A "house" is essentially a container -- for a person, a family, several families or even a large group with shared interests (think of the term "houses of worship.") In the Bible, a "house" is also a container, but for spiritual things rather than natural things. In various uses a "house" can represent part of the mind, the whole mind, a whole person or even a church. The other nuance to the word "house" is that it is generally used in regards to our affections and desires rather than our thoughts and principles. This makes sense; we tend to engage our thoughts and rationality when we are out in the world doing our work, but when we are inside our houses we are driven most by love for our families and the desire to be good to those we love. So "house" tends to represent the things we want and care about -- which are ultimately the things that define us.

1488. 'And his house' means which He had gathered together. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'house' here as facts that are gathered together. Gathering facts together and by means of them raising and building up the external man is not unlike building a house, and therefore similar ideas are meant in various parts of the Word by 'building', and by 'building houses', as in Isaiah,

I am creating new heavens and a new earth. They will build houses and inhabit them; and they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They will not build and another inhabit. Isaiah 65:17, 21-22.

Here 'houses' means where there are wisdom and intelligence, thus where there are the cognitions of good and truth, for the Lord's kingdom is the subject, that is, 'new heavens and a new earth'. In Jeremiah,

Build houses and inhabit them; and plant gardens and eat their fruit. Jeremiah 29:5.

Here the meaning is similar. In David,

Blessed is the man who fears Jehovah, who delights greatly in His commandments! Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness stands for ever. Psalms 112:1, 3.

Here 'wealth and riches' stands for the wealth and riches of wisdom and intelligence, thus for cognitions, which are 'in his house', that is, residing with him.

[2] 'House' is also used in the contrary sense: in Zephaniah,

I will visit those who say in their hearts, Jehovah has not done good nor has He done evil; and their wealth will be for plunder, and their houses for desolation, and they will build houses and not inhabit them, and they will plant vineyards and not drink [their] wine. Zephaniah 1:12-13.

In Haggai,

Go up into the mountain and bring wood and build the house. You looked for much, and behold it was little; and when you brought it home ¹ I blew it away. For what reason? said Jehovah. Because of My house which has been left derelict while you run each to his own house. Therefore above you the heavens have withheld their dew. Haggai 1:8-10.

'Houses' stands for facts through which, by means of reasoning, falsities come. In Isaiah,

The vineyard of Jehovah is the house of Israel. ² Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field until there is no room and you dwell alone in the midst of the land! Will not many houses be a desolation, large and good ones, without inhabitant? Isaiah 5:7-9.

Here also 'houses' stands for facts through which come falsities. In Amos,

Behold, Jehovah commands, and He will smite the great house with breaches and the little house with clefts. Will horses run upon the rock? Will one plough there with oxen? that you turn judgement into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood. Amos 6:11-12.

Here similarly 'houses' stands for falsities and derivative evils, 'horses' for reasoning, 'judgement' for truths which are 'turned into poison', and 'the fruits of righteousness' for goods which are 'turned into wormwood'.

[3] Thus in various parts of the Word 'houses' stands for human minds in which intelligence and wisdom ought to be present. Here 'the house of Pharaoh' stands for facts by means of which comes intelligence and by means of this wisdom. Similar things were also meant by 'the house which Solomon built for Pharaoh's daughter', 1 Kings 7:8 and following verses. Because 'a house' stands for minds that have intelligence and wisdom within them, and that have within them affections that belong to the will, therefore the word 'house' in the Word has a wide range of meaning, but what it means in a specific instance becomes clear from the things to which it has reference. In addition man himself is called 'a house'.

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