Jerusalem, on Mount Zion, signifies the doctrine of love to the Lord, and how it governs your life. Jerusalem first comes to our attention in 2 Samuel 5, when King David takes the city from the Jebusites and makes it his capital. In the next chapter he brings the Ark of the Covenant there, and later it is where Solomon builds the temple, and his own palace. From then on Jerusalem is the center of worship of the Israelitish church. It is the place where the Lord was presented in the temple as a baby, where He tarried to talk to the priests at age twelve, where He cleansed the temple, had the last supper, was crucified and then rose. It is a central place in both the old and new Testaments. The city was built on Mount Zion, the highest point of the mountains of Judea. A city, in the Word, represents doctrine, the organized knowledge of the truths of the church. Mountains represent love of the Lord and the consequent worship. If you put those things together, Jerusalem on Mount Zion signifies the doctrine of love to the Lord, and how it governs your life. This is why David was led to make Jerusalem the most important city of the land, and why all worship was conducted there. And this is also why Jeroboam was condemned for introducing idol worship in Samaria. In the Book of Revelation, John's vision of the city New Jerusalem descending from God is a prophecy of a new dispensation of doctrine coming from the Lord.

(Referências: Arcana Coelestia 4539, 8938; The Apocalypse Explained 365 [35-38])

2691. “神听见孩子的声音” 表当时的帮助. 这从 “神听见声音” 用于历史意义时的含义, 以及 “孩子” 的含义清楚可知: 就内义而言, “神听见声音” 是指带来帮助; “孩子” 是指属灵真理, 如前所述. 此处的状态就真理而言, 是有属灵之物在其中的. 因为经上说 “神听见孩子的声音”, 接着在本节又说 “孩子在那里所发的声音, 神已经听见了”, 也就是在什么样的状态下. 前几节已说明, 由于损失真理而极度悲伤的人就处于这种状态. 经上说神听见的声音是孩子的, 而非夏甲的, 其原因在于: 所论述的主题是属灵之人的状态. “孩子” 或以实玛利代表教会成员, “他母亲夏甲” 则代表对真理的认知的情感. 所感觉到的悲伤就在这情感当中. 人类理性是从作为母亲的对记忆知识的情感生出的 (1895-1896, 1902, 1910, 2094, 2524节), 而人的属灵之物则是从由教义, 主要由圣言所得对真理的认知的情感生出的. 属灵之物本身就是此处的 “孩子”, 而对真理的认知的情感则是 “夏甲”.