalt stand; they shall all wax old like garments, like a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed; but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end; the sons of Thy servants shall dwell, and their seed shall be established before Thee (Psalms 102:25-28).

"The earth" which God formed, and "the heavens the work of His hands," which shall perish, have a similar signification as "the former earth and the former heaven" that passed away (in Revelation 21:1; about which, see there); and as the face of the earth and heavens in the spiritual world will be altogether changed at the day of the Last Judgment, and there will be a new earth and new heavens in place of the former, it is said "they shall all wax old like garments, like a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed;" they are likened to garments because garments signify external truths, such as those had who were in the former heavens and the former earth, which were not permanent because they were not in internal truths. The state of Divine truth that shall endure from the Lord to eternity is signified by "Thou shalt stand," and "Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end;" "the years of God" signifying the states of Divine truth. "The sons of Thy servants shall dwell, and their seed shall be established before Thee," signifies that angels and men, who are recipients of Divine truth, shall have eternal life, and that truths of doctrine shall endure with them to eternity; "the sons of the servants of God" meaning angels and men who are recipients of Divine truth, and "their seed" meaning truths of doctrine.

[12] In the same:

A seed that shall serve Him shall be counted to the Lord for a generation (Psalms 22:30).

This also is said of the Lord; and "the seed that shall serve Him" means those who are in the truths of doctrine from the Word; and "it shall be counted to the Lord for a generation" signifies that they shall be His to eternity; "to be counted" signifying to be arranged and disposed in order, here to be numbered with or added to, thus to be His.

[13] In many passages in the Word mention is made of "the seed of Abraham," "of Isaac," and "of Jacob," likewise of "the seed of Israel," and in the historical sense of the letter their posterity is meant; but in the spiritual sense Divine truth and the truth of doctrine from the Word are meant, for the reason that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Israel, mean in that sense the Lord, as can be seen from passages in the Word where they are mentioned; as where it is said:

That they shall come from the east and from the west, and shall recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of the heavens (Matthew 8:11);

which means the enjoyment of celestial good from the Lord. So also elsewhere. And as the Lord is meant by them in the internal sense, "their seed" signifies Divine truth which is from the Lord, and thus also the truth of doctrine from the Word; as in these passages. In Moses:

Jehovah said to Abram, All the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it and to thy seed forever; and I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth (Genesis 13:15, 16).

Look up towards the heavens and number the stars, so shall thy seed be (Genesis 15:5).

In thy seed shall all the nations be blessed (Genesis 22:18).

To Isaac:

To thee and to thy seed will I give all these lands; and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed (Genesis 26:3-5).

To Jacob:

Unto thy seed after thee will I give this land (Genesis 35:12).

The land given to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and to their seed after them (Deuteronomy 1:8).

The seed of your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deuteronomy 4:37; 10:15; 11:9).

Since, as has been said, the Lord is meant by "Abraham," "Isaac," and "Jacob;" by "Abraham" the Lord in reference to the celestial Divine of the church; by "Isaac" in reference to the spiritual Divine of the church, and by "Jacob" in reference to the natural Divine of the church, so their "seed" signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; "the seed of Abraham" signifying celestial Divine truth; "the seed of Isaac" spiritual Divine truth, and "the seed of Jacob" natural Divine truth; consequently those also are meant who are in Divine truth from the Lord. But the "land which the Lord will give to them" means the church which is in Divine truth from Him; and thence it may be known what is signified by "in their seed shall all nations be blessed;" for they could not be blessed in their posterity, namely, in the Jewish and Israelitish nation, but they were to be blessed in the Lord and from the Lord by the reception of Divine truth from Him.

[14] That "the seed of Abraham" does not mean the Jews is evident from the Lord's words in John:

The Jews answered, We are Abraham's seed, and have never been servants to any man. Jesus answered, I know that ye are Abraham's seed; yet ye seek to kill Me, because My word hath no place in you; ye are of your father the devil (John 8:33, 34, 37, 44).

From this it is evident that the Jews are not meant by "the seed of Abraham," but that "Abraham" means the Lord, and "the seed of Abraham" Divine truth from the Lord, which is the Word; for it is said, "I know that ye are Abraham's seed; yet ye seek to kill Me, because My word hath no place in you." The Lord's saying "I know that ye are Abraham's seed" signifies that He knew that the truth of the church, which is the Word, was with them; but that they nevertheless rejected the Lord is signified by "ye seek to kill Me;" and that they were not in Divine truths from the Lord is signified by "because My word hath no place in you;" that there was with them nothing but evil and falsity therefrom is signified by "ye are of your father the devil, and the truth is not in him;" and afterwards, "when he speaketh a lie he speaketh from his own;" "lie" signifying Divine truth, or the Word, adulterated. The Lord said "I know that ye are Abraham's seed" for the further reason that "Judah" signifies the Lord in reference to the Word (as may be seen above, n. 119, 433).

[15] In David:

He will make them to fall in the wilderness, and will make their seed to fall among the nations and will scatter them in the lands (Psalms 106:26, 27).

"To make their seed to fall among the nations and to scatter them in the lands" signifies that Divine truth would perish with them by evils and falsities. "The seed of Israel" has a similar signification in these passages:

Thou Israel My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham My friend, whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth (Isaiah 41:8, 9).

I will pour out My spirit upon the seed of Israel and Jacob, and My blessing upon their offspring (Isaiah 44:3).

In Jehovah all the seed of Israel shall be justified, and shall glory (Isaiah 45:25).

Jehovah who brought up and who brought back the seed of the house of Israel out of the land ² towards the north, and out of all the lands whither I have driven them, that they may dwell upon their own land (Jeremiah 23:8).

In the highest sense "Israel" means the Lord in relation to the internal of the church, therefore "his seed" similarly signifies the Divine truth that is with those who are of the church that is signified by "Israel." "Israel" means the church with those who are interiorly natural, and have truths therein from a spiritual origin. For this reason "Israel" signifies the church that is spiritual-natural.

[16] Since "David" in the Word means the Lord in reference to royalty, and the Lord's royalty means Divine truth in the church, so his "seed" means those who are in the truths of the church from the Word, who are called "the sons of the king" and "the sons of the kingdom;" it means also that Divine truth is with them, as in the following passages:

As the host of the heavens shall not be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the seed of David and the Levites My ministers (Jeremiah 33:22).

I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to David My servant, Even to eternity will I establish thy seed, and will build up thy throne to generation and generation. I will set his seed forever, and his throne as the days of the heavens. His seed shall be to eternity, and his throne as the sun before Me (Psalms 89:3, 4, 29, 36).

That "David" means in the Word the Lord in reference to royalty, which is Divine truth in the Lord's spiritual kingdom, may be seen above (n. 205); therefore "his seed" signifies that Divine truth with those who are in truths from good, thus also who are in the truths of doctrine from the Word; for truths of doctrine from the Word, or the truths of the Word, are all from good; and as these are meant by "the seed of David," so in an abstract sense the truth of the Word or the truth of the doctrine from the Word is meant by it. That "the seed of David" does not mean his posterity anyone can see, for it is said that "his seed shall be multiplied as the host of the heavens and the sand of the sea," and that "it shall be established and set to eternity," also that "his throne shall be built up to generation and generation," and "shall be as the days of the heavens," and "as the sun," which cannot at all be said of the seed of David, that is, of his posterity and of his throne, for where now are his seed and throne to be found? But all these things harmonize when "David" is taken to mean the Lord, "his throne" heaven and the church, and "his seed" the truth of heaven and of the church.

[17] In Jeremiah:

If I shall not have set My covenant of day and night, the statutes of heaven and of earth, I will also reject the seed of Jacob and of David My servant, that I will not take of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will cause their captivity to return, and will have compassion on them (Jeremiah 33:25, 26).

In the same:

Jehovah said, who giveth the sun for a light by day, the statutes of the moon and stars for a light by night. If these statutes shall remove from before Me, the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me all the days (Jeremiah 31:35, 36).

In these passages, again, "the seed of Jacob" and of "David," likewise "the seed of Israel," mean those who are in Divine truths; but "the seed of Jacob" means those who are in natural Divine truth, "David" those who are in spiritual Divine truth, and "Israel" those who are in natural-spiritual Divine truth, which is mediate between natural Divine truth and spiritual Divine truth. For there are degrees of Divine truth, as there are degrees of its reception in the three heavens by the angels and in the church. "The covenant of day and night, and the statutes of heaven and earth," signifying the conjunction of the Lord with those who are in Divine truths in the heavens, and with those who are in Divine truths on the earth, "covenant" signifying conjunction, and "statutes" the laws of conjunction, which are also the laws of order, and the laws of order are Divine truths; while "day" signifies such light of truth as the angels in the heavens have; and "night" such light of truth as men on the earth have, likewise such light of truth as those have who are in the heavens and on the earth under the Lord as a moon; therefore it is added, "who giveth the sun for a light by day, and the statutes of the moon and stars for a light by night." But here "the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," mean all who are of the Lord's church, in every degree; of these and of the seed of Jacob and David it is said that if they acknowledge not the Lord, and receive not Divine truth from Him, the Lord will not reign over them.

[18] In the same:

No one of his seed shall prosper who sitteth upon the throne of David and ruleth anymore in Judah (Jeremiah 22:30).

This is said of Coniah, king of Judah, who is here called "a despised and worthless idol," and it is said of him:

That he and his seed shall be taken away and cast unto the earth (verse 28).

This king has a similar signification as Satan, and "his seed" signifies infernal falsity; that this shall not rule in the Lord's church, in which is celestial Divine truth, is signified by "no one of his seed shall sit upon the throne of David or shall rule anymore in Judah;" "Judah" here meaning the celestial church in which the Lord reigns.

[19] As "David" represented the Lord's royalty, so "Aaron" represented his priesthood; therefore "the seed of Aaron" means those who are in the affection of genuine truth which is from celestial good. Because of this representation this statute was given for Aaron:

The high priest shall not take a widow, or one divorced, or one polluted, a harlot, but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife, lest he profane his seed among his people; I Jehovah do sanctify him (Leviticus 21:14, 15).

As "man and wife" in the Word in its spiritual sense signify the understanding of truth and the will of good, and as thought is of the understanding and affection is of the will, so "man and wife" also signify the thought of truth and the affection of good, likewise truth and good. Thence it is clear what is signified by a "widow," by "one divorced," and by "one polluted" and "a harlot;" "a widow" signifies good without truth, because left by truth, which is the man; "one divorced" signifies good rejected by truth, thus discordant good; and "one polluted, a harlot," signifies good adulterated by falsities, which is no longer good but evil. Because of this signification of these women the high priest was forbidden to take any of them to wife, because he represented the Lord in reference to the priesthood, which signified the Divine good. And as a "virgin" signifies the will or affection of genuine truth, and genuine truth makes one with and is in harmony with Divine good, and these two are conjoined in heaven and in the church, and their conjunction is called the heavenly marriage, therefore it was required that the high priest should take a virgin to wife. And as the truth of doctrine is born of this marriage, while the falsity of doctrine is born of a marriage with such as are signified by "a widow," "one divorced," and "one polluted, a harlot," it is said, "lest he profane his seed among his peoples," "seed" signifying the genuine truth of doctrine, and thus also the doctrine of genuine truth from the good of celestial love, and "his peoples" signifying those who are of the church in which there is the doctrine of genuine truth from the Word. Also as this was a representative of the heavenly marriage, which is the marriage of the Lord with the church, therefore it is said, "I Jehovah do sanctify him."

[20] Since the high priest represented the Lord in reference to Divine good, and his "seed" signified Divine truth, which is the same as the genuine truth of doctrine, it was also made a statute:

That no man a stranger, who was not of the seed of Aaron, shall come near to burn incense before Jehovah (Numbers 16:40).

"A man a stranger" signifies the falsity of doctrine, and "burning incense" signifies worship from spiritual good, which in its essence is genuine truth; and "the seed of the high priest" signifies Divine truth from a celestial origin; therefore it was decreed by law that no stranger who was not of the seed of Aaron should burn incense in the Tent of meeting before Jehovah.

[21] When it is known what of heaven and the church was represented also by other persons mentioned in the Word, what is signified by "their seed" will also be known, as by the seed of Noah, Ephraim, and Caleb, in the following passages. Of Noah:

I establish My covenant with you and with your seed after you (Genesis 9:9).

Israel said of Ephraim:

His seed shall be the fullness of the earth ³ (Genesis 48:19).

And Jehovah said of Caleb:

His seed shall inherit the earth (Numbers 14:24).

What "Noah" and "Ephraim" represented and signified has been explained in the Arcana Coelestia. But "Caleb" represented those who are to be introduced into the church; therefore their "seed" signifies the truth of the doctrine of the church.

[22] The "seed of the field" has a similar signification as the "seed of man," because a "field," the same as "man," signifies the church; for this reason the terms "seed" and also "sowing" are in some passages applied to the people of the earth the same as they are applied to a field, as in the following. In Jeremiah:

I had planted thee a noble vine, a seed of truth; how art thou turned into branches of a strange vine unto Me! (Jeremiah 2:21).

In David:

Their fruit will I ⁴ destroy from the earth, and their seed from the sons of man (Psalms 21:10).

In Hosea:

I will sow Israel unto Me in the earth (Hosea 2:23).

In Zechariah:

I will sow Judah and Joseph among the peoples, and they shall remember Me in remote places (Zechariah 10:9).

In Ezekiel:

I will look again to you, that ye may be tilled and sown; then will I multiply man upon you, all the house of Israel, the whole of it (Ezekiel 36:9).

In Jeremiah:

Behold the days shall come in which I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast (Jeremiah 31:27).

In Matthew:

The seed sown are the sons of the kingdom (Matthew 13:38).

But it is not necessary to show here that the seed of the field has a similar meaning as the seed of man, for here only what is signified by "the seed of the woman" is what is to be explained and confirmed from the Word.

[23] Since "seed" signifies the truth of doctrine from the Word, and in the highest sense Divine truth, so in the contrary sense "seed" signifies the falsity of doctrine and infernal falsity. As in Isaiah:

Draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, ye seed of the adulterer, and thou that hast ⁵ committed whoredom. Against whom do ye sport yourselves, against whom do ye make wide the mouth and lengthen the tongue? Are ye not children of transgression, the seed of a lie? (Isaiah 57:3, 4)

"The sons of the sorceress and the seed of an adulterer" signify falsities from the Word when it has been falsified and adulterated, "the sons of the sorceress" meaning the falsities from the Word falsified, and "the seed of an adulterer," falsities from the Word adulterated. The Word is said to be falsified when its truths are perverted, and to be adulterated when its goods are perverted, as also when truths are applied to the loves of self. "Children of transgression and seed of a lie" signify falsities flowing from such prior falsities. "To sport themselves" signifies to take delight in things falsified; "to make wide the mouth" signifies delight in the thought therefrom; and "to lengthen the tongue" delight in teaching and propagating such falsities.

[24] In Isaiah:

Woe to the sinful nation, a people heavy with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, sons that are corrupters; they have forsaken Jehovah, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel, they have estranged themselves backwards (Isaiah 1:4).

"The sinful nation" signifies those who are in evils, and "a people heavy with iniquity" those who are in the falsities therefrom, for "nation" is predicated in the Word of evils, and "people" of falsities (See above, 331, 625). The falsity of those who are in evils is signified by "a seed of evildoers," and the falsities of those who are in the falsities from that evil are signified by "sons that are corrupters." (That "sons" signify those who are in truths, and in the contrary sense those who are in falsities, and in an abstract sense truths and falsities, may be seen above, n. 724 "They have forsaken Jehovah and have provoked the Holy One of Israel" signifies that they have rejected Divine good and Divine truth; "Jehovah" meaning the Lord in relation to Divine good, and "the Holy One of Israel," the Lord in relation to Divine truth; "their estranging themselves backwards" signifies that they wholly departed from good and truth, and went away to infernal evil and falsity, for those in the spiritual world who are in evils and falsities turn themselves backward from the Lord (See in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 123). In the same:

Thou shalt not be joined with them in the sepulcher, for thou hast corrupted thy land, thou hast slain thy people; the seed of the evil shall not be named forever (Isaiah 14:20).

This is said of Lucifer, by whom Babylon is meant; and "the seed of the evil which shall not be named forever" signifies the direful falsity of evil which is from hell. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 589, 659, 697)

[25] In Moses:

He that hath given of his seed to Molech dying shall die, the people of the land shall stone him with stones. I will set My faces against that man, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people, because he hath given of his seed to Molech, to defile My sanctuary and to profane the name of My holiness (Leviticus 20:3; Leviticus 18:21).

"To give of his seed to Molech" signifies to destroy the truth of the Word and of the doctrine of the church therefrom, by application to the filthy loves of the body, as murders, hatreds, revenges, adulteries, and the like, which leads to the acceptance of infernal falsities instead of things Divine; such falsities are signified by "the seed given to Molech." Molech was the god of the sons of Ammon (1 Kings 11:7); and was set up in the valley of Hinnom, which was called Topheth, where they burned up their sons and daughters (2 Kings 23:10); the above mentioned loves are signified by that fire; and as "seed given to Molech" signifies such infernal falsity, and stoning was the punishment of death for the injury and destruction of the truth of the Word and of doctrine therefrom, it is said that the man that "hath given of his seed to Molech dying shall die, and the people of the land shall stone him with stones." (That stoning was the punishment for injuring or destroying truth may be seen above, n. 655.) That such falsity is destructive of every good of the Word and of the church is signified by "I will set My faces against that man, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people, because he hath defiled My sanctuary and profaned the name of My holiness," "sanctuary" signifying the truth of heaven and the church, and "the name of holiness" all that it is. From the passages quoted it can now be seen that "seed" means in the highest sense Divine truth which is from the Lord, and thence the truth of the Word and of the doctrine of the church which is from the Word; while in the evil sense it means infernal falsity which is the opposite of that truth.

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