811.That captivity, in the Word, signifies spiritual captivity, which is to be shut out from Divine truths, that is, from the understanding of them in the Word; also destruction by falsities of evil and by evils arising from falsity, is evident from the passages in the Word where captivity is mentioned; as in the following places:

In Luke:

"They shall fall by the edge of the sword, and they shall be made captive amongst all nations; at length Jerusalem shall be trodden under foot" (21:24).

The subject of that chapter is the Consummation of the Age, by which is signified the last time of the church, when there is no longer any truth remaining. By their falling by the edge of the sword is signified the destruction of truth by falsities - sword signifying the combat of falsity against the truth, and also the destruction of truth by falsities. By being made captive amongst all nations, are signified persuasions, and obsessions therefrom, by evils of every kind. For when truths are destroyed, falsities take their place, and not only falsities but evils. All nations signify evils of every kind. By Jerusalem being trodden under foot is signified the full destruction and perversion of the doctrine of the church - Jerusalem denoting the church as to doctrine - and to be trodden under foot denoting to be altogether destroyed; this is done chiefly by falsifications and adulterations of the Word.

[2] In Ezekiel:

"They shall be made captive amongst the nations, and the altars shall be devastated, and the idols shall be broken, and the slain shall fall in the midst of you" (6:1-10).

By the altars being devastated, is signified that all worship from the good of love shall perish. By the idols being broken, is signified that all worship from the truths of that good shall also perish. And by the slain falling in the midst of them, is signified that they shall perish by falsities. To be slain by the sword has this signification.

[3] In Lamentations:

"Hear all ye people, and see ye my grief; my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity" (1:18).

This is a lamentation over the devastation of all truth in the church. The lamentation is described by, hear all ye people, and see ye my grief. That all affection of truth is destroyed, is signified by, my virgins are gone into captivity, a virgin denoting the affection of truth. And that all understanding of truth is destroyed, is signified by, my young men are gone into captivity, young men denoting the understanding of truth and intelligence.

[4] In Amos:

"If they have gone into captivity before their enemies, thence do I command the sword that it may slay them" (9:4).

If they have gone into captivity before their enemies, signifies, if they have suffered evils to take possession of them, enemies denoting evils, and to go into captivity denoting to be possessed by them. Thence do I command the sword that it may slay them, signifies that falsities will shut them out from understanding truths, and destroy them.

[5] In David:

God "forsook the habitation of Shiloh, the tent which he placed amongst men; and he delivered his strength into captivity, his gracefulness into the hand of the enemy" (Psalm 78:60, 61).

By the habitation of Shiloh is signified the church which is in the good of love, and by the tent is signified the church which is in truths of doctrine. Hence it is evident that by God forsaking the habitation of Shiloh, the tent which He placed amongst men, is signified, that the goods of love and the truths of doctrine were destroyed. By the strength which He delivered into captivity, is signified spiritual truth from celestial good; and by captivity, is signified a shutting out thereof from the understanding, and so destruction by falsities. And by the gracefulness which He delivered into the hand of the enemy, is signified natural truth from spiritual; this being signified by gracefulness, and the destruction thereof by evils being signified by delivering it into the hand of the enemy.

[6] In Ezekiel:

The prophet was commanded to depart out of the place, and to bring out the vessels of removal through the wall before their eyes, to bring them out under the darkness, and to cover his face that he might not see the earth: and say, "I am your prodigy; even as I have done, so shall it be done to them; into exile, into captivity, they shall go" (12:1-12).

The prophet by these things represented the state of the church at that time, which was, that there were no longer any truths remaining that were not destroyed by falsities. For all the prophets represented the church as to doctrine from the Word. His departing out of the place, and bringing out the vessels of removal through the wall under darkness, and covering his face that he might not see the earth, represented the rejection of all the truths of doctrine from the Word. By departing out of the place is signified rejection. By the vessels of removal are signified the truths of doctrine. By the wall, through which he brought them out, is signified the ultimate that encompasses and defends truths; and the ultimate of doctrine is the sense of the letter of the Word, which is called a wall by reason of its containing and including the spiritual sense. By the darkness under which he was to bring them out, are signified falsities. By covering his face that he might not see the earth, is signified the truths of good being no longer seen in the church. Because the prophet represented these things, therefore it is said, "As I have done, so shall it be done to them; into exile and captivity shall they go." It is therefore evident that to go into exile signifies the dispersion of truth, and that to go into captivity signifies to be taken possession of by falsities.

[7] In Habakkuk:

"I will raise up the Chaldeans, a nation going to the breadths of the earth; they shall gather the captivity as the sand; they shall mock at kings, and rulers shall be laughter to them" (1:6, 9, 10).

By the Chaldeans are signified those who destroy the truths of the church. By the breadths of the earth are signified the truths thereof. That they will destroy all truths by falsities, is signified by gathering the captivity as the sand. That they will deride and blaspheme the truths and goods of the Word, is signified by mocking at kings, and rulers being laughter to them. Kings signify the truths of the Word, and rulers the goods thereof.

[8] In Jeremiah:

Nebuchadnezzar "shall come and shall smite the land of Egypt; those who are for death to death; those who are for captivity to captivity; those who are for the sword to the sword: and I will kindle a fire in the houses of Egypt, that it may burn them, and he shall carry them away captive; at length he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment" (43:11, 12).

By Nebuchadnezzar, or by the king of Babel, in the Word, are meant those who destroy everything of the church by evils; and by the Chaldeans are meant those who destroy everything of the church by falsities. In the abstract sense, by the king of Babel are signified the evils which destroy, and by the Chaldeans their falsities. Nebuchadnezzar's coming and smiting the land of Egypt, signifies the destruction of the natural man as to all goods and truths thence from the Word.

Those who are for death to death, signifies destruction by evils. Those who are for captivity to captivity, signifies destruction by the shutting out from and deprivation of truth. Those who are for the sword to the sword, signifies destruction by falsities therefrom. By kindling a fire in the houses of Egypt to burn them, and by taking them captive, is signified that the loves of self and of the world will destroy all things of the natural man by evils, and falsities. Fire signifies those loves; the houses of Egypt signify all things of the natural man; to burn them signifies to destroy by evil loves; and to take them captive signifies to destroy by falsities thence. At length he shall array himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd putteth on his garment, signifies that the falsities of evil and the evils of falsity will occupy the whole natural man. This is compared to the garment of a shepherd, because a garment signifies truth investing good; but in this case falsity investing evil. For the natural man is as a garment to the spiritual man, for it encompasses and encloses it.

[9] In Jeremiah:

"Those who are for death to death; those who are for famine to famine; and those who are for captivity to captivity" (15:2).

By these words is described the total vastation of good and truth in the church; for in the verse preceding it is said, "If Moses and Samuel stood before me, my soul could not be towards this people; cast them out before my face, that they may go forth." Therefore those who are for death to death, signifies that those who reject goods perish by evils. Those who are for famine to famine, signifies that those who reject truths perish by falsities. Those who are for captivity to captivity, signifies that those who love evils and falsities are taken possession of by them.

[10] In Isaiah:

"As my servant Isaiah went naked and barefoot three years, so shall the king of Assyria lead the captivity of Egypt, and the multitude of Cush, to be carried away, boys and old men, naked and barefoot, even the buttocks uncovered, the nakedness of Egypt" (20:3, 4).

By the king of Assyria is signified reasoning from the scientifics of the natural man; and by Egypt is signified the natural man. Hence by the king of Assyria leading the captivity of Egypt, is signified that reasoning from falsities will destroy all truths in the natural man, such as are the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word. The rest may be seen explained above (n. 532).

[11] In Daniel:

"He shall also carry away captive into Egypt their gods with their princes, with their vessels of desire, and the silver and the gold; and he shall stop more years than the king of the north. The intelligent of the people shall instruct many, although they shall fall together by sword and flame, and captivity and depredation, [many] days" (11:8, 33).

The subject here is the war between the king of the north and the king of the south. By the king of the north is signified falsity ruling in the church; by the king of the south the truth defending the church against falsity. That still falsities will predominate in the church in the end of the days is there predicted and described. By their gods and their princes, the vessels of desire; and the gold and silver, which shall be led captive into Egypt is signified that truth protecting shall take away all the truths and goods of the church from those who are in falsities. Its spiritual truths are signified by their gods and princes, natural truths by their vessels of desire, and all truth and good in general by silver and gold. And their taking away and protection is signified by leading into captivity to Egypt. By falling by the sword and flame, is signified to perish by falsities and evils therefrom. And by captivity and depredation is signified the deprivation of all things of truth and good.

[12] In Jeremiah:

After that the prophet was delivered up to prison, he prophesied that all Judah should be transported into captivity to Babel, and should there die and be buried (20:1-6; 27:1 to end).

By that prophet, as by prophet in general, is signified the doctrine of the church from the Word. By his being delivered up to prison was represented that the like should come to pass with the church and its doctrine, which is signified by all Judah being carried away into captivity to Babel. The captivity of the tribe of Judah in Babel seventy years represented the full destruction of truth and the devastation of the church.

[13] In the same:

"The wind shall feed all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity; then shalt thou be ashamed and disgraced for all thy wickedness" (22:22).

By shepherds, in the abstract sense, are signified the goods of the church, and by lovers the truths thereof. The wind which shall feed the shepherds, signifies the hollowness and emptiness of doctrine. The captivity into which the lovers shall go, signifies a shutting out from all truths and from the understanding thereof. To be ashamed and disgraced signifies to be destitute of all good and truth; for thus, when they come amongst the angels, are they affected with shame and disgrace.

[14] In Moses:

"I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh, with the blood of the slain and captivity, with the gall of the revenges of the enemy" (Deuteronomy 32:42).

To make the arrows drunk with blood, signifies delirium of the mind from the Word falsified. The sword shall devour flesh, signifies that falsities shall destroy everything of good. With the blood of the slain and of captivity, signifies the extinction and shutting out of all truth, the slain denoting the extinction of truth by falsities, and captivity the shutting out of truth by falsities. With the gall of the revenges of the enemy, signifies with the malice and cruelty of hell, the gall of revenges denoting malice and cruelty, and the enemy denoting hell.

[15] In Isaiah:

"Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols are wild beasts and beasts, they stoop, they bow down together, and their soul shall go into captivity" (46:1, 2).

Their idols are wild beasts and beasts, signifies that their falsities are infernal falsities, and evils therefrom. They stoop, they bow down together, signifies that they fall away. Their soul shall go into captivity, signifies that they shall go into hell, where they will be shut out from all truth.

[16] In Obadiah:

"In that day aliens led his strength captive, and strangers entered his gates and cast lots upon Jerusalem" (1:11).

Spoken of Edom, by whom is signified the truth of the natural man, but in this case falsity. By the aliens who led captive his strength, are signified the falsities of the church destroying its truths, strength signifying truth, because all spiritual strength consists in truths. By the strangers who entered the gates, are signified falsities of doctrine destroying the truths by which entrance into interior truths is possible. By Jerusalem upon which they cast lots, is signified the doctrine of the church from the Word thus dissipated, to cast lots denoting to dissipate.

[17] In Jeremiah:

"Woe to thee, Moab, the people of Chemosh perisheth, for thy sons are taken into captivity, and thy daughters into captivity; yet I will bring back the captivity of Moab" (48:46, 47).

By Moab are meant those who are in natural delight, and who therefore adulterate the goods of the Word. By the people of Chemosh are meant those who are in natural truth. By sons and daughters being taken into captivity, is signified that the truths and goods of their church are shut out by falsities and evils, sons denoting truths, and daughters goods. I will bring back the captivity of Moab in the end of the days, signifies that truths shall be opened to those who are meant by Moab; and that they shall be instructed therein, the end of the days signifying the Coming of the Lord. Mention is frequently made in the Word of captives who are to be brought back, and by these are meant the Gentiles, who are called captives by reason of their being shut out from truths, which, however, shall be opened to them by the Lord.

[18] In Isaiah:

"Jehovah hath anointed me to preach glad tidings to the poor; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted; to preach liberty to the captives, and to them that are bound, to him whose eyes are holden" (61:1).

These things are said of the Lord. By the poor to whom Jehovah anointed Him to preach good tidings, are signified those who are in few truths, and yet desire them, that their soul may be thereby sustained. By the broken-hearted are signified those who are consequently in grief. By the captives to whom He should preach liberty are signified those who are shut out from truths and therefore from goods; to whom truths shall be opened, by means of which they shall be imbued with goods. By them that are bound and him whose eyes are holden, are signified those to whom it was denied to see truths; thus the Gentiles are meant, who afterwards received truths from the Lord.

[19] In the same:

"I have raised him up in justice, and all his ways will I make straight: he shall build my city, and shall let go my captivity, not for price, neither for reward" (45:13).

This also is said of the Lord. And by the justice in which Jehovah hath raised Him up, is signified the good of love; and by His ways, which He will make straight, are signified truths proceeding from good. By the city which He shall build, is signified the doctrine of the church; and by the captivity which He shall let go, is signified the opening and revelation of Divine truths among those who had been hitherto shut out from them. That the Lord will do these things freely is signified by, not for price, neither for reward.

[20] In Jeremiah:

"The children of Israel and the children of Judah are oppressed together, and all that take them captive, hold them fast, and refuse to let them go; their Redeemer is strong, striving he will strive in their dispute, and will give rest to the land" (50:33, 34).

This is also said of the Lord who is the Redeemer that is strong. By striving in their dispute, is signified visitation and judgment upon those who oppress them by falsities, and liberation thereby from them. By giving rest to the land, is signified protection from falsities. By the children of Israel and the children of Judah, who are said to be oppressed, are not meant the sons of Israel and of Judah, but the nations that are in truths and goods from the Lord; who, being detained by those who deceive them and shut out truths from them, it is said that those who take them captive hold them fast, and refuse to let them go.

[21] In David:

"Thou hast ascended upon high; thou hast led captivity captive" (Psalm 68:18).

Here also the Lord is treated of. And by leading captivity captive, is signified to liberate from falsities those who were thereby held captive.

In Isaiah:

"Shall the capture be taken from the mighty, or the captivity of the just be snatched away? For thus saith Jehovah, Even the captivity of the mighty shall be taken, and the capture of the violent shall be snatched away" (49:24, 25).

This is also spoken of the Lord, and of the bringing back the sons of Zion from captivity. But by the sons of Zion are meant those who are in love to the Lord, and thence in truths. That they were shut out from truths by those who strenuously confirmed falsities, and that nevertheless they were liberated by the Lord, is signified by, shall the capture be taken from the mighty, and shall the captivity of the just be snatched away?

[22] In David:

"Who will give out of Zion the salvation of Israel? When Jehovah bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall exult, Israel shall be glad" (Psalm 14:7; 53:6).

By Zion are here also meant those who are in the good of love from the Lord. Liberation from evils by the Lord, and salvation, are meant by, who will give out of Zion the salvation of Israel? By bringing back the captivity of His people, is meant deliverance from falsities and evils. By Jacob shall exult, Israel shall be glad, is meant joy on account of deliverance with those who are in the external and internal church. Those who belong to the external church are meant by Jacob, and those who are of the internal church by Israel; and the Gentiles are meant by both.

[23] In Jeremiah:

"Fear not, my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel; behold I keep thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of thy captivity, so that Jacob may return, and rest, and be at ease, and none shall make him afraid" (46:27; 30:10).

By Jacob and Israel here also are meant the Gentiles. By Jacob those who belong to the external church, and by Israel those who belong to the internal church. To keep them from afar off, signifies to save them, although they are far from salvation. From the land of captivity, signifies to liberate them from falsities, whereby they were shut out from the truths and goods of heaven and the church. By returning, and by resting at ease, and none shall make him afraid, is signified to be protected from falsities which are from hell.

[24] In the same:

"All that devour thee shall be devoured, and all thine adversaries, they shall also go into captivity; and they that preyed upon thee shall be for a prey; and all that plundered thee will I give for plunder. I will bring back the captivity of the tents of Jacob; and I will have mercy on his dwelling-places; the city may be built upon its own heap; and the palace inhabited after its own manner" (30:16, 18).

All that devour thee shall be devoured; all thine adversaries shall go into captivity; they that preyed upon thee shall be for a prey; and all that plundered thee will I give for plunder, signifies things similar to the words in the Apocalypse now explained, that is, if any one leads into captivity, he shall go into captivity; and if any one kills with the sword, he must be killed by the sword. What the rest signifies was explained above (n. 799).

[25] In the same:

"I shall be found of you, and I will bring back your captivity, and I will gather you out of all nations, and I will bring you back to the place whence I caused you to depart" (29:14).

By these words also is described the liberation of the Gentiles from spiritual captivity, which is a shutting out from the truths and goods of heaven and the church, whereby salvation is effected.

In Zephaniah:

"At that time I will bring you, even in time to gather you unto me; for I will give you for a name and a praise to all the people of the earth, when I bring back your captivity before your eyes" (3:20).

By these words also is meant the bringing back of the Gentiles from spiritual captivity.

In Amos:

"I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build their devastated cities, and shall sit and plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof, and they shall make gardens, and eat the fruit of them" (9:14).

This passage may be seen explained above (n. 376, 405).

[26] In Isaiah:

"Put on thy strength, O Zion; put on the garments of thy gracefulness, O Jerusalem, the city of holiness: for there shall not add to come any more into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean; shake thyself from the dust; sit, O Jerusalem; to open the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion" (52:1, 2).

By Zion is meant the church that is in the good of love to the Lord; the truth from that good being signified by the strength which Zion shall put on; and the truths of the doctrine of that church by the garments of gracefulness which Jerusalem shall put on. By the uncircumcised and the unclean who shall not add to come in any more, are signified the evils of earthly loves, and their falsities. By shaking herself from the dust, arising and sitting, when said of Jerusalem, is signified liberation from infernal falsities, and elevation to the truths of heaven. By to open the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion, is signified deliverance from a state of detention from truths through falsities, which hinder the reception of influx out of heaven. The daughter of Zion denotes those who are in the affection of truth from the good of love from the Lord. In the following verses of that chapter it is said of the children of Israel, that they went down to sojourn in Egypt, and that Assyria oppressed them; by which is signified that they were shut out from truths by reasonings from scientifics of the natural man.

[27] In the same:

"The people shall take them, and shall lead them to their place; and the house of Israel shall possess them for a heritage upon the land of Jehovah, for man servants and maid servants; so that they shall take them captive whose captives they were, and they shall rule over their exactors" (14:2).

These words also treat of the bringing back of the sons of Israel, by whom are meant the nations. That those who have shut out [others] from truths, and deceived by means of falsities, are also shut out from truths and deceived by means of falsities, is signified by, they shall take them captive whose captives they were, and they shall rule over their exactors.

[28] In Hosea:

"In the house of Israel I have seen a foul thing; there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is polluted; and, O Judah, he hath set a harvest for thee, when I shall bring back the captivity of my people" (6:10, 11).

These things are said of the state of the church among the Jews about the time of the Lord's Advent. The whoredom of Ephraim, which is the foul thing in the house of Israel, signifies the falsification of the Word, whoredom denoting falsification, and Ephraim the understanding of the Word. Israel is polluted, and, O Judah, he hath set a harvest for thee, signifies that the church was in absolute falsities, and that they applied the Word to confirm them. By Judah is signified the Word, and by harvest, the abundance of such things there which they applied. That this would be the state of the Jewish Church when truths should be opened before the Gentiles, who should thereby be delivered from falsities, is signified by, when I shall bring back the captivity of my people.

[29] Similar things are signified in the historical parts of the Word by the captivities of the sons of Israel by various enemies, and by their deliverances; as,

That they were forced to serve Kushan, king of Syria, and were liberated by Othniel (Judges 3).

That they served Eglon, king of Moab, and were liberated by Ehud (Judges 3).

That they were delivered to Jabin, king of Canaan, and liberated by Deborah (Judges 4).

That they were delivered up to the Midianites, and liberated by Gideon (Judges 6).

That they were delivered up to the Philistines and Ammonites, and liberated by Jephthah (Judges 10; 11).

[30] Similar things were signified,

By the captivity of the Jews, seventy years, in Babel (2 Kings 25).

For the historical parts of the Word are all representative of such things as pertain to the church, and the expressions by which the historical circumstances are described are all significative.

Similar things are also signified in the Word by them that are bound, as in the following passages:

"They shall be gathered together, they who are bound in a pit, and they shall be shut up in a prison; but after a multitude of days they shall be visited" (Isaiah 24:22).

"By the blood of thy covenant I will send forth the bound out of the pit in which there is no water" (Zech. 9:11).

"The sighing of the bound shall come before thee" (Psalm 79:11).

"He made the world a wilderness and destroyed their cities, he opened not the house for his bound ones" (Isaiah 14:17).

"To open the blind eyes, to bring the bound out of prison, them that sit in darkness out of the prison house" (Isaiah 42:7).

The King said, "I was in prison, and ye came not unto me" (Matthew 25:36).

Jesus said, "Ought not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, to be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?" (Luke 13:16).

3703. 'And He said, I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham your father' means the Lord in whom that good originated. This becomes clear from the fact that Jehovah is the Divine Being (Esse) itself of the Lord, who is called 'the God of Abraham' by virtue of Divine Good - 'Abraham' representing the Lord as regards Divine Good, see 2172, 2198. And because Divine Good is the source of all celestial and spiritual goods, and consequently of all truths also, the phrase 'your (that is, Jacob's) father Abraham' is used, when in fact Isaac was his father. The reason why 'father' in the internal sense means good is that good is the source of every single thing that has being and truth the means by which it is brought into being. Thus every single thing is born from a marriage of good and truth. Heaven itself, which consists of nothing else at all but the Divine marriage of Good and Truth, derives from the Divine Marriage of Good and Truth and of Truth and Good within the Lord.

[2] The whole natural order also in every single part has reference to what is good and what is true. In it, that is, the natural order, the celestial and spiritual goods and truths that belong to heaven are represented, and in heaven Divine Goods and Truths that are the Lord's are represented. From this it becomes clear that good is like the father and truth is like the mother, and that therefore 'father' in the internal sense of the Word means good, and 'mother' truth. Indeed they mean the goodness and truth in which lower or derived goods and truths originate, which in relation to them are as daughters and sons, and are also consequently called daughters and sons in the Word, 489-491, 2362. They are also in relation to that good and truth as brothers and sisters, as grandchildren and great grandchildren, as sons-in-law, fathers-in-law, and daughters-in-law; in short they are as every degree of blood relationship and relationship by marriage. And all these relationships stem from the marriage of good, which is the father, to truth, which is the mother. For all things - every single one - in heaven exist as in blood relationships of love to and faith in the Lord, or what amounts to the same, of good and truth, see 685, 917, 2739, 3612, and the most ancient people therefore compared all these things to marriages, 54, 55. See also 718, 747, 1432, 2508, 2516, 2524, 2556.

[3] That 'father' in the internal sense of the Word means good may be seen from very many places, as from the following: In Isaiah,

Pay attention to Me, you who are pursuing righteousness, who are seeking Jehovah; look to the rock from which you were hewn; and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug; look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you, for when he was but one I called him; and I blessed him, and I will multiply him. For Jehovah will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden and her desert like the garden of Jehovah. Isaiah 51:1-3.

This refers to the Lord and His Coming, as is evident from every detail. As regards Divine Truth He is called 'a rock' and 'a pit', and as regards Divine Good 'Abraham your father'. And because the Divine marriage of Good and Truth is represented by Abraham and Sarah, see 1468, 1901, 1965, 1989, 2011, 2063, 2065, 2172, 2173, 2198, 2507, 2833, 2836, 2904, 3245, 3251, 3305 (end), the expressions 'Abraham your father' and 'Sarah who bore you' are used. This explains why it is said that they were to look to the rock and to the pit, and to Abraham their father and to Sarah. It also explains why the promises follow immediately after, declaring that 'Jehovah will comfort Zion', which is the celestial Church, see 2362, and that 'He will comfort her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden and her desert like the garden of Jehovah'.

[4] Abraham has a similar meaning when elsewhere in the Word he is called 'father', as in John,

Jesus said, I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you also do what you have seen with your father. They answered and said to Him, Our father is Abraham. Jesus said to them, If you were Abraham's sons, you would do the works of Abraham. You do the works of your father. John 8:38-39, 41.

And in Matthew,

Do not presume to say within yourselves, We have Abraham as our father. I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree not bearing good fruit will be cut down and cast into the fire. Matthew 3:9-10.

And in Luke,

When the poor man Lazarus died he was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; and when he was in hell he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Calling out he said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me. I ask you, father, to send him to my father's house. Luke 16:19-end.

In these places it is evident that Abraham was not meant but the Lord as regards Divine Good. For Abraham is unknown in heaven, and when his name is used in the Word the Lord is meant, see 1834, 1876, 1989, 3305 (end).

[5] That 'father' means good in the internal sense becomes clear from the following places: In Moses,

Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged on the land which Jehovah your God gives you. Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16.

This commandment, like the rest of the Ten Commandments, is true in both senses - in the internal sense 'honouring father and mother' is loving what is good and true, and in what is good and true loving the Lord, see 2609, 3690. 'Days on the land' means resulting states of good within the Lord's kingdom, as is clear from the meaning of 'days' as states, 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, and from the meaning of Canaan, to which 'the land' refers here, as the Lord's kingdom, 1607, 3038, 3481, and from 'being prolonged' having reference to good, 1613.

[6] Since 'father and mother' had these meanings many laws were therefore laid down in the Jewish representative Church relating to parents and sons. In every case good and truth were meant in the internal sense, and in the highest sense the Lord as regards Divine Good and Divine Truth, as in Moses,

Whoever strikes his father and his mother shall surely die. If anyone curses his father or his mother he shall surely die. Exodus 21:15, 17.

In the same author,

Any man who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he who curses his father and his mother, his blood shall be on him. Leviticus 20:9.

Cursed is he who treats his father and his mother with contempt; and all the people shall say, Amen. Deuteronomy 27:16, 17.

In Ezekiel,

Behold, the princes of Israel, every one according to his power, ¹ have in you been intent on shedding blood; in you they have treated father and mother with contempt. Ezekiel 22:6-7.

In Moses,

When a man has a stubborn and rebellious son, in no way obeying the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and though they correct him he still does not obey them, his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders of the city, and to the gateway of their place. And all the men of that city shall stone him with stones so that he dies. Deuteronomy 21:18-19, 21.

[7] In all these places 'father and mother' in the sense of the letter is used to mean father and mother, but in the internal sense good and truth are meant, and in the highest sense the Lord as regards Divine Good and Divine Truth. This is also the Lord's own teaching in Matthew,

Jesus stretching out His hand over His disciples said, Beyond My mother and My brothers; whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven is My brother, and sister, and mother. Matthew 12:49-50.

And in the same gospel,

Refuse to be called master, for one is your Master, Christ; but all you are brothers. And call nobody your father on earth, for one is your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 23:8-9.

It is not being called master or being called father on earth that is forbidden here, but acknowledging in the heart any other father than the Lord. That is, when the names master and father are used one should understand the Lord whom in the highest sense they represent, in the same way, as stated just above in 3702, as anything perceived on earth by the most ancient people who were celestial was to them the means for thought concerning the Lord.

[8] Much the same is embodied in what the Lord told one of the disciples who said,

Lord, let me first go away and bury my father. Jesus said to him, Follow Me; leave the dead to bury the dead. Matthew 8:21-22.

Indeed the relationship of father on earth to Father in heaven, who is the Lord, is as one who is dead to one who is living, even as the law itself about honouring parents is so to speak dead unless it holds honour, worship, and love to the Lord within it. For that law about honouring parents comes down from the latter Divine law. And because it comes down from the latter, the living element which exists within the law about honouring parents is received from this Divine law. This is why the Lord said, 'Follow Me, leave the dead to bury the dead'. What Elijah told Elisha is also similar in meaning,

Elijah passed beside Elisha and cast his mantle over him, and he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me kiss, I beg you, my father and mother; then I will go after you. He therefore said to him, Go away; go back again; for what have I done to you? 1 Kings 19:19-20.

Elijah represented the Lord - see Preface to Chapter 18, and 2762.

[9] In Malachi,

Lo, I am sending you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah comes. And he will turn the heart of the fathers to the sons, and the heart of the sons to their fathers lest I come and smite the earth with a ban. Malachi 4:5-6.

And in Luke where the angel addresses Zechariah regarding his son John,

He will go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children. Luke 1:17.

From these places it is evident that 'fathers' and 'sons' are not used to mean fathers and sons but the goods and truths of the Church which the Lord is going to restore.

[10] In Malachi,

May Jehovah be magnified upon the border of Israel! A son should honour his father, and a servant his lord. If I am a Father, where is My honour? If I am a Lord, where is the fear of Me? Malachi 1:5-6.

'A son' stands for those who are governed by the good of the Church, 'a servant' those who are governed by its truth. Here 'a Father' clearly stands for the Lord as regards Divine Good, and 'a Lord' as regards Divine Truth.

[11] In David,

My father and my mother have forsaken me, and Jehovah welcomes me. Psalms 27:10.

'Father and mother' stands for good and truth which are said to have forsaken a person when it is realized that of himself he is unable to perform anything good or to know anything true. For the meaning, it is evident, is not that David's mother and father forsook him.

[12] In the same author,

You are more beautiful by far than the sons of men. All glorious is the king's daughter within, in her clothing with gold interweavings. Instead of your fathers will be your sons; you will make them into princes in all the earth. Psalms 45:2, 13, 16.

This refers to the Lord. 'Instead of your fathers will be your sons' stands for Divine Truths becoming as Divine Goods. 'The king's daughter' stands for the love of truth; 'clothing with gold interweavings' for the nature of that truth grounded in good. Since the subject is the Lord and His Divine Human, as is evident from this Psalm as a whole and in every part, every single phrase clearly has reference to one and the same thing. So the phrase 'the king's daughter' is not used to mean the daughter of the king, nor are the phrases 'clothing with gold interweavings', 'instead of your fathers will be your sons', and 'their being made into princes in all the earth' to be taken literally, but each phrase means Divine celestial and spiritual things. 'A daughter' means affection or love, see 490, 491, 2362; 'the king' Divine Truth, 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, 3009; 'gold' good, 113, 1551, 1552. 'That which is interwoven' has reference to natural knowledge, 2831, in this case therefore to Divine natural truth. 'Clothing' means such truths as clothe good, 297, 2576; 'sons instead of fathers' truths begotten from good, in this case Divine Truths being as Divine Goods, 264, 489, 491, 533, 1147, 1729, 1733, 2159, 2623, 2803, 2813. 'Princes in all the earth' are the first and foremost things of the Lord's kingdom and Church - 'princes' being the things that are first and foremost, 1482, 2089, 'the earth' the Lord's kingdom and Church, 1413, 1607, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118 (end), 3355.

[13] In Moses,

Your fathers Jehovah delighted to love, and He chose their seed after them, even you out of all peoples, as at this day. Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart and be stiff-necked no longer. Deuteronomy 10:15-16.

'Fathers' here in the internal sense stands for the Ancient and Most Ancient Churches, whose members were so called by virtue of the love they had of good and truth - the most ancient people, who were celestial, by virtue of their love of good, the ancients, who were spiritual, by virtue of their love of truth. The goods and truths existing in the Church are referred to as 'the seed Jehovah chose'. Clearly Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the latter's twelve sons are not meant by the fathers referred to here, nor the Israelite and Jewish people by 'the seed'. Rather the statement is made regarding them and addressed to them in order that the internal sense may be given some external form and so be intelligible to men.

[14] In Isaiah,

The boy will uplift himself against the old man, and the base fellow against the honourable; for a man will take hold of his brother in his father's house, [saying,] You have clothing, you will be leader for us. He will say, In my house there is neither bread [nor clothing]. Do not make me a leader ² of the people. Isaiah 3:5-7.

This refers in the internal sense to a perverted state of the Church when truth is no longer acknowledged as truth, and it is not known what good is. 'A man will take hold of his brother in his father's house' stands for acknowledging everything as good. 'Clothing' stands for truth, 1073, 2576, 'a leader (or prince)' for a first and foremost matter of doctrine drawn from truth, 1482, 2089. 'In the house there is neither bread nor clothing' stands for neither good nor truth - 'bread' meaning good, 276, 680, 3478, and 'clothing' truth, 297, 2576.

[15] Because father and mother, and also daughters and sons, represented goodness and truth in the representative Churches many laws existed which possessed from those representatives that which was Divine within them, such as the following,

If a priest's daughter has acted profanely by committing whoredom, she is profaning her father; she shall be burnt with fire. Leviticus 21:9.

'A priest's daughter' stands for the affection for good, 'father' for the good from which that affection springs. 'Committing whoredom' stands for profaning what is good. What 'committing whoredom' is, see 2466, 2729, 3399, and what 'acting profanely', 1008, 1010, 1059, 2051, 3398, 3399. Also,

If a priest's daughter has been made a widow or divorced and has no seed she shall return to her father's house, as in her youth; she shall eat of her father's bread. No stranger shall eat of it. Leviticus 22:13.

[16] And this law also,

If you see among the captives a wife with a beautiful form and you desire her to take her for yourself as wife you shall bring her inside your home; and she shall shave her head and pare her nails; and she shall take off the clothing of her captivity born upon her, and shall sit in your house and lament her father and her mother a whole month; and after that you shall go in to her and know her, and she shall be your wife. Deuteronomy 21:11-13.

Every single detail in this law is representative of natural truth, which is adopted by good once it has been purified from falsities. Such truth is meant by 'a wife beautiful in form among the captives'; purification from falsities by 'bringing her inside your home', and by her 'shaving her head, paring her nails, taking off the clothing of her captivity, and lamenting her father and mother'; and adoption by 'after that going in to her, knowing her, and taking her as a wife'.

[17] The Marriage Laws requiring marriages to be contracted within the tribe and the family, and also the Inheritance Laws forbidding the transfer of inheritances from one tribe to another, which are written in the Word, also had the same origins, that is to say, in the celestial and spiritual marriage in the Lord's kingdom, or the marriage of good and truth, which are meant by 'father and mother'. The same applies to the laws laid down relating to the permissible and the forbidden degrees of affinity. Each law in the Word concerning those matters has reference inwardly to the law of the affiliation and joining together of good and truth in heaven, and to the affiliations of evil and falsity in hell, which are separated from the former. For laws to do with permissible and forbidden degrees, see Leviticus 20; for laws forbidding the transfer of inheritances from one tribe to another, and for those requiring marriages to be contracted within the tribe, see Numbers 27:7-9, and elsewhere. In heaven the position of every single thing is fixed according to blood relationships of good and truth and to relationships of them through marriage, see 685, 917, 2739, 3612.

[18] Since the Israelitish people represented the Lord's kingdom in heaven and so the heavenly order existing there, the command was also given for them to be singled out according to tribes, according to families, and according to the houses of their fathers, see Numbers 26:1-end. In addition to this they were required to pitch camp around the tent of meeting in conformity with that heavenly order, and also to journey in conformity with it, as stated in Moses,

Each one of the children of Israel shall pitch camp beneath his own standard, by the ensigns of his father's house, at a distance around the tent of meeting. And in the same formations they also set out. Numbers 2:2, 34.

This was why, when Balaam saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes, the Spirit of God came upon him and he delivered this utterance, How good your tabernacles are, O Jacob, your dwelling-places, O Israel? They are like valleys that are planted, like gardens beside a river, etc., etc. Numbers 24:2, 5-6, and following verses.

From every word used here it is evident that not Jacob or Israel were meant but the Lord's kingdom in heaven and His Church on earth, which were represented by that order in which he saw them spread out at that time.

[19] From these examples one may also know what is meant in the internal sense of the Word by orphans! that is, the fatherless, namely people whose state is a state of innocence and charity and who wish to know and put into effect what is good but are not able to do so. Such a state exists in particular with those outside the Church whom the Lord cares about and adopts in the next life as His sons. And since those people are meant by 'orphans', when these are mentioned in the Word, sojourners and widows are in many instances mentioned too. For 'sojourners' means those who are receiving instruction in goods and truths, 1463, and 'widows' those whose state is one of good but not so much of truth, or those whose state is one of truth but not so much of good, and who yet desire what they lack. Since these three - orphans, sojourners, and widows - belong to a very similar line of meaning, therefore all three are in most places mentioned together, as has been stated, see Deuteronomy 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:17, 19; Jeremiah 7:6; 22:3; Ezekiel 22:6-7; Zechariah 7:10; Psalms 94:6; 146:9. From these considerations one may now see what 'father' means in the genuine sense, namely good, and in the highest sense the Lord.

[20] Now because most things in the Word also have a contrary sense, so has the word 'father'. In that sense it means evil. Equally so 'mother', which in the genuine sense means truth, in the contrary sense means falsity. The contrary meanings may be seen from the following places: In David,

The iniquity of his fathers will be remembered before Jehovah, and the sin of his mother will not be wiped out. Psalms 109:14.

In the same author,

They drew back and acted treacherously like their fathers; they turned about like a deceitful bow. Psalms 78:57.

In Moses,

Until the remainder of you waste away in their iniquity in the lands of your enemies: and they will also waste away in their fathers' iniquities with them. Leviticus 26:39. In Isaiah,

Prepare slaughter for his sons because of the iniquity of their fathers, and let them not rise up again and possess the earth, and fill the face of the earth with cities. Isaiah 14:21.

In the same prophet, I will repay your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together. Isaiah 65:7.

[21] In Jeremiah,

The house of Israel is ashamed, they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets, who say to wood, You are my father, and to a stone, You gave birth to me. For they have turned their neck to Me and not their face. Jeremiah 2:26-27.

In the same prophet,

Behold, I am laying before this people stumbling-blocks, and fathers and sons together will stumble against them, neighbour and his friend, and they will perish. Jeremiah 6:21.

In the same prophet,

The sons gather pieces of wood, and the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes for Melecheth. ³ Jeremiah 7:18.

In Ezekiel,

I will do in you that which I have not done, and such things as I will not do any longer, because of your abominations. Therefore fathers will eat their sons, and sons will eat their fathers; and I will execute judgements on you, and I will scatter the whole remnant of you to every wind. Ezekiel 5:9-10.

This refers to the profanation of what is holy. In the same prophet,

Thus said the Lord Jehovih to Jerusalem, Your tracings and your births are of the land of the Canaanite. Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. Ezekiel 16:3.

[22] In Matthew,

Brother will deliver up brother to death, and father the son; and children will rise up against parents and put them to death. And so you will be hated by everyone for My name's sake. I have come to set a man (homo) against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's (homo) foes will be those in his own household. Whoever loves father and mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son and daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. Matthew 10:21-22, 35-37; Luke 12:49, 52-53.

In the same gospel,

Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for My name's sake will receive a hundredfold and will be allotted the inheritance of eternal life. Matthew 19:29; Luke 18:29-30; Mark 10:29-30.

In Luke,

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and his mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own soul, he cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:26.

[23] In Mark,

Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his children, and children will rise up together against parents and will kill them; for you will be hated by all for My name's sake. Mark 13:12-13; Luke 21:16-17.

This refers to the close of the age and is describing the state of the Church when perverted as regards good and truth, that is to say, when evil rises up against truth, and falsity against good. The meaning of 'father' in the contrary sense as evil is evident from the places just quoted and also from the following in John,

Jesus said, If God were your father you would love Me, for from God I went forth and now come. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning and took no stand on the truth because the truth is not in him. When he speaks a lie he speaks from what are his own, for he is the teller of a lie and the father of it. John 8:42, 44.

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