1203. The fact that Heth symbolizes a superficial knowledge of heavenly attributes follows logically. The prophets customarily link spiritual and heavenly ideas; where they speak of spiritual properties, they also speak of heavenly ones. The one set comes from the other, so a certain perfection is missing unless they are joined. A further purpose is to bring an image of the heavenly marriage into each and every part of the Word. ¹ These considerations (not to mention other illustrative passages in the Word) show that Sidon symbolizes a shallow knowledge of spiritual qualities while Heth symbolizes a shallow knowledge of heavenly ones. They symbolize this knowledge in both senses — both with and without deeper knowledge. In addition they stand simply for superficial knowledge.

Spiritual entities, as noted many times before, are aspects of faith, and heavenly entities are aspects of love. Again, spiritual traits belong to the intellect, heavenly ones to the will. ²

[2] The symbolism of Heth as shallow knowledge devoid of deeper knowledge can be seen in Ezekiel:

This is what the Lord Jehovih has said to Jerusalem: "Your trading and your birth origins belong to the land of Canaan. Your father is an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. ³ You are the daughter of your mother, who showed disgust for her man and her children; and the sister of your sisters, who showed disgust for their husbands and their children. Your mother is a Hittite and your father an Amorite." (Ezekiel 16:3, 45)

In this passage, outward worship without inward is Canaan. Showing disgust for their husbands and children is spurning things that are good and true, which is why their mother is called a Hittite.

Heth in the Word is also taken to stand for a relatively superficial knowledge of heavenly attributes in a good sense. Almost all the names of lands, cities, nations, and individuals do have a good sense, for the reason given earlier [§1151:1]. This symbolism of Heth will be dealt with later [§§2913, 2933, 2986:1, 6461], by the Lord's divine mercy.

Spiritual concepts are those that relate to faith and so to doctrine, but heavenly concepts relate to love and so to life.

Footnotes:

99. The inner life in people whose nature is spiritual is structured as follows: The faith they have does allow the Lord to enter into the things they understand, the things they grasp rationally, and the things they know. But since the more superficial levels of their mind are in conflict with the deeper levels, it does not seem as though their intelligence comes from the Lord. It appears to come from themselves and to be a product of their factual information and rational processes.

For people whose character is heavenly, on the other hand, the inner life is patterned in such a way that the Lord enters into their understanding, reason, and knowledge by way of love and the convictions of love. And since they are free of conflict, they can see that this is so.

The structure that so far has stood upside down in the spiritual person, then, returns to its proper position in the heavenly person. The heavenly structure, or the heavenly person, is called the garden on the east in Eden.

The garden planted by Jehovah God on the east in Eden is, in the highest sense, the Lord himself.

In the [next] deepest sense (which is also the universal sense), the garden is the Lord's kingdom or heaven, where we are put when we become heavenly. At that stage we keep company with angels in heaven and almost come to be one of them. (We were, in fact, created to be in heaven while at the same time living on earth.) All our thoughts then lie open, as do all the individual ideas that make up our thoughts, and all our words and deeds too, if these have anything heavenly or spiritual in them; and this openness extends clear to the Lord. His life, you see, is present in everyone, giving each the ability to perceive.