9372. And He said unto Moses. That this signifies that which concerns the Word in general, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being the Word (of which below); and from the signification of “He said,” as involving those things which follow in this chapter, thus those which concern the Word (see n. 9370). (That Moses represents the Word, can be seen from what has been often shown before about Moses, as from the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 4859, 5922, 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 8601, 8760, 8787, 8805.) Here Moses represents the Word in general, because it is said of him in what follows, that he alone should come near unto Jehovah (verse 2); and also that, being called unto out of the midst of the cloud, he entered into it, and went up the mount (verses 16-18).

[2] In the Word there are many who represent the Lord in respect to truth Divine, or in respect to the Word; but chief among them are Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist. That Moses does so, can be seen in the explications just cited above; that so do Elijah and Elisha, can be seen in the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 2762, 5247; and that John the Baptist does so is evident from the fact that he was “Elias who was to come.” He who does not know that John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, cannot know what all those things infold and signify which are said about him in the New Testament; and therefore in order that this secret may stand open, and that at the same time it may appear that Elias, and also Moses, who were seen when the Lord was transfigured, signified the Word, some things may here be quoted which are spoken about John the Baptist; as in Matthew:

After the messengers of John had departed, Jesus began to speak concerning John, saying, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? a reed shaken by the wind? But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft things are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, even more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, Behold I send Mine angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee. Verily I say unto you, Among those who are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist; nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he. All the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye are willing to believe, he is Elias who was to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:7-15; and also Luke 7:24-28).

No one can know how these things are to be understood, unless he knows that this John represented the Lord as to the Word, and unless he also knows from the internal sense what is signified by “the wilderness” in which he was, also what by “a reed shaken by the wind,” and likewise by “soft raiment in kings’ houses;” and further what is signified by his being “more than a prophet,” and by “none among those who are born of women being greater than he, and nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he,” and lastly by his being “Elias.” For without a deeper sense, all these words are uttered merely from some comparison, and not from anything of weight.

[3] But it is very different when by John is understood the Lord as to the Word, or the Word representatively. Then by “the wilderness of Judea in which John was” is signified the state in which the Word was at the time when the Lord came into the world, namely, that it was “in the wilderness,” that is, it was in obscurity so great that the Lord was not at all acknowledged, neither was anything known about His heavenly kingdom; when yet all the prophets prophesied about Him, and about His kingdom, that it was to endure forever. (That “a wilderness” denotes such obscurity, see n. 2708, 4736, 7313.) For this reason the Word is compared to “a reed shaken by the wind” when it is explained at pleasure; for in the internal sense “a reed” denotes truth in the ultimate, such as is the Word in the letter.

[4] That the Word in the ultimate, or in the letter, is crude and obscure in the sight of men; but that in the internal sense it is soft and shining, is signified by their “not seeing a man clothed in soft raiment, for behold those who wear soft things are in kings’ houses.” That such things are signified by these words, is plain from the signification of “raiment,” or “garments,” as being truths (n. 2132, 2576, 4545, 4763, 5248, 6914, 6918, 9093); and for this reason the angels appear clothed in garments soft and shining according to the truths from good with them (n. 5248, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216). The same is evident from the signification of “kings’ houses,” as being the abodes of the angels, and in the universal sense, the heavens; for “houses” are so called from good (n. 2233, 2234, 3128, 3652, 3720, 4622, 4982, 7836, 7891, 7996, 7997); and “kings,” from truth (n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 6148). Therefore by virtue of their reception of truth from the Lord, the angels are called “sons of the kingdom,” “sons of the king,” and also “kings.”

[5] That the Word is more than any doctrine in the world, and more than any truth in the world, is signified by “what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet;” and by, “there hath not arisen among those who are born of women a greater than John the Baptist;” for in the internal sense “a prophet” denotes doctrine (n. 2534, 7269); and “those who are born,” or are the sons, “of women” denote truths (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3704, 4257).

[6] That in the internal sense, or such as it is in heaven, the Word is in a degree above the Word in the external sense, or such as it is in the world, and such as John the Baptist taught, is signified by, “he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he;” for as perceived in heaven the Word is of wisdom so great that it transcends all human apprehension. That the prophecies about the Lord and His coming, and that the representatives of the Lord and of His kingdom, ceased when the Lord came into the world, is signified by, “all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” That the Word was represented by John, as by Elijah, is signified by his being “Elias who is to come.”

[7] The same is signified by these words in Matthew:

The disciples asked Jesus, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? He answered and said, Elias must needs first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elias hath come already, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished. Even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them. And they understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:10-13).

That “Elias hath come, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished” signifies that the Word has indeed taught them that the Lord is to come, but that still they did not wish to comprehend, interpreting it in favor of the rule of self, and thus extinguishing what is Divine in it. That they would do the same with the truth Divine itself, is signified by “even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them.” (That “the Son of man” denotes the Lord as to truth Divine, see n. 2803, 2813, 3704)

[8] From all this it is now evident what is meant by the prophecy about John in Malachi:

Behold I send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh (Malachi 4:5).

Moreover, the Word in the ultimate, or such as it is in the external form in which it appears before man in the world, is described by the “clothing” and “food” of John the Baptist, in Matthew:

John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, had His clothing of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:1, 4).

In like manner it is described by Elijah in the second book of Kings:

He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins (2 Kings 1:8).

By “clothing,” or a “garment,” when said of the Word, is signified truth Divine there in the ultimate form; by “camel’s hair” are signified memory-truths such as appear there before a man in the world; by the “leathern girdle” is signified the external bond connecting and keeping in order all the interior things; by “food” is signified spiritual nourishment from the knowledges of truth and of good out of the Word; by “locusts” are signified ultimate or most general truths; and by “wild honey” their pleasantness.

[9] That such things are signified by “clothing” and “food” has its origin in the representatives of the other life, where all appear clothed according to truths from good, and where food also is represented according to the desires of acquiring knowledge and growing wise. From this it is that “clothing,” or a “garment,” denotes truth (as may be seen from the citations above; and that “food” or “meat” denotes spiritual nourishment, n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5576, 5579, 5915, 8562, 9003; that “a girdle” denotes a bond which gathers up and holds together interior things, n. 9341; that “leather” denotes what is external, n. 3540; and thus “a leathern girdle” denotes an external bond; that “hairs” denote ultimate or most general truths, n. 3301, 5569-5573; that “a camel” denotes memory-knowledge in general, n. 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145, 4156; that “a locust” denotes nourishing truth in the extremes, n. 7643; and that “honey” denotes the pleasantness thereof, n. 5620, 6857, 8056). It is called “wild honey,” or “honey of the field,” because by “a field” is signified the church (n. 2971, 3317, 3766, 7502, 7571, 9139, 9295). He who does not know that such things are signified, cannot possibly know why Elijah and John were so clothed. And yet that these things signified something peculiar to these prophets, can be thought by everyone who thinks well about the Word.

[10] Because John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, therefore also when he spoke of the Lord, who was the Word itself, he said of himself that he was “not Elias, nor the prophet,” and that he was “not worthy to loose the latchet of the Lord’s shoe,” as in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The Jews from Jerusalem, priests and Levites, asked John who he was. And he confessed, and denied not, I am not the Christ. Therefore they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? But he said, I am not. Art thou the prophet? He answered, No. They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet. They said therefore, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? He answered, I baptize with water; in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not; He it is who is to come after me, who was before me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose. When he saw Jesus, he said, Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a man who was before me; for he was before me (John 1:1, 14, 19-30).

From these words it is plain that when John spoke about the Lord Himself, who was Truth Divine itself, or the Word, he said that he himself was not anything, because the shadow disappears when the light itself appears, that is, the representative disappears when the original itself makes its appearance. (That the representatives had in view holy things, and the Lord Himself, and not at all the person that represented, see n. 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4307, 4444, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806.) One who does not know that representatives vanish like shadows at the presence of light, cannot know why John denied that he was Elias and the prophet.

[11] From all this it can now be seen what is signified by Moses and Elias, who were seen in glory, and who spoke with the Lord when transfigured, of His departure which He should accomplish at Jerusalem (Luke 9:29-31); namely, that they signified the Word (“Moses” the historic Word, and “Elias” the prophetic Word), which in the internal sense throughout treats of the Lord, of His coming into the world, and of His departure out of the world; and therefore it is said that “Moses and Elias were seen in glory,” for “glory” denotes the internal sense of the Word, and the “cloud” its external sense (see the preface to Genesis 18, and n. 5922, 8427).

1100. And a hold of every unclean and hateful bird.- That this signifies where there is nothing but falsities, from the falsified truths of the Word, is evident from the signification of a hold, as denoting where the falsifiers are, thus hell, as stated above; and from the signification of every unclean and hateful bird, as denoting falsities from the falsified truths of the Word. For birds signify rational and intellectual things, thoughts, ideas, and reasonings, thus truths or falsities; and unclean signifies that which proceeds from an impure love, and especially from the love of ruling, since this is the cause of uncleanness in hell. By hateful is signified that which springs from a false principle, thus from a religious principle confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word falsified.

[2] That birds signify those things, both spiritual and infernal, that belong to man's thought - that is, both truths and falsities; for these pertain to thought - is a result of correspondence. That this is the case is evident from the birds that are seen in the spiritual world, where all those things that appear before the eyes, and before the rest of the senses, are correspondences. There animals of the earth of every kind appear, and also both beautiful and unbeautiful birds of the heaven; and the appearance of these is from the affections and thoughts of the angels or spirits - the animals from their affections, and fowls from their thoughts. All who are there know that they are correspondences, and they know to what affections and thoughts they correspond. That they are correspondences of affections and thoughts is manifestly evident, for when a spirit or angel goes away, or ceases to think of these things, they instantly vanish. Since birds are correspondences of both rational and non-rational thoughts, thus both of truths and falsities, therefore they signify these in the Word, for all things of the Word are correspondences.

That birds signify both rational and spiritual thoughts from truths is evident from the following passages.

In David:

"Let them praise the name of Jehovah, the wild beast, and every beast, creeping thing, and bird of wing" (Psalm 148:5-10).

That wild beast (fera) and beast (bestia) signify the affections of the natural man, both those for truth and those for good, and, in the opposite sense, the lusts (cupiditates) of falsity and evil, may be seen above (n. 552, 650, 781). By bird of wing, therefore, are signified thoughts. And for this reason it is said that they shall praise Jehovah, for it is man who, from his affections and thoughts, that is from goods and truths, must offer praise.

[3] In Hosea:

"I will make for them a covenant in that day with the wild beast (fera) of the field, and with the bird of the heavens, and the creeping thing of the earth; and the bow, and the sword, and war, will I break off from the earth" (2:18).

The subject here is the Lord's coming, and the state of heaven and of the Church from Him. In that day means the Lord's coming; the covenant which He will then make means conjunction with those who believe in Him. The wild beast of the field and the bird of heaven cannot therefore signify wild beasts and birds, but those things to which they correspond, which are affections for good and truth, and thoughts therefrom. The bow, the sword, and war shall be broken from off the earth signifies that then there shall be no infestation from falsities and evils from hell.

[4] In David:

"Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands, thou hast put all things under his feet, the flock and the herd, and also the beasts of the fields, the bird of heaven, and the fishes of the sea" (Psalm 8:6, 7, 8).

This treats of the Lord, of whom it is said here that He shall have dominion over all the works of the hands of Jehovah, which do not mean earthly things, such as flocks, herds, beasts, birds, and fishes. For what would these things be in regard to His dominion in the heavens, and from the heavens over men on earth, whom He will lead to eternal life? The spiritual things of the Church, therefore, are here meant. The flock signifies in general all spiritual things in man, the herd all the natural things in him, which correspond to spiritual things. The beasts of the fields signify the affections for good in the natural man, which pertain to the Church, for a field signifies the Church. The birds of heaven signify the thoughts of the rational man, and the fishes of the sea scientifics.

[5] In Ezekiel:

"I will take of the shoot of a lofty cedar, in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it, that it may lift up the branch and bear fruit, and spread out into a magnificent cedar, that under it may dwell every bird of every wing; in the shades of its branches shall they dwell" (17:22, 23).

These words describe the establishment of a new church by the Lord. The establishment afresh or from its first beginning is meant by the shoot of the lofty cedar, the cedar here, as in other passages of the Word, denoting the spiritual-rational church, such as the church was among the ancients after the flood. By planting the shoot in the mountain of the height of Israel is signified in spiritual good, which is the good of charity; this good is signified by the mountain of the height of Israel. By spreading out into a magnificent cedar is signified the full establishment of that church; that under it may dwell every bird of every wing, signifies that there shall be rational truths of every kind; these terminated in natural truths are signified by dwelling in the shade of its branches, for they cover and guard rational truths, which are from a spiritual origin.

[6] In the same:

"Ashur is a cedar in Lebanon," which "was of high stature; all the birds of the heavens made their nests in his branches, and under his branches every beast of the field brought forth; and in his shade dwelt all great nations" (31:5, 6).

The cedar here similarly signifies the spiritual-rational church, for Ashur signifies the Rational. Since the cedar signifies the church, it follows that the birds of the heavens which made their nests in its branches, and the beasts of the field which brought forth under them, mean rational thoughts concerning the truths of the church, and their affections. Because these things are signified, therefore, it is also said in his shadow dwelt all great nations.

[7] In Daniel:

Nebuchadnezzar in a dream saw "a tree in the midst of the earth, the height thereof was great; and it grew and became strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof unto the end of the earth; the leaf thereof was fair, and the flower thereof much, and in it was food for all; under it the beast of the field had shadow, and in its branches dwelt the birds of heaven, and all flesh was nourished from it. But a watcher and holy one came down from heaven, crying aloud, Hew down the tree, and cut off its branches, shake off the leaf, scatter the flower, let the beast flee away from under it, and the birds from its branches" (4:10-14, 20, 21).

The tree here also signifies the church called Babylon, in its beginning and progress, and then the church in the knowledges of truth and good. Its beginning and progress is described by its becoming great and strong, the leaf thereof being fair, and the flower thereof much, and by there being food in it for all. The affections for good and the thoughts of truth are signified by the beast of the field that had shadow under it, and the birds that dwelt in its branches. That it had assumed dominion over the holy things of the church and of heaven, is meant by the watcher and holy one coming down from heaven, and crying aloud, Hew down the tree, and cut off its branches. That beast and bird there signify affections and thoughts is evident from this, that when the tree was cut down it was also said "let the beast flee away from under it, and the birds from its branches."

[8] Similar things are signified by the birds (aves) of heaven in the Evangelists: Jesus said,

"The kingdom of the heavens is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, and it became a tree, so that the fowls (volatilia) of heaven came and built nests in the branches thereof" (Matthew 13:31, 32; Mark 4:31, 32; Luke 13:19).

The tree from a grain of mustard seed signifies the man of the church, and also a church beginning from a little spiritual good by means of truth. For if only a very small amount of spiritual good takes root in man, it will grow like a seed in good ground. And because a tree therefore signifies the man of the church, it follows that the fowls of heaven, which make nests in its branches, signify knowledges (cognitiones) of truth, and thoughts therefrom. That this is not a bare comparison any one may see; for of what use would be so many similar passages both in the Word and in the prophets?

[9] So also in David:

Jehovah, "who sendeth out the springs into the rivers; let them go between the mountains; they give drink to every wild beast of the fields; the wild asses quench their thirst, near them the bird of the heavens dwelleth, from among the boughs they utter their voices. The trees of Jehovah are saturated, the cedars of Lebanon which he hath planted, where the birds make their nests; the stork, whose house is in the fir trees" (Psalm 104:10-12, 16, 17).

Such things as these also would never have been said in the Divine Word, unless each of them involved correspondences of spiritual and celestial, and therefore of holy things. For what other purpose could there be in saying of rivers from springs, that they go between the mountains, and give drink to every wild beast of the field, that the wild asses quench their thirst, that the bird of the heavens dwelleth near them, and uttereth its voice among the boughs; and the stork [whose house is] in the fir trees? But when by springs are understood the truths of the Word, by rivers intelligence therefrom, by mountains the goods of love, by the wild beast of the fields the affections for truth, by wild asses the Rational, and by the birds of the heavens thoughts from Divine truths, then is the holy Word Divine, otherwise it would be merely human.

[10] In Job:

"Ask, I pray, the beasts, and they shall teach thee, or the birds of heaven, and they shall tell thee, and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee; who doth not know from all these, that the hand of Jehovah doeth it" (12:7, 8, 9).

That beasts, the birds of heaven, and the fishes of the sea, do not mean beasts, birds, and fishes, is evident, for these cannot be asked questions, nor teach, tell, and relate, that the hand of Jehovah doeth it. But they signify man as to those things which belong to his intelligence. Beasts mean his affections, the birds of heaven his thoughts, the fishes of the sea knowledges (cognitiones) and scientifics (scientifica). A man from these many teach that the hand of Jehovah doeth it. If he, as to those things that belong to his intelligence, were not signified by beasts, birds, and fishes, it could not be said "who doth not know from all these."

[11] In Ezekiel:

"Son of man, say to the bird of every wing, and to every wild beast of the field, Gather yourselves together and come, gather yourselves from round about to the great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel; and I will give my glory among the nations" (39:17, 21).

The establishment of the church among the nations is here described, and the invitation and gathering together to it, for it is said, "So I will give my glory among the nations." Therefore the bird of every wing and every wild beast of the field, signify all those who are in the affection for good, and in the understanding of truth.

[12] Similarly in the Apocalypse:

An angel standing in the sun "cried out with a great voice, saying to all the birds flying in the midst of heaven, Come, and gather yourselves together to the supper of the great God" (19:17);

here birds flying in the midst of heaven cannot mean birds, but men who are rational and spiritual; for they are invited to the supper of the great God.

[13] In Jeremiah:

"I saw the mountains, and behold they are moved, and all the hills are overturned; I saw when behold there was not a man, and all the birds of the heaven were fled; I saw when Carmel was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were desolated" (4:24, 25, 26).

These things are said concerning the devastation of the church in regard to all its good and truth. Mountains and valleys signify celestial and spiritual loves; and by being moved and overturned is signified to perish. For in the spiritual world, when celestial or spiritual love no longer exists with spirits there, the mountains and hills upon which they dwelt are actually moved and overturned. All the birds have fled signifies that there was no longer any knowledge (scientia), and consequent thought of truth. That there was no man, signifies no understanding of truth. Carmel a wilderness signifies the church without good and truth; and by the cities being desolate is signified that there were no longer any doctrinals of truth.

[14] In the same:

The habitations "are vastated, that there is not a man passing through, neither do they hear the voice of cattle; from the bird of the heavens even to the beast they are fled, they are gone, because I will make Jerusalem heaps, a habitation of dragons" (9:10, 11; 12:9).

Here also the devastation of the church is treated of. The habitations which are vastated so that there is not a man passing through, signify the doctrinals of the church from the Word, where there is now nothing good and true. The voice of cattle, which they do not hear, signifies that there was not any good of charity or truth of faith. That the birds of the heavens even to the beasts are fled, they are gone, signifies that there is no longer any thought of truth from the cognition of it, nor any affection for good. That the flying away of the birds of the heaven and the departure of the beasts of the earth are not here meant, but the vastation of the church as to doctrine, is evident, for it is added, "I will make Jerusalem into heaps, a habitation of dragons." Jerusalem signifies the church as to doctrine, and by making it into heaps, and into a habitation of dragons, is signified its devastation.

[15] In Hosea:

"No truth, and no mercy, and no knowledge of God in the earth; therefore the earth shall mourn; as to the wild beast of the field, and as to the bird of the heavens, and also the fishes of the sea, they shall be gathered together" (Hosea 4:1-3).

That the wild beasts of the field, the bird of the heavens, and the fishes of the sea, signify similar things as above, is evident, the subject treated of here being the devastation of the church, for it is said, no truth, no mercy, and no knowledge of God in the earth (terra); and by the earth is signified the church.

[16] In Zephaniah:

"I will consume man and beast, I will consume the bird of the heavens and the fishes of the sea; I will cut off man from the faces of the earth" (1:3).

To consume man and beast, signifies to destroy spiritual and natural affection. To consume the birds of the heavens and the fishes of the sea, signifies to destroy the perceptions and the cognitions of truth. Because such things as belong to the church are signified by these, it is therefore said, I will cut off man from the faces of the earth, for by man is signified the all of the Church.

[17] In David:

God said, "I know every bird of the mountains, and the wild beast of my fields with me" (50:11).

In Ezekiel:

"There shall be a great earthquake over the land of Israel, and the fish of the sea shall tremble before me, and the bird of the heavens, and the wild beast of the field, and every creeping thing creeping upon the earth, and every man who is upon the faces of the earth" (38:19, 20).

Things similar to those above are signified by the bird of the heavens and the wild beast of the field; an earthquake signifies a change of the state of the church.

[18] In Isaiah:

"Wo to the land shadowed with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Cush; the bird of the mountains and the beasts of the earth shall be left, but the bird shall loathe it, and every beast of the earth shall despise it" (18:1, 6).

The subject here is the establishment of the church among the gentiles, and the devastation of the Jewish church; therefore the bird and the beast of the earth signify knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and affections for good.

[19] In the same:

"I am God, and there is no God else, and none as I, calling the bird from the east (ortu), the man of counsel from a land of far distance" (46:9, 11).

The bird which shall be called from the east, signifies the truth of the Word, which being from the good of love, is said to be from the east, the east (ortu) denoting the good of love. What else can be meant by the statement that God will call a bird from the east, and a man of counsel from a land of far distance? The man of counsel denotes a man who is intelligent from those truths, that are from the good of love.

[20] In Hosea:

"Ephraim, as a bird shall his glory fly away, from the birth, and from the belly, and from conception" (Hosea 9:11).

In the same:

"I will not return to destroy Ephraim; they shall go after Jehovah, with honour shall they come as a bird from Egypt, and as a dove from the land of Assyria" (11:9, 10).

Ephraim signifies the understanding of the truths of the church; a comparison is thereof made with a bird, and it is said, as a bird shall his glory fly away. A comparison is made with a bird also in Hosea (7:12); for everything pertaining to the understanding, whether scientific (scientificum), cogitative (cogitativum), or rational, is signified by bird, and everything delightful or pleasurable, that is, that which belongs to the will and affection, is signified by beast and wild beast. The bird from Egypt signifies the Scientific, which belongs to the natural man, and the dove from Assyria the Rational; for Egypt signifies the Scientific, and Assyria the Rational. The subject treated of in this place is the church to be established by the Lord.

[21] As most things of the Word have also an opposite sense, so also have birds, and in that sense they signify both fallacies from the sensual man, and reasonings from falsities against truths, and also falsities themselves, worse and more deadly according to the genera and species of unclean birds. Falsities destructive of truths are specially signified by rapacious birds. In many passages in the Word it is said that "they shall be given for food to the birds and wild beasts," and by this is signified to perish utterly by fallacies, falsities, and reasonings therefrom, also by lusts of evil, and in general by evils and falsities from hell. This is signified by being given for food to the birds of heaven and the beasts of the earth in the following passages.

In Jeremiah:

"The carcase of this people shall be for food to the bird of the heavens, none shall frighten them away" (7:33).

In the same:

"I will visit upon you in four kinds, with the sword to kill, with dogs to drag about, with the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy" (15:3).

Again:

"By sword and famine shall they be consumed, that their carcase may become food for the birds of the heavens and the beast of the earth" (16:4; 19:7; 34:20).

In Ezekiel:

"Upon the faces of the field shalt thou fall, thou shalt not be brought together nor gathered; to the wild beast of the earth, and to the bird of heaven have I given thee for food" (29:5).

Again:

"Upon the mountains of Israel thou shalt fall, to the bird of the heavens of every wing, and to the wild beast of the field, have I given thee for food" (39:4).

These things are said of Gog.

In David:

"The nations have come into thine heritage, they have polluted the temple of thy holiness, they have laid Jerusalem in heaps, the dead body of thy servants have they given for food to the bird of the heavens, the flesh of thy saints to the wild beast of the earth" (Psalm 79:1, 2).

[22] Because such things were signified by the birds of the heavens and the wild beasts of the earth, and because the nations of the land of Canaan signified the evils and the falsities of the church, therefore it was customary for the Jewish nation to expose the dead bodies of their enemies whom they had slain in battle to the wild beasts and birds, by which they were devoured. Consequently it was formerly, and is at this day, regarded as a horrible and profane thing to leave dead men unburied upon the face of the earth even after battle. This also is signified in the Word by such words as "they should not be buried," and "their bones should be drawn out of the sepulchres and cast forth." Infernal falsities are also signified by the birds which came down upon the carcases, which Abram drove away (Genesis 15:11), also by the birds in the Apocalypse (19:21); and also by the birds which devoured the seed that was sown upon the hard way (Matthew 13:3, 4; Mark 4:4; Luke 8:5).

In Daniel:

"In the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease. At length upon the bird of abominations desolation, and even unto the consummation and decision, it shall drop upon the devastation" (9:27).

This treats of the total devastation of the Jewish church that was in existence when the Lord was born. Its devastation by dreadful falsities is signified by the bird of abominations; that falsity is here meant by bird is clear. It must be understood that there are many kinds of falsities, and that these were individually signified by each class of birds enumerated in Moses (Leviticus 11:13 and following verses; and Deuteronomy 14:11-20), and mentioned in various parts of the Word, as the eagle, the kite, the woodpecker, the raven, the screech owl, the cormorant, the heron, the owl, the long-horned owl and the dragon, and others.

[23] Continuation concerning the Athanasian Creed.- There is thought of light concerning God and Divine things, which, in heaven, are called celestial and spiritual, in the world, ecclesiastical and theological; and there is thought not of light concerning them. Thought not of light is that which those possess who know those things but do not understand them. Such are all those who, at the present day, are willing to have the understanding kept in obedience to faith, and hold that what cannot be understood ought to be believed, declaring that intellectual faith is not true faith; but these have no genuine affection for truth from what is interior, and they are, therefore, in no illustration, while many of them are proud of their own intelligence, and are in the love of domineering over the souls of men by means of the holy things of the church. They do not understand that truth desires to be in the light, since the light of heaven is Divine Truth, and that the truly human understanding is affected by that light, and sees from it. If it did not see, it would be the memory and not the man that would have faith, and such faith, not having any idea from the light of truth, is blind, for the understanding is the man, and the memory is introductory.

If that which cannot be understood is to be believed, a man might be taught like a parrot to say and remember even that there is sanctity in the bones of the dead and in sepulchres, that dead bodies work miracles, that a man will be tormented in purgatory if he does not consecrate his wealth to idols or monasteries, that men are gods, because heaven and hell are in their power, not to mention other similar points of faith, which a man must believe from a blind faith and from a closed understanding, and thus from the extinguished light of both. But be it known, that all the truths of the Word, which are the truths of heaven and of the church, may be seen by the understanding, in heaven spiritually, in the world rationally. For the truly human understanding is the very sight itself of those things, it being separated from what is material, and when separated, it sees truths as clearly as the eye sees objects; it sees truths according to its love for them, for according to its love for them it is illustrated. The angels have wisdom because they see truths; therefore, when any angel is told that this or that is to be believed although it is not understood, the angel replies, "Do you suppose me to be insane, or that you yourself are a god whom I am bound to believe if I do not see? It may be some falsity from hell."

3881. Therefore she called his name Judah. That this signifies his quality, is evident from the signification of “name,” and of “calling a name,” as being quality (n. 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 2724, 3006, 3421). The quality itself is contained in the internal sense of the words that Leah spoke: “This time I will confess Jehovah,” concerning which just above (n. 3880), namely, that in the supreme sense it is the Lord and the Divine of His love; in the internal sense, the Word and also the Lord’s celestial kingdom; and in the exterior sense, the doctrine from the Word which is of the celestial church. That these things are signified in the Word by “Judah,” wherever the name occurs, scarcely anyone as yet knows, because the histories of the Word are believed to be merely historical; and the prophecies to be of the things that have been consigned to oblivion, except some from which doctrinal tenets may be drawn. That there is a spiritual sense in them is not believed, because at this day it is not known what the spiritual sense of the Word is, nor even what that which is spiritual is. The principal reason of this is that men live a natural life, and the natural life is such that when it is regarded as the end, or is loved above all other things, it obliterates both knowledges and faith; insomuch that when spiritual life and a spiritual sense are mentioned, it is as though a kind of nonentity were spoken of, or something unpleasant and sad, that excites loathing, because it is in disagreement with the natural life. As this is now the state of the human race, they do not apprehend, nor are they willing to apprehend that anything else is meant by the names in the Word than the things themselves which are named; such as nations, peoples, persons, countries, cities, mountains, rivers; when yet in the spiritual sense names signify actual things.

[2] That in the internal sense “Judah” signifies the Lord’s celestial church; in the universal sense His celestial kingdom; and in the supreme sense the Lord Himself, may be seen from many passages in the Old Testament where “Judah” is mentioned; as from the following.

In Moses:

Thou art Judah; thy brethren shall praise thee; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s sons shall bow down themselves to thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey my son thou art gone up; he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a law-giver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall be the gathering together of the peoples. Binding his ass’s foal unto the vine, and the son of his she-ass unto the choice vine, he shall wash his garment in wine, and his vesture in the blood of grapes. his eyes are red with wine, and his teeth white with milk (Genesis 49:8-12).

[3] This prophetic utterance of Jacob (then Israel) concerning Judah, cannot be understood by anyone-not even a single word of it-except from the internal sense; as for instance what is meant by “his brethren praising him”; and by “his father’s sons bowing down themselves to him”; by “his going up from the prey like a lion’s whelp, and stooping and couching as a lion”; or what by “Shiloh”; by “binding his ass’s foal to a vine, and the son of his she-ass to a choice vine”; by “washing his garment in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes”; by “his eyes being red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.” As before said these expressions cannot possibly be understood by anyone except from the internal sense, when yet all and each of them signify celestial things of the Lord’s kingdom, and Divine things; and thereby it is predicted that the Lord’s celestial kingdom, and in the supreme sense the Lord Himself, should be represented by Judah. But concerning all these expressions, of the Lord’s Divine mercy more shall be said in the explication of that chapter.

[4] The case is the same in other parts of the Word, especially in the Prophets, where mention is made of Judah; as in Ezekiel:

Thou 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 of all the house of Israel his companions; and join them for thee one to another into one stick, and they shall become one in My hand. I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all. My servant David shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd; and they shall walk in My judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers dwelt; they and their sons shall dwell upon it, and their sons’ sons even forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever. And I will establish with them a covenant of peace it shall be to them an everlasting covenant. I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in the midst of them forevermore. Thus shall My habitation be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people (Ezekiel 37:15-28).

Whoever supposes that by “Judah” is here meant Judah; by “Israel,” Israel; by “Joseph,” Joseph; by “Ephraim,” Ephraim; and by “David,” David; will believe that all these things are to come to pass as they are described in the sense of the letter-that Israel will be again consociated with Judah, as well as the tribe of Ephraim; likewise that David will rule over them, and that they will thus dwell upon the land given unto Jacob forever; and that an everlasting covenant will in this case be established with them, and a sanctuary in the midst of them forevermore; when in the internal sense the Jewish nation is not meant at all; but the Lord’s celestial kingdom which is “Judah,” and His spiritual kingdom which is “Israel,” and the Lord Himself who is “David.” From this it is very plain that by names are not meant persons, but things celestial and Divine.

[5] The case is similar in regard to the following words in Zechariah:

Many peoples and numerous nations shall come to seek Jehovah Zebaoth. In those days ten men shall take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of a man of Judah, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you (Zech. 8:22-23).

They who apprehend these words according to the letter will say (as the Jewish nation to this day believes) that as this prophecy has not yet been fulfilled, it will be; and therefore that the Jews will return to the land of Canaan, and many will follow them out of all the languages of the nations, and will lay hold of the skirt of a man of Judah, and will pray for leave to follow them; and that then God (namely, the Messiah, whom Christians call the Lord) will be with them, to whom they must first be converted. This would be the promise of the words if by a “man of Judah” there were meant a Jew. But the subject here treated of in the internal sense is a new spiritual church among the Gentiles; and by a “man of Judah” is signified the saving faith which comes from love to the Lord.

[6] That by “Judah” is not meant Judah; but, as already said, in the internal sense the Lord’s celestial kingdom, which was represented in the church instituted with Judah or the Jews, may also be clearly seen from the following passages:

The Lord shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four wings of the earth. Then shall the envy of Ephraim depart, and the enemies of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim (Isaiah 11:12-13).

And in Jeremiah:

Behold the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will raise up unto David a righteous branch, who shall reign as a king, and shall prosper, and shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.

In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell securely; and this is His name whereby they shall call Him, Jehovah our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:5-6).

And in Joel:

Then ye shall know that I am Jehovah your God, dwelling in Zion, the mountain of My holiness; and Jerusalem shall be holiness. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah shall flow with waters; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of Jehovah, and shall water the stream of Shittim. Judah shall abide forever, and Jerusalem to generation and generation (Joel 3:17-18, 20).

[7] And in Zechariah:

In that day I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness; and I will open Mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the peoples with blindness. And the chieftains of Judah shall say in their heart, I will strengthen to myself the inhabitants of Jerusalem in Jehovah Zebaoth their God. In that day will I make the chieftains of Judah like a hearth of fire in the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the peoples round about on the right hand and on the left; and Jerusalem shall yet again be inhabited in her own place, even in Jerusalem; and Jehovah shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David, and the glory of the inhabitant of Jerusalem, may not lift itself up above Judah. In that day will Jehovah defend the inhabitant of Jerusalem. And the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of Jehovah before them. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitant of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace (Zech. 12:4-10).

The subject here treated of is the Lord’s celestial kingdom-that truth should not have dominion therein over good, but that truth should be subordinate to good. Truth is signified by the “house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem;” and good by “Judah.” From this it is manifest why it is first said that “the glory of the house of David, and the glory of the inhabitant of Jerusalem, may not lift itself up above Judah;” and next, that “the house of David shall be as God, and as the angel of Jehovah, and that the spirit of grace shall be poured upon it, and upon the inhabitant of Jerusalem;” for such is the state when truth is subordinate to good, or faith to love. The “horse which shall be smitten with astonishment, and the horse of the peoples with blindness” signifies self-intelligence (n. 2761-2762, 3217).

[8] Again:

In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness to Jehovah; and the pots in the house of Jehovah shall be like the bowls before the altar; and every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness to Jehovah Zebaoth (Zech. 14:20-21);

describing the Lord’s kingdom.

In Malachi:

Behold I send My angel who shall prepare the way before Me; and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Angel of the covenant whom ye desire; behold He cometh but who may abide the day of His coming? Then shall the meat-offering of Judah and of Jerusalem be pleasant unto Jehovah, as in the days of old, and as in former years (Malachi 3:1-2, 4 (Malachi 3:4)); where the subject treated of is manifestly the Lord’s advent. It is known that the meat-offering of Judah and Jerusalem was not then pleasant; but that worship from love was pleasant, which is the “meat-offering of Judah;” and worship from faith derived from love, which is the “meat-offering of Jerusalem.”

[9] In Jeremiah:

Thus saith Jehovah Zebaoth, Yet again shall they say this word in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; Jehovah bless thee, O habitation of righteousness, O mountain of holiness. And Judah and all the cities thereof shall dwell therein together. Behold the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will sow the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast. Behold the days come that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers (Jeremiah 31:23-24, 27, 31-32).

And in David:

The Lord hath chosen the tribe of Judah, the Mount Zion that He loved; and hath built His sanctuary like the heights, like the earth hath He founded it forever (Psalms 78:68-69).

[10] From these and many other passages here omitted, it may be seen what is signified in the Word by “Judah;” and that it is not the Jewish nation, because this was very far from being a celestial church, or the Lord’s celestial kingdom; being the worst of all nations in regard to love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor, and also in regard to faith; and this from the days of their first fathers, the sons of Jacob, down to the present time. (That such persons were nevertheless capable of representing the celestial and spiritual things of the Lord’s kingdom, may be seen above, n. 3479-3481, because in representations the person is not reflected upon, but only the thing that is represented, n. 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3670)

[11] But when they did not remain in the rituals ordained by Jehovah or the Lord, but turned away from them to idolatries, they then no longer represented celestial and spiritual things, but the opposite, that is, infernal and diabolical things-according to the Lord’s words in John:

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will to do; he was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth (John 8:44).

That this is signified by “Judah” in the opposite sense, may be seen from the following words in Isaiah:

Jerusalem hath stumbled, and Judah is fallen, because their tongue and their works are against Jehovah to rebel against the eyes of His glory (Isaiah 3:8).

And in Malachi:

Judah hath dealt treacherously, and abomination hath been wrought in Israel and in Jerusalem; and Judah hath profaned the holiness of Jehovah, because he hath loved and betrothed to himself the daughter of a strange god (Malachi 2:11);

and also in the following passages: Isaiah 3:1, and following verses ; 8:7-8; Jeremiah 2:28; 3:7-11; 9:26; 11:9-10, 12; 13:9; 14:2; 17:1; 18:12-13; 19:7; 32:35; 36:31; 44:12, 14, 26, 28; Hosea 5:5; 8:14; Amos 2:4-5; Zeph. 1:4.