Commentary

 

Taste

  

Our five senses correspond to spiritual affections, or the attraction we feel toward spiritual things. The sense of taste, according to the Writings, corresponds to the affection for knowing, or the affection for being wise. This makes sense; we often immediately know and judge the quality of a thing by its taste. When people taste things in the Bible, it means they are seeking wisdom and enlightenment, and when food tastes good it shows the delight they feel in being wise.

(References: Arcana Coelestia 4404, 4792, 4793 [1-3], 4794, 8522)

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #10635

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10635. 'And all the people in whose midst you are will see the work of Jehovah' means that all who accept the Word will acknowledge the Divine within it. This is clear from the representation of 'Moses' as the Word, dealt with in the places referred to in 9372, so that 'the people in whose midst he is' means the Church where the Word exists, thus all who accept the Word, for others do not acknowledge the Divine within it; and from the meaning of 'seeing the work of Jehovah' as acknowledging the Divine within it. It is self-evident that such things are meant, for all within the Church who lead a good life acknowledge the Divine within the Word. The reason why they do so is that a holy influence from heaven enters them when they read the Word, although they do not know that correspondences are the means through which it comes to them. Furthermore this influence which depends on correspondences is not detected except as a general feeling of holiness occupying the mind. The situation is different in the case of those who do not lead a good life; in their case the internal through which influences from heaven come is closed.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.