1286. The fact that a language, [a lip, or speech] is doctrine can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Isaiah:
The seraphs shouted, "Holy, holy, holy is Jehovah Sabaoth!" The prophet said, "Alas for me! I have been cut off — since I am a man unclean of lips and am living in the middle of a people unclean of lips — because my eyes have seen the king, Jehovah Sabaoth." And one of the seraphs flew to me, touched my mouth, and said, "Look, now, this one has touched you on your lips, and your wickedness is subsiding, and your sin is being atoned for." (Isaiah 6:3, 5-6, 7)
The lips stand for our inner capacities and so for inward worship, which gives rise to reverence, a fact represented here in the prophet. As anyone can see, the touching of his lips, and the consequent subsiding of his wickedness and atonement for his sin, was a representation of deeper attributes. These attributes — which are facets of charity and of the doctrine of charity — are symbolized by the lips.
[2] In the same author:
Jehovah will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the spirit 1 of his lips he will kill the ungodly person. (Isaiah 11:4)
The inner sense contains the idea not that Jehovah will strike anyone with the rod of his mouth or kill an ungodly person with the spirit of his lips but that the ungodly do this to themselves. The spirit of the lips is doctrine, and with ungodly people the doctrine is false. In the same author:
[I am] the one who creates the produce of the lips: 2 peace; peace to one who is far off and to one who is near. And I heal that person. (Isaiah 57:19)
The produce of the lips stands for doctrine.
[3] In Ezekiel:
Child of humankind, come; go to the house of Israel, and you are to speak my words to them. Not to a people deep of speech and heavy of tongue are you sent [but] to the house of Israel; not to numerous peoples deep of speech and heavy of tongue, whose words you would not hear. If I sent you to these, would they not listen to you? And the house of Israel does not want to listen to you, because they do not want to listen to me. For the whole house of Israel has an obstinate forehead, and they are hard of heart. (Ezekiel 3:4, 5, 6, 7)
The people deep of speech stand for the surrounding nations, which had charity, even though their doctrine was wrong. As a result, they are described as listening. Those who have no charity, though, are said to have an obstinate forehead and hard heart.
[4] In Zephaniah:
I will turn toward a people of transparent speech, so that they may all call on the name of Jehovah, to serve him with a single shoulder. (Zephaniah 3:9)
The transparent speech plainly stands for doctrine. In Malachi:
The law of truth was in his mouth, and perversion was not found on his lips. For the priest's lips will protect knowledge, and people will seek the law from his mouth, since he is the angel of Jehovah Sabaoth. (Malachi 2:6-7)
This describes Levi, who represents the Lord. The lips stand for doctrine based on charity. In David:
... who say, "By our tongue we will prevail; our lips will stand by us." (Psalms 12:4)
The lips stand for falsity. In the same author:
My soul will be filled, as with grease and fat, 3 and my mouth will give praise with lips of song. (Psalms 63:5)
In Isaiah:
On that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt speaking the language of Canaan and swearing to Jehovah Sabaoth. (Isaiah 19:18)
A language stands for doctrine.
Footnotes:
1. The Latin word for "spirit" here (spiritus) has to do with breath, as does the Hebrew word (רוּחַ [rûaḥ]) in this passage. [LHC]
2. The "produce of the lips" is figurative for thanksgiving; see Brown, Driver, and Briggs 1996, page 973 right column, under שָׂפָה (śāṕā), Strong's 8193, definition 1a. [LHC]
3. In biblical times grease and fat were highly valued and had positive connotations. See note 1 in §353. [LHC]
