THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 42

(Note: Rev. Smithson's translation of the Isaiah text is appended below the explanation.)

1. BEHOLD My Servant, whom I uphold; Mine Elect, in whom My soul delights: I will put My spirit upon Him; and He shall bring forth judgment to the nations.

VERSE 1. Treating of the Lord, who is understood by "the Elect of Jehovah"; and whereas by "the Spirit of Jehovah which was put upon Him" is signified the proceeding Divine, therefore by "the soul of Jehovah which was delighted in Him" is signified the Divine Truth; for in this Divine the Lord was as to His Humanity in the world. Apocalypse Explained 750.

I will put [or give] My spirit upon Him. - The "Spirit of Jehovah upon Him [the Lord]" is the Divine Truth, consequently Divine Wisdom and Intelligence. The Divine Truth is also called "Judgment which He will bring forth to the nations." Arcana Coelestia 9818.

For the meaning of "Spirit" in its various senses, see Chapter 11:2, the Exposition.

2. He shall not cry, nor lift up His voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street:

Verse 2. [It does not appear that Swedenborg bas quoted this verse, but viewed in connection with the following, of which he has given full interpretation, it would seem to imply that the Lord in His Divine Human would teach the Truth from infinite Divine Love, thus most gently and softly, without compelling, or in any sense constraining, the freedom and rationality of the human mind, which, in all the operations of His Providence, are kept inviolate. Divine Providence 96.]

3. The bruised reed He shall not break; and the smoking flax He shall not quench: He shall bring forth judgment into truth.

Verse 3. Treating concerning the Lord. By His "not breaking the bruised reed" is signified that He will not hurt the divine Truth sensual with the simple and with children; by "not quenching the smoking flax" is signified that He will not destroy the divine Truth which begins to live from a little Good of love with the simple and with children; "flax" denoting Truth, and "smoking" its living from some little degree of love. Inasmuch as both, that is, the "reed" and the "flax", are significative of Truth, therefore it is also said concerning the Lord, that He shall bring forth judgment into truth", by which is understood that He will produce in them intelligence; "judgment" denoting intelligence. "Reed " also signifies sensual or ultimate Truth, such as has place also with natural men, even the evil, as in the same Prophet:

"The parched ground shall become a pool; and there shall be grass instead of the reed and the rush." (Isaiah 35:7) Apocalypse Explained 627.

4. He shall not extinguish, nor break it, until He has established judgment in the earth: and the islands shall wait for His law.

Verse 4. These words also treat concerning the Lord, and the New Church to be established by Him. By the "islands" are understood those who are only in Truths from the natural man, and consequently who are as yet remote from true worship; hence by its being said "until He has established judgment in the earth, and the islands shall wait for His law", is signified until He has given intelligence to those who are of the church, and knowledges of Truth to those who are more remote from the church; to "establish judgment." is to give intelligence, and to "wait for the law" is to give the knowledges of Truth; for the "earth" signifies those who are in the church, and, abstractedly, the church itself as to intelligence from spiritual Truths; and the "isiands " signify those who are remote from the church, and, abstractedly, the church as to the knowledges of Truth and Good, or the church as to the Truths of the natural man corresponding with spiritual Truths. Apocalypse Explained 406. See also Arcana Coelestia 1158; Apocalypse Revealed 84.

5. Thus says the God, [even] Jehovah, who created the heavens, and stretched them out; who spread forth the earth, and the productions thereof; who giveth breath to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk thereon:

Verse 5. By "creating the heavens, and stretching them out", and by "spreading forth the earth ", is signified to reform; by the "heavens" are signified both the heavens and the internals of the church; the internals of the church also are the "heavens" with the men who are therein. The "earth" signifies the externals of the church, which are said to be "spread forth and extended" when there is a multiplication of Truths derived from Good. That reformation by Truths is hereby signified, is evident, for it is said, "Who giveth soul [or breath] to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk thereon." Apocalypse Explained 294.

By "creating the heavens" and by" spreading forth the earth and its productions", is signified to form the church, and to reform those who are therein; its "productions" are all things of the church. Apocalypse Explained 304.

To "give breath [or soul, animam] to the people", is to give the life of faith. Arcana Coelestia 9818.

6. I Jehovah have called You in justice; and I will hold Your hand, and will preserve You; and I will give You for a covenant to the people, for a light to the nations:

7. To open the blind eyes; to bring the bound out of prison; and from the prison-house those that dwell in darkness.

8. I am Jehovah, that is My name; and My glory will I not give to another, nor My praise to graven images.

9. The former things, behold! they are come to pass; and new things do I declare: before they spring forth, I cause you to hear them.

Verse 6. These words are said of the Lord, who is called "the Covenant of the people, and the Light of the nations", because a "covenant" signifies conjunction, and "light" Divine Truth; by "peoples" are understood those who are in Truths, and by "nations" those who are in Goods, as may be seen, Apocalypse Explained 175, 331. To "call Him in justice" signifies that He may do justice by separating the evil from the good, and by saving these and condemning those; to "hold by the hand" and to "preserve [or guard] You" signifies to sustain by Divine Omnipotence, which the hells cannot resist; and by Jehovah "doing this" is signified the Divine in the Lord. Apocalypse Explained 701.

A "covenant", when mentioned in the Word, has the following significations. I. The Lord Himself is called a "Covenant", because conjunction [which is signified by a "covenant"] is from Him with Himself, by the Divine which proceeds from Him. II. The Divine Proceeding, which is the Divine Truth, thus the Word, is the covenant, because that conjoins. III. The precepts, judgments, and statutes given to the sons of Israel, were to them a covenant, because by them there was then conjunction with the Lord. IV. Moreover, whatsoever coujoins is called a covenant. All these significations of a "covenant" may be seen explained and confirmed in Apocalypse Explained 701.

Verses 6-8. These words treat concerning the Lord, that He is Jehovah, and that from Him is all wisdom, and nothing from man. That the Lord is Jehovah, is evident, for it is said that "Jehovah called Him in Justice", and also "I am Jehovah, that is My name; and My glory will I not give to another." That from Him is all wisdom which is of the life, is signified by "opening the blind eyes", and by " bringing the bound out of prison, and from the prison-house those that dwell [or sit] in darkness"; that nothing of wisdom is from man, is signified by "nor My praise to graven images." Arcana Coelestia 8869

These things are said concerning the Lord, and concerning the establishment of a church from Him amongst the nations. That they who were before in ignorance should then understand Truths, is signified by the "blind eyes" which He shall open; and that they should be led out from ignorance and from falsities, is denoted by "He shall bring the bound out of prison." That the Divine Itself would assume the Human, is understood by these words:

"I am Jehovah, that is My name; and My glory will I not give to another." Apocalypse Explained 239.

To "open the blind eyes" is to instruct those who as yet are ignorant of Truths but who, nevertheless, desire them; such persons are signified by the "nations." Apocalypse Explained 152.

Verses 6, 8. The "covenant of the people" and the "light of the nations" is the Lord with respect to the Human; and because this was from Jehovah, and made a One with Him, it is said, "I am Jehovah, that is My name; and My glory will I not gIve to another"; that is, to no other than to Himself. To "give glory" is to glorify, or to unite to Himself. Doct. of Lord, 30.

10. Sing unto Jehovah a new song; His praise from the end of the earth: you that go down upon the sea, and the fulness thereof; you islands, and the inhabitants thereof.

Verses 10, 11. Treating concerning the advent of the Lord and concerning the establishment of the church with those who were out of the church, or with those who had not the Word, and to whom the Lord was not before known. To "sing a new song" signifies confession from joy of heart; and for "the end of the earth to sing His praise" signifies the confession of those who are remote from the church, - the "earth" denoting the church, and the "end of the earth" denoting where what appertains to the church terminates. By "the desert and the cities thereof, which shall lift up their voice", are signified those with whom there is not Good, because there is not Truth, which nevertheless they desire; "the inhabitants of the rock" signify the Good of faith, and "the head of the mountains "the Good of love appertaining to them; to "sing" and to "shout" signify consequent confession from joy of the mind and the heart. Apocalypse Explained 320.

Verses 10, 12. These words signify the worship of the Lord by those who are remote from the church, and, in an abstract sense, the worship of the natural man from Truths and Goods. To "sing a song" and to "praise" signifies worship from a glad mind: the "end of the earth" denotes those who are in the ultimates of the church, and, in an abstract sense, the ultimates of the church; "the sea, and the fulness thereof", signify the natural man and all things which are therein; "the islands, and the inhabitants ithereof", are the Truths and Goods of the natural man, - the "islands" the Truths thereof, and "inhabitants" the Goods thereof. By "let them give glory to Jehovah, and declare His praise in the islands", is signified worship from internals and externals; to "give glory" denotes worship from internals, and to " declare praise" worship from externals, for externals" declare", and "islands" are the Truths of the natural man from which such worship is performed. Apocalypse Explained 406.

It should be known that by the "end" [or the extremity] of heaven is not understood the extremity of space, but the state of what is Good and True; for in heaven there is no space, but the appearance thereof according to the state of what is Good and True. Arcana Coelestia 9666.

11. Let the desert lift up [its voice], and the cities thereof; the villages which Arabia doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing; let them shout from the head of the mountains.

12. Let them give glory to Jehovah; and declare His praise in the islands.

Verse 11: By the "desert" is signified an obscure principle of Truth; by "the cities thereof" are understood doctrinals: and by the "villages", natural knowledges and scientifics. By "Arabia" is signified the natural man, for "an Arabian in the desert" is the natural man; by the "inhabitants of the rock" are meant the Goods of faith, or those who are in the Goods of faith: and by "the head of the mountains" is signified the Good of love to the Lord. Hence it is manifest that confession and glad worship originating in the Good of love in such things as are mentioned, are here signified by every single thing in its order; for to "shout from the head of the mountains" denotes worship from the Good of love.Apocalypse Explained 405.

These things are said concerning the church with those who are remote from the Truths of the church, because they are natural and sensual; their state of ignorance is understood by the "desert", and their joy from the preaching and knowledge of the Truth is meant by their " lifting up their voice", etc. Arcana Coelestia 730.

13. Jehovah shall go forth like a Hero; like a Man of wars shall He stir up zeal: He shall cry, yea, He shall shout; He shall prevail against His enemies.

Verse 13. The Lord is called a "Man of war" chiefly from this circumstance, that whilst in the world, He alone, that is, from Himself fought against the hells, which then, for the most part, were opened, and which attacked and endeavoured to subdue all that came into the other life. The reason why the diabolic crew, that is, the hells, were then raging about in this manner [in the world of spirits] was, because the Divine passing through heaven, which before the coming of the Lord was the Divine Human, did not prevail against evils and falsities, which had so immensely increased; wherefore it pleased the Divine to assume the Human and to make it Divine, and then, at the same time, by combats admitted into Himself, to cast down that diabolic crew into the hells, to shut them up therein, and to subject them to the heavens; and at the same time also to reduce the heavens into order. From these combats the Lord was first called a "Man of war"; and afterwards, because He had thus conquered the hells, and had been made "Justice", He from His divine power protects men, and this continually, and. especially in the combats of temptations. Arcana Coelestia 8273.

As to "wars", when mentioned in the Word, see Chapter 7:1, and especially below, Chapter 63:1-5, the Exposition.

Concerning "the zeal of Jehovah", see Chapter 9:7, the Exposition.

In respect to "ternptations", and their necessity in effecting man's regeneration, see Chapter 43:2, the Exposition.

14. I have long been silent; I have been still, and refrained Myself: now I will cry out like a woman in travail; I will destroy and swallow up at once.

Verse 14. [These words imply the Lord's divine forbearance and long-suffering until the period of Judgment comes, when its effects are denoted by "I will destroy and swallow up at once"; and the pain which those will suffer on being deprived of the possession in their external man of those Goods and Truths which they had assumed for the purpose of selfish ends, as of honour and gain, is denoted by "the crying out as of a woman in travail." As to this latter clause, see-Chapter 13:8, the Exposition.]

15. I will lay waste the mountains and the hills, and dry up all their herbs: I will make the rivers islands; and I will dry up the pools.

Verse 15. By "laying waste or devastating the mountains and the hills" is signified to destroy all the Good of love to the Lord, and of love to the neighbour; by "drying up all the herbs" is meant thence to destroy all Truths, - "herb" denoting Truth springing from Good. By "making the rivers into islands, and drying up the pools", is signified to annihilate all the understanding and perception of Truth; "rivers" signifying intelligence which is of Truth, "islands" where there is no intelligence, and "pools" the perception of Truth. The understanding of Truth is from the light of Truth, but the perception of Truth is from the heat or Love of Truth. Apocalypse Explained 405.

Inasmuch as most things in the Word have an opposite sense, so "islands", in that sense, signify the falsities opposite to the Truths which are in the natural man. In this sense "islands" are mentioned in the above passage. Apocalypse Explained 406.

16. And I will lead the blind in a way which they have not known; and through paths which they have not known will I make them go: I will make darkness light before them; and crooked things into straightness. These things will I do unto them, and will not forsake them,

Verse 16. In this passage "darkness" signifies the falsities of ignorance, such as formerly existed, and at this day exists with the upright nations or Gentiles. These falsities are altogether distinct from the falsities of evil, for the latter contain in themselves evil, because they are from evil, whereas the former contain in themselves Good, for they have Good for an end; wherefore they who are principled in these falsities can be instructed in Truths, and also when they are instructed they receive Truth in the heart, by reason that the Good, which is in their falsities, loves the Truth, and also conjoins itself with the Truth, when it is heard. The case is otherwise with the falsities of evil; these are averse from, and spit out, all Truth, and this for no other reason than because it is Truth, and thus does not agree with evil. "Darkness" also signifies in the Word mere ignorance arising from the deprivation or Truth, as in David. (Psalm 18:28; 139:11, 12) "Darkness" also signifies natural lumen, for this, in respect to spiritual light, is as darkness; wherefore also the angels, when they look down into the natural lumen of man, such as is in the natural thought of rnen, regard it as darkness, and the things which are in it as in darkness. This lumen is signified by the "darkness" in Genesis 1:2-5; and inasmuch as the literal sense of the Word is natural, therefore this also in the Word is called a "cloud", and also "darkness", in respect to the internal sense, which is the light of heaven, and is called "glory." Apocalypse Explained 526.

17. They shall be turned backward, they shall be greatly ashamed who trust in the graven image, who say unto the molten image, You are our gods!

Verse 17. What is meant by "going backward", see Chapter 1:4, the Exposition. ln respect to "graven and molten images", or "idols", see Chapter 2:20; 40:18-20; 41:7, the Exposition.

18. Hear, O you deaf! and look, you blind, that you may see!

Verse 18. The "deaf" are those who do not perceive what is True, and who hence do not obey it; thus, abstractedly, "deafness" signifies the non-perception of Truth, and hence non-obedience. Thus to be "deaf" signifies these things, is because the "hearing" corresponds both to perception and to obedience, to perception, because those things which are heard are inwardly perceived; and to obedience, because hence it is known what should be done. That this is the correspondence of "hearing" and also of the "ear", may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 3809, 4052-4660; hence it is evident what is signified by the "deaf." In the Word, by the "deaf" are also understood the Gentiles, who do not know the Truths of faith, because they have not the Word, and therefore cannot live according to them; when, however, they are instructed, they receive these Truths, and live according to them. These are understood in Isaiah:

"Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened; and the ears of the deaf unstopped." (Isaiah 35:5)

Again,

"Hear, O you deaf! and look, you blind, that you may see!" (Isaiah 42:18)

"In that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book", etc. (Isaiah 29:18)

Again,

"Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears", etc. (Isaiah 43:8, 9)

Here by the "deaf" are understood those who, by the coming of the Lord, could come into a state of receiving the Truths of Faith, that is, of perceiving them and of obeying them. The same are understood by the "deaf" whom the Lord cured. (Mark 7:31-37; 9:25)

Because the "deaf" in a good sense] signify such persons, it was forbidden those, with whom the representative church was established, to "curse the deaf", and to "cast a stumbling-block before the blind.' (Leviticus 19:14) Arcana Coelestia 6989.

19. Who is blind, but My Servant? or deaf, as My Angel whom I have sent? who is blind as He who is perfect, and blind as the Servant of Jehovah ?

20. Seeing many things, but You observest not; opening the ears, He hears not.

Verses 19, 20. These words are spoken of the Lord, who is treated of in the whole of this chapter, and is here called a "Servant" as to His Divine Human, because He served His Father by "doing His will", as He frequently declared, whereby is understood that He reduced to order all things in the spiritual world, and, at the same time, taught mankind the way to heaven. It is therefore the Divine Human which is understood by "My Servant, whom I uphold; and Mine Elect, in whom My soul delights"; and it is called "Servant" from Divine Truth, whereby those things were effected, and "Elect" from Divine Good. That He had Divine Truth whereby He effected all things, is understood by "I will put My spirit upon Him, and He shall bring forth judgment to the nations; the "spirit of Jehovah" is the Divine Truth, and to "bring forth judgment to the nations" is to instruct. The reason of His being called "blind" and "deaf" is, because the Lord is as if He did not see and perceive the sins of men, for He leads men gently, "bending and not breaking", and so withdrawing them from evils and leading them to Good; wherefore neither does He chastise nor punish, as if He saw and perceived. This is what is understood by "Who is blind, but My Servant? or deaf, as My Angel?" "Blind" and "Servant" being mentioned with relation to Divine Truth, and "deaf" and "Angel" with relation to Divine Good; for "blind" has relation to the understanding, and thence to perception, and "deaf" has relation to perception, and thence to the will. By these words, therefore, is understood that the Lord appears not to see, although the Divine Truth is His from which He understands all things, and that He appears not to will according to what He perceives, although the Divine Good is His from which all things are possible to Him. Apocalypse Explained 409.

21. But Jehovah was well pleased on account of His justice; He has magnified the law, and made it honourable.

Verse 21. He has magnified the law, and made it honourable [or rather illustriousJ. - [It does not appear that Swedenborg has quoted this verse, but it implies, we apprehend, that the Lord, by the glorification of His Humanity, has filled the "Law", that is, the Word, with a greater abundance of His divine "spirit and life." See John 10:10; also Isaiah 30:25, 26, the Exposition.]

22. But this is a people spoiled and plundered; all their young men are taken in the snare, and are hidden in the prison-houses: they are become a prey, and there was none to deliver; a spoil, and no one said, Restore.

23. Who is there among you that will give ear to this; that will hearken, and attend to it, for the aftertime?

Verse 22. All their young men are hidden in the prison-houses, etc. "Young men", in the internal sense, are the Truths of faith, which are said to be "hidden" and to "become a prey", when they are no longer acknowledged. Arcana Coelestia 5037 Arcana Coelestia 5037[1-6].

As to "young men", both in a good and in a bad sense, see above, Chapter 31:8, the Exposition.

24. Who has given Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the plunderers? Is it not Jehovah; He against whom we have sinned; in whose ways they would not walk, and whose law' they would not obey?

25. Therefore poured He out upon them the burning of His angel, and the violence of war: and it kindled a flame round about Him, yet He did not regard it; and it burned Him, yet He did not lay it to heart.

Verse 24. That to "walk" signifies to live, and, when predicated of the Lord, Life itself, is from appearances in the spiritual world, where all walk according to their life, the evil in no other ways than such as lead to hell, but the good in no other ways than in such as lead to heaven; wherefore all spirits are known there from the ways wherein they walk. There actually appear also ways, but to the evil no other than ways to hell, and to the good no other than ways to heaven, by which means everyone is brought to his own society. From this circumstance it is, that to "walk" signifies to live. Concerning these "ways" and "walking" therein, in the spiritual world, see what is said in the work on Heaven and Hell 195, 479; and in the small work on the Last Judgment 48. Apocalypse Explained 97.

Verses 2, 1, 25. "The heat [or burning] of His anger" signifies repugnance against the false of evil. "Jacob" here [meaning those "who have sinned against Jehovah"] stands for those who are in evil, and "Israel" for those who are in the false of evil. "Wrath" [or burning, excandescentia] and "anger" [ira] are often mentioned in the Word, but in the internal sense they do not signify wrath and anger, but that which is repugnant; and this because whatsoever is repugnant to any affection produces wrath or anger, so that in the internal sense these things are only repugnances; it is called "wrath" because it is repugnant to Truth, and "anger" because it is repugnant to Good. But, in the opposite sense, "wrath" is that which is repugnant to the false and its affection, that is, to the principles of the false; and "anger" that which is repugnant to evil and its cupidity, that is, to the love of self and of the world, and in this sense "wrath" is properly wrath, and "anger" is properly anger; but, when they are predicated of Good and Truth, "wrath" and "anger" are then properly zeal, which, because in the external form it appears similar to "wrath" and "anger" in a bad sense, it is hence, in the literal sense, also so called. Arcana Coelestia 3614.

In respect to "anger", when ascribed to Jehovah, see above, Chapter 1:24; 9:12, 17, 21, the Exposition.

That "fire" is anger from the affection of evil, is because anger is thence derived: for when that which a man loves is impugned, a fiery principle bursts forth, and as it were burns. Hence it is that anger is described in the Word by "fire", and it is said to burn, as in Isaiah 42:25; Psalm 18:8. Arcana Coelestia 9143.

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Isaiah Chapter 42

1. BEHOLD My Servant, whom I uphold; Mine Elect, in whom My soul delights: I will put My spirit upon Him; and He shall bring forth judgment to the nations.

2. He shall not cry, nor lift up His voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street:

3. The bruised reed He shall not break; and the smoking flax He shall not quench: He shall bring forth judgment into truth.

4. He shall not extinguish, nor break it, until He has established judgment in the earth: and the islands shall wait for His law.

5. Thus says the God, [even] Jehovah, who created the heavens, and stretched them out; who spread forth the earth, and the productions thereof; who giveth breath to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk thereon:

6. I Jehovah have called You in justice; and I will hold Your hand, and will preserve You; and I will give You for a covenant to the people, for a light to the nations:

7. To open the blind eyes; to bring the bound out of prison; and from the prison-house those that dwell in darkness.

8. I am Jehovah, that is My name; and My glory will I not give to another, nor My praise to graven images.

9. The former things, behold! they are come to pass; and new things do I declare: before they spring forth, I cause you to hear them.

10. Sing unto Jehovah a new song; His praise from the end of the earth: you that go down upon the sea, and the fulness thereof; you islands, and the inhabitants thereof.

11. Let the desert lift up [its voice], and the cities thereof; the villages which Arabia doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing; let them shout from the head of the mountains.

12. Let them give glory to Jehovah; and declare His praise in the islands.

13. Jehovah shall go forth like a Hero; like a Man of wars shall He stir up zeal: He shall cry, yea, He shall shout; He shall prevail against His enemies.

14. I have long been silent; I have been still, and refrained Myself: now I will cry out like a woman in travail; I will destroy and swallow up at once.

15. I will lay waste the mountains and the hills, and dry up all their herbs: I will make the rivers islands; and I will dry up the pools.

16. And I will lead the blind in a way which they have not known; and through paths which they have not known will I make them go: I will make darkness light before them; and crooked things into straightness. These things will I do unto them, and will not forsake them,

17. They shall be turned backward, they shall be greatly ashamed who trust in the graven image, who say unto the molten image, You are our gods!

18. Hear, O you deaf! and look, you blind, that you may see!

19. Who is blind, but My Servant? or deaf, as My Angel whom I have sent? who is blind as He who is perfect, and blind as the Servant of Jehovah ?

20. Seeing many things, but You observest not; opening the ears, He hears not.

21. But Jehovah was well pleased on account of His justice; He has magnified the law, and made it honourable.

22. But this is a people spoiled and plundered; all their young men are taken in the snare, and are hidden in the prison-houses: they are become a prey, and there was none to deliver; a spoil, and no one said, Restore.

23. Who is there among you that will give ear to this; that will hearken, and attend to it, for the aftertime?

24. Who has given Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the plunderers? Is it not Jehovah; He against whom we have sinned; in whose ways they would not walk, and whose law' they would not obey?

25. Therefore poured He out upon them the burning of His angel, and the violence of war: and it kindled a flame round about Him, yet He did not regard it; and it burned Him, yet He did not lay it to heart.

701. As the ark is called "the ark of the covenant" it is also to be confirmed from the Word that it was called "the ark of the covenant" because the law was in it, and the "law," which in a broad sense means the Word, signifies the Lord in relation to Divine truth, which is the Word, thus Divine truth or the Word which is from the Lord and in which is the Lord; for all Divine truth proceeds from Him, and when this is received by man conjunction with the Lord is effected, and this conjunction is what is signified by "covenant." How conjunction of the Lord with man and of man with the Lord is effected, shall also be told in a few words. The Lord continually flows into all men with light that enlightens, and with the affection of knowing and understanding truths, also for willing and doing them; and as that light and that affection continually flow in from the Lord, it follows that man becomes rational to the extent that he receives of that light, and he becomes wise and is led by the Lord so far as he receives of that affection. That affection with its light draws to itself and conjoins to itself the truths that man from infancy has learned from the Word, from doctrine out of the Word, and from preaching; for every affection desires to be nourished by the knowledges that are in harmony with it. From this conjunction man's spiritual love or affection is formed, through which he is conjoined to the Lord, that is, through which the Lord conjoins man to Himself.

[2] But in order that that light and that affection may be received, freedom of choice has been given to man, and as that freedom is from the Lord, it is also a gift of the Lord with man and is never taken away from him; for that freedom belongs to man's affection or love, and consequently also to his life. From freedom a man can think and will what is evil, and can also think and will what is good. So far, therefore, as from that freedom, which belongs to his love and thence to his life, man thinks falsities and wills evils, which are the opposites of the truths and goods of the Word, so far he is not conjoined to the Lord; but so far as he thinks truths and wills goods, which are from the Word, so far he is conjoined to the Lord, and the Lord makes those truths and goods to be of his love, and thence of his life. From this it is evident that this conjunction is reciprocal, namely, of the Lord with man and of man with the Lord; such is the conjunction that is meant in the Word by "covenant."

[3] He greatly errs who believes that man is incapable of doing anything for his own salvation because the light to see truths and the affection of doing them, as well as the freedom to think and will them, are from the Lord, and nothing of these from man. Because these appear to man to be as if in himself, and when they are thought and willed to be as from himself, man ought, because of that appearance, to think and will them as if from himself, but at the same time acknowledge that they are from the Lord. In no other way can anything of truth and good or of faith and love be appropriated to man. If one lets his hands hang down and waits for influx he receives nothing, and can have no reciprocal conjunction with the Lord, thus he is not in the covenant. That this is so is clearly evident from this, that the Lord in a thousand passages in the Word has taught that man must do good and must not do evil, and this the Lord would by no means have said, unless something had been given to man by which he has ability to do, and unless that which has been given to man might seem to him to be as if his own, although it is not his. Because this is so the Lord speaks thus in John:

I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hear My voice and open the door I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with Me (Revelation 3:20).

[4] That "covenant" signifies conjunction with the Lord through the reception of Divine truth by the understanding and will, or by the heart and soul, that is, by love and faith, and that this conjunction is effected reciprocally, can be seen from the Word where "covenant" is mentioned. For from the Word it is evident:

1. That the Lord Himself is called a "covenant," because conjunction with Him is effected by Him through the Divine that proceeds from Him.

2. That the Divine proceeding, which is Divine truth, thus the Word, is the covenant, because it conjoins.

3. That the commandments, judgments, and statutes commanded to the sons of Israel were to them a covenant, because through these there was then conjunction with the Lord.

4. And further, that whatever conjoins is called a "covenant."

[5] As to the first: That the Lord Himself is called a "covenant," because conjunction with Him is effected by Him through the Divine that proceeds from Him, is evident from the following passages.

In Isaiah:

I Jehovah have called Thee in righteousness, and I will take hold of Thine hand and will guard Thee, and I will give thee for a covenant of the people and for a light of the nations (Isaiah 42:6).

This is said of the Lord, who is called "a covenant of the people and a light of the nations," because a "covenant" signifies conjunction, and "light" Divine truth; "peoples" mean those who are in truths, and "nations" those who are in goods (See above, n. 175, 331, 625); "to call Him in righteousness" signifies to establish righteousness by separating the evil from the good and by saving the good and condemning the evil; "to take hold of the hand and to guard" signifies to do this from Divine Omnipotence, which the hells cannot resist; Jehovah's doing this means that it is done by the Divine in the Lord.

[6] In the same:

I have given Thee for a covenant of the people, to restore the earth and to inherit the wasted heritages (Isaiah 49:8).

This, too, is said of the Lord; and "to give for a covenant of the people" signifies that there may be conjunction with Him and by Him; "to restore the earth" signifies the church; and "to inherit the wasted heritages" signifies to restore the goods and truths of the church that have been destroyed.

[7] In David:

I have made a covenant with My chosen, and I have sworn to David My servant, even to eternity will I establish thy seed, to eternity will I keep for him My mercy, and My covenant shall be steadfast for Him (Psalms 89:3, 4, 28).

"David" here means the Lord in relation to His royalty (See above, n. 205), and he is called "chosen" from good, and "servant" from truth; "to make a covenant and swear to him" signifies the uniting of the Lord's Divine with His Human, "to make a covenant" meaning to become united, and "to swear" meaning to confirm it; "even to eternity will I establish thy seed" signifies the eternity of Divine truth from Him; "to eternity will I keep for him My mercy" signifies the eternity of Divine good from Him; "My covenant shall be steadfast" signifies the union of the Divine and Human in Him. This becomes the sense of these words when, instead of David, the Lord in relation to the Divine Human and its royalty is understood, respecting which this is said in the sense of the letter, because in that sense David is treated of, with whom there was no eternal covenant.

[8] In the second book of Samuel:

The God of Israel said, the rock of Israel spake to me; and He shall be as light in the morning when the sun riseth, without clouds; from the brightness after rain cometh grass out of the earth. Is not my house firm with God? For He hath set for me a covenant of eternity, to order over all and to keep (2 Samuel 23:3-5).

This is said by David; and "the God of Israel" and "the rock of Israel" mean the Lord in relation to Divine truth; what is signified by "He shall be as light in the morning when the sun riseth, a morning without clouds, from the brightness after rain cometh grass out of the earth," may be seen above n. 644. This describes Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, from which is all germination of truth and fructification of good. "Is not my house firm with God?" signifies the church conjoined with the Lord through the Divine truth, "the house of David" meaning the church; "for He hath set for me a covenant of eternity" signifies that from the union of His Human with the Divine He has conjunction with the men of the church; "to order over all and to keep" signifies from which He rules over all things and all persons, and saves such as receive.

[9] In Malachi:

Ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that My covenant may be with Levi. My covenant with him was of life and of peace, which I gave to him with fear, that he might fear Me. The law of truth was in his mouth, and perversity was not found in his lips. But ye have turned aside out of the way, ye have caused many to stumble in the law, ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi (Malachi 2:4-6, 8).

"The covenant of Jehovah with Levi" signifies in the highest sense the union of the Divine with the Human in the Lord, and in a relative sense, the Lord's conjunction with the church; for by "Levi" as by "David" the Lord is meant, but "Levi" means the Lord in relation to Divine good, which is the priesthood of the Lord, and "David" in relation to Divine truth, which is the royalty of the Lord. That the Lord is meant by "Levi" is evident from its being said, "the law of truth was in his mouth, and perversity was not found in his lips," "the law of truth" signifying Divine truth from Divine good, and "lips" the doctrine of truth and instruction; and afterwards it is said:

The priest's lips shall keep knowledge; and they shall seek the law from His mouth, for He is the angel of Jehovah of Hosts (Malachi 2:7).

"A covenant of life and of peace" signifies that union and that conjunction (of which just above) from which the Lord Himself became life and peace, from which man has eternal life, and peace from the infestation by evils and falsities, thus by hell. What is signified by "His fear" may be seen above n. 696. Those who live contrary to Divine truth are meant by "ye have turned aside out of the way, ye have caused many to stumble in the law, ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi;" "to turn aside out of the way and to stumble in the law" signifies to live contrary to Divine truth, and "to corrupt the covenant of Levi" signifies to corrupt conjunction with the Lord.

[10] In the same:

Behold, I send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me; and the Lord shall suddenly come to His temple; and the angel of the covenant whom ye desire (Malachi 3:1).

It is evidently the Lord's coming that is here proclaimed. The Lord is here called "Lord" from Divine good, and "the angel of the covenant" from Divine truth (as may be seen above, n. 242, 433, 444, where the rest of the passage is explained). From this it can be seen that "covenant," in reference to the Lord, means either Himself or the union of His Divine with the Human in Him, and in reference to those who are in heaven and in the church it means conjunction with Him through the Divine that proceeds from Him.

[11] Secondly, That the Divine proceeding, which is Divine truth, thus the Word, is the covenant, because it conjoins, can be seen from the following passages. In Moses:

Moses came down out of Mount Sinai, and told the people all the words of Jehovah and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, All the words which Jehovah hath spoken will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of Jehovah in a book. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the ears of the people; and they said, All that Jehovah hath spoken we will do and will hearken. And Moses took half of the blood of the burnt-offerings, and sprinkled upon the people, and said, Behold, the blood of the covenant that Jehovah hath concluded with you upon all these words. And they saw the God of Israel, and under His feet as it were a work of sapphire stone (Exodus 24:3, 4, 7, 8, 10).

That Divine truth which with us is the Word is a covenant, is evident from all these particulars regarded in the internal or spiritual sense; for Moses, who said these things to the people, represented the law, that is, the Word, as can be seen from various places where it is said, "Moses and the prophets," and elsewhere "the law and the prophets;" thus "Moses" stands for the law, and the law in a broad sense signifies the Word, which is Divine truth. The same may also be evident from this, that "Mount Sinai" signifies heaven, from which is Divine truth; likewise from this, that "the book of the covenant, which was read before the people," signifies the Word; also that the "blood," half of which was sprinkled upon the people, also signifies Divine truth, which is the Word, and as this conjoins, it is called "the blood of the covenant." Again, since all conjunction through Divine truth is conjunction with the Lord, "the God of Israel," who is the Lord, was seen by Moses, Aaron and his sons, and the seventy elders. What was "under His feet" was seen, because when "the Lord" means the Word, "His feet" mean the Word in its ultimates, that is, in the sense of its letter, for the sons of Israel did not see the Word interiorly; "as it were a work of sapphire stone" signifies to be transparent from internal truths, which are the spiritual sense of the Word. (But this may be seen explained in detail in Arcana Coelestia 9371-9412.)

[12] Of what nature the conjunction is that is signified by "covenant" can be seen from what has been set forth, namely, that it is like the covenants commonly made in the world, that is, on the part of one and on the part of the other; in like manner the covenants that the Lord makes with men must be on the part of the Lord and on the part of men; they must be on the part of both that there may be conjunction. The things on the Lord's part are stated in the preceding chapter, namely:

That He will bless their bread and their waters, that He will take away their diseases, and that they shall possess the land of Canaan from the Sea Suph even to the river Euphrates (Exodus 23:25-31).

Here "to bless the bread and the waters" signifies in the internal spiritual sense the fructification of good and the multiplication of truth, "bread" signifying every good of heaven and the church, and "waters" all the truths of that good; "to take away diseases" signifies to remove evils and falsities which are from hell, for these are diseases in the spiritual sense; "to possess the land from the Sea Suph to the river Euphrates" signifies the church in all its extension, which those have from the Lord who are conjoined to Him through Divine truth. But the things that must be on man's part are recounted in the three preceding chapters, and in brief are meant in the passage cited above by "the words and judgments of Jehovah" that Moses coming down from Mount Sinai declared to the people, to which the people, with one voice said, "All the words that Jehovah hath spoken we will do and will hearken." It was for this reason that Moses divided the blood of the burnt offerings, and half of it, which was for the Lord, he left in the bowls, but the other half he sprinkled upon the people.

[13] That the conjunction of the Lord with men is effected through Divine truth is also meant by "blood" in the Gospels:

Jesus took the cup, saying, Drink ye all of it; this is My blood, that of the new covenant (Matthew 26:27, 28; Mark 14:23, 24; Luke 22:20).

This blood is called "the blood of the new covenant," because "blood" signifies the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and "covenant" signifies conjunction. (That "blood" signifies the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, received by man, may be seen above, n. 329, 476; and that "to drink" signifies to receive, to make one's own, and thus be conjoined, may also be seen above, n. 617.)

[14] Likewise in Zechariah:

By the blood of thy covenant I will send forth thy bound out of the pit wherein is no water (Zechariah 9:11).

This is said of the Lord, who is plainly treated of in this chapter; and "the blood of the covenant" means, as above, the Divine truth, by which there is conjunction with the Lord. Who are meant by "those bound in the pit wherein is no water" can be seen above n. 537.

[15] As the Lord called His blood, meaning the Divine truth proceeding from Him, "the blood of the new covenant," it shall be said briefly what is meant by "the old covenant" and "the new covenant." "The old covenant" means conjunction through such Divine truth as was given to the sons of Israel, which was external, and therefore representative of internal Divine truth. They had no other Divine truth, because they could not receive any other, for they were external and natural men, and not internal or spiritual, as can be seen from the fact that such as knew anything about the Lord's coming had no other thought of Him than that He was to be a king who would raise them above all the peoples in the whole world, and thus establish a kingdom with them on the earth, and not in the heavens and therefrom on the earth with all who believe on Him. "The old covenant," therefore, was a conjunction through such Divine truth as is contained in the books of Moses and is called "commandments, judgments, and statutes," in which, nevertheless, there lay inwardly hidden such Divine truth as is in heaven, which is internal and spiritual. This Divine truth was disclosed by the Lord when He was in the world; and as through this alone there is conjunction of the Lord with men, therefore this is what is meant by "the new covenant," also by "His blood," which is therefore called "the blood of the new covenant." "Wine" has a similar meaning.

[16] This "new covenant," which was to be entered into with the Lord when He should come into the world, is sometimes treated of in the Word of the Old Covenant. Thus in Jeremiah:

Behold the days come in which I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not as the covenant which I made with your fathers, for they have made My covenant void. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after these days; I will give My law in the midst of them, and will write it upon their heart, and I will be to them for God, and they shall be to Me for a people; neither shall they teach anymore a man his companion, a man his brother, saying, Know ye Jehovah, for all shall know Me, from the least of them even to the greatest of them (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

That Jehovah, that is, the Lord, "was to make a new covenant with the house of Israel and house of Judah" does not mean that it was to be made with the sons of Israel and with Judah, but with all who from the Lord are in the truths of doctrine and in the good of love to the Lord. That these are meant in the Word by "the sons of Israel" and by "Judah" may be seen above n. 433; that "the days come" means the Lord's coming is evident. That there would then be conjunction with the Lord through Divine truth, internal and spiritual, is meant by the words, "This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after these days, I will give My law in the midst of them, and will write it upon their heart." This signifies that they would then receive Divine truth inwardly in themselves; for spiritual Divine truth is received by man inwardly, thus otherwise than with the sons of Israel and the Jews, who received it outwardly; for when a man receives Divine truth inwardly in himself, that is, makes it to be of his love and thus of his life, truth is known from the truth itself, because the Lord flows into His own truth with man, and teaches him; this is what is meant by the words, "they shall no more teach a man his companion, and a man his brother, saying, Know ye Jehovah, for all shall know Me, from the least even to the greatest." The conjunction itself thereby effected, which "the new covenant" signifies, is meant by "I will be to them for God, and they shall be to Me for a people."

[17] In the same:

They shall be to Me for a people, and I will be to them for God, and I will give them one heart and one way, to fear Me all the days; and I will make with them an eternal covenant that I will not turn Me back from after them, that I may do them good; and My fear will I put into their heart that they may not depart from with Me (Jeremiah 32:38-40).

This, too, is said of the Lord and of the new covenant with Him; conjunction thereby is meant by "I will be to them for God, and they shall be to me for a people," and is further described by this, that "He would give to them one heart and one way, to fear Him all the days," and that "He would not turn Himself back from after them, and that He would put fear into their heart that they might not depart from with Him;" "one heart and one way to fear Me" signifies one will of good and one understanding of truth for worshiping the Lord; and as the conjunction is reciprocal, that is, a conjunction of the Lord with them and of them with the Lord, it is said that He will not turn Him back from after them "that I may do them good, and they will not depart from with Me." From this it is clear what is signified by "the eternal covenant" that He will enter into with them, namely, conjunction through spiritual Divine truth, which truth, when received, constitutes the life of man, and from it comes eternal conjunction.

[18] In Ezekiel:

I will raise up over them one shepherd who shall feed them, My servant David. I Jehovah will be to them for God, and My servant David a prince in the midst of them. Then will I make with them a covenant of peace, I will cause the evil wild beast to cease that they may dwell securely in the wilderness, and sleep in the forests (Ezekiel 34:23-25).

This also is said of the Lord; and "David," who shall feed them and who shall be a prince in the midst of them, means the Lord in relation to the Divine truth, who is called a servant from serving; conjunction with the Lord through the Divine truth is meant by "the covenant" which He will make with them; this is called "a covenant of peace," because man by conjunction with the Lord has peace from the infestation of evil and falsity from hell; therefore also it is added, "I will cause the evil wild beast to cease, that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forests," "evil wild beast" meaning falsity and evil from hell, and "to dwell securely in the wilderness and to sleep in the forests" signifying that they shall be safe everywhere from all infestation from falsity and evil.

[19] In the same:

My servant David shall be a king over them, that they all may have one shepherd. And I will make a covenant of peace with them, it shall be a covenant of eternity with them; and I will give them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in the midst of them to eternity, and My habitation with them; and I will be to them for God, and they shall be to Me for a people (Ezekiel 37:24, 26, 27).

Here also by "David" the Lord is meant, for it is evident that David was not to come again to be their king and shepherd; but the Lord is called "king" from Divine truth, for this is the royalty of the Lord, while Divine good is His priesthood; and the Lord is called "shepherd," because He will feed them with Divine truth, and thereby lead to the good of love, and thus to Himself; and because from this there is conjunction it is said, "I will make with them a covenant of peace, a covenant of eternity." What "a covenant of peace" signifies has been told just above, also that "I will be to them for God, and they shall be to Me for a people," means conjunction. The "sanctuary" that He will set in the midst of them, and the "habitation" that will be with them, signify heaven and the church, that are called a "sanctuary" from the good of love, and a "habitation" from the truths of that good, for the Lord dwells in truths from good.

[20] In Hosea:

In that day will I make a covenant for them with the wild beast of the field, with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the earth; and I will break the bow and the sword and war from the earth; and I will make them to lie down securely; and I will betroth thee to Me forever (Hosea 2:18, 19).

This treats of the establishment of a New Church by the Lord. It is clear that the Lord would not then make a covenant with the wild beast of the field, with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the earth, therefore these signify such things as are with man; "the wild beast of the field" signifying the affection of truth and good, "the bird of the heavens" spiritual thought, and "the creeping thing of the earth" the knowledge [scientificum] of the natural man. (What the rest signifies may be seen above, n.650.) This makes evident that the covenant the Lord will make is a spiritual covenant, or a covenant through spiritual truth, and not a covenant through natural truth such as was made with the sons of Israel; this latter was "the old covenant," the former was "the new covenant."

[21] As "the law" that was promulgated by the Lord from Mount Sinai meant in a broad sense the Word, so also the tables on which that law was written are called "tables of the covenant" in Moses:

I went up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, the tables of the covenant which Jehovah made with you. At the end of forty days and forty nights Jehovah gave to me the two tables of stone, the tables of the covenant (Deuteronomy 9:9, 11).

These "tables," that is, the law written upon them, mean the Divine truth, through which there is conjunction with the Lord, and because of that conjunction they are called "the tables of the covenant;" and as all conjunction, like a covenant, is effected from the part of one and the part of the other, thus in turn on the one side and on the other, so there were two tables, and these were of stone; they were of stone because "stone" signifies the Divine truth in ultimates (See Arcana Coelestia 643[1-4], 3720, 6426, 8609, 10376). For the same reason the ark in which these tables were placed was called "the ark of the Covenant," and with the sons of Israel this was the most holy thing of their worship, as has been shown in the preceding article.

[22] Thirdly, That the commandments, judgments, and statutes commanded to the sons of Israel were to them a covenant, because through these there was then conjunction with the Lord, can be seen from the following passages. In Moses:

If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments and do them, I will have respect unto you, and will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will establish My covenant with you. But if ye reject My statutes, so that ye do not all My commandments, whilst ye make My covenant void, I will do to you the opposite (Leviticus 26:3, 9, 15seq.).

The statutes and commandments that were to be observed and done are set forth in the preceding chapter, and the goods they were to enjoy if they kept those commandments and statutes, and afterwards the evils that would come upon them if they did not keep them are set forth in this chapter. But the goods they were to enjoy were earthly and worldly goods, so too were the evils, because they were earthly and natural men, and not celestial and spiritual men, and consequently they knew nothing about the goods that affect man inwardly or the evils that afflict him inwardly; nevertheless the externals they were bound to observe were such as inwardly contained celestial and spiritual things, through which there is conjunction itself with the Lord; and as these were perceived in heaven, therefore the externals that the sons of Israel were to observe were called a "covenant." (But what the conjunction was of the Lord with the sons of Israel through these means may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n.248.)

[23] "Covenant" has a like meaning in the following passages. In Moses:

Jehovah said unto Moses, Write thou these words, for upon the mouth of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel (Exodus 34:27).

In the same:

Keep the words of this covenant and do them, ye that stand here this day, your heads, your tribes, your officers, and every man of Israel, to pass over into the covenant of Jehovah and into His oath which Jehovah thy God maketh with thee this day, that He may establish thee this day for a people, and that He may be to thee for God; not with you only do I make this covenant and this oath, but also with everyone who is not here with you this day (Deuteronomy 29:9, 10, 12 -15).

In the second book of Kings:

King Josiah sent and gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem; and the king went up to the house of Jehovah, and every man of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, also the priests and the prophets, and the whole people from small even to great; and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of Jehovah; and the king stood by the pillar, and made the covenant before Jehovah to go after Jehovah and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all the heart and with all the soul, to establish all the words of this covenant written upon this book; and all the people stood in the covenant (2 Kings 23:1-3).

So, too, in other passages (Jeremiah 22:8, 9; 33:20-22; 50:5; Ezekiel 16:8; Malachi 2:14; Psalms 78:37; 50:5, 16; 103:17, 18; 105:8, 9; 106:45; 111:5, 9; Deuteronomy 17:2; 1 Kings 19:14). In all these passages "covenant" is mentioned, and by it the externals that the sons of Israel were to observe are meant.

[24] But as regards the covenant that the Lord made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, this was not the same as the covenant He made with the posterity of Jacob, but it was a covenant on the part of the Lord that their seed should be multiplied, and to their seed the land of Canaan should be given, and on the part of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that every male should be circumcised. That the covenant with the posterity of Jacob was different is evident in Moses:

Jehovah our God made with us a covenant in Horeb; Jehovah made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us (Deuteronomy 5:2, 3).

Regarding the former covenant it is written in Moses:

Jehovah brought Abraham forth abroad, and said, Look toward heaven and number the stars; and He said to him, So shall thy seed be. And He said to him, Take to thee ¹ a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon. And he divided them in the midst, and he laid each part over against the other, but the birds divided he not. And the sun went down and it became very dark; and behold a furnace of smoke and a torch of fire passed through between the pieces. In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abraham ² saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates (Genesis 15:5-18).

And afterwards:

I will give My covenant between Me and thee, and I will multiply thee exceedingly. I, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be for a father of a multitude of nations, and I will make thee fruitful; and I will give to thee and to thy seed after thee the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. This is My covenant that ye shall keep between Me and you and thy seed after thee. Every male shall be circumcised to you; he who is not circumcised in the flesh of the foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his peoples, he hath made void My covenant. And My covenant will I set up with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to thee (Genesis 17:1-21).

From this it is clear what kind of a covenant was entered into with Abraham, namely, that "his seed should be multiplied exceedingly, and that the land of Canaan should be given to his seed for a possession." The commandments, judgments, and statutes themselves by which the covenant was to be established are not mentioned, but still they are signified by "the heifer, she-goat, and ram of three years old," and by "the turtle-dove and young pigeon," for these animals signify such things as belong to the church, and "the land of Canaan" itself signifies the church. And because the Lord foresaw that the posterity of Abraham from Jacob would not keep the covenant, there appeared to Abraham "a furnace of smoke and a torch of fire passing through between the pieces;" "a furnace of smoke" signifying the dense falsity, and "the torch of fire" the direful evil into which the posterity of Jacob would come. This is confirmed also in Jeremiah 33:18-20. "Abraham divided the heifer, the she-goat, and the ram, and laid each part over against the other," according to the ritual of covenants between two parties. (But this may be seen fully explained in Arcana Coelestia 1783-1862.)

[25] The covenant was made by circumcision because circumcision represented the purification from the loves of self and of the world which are bodily and earthly loves, and the removal of these; therefore also the circumcision was made with a little knife of stone, which signified the truth of doctrine, by which all purification from evils and falsities and their removal is effected. (But the particulars recorded in that chapter respecting this covenant are explained in Arcana Coelestia 1987-2095; and respecting circumcision, n. 2039 at the end, 2046 at the end, 2632, 2799, 4462, 7044, 8093.) But as "Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," mean in the internal sense the Lord, so "their seed" signify all who are of the Lord's church, which church is meant by "the land of Canaan," which their seed was to inherit.

[26] There was also a covenant entered into with Noah:

That men should no more perish by the waters of a flood, and that a bow should be in the cloud for a sign of that covenant (Genesis 6:17, 18; 9:9, 17).

Conjunction of the Lord through Divine truth is involved also in that covenant, as can be seen from the explanation of the above in the Arcana Coelestia 659-675, 1022-1059. That "the bow in the cloud," or the rainbow, here signifies regeneration, which is effected by Divine truth and a life according to it, and that consequently that bow was taken for a sign of the covenant, may also be seen in the same work (n. 1042).

[27] Fourth, That further, whatever conjoins is called a covenant; as the Sabbath in Moses:

The sons of Israel shall keep the Sabbath in their generations, the covenant of an age (Exodus 31:16).

The Sabbath was called "the covenant of an age," because the "Sabbath" signified in the highest sense the union of the Divine with the Human in the Lord, and in a relative sense the conjunction of the Lord with heaven and the church, and in a universal sense the conjunction of good and truth, which conjunction is called the heavenly marriage. Therefore "the rest on the Sabbath day" signified the state of that union and of that conjunction, since by that state there is peace and rest to the Lord, and thereby peace and salvation in the heavens and on the earth. (That this is the signification of "the Sabbath" and "the rest," then, can be seen in Arcana Coelestia 8494, 8495, 8510, 10356, 10360, 10367, 10370, 10374, 10668, 10730.)

[28] Again, the salt in the sacrifices is called "the salt of the covenant" in Moses:

Thou shalt not cause the salt of the covenant of thy God to cease upon thine offering, upon all thine offering thou shalt offer salt (Leviticus 2:13).

The salt upon the offering is called "the salt of the covenant," because "salt" signifies the desire of truth for good, whereby the two are conjoined. (On this signification of "salt" see Arcana Coelestia 9207.)

[29] A wife is called "the wife of a covenant" in Malachi:

Jehovah hath been a witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously, though she is thy companion and the wife of thy covenant (Malachi 2:14).

A wife is here called "the wife of the covenant" from her conjunction with her husband, but "wife" here signifies the church, and "the wife of youth" the Ancient Church, against which the Jewish Church is said to have dealt treacherously. Because these were both representative churches, and in this respect alike, and thus were conjoined, it is said, "though she is thy companion and the wife of thy covenant."

[30] "A covenant with the stones of the field" is spoken of in Job:

Thou shalt not be afraid of the wild beast of the field, for with the stones of the field is thy covenant, and the wild beast of the field shall be at peace with thee (Job 5:22, 23).

"A covenant with the stones of the field" signifies conjunction with the truths of the church, for "stones" signify truths, "field" the church, and "covenant" conjunction; "the wild beast of the field" signifies the love of falsity, of which wild beast "thou shalt not be afraid," and which "shall be at peace," when there is conjunction with the church through truths.

[31] Again, "a covenant with wild beasts and birds" is spoken of in Hosea:

In that day will I make a covenant for them with the wild beast of the field, with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the earth (Hosea 2:18).

And in Moses:

God said unto Noah, Behold I establish My covenant with you and with every living soul that is with you, the bird, the beast, and every wild beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, even every wild beast of the earth (Genesis 9:9, 10).

"A covenant with beast, wild beast, bird and creeping thing of the earth," signifies conjunction with such things with man as are signified by these, for "beast" signifies the affection of good, "wild beast" the affection of truth, "bird" the thinking faculty, and "creeping thing of the earth" the knowing faculty which lives from these affections.

[32] "A covenant with death" is spoken of in Isaiah:

Ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell we have made vision. Your covenant with death shall be abolished, and your vision with hell shall not stand (Isaiah 28:15, 18).

"To make a covenant with death" signifies conjunction through falsity from hell, from which man dies spiritually; "to make a vision with hell" signifies divination from hell as if prophetic. From the passages here cited in series it can be seen that "covenant," where the Lord is treated of, signifies conjunction through Divine truth. There is, indeed, a conjunction with Him through the good of love; but because the Lord flows in with man through good into truths, whereby man has the affection of truth, and receives the Lord's good in truths, from which he acknowledges, confesses, and worships the Lord, thence the good of love conjoins through truth, comparatively as the heat of the sun in the time of spring and summer conjoins itself with the fructifications of the earth.

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