8910. 'You shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, nor his male slave nor his female slave, nor his ox nor his ass, nor anything that is your neighbour's' means that one must be on one's guard against self-love and love of the world, and so one must take care to prevent the evils contained in the preceding commandments from becoming present in the will and consequently going out of it. This is clear from the meaning of 'coveting' as a wanting that springs from an evil love. The reason why 'coveting' has this meaning is that all covetousness or craving exists as the result of some kind of love. For nothing is coveted unless there is a love of it, and therefore covetousness extends as a continuation from some kind of love, in this instance from self-love and love of the world. It is so to speak the life of what those loves breathe, for what an evil kind of love breathes is called covetousness or craving, whereas what a good kind breathes is called desire. The love itself belongs to one of two parts of the mind, which is called the will; for what a person loves, that he wills and intends. but covetousness belongs to both parts, to both the will and the understanding, that is, it is an attribute of the will within the understanding, to be precise. All this shows why it is that the words 'you shall not covet the things that are your neighbour's' mean that one must take care to prevent them from becoming present in the will, since what takes possession of the will becomes the person's own; for, to be sure, the will is the real person.

[2] The world believes that thought is the person. But there are two powers that constitute a person's life - understanding and will - and thought belongs to the understanding, the affection inherent in love being what belongs to the will. Thought without the affection inherent in love does not in any way at all constitute a person's life; but thought springing from such affection, that is, the understanding springing from the will, does constitute it. Those two powers are distinct from each other, which is evident to anyone who stops to reflect on the matter from the consideration that with his understanding a person can perceive that that thing is bad which his will desires, and that that thing is good which his will either does or does not desire. From all this it is plain that the will is the real person, not his thought, except so far as anything passes into it from the will. So it is that things which enter a person's thought but do not pass on through it into his will do not render him unclean; only those which pass through thought on into the will do so. The reason why the latter render a person unclean is that he takes them to himself then and makes them his; for the will, as has been stated, is the real person. The things which become part of his will are said to go into his heart and to go out from there, whereas those which are merely part of his thought are said to go into the mouth and to go out by way of the bowels into the sewer, according to the Lord's words in Matthew,

Not what enters the mouth renders a person unclean, but what comes out of the mouth, this renders the person unclean. Everything that goes into the mouth departs into the bowels and is cast out into the sewer. But the things which come out of the mouth come out of the heart, and these render a person unclean. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, ravishments, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. Matthew 15:11, 17-19.

[3] From these words as from all the others the nature of the Lord's manner of speaking becomes clear. That is, its nature was such that internal or spiritual matters were meant, but they were expressed by means of external or natural things and in accordance with correspondences. For the mouth corresponds to thought, and so do all parts of the mouth, such as the lips, tongue, and throat, while the heart corresponds to the affection inherent in love, and so to the will. For the correspondence of the heart to these, see 2930, 3313, 3883-3896, 7542. Consequently 'entering the mouth' is entering thought, and 'going out of the heart' is going out of the will. 'Departing into the bowels and being cast out into the sewer (or latrine)' is going away into hell; for the bowels correspond to the way to hell, while the sewer or latrine corresponds to hell itself. Hell also in the Word is called 'the latrine'. All this shows what is meant by 'everything that goes into the mouth departs into the bowels and is cast out into the sewer', namely that evil and falsity are introduced into a person's thought by hell and are discharged back there again. Such evil and falsity cannot render a person unclean because they are discharged from him. For a person cannot help thinking what is evil, but he can refrain from doing it. As soon however as he receives evil from his thought into his will it does not go out but enters into him; and this is said 'to enter the heart'. The things that go out from here are what render him unclean; for what a person desires in his will goes out into speech and action, so far as external restraints do not inhibit him, those restraints being fear of the law, and fear of the loss of reputation, position, gain, or life. From all this it is now evident that 'you shall not covet' means that one must take care to prevent evils from becoming present in the will and consequently going out of it.

[4] The fact that 'covetousness' is a craving or lusting on the part of the will, and so of the heart, is also clear from the Lord's words in Matthew,

You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that if anyone looks at a woman ¹ so that he lusts after her he has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:27-28.

'Lusting for' is used here to mean desiring in the will, and - but for the fears acting as external restraints - also doing. This is why it says that one who looks at a woman so that he lusts after her has committed adultery with her in his heart.

[5] Lusting after what is evil is also meant by 'the right eye causing one to stumble', and lusting after what is false by 'the right hand causing one to stumble' in the Lord's words, again in Matthew,

If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you; for it will be better for you that one of your members perish, than that your whole body be cast into gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you; for it will be better for you that one of your members perish, than that your whole body be cast into gehenna. Matthew 5:29-30.

From these words the Lord's way of saying things is again clear. That is to say, He was speaking from the Divine, as in every other place in the Word, in such a way that He expressed inward and heavenly matters through outward or natural ones in accordance with correspondences. In this instance He expressed an affection for evil or lusting after it by 'the right eye causing one to stumble', and an affection for falsity or lusting after it by 'the right hand causing one to stumble'. For the eye corresponds to faith, the left eye to the truth of faith, and the right eye to the good of faith, or in the contrary sense to the evil of faith, so that 'the right eye causing one to stumble' corresponds to lusting after what is evil, 4403-4421, 4523-4534. But the hand corresponds to the power that truth possesses, the right hand to the power of truth coming from good, or in the contrary sense the power of falsity coming from evil, so that 'the right hand causing one to stumble' corresponds to a lusting after it, 3091, 4931-4937, 8281. 'Gehenna' is the hell of lusts, cravings, or covetousness. Anyone may see that here 'the right eye' was not used to mean the right eye or that it was to be plucked out; also that 'the right hand' was not used to mean the right hand or that it was to be cut off, but that something other was meant. What this is cannot be known unless one knows what is really meant by 'the eye', in particular by 'the right eye', also what is meant by 'the hand', and in particular by 'the right hand', as well as what 'causing to stumble' really means. Nor can the meaning of these expressions be known except from the internal sense.

[6] Lusts, cravings, or covetous desires are what spring from an evil will, thus from a heart that is such; and according to the Lord's words in Matthew 15:19, murders, adulteries, ravishments, thefts, false witness, blasphemies come out of the heart or will, that is, the kinds of evils contained in the preceding commandments of the Decalogue. In all this lies the reason for saying that this - 'you must not covet the things which are your neighbour's' - means that one must take care to prevent the evils contained in the ''receding commandments from becoming present in the will and consequently going out of it. The reason why 'you shall not covet the things which are your neighbour's' also means that one must be on one's guard against self-love and love of the world is that all the evils composing covetousness well up from those loves as their source, see 2045, 7178, 7255, 7366 7377, 7488, 8318, 8678.

Footnotes:

8925. 'And in order that His fear may be before your faces, and you do not sin' means consequent holy fear of the Divine, and preservation of spiritual life as a result. This is clear from the meaning of 'the fear of God' as holy fear of the Divine, dealt with below; from the meaning of 'faces' as the interiors, dealt with in 1999, 2434, 3527, 4066, 4796, 4797, 5102, 5585, 5592, so that 'the fear of God before their faces' is holy fear of the Divine in a person's interiors; and from the meaning of 'in order that you do not sin' as the preservation of spiritual life, since spiritual life is preserved by not sinning. 'Sinning' is doing and thinking what is evil and false intentionally and willingly, for things done intentionally and willingly are such as come out of the heart and render a person unclean, Matthew 15:11, 17-19, and consequently such as wipe out spiritual life with him, see above in 8910. Regarding holy fear, meant by 'the fear of God' in the Word, it should be recognized that this fear is love. That is, it is the kind of love young children feel towards parents, parents towards young children, married couples for each other, who fear to do whatever is displeasing, thus whatever injures love in any way. A fear like this is instilled into a person's love when he is being regenerated. And since this fear accords with his love, and can exist within his love, and does in actual fact exist within or united to his love, it is called holy fear; and it is a fear of sinning or acting contrary to the Commandments, thus contrary to the Lord. But this fear is different with each individual person, being determined by what his love is like and how much he has; see the things that have been shown regarding this in 2826, 3718, 3719, 5459, 7280, 7788.

2826. 'For now I know that you fear God' means glorification from Divine love. 'This is clear from the meaning of 'knowing', in reference to the Lord's Divine, as nothing other than being united, or what amounts to the same, being glorified, for the Human was being united to the Divine by means of temptations, 1737, 1813; and from the meaning of 'fearing God', or the fear of God, as in this case Divine love. As this has reference to the Lord's Divine Rational as regards truth, the expression 'fearing God' is used here, not 'fearing Jehovah', for when truth is the subject the name God occurs, but when good is, the name Jehovah occurs, 2586, 2769, 2822. For it was by means of Divine love that the Lord united the Human Essence to the Divine Essence, and the Divine Essence to the Human Essence, or what amounts to the same, glorified Himself, see 1812, 1813, 2253. What is meant in the Word by 'fearing God' becomes clear from very many places there when these are understood as to the internal sense. In the Word the fear of God means worship, and indeed worship based either on fear, or on good that flows from faith, or on good that flows from love. Worship based on fear is meant when those who are not regenerate are the subject, worship based on good flowing from faith when regenerate spiritual people are the subject, and worship based on good flowing from love when regenerate celestial people are the subject.

[2] I The fear of God in general means worship. This is evident in the Book of Kings,

The children of Israel feared other gods and walked in the statutes of the nations. The nations brought into Samaria did not at the beginning fear Jehovah; therefore Jehovah sent lions among them. Then came one of the priests whom they had made captives in Samaria, and he dwelt in Bethel and was teaching them how to fear Jehovah. Jehovah had made a covenant with the children of Israel and had commanded them, You shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves down to them, and you shall not serve them, nor sacrifice to them, but you shall fear Jehovah, and bow yourselves down to Him, and sacrifice to Him. 2 Kings 17:7-8, 24-25, 28, 32-33, 35-37, 41.

Here 'fearing' clearly stands for worshipping. In Isaiah,

Because this people have drawn near with their mouth, and honoured Me with their lips, but their heart has been far from Me, and their fear of Me has been a commandment of men that has been taught to them.... Isaiah 29:13.

Here 'their fear of Me' stands for worship in general, for it is said that that fear was 'a commandment of men'. In Luke,

There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God and did not regard man. Luke 18:2.

'Who did not fear God' stands for not worshipping Him.

[3] II The fear of God means worship based on fear when those who are not regenerate are the subject

This is evident from the following places: In Moses, when the Law was delivered on Mount Sinai to the people,

The people said to Moses, You yourself speak to us and we will listen; and do not let God speak to us lest perhaps we die. And Moses said to the people, For God has come to tempt you, and to the end that His fear may be before your faces, so that you do not sin. Exodus 20:19-20.

And elsewhere in the same author,

Now why should we die? For this great fire will devour us; if we hear the voice of Jehovah our God any more we shall die. You go near and hear all that Jehovah our God will say, and then you tell us all that Jehovah our God will say to you, and we will listen and act. And Jehovah said to Moses, Who will grant it that they have this heart within them to fear Me and to keep all My commandments all their days? Deuteronomy 5:25, 27, 29.

Here 'the fear of God before your faces, so that you do not sin' and 'a heart to fear Me and to keep all My commandments' means worship based on fear attributable to them because they are by nature what they are. Indeed people whose worship is external, and not at all internal, are led through fear to respect the law and to obey it; but they do not enter into any internal worship, which is holy fear, unless the good of life is present in them, and they know what is internal, and believe it. In the same author,

If you do not take care to do all the words of this Law that are written in this Book, to fear this glorious and fearful name, Jehovah your God, Jehovah will make your plagues exceptional, ¹ and the plagues of your seed, plagues great and persistent, and diseases bad and persistent. And He will bring back on you all the sicknesses of Egypt which you fear, and they will cling to you. Deuteronomy 28:58-60.

Here also 'fearing the glorious and terrible name of Jehovah God' means worship based on fear; and in order that this fear might exist among such persons all evils, even cursings, were attributed to Jehovah, 592, 2335, 2395, 2447. In Jeremiah,

Your wickedness will chasten you, and your backslidings will reprove you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake Jehovah your God, and for My fear not to be in you. Jeremiah 2:19.

In Luke,

I tell you, Do not fear those who kill the body, but after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you ought to fear; fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, fear Him. Luke 12:4-5; Matthew 10:28.

Here also 'fearing God' implies worship based on some kind of fear, for fear drove those people to obey, as has been stated.

[4] III Fearing God or Jehovah means worship based on good that flows from faith, when regenerate spiritual people are the subject.

This is evident from the following places: In Moses,

The king will write for himself a copy of this Law in a Book before the Levite priests. And it will be with him, and he will read from it every day of his life, so that he may learn to fear Jehovah his God, keeping all the words of this Law and these statutes to do them. Deuteronomy 17:18-19.

'The king' in the internal sense stands for the truth of faith since the office of a king represented the Lord's spiritual kingdom, 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069. Consequently 'fearing Jehovah his God' means worship of Him based on the truth of faith, which, being inseparable from the good of charity, is described as 'keeping the words of the Law and these statutes to do them'. In Samuel,

Behold, Jehovah has set a king over you. If you will fear Jehovah and serve Him, and hearken to His voice, both you, and the king who reigns over you, will be following Jehovah your God. 1 Samuel 12:13-14.

Here too 'fearing Jehovah' stands in the internal sense for worship based on the good and truth of faith, as previously, since a king or the kingly office is the subject.

[5] In Joshua,

Now fear Jehovah, and serve Him in sincerity and truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served. Joshua 24:14.

Here also 'fearing Jehovah' stands for worship based on good and truth which exist with the spiritual man, for 'sincerity' is used in reference to the good of faith, 612, 'truth' to the truth of faith. In Jeremiah,

They will be My people and I will be their God; and I will give them one heart and one way, to fear Me all their days, for their own good and that of their sons after them. And I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn back from doing good to them, and I will put My fear into their heart of not departing from Me. Jeremiah 32:38-40.

Here 'fearing God' means worship based on the good and truth of faith. This becomes clear from the train of thought and from the fact that the words 'people' and 'God' are used - 'people' being used in reference to those with whom the truth of faith exists, see 1259, 1260, and 'God' being used when truth is the subject, 2586, 2769, 2807 (end). In Isaiah,

A powerful people will honour You, the city of strong nations will fear You. Isaiah 25:3.

Here also 'fearing God' stands for worship based on spiritual truth, since the expressions 'people' and 'city' are used - 'the city' meaning doctrinal teaching that is true, see 402, 2268, 2449, 2451.

[6] In David,

Who is the man that fears Jehovah? He will teach him the way that he should choose. Psalms 25:12.

Here 'the man that fears Jehovah' stands for one who worships Him. This refers to the spiritual man, as is evident from the fact that it is said 'He will teach him the way' - 'way' meaning truth, see 627, 2333. In the same author,

Blessed is everyone who fears Jehovah and walks in His ways! Psalms 128:1.

Here the meaning is similar. In the same author,

Those who fear Jehovah will glorify Him, all the seed of Jacob will glorify Him; and they will stand in awe of Him, all the seed of Israel. Psalms 22:23.

Here 'standing in awe of Him' stands for worship based on the truth of faith, for 'the seed of Israel' is the spiritual side of the Church, that is, the good and truth of faith, 1025, 1447, 1610. In Moses,

Now Israel, what does Jehovah your God require of you but to fear Jehovah your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve Jehovah your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, to keep Jehovah's commandments and His statutes? Deuteronomy 10:12-13.

Here a description occurs of what 'fearing God' entails in the case of the spiritual man, meant by 'Israel', namely 'walking in the ways of Jehovah, loving Him, serving Him, and keeping His commandments and statutes'. In John,

I saw an angel flying in mid-heaven, having an eternal gospel, and saying in a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgement has come. Revelation 14:6-7.

Here 'fearing God' stands for holy worship based on the good and truth of faith. In Luke,

Jesus said to the paralysed man, Rise, take up your bed and go away to your home. As a consequence amazement seized them all, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear. Luke 5:24-26.

Here 'fear' stands for holy fear as it exists in people who by means of the truth of faith are being introduced into the good of love.

[7] IV Fearing God or Jehovah means worship based on good that flows from love, when regenerate celestial people are the subject.

In Malachi,

My covenant with Levi was [a covenant] of life and peace, and I gave them to him with fear; and he feared Me, and for My name he was crushed. The law of truth was in his mouth, and perversity was not [found] on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and uprightness. Malachi 2:5-6.

This refers to the Lord, meant here by 'Levi' in the internal sense. 'Levi' means the priesthood, and he means love. 'Fear' in this instance stands for the good that flows from Divine Love, 'the law of truth' for the truth that accompanies it, 'peace and uprightness' for both.

[8] In Isaiah,

There will come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch will grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of Jehovah will rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and intelligence, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of Jehovah. And His delight ² will be in the fear of Jehovah. Isaiah 11:1-3.

This too refers to the Lord. 'The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of Jehovah' stands for the Divine love of truth, 'His delight will be in the fear of Jehovah' for the Divine love of good.

[9] In David,

The commandments of Jehovah are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of Jehovah is clean, standing for ever; the judgements of Jehovah are truth, righteous altogether. Psalms 19:8-9.

Here 'the fear of Jehovah is clean' stands for love, 'the judgements of Jehovah are truth' for faith. 'Righteousness' is used in reference to good that is the good of love, 'judgements' to truth that is the truth of faith, see 2235; and these are called 'righteous altogether' when truth consists in good, or faith in charity.

[10] In the same author,

Behold, the eye of Jehovah is on those who fear Him, on those who await His mercy. Psalms 33:18.

And elsewhere in the same author,

Jehovah takes no delight in the might of the horse, nor pleasure in the legs of man Jehovah's pleasure is in those who fear Him and in those who await His mercy. Psalms 147:10-11.

'The might of the horse' stands for a person's own power to think what is true; for 'a horses means the understanding, see 2760-2762. 'The legs of man' stands for a person's own power to do good. 'Those who fear Jehovah' stands for people whose worship of Him is based on a love of truth, and 'those who await His mercy' stands for those whose worship is based on a love of good. In the Prophets when good is spoken of so also is truth, and when truth is spoken of so also is good, on account of the heavenly marriage of good and truth that exists in every individual part [of the Word], see 683, 793, 801, 2516, 2712, 2731.

[11] In the same author,

Jehovah will bless the house of Israel, He will bless the house of Aaron, He will bless those who fear Jehovah, both small and great. Psalms 115:12-13.

Here 'those who fear Jehovah' stands for people whose worship is based on the good that flows from faith, meant by 'the house of Israel', and on the good that flows from love, meant by 'the house of Aaron' - both of them on account of the heavenly marriage which exists, as has been stated, in every individual part of the Word.

[12] In Isaiah,

The stability ³ of your times will be strength to save, wisdom and knowledge; and the fear of Jehovah itself the treasure. Isaiah 33:6.

Here 'wisdom and knowledge' stands for the good of faith joined to the truth of faith, 'the fear of Jehovah' for the good of love. In the same prophet,

Who among you fears Jehovah? [Who] listens to the voice of His servant? Isaiah 50:10.

'Who fears Jehovah' stands for one whose worship is based on love, 'who listens to the voice of His servant' for one whose worship is based on faith. When one goes with the other the heavenly marriage is in that case present.

[13] From these places that have been quoted from the Word it is clear that 'the fear of God' means worship based either on fear, or on the good that flows from faith, or on the good that flows from love. But the more there is of fear present in worship the less there is of faith, and still less of love. Conversely, the more there is of faith present in worship, and even more so of love, the less there is of fear. Present within all worship there is fear, but this fear takes on a different form and nature; for it is holy fear. But holy fear is not so much a fear of hell and of damnation, as a fear lest anything whatever be done or thought that is contrary to the Lord and contrary to the neighbour, thus anything whatever that is contrary to the good of love and to the truth of faith. It is an abhorrence which on the one side forms the boundary of the holiness of faith and of the holiness of love. And since, as has been stated, it is not a fear of hell and damnation, it exists with those who abide in the good of faith, less so with those who abide in the good of love, that is, who abide in the Lord. Therefore,

[14] V Fearing also means distrusting, or having no faith and love.

As in Isaiah,

Thus said your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, Do not fear, for I have redeemed you, and have called you by your name; you are Mine. Isaiah 43:1, 5; 44:8

In Luke,

The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, to grant us, that without fear we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him, in holiness and righteousness before Him. Luke 1:73-75.

In the same gospel,

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:32.

In Mark,

Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, Do not fear, only believe. Mark 5:36; Luke 8:49-50.

In the same gospel,

Jesus said, Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith? Mark 4:40.

In Luke,

The hairs of your head are numbered. Do not fear, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:7.

In all these places 'fearing' means distrusting or having no faith and love.

Footnotes: