THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 62
(Note: Rev. Smithson's translation of the Isaiah text is appended below the explanation.)
1. FOR Zion's sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest; until her justice go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns.
VERSES 1, 2, 3, 4, 11, 12. Throughout the whole this chapter the advent of the Lord is treated of, and also the church to be established by Him. It is this New Church which is understood by "Jerusalem; which shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah shall declare", and which shall be "a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, and a (royal diadem in the palm of her God; in which "Jehovah shall delight [or be well pleased]", and which shall be called "a city sought out, and not forsaken." By these words Jerusalem cannot be understood, in which, when the Lord came into the world, were the Jews; for that Jerusalem was, in everything, contrary to what is here said, and. should rather be called, "Sodom", as indeed it is called in Apocalypse 11:8; Isaiah 3:9; (Jeremiah 23:14; Ezekiel 16:46, 48. Apocalypse Explained 1289.
Verse 1. I will not rest, until her justice go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns. "Salvation burning as a lamp"; signifies that the Truth of Faith shall be from the Good of Love. Apocalypse Explained 274.
2. And the nations shall see your justice, and all kings your glory: and you shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah shall declare.
Verse 2. You shalt be called by a new name, etc. - "Called by a new name", denotes the quality of the state of the interior life, which no one knows but he who receives it; for the quality of the state of the interior life is altogether unknown to those who are not in the interior life. They only are in the interior life who are principled in love to the Lord, and no others are principled in love to the Lord but those who acknowledge the Divine in His Human, or that His Human is Divine. That to love the Lord is to live according to His precepts, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 10143, 10153.
Interior life is the spiritual life in which the angels of heaven are, but exterior life is the natural life in which are all who are not in heaven; with those also who live according to the precepts of the Lord, and acknowledge the Divine in His Human, the interior mind is opened and man then becomes spiritual; but they who do not thus live, nor thus acknowledge, remain natural. Apocalypse Explained 148.
As to a "new name", see also above, Chapter 4:1, the Exposition.
3. And you shalt be a Crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the palm of your God.
Verse 3. By "Zion and Jerusalem" is understood the church; by "Zion" the church which is in Good, and by "Jerusalem" the church which is in Truths derived from that Good; hence it is called " a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah and a royal diadem in the palm of your God"; the "crown of beauty" denoting wisdom, which is of Good, and a "royal diadem" intelligence, which is of Truth; and whereas by a "crown" is signified wisdom, which is of Good, therefore it is said "in the hand of Jehovah"; and whereas by "diadem" is signified the intelligence which is of Truth, therefore it is said "in the palm of God"; for, where Good is treated of; the name of "Jehovah" is used, and where Truth is treated of, the name of "God", as may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 2586, 2769. Apocalypse Explained 272.
4. No more shall it be said unto you, THOU FORSAKEN! neither to your land shall it be said any more, THOU DESOLATE! But you shalt be called, MY-DELIGHT-IS-In-THEE! and to your land it shall be said, THOU-ART-MARRIED! for Jehovah shall delight in you, and your land shall be married.
Verses 4, 5. He who does not know the internal sense of the Word may imagine that such things as are said in these verses about "marriage", are only comparisons, such as are used in common discourse; and hence that the church is compared to a "daughter", a "virgin", and a "wife", and that thus the things which belong to faith and charity are compared to the things which belong to "marriage.'' But in the Word all things are representative of spiritual and celestial things, and are real correspondences; for the Word has come down from heaven, and because it has come down thence, it is, in its origin, Divine, celestial, and spiritual, to which those things which are of the literal sense correspond; hence it follows that the things which are of the "heavenly marriage", which is the conjunction of Good with Truth, fall into correspondences, thus into those things which are of marriages upon earth. Hence it is that the Lord compared "the kingdom of heaven", , that is, His kingdom in heaven, and His kingdom on earth, which is the church, with "a certain king who made a marriage feast for his son, and invited many to it." (Matthew 22:2, 3)
See also Matthew 25:1. Arcana Coelestia 4434.
5. For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you: and as is the joy of the bridegroom over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.
Verse 5. And as is the joy of the bridegroom. over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. - The "joy over the bride", etc., signifies, heaven and felicity, arising from the conjunction of Good and Truth in man and in angel. Arcana Coelestia 9182.
That "marriages" are most holy, and from heaven; and also that "adulteries" are most wicked, and from hell, see above, Chapter 57:3, the Exposition.
6. Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, have I set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall not be silent. O you that commemorate Jehovah, be not silent;
7. And allow Him no silence, until He establish, and until He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
Verse 6. The "walls of Jerusalem" signify the Truths of faith, which defend the:" city", or the doctrinals of Truth from the Word, and, in the opposite sense, the falsities which are to be destroyed. That "walls", in a good sense, signify the Truths of faith which defend, is evident from Isaiah 26:1; 49:16; 60:18. (See the Exposition. )
That a "wall", , in the opposite sense, signifies the falsities which are to be destroyed, see Isaiah 22:5, 9, 10; 25:12, the Exposition. Arcana Coelestia 6419.
Have I set watchmen. - What "watchmen" signify, in a good sense see Chap, Isaiah 52:8; and in a bad sense, see Chapter 56:10, the Exposition.
8. Jehovah has sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of His strength: I will no more give your corn for food to thine enemies; nor shall the sons of the alien drink your wine, for which you have laboured:
Verse 8. And in Jeremiah:
"Jehovah of Hosts has sworn by His soul." (Jeremiah 51:14)
And in Amos:
"The Lord Jehovih has sworn by His holiness." (Amos 4:2)
And again:
"Jehovah has sworn by the excellency of Jacob." (Amos 8:7)
And in Jeremiah:
"Behold, I have sworn by My great name." (Jeremiah 44:26)
By Jehovah being said to "swear, by His right hand, by His soul, by His holiness, and by His name", is signified by the Divine Truth; for by " the right hand of Jehovah", by "the arm of His strength", by "His holiness", by "His name", and by "His soul", is understood the Lord as to Divine Truth, thus Divine Truth proceeding from Him; the same is signified by "the excellency of Jacob", for by "the Mighty One of Jacob" is understood the Lord as to Divine Truth. Apocalypse Explained 608.
As to what is meant by "swearing", when said of Jehovah, see above, Chapter 45:23, the Exposition.
Nor shall the sons of the alien drink your wine, etc. - That "the son of the alien" signify falsities, see Chapter 60:10, the Exposition.
[To "drink your wine" means, when predicated of "aliens" or falsities, to pervert the Truth of the Word and of the church.]
Verses 8, 9. I will no more give your corn for food to thine enemies nor shall the sons of the alien drink your wine, for which you have laboured, etc. - Speaking here of "Jerusalem", whereby the church is signified as to doctrine. By the "corn", therefore, which "shall no more be given for food to the enemy", and by the "new wine"; which "the sons of the alien shall not drink", is signified, in general, the Good and Truth of the church, which shall no more be consumed by evils and falsities, - "enemies", in this passage, denoting evils, and the "sons of the alien" falsities; and "eating, or food to be given them", and "drinking", denoting to consume. That Good and Truths shall abide with those who receive them, and thence apply them to use, is signified by "They that gather it shall eat it, and they that collect it shall drink it"; the worship, thence derived is signified by "praising Jehovah, and drinking in the courts of holiness." Apocalypse Explained 376 Apocalypse Explained 376[1-40] Apocalypse Explained 376[1-40].
9. But they that gather it shall eat it, and praise Jehovah; and they that collect it shall drink it, in the courts of My holiness.
Verse 9. By "gathering the corn and wine", is signified instruction in the Goods and Truths of doctrine and of the church; by "they shall eat, and shall praise Jehovah", is denoted appropriation and the worship of the Lord; by "they that collect it shall drink it in the courts of My holiness", is understood the fruition of Divine Truth, and thence of felicity, in the heavens. Apocalypse Explained 630.
They that collect it shall drink it in the courts of My holiness. - There are three heavens, the inmost, the middle, and the ultimate; the inmost was represented by the "Tabernacle", in which was the Ark of the Testimony; the middle was signified by the "Sanctuary" out of the veil; and the ultimate by the "Court." This heaven is called the "court", because in it are they who are in the Good of Faith, and not yet in the Good of Charity towards the neighbour; they who are in the Good of Charity are in the middle heaven. They who are in the ultimate heaven, which is called the "court", are called angelic spirits; they who are in the middle heaven are called spiritual angels; but they who are in the inmost heaven, celestial angels. The Good itself of Faith, which is the Good of the ultimate heaven, is also a "court", for by it man is introduced into the Good of Charity towards the neighbour, which is the Good of the middle heaven. It is to be noted, that the Good appertaining to man makes his heaven, and that his heaven is such as his Good is. There are three Goods which follow in order, the Good of faith, the Good of charity towards the neighbour, and the Good of love to the Lord; the Good of faith makes the ultimate or first heaven, as was said above; the Good of charity towards the neighbour, the middle or second heaven; and the Good of love to the Lord makes the inmost or third heaven. That it may yet be better known how the case is with the heavens, it may be expedient to say a few words on the subject. The heavens are distinguished into two kingdoms; into the celestial kingdom and into the spiritual kingdom, and in each there is an internal and an external; in the internal of the celestial kingdom are they who are in the Good of love to the Lord, and in its external are they who are in the Good of mutual love; but in the internal of the spiritual kingdom are they who are in the Good of charity towards the neighbour, and in its external are they who are in the Good of faith; see n. 9680. The external of each heaven is what is called the ultimate or first heaven, and was represented by the "court"; hence it is that the "court" was two-fold- about the Temple; the exterior and interior; the "exterior court" denoted those who are in the external of the spiritual kingdom, and the "interior court" those who are in the external of the celestial kingdom. Concerning those two ''courts" of the Temple at Jerusalem, see 1 Kings 6:3, 36; 2 Kings 21:5; concerning the "outer court" of the New Temple in Ezekiel, see Chapter 40:17, 31, 34; 42:1; and concerning the "inner cour" there, see Chapter 40:23, 28, 32, 44; 42:3; 43:5. Hence it is evident that in the ultimate heaven, which was represented by the "outer court" of the Temple, is the Good of faith, which makes it; and, in the ultimate heaven, which was represented by the "inner court", is the Good of mutual love; they who are in the Good of mutual love are in the affection of Good for the sake of Good, they who are in the Good of faith are in the affection of Truth for the sake of Truth; for Good has rule in the celestial kingdom, but Truth in the spiritual kingdom. That the ultimate heaven is signified by "courts", is evident from the passages in the Word where. they are named as in Ezekiel 10:3-5; 43:4-6; Psalm 65:4; and in Isaiah 62:9. In these and in other passages "courts" denote the ultimate heavens, for the interior or superior heavens are called "the House of Jehovah", and "His Temple." Arcana Coelestia 9741.
10. Pass through, pass through the gates; sweep the way for the people! cast you up, cast you up the highway; clear it from the stones! Lift up a standard for the peoples!
Verse 10. By "gates" are signified the knowledges of Truth and of Good from the Word, because by them man is introduced into the church; for the "wall", in which are the gates, signifies the Word as to its literal sense, from which the doctrine is derived which leads into the church. Because "gates" signify introductory Truths, which are knowledges from the Word therefore "the elders of the city sat in the gates, and pronounced judgment", as is evident from Deuteronomy 21:18-22; 22:15; and from Lamentations 5:14. Apocalypse Revealed 899.
As to the further meaning of "gates", see above, Chapter 3:26; 22:7; 26:1, 2; 28:6; 54:12; 60:11, 12, 18, the Exposition.
Sweep [or prepare] the way for the people! - For what is involved in these words see above, Chapter 57:14, the Exposition.
Cast you up the highway. - That "ways" and "paths" signify Truths, and a "highway" the Truth of Good, see Chapter 35:8, the Exposition.
Clear it from the stones. - ["Stones, in a good sense, signify Truths, but in the opposite sense, as in this passage, falsities and fallacies, which must be removed from the way of Truth.]
Lift up a standard for the peoples!-As to the signification of "standard", see Chapter 13:2, the Exposition.
11. Behold, Jehovah has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say you to the daughter of Zion, Lo! your Salvation cometh! lo! His reward is with Him, and the recompense of His work before Him.
Verse 11. And again:
"Behold, the Lord Jehovih shall come with power; behold His reward is with Him, and the recompense of His work before Him." (Isaiah 40:10)
And in the Apocalypse:
"Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according as his work shall be." (Revelation 22:12)
"Behold, the Lord Jehovih shall come with power", "Lo! your Salvation cometh!", and "Behold, He cometh quickly", signify the first and second advent of the Lord.
"His reward is with Him", signifies heaven, and all things thereto appertaining, as above; inasmuch as where the Lord is, there is heaven; for heaven is not heaven from the angels there, but from the Lord with the angels.
That they shall receive heaven according to the love and affection of Good and Truth from the Lord, is understood by "the recompense of His work before Him", and by "giving to everyone according as his work shall be"; by the "work" for which heaven shall be given as a reward, nothing else is meant than what proceeds from the love or affection of Good and Truth, inasmuch as nothing else can produce heaven in man; for every work derives all that it has from the love or affection whence it proceeds, as the effect derives all that it has from the efficient cause; wherefore, according to the quality of the love or affection, such is the work.
Hence it may appear what is understood by "the work, according to which it shall be given to everyone, and what by "the recompense of His work, Apocalypse Explained 695.
As to the true nature of "heavenly reward", see above, Chapter 3:11, the Exposition.
Verses 11, 12. Say you to the daughter of Zion, Lo! your salvation cometh! etc. - Here also the advent of the Lord is treated of, and the establishment of the church from Him. The "daughter of Zion" signifies the church which is in love to the Lord. His advent is understood by "Lo! your Salvation cometh! lo! His reward is with Him" etc. Those who are reformed and regenerated by Him are understood by "the redeemed of Jehovah." The reason why they are called the "redeemed", is, because they are liberated from evils through regeneration, and are claimed by the Lord and conjoined to Him. Apocalypse Explained 328.
12. And they shall call them, The people of holiness, The redeemed of Jehovah; and you shalt be called, The SOUGHT OUT, The CITY NOT FORSAKEN!
Verse 12. Those are called "holy" who live according to the Truths of the 'Word, not that they are holy but that the Truths which, are in them are holy; and the Truths are holy when they are from the Lord who is in them, and the Lord is in them when they are the Truths of His Word. Hence it is that the angels are called "holy"; (Matthew 25:31) also the prophets; (Luke 1:70) in like manner the apostles; (Revelation 18:20) hence also it is that the temple is called "the temple of holiness, "; (Psalm 5:7; 65:4) and that Zion is called " the mountain of holiness"; (Isaiah 65:11) and the church "a people of holiness. (Isaiah 62:12)
The reason why they are called "holy" is, because the "angels", in the abstract sense, signify divine Truths from, the Lord; "prophets", Truths of doctrine; and "apostles", the Truths of the church. That "no one is holy from himself, not even the angels", may be seen in Job 15:14, 15, but from the Lord, because "the Lord alone is Holy." (Apocalypse 15:4) Apocalypse Revealed 586.
You shalt be called, The sought out, The city not forsaken!-[A city "sought out" is a doctrine in which is the pure Truth of the Word, and a "city not forsaken" is a doctrine In which is the genuine Good of the Word.]
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Isaiah Chapter 62
1. FOR Zion's sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest; until her justice go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns.
2. And the nations shall see your justice, and all kings your glory: and you shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah shall declare.
3. And you shalt be a Crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the palm of your God.
4. No more shall it be said unto you, THOU FORSAKEN! neither to your land shall it be said any more, THOU DESOLATE! But you shalt be called, MY-DELIGHT-IS-In-THEE! and to your land it shall be said, THOU-ART-MARRIED! for Jehovah shall delight in you, and your land shall be married.
5. For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you: and as is the joy of the bridegroom over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.
6. Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, have I set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall not be silent. O you that commemorate Jehovah, be not silent;
7. And allow Him no silence, until He establish, and until He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
8. Jehovah has sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of His strength: I will no more give your corn for food to thine enemies; nor shall the sons of the alien drink your wine, for which you have laboured:
9. But they that gather it shall eat it, and praise Jehovah; and they that collect it shall drink it, in the courts of My holiness.
10. Pass through, pass through the gates; sweep the way for the people! cast you up, cast you up the highway; clear it from the stones! Lift up a standard for the peoples!
11. Behold, Jehovah has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say you to the daughter of Zion, Lo! your Salvation cometh! lo! His reward is with Him, and the recompense of His work before Him.
12. And they shall call them, The people of holiness, The redeemed of Jehovah; and you shalt be called, The SOUGHT OUT, The CITY NOT FORSAKEN!
