THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 61

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

1. The Spirit of the Lord Jehovih is upon Me, because Jehovah has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor: He has sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives; and to the bound the opening of the prison;

2. To proclaim the year of the good pleasure of Jehovah, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

VERSE 1. In respect to "Jehovih", as distinguished from " Jehovah", see above, Chapter 3:15, note and Exposition.

The Divine Truth which was in the Lord when He was in the world, and which was then Himself, is here "the Spirit of Jehovih." Arcana Coelestia 9818.

Jehovah has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives, etc. - These things are said concerning the Lord.

By "the poor, to whom Jehovah anointed Him to preach good tidings", are signified those who are in few Truths, and yet desire them, that their souls may be thereby sustained; by "the broken-hearted", are understood those who are thence in grief; by "the captives, to whom He should proclaim liberty", are denoted those who are secluded from Truths, and thence from Goods, to whom Truths shall be opened, whereby they shall be imbued with Goods; by "them that are bound, and him that is deprived of eyes", are signified those to whom it was denied to see Truths; thus the Gentiles are understood, who afterwards received Truths from the Lord. Apocalypse Explained 811.

Verses 1, 2. He has sent Me, - to proclaim the year oj the good pleasure of Jehovah, etc. - That these things are said concerning the Lord and His advent, may be seen in Matthew 5:3, and following verses; and in Luke 4:16-22. The advent itself is understood by "the year of the good pleasure of Jehovah", and by "the day of vengeance of our God."

By "the poor, to whom the Lord should evangelize or preach good tidings", likewise by "the captives, the bound, and the blind", are understood the Gentiles, who are called such because they were in ignorance of Truth, by reason of their not having the Word. The Gentiles are also understood, in Matthew, by "the poor, who hear the Gospel." Apocalypse Explained 612.

By "the year of good pleasure" is signified the time and state of the men of the church when they require aid from Love; wherefore it is also said, "to comfort all that mourn." Apocalypse Explained 295.

3. To impart [gladness] to the mourners of Zion; to give them a crown, instead of ashes; the oil of gladness, instead of sorrow; the mantle of praise, instead of the spirit of heaviness: that they may be called the Trees of Justice, the Plantation of Jehovah, to glorify Himself.

Verse 3. The oil of gladness, instead of sorrow, etc. - As "oil" is here mentioned, and as, in the first verse of this chapter, the Lord is said to be "anointed to preach good tidings", etc., it may be well to explain what is signified by "oil", as used in the holy things of worship, and what is meant by "anointing." That in ancient times "they anointed stones which were set up as statues", appears from Genesis 28:18, 19, 22. That "they also anointed warlike arms, targets, and shields." (2 Samuel 1:21; Isaiah 21:5)

That "they were commanded to prepare holy oil, with which they were to anoint all the holy things of the church", and that with it "they anointed the altar and all the vessels thereof, as also the Tabernacle and all things appertaining to it." (Exodus 30:22-28; 40:9-11; Leviticus 8:10-12; Numbers 7:1, 10)

That with it "they anointed those who exercised the priestly office, and their garments." (Exodus 29:7, 29; 30:30, 31; Leviticus 8:12; Psalm 133:1-3)

That with it "they anointed the prophets." (1 Kings 19:15, 16)

That with it "they anointed kings", and that therefore kings were called "Jehovah's anointed." (1 Samuel 10:1, 15:1, 16:3, 6, 12; 1 Kings 1:34, 35; 19:15, 16; 2 Kings 9:3; 23:30; Lamentations 4:20, Psalm 2:2, 6; 45:1, 7)

The reason why unction with the holy oil was commanded is, because "oil" signified the Good of Love, and represented the Lord, who, as to His Humanity, is the Real and Only "Anointed of Jehovah", anointed not with oil, but with the Divine Good itself of Divine Love; wherefore He is also named "Messiah" in the Old Testament, and "Christ" in the New, (John 1:41; 4:25) and "Messiah" and "Christ" signify the Anointed.

Hence it is that "priests", "kings", and all things appertaining to the church were anointed, and when they were anointed they were called, "holy"; not that in themselves they were holy, but because they thereby represented the Lord as to His Divine Humanity. This is the reason why it was a sacrilege to hurt a king, because he was the "anointed of Jehovah." - (1 Samuel 24:6, 10; 26:9)

Moreover it was a received custom for people to anoint themselves and others, to testify "joyfulness of mind and benevolence, but with common oil, and not with "holy oil." That " it was not lawful to anoint themselves or others with the holy oil", see Exodus 30:32, 33. Apocalypse Revealed 779.

4. And they shall build up the wastes of old times; they shall restore the former desolations; and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

Verse 4. "Wastes" here and elsewhere signify evils; "desolations" denote falsities; to "build is applied to the former, but to "restore" [or erect] to the latter. Arcana Coelestia 153.

The desolations of many generations. - That " generations" are predicated of Faith, does not appear from the sense of the letter, which is historical, but, in the internal sense, the things of Faith are understood by "generations", as in Isaiah:

"You shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the breach, the Restorer of paths to dwell in"; (Isaiah 58:12) where all things signify the things of Faith, - "old waste places" the celestial things of Faith, and the "foundations of many generations" the spiritual things of Faith, which from ancient times had been fallen. Arcana Coelestia 613.

5. And strangers shall stand up and feed your flocks; and the sons of the alien shall be your husbandmen and your vine-dressers.

Verses 5, 6. In the Jewish church the internal church was represented by "Judah" and "Israel", -by "Judah" the celestial church, and by "Israel" the spiritual, and by "Jacob" the external church; but those who placed worship in externals only were represented by the nations or Gentiles whom they called "strangers" and "aliens", who should be their servants, and perform menial services in the church, as in Isaiah:

"Strangers shall stand up and feed your flocks; and the sons of the alien shall be your husbandmen", etc. Those, who placed worship in externals only are called "the sons of the alien", who should serve in the fields and vineyards, but celestial men are here called "the priests of Jehovah", and spiritual men "the ministers of our God."

Again, in the same Prophet:

"The sons of the alien shall build up your walls"; (Isaiah 60:10) where, in like manner, the menial services of such as are in mere externals of worship, without internals, are represented. Arcana Coelestia 1097.

6. But you shall be named the Priests of Jehovah; the Ministers of our God shall you be called: the wealth of the nations shall you eat, and in their glory shall you boast.

Verse 6. Priests are called "ministers" because they represented the Lord as to the Good of love, and hence they who are in the Good of love are, in the Word, called "priests", as may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 2015; 6148; from this circumstance also it is that they are called "the ministers of God." Hence it is that the function of Aaron and his sons is called, a "ministry", as likewise that of the Levites the "'priests"; and that to enter into the tent of the assembly, and officiate in the ministry, as also to approach the altar, and there officiate in the ministry, is called to "minister", as may be seen in Exodus 28:35; 31:10; Numbers 8:15, 19, 24, 25, 26.

And in Jeremiah:

"My covenant shall become void with the Levites the priests, My ministers". (Jeremiah 33:21)

That "Aaron" represented the Lord as to the Good of love, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 9806, 9966; that the "priests", in general, signified the same, see Arcana Coelestia 2015.

That hence by the "priesthood", in the Word, is signified the Divine Good of the Lord's Divine Love, see Arcana Coelestia 9806, Apocalypse Explained 155.

"The wealth of the nations shall you eat", signifies to appropriate Goods to themselves; "in their glory shall you boast", means to enjoy Truths; thus, to have joy and felicity from what is Good and True.

That "nations", in a good sense, signify Goods, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 1259; and, that "glory" is Truth from the Lord, is shown in n. 9429. Arcana Coelestia 9809.

7. Instead of your shame, there shall be double; and instead of ignominy, they shall rejoice in their portion: for in their land they shall possess double; and everlasting gladness shall be unto them.

8. For I Jehovah love judgment; I hate robbery by iniquity: and I will give them the reward of their work in truth, and an everlasting covenant will I make with them;

Verse 7. That to "receive double" is predicated of retribution and of remuneration, and signifies much, may be seen above, Chapter 40:1, 2, the Exposition.

Verse 8. For I Jehovah love judgment; - and I will give them the reward of their work in truth, and an everlastlnq covenant will I make with them- By the "judgment" which Jehovah loves, is understood Truth in faith, in affection, and in act; for man has judgment from Truth, as well when he thinks and wills it, as when he speaks and acts according to it; and whereas this is signified by "judgment", therefore it is said "I will give them the reward of their work in truth", that is, heaven, according to the faith and affection of Truth in act; and whereas there is conjunction with the Lord, from whom reward comes, therefore it is also said, "I will make with them an everlasting covenant"; for by "covenant", in the Word, is signified conjunction by love, -and by "an everlasting covenant" conjunction by the love of Good and Truth; for this love conjoins, inasmuch as it is of the Lord Himself, because it proceeds from Him. Apocalypse Explained 695.

"I hate robbery by iniquity", signifies that anyone should wish to justify himself by his own works. (Swedenborg's Notes on Isaiah, p. 150.)

9. And their seed shall be known among the nations, and their offspring in the midst of the peoples: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are a seed which Jehovah has blessed.

Verse 9. These words also are spoken concerning the church to be established by the Lord. By "the seed which shall become known among the nations", is signified the Divine Truth which will be received by those who are in the Good of life; and by "the offspring in the midst of the peoples", is signified life according thereto. By" those who see them acknowledging that they are the seed", is understood illustration that it is genuine Truth which they receive; "which Jehovah has blessed", denotes that it is from the Lord. Such is the signification of these words in the sense abstracted from persons, but, in the strict sense, they are understood who will receive Divine Truth from the Lord. Apocalypse Explained 768.

10. I will greatly rejoice in Jehovah; my soul shall exult in my God: for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of justice; as the bridegroom decks himself with a priestly crowd, and as the bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Verse 10. To "rejoice in Jehovah", signifies in the Divine Good; to "exult in God", signifies in the Divine Truth : for the Lord is called "Jehovah" from Divine Good, and "God" from Divine Truth, and all spiritual joy is from Him, To be "clothed with the garments of salvation", means to instruct and gift with Truths; and to "cover with the robe of justice", signifies to fill with all Truth derived from Good, - "robe" denoting all Truth, because it denotes Truth in general, and "justice" is predicated of Good. Apocalypse Explained 395.

As the bridegroom decks himself with a priestly crowd [or head-dress], and as the bride adorns herself with her jewels. - To "put on the crown" is to put on wisdom, and to "adorn herself with jewels" denotes with the knowledges of Truth. Again:

"As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you." (Isaiah 62:5)

That the Lord is understood, in the supreme sense, by the "Bridegroom", and the church by the "bride", is evident in the Evangelists; as when the disciples of John inquired concerning fasting, Jesus said, "So long as the Bridegroom is with them, the sons of the bride-chamber cannot fast; the days will come, when the Bridegroom shall be taken away from them, then shall they fast." (Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:19, 20; Luke 5:34, 35)

There the Lord calls Himself the "Bridegroom", and the men of the church He calls the "sons of the bride-chamber"; by "fasting" is signified mourning on account of a deficiency of Truth and Good. So again in Matthew:

"The kingdom of the heavens is like to ten virgins, who, taking their lamps, went forth to meet the Bridegroom"; (Matthew 25:1) where also by the "Bridegroom" is understood the Lord, by "virgins" the church, and by "lamps" are signified the Truths of faith. Apocalypse Explained 1189.

11. For as the earth puts forth her shoots, and as a garden makes its seeds to spring forth: so shall the Lord Jehovih cause justice to spring forth, and praise, before all the nations.

Verse 11. As a garden makes its seeds to spring forth, so shall the Lord Jehovih cause justice to spring forth, etc. - The man of the church is, as to intelligence, like a "garden", when he is in the Good of love from the Lord, because the spiritual heat which vivifies him is love, and spiritual light is intelligence; hence, that from these two things, namely, heat and light, gardens in the world flourish, is known. It is, similar in heaven, where there appear paradisical gardens, with fruit-bearing trees, according to their wisdom derived from the Good of love from the Lord; and around those who are in intelligence, and not in the Good of love, no garden appears, but only grass; whereas about those who are in faith separate from charity, there does not even appear grass, but sand. Apocalypse Revealed 90.

As to the further meaning of a "garden", see above, Chapter 51:3; 58:11, the Exposition.

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Isaiah Chapter 61.

1. The Spirit of the Lord Jehovih is upon Me, because Jehovah has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor: He has sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives; and to the bound the opening of the prison;

2. To proclaim the year of the good pleasure of Jehovah, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

3. To impart [gladness] to the mourners of Zion; to give them a crown, instead of ashes; the oil of gladness, instead of sorrow; the mantle of praise, instead of the spirit of heaviness: that they may be called the Trees of Justice, the Plantation of Jehovah, to glorify Himself.

4. And they shall build up the wastes of old times; they shall restore the former desolations; and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

5. And strangers shall stand up and feed your flocks; and the sons of the alien shall be your husbandmen and your vine-dressers.

6. But you shall be named the Priests of Jehovah; the Ministers of our God shall you be called: the wealth of the nations shall you eat, and in their glory shall you boast.

7. Instead of your shame, there shall be double; and instead of ignominy, they shall rejoice in their portion: for in their land they shall possess double; and everlasting gladness shall be unto them.

8. For I Jehovah love judgment; I hate robbery by iniquity: and I will give them the reward of their work in truth, and an everlasting covenant will I make with them;

9. And their seed shall be known among the nations, and their offspring in the midst of the peoples: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are a seed which Jehovah has blessed.

10. I will greatly rejoice in Jehovah; my soul shall exult in my God: for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of justice; as the bridegroom decks himself with a priestly crowd, and as the bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11. For as the earth puts forth her shoots, and as a garden makes its seeds to spring forth: so shall the Lord Jehovih cause justice to spring forth, and praise, before all the nations.

9093. 'And divide the silver from it' means that its truth will be dispersed. This is clear from the meaning of 'dividing' as banishing and dispersing, dealt with in 6360, 6361; and from the meaning of 'silver' as truth, dealt with in 1551, 2048, 5658, 6112, 6914, 6917, 7999. The reason why 'dividing' means dispersing is that if things existing in association are divided they are also scattered, as when a person destroys his mind by dividing it. For the human mind consists of two parts existing in association; one part is called the understanding, the other part is called the will. A person who divides these two parts scatters what belongs to each part individually; for one part must receive its life from the other, and therefore when one perishes, so does the other. It is similar when someone divides truth from good, or what amounts to the same thing, faith from charity; when anyone does this he destroys both. In short, all the things which ought to be a single whole perish if they are divided.

[2] This division is meant by the Lord's words in Luke,

No one can serve two masters; either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will prefer the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Luke 16:13.

That is, it is not possible to serve the Lord through belief in Him and at the same time serve the world by loving it, thus to acknowledge truth and at the same time to do evil. Anyone who behaves in this way has his mind divided, as a result of which it is destroyed. From all this it is evident why it is that 'dividing' means dispersing; and the same is clearly the meaning in Matthew also,

The master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and in an hour he does not know. And he will divide him and assign him his part with the hypocrites. Matthew 24:50-51.

'Dividing' here means separating and removing from forms of good and truths, 4424, thus dispersing them.

[3] In Moses,

Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is hard. ¹ I will divide them in Jacob, and will scatter them in Israel. Genesis 49:7.

These words occur in Israel's prophetic utterance regarding Simeon and Levi. 'Simeon' and 'Levi' here represent those steeped in faith separated from charity, 6352; and 'Jacob' and 'Israel' represent the external and the internal Church, also the external and the internal man, 4286, 4598, 5973, 6360, 6361. 'Dividing them in Jacob' means banishing them from the external Church, and 'scattering them in Israel' from the internal Church, thus dispersing the Church's forms of good and its truths residing with them.

[4] It is also evident that 'dividing' has this meaning from the words written on the wall when Belshazzar king of Babel, together with his nobles, wives, and concubines, drank wine out of the vessels of gold and of silver that had belonged to the Temple in Jerusalem, Daniel 5:2-4, 25, 28. What was written said, 'Numbered, numbered, weighed, and divided,' 'divided' here meaning separated from the kingdom. Those verses show how all things at that time were representative. They describe the profanation of goodness and truth, which is meant by 'Babel'. Profanation is meant by 'Babel', see 1182, 1283, 1295, 1304-1308, 1321, 1322, 1326. Forms of the good of love, also the truths of faith, received from the Lord, are meant by 'the vessels of gold and silver', 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917. Profanation is meant by drinking out of them, and by praising then the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone (as verse 4 says there), which are a string of evils and falsities, 4402 (end), 4544, 7873, 8941. 'The Temple in Jerusalem' from which the vessels had come means in the highest sense the Lord, and in the representative sense His kingdom and Church, 3720. Belshazzar's kingdom when it had been divided was a sign of the dispersion of goodness and truth, and his being killed that very night a sign of deprivation of the life of truth and good, which is damnation. For 'being divided' is being dispersed; 'king' is the truth of good, 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 3670, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068, 6148, the same thing being meant by 'kingdom', 1672, 2547, 4691; 'being killed' means being deprived of the life of truth and good, 3607, 6767, 8902; and 'the night' in which he was killed is a state of evil and falsity, 2353, 7776, 7851, 7870, 7947. From this it is evident that all things there were representative.

[5] It says in David,

They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing cast lots. Psalms 22:18.

And in Matthew,

They divided the garments (the Lord's), casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was said by the prophet. Matthew 27:35.

Also in John,

The soldiers took the garments and made four parts; and the tunic. The tunic was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said regarding it Let us not divide it, but cast lots for it, whose it may be - so that the Scripture might be fulfilled. John 19:23-24.

The person who reads these things, knowing nothing about the internal sense of the Word, is unaware of any arcanum that lies concealed within them, when in fact every detail holds a Divine arcanum. The arcanum was that Divine Truths had been dispersed by the Jews. For the Lord was Divine Truth, which is why He is called the Word in John 1:1 and the following verses, 'the Word' being Divine Truth. His garments represented truths in the outward form they take, His tunic truths in their inward form; and the dividing of the garments represented the dispersing of the truths of faith by the Jews. For the meaning of 'garments' as truths in the outward form they take, see 2576, 5248, 5954, 6918, and for that of 'tunic' as truth in its inward form, 4677. Truths in their outward form are truths as they exist in the literal sense of the Word, but truths in their inward form are truths as they exist in the spiritual sense of the Word. 'Dividing the garments into four parts' meant total dispersion, in the same way that dividing does in Zechariah 14:4, and elsewhere. Dividing into two parts - as it says in Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38, regarding the veil of the Temple - has a like meaning. The splitting apart of the rocks also at that time, Matthew 27:51, represented the dispersing of all matters of faith; for 'rock' means the Lord in respect of faith, and therefore means faith received from the Lord, 8581.

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