THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 54

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

1. SING, O you barren, that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and exult, you that didst not travail: for more are the sons of the desolate than the sons of the married woman, says Jehovah.

VERSE 1. Treating of the advent of the Lord, and of the New Church to be established by Him among the Gentiles, who are understood by "the barren, who did not bear", and by "the desolate, who shall have many sons." They are called "barren", because they knew not the Lord, neither had the Word, where Truths are; wherefore they could not be regenerated. "Sons" denote Truths from the Lord by the Word. The church which is in possession of the Word, from which the Lord is known, is understood by "the married, who has no sons"; the joy of those who are of the New Church; and who before had not Truths, is signified by "her breaking forth in to singing, and exulting, who did not travail", - to "travail" denotes to have in the womb, Inasmuch as "mother" signified the church, and "sons" and "daughters" its Truths and Goods, and whereas in the ancient churches; and afterwards in the Jewish church, all things were representative, and thence significative, therefore it was a disgrace and a reproach for women to be barren; on which account Rachel was angry with Jacob, because she did not bear children, arid said, when she brought forth Joseph, "God has taken away my reproach." (Genesis 30:1, 23)

For the same reason, after Elizabeth had conceived, she said "Thus has the Lord done to me in the days wherein He looked on me, to take away my reproach amongst men." (Luke 1:25) Apocalypse Explained 721.

Verses 1-3. These words treat of the church about to be established among the Gentiles which is called "barren", and which "did not bear", because they were without Truths from the Word; of which church it is said that "the sons should be more than the sons of the married woman, because its Truths would be more numerous than the Truths of the former church now devastated, for "sons" signify Truths. To "enlarge the place of the tent", signifies the holy principle of worship from the Good of love; to "stretch out the curtains of the habitations, denotes the holy principle of worship from the Truths of faith. Arcana Coelestia 9595.

To "enlarge the place of the tent", is to enlarge those things which are of the church, thus the doctrine of what is Good and True from the Word, and hence those things which are of worship. To "stretch out or to expand the curtains of the habitations", is to multiply Truths; that "curtains" are the Truths of the church, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 9596. The "barren" are those who were not before in the Goods and Truths of the church. Arcana Coelestia 10545.

Verses 1, 5, 6, 13. In these verses occur expressions which have relation to marriage such as being "barren", "not bearing", :" not travailing"; "the sons of the desolate and of the married woman"; "the reproach or shame of widowhood"; "as a woman forsaken and afflicted in spirit"; "the wife of [one's] youth", etc. The reason why these terms occur is, because the conjunction of what is Good and True is represented by "marriage"; hence, in the spiritual sense, these expressions involve something relating to the marriage of what is Good and True, and to the perversions of that marriage. See Arcana Coelestia 443.

2. Enlarge the place of your tent; and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations: spare not; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes;

Verses 2, 3. Lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes; for on the right hand and on the left you shalt break forth, etc. - The establishment of the church amongst the Gentiles is here treated of. By "enlarging the place of the tent", is signified the increase of the church as to worship from Good; by "stretching out the curtains of the habitations", is denoted the increase of the church as to the Truths of doctrine; by "lengthening the cords", is understood their extension; by "strengthening the stakes", is meant their confirmation from the Word.

By "breaking forth on the right hand and on the left", is signified amplification as to the Good of charity, and as to the Truth of faith, "on the right" as to the Good of charity, and "on the left" as to the Truth of faith from that Good.

By "the seed which shall inherit the nations", is understood the Truth by which Goods are acquired, - "seed" is Truth, and "nations" are Goods; and by "the desolate cities which they would cause the nations to inhabit, are understood Truths from Goods of life, "desolate cities" are the Truths of doctrine where before there were no Truths, "nations" are the Goods of life from which are Truths, and to "dwell" or to be "inhabited" is to live. Apocalypse Explained 600. See also 223.

To" lengthen the cords" and to "strengthen the stakes" signifies the more ample connection and confirmation of Truths; for by "cords" is understood the conjunction of Truths, and by "stakes" their confirmation. Arcana Coelestia 9777. See also Apocalypse Explained 799.

As to the meaning of "cords" find "stakes", and the reason "why a "tent" and a "tabernacle" signify the holy principle of worship, see Chapter 33:20, the Exposition.

3. For on the right hand, and on the left, you shalt break forth; and your seed shall inherit the nations, and they shall cause the desolate cities to be inhabited.

Verse 3. By "the seed which shall inherit the nations", is signified the Divine Truth which shall be given to the nations; by "breaking forth on the right and on the left", is denoted the extension and multiplication of Goods and Truths, - by the "right" is understood Truth which is in light, and by the "left" Truth which is in the shade, because, in the spiritual world, to the right 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 fire in the obscure light of Truth.

By "causing the desolate cities to be "inhabited", is signified their life according to divine Truths, which were previously destroyed; "cities" are the Truths of doctrine from the Word; to be "inhabited" means to live according to those Truths; "desolate cities" signify those Truths previously destroyed, namely, among the Jewish people. Apocalypse Explained 768.

4. Fear not; for you shalt not be confounded: and blush not; for you shalt not be brought to reproach: for you shalt forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you shalt remember no more,

Verse 4. See the Exposition of Isaiah Chapter 24:23.

You shalt forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you shalt remember no more- The "reproach of widowhood" is predicated of the church when not in Truth, because not in Good, and consequently in the false. Arcana Coelestia 4844.

5. For your Husband is your Maker; Jehovah of Hosts is His name: and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called.

Verse 5. The Lord, from Divine Good, is called "Husband and Bridegroom"; and His kingdom and church, from the reception of the Divine Truth which proceeds from the Lord, is called "wife and bride." Arcana Coelestia 9198.

6. For as a woman forsaken and afflicted in spirit has Jehovah called you; and as a wife of youth, when you wast rejected, says your God.

7. For a small moment have I forsaken you; but with great mercies will I gather you:

Verses 6, 7. Here by "a woman forsaken and afflicted in spirit", is understood the church which is not in Truths, but still in the affection or desire for them, - "Woman" denoting the church, which is said to be "forsaken" when it is not in Truths, and "afflicted in spirit" when in grief from the affection or desire for Truths; by "a wife of youth", is denoted the ancient church, which was in Truths from affection; and by the same, when "repudiated or rejected", is understood the Jewish church, which was not in Truths from any spiritual affection. The establishment of a New Church by the Lord, and liberation from spiritual captivity, is signified by "For a small moment have I forsaken you; but with great mercies will I gather you." Apocalypse Explained 555.

8. In an inundation of anger I hid My face for a moment from you; but with everlasting kindness will I have Mercy on you, says your Redeemer Jehovah.

Verse 8. An "inundation of anger" signifies temptation, in which evils cause anguish and torment; because the Lord appears not to have mercy, it is said, "I hid my face for a moment from you." That the "face of Jehovah" is the Divine Love, is evident from the Lord's face "when He appeared transfigured before Peter, James and John that is, when He showed to them His Divine, and when "His face shone as the sun"; (Matthew 17:2) that the "Sun" is the Divine Love, was shown above. The Lord is never "angry", nor does He "turn away" or "hide His face", but it is so said from the appearance with the man who is In evil; for the man who is in evil turns himself away, and hides the Lord's face from himself, that is, removes from himself the Lord s mercy. This is evident from many passages, but especially from the following:

"Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you." (Isaiah 59:2) Arcana Coelestia 5585, 6997.

9. For this is [as] the waters of Noah unto Me: when I swore that the waters of Noah should no more pass over the earth; so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with you, nor rebuke you.

Verse 9. When I sware that the waters of Noah should no more pass over the earth, etc. - The "waters of Noah" were the false principles and persuasions which destroyed the most ancient church. What is meant by "Jehovah's swearing", see Chapter 45:23, the Exposition.

10. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills shall be removed; but My loving-kindness shall not depart from you, and the covenant of My peace shall not be removed, says Jehovah who has mercy on you.

Verse 10. Where it is evident that it is not the mountains and hills upon the earth which shall "depart or recede, and be removed", but those who are in evil loves and in falsities thence derived; for the subject here treated of is concerning the nations or Gentiles, of whom a New Church was to be formed: wherefore by the "mountains" and "hills" are more especially understood those of the former church, consequently the Jews, with whom were mere evils of the false and falsities of evil, by reason of their being immersed in tbe loves of self and of the world. Apocalypse Explained 405.

Verses 10, 13. The subject here treated of is concerning the New Heaven and the New Church. The former heaven and the former church, which should perish, are understood by "the mountains which shall depart or recede, and the hills which shall be removed." That they who are in the New Heaven and in the New Church will be in Good from the Lord, and possess heavenly joy to eternity, by conjunction with Him, is signified by " My loving-kindness shall not depart [or recede] from you", and "the covenant of My peace shall not be removed"; "loving-kindness" or mercy signifies Good from the Lord, and the "covenant of peace" heavenly joy derived from conjunction with the Lord, - a "covenant" denoting conjunction.

By "the sons who shall be taught by Jehovah, and who shall have much peace", are understood those in the New Heaven and in the New Church, who will be principled in Truths originating in Good from the Lord, and enjoy eternal beatitude and felicity; "sons" in the Word, signifying Truths originating in Good, or those who are principled therein; their being "taught by Jehovah" denoting that those Truths are from the Lord; and "much peace" signifying eternal beatitude and felicity. Apocalypse Explained 365.

11. O you afflicted, tossed about with tempest, not comforted, behold, I will lay your stones in stibium, and your foundations with sapphires.

Verses 11-13. These things are said of "the barren, who brought not forth", and "who should have many sons"; and by the "barren" are signified the Gentiles who had not divine Truths, because they had not the Word, whence they are called "the afflicted, tossed about with tempest, and not comforted"; to be "afflicted and tossed about with tempest" is predicated of the falsities by which they were infested and carried every way. That the Lord, when He came, would reveal to them living Truths, and instruct them, is signified by "I will lay your stones in stibium, and your foundations with sapphires", &.c. That by the "precious stones", here mentioned, are understood divine Truths in the ultimate of order, such as are those of the literal sense of the Word, in which are contained internal Truths, such as are those in the spiritual sense of the Word, is evident; for by the "foundations", "gates", and "borders", which were to be laid with those stones are signified ultimate principles, whence it follows that, in the above passage, by "stones" in general, and by "sapphires", "carbuncles" and "fire-stones" [or rubies], are signified such Truths as are in the literal sense of the Word, which are ultimate Truths, because for the natural and sensual man. Inasmuch as the instruction of the Gentiles in divine Truths is here understood, therefore it follows, "And all your sons shall be taught by Jehovah"; but what is specifically signified by the sapphire", "carbuncle", and "fire-stone", it is not necessary to explain In this place, only that "precious stones" in general signify ultimate Truths. Apocalypse Explained 717. See also Arcana Coelestia 9407, 9643, 9873.

12. And I will make your windows of rubies, and your gates of stones of carbuncle; and all your borders of pleasant stones:

Verse 12. These things are said of the Gentiles out of the church, from whom a New Church was to be established by the Lord. By "I will make your suns as rubies" is signified that Goods shall be brilliant from the fire of love; "suns" here denoting the Goods of love, and the "ruby" denotes a brilliance as from fire.

By "I will make your gates of carbuncles", is signified that Truths shall be resplendent from Good; "gates" denoting introductory Truths, specifically the doctrinals which are derived from Good, for all Truths of doctrine, which are genuine, proceed from Good, and are of Good; and "stones of carbuncle" signify their splendour from Good, - all "precious stones" signifying Truths derived from Good, and the colour, splendour, and fire thereof indicating the quality of Truth from Good.

By "all your borders shall be of pleasant stones", is signified that the scientific Truths which appertain to the natural man shall be pleasant and delightful from Good; for by a "border" is understood the same as by a "foundation", and this is the natural man, forasmuch as in the things which are therein the Goods and Truths of the spiritual man are terminated; and "pleasant stones" denote Truths that are pleasant and delightful from Good. The nature and quality of the Goods and Truths of the Word, which will be with those who are of the New Church, is therefore described in this passage. That the "sun" signifies the Good of love, is also evident from the circumstance of their being called, "suns" in the plural number. Apocalypse Explained 401.

I will make [or set] your suns [windows] of rubies, etc. - Here, instead of windows, "suns" are mentioned, from light, because it is let in or transmitted thereby, "Suns" or "windows" are intellectual things, and, indeed, from charity, wherefore they are compared to the "ruby." The "gates" are the rational things hence derived: and the "borders" are the scientific and sensual principles; for the Lord's church is here treated of. Arcana Coelestia 655. See the note.

13. And all your sons shall be taught by Jehovah; and great shall be the peace of your sons.

14. In justice shalt you be established: you shalt be far from oppression; for you shalt not fear it: and from terror; for it shall not come near you.

15. Behold, they shall be leagued together, but not by Me: whosoever is leagued against you shall fall because of you.

Verse 13. There is a spiritual idea, of which few have any knowledge, which enters by influx into the minds of those who are in the affection of Truth, and dictates interiorly, whether the thing which they are hearing or reading is true or not. In this idea are those who read the Word in illumination from the Lord. To be in illumination is to be in perception and thence in an internal acknowledgement that that which they hear or read [in the Word] is true. Those who are in this illumination are said to be "taught by Jehovah"; (Isaiah 54:13; John 6:45), and of them it is said in Jeremiah

"Behold, the days come that I will make a new covenant; - this shall be the covenant: I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and they shall no more teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know you Jehovah: for they shall all know Me." (Jeremiah 31:31, 33, 34)

From these considerations it is plain that Faith and Truth are a one. This also is the reason that the ancients, who were more accustomed to think of Truth from affection than the moderns, instead of Faith used the word "Truth", and for the same reason, in the Hebrew language, Truth and Faith are expressed by one and the same word, namely, Amuna or Amen. Doctrine of Faith 5, 6.

16. Behold, I have created the smith who blows the coals in the fire, and produces an instrument for his work; and I have created the destroyer to lay waste.

17. No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises up against you in judgment you shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah; and their justice is from Me, says Jehovah.

Verse 16. See Chapter 44:10, 12, the Exposition; see also Chapter 45:7, the Exposition, in which it is explained how all things, both good and evil, are said to be "created" by God.

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Isaiah Chapter 54.

1. Sing, O you barren, that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and exult, you that didst not travail: for more are the sons of the desolate than the sons of the married woman, says Jehovah.

2. Enlarge the place of your tent; and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations: spare not; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes;

3. For on the right hand, and on the left, you shalt break forth; and your seed shall inherit the nations, and they shall cause the desolate cities to be inhabited.

4. Fear not; for you shalt not be confounded: and blush not; for you shalt not be brought to reproach: for you shalt forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you shalt remember no more,

5. For your Husband is your Maker; Jehovah of Hosts is His name: and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called.

6. For as a woman forsaken and afflicted in spirit has Jehovah called you; and as a wife of youth, when you wast rejected, says your God.

7. For a small moment have I forsaken you; but with great mercies will I gather you:

8. In an inundation of anger I hid My face for a moment from you; but with everlasting kindness will I have Mercy on you, says your Redeemer Jehovah.

9. For this is [as] the waters of Noah unto Me: when I sware that the waters of Noah should no more pass over the earth; so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with you, nor rebuke you.

10. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills shall be removed; but My loving-kindness shall not depart from you, and the covenant of My peace shall not be removed, says Jehovah who has mercy on you.

11. O you afflicted, tossed about with tempest, not comforted, behold, I will lay your stones in stibium, and your foundations with sapphires.

12. And I will make your windows of rubies, and your gates of stones of carbuncle; and all your borders of pleasant stones:

13. And all your sons shall be taught by Jehovah; and great shall be the peace of your sons.

14. In justice shalt you be established: you shalt be far from oppression; for you shalt not fear it: and from terror; for it shall not come near you.

15. Behold, they shall be leagued together, but not by Me: whosoever is leagued against you shall fall because of you.

16. Behold, I have created the smith who blows the coals in the fire, and produces an instrument for his work; and I have created the destroyer to lay waste.

17. No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises up against you in judgment you shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah; and their justice is from Me, says Jehovah.

223. And the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from My God, signifies the doctrine of the new church, which is in the heavens. This is evident from the signification of "the city of My God," as being the doctrine of Divine truth (of which presently); also from the signification of "the New Jerusalem," as being the church in respect to doctrine (See the small work on The New Jerusalem 6); also from the signification of "which cometh down out of heaven from My God," as being that it is out of heaven from Divine truth there. That "God" means in the Word Divine truth, see above (n. 220, 222). And as Divine truth, which is in heaven and which comes down from heaven, is from the Lord alone, the Lord calls it His God. That "the city of My God" signifies the doctrine of Divine truth seems at first view remote, for the mind cannot readily think of doctrine when "city" is mentioned, or think of the church when a "land" is mentioned; yet in the Word, "cities" [civitates aut urbes] mean nothing else in the spiritual sense; and for the reason that the idea of a city is merely natural, but the idea of doctrine in a city is spiritual. Angels, because they are spiritual, can have no other idea of a city than of the people therein in respect to doctrine, as they can have no other idea of a land than of the people therein in respect to their church or their religion. The reason of this is that the societies into which the heavens are divided are for the most part like cities [communities], all differing from one another in respect to the reception of Divine truth in good; when, therefore, a "city" is mentioned angels think of the doctrine of truth. (That the heavens are divided into societies according to the differences of the good of love and faith, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 41-50; and that their habitations are disposed into the form of cities, n. 184).

[2] That "cities" [civitates seu urbes] in the Word signify doctrines can be seen from many passages there, of which I will cite here only the following.

In Jeremiah:

Behold I have given thee this day for a fenced city against the whole land (Jeremiah 1:18).

These things are said to the prophet, because "a prophet" in the Word signifies one who teaches truth, and in an abstract sense, the doctrine of truth; and as this is what "prophet" signifies, it is said to him, "I have given thee for a fenced city," which signifies the doctrine of truth defending against falsities. (That "prophet" in the Word signifies one who teaches truth, and in the abstract sense, the doctrine of truth, see Arcana Coelestia (2534[1-6]), n. 7269.)

In the same:

The crown of your splendor cometh down. The cities of the south are shut (Jeremiah 13:18-19).

Here the falsification of truth is treated of; and "the crown of their splendor cometh down" means that intelligence comes down; and "the cities of the south are shut" means that all the truths of doctrine are closed, which otherwise would be in the light. (That "crown" means intelligence and wisdom, see above, n. 126, 218; and that "south" means a state of light, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 148, 149, n. 151).

[3] In Isaiah:

Thou hast done [wonderful things, Thy] counsels from afar [are] truth, fidelity; and Thou hast made of a city a heap, of a fenced city a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city, that it may not be built for ever; therefore a strong people shall honor Thee, a city of powerful nations shall fear Thee (Isaiah 25:1-3).

The vastation of the former church, and the establishment of a new one, are here treated of; the vastation of the church in respect to doctrine is meant by "Thou hast made of a city a heap, of a fenced city a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city;" and the establishment of a new church in respect to doctrine is meant by "a strong people shall honor Thee, a city of powerful nations shall fear Thee."

In the same:

In that day shall a song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will He appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation that keepeth faithfulness may enter in (Isaiah 26:1-2).

Here "a strong city" signifies the doctrine of genuine truth, which falsities cannot destroy; "walls and bulwarks" signify truths defending; "gates" signify admission (as above, n. 208); "the righteous nation keeping faithfulness" means those who are in good and in truths therefrom.

[4] In the same:

How art thou fallen from heaven O Lucifer, how art thou cut down to the earth: that made the world as a wilderness, and threw down the cities thereof. Prepare slaughter for his sons, that they may not rise up and possess the land, and fill the faces of the world with cities (Isaiah 14:12, 17, 21).

Here "Lucifer" means Babylon, where every truth of the doctrine of the church was either falsified or annihilated; "he made the world as a wilderness, and threw down the cities thereof," signifies that this was done to the church and its doctrines; "prepare slaughter for his sons, that they may not rise up," signifies that its falsities must be destroyed; "and may not possess the land, and fill the faces of the world with cities," signifies in order that a church and doctrine may be there.

In Revelation:

And the great city was broken ¹ into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell (Revelation 16:18-19).

Here also Babylon is treated of; the doctrine of its falsities is what is meant by "a city broken ² into three parts," and the doctrine of evils therefrom by "the cities of the nations which fell."

[5] In David:

The redeemed of Jehovah wandered in the wilderness in loneliness of life; ³ they found not a city of habitation; hungry and thirsty [their soul fainted in them]. He led them into a straight way, that they might go to a city of habitation (Psalms 107:2, 4-5, 7).

"To wander in the wilderness and in loneliness of way," is to be in want of the knowledges of truth and good; "to find not a city of habitation" means not to find the doctrine of truth according to which they may live; "the hungry and thirsty" are those who have a longing to know good and truth; "to lead them into a straight way, that they might go to a city of habitation" is to lead them into genuine truth, and into the doctrine of life.

In Isaiah:

I said, Lord, how long? And He said, Until the cities shall be so devastated as to be without inhabitant, and the houses so that no man be in them, and the land be reduced to a waste (Isaiah 6:11).

Here the total vastation of the church is treated of; "cities" are the truths of doctrine; "houses" the goods thereof; and "land" the church.

[6] In the same:

The land shall be emptied, the land shall be confounded, the land shall be profaned under its inhabitants; the empty city shall be broken, every house shall be shut, a cry over the wine in the streets, the remnant in the city is a waste, and the gate shall be beaten down even to devastation (Isaiah 24:3-5, 10-12).

Here also the devastation of the church is treated of; "the land which is said to be emptied, confounded, and profaned," is the church; "city" is the truth of doctrine, "house" is its good; "wine, over which there is a cry in the streets," is the truth of doctrine falsified, over which there is contest and indignation.

[7] In Zephaniah:

I will cut off the nations; I will desolate their streets, and their cities shall be laid waste (Zephaniah 3:6).

Here "nations" are those who are in evils; "to desolate streets" means to desolate truths, and "to lay waste cities" means to lay waste doctrines. In Jeremiah:

The lion is gone up from the thicket, to reduce thy land to a waste; thy cities shall be destroyed; I saw Carmel a wilderness, and all its cities desolate; for this shall the land mourn; the whole city fleeing at the voice of a horseman and of the bowmen; the whole city is forsaken, not a man dwelling therein (Jeremiah 4:7, 26-29).

The "lion from the thicket" is falsity from evil; "the land" is the church, "cities" are the truths of doctrine; "Carmel" is the spiritual church; "the voice of the horseman and the bowmen," because of which "the city will flee," is reasoning and combat from falsities.

[8] In the same:

The devastator shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; and the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed (Jeremiah 48:8).

These words describe the total vastation of the church, until nothing of the truth of doctrine shall remain. In the same:

Behold, waters rising up out of the north, which shall become an overflowing brook, and shall overflow the land, the city, and them that dwell therein (Jeremiah 47:2).

Vastation also is signified by "an overflowing brook." In the same:

If ye hallow the day of the Sabbath, there shall enter in through the gates of this city kings and princes, riding in chariot and on horses, and this city shall be inhabited to eternity (Jeremiah 17:24-25).

"Hallowing the Sabbath" in the spiritual sense signifies holy acknowledgment of the Lord's Divine Human and of His conjunction with heaven and the church; "kings and princes entering in through the gates of the city" signify the truths of the church; "their riding in a chariot and on horses" signifies that they shall be in the truths of doctrine and in intelligence; "the city," which here is Jerusalem, is the church in respect to doctrine. Such is the spiritual sense of these words; such therefore is the sense in heaven.

[9] In Zechariah:

Thus said Jehovah; I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; whence Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets (Zechariah 8:3-5).

Here "Zion" does not mean Zion, nor "Jerusalem" Jerusalem; but "Zion" means the celestial church, and "Jerusalem" that church in respect to the doctrine of truth; therefore it is called "a city of truth;" "the streets of the city" signify the truths of doctrine; "boys and girls playing in the streets" signify the affections of truth and good. (That "Zion" signifies the celestial church, see Arcana Coelestia 2362, 9055; that "Jerusalem" signifies the church in respect to doctrine, n. 402, 3654, 9166; and in the small work on The New Jerusalem, 6; that "streets" signify the truths of doctrine, n. 2336; that "boys girls" signify the affections of truth good, in which there is innocence 3067, 3110, 3179, 5236, 6742; that "to play" means what pertains to interior festivity, which is the affection of truth and good, n. 10416).

[10] Because "Zion" signifies the celestial church, and "Jerusalem" the church in respect to the doctrine of truth, Zion is called "the city of Jehovah," and Jerusalem is called "the holy city," "the city of God" and "the city of the great king."

As in Isaiah:

They shall call thee, The city of Jehovah, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 60:14).

In Ezekiel:

The prophet saw upon a high mountain the frame of a city on the south, and an angel measured the wall, the gate, the chambers, the porch of the gate; and the name of the city was Jehovah-is-there (Ezekiel 40:1; 48:35).

In Isaiah:

Behold, Jehovah hath caused it to be heard, even to the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh. And thou shalt be called a city that is sought (Isaiah 62:11-12).

In David:

As we have heard so have we seen in the city of Jehovah of hosts, in the city of our God; God will establish it forever (Psalms 48:8).

(What the celestial church is, and what the spiritual church, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 20-28.)

These two cities are called "holy cities," in Isaiah:

Thy holy cities are become a wilderness, Zion is become a wilderness, Jerusalem a waste (Isaiah 64:10).

Jerusalem in particular is called "the holy city," in Revelation:

The nations shall tread down the holy city (Revelation 11:2).

Again:

I saw the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven (Revelation 21:2).

In Matthew:

The devil took Jesus into the holy city (Matthew 4:5).

And in the same:

Coming forth out of the tombs, they entered into the holy city (Matthew 27:53).

[11] Jerusalem was called "the holy city" because it signified the church in respect to the doctrine of truth; and Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is what is called "holy" (See Arcana Coelestia 6788, 8302, 9229, 9820, 10361). That city, apart from such representation and consequent signification, was not at all holy, but rather profane, is evident from the Lord's having been rejected and crucified there; and for this reason it is also called "Sodom and Egypt" (Revelation 11:8). But because it signified the church in respect to the doctrine of truth, it was called not only "the holy city," but also "the city of God," and "the city of the great king."

Thus in David:

There is a river, the streams whereof have made glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her (Psalms 46:4-5).

In the same:

Great is Jehovah in the city of our God, beautiful in situation the city of the great king (Psalms 48:1-2).

In Matthew:

Swear not by the earth, for it is the footstool of God's feet; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king (Matthew 5:35).

Jerusalem was called "the city of God" because "God" in the Word of the Old Testament means Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (as may be seen above, n. 220, 222); and it was called "the city of the great king," because "king" also signifies, in reference to the Lord, Divine truth proceeding from Him (See above, n. 31). From this then it is that Jerusalem is called "the city of truth" (Zechariah 8:3).

[12] In Isaiah:

Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer and Former from the womb, I make void the signs of liars; turning wise men backward, and making their knowledge foolish; saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the desolate places thereof (Isaiah 44:24-26).

This treats of the rejection of the church whose doctrine is from self-intelligence, and of the establishment of a new church, whose doctrine is from the Lord. Doctrine from self-intelligence is meant by "I make void the signs of liars, turning wise men backward, and making their knowledge foolish," and doctrine that is from the Lord by "saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built."

[13] In Jeremiah:

Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? I will cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, for the land shall become a waste (Jeremiah 7:17, 34).

Here also "the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem" signify the truths of doctrine; "the voice of joy and the voice of gladness" is delight from the affection of good and truth; "the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride" are those affections themselves; and that these are to cease is meant by "the land shall become a waste;" the "land" is the church.

[14] In Isaiah:

I will commingle Egypt with Egypt that they may fight a man against his brother, and a man against his companion; city against city, kingdom against kingdom. In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak with the lip of Canaan and that swear to Jehovah of Hosts. In that day there shall be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of Egypt (Isaiah 19:2, 18-19).

"Egypt" means the natural man and its knowledge [ejus scientificum]; "that they may fight a man against his brother, and a man against his companion," means against good and truth; "city against city, and kingdom against kingdom," signifies doctrine against doctrine, and church against church; "in that day" signifies the Lord's coming, and the state then of those who are natural and in true knowledges [scientificis]; "five cities in the land of Egypt that speak with the lip of Canaan" signify the truths of doctrine in abundance, which are genuine truths of the church, "five" meaning many or in abundance; "cities" truths of doctrine; "the lip of Canaan" genuine truths of the church. "An altar to Jehovah" here signifies worship from the good of love.

[15] In the same:

The highways have been laid waste, he that passeth through the way hath ceased; he hath rejected the cities, he regardeth not man. The land mourneth, it languisheth; Lebanon hath faded away (Isaiah 33:8-9).

"The highways that have been laid waste, and the way that is not passed through," are truths leading to heaven, which are truths of the church; "to reject the cities" is to reject the truths of doctrine; "to regard not man" is to regard not truth and good. "The land that mourneth and languisheth" is the church in respect to good; "Lebanon that hath faded away" is the church in respect to truth.

[16] In the same:

Sing, O barren, that did not bear, for more are the sons of the desolate than the sons of the married one. Enlarge the place of thy tent; thy seed shall inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited (Isaiah 54:1-3).

"The barren that did not bear" signifies the nations that have not as yet truths from the Word; "the sons of the desolate" are the truths that these will receive; "the sons of the married one" are the truths that are with those who are in the church; "to enlarge the place of the tent" means that their worship is from good; "seed" is truth therefrom; "the nations which the seed will inherit" are goods; and "the cities which shall be inhabited" are the doctrines therefrom.

[17] In Jeremiah:

I will bring upon them every good; they shall buy fields with silver, and this by writing in a book, in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountain, and in the cities of the plain, and in the cities of the south (Jeremiah 32:42, 44; 33:13).

These things are said of those in the church who are in good and in truths therefrom; "to buy fields with silver" is to acquire for themselves the good of the church by means of truths; "to write in a book" is to implant in the life; "the cities of Judah" and "the cities of the mountain" are the truths of doctrine which those have who are of the Lord's celestial kingdom; "the cities of the plain, and the cities of the south," are the truths of doctrine which those have who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom.

[18] In Matthew:

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a mountain cannot be hid. Neither do they light a lamp and put it under a bushel (Matthew 5:14-15).

These things were said to the disciples, by whom all truths and goods in the complex are signified; therefore it is said, "Ye are the light of the world;" for "light" signifies Divine truth and intelligence therefrom. Because that is what the words signify, "Ye are the light of the world," therefore it is said, "A city that is set on a mountain cannot be hid. Neither can a lamp be lighted and be put under a bushel;" for "a city set on a mountain" signifies the truth of doctrine from the good of love; and "a lamp" signifies in general truth from good and intelligence therefrom.

[19] In the same:

Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city and house divided against itself standeth not (Matthew 12:25).

"Kingdom," in the spiritual sense, signifies the church; "city" and "house" the truth and good of its doctrine, which do not stand but fall, if they do not unanimously agree.

[20] In the same:

Jesus sends forth the twelve disciples, saying to them, Go not off into the way of the nations, and enter not into a city of the Samaritans; go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:5-6)

"The way of the nations" into which they were not to go off, signifies falsity from evil; "a city of the Samaritans" into which they were not to enter, signifies the false doctrine of those who reject the Lord; "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" signify those who are in the good of charity and in faith therefrom, "Israel" meaning all such wherever they may be. "A city of the Samaritans" signifies the false doctrine of those who reject the Lord, because the Samaritans did not receive Him (as may be seen in Luke 9:52-56).

[21] In the same:

Jesus said, When they persecute you in one city they should flee ⁴ into another (Matthew 10:23).

Here also by "city" is meant the doctrine of falsity from evil; that where this doctrine is the doctrine of truth will not be admitted, is meant by "when they persecute you in one city flee ye into another."

[22] In Luke:

Then the master of the house being angry, said to his servants, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor and maimed and blind and halt (Luke 14:21).

"Their going out into the streets and lanes of the city" signifies that they should enquire where those are who receive the truths of the doctrine; for "streets" and "lanes" are the truths of doctrine (as above); and "city" means doctrine. The "poor," "the maimed," "the halt," and "the blind," signify those who are not in truths and goods, and yet long for them. (Who are signified specifically by "the poor," who by "the maimed," "the halt," and "the blind," may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 107, from Arcana Coelestia.)

[23] In the same:

A certain nobleman going into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, gave to his servants ten pounds for trading; when he returned, he commanded the servants to be called. The first came, saying, Thy pound hath gained ten pounds. He said to him, good servant, because thou hast been faithful over the least, thou shalt have authority over ten cities. Then the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath made five pounds. He said to him, Be thou also over five cities (Luke 20:12-19 seq.).

These words signify, in the spiritual sense, much more than can be expressed in a few words; let it be noted merely that by "cities" here are not meant cities but the doctrinals of truth and good; and by "having authority over them" intelligence and wisdom are meant; by "ten" much, and by "five" some. (That "ten" in the Word signifies much, see Arcana Coelestia 1988, 3107, 4638, 9757; and that "five" signifies some, n. 4638, 9604.) From this it can now be seen that "the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from My God," signifies the doctrine of the new church, which is in the heavens. (This doctrine is also given in a separate small work, entitled The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine.)

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