1413. The symbolism of to the land that I show you as spiritual and heavenly traits that would be presented to view is established by the symbolism of the land (§§662, 1066). 1 Here it is established by the symbolism of the land of Canaan, which represents the Lord's kingdom, as can be seen from many places in the Word. 2 This is why the land of Canaan is called the Holy Land, and the heavenly Canaan. 3 Because it represented the Lord's kingdom, it also represented and symbolized spiritual and heavenly qualities of the Lord's kingdom and, here, of the Lord himself.
Footnotes:
1. Sections 662, 1066 speak of "land" as symbolizing the area where the church existed. [LHC]
2. Biblical examples might be Genesis 17:7-8; 1 Chronicles 16:15-18. In Swedenborg's works there is some treatment of Canaan as representing the Lord's kingdom in §5136 and in the sections listed in subsection 3 there, as well as in §§1437, 1585, 6516. [LHC, JSR]
3. Though the Bible contains several mentions of land that is holy (for example, Zechariah 2:12), the reference here is to contemporary use rather than to biblical passages. Likewise in the case of "the heavenly Canaan," which is a very common phrase in Christian literature, though it is not found in the Bible. Compare New Jerusalem 5, where referring to heaven with this expression is said to be a "common practice in the church." [SS]
