9325. There shall not be one miscarrying, or barren, in thy land. That this signifies that goods and truths will proceed in their order in continual progression, is evident from the signification of “not miscarrying, or being barren,” as being the progress of regeneration in its order, consequently that goods and truths will proceed in their order in continual progression (of which below); and from the signification of “in the land,” as being in the church (That “land” in the Word denotes the church, see n. 566, 662, 1066, 1067, 1262, 1413, 1607, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 2571, 2928, 3355, 3368, 3379, 4447, 4535, 5577, 8011, 8732.) The reason why “the land” signifies the church, is that the land of Canaan is meant, where the church was, and where it had been from the most ancient times (n. 3686, 4447, 4454, 4516, 4517, 5136, 6516, 8317); and in the spiritual world when a land is mentioned, no land is perceived, but the quality of the nation therein in respect to religion. Therefore when “land” is mentioned in the Word, and the land of Canaan is meant, the church is perceived. From all this it can be seen what is meant in the prophetical parts of the Word by “a new heaven and a new land,” namely, the church internal and external (n. 1850, 3355, 4535); for there are internal men and external men.

[2] That by “there shall not be one miscarrying, or barren, in the land” is signified that goods and truths proceed in their order in continual progression, is because by all things belonging to birth are meant in the internal sense of the Word such things as belong to spiritual birth, thus to regeneration (n. 2584, 3860, 3905, 3915). The things that belong to spiritual birth or regeneration are the truths of faith and the goods of charity, for by means of these a man is conceived and born anew. That such things are signified by “births,” is plain from many passages in the Word, and openly from the words of the Lord to Nicodemus:

Jesus said to him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Nicodemus said, How can these things be? Jesus answered, Art thou a teacher in Israel, and knowest not these things? (John 3:3-6, 9-10);

“to be born of water and the spirit” denotes through the truths of faith and the good of love (see t he passages cited in n. 9274).

[3] That such things are signified in the Word by “births,” is from the correspondence of marriages on earth with the heavenly marriage, which is the marriage of good and truth (of which correspondence see above, n. 2727-2759). But at the present day scarcely anyone knows, and perhaps scarcely anyone is willing to acknowledge, that love truly conjugial descends from thence, for the reason that earthly and bodily things are before the eyes, and these extinguish and suffocate all thought about such a correspondence. As love truly conjugial is from this source, therefore in the internal sense of the Word “births,” and “generations,” signify the things of the new birth and generation from the Lord. Hence also it is that “father,” “mother,” “sons,” “daughters,” “sons-in-law,” “daughters-in-law,” “grandsons,” and many other relations derived from marriages, signify goods and truths and their derivations, as frequently shown in these explications. From all this it can now be seen that by “there shall not be one miscarrying, or barren, in the land” is signified that goods and truths shall proceed in their order in continual progression.

[4] That “one miscarrying,” and “one barren,” signify what belongs to miscarriage and barrenness in a spiritual sense, namely, perversions of good and truth, and also vastations and denials of good and truth, is evident from the following passages:

Ephraim, when I have seen it even to Tyre, was planted in beauty; but Ephraim shall bring forth his sons to the slayer. Give them, O Jehovah, a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. Because of the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of My house (Hos. 9:13-15);

unless it is known what is signified in the internal sense by “Ephraim,” “Tyre,” “a slayer,” “sons,” “a miscarrying womb,” and “dry breasts,” it cannot in the least be known what these prophetic words involve. That “Ephraim” denotes the intellect of the church, which is an intellect enlightened in respect to the goods and truths of faith derived from the Word, may be seen above (n. 3969, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267); and also that “Tyre” denotes the knowledges of truth and good (n. 1201). From this it is plain what is signified by “Ephraim, when I have seen it even to Tyre, was planted in beauty.” That “a slayer” denotes one who deprives of spiritual life, that is, of the life from truth and good, may also be seen above (n. 3607, 6767, 8902); and that “sons” denote the truths of faith (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2813, 3373, 3704, 4257). From this it is plain what is signified by “Ephraim bringing forth his sons to the slayer.” That “the breasts” denote the affections of good and truth, may also be seen (n. 6432); consequently “breasts that are dry” denote no affections; but in their place evil desires to pervert. From this it is plain what is meant by “a miscarrying womb,” namely, the perversion of good and truth. That all these expressions signify things of spiritual life is evident, for it is declared, “because of the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of My house.” “Out of the house of Jehovah” denotes out of the church and of heaven (n. 2233, 2234, 3720, 5640).

[5] In Malachi:

I will rebuke the devourer for you, that he may not spoil for you the fruit of the land; neither shall the vine in the field miscarry for you. All nations shall proclaim you blessed; and ye shall be a well-pleasing land (Malachi 3:11-12);

by “the vine in the field not miscarrying” is signified that the truths and goods of faith with those who are in the church shall proceed in their order; for “the vine” denotes the truth and good of the spiritual church (n. 1069, 6375, 6376, 9277); and “the field” denotes the church (n. 2971, 3766, 7502, 9139, 9295). “A well-pleasing land” denotes a church that is pleasing to the Lord; for everyone within the church who has been regenerated through truth and good is a church; which shows what is meant by “ye shall be a well-pleasing land.” (That “land” denotes the church, may be seen above.)

[6] In Moses:

If ye hearken to My judgments to keep and do them, thou shalt be blessed above every people; there shall not be in thee, nor in thy beast, any male unfruitful, or any female barren. Jehovah will take away from thee all sickness, and all the evil diseases of Egypt (Deuteronomy 7:12, 14-15).

That “there shall not be any male unfruitful, or any female barren” denotes not any without life from truth and good; thus that they shall be spiritually alive. As “barren” had this signification, the women in the ancient churches deemed themselves devoid of life when they were barren; as did Rachel, who thus spoke of herself to Jacob:

Rachel saw that she did not bear to Jacob, and she said to Jacob, Give me sons, and if not, I am dead (Genesis 30:1. 3908).

[7] By “the barren” are also signified those who are not in good because not in truths, and yet long for truths that they may be in good; as is the case with upright nations outside the church; as in Isaiah:

Sing, O barren, that didst not bear; break forth into singing and shout for joy, that didst not bring forth; for more are the sons of her that is desolate than the sons of her that is married (Isaiah 54:1).

Jehovah raiseth up the worn one out of the dust, He exalteth the needy one from the dunghill; to place him with the prince of his people. He maketh her that is barren to keep house, a glad mother of sons (Psalms 113:7-9).

[8] In the prophecy of Hannah after she had borne Samuel:

The full have hired themselves out, and the hungry have ceased; until the barren one hath borne seven, and she that hath many children hath failed (1 Samuel 2:5).

In the above passages by “the barren” are meant the Gentiles who are summoned to the church, and to whom the church is transferred when the old church ceases, that is, when those who before had been of the church are no longer in faith, because in no charity. This church is what is meant by “her that hath many children and hath failed,” and also by “her that is married,” in the passage from Isaiah. But the other church, that is, the new church of the Gentiles, is meant by the “barren one” and “her that is desolate” who shall have many sons, and also by “her that is barren keeping house, a glad mother of sons.” “To bear seven” denotes to be regenerated to the full; for “seven” there does not mean seven, but to the full (see n. 9228). From all this it is evident what is meant by the following words of the Lord:

The days come in which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not brought forth, and the breasts that have not given suck (Luke 23:29); where the subject treated of is the consummation of the age, which is the last time of the church.

[9] In the second book of Kings:

The men of Jericho said unto Elisha, Behold the situation of this city is good; but the waters are evil, and the land is barren. Then Elisha said that they should put salt in a new cruse, and should cast the salt therefrom at the outlet of the waters; and the waters were healed, neither came there any more death or barrenness (2 Kings 2:19-21).

No one can know what these words infold within them except from the internal sense; for all the miracles related in the Word infold within them such things as are in the Lord’s kingdom, or in the church (n. 7337, 7465, 8364, 9086); and therefore it is necessary to know what was represented by Elisha, what was signified by the city of Jericho, what by the evil waters and the barren land, what by a new cruse and the salt in it, and also what by the outlet of the waters into which they were to cast the salt. That Elisha represented the Lord as to the Word, see n. 2762; that “waters” signify the truths of faith, n. 28, 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976, 5668, 6346, 7307, 8137, 8138, 8568; thus “evil waters” signify truths without good, and “a barren land” signifies the good of the church consequently not alive; “a new cruse,” that is, a new vessel, signifies knowledges of good and truth (n. 3068, 3079, 3316, 3318); “salt” signifies the longing of truth for good (n. 9207); “the outlet of the waters” signifies the natural of man which receives the knowledges of truth and good, and which is amended by the longing of truth for good.

[10] From all this it is evident that this miracle infolded within it the amendment of the church and of the life by the Lord through the Word, and through the consequent longing of truth for good; which amendment is effected when from such a longing the man’s natural receives truths from the Word. That this took place near the city of Jericho, was because this city was situated not far from the Jordan; and by “the Jordan” is signified that in the man of the church which first receives truths, thus the natural (n. 1585, 4255). That it is man’s natural which first receives truths out of the Word from the Lord, and that it is the last to be regenerated, and that when it has been regenerated, the whole man is regenerated, was signified by the Lord’s words to Peter, when He washed the disciples’ feet:

Jesus said, He that is washed needeth not save to have his feet washed, and is clean every whit (John 13:10);

(that the “feet” denote the things of the natural man, and in general the natural itself, see n. 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952, 5327, 5328). (That for a man to be regenerated, the natural or external man must be in correspondence with the spiritual or internal man; thus that he is not regenerate until the natural has been regenerated, see n. 2850, 3167, 3286, 3321, 3470, 3493, 3508, 3509, 3518, 3573, 3576, 3579, 3620, 3623, 3671, 3882, 3969, 4353, 4588, 4612, 4618, 5168, 5326, 5373, 5651, 6299, 6454, 7442, 7443, 8742-8747, 9043, 9046, 9061)

3969. And said, God hath gathered my reproach. And she called his name Joseph, saying, Let Jehovah add to me another son. That this signifies in the supreme sense the Lord as to the Divine spiritual; in the internal sense, the spiritual kingdom, or the good of faith; and in the external sense, salvation, also fructification and multiplication, is evident from the representation of Joseph in the Word (concerning which below); and from the signification of “God hath gathered my reproach,” and also of “Let Jehovah add to me another son;” for he was named “Joseph” from “gathering” and “adding.” “God hath gathered my reproach,” signifies that Rachel was now no longer barren, and thus was not “dead,” as she said of herself to Jacob (verse 1, n. 3908). For by Rachel is represented the affection of interior truth, or the interior man as to truth (n. 3758, 3782, 3793, 3819). The interior man is as it were dead as to truth and good, if the exterior or natural man does not correspond to it in respect to goods and truths (see n. 3493, 3620, 3623).

[2] These must be conjoined with each other, so as to be not two, but together one man. This conjunction cannot come forth until the natural or external man has been prepared, that is, until it has received and acknowledged the general truths signified by the ten sons of Jacob by Leah and the handmaids; and until the good of the natural man has been conjoined with the truths therein, which conjunction is signified by the last son of Jacob by Leah, namely, by Zebulun, who was so called from “dwelling together” (n. 3960, 3961). After this conjunction has been effected, the interior man and the exterior enter into the heavenly marriage, spoken of above (n. 3952). The reason why they do not enter into it before, is a great secret; for it is the good of the interior man which then conjoins itself with the good of the exterior, and by means of this with the truth therein; and likewise the good of the interior man by means of the affection of the truth therein, conjoins itself with the good of the exterior man, and also with the truth therein; thus immediately and mediately (concerning which immediate and mediate conjunction see above, n. 3314, 3573, 3616). As the interior man is then first conjoined with the exterior, and as before this conjunction has been effected the interior man is as it were null, and thus is as it were dead (as stated above), it is therefore said, “God hath gathered my reproach.” This then is what is signified by the “reproach” which God is said to have “gathered,” that is, to have taken away, or from which He is said to have delivered her.

[3] But by the words which follow: “Let Jehovah add to me another son,” from which Joseph was named, another arcanum is signified, which is this. By Joseph there is represented the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, thus the spiritual man; for this kingdom is in every spiritual man. There are two things that constitute the spiritual man, namely, charity and faith; or what is the same, good and truth. The charity from which is faith, or the good from which is truth, is that which is represented by Joseph; and the faith in which is charity, or the truth in which is good, is that which is signified by “another son,” and is represented by Benjamin-concerning whom in Genesis 35:16-18. Thus “Joseph” is the celestial spiritual man; and “Benjamin” the spiritual celestial. What is the difference between these two may be seen from what has been very frequently said before concerning the good from which is truth, and the truth in which is good. This then is what is signified by Rachel’s other words: “Let Jehovah add to me another son.” But these arcana cannot be seen except by those who are in the charity of faith; for these are as to their interiors in the light of heaven, in which light there is also intelligence. But they cannot be seen by those who are only in the light of the world, for in this light there is not intelligence, except insofar as the light of heaven is within it. To the angels, who are in the light of heaven, these are among the most common things.

[4] From all this we can now see that by these words, “God hath gathered my reproach,” and “Let Jehovah add to me another son,” in the supreme sense is signified the Lord as to the Divine spiritual; and in the internal sense, the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, or the good of faith; for this is the spiritual in that kingdom. But that in the external sense by these words is signified salvation, also fructification and multiplication, is because this follows (see n. 3971). The Lord’s spiritual kingdom, as already repeatedly stated and shown, consists of those who are in charity and thereby in faith. It is distinct from the Lord’s celestial kingdom, for this contains those who are in love to the Lord, and thereby in charity. These constitute the third or inmost heaven; but those who are spiritual constitute the second or interior heaven.

[5] The reason why “God” is first mentioned—“God hath gathered my reproach,” and then “Jehovah”—“Let Jehovah add to me another son” is that the former name regards the ascent from truth to good, but the latter the descent from good to truth; for the spiritual man is in the good of faith (that is, in good from which there is truth); but before he becomes spiritual he is in the truth of faith (that is, in truth in which there is good); for “God” is used when the subject is truth; but “Jehovah” when it is good (n. 2586, 2807, 2822, 3921).

[6] That by Joseph is represented the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, or the spiritual man, and thus the good of faith, may also be seen from the passages in the Word where he is mentioned; as in the prophecy of Jacob, then Israel:

Joseph is the son of a fruitful one, the son of a fruitful one by a fountain, of a daughter, she marcheth upon the wall; the archers shall sorely grieve him and shall shoot at him, and shall hate him; but he shall abide in the strength of his bow; and the arms of his hands shall be made strong by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob; from thence is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel; by the God of thy father, and He shall help thee, and with Shaddai, and He shall bless thee with blessings of heaven from above, with blessings of the deep that lieth beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb; the blessings of thy father shall prevail over the blessings of my progenitors even to the desire of the everlasting hills; they shall be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the head of the Nazarite of his brethren (Genesis 49:22-26).

In these prophetic words there is contained in the supreme sense a description of the Lord’s Divine spiritual; and in the internal sense, of His spiritual kingdom. What each particular involves shall of the Lord’s Divine mercy be stated in the explication of that chapter.

[7] So in the prophecy of Moses:

To Joseph he said, Blessed of Jehovah be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that lieth beneath; and for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, and for the precious things of the increase of the months; and for the firstfruits of the mountains of the east, and for the precious things of the everlasting hills; and for the precious things of the earth and the fullness thereof; and the good will of him that dwelt in the bush; they shall come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the head of the Nazarite of his brethren (Deuteronomy 33:13-17).

[8] As Israel represented the Lord’s spiritual church (see n. 3305, 3654), therefore Jacob, then Israel, before his death said to Joseph:

Thy two sons, who were born unto thee in the land of Egypt, before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon. The angel who hath redeemed me from all evil bless the lads, that my name may be named upon them, and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the land (Genesis 48:5, 16).

For there are two things that constitute the spiritual church-the understanding and the will, of which the understanding is represented by Ephraim, and the will by Manasseh. From this it is evident why Joseph’s two sons were adopted by Jacob, then Israel, and were acknowledged as his own. “Ephraim” is also frequently mentioned in the Word, especially the prophetic Word, and by him is there signified the intellectual of truth and good, which belongs to the spiritual church.

[9] In Ezekiel:

Jehovah said, Son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah and for the sons of Israel his companions; and take another stick and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and all the house of Israel his companions; and join them for thee one to another, into one stick, that they both may become one in thy ¹ hand. Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Behold, ² I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim and the tribes of Israel his companions, and I will put them with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in My hand. And I will make them one nation in the land, in the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king to them all, and they shall be no more two nations, and they shall no more be divided into two kingdoms again (Ezekiel 37:16-17, 19, 22).

The Lord’s celestial and spiritual kingdoms are here treated of. The celestial kingdom is “Judah” (n. 3654, 3881, 3921 the end); the spiritual kingdom is “Joseph;” and it is said that these kingdoms shall not be two, but one. They were also made into one by the coming of the Lord into the world.

[10] (That the spiritual were saved by the Lord’s coming, may be seen above, n. 2661, 2716, 2833, 2834.) It is the spiritual of whom the Lord speaks in John:

And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one flock, and one Shepherd (John 10:16).

This is what is signified by the “two sticks, of Judah and Joseph, which shall be joined together into one, and shall be one in the Lord’s hand.” For the celestial constitute the third heaven, which is the inmost; but the spiritual the second heaven, which is the interior; and they are there one, because the one flows into the other (that is, the celestial into the spiritual), the spiritual kingdom being as a plane to the celestial, and in this way they have been firmly co-established. For the Divine celestial in the third or inmost heaven is love to the Lord; and the celestial spiritual there is charity. This charity is the chief thing in the second or interior heaven, where the spiritual are. This shows what is the nature of the influx, and also of the coestablishment by means of the influx. “Wood” signifies good, both the good of love to the Lord, and the good of charity toward the neighbor (n. 2784, 2812, 3720). For this reason it was commanded that Judah and Joseph should be “written upon sticks of wood,” which should “become one.”

[11] So in Zechariah:

I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will cause them to dwell, for I have mercy upon them; and they shall be as though I had not left them; for I Jehovah am their God, and I will answer them (Zech. 10:6);

here again the subject is the two kingdoms, the celestial and the spiritual (the celestial being “Judah,” and the spiritual “Joseph”), and the salvation of the spiritual.

[12] In Amos:

Thus said Jehovah unto the house of Israel, Seek ye Me, and ye shall live. Seek Jehovah, and ye shall live, lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be none to quench it. Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate; it may be that Jehovah God Zebaoth will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph (Amos 5:4, 6, 15); where also the spiritual are signified by “Joseph;” the “house of Israel” is the spiritual church (n. 3305, 3654); “Joseph” is the good of this church, and it is therefore said, “Jehovah said unto the house of Israel, Seek ye Me, and ye shall live, lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph.”

[13] In David:

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; Thou that sittest upon the cherubim, shine forth. Before Ephraim, and Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up Thy might, and come and save us (Psalms 80:1-3);

here also in like manner “Joseph” is the spiritual man; “Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh” are the three constituents of that church.

[14] Again:

Lift up the song and give the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery; blow the trumpet in the new moon, in the festival, on the day of our feast; for this is a statute for Israel, a judgment to the God of Jacob; he appointed it to Joseph for a testimony, when he went out against the land of Egypt; I heard a language that I knew not (Psalms 81:2-5).

That “Joseph” here is the spiritual church, or the spiritual man, is manifest from every word and expression; for in the Word there are terms that express spiritual things, and others that express celestial things, and this with uniformity throughout. In this passage there are words that express spiritual things; as “song,” “timbrel,” the “harp with the psaltery,” “blowing the trumpet in the new moon, in the festival on the day of our feast.” From this also it is manifest that the subject is the spiritual church, which is “Joseph.”

[15] In Ezekiel:

Thus said the Lord Jehovih, This shall be the border whereby ye shall inherit the land, according to the twelve tribes of Israel; the lines shall be to Joseph (Ezekiel 47:13); where the subject is the Lord’s spiritual kingdom; and it is therefore said, “the lines shall be to Joseph.” The Lord’s Divine Spiritual is that which is also called His “royalty;” for the Lord’s “royalty” is His Divine truth; and His “priesthood” is His Divine good (n. 2015, 3009, 3670). The Lord’s royalty itself is that which is represented by Joseph, in his being made king in the land of Egypt, which representation shall of the Lord’s Divine mercy be treated of in its place.

[16] As regards the Lord’s Divine Spiritual, or the Divine truth, which in the supreme sense is represented by Joseph, it is not in the Lord, but is from the Lord; for the Lord is nothing but Divine good; but the Divine truth proceeds from the Divine good. To speak comparatively, this is like the sun and its light; the light is not in the sun, but proceeds from it; or it is like a fire, the light of which is not in the fire, but proceeds from the fire. The Divine good itself is also compared in the Word to the “sun,” and to “fire,” and is likewise called the “sun” and “fire.” The Lord’s celestial kingdom lives from the good which proceeds from the Lord; but His spiritual kingdom from the truth thence derived; and therefore in the other life the Lord appears to the celestial as a sun; but to the spiritual as a moon (n. 1053, 1521, 1529-1531, 3636, 3643). Both heat and light proceed from the sun, the heat being-to speak comparatively-the good of love, which is also called celestial and spiritual heat; and the light, the truth thence derived, which is also called spiritual light (n. 3636, 3643). But within the celestial heat and spiritual light that in the other life proceed from the Lord as a sun, there are the good of love and the truth of faith, thus wisdom and intelligence (n. 1521-1523, 1542, 1619-1632, 2776, 3138, 3190, 3195, 3222, 3223, 3339, 3485, 3636, 3643, 3862); for all that which proceeds from the Lord is living.

[17] From this we can see what the Divine Spiritual is; and whence comes the spiritual kingdom, and the celestial kingdom; and that the spiritual kingdom is the good of faith, that is, charity, which flows in from the Lord immediately, and also mediately through the celestial kingdom. The Divine Spiritual that proceeds from the Lord is called in the Word the “spirit of truth,” and is holy truth; not being of any spirit, but of the Lord through a spirit sent by Him; as may be seen from the words of the Lord Himself in John:

When He, the Spirit of Truth, shall come, He will guide you into all the truth; for He shall not speak from Himself; but what things soever He shall hear, these shall He speak; and He shall declare unto you the things that are to come. He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine, and shall declare it unto you (John 16:13-14).

Footnotes: