10402. Tear off the golden earrings that are in the ears of your women, of your sons, and of your daughters. That this signifies the drawing out from the sense of the letter of the Word of such things as favor external loves and the principles thence derived, is evident from the signification of “tearing off,” as being to draw out, here from the sense of the letter of the Word, because this is the subject treated of; from the signification of “the golden earrings that were in their ears,” as being representative tokens of obedience and of the noticing of the delights of external loves; for by the “ears” is signified obedience and noticing; by “gold,” the good of love, here the delight of external loves, wherefore golden earrings are representative tokens of these loves. (That by the “ears” is signified obedience and noticing, see n. 2542, 4652-4660, 8990, 9397, 10061; and that by “gold” is signified the good of love, n. 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 9510, 9874, 9881.) Therefore when it is predicated of external loves, which are the loves of self and of the world, by “gold” is signified the delight of these loves, thus evil (n. 8932); and that from this “earrings” are representative tokens of obedience and of noticing, see n. 4551. From the signification of “women,” as being the goods of the church (n. 3160, 4823, 6014, 7022, 8337), consequently in the opposite sense its evils (n. 409); from the signification of “sons,” as being truths, and in the opposite sense falsities (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3373, 3704, 4257, 6583, 6584, 9807); and from the signification of “daughters,” as being the affections of truth and good, and therefore in the opposite sense the affections of falsity and evil (see n. 2362, 3963, 6729). From this it is evident that by, “tear off the golden earrings that are in the ears of your women, of your sons, and of your daughters,” is signified the drawing out from the literal sense of the Word of such things as are noticed to obey or favor the delights of external loves and the principles thence derived.

[2] That earrings are tokens of obedience and of noticing is evident in Hosea:

Strive with your mother, for she is not My wife, that she may put away her whoredoms from her faces, lest perchance I strip her naked, and make her as a wilderness, and have no pity on her sons. For she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my waters, my wool and my flax. For she had not known that I gave her the grain, and the new wine, and the oil, and multiplied unto her the silver; and the gold they made into a baal. And I will lay waste her vine and her fig-tree; and I will visit upon her the days of the baals to which she burned incense, and put on her earring and her adornment, and went after her lovers, and forgot Me (Hos. 2:1-13);

“to burn incense, and to put on an earring to the baals,” denotes to worship the baal gods and to obey them.

[3] The things that precede in this chapter have also been adduced to the end that it may thereby be known what is the nature of the external sense of the Word without the internal, and what it is together with the internal, thus in what manner those perceive the Word who are in externals without an internal, and in what manner those perceive it who are in externals from an internal. Those who are in externals separate from what is internal cannot apprehend these words otherwise than according to the letter, which is, that they should strive with the mother of the sons of Israel, that she was no longer loved by Jehovah as a wife, and that if she put not away her whoredoms from her she would be stripped naked and be made as a wilderness, and Jehovah would have no pity on her sons, because she said that she would go after her lovers who give her bread and water, wool and flax, and that she knew not that Jehovah gave her grain, wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver, that they made gold into a baal; and that on this account her vine was laid waste and her fig-tree, and that it will be visited upon her because she burned incense to the baals, and put on her earring and adornment, and went after her lovers or adulterers, forgetting Jehovah.

[4] This is the sense of the letter, and so is the Word understood by those who are in externals without what is internal, for so it is understood by the Jews at this day, and also by some Christians. But that this is not the sense of the Word can be seen by all those who are in some enlightenment. When these persons, by the “mother” of whom all those things are said, do not understand a mother, but the church, such as it was with that nation, they then comprehend that something of the church is signified by all the particulars which are said of her (for these are such as follow in order from the first thing said, or from the first subject); as by “whoredoms,” by “lovers,” by “sons,” and by “bread,” “water,” “wool,” “flax,” “grain,” “new wine,” “oil,” “silver,” “gold,” and by “vine and fig-tree,” and likewise by “incense” and by “earring.”

[5] What each of these things signifies cannot be known from any other source than the internal sense, in which by “mother” and “wife” is signified the church; by “making her naked, and as a wilderness,” is signified to be without the goods of love and the truths of faith. The truths of faith and the goods of love, of which she shall be bereaved, are signified by “sons,” by “bread and water,” by “wool and flax,” by “grain,” “new wine,” “oil,” “silver,” “gold,” and finally by “vine and fig-tree.” The worship itself from obedience to falsities and evils, which succeed in the place of truths and goods, is signified by “burning incense and putting on her earring and adornment for the baals.” (That “mother” denotes the church, see n. 289, 2691, 2717, 4257, 5581; also a “wife,” n. 252, 253, 409, 749, 770, 7022; that “to be made naked” denotes to be deprived of the goods of love and the truths of faith, n. 9960; that a “wilderness” denotes a state devoid of the truth and good of the church, n. 2708, 3900, 4736, 7055; that “whoredoms” denote falsifications of truth, n. 2466, 2729, 4865, 8904, consequently “lovers” denote those who falsify; that “sons” denote truths and in the opposite sense falsities, n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3373, 3704, 4257, 6583, 6584, 9807; that “bread and water” denote the good of love and the truth of faith, n. 9323; that “wool” denotes good in the external man, n. 9470; “flax” truth therein, n. 7601, 9959; “grain” the good from which is truth, n. 5295, 5410, 5959; “new wine” the truth thence derived, n. 3580; and “oil” celestial good, n. 9780, 10261; that “silver” denotes truth, and “gold” good in general, n. 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 9881; that a “vine” denotes the internal spiritual church, n. 1069, 6376, 9277; and a “fig-tree” the external good of this church, n. 217, 4231, 5113; that “to burn incense” denotes worship, n. 10177, 10298; and that an “earring” is a representative token of obedience, n. 4551; consequently “to put it on” denotes to obey.)

[6] When these things are understood instead of the literal statements, or together with them, it is then apparent what is the nature of the Word when it is spiritually perceived, thus what its nature is in respect to its spirit. In this sense all who read the Word are kept by the Lord, but it is not received by any except those with whom the interiors have been opened; and as it is received in knowledges, therefore it is received according to their understanding, in the degree and in the manner that this can be enlightened by means of the knowledges they have. Besides this, they are affected in a general way with the holy influence that comes from the Word.

1069. And he planted a vineyard. That this signifies a church therefrom, and that a “vineyard” is the spiritual church, is evident from the signification of a “vineyard.” In the Word churches are frequently described as “gardens” and also as the “trees of a garden” and are even so named. This is from their fruits, which signify the things belonging to love and charity; and therefore it is said that a man is “known by his fruit.” The comparing of churches to “gardens” “trees” and “fruits” originates from representations in heaven, where gardens of inexpressible beauty are sometimes presented to view, in accordance with the spheres of the faith. From the same origin the celestial church was described by the Paradisal Garden, in which were trees of every kind; and by the “trees” of that garden were signified the perceptions of that church, and by the “fruits” the goods of love of every kind. But the Ancient Church, being spiritual, is described by a “vineyard” from its fruits, which are grapes, and which represent and signify the works of charity.

[2] This is clearly evident from many passages of the Word, as in Isaiah:

I will sing for My beloved a song of My beloved touching his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard in a horn of the son of oil; and he made a hedge about it, and fenced it with stones, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also hewed out a wine-press therein and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes; and now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt Me and My vineyard: the vineyard of Jehovah of armies is the house of Israel (Isaiah 5:1-3, 7).

Here the “vineyard” signifies the Ancient Church, thus the spiritual church, and it is plainly said to be the house of Israel; for by “Israel” in the Word is signified the spiritual church, and by “Judah” the celestial church.

In Jeremiah:

Again will I build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: again shalt thou deck thy timbrels, and shalt go forth in the dance of them that make merry; again shalt thou plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria (Jeremiah 31:4-5), where “vineyards” denote the spiritual church; and the subject is Israel, by whom is signified the spiritual church, as just said.

[3] In Ezekiel:

When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples, they shall dwell upon the land in confidence, and they shall build houses, and plant vineyards (Ezekiel 28:25-26).

Here a “vineyard” is the spiritual church, or “Israel;” and “to plant vineyards” is to be instructed in the truths and goods of faith.

In Amos:

I have smitten you with blasting and mildew; the multitude of your gardens, and your vineyards and your fig-trees and your olive-yards hath the palmer-worm devoured; thus will I do unto thee, O Israel (Amos 4:9, 12).

“Gardens” here denote the things of the church, “vineyards” the spiritual things of the church, “fig-trees” the natural things, “olive-yards” the celestial things; thus “vineyards” denote the things of the spiritual church, or Israel.

Again:

I will bring again the captivity of My people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof, they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them (Amos 9:14).

“Planting vineyards” denotes the planting of the spiritual church; thus a “vineyard” means the spiritual church, or Israel.

[4] As a “vineyard” signifies the spiritual church, so also does a “vine;” for a vine is a part of a vineyard; so that they are as the church and a man of the church, and the signification is the same.

In Jeremiah:

Is Israel a servant? if he was born of the house, why is he become a prey? I had planted thee a wholly noble vine, a seed of truth; how then art thou turned into the averted branches of a strange vine unto Me? (Jeremiah 2:14, 21),

where a “vine” denotes the spiritual church, or “Israel.”

In Ezekiel:

Take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel; thy mother was like a vine, in thy likeness, planted by the waters, fruitful and full of leaves by reason of many waters (Ezekiel 19:1, 10).

A “vine” here denotes the Ancient Spiritual Church, which is the “mother;” thus “Israel” which is therefore said to be “in thy likeness.”

In Hosea:

Israel is an empty vine, which putteth forth fruit like himself (Hosea 10:1).”

A “vine” denotes the spiritual church, or “Israel” here desolated. Again:

O Israel, return unto Jehovah thy God; I will be as the dew unto Israel; they that dwell in his shadow shall return; they shall revive the corn, and blossom as the vine; his memory shall be as the wine of Lebanon (Hosea 14:1, 5, 7), where the “vine” denotes the spiritual church, or “Israel.”

In Moses:

Until Shiloh come; binding His young ass to the vine, and His ass’s colt unto the choice vine (Genesis 49:10-11).

This is a prophecy of the Lord; the “vine” and the “choice vine” denote spiritual churches.

[5] The Lord’s parables of the laborers in the vineyards in like manner signified spiritual churches (Matthew 20:1-16; 21:33-44; Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-16). Since the “vine” signifies the spiritual church, and the primary thing of the spiritual church is charity, in which the Lord is present, and by means of which He conjoins Himself with man, and Himself alone works every good, therefore the Lord compares Himself to a vine, and describes the man of the church, or the spiritual church, in these words, in John:

I am the true vine and My Father is the husbandman; every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, He will prune it, that it may bear more fruit; abide in Me, and I in you; as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, so neither can ye, except ye abide in Me; I am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing; this is My commandment, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you (John 15:1-5, 12); from these words it is evident what the spiritual church is.