1081. And shall make her desolate and naked. That this signifies rejection of the falsities thereof, which are falsified truths, and then manifestation that they are destitute of all truth, is evident from the signification of making desolate and naked, as denoting to reject the falsities thereof, which are falsified truths. And, because, when these are rejected, it is manifested that they are without any truth, therefore this also is signified. By being desolate and naked is signified to be destitute of all truth, for spiritual desolation and nakedness is signified. And spiritual desolation is like that in a wilderness, where there are neither corn nor fruit-trees, and spiritual nakedness is like that of a man who is without garments. Corn and fruit-trees also signify the knowledges of truth and good, and garments signify truths clothing. Wherefore, to be without the latter and the former is to be without any truth. That nakedness denotes the deprivation of truth may be seen (n. 240, 1008); and that desolation, such as is in the wilderness, denotes where there is no truth may be seen (n. 730).

Continuation concerning the Word:-

[2] What is the nature of the Word as to influx and as to correspondences can now be illustrated. It is said in John:

"He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes, and understand with the heart, and should turn, and I should heal them" (12:40).

By the eyes which are blinded are signified the understanding and the faith of truth; by the heart which is hardened is signified the will and the love of good; and by being healed is signified to be reformed. The reason of their not being turned and healed was, lest they should profane; for the wicked man who is healed, and returns to his evil and falsity, profanes; and so it would have been with the Jewish nation.

[3] In Matthew:

"Blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear" (13:16).

By the eyes here also are signified the understanding and the faith of truth; thus, by seeing is signified to understand and believe, and by the ears is signified obedience, thus a life according to the truths of faith, and by hearing is signified to obey and live. For no one is blessed because he sees and hears, but because he understands, believes, obeys, and lives.

[4] In the same:

"The lamp of the body is the eye; if the eye be entire, the whole body is lucid; if the eye be evil, the whole body is darkened. If therefore the light be darkness, how great is the darkness" (6:22, 23).

Here, also, by the eye is signified the understanding and the faith of truth, which is called a lamp from the light of truth, which man has from understanding and faith. And because from the understanding and faith of truth a man becomes wise, it is said, if the eye be entire, the whole body is lucid. The body is the man, and to be lucid is to be wise. But it is the reverse with the evil eye, that is, the understanding and the faith of falsity. Darkness denotes falsities. If the light be darkness, signifies, if the truth be false or falsified. And because truth falsified is worse than every other falsity, it is said, if the light be darkness, how great is the darkness.

[5] From these few examples it is evident what correspondence and influx are, namely, that the eye is a correspondence of the understanding and faith; the heart, a correspondence of the will and love; the ears, a correspondence of obedience; the lamp and light, correspondences of truth; and darkness, a correspondence of the false, and so on. And because the one is spiritual, and the other natural, and the spiritual acts into the natural, and forms it to a likeness of itself that it may appear before the eyes, or before the world, therefore that action is influx. Such is the Word in all and every part.

5248. 'And changed his clothes' means the change made so far as coverings of the interior natural were concerned, by the putting on of what was rightly suited to this. This is clear from the meaning of 'changing as removing and casting aside, and from the meaning of 'clothes' as the coverings of the interior natural, dealt with below. The putting on of what was rightly suited, meant by 'new clothes', follows on from this. Frequent reference is made in the Word to clothes, by which are meant lower or outward things which, being such, serve to cover higher or inward ones. 'Clothes' consequently means the external part of man and therefore what is natural, since this covers the internal and the spiritual part of him. In particular 'clothes' means truths that are matters of faith since these cover forms of good that are embodiments of charity. This meaning of 'clothes' has its origin in the clothes that spirits and angels are seen to be wearing. Spirits are seen dressed in clothes that have no brightness, whereas angels are seen dressed in clothes full of brightness and so to speak made of brightness. For the actual brightness that surrounds them looks like a robe, much like the Lord's garments when He was transfigured, which were 'as the light', Matthew 17:2, and 'glistening white', Luke 9:29. From the clothes they wear one can also tell what kinds of spirits and angels they are so far as truths of faith are concerned since these are represented by their clothes, though only truths of faith such as exist within the natural. The truths of faith such as exist within the rational are revealed in the face and in the beauty it possesses. The brightness of their garments has its origin in the good of love and charity, for that good shines through and is the producer of the brightness. From all this one may see what is represented in the spiritual world by clothes and as a consequence what is meant in the spiritual sense by 'clothes'.

[2] But the clothes which Joseph changed - that is, cast aside - were those of the pit or prison-clothing, which mean the delusions and false ideas that are stirred up by evil genii and spirits in a state involving temptations. Consequently the expression 'he changed his clothes' means a casting aside and a change made in the coverings of the interior natural. And the clothes which he put on were ones such as were properly suitable, so that the putting on of what was rightly suited is meant. See what has been stated and shown already regarding clothes,

Celestial things are unclothed, but not so spiritual and natural ones, 297.

'Clothes' are truths, which are of a lower nature when they are compared with what they cover, 1073, 2576.

'Changing one's garments' was representative of the need to put on holy truths, and therefore 'changes of garments' had the same meaning, 4545.

'Rending one's clothes' was representative of mourning on account of the loss of truth, 4763.

What is meant by someone entering who was not wearing a wedding garment, 2132.