THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 21

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

1. THE burden of the desert of the sea. Like the whirlwinds of the south rushing along; from the desert he cometh, from the terrible land.

2. A grievous vision is revealed unto me: the treacherous deals treacherously, and the spoiler spoils! Go up, O Elam; besiege,

O Media! I have made all her sighing to cease.

VERSE 1. As to the meaning of "burden", see Chapter 13:1, the Exposition.

The desert of the sea:The "sea" signifies a gathering together, or a collection of scientifics from which come reasonings concerning Truth; the "sea" also 'signifies the natural and sensual principles, for these are the things which contain. Truth in the natural or external man is Truth in science, and the knowledges of Truth in the external or natural man are called scientifics; whereas Truth in the spiritual or internal man is Truth in faith. For by virtue of Truth, science is made truth in faith, when it is elevated out of the natural or external into the spiritual or internal. Hence it is that truths appertaining to a man in childhood, are truths in science; but in adult age, if he suffers himself to be regenerated, they become truths in faith, for the internal man is successively opened even to that age. The ground and reason 'why" sea" denotes the gathering together of scientifics, is, because" waters", "fountains", and "rivers" signify truths, 'hence their being gathered together denotes "seas." That this is the case, is also manifest from the passages ill the Word where mention is made of the "sea" or "seas", as in David :

"The earth is Jehovah's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. He has founded it upon the seas, and upon the rivers He has established it." (Psalm 24:1, 2)

Where the "earth" and the "world" denote the church; the "seas" upon which He has founded the world, are cientific truths; the "rivers" upon which He has established it, are the truths of faith. That the earth, world, seas, and rivers are not there meant, is evident; for the world is not founded upon the seas, nor established upon rivers. Many passages might be adduced in proof of the spiritual signification of "sea", when mentioned in the Word; but there is space only for one from Jeremiah:

"The sea came up over Babel; by the multitude of the waves thereof she was covered. The cities thereof are reduced to desolation." (Jeremiah 51:42, 43) "Babel" denotes worship which in externals appears holy, but in internals is profane. (See above, Chapter 13 and 14, the Exposition.) The "sea coming over Babel" denotes the false grounded in scientifics, and hence denials; the "cities which are reduced to desolation" are doctrinals. Arcana Coelestia 9755.

As to the spiritual signification of "sea", see above, Chapter 11:9 and 15, the Exposition; also below, Chapter 57:20.

Like the whirlwinds of the south rushing alonq, etc. - the winds which exist in the spiritual world appear to arise there from different quarters, some from the south, some from the north, and some from the east. Those which are from the south disperse truths with those who are in falsities, and those which are from the east disperse goods with those who are in evils. The reason of the winds dispersing them, is, because winds exist from a strong and powerful influx of the Divine through the heavens into the lower parts of the spiritual world, and here the influx comes, it fills truths and goods, that is the minds; both, internal [mentes] and external [animos] of those who are in Truths and Goods, with the Divine; wherefore they, in whom the interiors of the mind [mens] and of the animus are merely falsities, and outwardly truths mixed with falsities and goods mixed with evils, cannot sustain such influx from the Divine, whence they betake themselves into their own falsities and evils which they love, and reject the truths and goods which they do not love, except for the sake of self and, for the sake of appearances. Apocalypse Explained 419. See also above, Chap, Isaiah 17:13, the Exposition.

From the desert, from the terrible land. - [These words depict the church as devastated by Babylon, or by dominion grounded in self-love. (See Chap, xiii. and xiv., the Exposition.) The church is a desert when its truths are falsified and perverted, and a terrible land when its goods are adulterated and profaned. The "vision" of such a land is, indeed, grievous.]

Verses 1, 6, 7, 9. The burden of the desert of the sea, etc. - The "desert of the sea "signifies the vanity of those scientific things [or more knowledges], which are acquired not for the purposes of use [to the spiritual life]. The "chariot of asses" signifies a heap of particular scientifics, and a "chariot of camels" a heap of general scieutifics, which are in the natural man. The vain reasonings which are with those who are signified .by "Babel", (verse 9.) are thus described. Arcana Coelestia 3048.

Verse 2. A grievous vision is revealed unto me, etc. - See Chap, Isaiah 1:1, the Exposition, as to the true nature of the "visions" of the prophets.

The treacherous dealetlh treacherously, etc. - To act "treacherously", or perfidiously, is to act against revealed. Truths; [and to "spoil" is to act against what is Good.] Apocalypse Explained 710.

Go up, O Elam; besiege, O Media! - That by "Elam" is signified the science which is of the natural man, is evident from those passages in the Word where "Elam" is named, as in Jeremiah "Behold, I will break the bow of Elam; the chief of their might." (Jeremiah 49:35)

By "Elam" is understood the science which is of the natural man, and hence his trust; by his "bow" is signified his science, from which, as from doctrine, he fights; by "the chief of his might" is signified his trust. For science is of no avail [to salvation] unless it serve the rational and spiritual man. Apocalypse Explained 357.

By "Elam", in a good sense [when the science or knowledge of Truth is made to serve the spiritual man], is signified faith from charity, as is evident from the essence of the internal church. The internal church is that with which charity is the principle from which it thinks and acts. The first offspring of charity is faith, for from this, and from no other source is faith. Thus it is said "I will set My throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, says the Lord; and I will bring again the captivity of Elam:" (Jeremiah 49:38, 39)

And in Isaiah:

"Go up, O Elam; besiege, O Media!" (Isaiah 21:2)

In which passage the devastation of the church by Babel, is treated of, which: devastation is signified by "the treacherous dealing treacherously, and the spoiler spoiling. ". "Elam" there is the internal church, and "Media" the external, or external worship in which is internal. That" Media." [or Madai] is such a church, or such a worship, is evident from Genesis 10:2, where he is called "the son of Japheth." Arcana Coelestia 1228.

3. Therefore are my loins filled with pain; pangs have seized me, as the pangs of a woman ill travail: I am so bent down, that I cannot hear; I am so dismayed, that I cannot see.

Verse 3. Speaking of the last state of the church; when the Truths and Goods thereof cannot be received, except with much painful effort, by reason of the evils and falsities which then hinder. The "loins", which are said to be "filled with pain", signify the marriage of Good and Truth, from which is heaven and the church; which are said to be "filled with pain" when Truth cannot be conjoined with Good. Those hindrances therefore are signified by "the pangs, as of a woman in travail, which have seized her." Apocalypse Explained 721. See also above, Chapter 13:6-8, the Exposition.

4. My heart is bewildered; terror has affrighted me: the night of my pleasure has he turned into horror unto me.

Verse 4. [These words depict the consternation of those who, at the time of judgment, are in merely natural or external good, without an internal spiritual principle. This merely natural good they had assumed for selfish purposes in the world, and for the sake of appearance; but at the judgment it is taken away, and they are left to the horror of their own states.]

5. The table is prepared, the watch is set; they eat, they drink: arise, O you princes; anoint the shield!

Verse 5. Arise, O you princes; anoint the shield!- The reason why the "weapons of warfare" were anointed, was, because they signified truths fighting against falsities; and as truths from good are what prevail against falsities, and not truths without good, wherefore the weapons were "anointed with oil", which signifies good. On which account the "arms of war" represented the truths by which the Lord combats with man against falsities from evil, which are from hell.

Apocalypse Explained 315. See also Arcana Coelestia 9954; Apocalypse Revealed 779.

6. For thus has the Lord said unto me, Go, station a watchman; whatever he shall see, let him declare.

7. And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he observed diligently with extreme diligence:

Verses 6-9. The subject here treated of is concerning the advent of the Lord, and concerning a New Church on the occasion. By "a lion upon the watch-tower", is signified the guard and providence of the Lord; wherefore it is said "I stand continually upon the watch-tower, and on my ward have I continued whole nights." By "a chariot with a couple of horsemen", is signified the doctrine of Truth from the Word; and by "hearkening" [or observing], is signified a life according thereto. That a "chariot" signifies the doctrine of Truth, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 2760, 2762, 5321.

That "horseman" signifies the Word as to understanding, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 2760, 6401, 6534. Apocalypse Explained 278.

8. And he cried out, A Lion! O my lord, I stand continually upon the watch-tower, and on my ward have I continued whole nights:

Verse 8. That a "lion" signifies the Good of celestial love, and hence Truth in its power, and that, in the opposite sense, it signifies the evil of self-love in its power, may be demonstrated from those passages in the Word where a "lion" is mentioned. Arcana Coelestia 6367.

9. And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen! is fallen! and all the graven images of her gods he has broken to the ground.

Verse 9. Babylon is fallen! is fallen! and all the graven imaqes of her gods he has broken to the ground-As to the signification of "Babylon", see above, Chapter xiii. and xiv., the Exposition.

By "graven images" are signified the doctrines which are formed from man's own intelligence, and not from the Word. Arcana Coelestia 8869. See below, Chapter 40:19, 20, the Exposition; also above, Chapter 2:20.

It ought to be known that the church becomes a Babylon when charity and faith cease, and the love of self begins to rule in theirstead; for this love, in proportion as it is unchecked, rushed on, aiming to domineer not only over all which it can subject to itself on earth, but even over heaven; nor does it rest there, but it chmbs the very throne of God, and transfers to itself His Divine Power. That it did this even before the Lord's coming, appears from chapters xiii, and xiv., explained above. But the "Babylon" there treated of was destroyed by the Lord when He was in the world, as well by those who constituted it being reduced to mere idolators, as by a last Judgment upon them in the spiritual world, which is understood by the prophetic sayings that "Lucifer", who there is Babylon, "was cast into hell", and that "Babylon has fallen"; and moreover by "the writing on the wall", and "the death of Belshazzar"; and also by "the stone hewn from the rock", which destroyed the statue of which Nebuchadnezzar dreamed. But the "Babylon" treated of in the Apocalypse is the Babylon of this day, which arose after the Lord's coming, and is known to be amongst the Papists. This Babylon is more pernicious and more abominable than that whlch existed before the Lord's coming, because it profanes the interior truths and goods of the church, which the Lord revealed to the world when He revealed Himself. How pernicious, and how inwardly abominable modern Babylon is, may appear from the description given of It above, P. 163. L. J. 54, 55.

10. O my threshing, and the son of my floor! what I have heard from Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, that I have declared unto you.

Verse 10. "Threshing" signifies [when predicated of Judgment] to dissipate evils, Apocalypse Explained 316.

["The son [or chaff] of my floor" denotes the falsities in connection with the evils to be dissipated. Hence the process of Judgment is described by "the winnower's fan", and by "purging the threshing-floor." Matthew 3:12. See Chapter 5:1, note.]

Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel. - That "the God of Israel" is the Lord as to the Divine Human, is, because they who are of the spiritual church have natural ideas concerning. everything spiritual and celestial, and also concerning the Divne Being Himself; wherefore unless they thought of the Divine Being as of a Natural Man, they could not be conjoined to Him by anything of affection. For if they did not think of the Divine Being as of a Natural Man, they would either have no ideas or enormous ideas concerning Him, and would thus defile what is Divine. Hence it is that by "the God of Israel" is understood the Lord as to the Divine Human, and indeed as to the Divine Natural. Arcana Coelestia 7091.

11. The burden of Dumah. He calls unto me from Seir, Watchman, what of the night?Watchman, what of the night?

Verse 11. The sons of Ishmael were Nebajoth, the first-born, Kedar, Abdeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. (See Genesis 25:13, 14)

That these signify all things of the spiritual church, especially among the Gentiles, is evident from this representatlon of those who are here named; some of them are mentioned In the Word, especially in the Prophets, as Nebajoth, Kedar, Dumah, and Tema, and there they signify such things as are of the spiritual church, especially among the Gentiles. This also "appears from this, that there were twelve of them; and by "twelve are signified all things of faith, thus of the church. The reason why by those nations are signified the things which are of the spiritual church, is, because the ancient church, which was amongst them, was the spiritual church. (See Arcana Coelestia 1238, 2385)

But although their doctrinals and rituals were various, nevertheless, they formed one church, because they did not make faith but charity the essential. But in process of time, as charity ceased, that of the church which was arnongst them became nothing; there remained, however, a representative of the church from them, with a variety [of signification] according to that of the church which had been amongst them. Hence it is that when these people are named in the Word, [as in Isaiah 21:11, 14; 60:6, 7.] they themselves are not meant, but only that of the church which had been amongst them is signified by them. Arcana Coelestia 3268.

[By "Dumah", therefore, are signified all such in the church as are in simple good, or, well-disposed, but who are without truths; and they are here exhorted "to inquire and to come" to the church, and thus to be instructed in truths.]

Verses 11, 12. By a "watchman", in an internal sense, is meant one who observes the internal states of the church and its changes, thus every prophet is a watchman. By "night" is understood the last state of the church; by "morning", its first state. By "Seir", from which the watchman cried, is signified the illumination of the Gentiles who are in darkness; that "Seir" has this signification, may be seen demonstrated in Arcana Coelestia 4240; and that "night" is the last state of the church, see above, Chapter 15:1, the Exposition. "The morning cometh, and also the night", signifies that the men of the New Church have illumination, whilst those of the Old have night. .Arcana Coelestia 10134. See also Apocalypse Explained 179.

12. The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire you: return, come.

Verse 12. The morning cometh, and also the night, etc. - When the light of Truth does not appear, and the Truth is not received, there is a state of. the church like evening and night; but when the light of Truth appears, and the Truth is received, there is a state of the church in the world like morning and day. Hence it is that these two states of the church are called "evening" and "morning", and "night" and "day" in the Word, as might be proved from many passages. Since such things are understood by "evening" find "morning", therefore the Lord, in order to fulfil the Word, was also buried in the evening, and rose again in the morning. Con. L. J. 13.

13. The burden of Arabia. In the forest at night shall you lodge, O you [travelling] companies of Dedanim.

14. To meet the thirsty bring you forth water, O you inhabitants of the land of Tema; with bread come before the fugitive.

Verses 13, 14. To "lodge at night in the forest", is, as said of Arabia, to be desolate as to good; for "Arabia", in a good sense, signifies those who are in celestial things, that is, who are in the, goods of faith; but to "spend the night in a forest" there, signifies to be no longer in these goods. Hence the desolation which is also described by "fleeing from the face of swords, and from the face of the drawn sword", etc. (Verse 15.) The celestial things that is, the goods of faith, or what is the same thing, the works of charity which they have [or ought to have], are signified by "bringing forth water to the thirsty, and coming with bread before the fugitive." Arcana Coelestia 3240.

Verses 13-15. To "spend the night in the forest", when predicated of the "companies of Dedanim", who are those that are in knowledges, (see Arcana Coelestia 3240, 3241) is to be devastated as to Truth. The "inhabitants of the land of Tema" signify those who are in simple Good, as is the case with the well-disposed Gentiles, who, as is evident, were from Tema the soil of Ishmael. "Kedar" stands for those who are in simple Truth, of whom it is said that " they shall flee from the face of swords, and from the face of the grievous war", by which is signified that they will not sustain the combats of temptations, because no longer in Good. Arcana Coelestia 3268.

15. For from the face of swords shall they flee: from the face of the drawn sword; and from the face of the bended bow; and from the face of the grievous war.

16. For thus has the Lord said unto me, Within a year, as the years of a hireling, shall all the glory of Kedar be consumed;

17. And the remainder of the number of the bows of the mighty sons of Kedar shall be diminished: for Jehovah the God of Israel has spoken it.

Verse 15. By a "sword", in the above passage, is signified Truth combating and destroying; this destruction appears especially in the spiritual world, where they who are in falsities cannot sustain the Truth, but are in a state of anguish, as if they struggled with death, when they come into the sphere of light, that is, into the sphere of Divine Truth; and thus also they are deprived of truths, and devastated. As most expressions in the Word have also an opposite sense, so likewise has the "sword", and in that sense it signifies the false combating against Truth, and destroying it. Apocalypse Explained 131.

Verses 15-17. The subject here treated of, in the spiritual sense, is concerning the knowledges of Good, that they would perish, and that few would remain. By " Kedar", or Arabia, are signified those who are in the knowledges of Good, and, abstractedly, those knowledges themselves. That the knowledges of Truth would perish by falsities and by the doctrine of the false, is signified by "they shall flee from the face of swords, from the face of the drawn sword; and from the face of the bended bow"; the "sword" is the false combating and destroying, and the "bow" is the doctrine of the false. That the knowledges of Good would perish, is signified by these words:

"Because of the grievousness of the war, shall all the glory of Kedar be cousumed"; "the grievousness of war" denoting the state of assault [or temptation], and "all the glory of Kedar being consumed" denotes devastation. And that few knowledges would remain, is described by "the remainder of the number of the bows of the mighty sons of Kedar shall be diminished"; the "bow of the mighty" denoting the doctrine of Truth, derived from knowledges which prevail against falsities. Apocalypse Explained 357.

Verse 16. As the years of a hireling. - See above, Chap, xvi, l4, the Exposition.

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Isaiah Chapter 21

1. THE burden of the desert of the sea. Like the whirlwinds of the south rushing along; from the desert he cometh, from the terrible land.

2. A grievous vision is revealed unto me: the treacherous deals treacherously, and the spoiler spoils! Go up, O Elam; besiege,

O Media! I have made all her sighing to cease.

3. Therefore are my loins filled with pain; pangs have seized me, as the pangs of a woman in travail: I am so bent down, that I cannot hear; I am so dismayed, that I cannot see.

4. My heart is bewildered; terror has frightened me: the night of my pleasure has he turned into horror unto me.

5. The table is prepared, the watch is set; they eat, they drink: arise, O you princes; anoint the shield!

6. For thus has the Lord said unto me, Go, station a watchman; whatever he shall see, let him declare.

7. And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he observed diligently with extreme diligence:

8. And he cried out, A Lion! O my lord, I stand continually upon the watch-tower, and on my ward have I continued whole nights:

9. And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen! is fallen! and all the graven images of her gods he has broken to the ground.

10. O my threshing, and the son of my floor! what I have heard from Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, that I have declared unto you.

11. The burden of Dumah. He calls unto me from Seir, Watchman, what of the night?Watchman, what of the night?

12. The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire you: return, come.

13. The burden of Arabia. In the forest at night shall you lodge, O you [travelling] companies of Dedanim.

14. To meet the thirsty bring you forth water, O you inhabitants of the land of Tema; with bread come before the fugitive.

15. For from the face of swords shall they flee: from the face of the drawn sword; and from the face of the bended bow; and from the face of the grievous war.

16. For thus has the Lord said unto me, Within a year, as the years of a hireling, shall all the glory of Kedar be consumed;

17. And the remainder of the number of the bows of the mighty sons of Kedar shall be diminished: for Jehovah the God of Israel has spoken it.

2781. 'And saddled [his] ass' means the natural man which He prepared. This is clear from the meaning of 'an ass', dealt with below. In man there are things of the will and there are those of the understanding; with the former go those things which spring from good, with the latter those which spring from truth. There are various kinds of animals, by which things of the will springing from good are meant, such as lambs, sheep, goats, she-goats, young bulls, and oxen, see 1823, 2179, 2180; and there are also those by which are meant things of the understanding springing from truth, namely horses, mules, wild asses, camels, and asses, in addition to birds. 'A horse' means the understanding part of the mind, as has been shown above in 2761, 2762; 'a wild ass' means rational truth separated from good, see 1949; and 'a camel' means factual knowledge in general, and 'an ass' factual knowledge in particular, see 1486.

[2] There are two elements which constitute the natural degree of man's mind, or what amounts to the same, the natural man - natural good and natural truth. Natural good is the delight that flows forth from charity and faith, natural truth is knowledge of these. That natural truth is what is meant by 'an ass', and rational truth by 'a mule', becomes clear from the following places:In Isaiah,

A prophecy of the beasts of the south. In the land of distress and repression are the lion and the tiger, and from them come the viper and the flying fiery-serpent. They will bear their riches on the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures on the humps of camels - on a people [who] will not be any use [to them]; for the Egyptians will help in vain and to no advantage. Isaiah 30:6-7.

The expression 'the beasts of the south' is used of those who possess cognitions of good and truth but who make them matters of knowledge, not of life. In reference to those beasts it is said that those people 'bear their riches on the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures on the humps of camels', for the reason that 'young asses' means facts in particular, and 'camels' facts in general. 'The Egyptians', of whom it is said that they will help in vain and to no advantage, means knowledge, see 1164, 1165, 1186. It is evident to anyone that this prophecy has an internal sense and that without this it is understood by nobody, for without the internal sense no one can know what 'the prophecy of the beasts of the south' is, or what 'the lion and the tiger', or what 'the viper and the flying fiery-serpent', or what is meant by the words that 'those beasts were to bear their riches on the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures on the humps of camels', or why the assertion immediately follows that 'the Egyptians will help in vain and to no advantage'. 'Ass' is used with a like meaning in Israel's prophecy concerning Issachar, in Moses,

Issachar is a bony ass lying down between burdens. Genesis 49:14.

[3] In Zechariah,

This will be the plague with which Jehovah will smite all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem. It will be a plague of the horse, the mule, the camel, and the ass, and every beast. Zechariah 14:12, 15.

'The horse, the mule, the camel, and the ass' means things of the understanding residing in man which will suffer from the plague. This is clear from every single detail before and after those verses, for the subject there is the plagues which are to precede the Last Judgement or. Close of the Age and to which John makes much reference in Revelation, as do the rest of the Prophets in various places. Those who are going to wage war at that time against Jerusalem, that is, against the Lord's spiritual Church and its truths, are meant by those animals. It will be the things of the understanding that will suffer from such plagues

[4] In Isaiah,

Blessed are you who sow beside all waters, who send forth the foot of the ox and the ass. Isaiah 32:20.

'Sowing beside all waters' stands for those who allow themselves to be taught spiritual things - 'waters' meaning spiritual things and so things that constitute an understanding of truth, see 680, 739, 2702. 'Who send forth the foot of the ox and the ass' stands for natural things that are to be of service, 'ox' meaning the natural as regards good, 2180, 2566, 'ass' the natural as regards truth.

[5] In Moses,

Binding his young ass to the vine and the foal ¹ of his she-ass to the choice vine. He washes his vesture in wine and his cloak in the blood of grapes. Genesis 49:11.

This is the prophecy of Jacob, by then Israel, concerning the Lord. 'The vine' and 'the choice vine' stand for the spiritual Church, external and internal, 1069. 'Young ass' stands for natural truth, 'the foal of a she-ass' for rational truth. The reason 'the foal of a she-ass' means rational truth is that 'a she ass' means the affection for natural truth, 1486, while her foal means rational truth, see 1895, 1896, 1902, 1910.

[6] In former times a judge used to ride on a she-ass and his sons on young asses, the reason being that judges represented the goods of the Church and their sons truths derived from those goods. A king however used to ride on a she-mule and his sons on mules, the reason being that kings and their sons represented the truths of the Church, see 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069. The fact that a judge rode on a she-ass is clear in the Book of Judges,

My heart goes out to the law-givers of Israel offering themselves willingly among the people. Bless Jehovah, you who ride on white she-asses, you who sit on Middin. ² Judges 5:9-10.

The fact that judges' sons rode on young asses,

Jair the judge over Israel had thirty sons who rode on thirty young asses. Judges 10:3-4.

And elsewhere in the same book,

Abdon the judge of Israel had forty sons and thirty grandsons who rode on seventy young asses. Judges 12:14.

David said to them, Take with you the servants of your lord and cause Solomon my son to ride on the she-mule which is mine. And they caused Solomon to ride on King David's she-mule. And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed him king in Gihon. 1 Kings 1:33, 38, 44-45.

The fact that the king's sons rode on mules,

All King David's sons arose, and they rode each on his mule and fled because of Absalom. 2 Samuel 13:29.

[7] From all this it is evident that riding on a she-ass indicated the judge, and riding on a she-mule the king; riding on a young ass indicated the judge's sons, and doing so on a mule the king's sons. They indicated these personages because, as has been stated, 'a she-ass' represented and meant the affection for natural good and truth, 'a she-mule' the affection for rational truth, 'an ass or young ass' natural truth itself, and 'a mule' as well as 'the foal of a she-ass' rational truth. This shows what is meant by the prophetical words that refer to the Lord, in Zechariah,

Exult, O daughter of Zion! Rejoice, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King will come to you. He is just and having salvation, humble and riding on an ass, and on a young ass, the foal of she-asses. His dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. Zechariah 9:9-10.

The fact that the Lord wished to ride on these when He was about to enter Jerusalem is well known from the Gospels. The event is referred to in Matthew as follows,

Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a she-ass tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. This took place to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet saying, Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your King is coming to you, meek seated on a she-ass, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. And they brought the she-ass and the colt and laid their garments on them and set Him on them. Matthew 21:2, 4-5, 7.

[8] 'Riding on an ass' served to indicate that the natural was subordinate, and 'riding on a colt, the foal of a she-ass' that the rational was so; for 'the foal of a she-ass' is similar in meaning to 'a mule', as has been shown above, where Genesis 49:11 is referred to. ³ From this - the spiritual meaning of these animals - and because it was the right of the supreme judge and of the king to ride on them, and at the same time so that He might fulfil the representatives of the Church, the Lord was pleased to ride in this way. His doing so is described in John as follows,

The next day a great crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went to meet Him, and cried, Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel! Jesus found a young ass and sat on it, as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, sitting on a she-ass's colt! These things however His disciples had not understood at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of Him, and that they had done these things for Him. John 12:12-16; Mark 11:1-12; Luke 19:28-41.

[9] From an this it may now be clear that every single thing in the Church of that period was representative of the Lord, and consequently of the celestial and spiritual things that are in His kingdom; even the she-ass and the colt of the she-ass were so, which represented the natural man as regards good and truth. The reason for the representation was that the natural man ought to serve the rational, and the rational to serve the spiritual; but the spiritual ought to serve the celestial, and the celestial to serve the Lord. This is the order in which one is subordinated to another.

[10] Because 'an ox and an ass' meant the natural man as regards good and truth many laws were therefore laid down in which oxen and asses are mentioned. At first glance these laws do not seem to be worthy of mention in the Divine Word, but when they are interpreted as to their internal sense, that which is spiritual and of great importance is seen within these laws, such as the following laws in Moses,

If anyone opens a pit, or if anyone digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or an ass falls into it, the owner of the pit shall recompense its owner with silver, and the dead animal shall be his. Exodus 21:33-34.

If you meet your enemy's ox or his ass going astray you shall certainly lead it back to him. If you see the ass of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you are disinclined to remove it, you shall certainly help to remove it from it. Exodus 23:4-5; Deuteronomy 22:1, 3.

You shall not see your brother's ass or ox falling down in the road and hide yourself from them; you shall certainly help to lift them. Deuteronomy 22:4.

You shall not plough with an ox and an ass together. You shall not wear mingled material made of wool and linen together. Deuteronomy 22:10-11.

Six days you shall do your works, and on the seventh day you shall rest, in order that your ox and your ass may rest, and the son of your woman servant, and the settler. Exodus 23:12.

Here 'ox and ass' in the spiritual sense means nothing other than natural good and truth.

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