408. Verse 15. And the kings of the earth, and the great ones, and the rich, and the commanders of thousands, and the mighty, signify all internal goods and truths, and all external goods and truths, by means of which there are wisdom and intelligence. This is evident from the signification of "kings," as being truths from good in their whole complex (of which above, n. 31; from the signification of "great ones, and the rich," as being internal goods and truths (of which presently); from the signification of "commanders of thousands and the mighty" as being external goods and truths; "commanders of thousands" meaning such goods, and "the mighty" such truths (of which also presently). It is added, "by means of which there are wisdom and intelligence," because from internal goods and truths, which are spiritual goods and truths, there is wisdom, and from external goods and truths, which are natural goods and truths from spiritual, there is intelligence. Wisdom differs from intelligence in this, that wisdom is from the light of heaven, and intelligence from the light of the world enlightened by the light of heaven; this is why wisdom is predicated of spiritual goods and truths, and intelligence of natural goods and truths; for spiritual goods and truths are from the light of heaven, because the spiritual mind or the internal mind is in the light of heaven; and natural goods and truths are from the light of the world, because the natural or external mind is in the light of the world; but so far as this mind receives the light of heaven through the spiritual mind, so far it is in intelligence. He who believes that intelligence is from the light of the world only, which is called natural light, is much deceived. Intelligence means seeing from oneself truths and goods, whether civil, moral, or spiritual, while seeing them from another is not intelligence but knowledge [scientia]. Yet that it may be known how these things are to be understood, see what is said in a preceding article n. 406, namely, that man has two minds, the one spiritual or internal, the other natural or external, and that the spiritual or internal mind is opened with those who apply the goods and truths of the Word to the life, while in those who do not apply the goods and truths of the Word to the life, that mind is not opened, but only the natural or external mind; such are thence called natural men, but the former spiritual.

To this let it be added, that so far as the spiritual or internal mind is opened, spiritual light, which is the light of heaven, flows in through it from the Lord into the natural or external mind, and enlightens that mind and gives intelligence. The goods and truths that constitute the spiritual or internal mind are meant by "the great ones and the rich," goods by "the great ones," and truths by "the rich;" and the goods and truths that constitute the natural or external mind are meant by "the commanders of thousands and the mighty," these goods by "the commanders of thousands," and these truths by "the mighty." This makes clear that these words, in the internal sense, include all things that are with man; for the extinction of all these is treated of in what follows. All things with man as well as all things in the universe have reference to good and truth; it is from these and according to these that man has all wisdom and intelligence.

[2] He who looks only to the sense of the letter cannot see otherwise than that kings and the chief men in their kingdoms are here meant, and that so many are mentioned in order to exalt that sense; but in the Word no word is meaningless, for the Divine is in all things and in everything of the Word. So these must mean things Divine, which are of heaven and the church, and which are called, in general, celestial and spiritual, and from these the Word is Divine, celestial, and spiritual. Moreover, the Word was given that by it there may be conjunction of heaven with the church, or of the angels of heaven with the men of the church (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 303-310); and such conjunction would not be possible if nothing else were meant by these words than what stands forth in the sense of the letter, namely, that the kings of the earth, the great ones, the rich, the commanders of thousands, and the mighty, as also every servant and every freeman, were to hide themselves in caves and in the rocks of the mountains, for these are natural things; but when spiritual things are at the same time understood by these there is conjunction. In no other way could angels be conjoined with men, for the angels are spiritual because they are in the spiritual world and thus both think spiritually and speak spiritually; while men are natural, because they are in the natural world, and thence think naturally and speak naturally. This is said to make known that "the kings of the earth, the great ones, the rich, the commanders of thousands, and the mighty," signify also things spiritual. That these mean spiritual things, namely, "the great ones and the rich" internal goods and truths, and "the commanders of thousands and the mighty" external goods and truths, can be seen from their signification where they are mentioned in the Word.

[3] "Great ones" in the Word signify internal goods which are the goods of the internal or spiritual man, because "great" and "greatness" in the Word are predicated of good, and "many" and "multitude" of truth (See above, n. 336, 337). Internal goods are signified by "great ones," because these four, namely, "great ones," "the rich," "the commanders of thousands" and "the mighty" signify all the goods and truths that are with man, thus the goods and truths both of the internal or spiritual man and of the external or natural man; "the great ones and the rich" meaning the goods and truths of the internal or spiritual man, and "the commanders of thousands and the mighty" the goods and truths of the external or natural man; so it is added, "every servant and every freeman," "servant" signifying the external of man, which is called the natural man, and "freeman" the internal of man, which is called the spiritual man. Like things are signified by "great ones" elsewhere in the Word (namely in Jeremiah 5:5; in Nahum 3:10; and in Jonah 3:7).

That "the rich" signify internal truths, which are spiritual truths or those who are in such truths, is evident from what has been shown above (n. 118, 236). That "the commanders of thousands" signify external goods, which are the goods of the natural man, has also been shown above (n. 336); it is therefore unnecessary to say more respecting these. But that "the mighty" signify external truths, or truths of the natural man, is evident from many passages in the Word, where "the mighty" and "the strong," likewise "power" and "strength" are mentioned; this is because truths from good, and indeed truths that are in the natural man, have all power. Truths from good are what have all power, because good does not act of itself, but by truths, for good forms itself in truths, and clothes itself with them, as the soul does with the body, and so acts; it acts by truths in the natural man, because there all interior things are together, and in their fullness. (That truths from good, or good by means of truths, has all power may be seen above, n. 209, 333; and in the work on Heaven and Hell 231, 232, 539; and that all power is in ultimates, because the Divine is there in its fullness, see above, n. 346; and Arcana Coelestia 9836, 10044.) From this it can be seen that "the mighty" mean external truths, or truths of the natural man.

2534. 'For he is a prophet' means that thus it was to be taught. This is clear from the meaning of 'a prophet'. One reads the word 'prophet' many times in the Word, and in the sense of the letter it means those to whom revelation is given, and also - abstractedly from persons - revelation itself. But in the internal sense that word means one who teaches, and also - abstractedly - doctrine itself. And because, as has been stated, the Lord is doctrine itself, or the Word which teaches, He is called 'a Prophet', as also in Moses,

Jehovah your God will raise up a Prophet like me from the midst of you, from your brothers; Him shall you obey. Deuteronomy 18:15, 18.

The words 'like me' are used because the Lord was represented by Moses, as He also was by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and many more. And because people awaited Him it is therefore said in John,

When the people saw the sign which Jesus had done, they said, This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world. John 6:14.

[2] Since the Lord in the highest sense is 'the Prophet' and 'the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy', Revelation 19:10, 'a prophet' therefore means in the internal sense of the Word a person who teaches, and also - abstractedly - doctrine, as becomes quite clear from the following places: In Luke,

You, child, will be called prophet of the Most High. Luke 1:76.

Zechariah said this in reference to his son, John the Baptist, who was not the prophet but one preparing the way by teaching and preaching the good news about the Lord's Coming, as he himself says,

They asked him, What are you? Are you Elijah? But he said, I am not. Are you the prophet? He answered, No. Therefore they said to him. Who are you? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord. John 1:21-23.

[3] In Matthew,

Many will say on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name? Matthew 7:22.

Here it is evident that 'prophesying' means teaching. In John,

You must again prophesy over many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. Revelation 10:11.

'Prophesying' stands for teaching. What 'peoples', 'nations', 'tongues', and 'kings' mean has been stated and shown in various places. In the same book,

The nations will trample the holy city for forty-two months, but I will grant My two witnesses to prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. Revelation 11:2-3.

Here also 'prophesying' stands for teaching. In Moses,

Jehovah said to Moses, See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet. Exodus 7:1.

Here 'prophet' stands for one teaching or saying what Moses would have to say. In Joel,

I will pour out My spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Joel 2:28.

'They will prophesy' stands for they will teach.

[4] In Isaiah,

Jehovah has poured out over you a spirit of sleep, and has closed your eyes; the prophets and your heads, the seers, He has covered; and the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a sealed book which men give to one who is able to read, saying, Read this, now; and he will say, I cannot, for it is sealed. Isaiah 29:10-11.

Here 'the prophets' is used to mean those who teach truth, and 'the seers' those who see truth. Their heads are said to be 'covered' when they know no truth at all and see none at all. Because in ancient times those who taught were called prophets, they were also called 'seers', for 'seeing' meant understanding, 2150, 2325. The fact that they were called 'seers', see 1 Samuel 9:9; 2 Samuel 24:11. They were also called 'men (vir) of God' because of the meaning 'man' carried, dealt with in 158, 265, 749, 915, 1007, 2517. The fact that they were called 'men of God', see 2 Kings 1:9-16; 4:7, 9, 16, 21-22, 25, 27, 40, 42; 5:8, 14, 20; 13:19; 23:16-17.

[5] That 'prophets' means in the internal sense those who teach is clear in the whole of Jeremiah 23 and the whole of Ezekiel 13, where prophets are referred to specifically, and also in many other places where they are mentioned. This also explains why 'pseudoprophets' means those who teach falsities, as in Matthew,

At the close of the age many pseudoprophets will arise and lead many astray. False Christs and false prophets ¹ will arise and will show great signs, and will lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Matthew 24:11, 24; Mark 13:22.

No others are meant here by 'pseudoprophets' and 'false prophets', nor likewise by the pseudoprophet in Revelation 16:13; 19:20; 20:10.

[6] How much the internal sense of the Word is obscured by ideas that have been conceived from the representatives of the Jewish Church becomes clear from the fact that every time a prophet is mentioned in the Word the idea of prophets like those who lived in those times immediately springs to mind, an idea which impedes greatly any discernment of what is meant by them. But the wiser anyone is, the more easily is an idea conceived from such representatives banished. For example, when the temple is mentioned, people who are more wise in their thinking do not envisage the temple in Jerusalem but the temple of the Lord; when Mount Zion, or simply Zion, is mentioned, they do not envisage a location in Jerusalem but the Lord's kingdom; and when Jerusalem is mentioned, they do not envisage the Jerusalem situated in the tribe of Benjamin and Judah but the holy and heavenly Jerusalem.

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