THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 15

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

1. THE burden of Moab. Surely in the night Ar is laid waste: Moab is cut off! surely in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and cut off!

Verse 1. The burden of Moab, etc. - [As "Babylon" signifies the church as was shown above, when its members are chiefly situated by the love of power and dominion, by employing the holy things of the Word and of the church for this purpose, and thus profaning them, as "Moab" signifies those members of the church who are in merely natural or external good, without a spiritual principle. Such members, or such Moabites, are always numerous in the church, and the Judgment upon them is of the greatest moment to all who desire to escape from their condemnation. In the following Exposition, Swedenborg clearly shows the nature of the Moabites in the church, and thus opens the various prophecies respecting Moab, which are otherwise, as is indeed confessed by nearly all commentators, most obscure.]

The nature and quality of that religious principle which is signified by "Moab" and the "sons of Ammon", may appear from their origin, which is described in Genesis 19, and also from several passages both in the historical and prophetical parts of the Word where they are named. They in general denote those who are principled in external worship, which appears in some respects holy, but not in internal worship, and they who eagerly embrace as Good and True whatever relates to external worship, but reject and despise what relates to internal worship. Such worship, and such a religious principle, takes especial root in those who are principled in natural good, but who despise others in comparison with themselves. Persons of this complexion are not unlike fruits, whose external form is not unpleasing to the sight, but which are inwardly musty or decayed; they are also not unlike marble vases, which contain things impure, and sometimes things filthy; or they are not unlike women, who as to the face, and body, and gestures, are not unhandsome, but who are inwardly diseased, and full of defilements: for there is a common or general good appertaining to such persons, which appears not altogether void of beauty, but the particulars which enter into the composition thereof, are filthy and abominable. This is not indeed the case in the beginning, but by successive degrees, inasmuch as they suffer themselves easily to be tainted with any principles whatsoever which are called good, and thereby with all sorts of false persuasions, which they conceive to be true in consequence of confirming them, and this because they despise the interior things of worship, and all because they are principled in self-love. Such persons have their existence and derivation from those who are in external worship only, and who are represented by "Lot" in this chapter, (Genesis 19) and this when the good of truth is desolated.

They are described in the Word, as well as to their nature and quality in the beginning, when their good is not as yet so much defiled, as afterwards when it is defiled, and when they reject the interior things of worship and of doctrine. Their nature and quality in the beginning, when their good is not, as yet, so much defiled, is thus described in Daniel:

"In the time of the end the king of the south shall strive with him; and the king of the north shall rush upon him, with chariot, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall come into the lands, and shall overflow, and pass over; and shall come into the land of honourableness, and many shall fall together: these shall be snatched out of his hand, Edom, and Moab, and the first-fruits of the sons of Ammon." (Daniel 11:40, 4.)

The "king of the south" denotes those who are principled in goodnesses and truths; the "king of the north", those who are principled In evils and falsities; "the king of the north, with chariot, - with horsemen, with ships, coming into the lands, overflowing and passing over"; denotes that evils and falsities, signified by "chariots, horsemen, and ships", would prevail; "Edom, Moab and the first-fruits of the sons of Ammon, to be snatched out of his hand", denote those who are principled in such good not as yet so much defiled with falsities, wherefore they are called "the first-fruits of the sons of Ammon."

So in Moses,

"We passed by the war of the wilderness; and Jehovah said unto Moses, Do not straiten Moab, nor mix yourself with them in war, because I will not give you inheritance of his land, for I have given Ar for an inheritance to the sons of Lot"; (Deuteronomy 2:8, 9),

and concerning the sons of Ammon,

"Jehovah spake to Moses, You art to pass Ar this day, the border of Moab;: and shalt come nigh over against the sons of Ammon: neither straiten them, nor mix yourself with them, because I will not give you inheritance of the land of the sons of Ammon, for I have given it for an inheritance to the sons of Lot." (Deuteronomy 2:18, 18)

"Ar" denotes good of such a quality; "Moab and the sons of Ammon" denote those who are principled in such good, but in the beginning, wherefore it is commanded that, "they should not be straitened."

Hence, it is that "Moab drove out the Emims and Rephaims, who were as the Enakims, and that the sons of Ammon drove out also the Rephaims, whom they called Zamzummims." (Deuteronomy 2:10, 11, 20, 21)

By the "Emims, Rephaims, Enakims, and Zamzummims", are signified those who were tainted with persuasions of evil and the falsities see n. 581, 1673; by "Moab and the "sons of Ammon" are here signified those who were not as yet so much tainted with such persuasions; but these also, when they became tainted, that is, when their good was defiled with falsities, were likewise driven out. (See Numbers 21:21-31; Ezekiel 25:8 - 15)

Their nature and quality, when their good is defiled, are thus described in Jeremiah:

"Thus says Jehovah to Moab: Woe upon Nebo! because it is vastated: Kiriathaim is ashamed, is taken; Misgab is ashamed and dismayed; the praise of Moab is no more. Give a wing to Moab, because in flying he shall flyaway; and his cities shall be a desolation, none shall dwell in them. Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, you inhabitants of Moab; and be as a dove, she makes her nest in the passages of the mouth of the pit, I know, says Jehovah, his anger; and he is not firm; his false principles, they have not done what is right. Therefore I will howl over Moab, and will cry for all Moab. From the weeping of Jazer I will weep for you, you vine of Sibmah; your young shoots have passed the sea, they have reached even to the sea of Jazer: the waster has fallen on your summer fruits, and on your vintage. Therefore My heart is moved upon Moab, like pipes. Woe to you, Moab! the people of Chemosh perishes: for your sons are taken into captivity, and your daughters into captivity. And l will bring back the captivity of Moab in the latter days." (Jeremiah 48:1, 9, 28, 30, 31, 32, 36, 46, 47)

The subject treated of in this chapter throughout is concerning Moab, and by him concerning those who are principled in such good, how they suffer themselves to be tainted with false principles; wherefore it is said, "Give a wing to Moab, that he may flyaway", and that "his cities shall be for a desolation", but that "they should leave the cities, and should dwell in the rock, and as a dove should make their nest in the passages of the mouth of the pit", and several things, besides, whereby they are admonished to remain in their common goodnesses and truths; and if in such case they should be seduced by false principles arising from ignorance, they should be brought back from captivity in the latter days.

But of those who do not follow such admonition, it is said "I will howl over Moab, and I will cry to all Moab; and My heart is moved over Moab." The false principles wherewith they are tainted, are signified by Nebo, Kiriathaim, Misgab, Sibmah, Jazer, Chemosh, and several other names which occur in that chapter.

But what their nature and quality become, when their good is altogether defiled by false principles, is thus described in David:

"God spake in His holiness: Gilead is Mine, and Manasses is Mine; and Ephraim is the strength of My head; Judah is My lawgiver; Moab washpot"; (Psalm 60:7, 8),

and in like manner in Psalm 108:7-9; where "washpot" denotes good defiled with false principles."

So in Jeremiah,

"The praise of Moab is no more: in Heshbon they have devised evil upon him; go, let us cut him off from a nation. Moab has been at ease from his youth, and has rested in its dregs, neither was he emptied from vessel to vessel, and has not gone away into captivity; therefore his taste stood in him; and his scent was not changed. On all the house-tops of Moab shall be weeping altogether; because I have broken Moab as a vessel wherein is no pleasure." (Jeremiah 48:2, 50:38)

The false principles wherewith the good, which is Moab, is defiled, are here called "dregs", in which stands "taste and scent", if he is not, reformed, which reformation is here signified by being "emptied from vessel to vessel"; the good itself is called "a vessel "Therein is no pleasure", as in David it is called "washpot."

So in Isaiah,

"The hand of Jehovah rests in this mountain, and Moab shall be threshed under it, as straw is trodden down in the dunghill." (Isaiah 25:10) Arcana Coelestia 2468.

Surely in the night Ar is laid waste, etc. - "Night", in the Word, signifies what is false from evil, for those who are in the false from evil are in the darkness of night; hence it is that all who are in hell, are said to be "in the night." In hell there is indeed a kind of light or lumen, in which they see each other, but that light is as the lumen proceeding from a coal-fire, which is turned into darkness, and into thick darkness when heavenly light [lux] flows into it. Hence it is that they who are in hell are said to be "in the night", and are called "angels of night and of darkness", and, on the contrary, they who are in heaven are called "angels of light and of the day." That "night" denotes what is obscure and also what is false, may be manifest from many passages of the Word:

"Jesus said, Are there not twelve hours of the day? If anyone walk in the day, he stumbles not; but if he walk in the night, he stumbles, because there is no light in him." (John 11:9, 10)

"Twelve hours" denote all the states of Truth; to "walk in the day" denotes to live in the Truth; to "walk in the night", to live in the false. Arcana Coelestia 6000. See also below, Chapter 21:11, 12, the Exposition.

2. He goes up to Bajith and to Dibon, to the high places, to weep: over Nebo, and over Medeba, shall Moab howl: on all heads there is baldness; every beard is cut off.

Verses 2, 3. On all the heads of Moab there is baldness; every beard is cut off. In her streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth, etc. By "Moab" are signified those who are in natural good [that is, good in which there is nothing spiritual], and who adulterate the goods of the church; that they have no understanding of Truth, nor science or knowledge of Truth, is signified by "baldness on all the heads of Moab, and every beard cut off", likewise by "howling and mourning on the house-tops, and in the streets"; "incisions upon all hands", (as in (Jeremiah 48:37) signify things falsified; mourning on account thereof is signified by "girding on sackcloth", likewise by "howling and flowing down with weeping." Apocalypse Explained 637.

In this passage, and in others, by "cutting off the hair of the head, and of the beard", and inducing" baldness", is signified to deprive of all Good and Truth, inasmuch as he who is deprived of the ultimates, is also deprived of the things prior; for prior things exist and subsist in ultimates, as was said above. In the world of spirits also there appear those who are bald, and I was instructed that they are those who were abusers of the Word, and had applied the sense of the letter, which is Divine Truth in the ultimates, to wicked purposes and had thence become deprived of all Truth; they are also most malicious; many are from the Babylonish [Romish] people: but on the contrary the angels appear with becoming hair. Apocalypse Explained 66.

As to the "hair" and "beard", see above, Chapter 7:20, the Exposition.

From this we can see the reason why the boys who called the prophet "Bald-head" were cursed, (2 Kings 2:23-25) for thereby was represented the mockery and profanation of the Word, Apocalypse Explained 781.

3. In her streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on her house-tops, and in her streets, everyone shall howl; he shall flow down with weeping.

Verse 3. In her streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth, etc. - Speaking of the city "Ar", in the land of Moab, whereby is signified the doctrine of those who are in truths from the natural man; grief over the falsities of their doctrine, from the first to the last, is signified by "girding on sackcloth", and by "howling in the streets, and on the house-tops"; "house-tops" denoting things interior, and "streets" things exterior with them. Apocalypse Explained 652.

They shall gird themselves with sackcloth, etc. - To "put sackcloth on the loins" signifies lamentation on account of good destroyed, for this was a representative of good destroyed.

The "loins" signify conjugial love, and hence all celestial and spiritual love, n. 3021; and this from correspondence, for as all the organs, members, and viscera of the human body correspond to the Grand Man (as shown at the end of the chapters on Genesis), thus "loins" correspond to those in the Grand Man, or heaven, who have been in genuine conjugial love.

And because conjugial love is the fundamental of all loves, therefore by the "loins" in general is signified every kind of celestial and spiritual love; hence the ritual custom of "placing sackcloth on the loins" when they lamented over good destroyed, for all good is of love.

That they "put sackcloth on their loins" when they testified that lamentation, is evident from the historical as well as from the prophetical parts of the Word, as in Amos 8:10; Jonah 3:5, 8; 2 Kings 19:1; and in Isaiah 15:2, 3; in which passage "Moab" signifies those who adulterate goods, as may be seen in n. 2468; lamentation over the adulteration which is signified by "Moab", is described by such things as correspond to evil of that kind, wherefore similar things are said concerning Moab in Jeremiah 48:37. Arcana Coelestia 4779.

[This lamentation is further described by "howling", by "flowing down with weeping", and by "crying out aloud", etc. For when judgment is executed upon those in the church who, in this instance, are represented by Moab, as is the case after death in the world of spirits, their anguish of soul is signified by "howling, lamentation, and weeping", etc.

To adulterate the goods of the Word and of the church, is to assume in the external form a profession of religion and of what is good from the Word, as justice, sincerity, purity, humility, charity, etc., whilst in the heart or the internal nothing but selfish motives and evils prevail, and consequently nothing of love to the Lord and the neighbour exists. Verily, there are many Moabites in the church! (See above, Chapter 11:14, the Exposition.)

Thus hypocrisy, or the assumption of what is good in the external, whilst the internal, or "the inside of the cup and the platter is full of defilement", (Matthew 23:25) is the aggregate of adulterated good.]

4. And Heshbon and Elealeh shall, cry out aloud; unto Jahaz is their voice heard: wherefore the armed of Moab shall cry out; his soul shall be grievous unto him.

Verses 4, 5, 8. Heshbon and Elealah shall cry out aloud; unto Jahaz is their voice heard, etc. - From the signification of an "outcry" is the common expression of "crying un to God", when the mind is in a state of grief, as in Isaiah 19:20; 30:19; 65:19; Jeremiah 14:2; and elsewhere. Concerning the further significations of the word "outcry" [clamor], as predicated of various affections, such as of interior lamentation, of imploration, and supplication from anguish, of contesting, and indignation, of confession, etc., see what is said in the Arcana Coelestia 2240, 2821. Apocalypse Explained 393. See also above, respecting an "outcry", Chapter 5:7, the Exposition.

5. My heart cries out over Moab; her fugitives, [flee] to Zoar, [like a lowing] heifer of three years; yea, the ascent of Luhith with weeping shall they ascend yea, in the way of Horonaim they raise an outcry of destruction.

Verse 5. Her fugitives [flee] to Zoar, etc. - Zoar was a city not far from Sodom, whither Lot [the father of Moab] fled, when delivered by angels from the burning of Sodom. (See Genesis 19:20, 22, 30)

Zoar is also mentioned in Genesis 14:2; Deuteronomy 34:3; Isaiah 15:5; Jeremiah 48:34. The term "Zoar", in Hebrew, signifies little or small; and it denotes affection, either the affection of good, or, in the opposite sense, the afjection of evil. Those who are in the affection of Truth have little of Truth because little of Good, as compared with those who are in the affection of Good. (See Arcana Coelestia 2429) Arcana Coelestia 1589-2439.

[Hence the "fugitives to Zoar" would signify those of Moab who, at the time of Judgment, have some little affection of Truth, and who are consequently saved, as Lot was saved from the destruction of Sodom by fleeing to Zoar. These "fugitives" may be called the "remains of Moab.]

An heifer of three years. - That "three years" involve all things of the church as to times and states, is evident from the signification of the number "three" in the Word; for "three" signifies a full time [or state] of the church from its origin to its end, thus its entire state. The last time of the Church is therefore signified by the the "third day", the "third week", the "third month", the "third year", and the "third century" [or age], which are the same [in the spiritual sense].

As the states of the church are signified by the number "three", thus also are the states of everyone who is a church, yea, of everything which is of the church, as is evident from the signification of that number as explained from different passages of the Word, (See Arcana Coelestia 720, 901)

That "an heifer of three years" thus signifies the time or state of the church to its last or end, namely, when it is devastated or desolated, may be evident from Isaiah, "My heart cries out over Moab: her fugitives flee to Zoar, [like a lowing] heifer of three years", etc.; (Isaiah 15:5) and also in Jeremiah 48:33, 34.

No one could ever understand what these things mean, unless he knew what is signified by "Moab", by " oar", by "the ascent of Luhith", by "the outcry of Heshbon and Elealeh", by "Jahaz", 'by "Horonaim", by "the waters of Nimrim", and by "an heifer of three years." That all these things, and what is said of them, signify the ultimate devastation [of those in the church signified by Moab] is evident. Arcana Coelestia 1825.

6. For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolations: for the grass is dried up; the herb is consumed; there is no green [thing].

Verses 6, 9. The waters of Nimrim shall be desolations; yea, the waters of Dimon are full of blood, etc. - From this passage it appears what "blood" signifies in the opposite sense, for " blood", in the genuine sense, signifies the Divine Truth, and with the recipients thereof Truth from Good; hence, in an opposite sense, it signifies violence done to the Divine Truth, and with those who do it, the false from evil. This opposite signification may appear from this circumstance, that it is predicated of "the waters of the sea, of the rivers, and of the fountains", that they are turned into blood, for "waters" signify truths; wherefore by "blood" are here signified falsities which destroy truths. Apocalypse Explained 329.

Verse 6. The grass is dried up, the herb is consumed, there is no green [thing]. - That hereby is signified scientific truth appears from the signification of "grass" as denoting the scientific principle; and from the signification of "green" as denoting what is true and living from Truth; because, as green grass serves for food to animals, so scientific truth serves for spiritual nourishment to men; for what is produced in fields, in gardens, and in plains, and serves for nourishment either to man or beast, has a correspondence with such things as serve for the nourishment of the spirit and mind, which is called spiritual nourishment. By scientific truth is meant everything scientific by which spiritual truth is confirmed, and which has life from spiritual good. Apocalypse Explained 507.

By what is "green" is signified the sensitive principle of Truth, because by "herb", "glass" and the "foliage" of trees, are signified truths [of various kinds]; hence it is that by the "green" of these things is signified the sensitive principle of Truth, by which is meant the principle of perception. This sensitive principle of Truth is also signified in Isaiah 15:6-"The grass is dried up, there is no green thing, Arcana Coelestia 7691.

[When, therefore, it is said of Moab. - that the "grass is dried up, the herb is consumed, and that there is no green thing", the entire destitution of all know!edge and truth, as having a spiritual and living principle within it, is thereby represented.]

7. Wherefore the abundance which they have made, and what they have laid up, shall they carry over the brook of the willows.

8. For the outcry encompasses the border of Moab: to Eglaim reaches her howling; and to Beer-elim her howling.

Verse. 7. And what they have laid up, shall they carryover the brook of the willows. - The "willows of the brook" signify the lowest goods and truths of the natural man which appertain to the external sensual principles, This will appear from the following passage. Inasmuch as by "the feast of tabernacles" was signified the implantation of good by truths, therefore it was commanded that they should, on the occasion of that feast, "take the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and the willows of the brook; and that they should rejoice before the Lord seven days." (Leviticus 23:40)

By "the fruit of the goodly trees" is signified celestial good; by "the branches of palm-trees", spiritual good, or the Good of Truth; by "the branches of the thick trees", scientific Truth with its Good; and by "the willows of the brook", the lowest good and truths of the natural man which are of his external sensual principles. Thus by these four kinds of "trees" are signified all goods and truths from first principles to last with man. Apocalypse Explained 458.

[Hence when it is said of Moab that, at the period of judgment, they shall carry their abundance, or their riches, and what they have laid up, to the brook of the willows", is signified that the treasures of knowledge which they have "laid up" in their memory from the Word, willl be found to be only in the lowest sensual principles of their minds, denoted by "the brook of the willows." Similar things are denoted by the Jews, when in captivity, "hanging their harps on the willows", (Psalm 137:2) to signify that the affections of what is true and good, represented by the "harp", had become merely sensual.]

9. Yea, the waters of Dimon are full of blood: yet will I bring additional [evils] upon Dimon; -a lion upon the escaped of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land.

Verse 9. The waters of Dimon are full of blood. - That "blood" in a good sense signifies what is holy, and in the opposite sense, as in this passage, what is profane, see above, Chapter 4:4, the Exposition.

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Isaiah Chapter 15

1. THE burden of Moab. Surely in the night Ar is laid waste: Moab is cut off! surely in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and cut off!

2. He goes up to Bajith and to Dibon, to the high places, to weep: over Nebo, and over Medeba, shall Moab howl: on all heads there is baldness; every beard is cut off.

3. In her streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on her house-tops, and in her streets, everyone shall howl; he shall flow down with weeping.

4. And Heshbon and Elealeh shall, cry out aloud; unto Jahaz is their voice heard: wherefore the armed of Moab shall cry out; his soul shall be grievous unto him.

5. My heart cries out over Moab; her fugitives, [flee] to Zoar, [like a lowing] heifer of three years; yea, the ascent of Luhith with weeping shall they ascend; yea, in the way of Horonaim they raise an outcry of destruction.

6. For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolations: for the grass is dried up; the herb is consumed; there is no green [thing].

7. Wherefore the abundance which they have made, and what they have laid up, shall they carry over the brook of the willows.

8. For the outcry encompasses the border of Moab: to Eglaim reaches her howling; and to Beer-elim her howling.

9. Yea, the waters of Dimon are full of blood: yet will I bring additional [evils] upon Dimon; - a lion upon the escaped of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land.

329. Since it is said, "thou didst redeem us to God in thy blood," and since this is understood within the church entirely according to the sense of the letter, and not according to any spiritual sense, I will also show that "blood" does not mean blood, or the Lord's suffering on the cross, but Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and the reception of it by man; thus that "thou didst redeem us in Thy blood" means that He has delivered and freed from hell those who acknowledge Him, and receive Divine truth from Him (as was said above, n. 328. In illustration of this matter I will cite the following. Because all things that were commanded in the Israelitish Church were representative of things celestial and spiritual, and not the least thing was not so, it was also commanded, when the paschal supper was first instituted:

That they shall take of the blood, and put it on the two side posts and on the lintel upon the houses wherein they shall eat [the paschal lamb]; and the blood shall be for you for a sign upon the houses where ye are; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, nor shall there be a plague upon you from the destroyer when I shall smite the land of Egypt. And further: Ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and shall touch the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and not a man of you shall go out of the entrance of his house until the morning. And Jehovah will pass through to smite Egypt; and when he shall see the blood upon the lintel and upon the two side posts, Jehovah will pass over the door, and will not suffer the smiter to come into your houses to strike you (Exodus 12:7, 13, 22-23).

He who does not know that there is a spiritual sense in the Word believes that "blood" here signifies the Lord's blood upon the cross; but this is not at all the meaning in heaven; but to the angels there the paschal supper here described has a like meaning as the holy supper instituted by the Lord, in which, in place of the paschal lamb, there are the bread and the wine; and the Lord then said that the bread was His flesh and the wine was His blood; and everyone knows, or may know, that bread and wine are what nourish the body, bread as food and wine as drink, and that in the Word, which in its bosom is spiritual, these things also must be spiritually understood, "bread" standing for all spiritual food, and "wine" for all spiritual drink.

[2] Spiritual food is all the good that is communicated and given to man by the Lord, and spiritual drink is all the truth that is communicated and given to man by the Lord. These two, namely, good and truth, or love and faith, make man spiritual; it is said, or love and faith, because all good is of love, and all truth is of faith. From this it can be seen that "bread" means the Divine good of the Lord's Divine love, and in reference to man, this good received by him; also that "wine" means the Divine truth that proceeds from the Divine good of the Lord's Divine love, and in reference to man, this truth received by him. Since the Lord says that His flesh is bread, and His blood is wine, it can be seen that "the Lord's flesh" means the Divine good of His Divine love, and "to eat" it means to receive it, and make it one's own, and thus to be conjoined to the Lord; and that "the Lord's blood" means the Divine truth that proceeds from the Divine good of His Divine love, and that "drinking" it means to receive that truth and make it one's own, and thus be conjoined to the Lord.

[3] Again, spiritual nourishment is from the good and truth that proceed from the Lord, as all nourishment of the body is from food and drink; their correspondence also is from this, which is such that where anything of food, or that serves for food, is mentioned in the Word, good is meant, and where anything of drink, or that serves for drink, is mentioned, truth is meant. From this it can be seen that the "blood" from the Paschal Lamb, which the sons of Israel were commanded to put upon the two side posts and upon the lintel of their houses, means Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; this, when received in faith and life, protects man against the evils that rise up out of hell; for in His Divine truth the Lord is with man, for this is the Lord's own with man, yea, it is Himself with man. Who that thinks from sound reason cannot see that the Lord is with a man not in His blood, but in His Divine, which is the good of love and the good of faith received by man. (But what the particulars here signify, namely, "the two side posts" and "the lintel," "the destroyer" and "smiter," and "Egypt," and many other things in this chapter, can be seen in Arcana Coelestia, where they are explained.)

[4] From what has now been said, without further explanation, the significance of the Lord's words when He instituted the Holy Supper is evident:

As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, broke, and gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My body. And He took the cup, and having given thanks, He gave to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you; for this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. I say unto you that I will not drink henceforth of this product of the vine until that day when I shall drink it with you in the kingdom of God (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:15-20).

As "wine" means Divine truth nourishing the spiritual life, therefore the Lord says to them, "I say unto you that I will not drink henceforth of this product of the vine until that day when I shall drink it with you new in the kingdom of God," which shows clearly that something spiritual is meant, for He says that "He is to drink with them," and "in the kingdom of God," or in heaven, and also that "He is to eat" with them of the Paschal Lamb there (Luke 22:16).

[5] What has now been said also makes clear what is signified by these words of the Lord:

The bread that I will give is My flesh. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have not life in you. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood abideth in Me, and I in him. This is the bread that cometh down out of heaven (John 6:51-58).

That the Lord's "flesh" is Divine good, and His "blood" Divine truth, both of them from Him, can be seen from this, that these are what nourish the soul; it is therefore said, "My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink." And as a man is conjoined to the Lord by Divine good and truth, therefore it is further said, "He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood shall have eternal life, and he abideth in Me and I in him." The Lord spoke in this way, namely, saying His "flesh" and His "blood," and not His Divine good and His Divine truth, in order that the sense of the letter of the Word might be made up of such things as correspond to things spiritual, in which the angels are; thus and in no other way could there be, by means of the Word, a conjunction of the men of the church with the angels (See The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 252, 258-262; and Heaven and Hell 303-310).

[6] Since "blood" signifies the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and conjunction with the Lord is effected by man's reception of it, therefore blood is called "the blood of the covenant," for "covenant" signifies conjunction. Blood is called "the blood of the covenant" by the Lord when He instituted the Holy Supper, for He said:

Drink of it, all of you; for this is My blood of the new covenant [or testament] (Matthew 26:27, 28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20).

It is also called "the blood of the covenant" in Moses, where is the following:

Moses came from Mount Sinai, and told the people all the words of Jehovah, and all the judgments. And Moses wrote all the words of Jehovah, and rose up early in the morning, and built an altar under the mount. And he sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered up burnt-offerings, and sacrificed bullocks as peace-offerings unto Jehovah. And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the ears of the people; and they said, All that Jehovah hath spoken will we do and hear. And he took the blood and sprinkled it on 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, and as the substance of the heavens for purity (Exodus 24:3-11).

That "blood" here signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord and received by man, and conjunction therefrom, is evident, for half of it was sprinkled on the altar and half on the people; for the "altar" signified all worship that is from the good of love, and the "people" those who offer worship and receive the good of love by means of truths; for all reception of Divine good is effected by truths made truths of life, and consequent conjunction is by means of the good in such truths. That there is conjunction by means of the good in such truths, that is, by means of truths made truths of life, and that "blood" was a representative thereof, is very clear from the words there, for this was done when Moses descended from Mount Sinai, from which the law was promulgated, and also the statutes and judgments that were to be observed; and it is said that "Moses wrote all these words of Jehovah, and read them in the ears of the people," who said, "All that Jehovah hath spoken will we do and hear," which words they said twice (See verses 3 and 7).

[7] Words or truths become truths of life by doing; and as Moses wrote these words, he called them, "The Book of the Covenant," which signifies that there is conjunction by means of them. The law promulgated by Jehovah from Mount Sinai, and the statutes and judgments that were also commanded at that time, signified all Divine truth, or the Divine truth in its whole complex. This is why they are called "the Book of the Covenant," and why the ark in which was that book is called "The Ark of the Covenant," "covenant" signifying conjunction. Because Divine truth, by which there is conjunction, proceeds from the Lord, the Lord appeared to the people "under the feet as it were a work of sapphire stone;" that He so appeared "under the feet" signifying that Divine truth is such in ultimates. Divine truth in ultimates is Divine truth in the sense of the letter of the Word; "work of sapphire stone" signifies the translucence of this sense from Divine truth in the internal or spiritual sense; "the God of Israel" is the Lord. (That "sapphire stone" signifies translucence from internal truths, see Arcana Coelestia 9407; and that "the God of Israel" is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, see above, n. 328.) From this it is now clear that a "covenant" or conjunction is effected by means of Divine truth, and that the blood sprinkled on the altar and half of it on the people was a representative of it, since "blood" signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord and received by man, as was said above.

(That "covenant" signifies conjunction, see Arcana Coelestia 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 6804, 8767, 8778, 9396, 10632.

That the law in a strict sense means the ten commandments of the Decalogue, and in a broad sense, the whole Word, thus all Divine truth, n. 2606, 3382, 6752, 7463, 9417.

That from this "Mount Sinai" signifies heaven where the Lord is, from whom is Divine truth, or from whom is the law, both in the strict and the broad sense, n. 8399, 8753, 8793, 8805, 9420; and that the altar was the principal representative of the Lord, and of the worship from the good of love, n. 921, 2777, 2811, 4489, 4541, 8935, 8940, 9388-9389, 9714, 9963-9964, 10123, 10151, 10242, 10245, 10642.)

[8] Since "blood" signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord and received by man, from which is conjunction, therefore all things that were representative of things Divine proceeding from the Lord which are called celestial and spiritual were inaugurated by oil and by blood, and were then called holy. They were inaugurated by oil and blood that they might be representative, because "oil" signified the Divine good of the Divine love, and "blood" the Divine truth proceeding therefrom, for truth proceeds from good. That inaugurations and sanctifications were made by means of oil will be seen in what follows, where they are treated of in their paragraph. Here let some things in which blood was used be mentioned, as:

When Aaron and his sons were to be sanctified, blood was sprinkled upon the horns of the altar, and round about the altar, and upon Aaron and his sons, and upon their garments (Exodus 29:12, 16, 20-21; Leviticus 8:24).

Blood was sprinkled seven times before the veil that was over the ark, and upon the horns of the altar of incense (Leviticus 4:6-7, 17-18).

Before Aaron entered within the veil to the mercy-seat, he should sacrifice and burn incense, and should sprinkle the blood with the finger seven times upon the mercy-seat eastward (Leviticus 16:12-15).

The blood of the burnt-offering and of the sacrifice should be sprinkled upon the altar, around the altar, and at the base of the altar (Leviticus 1:5, 1:11, 15; 3:2, 8, 13; 4:25, 30, 34; 5:9; 8:15, 24; 17:6; Numbers 18:17; Deuteronomy 12:27).

The blood should be sprinkled upon the horns of the altar and thus expiation should be made for the altar (Exodus 30:10; Leviticus 16:18-19).

Blood from the burnt-offerings and sacrifices was sprinkled and poured out upon the altar, around the altar, or at its base, because the altar with the burnt-offerings and sacrifices upon it represented and thence signified all worship from the good of love and the truths therefrom; and as truths proceed from good, therefore the blood was sprinkled on and poured out around the altar, for "around" signifies proceeding.

[9] (But these things can be better seen from what has been shown respecting burnt offerings and sacrifices in the Arcana Coelestia, as follows: "burnt-offerings" and "sacrifices" signified all things of worship from the good of love, and the truths therefrom, n. 923, 6905, 8680, 8936, 10042. Therefore burnt-offerings and sacrifices were called bread, n. 2165, because "bread" signifies everything that nourishes the spiritual life, n. 2165, 3478, 4976, 5147, 5915, 6118, 8410, 8418, 9323, 10686. Burnt-offerings and sacrifices signified celestial Divine and spiritual Divine things, which are the internals of the church, from which are all things of worship, n. 2180, 2805, 2807, 2830, 3519; with a difference according to the differences of worship, n. 2805, 6905, 8936. Therefore there were many kinds of burnt-offerings and sacrifices, and in them various processes and consisting also of various animals, n. 2830, 9391, 9990. The various things they specially signified can be known from the particulars of the procedure unfolded by the internal sense, n. Arcana Coelestia 10042. The rituals and procedures of the sacrifices contain arcana of heaven, n. Arcana Coelestia 10057. In general they contain the arcana of the glorification of the Lord's Human, and in a relative sense, the arcana of man's regeneration and his purification from evils and falsities, n. 9990, 10022, 10042, 10053, 10057. What was signified by the "meal-offerings," which were bread and cakes, which were also sacrificed, n. Arcana Coelestia 10079; what by the "drink-offering," which was wine, n. 4581, 10137)

[10] When these things are understood it can be known that "the blood of the sacrifice" in other places also in the Word signifies Divine truth, as in Ezekiel:

Say to the bird of every wing and to the beast of the field, Come together and come; gather yourselves from round about to My sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel; that ye may eat flesh and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth. And ye shall eat fat to satiety, and drink blood to drunkenness, of My sacrifice which I sacrifice for you. And ye shall be satiated at My table with horse, with chariot, with every man of war. So will I give My glory among the nations (Ezekiel 39:17-21).

This treats of the restoration of the church; and "Israel" and "Jacob" mean all who are of the church, respecting whom these things therefore are said; "a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel" signifies all things of their worship; "flesh" and "fat" signify the good of love, and "blood" the truth from that good; worship is from these; an abundance of both is described by their "eating flesh and fat to satiety," and "drinking blood to drunkenness," and this "of the sacrifice;" it is therefore further said, "Ye shall be satiated at My table with horse, chariot, and every man of war," for "horse" signifies the understanding of truth, "chariot" doctrine, and the "man of war" truth fighting against falsity and destroying it. Who cannot see that "blood" here does not mean blood, as that they "should drink the blood of the princes of the earth," and "drink blood even to drunkenness, of the sacrifice?" "The princes of the earth" signify the principal truths of the church; therefore their "blood" signifies spiritual nourishment from those truths. Because such things are signified, therefore it is also said, at the end of this chapter, respecting Israel, by whom the church is signified:

Then will I not hide My faces any more from them; for I will pour out My spirit upon Israel (Ezekiel 39:29).

It is said, "Say to the bird of every wing and to the beast of the field," because "bird of every wing" signifies spiritual truth in the whole complex, and "beast of the field" the affection of good. (That "birds" in the Word signify things spiritual, n. 745, 776, 866, 988, 991, 3219, 5149, 7441; likewise "wings," n. 8764, 9514; that "beasts" signify affections, and "beasts of the field" the affections of good, n. 2180, 3218, 3519, 5198, 9090, 9280, 10609; and that both birds and beasts were for this reason used in sacrifices, n. 1823, 3519, 7523, 9280)

[11] In confirmation that the "beast of the field" and "bird" signify such things, I will quote here one passage only from the Word:

In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beast of the field, and 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 betroth thee unto Me for ever; and I will betroth thee unto Me in justice and in judgment, and in mercy and in compassions, and I will betroth thee unto Me in truth (Hosea 2:18-20).

"To make a covenant with the beast of the field and with the bird of the heavens" signifies with the affections of good and with spiritual truths, for with these the Lord is conjoined to man, since the Lord is in these with man; therefore it is called "a covenant" with them, "covenant" meaning conjunction. That "beasts" signify the affections of good, and "birds" things spiritual, will be fully shown in their paragraphs in what follows.

[12] Because "fat" in sacrifices signified Divine good, and "blood" Divine truth, both from the Lord, and because by both when received by man conjunction was effected, therefore the posterity of Jacob, that is, the Jews and Israelites, were forbidden to eat any fat or any blood (See Leviticus 3:17; 7:23-27; 17:11-14; Deut. 12:17, 12:23-25; 15:23). This was because that nation was not in any good of love, nor in any truth of good, but in the falsities of evil; and "to eat fat and blood" signified with them the mingling of truth from good with the falsity from evil, which is profanation; from which also it can be seen that "blood" signifies Divine truth. (That "fat" or "fatness" in the Word signifies the good of love, see Arcana Coelestia 353, 5943, 6409, 10033; and that the Jews and Israelites were solely in things external and not in things internal, and consequently not in spiritual truths and good, but in the falsities of evil; and that all things of their worship were external separated from what is internal, and that still by things external they could represent the internal things of worship, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 248 .)

[13] Because "blood" in the sacrifices signified Divine truth, therefore also:

They were forbidden to sacrifice the blood of the sacrifice upon what was leavened (Exodus 23:18; 34:25);

for "leaven" signifies falsity, and "what was leavened" truth falsified (See Arcana Coelestia 2342, 7906, 8051, 9992).

[14] The Lord's "flesh" signifies the Divine good of the Divine love, and His "blood" signifies the Divine truth proceeding from that good, because there are two things that proceed from the Lord's Divine Human, namely, Divine good and Divine truth, the latter is His blood, and the former His flesh. That which proceeds is the celestial Divine and the spiritual Divine; and these constitute the heavens in general and in particular. (But this can be seen better from what has been shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, under the following heads. The Divine of the Lord makes Heaven, n. 7-12; the Divine of the Lord in Heaven is Love to Him and Charity towards the Neighbor, n. 13-19; The Whole Heaven, therefore, as a Whole and in Its Parts, answers to One Man, n 59-77; This is from the Lord's Divine Human, n 78-87 and further from what is said of The Sun in Heaven, and Light and Heat therefrom, and that Heat is the Divine Good, and Light Divine Truth, both proceeding from the Lord, n 116-140) From this it can in some measure be comprehended why the Divine proceeding is meant by the "flesh and blood," that is, the Divine good by "flesh," and the Divine truth by "blood."

[15] With man also there are two things that constitute his spiritual life, namely the good of love and the truth of faith. With him the will is the receptacle of the good of love, and the understanding is the receptacle of the truth of faith. All things belonging to the mind, that is, belonging to the will and understanding, have a correspondence with all things belonging to the body, consequently the latter are moved at the nod of the former. In general, the correspondence of the will is with the flesh, and the correspondence of the understanding with the blood; consequently the voluntary that is man's own [proprium voluntarium] is meant in the Word by "flesh," and the intellectual that is his own [proprium intellectuale] by "blood," as in Matthew:

Jesus said to Simon, blessed art thou, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee (Matthew 16:17).

These things are mentioned that it may be known that in the Word things voluntary and intellectual, that is, spiritual things, are meant by "flesh and blood" when man is referred to, and things Divine when the Lord is referred to. But these things are for those whose minds can be elevated above natural ideas and can see causes.

[16] This also is what is signified by the "blood and water" that issued out of the Lord's breast; which is described as follows in John:

One of the soldiers pierced His side, and straightway there came out blood and water. And he that saw beareth witness, and his witness is true; he knoweth that he saith true things, that ye also may believe (John 19:34-35).

These things were done to signify the Lord's conjunction with the human race through Divine truth proceeding from the Divine good of His love; "breast" signifies Divine love; "blood and water" signify Divine truth proceeding, "blood" the Divine truth that is for the spiritual man, and "water" the Divine truth that is for the natural man; for all things that are related in the Word respecting the Lord's passion are also significative (See above, n. 83, 195). And because these things signify His love, and man's salvation by means of Divine truth proceeding from Him, therefore the evangelist adds, "He that saw beareth witness, and his witness is true; he knoweth that he saith true things, that ye also may believe."

[17] To what has already been mentioned I will add the following from the Word.

In Zechariah:

Exult exceedingly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King cometh. And He shall speak peace unto the Gentiles; and His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the uttermost parts of the earth. As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I will send forth thy bound ones out of the pit wherein is no water (Zechariah 9:9-11).

This is said of the Lord, and of the establishment of the church by Him among the nations; "the blood of the covenant" here meaning Divine truth, by means of which there is conjunction of the Lord with those who are to be of His church (as above); it is therefore further said, "I will send forth thy bound ones out of the pit wherein is no water," for by these the nations that are in falsities from ignorance are signified; "the pit wherein is no water" signifying where there is no truth, and "sending them forth" signifying to free them from falsities. That "water" signifies the truth of the church, see above (n. 71); and that "the bound in the pit" signifies those who are in falsities from ignorance, and yet in a desire to know truths, see Arcana Coelestia 4728[1-8], 4744, 5038, 6854, 7950).

[18] In David:

God shall save the souls of the needy; He shall redeem their soul from fraud and violence; and precious shall their blood be in His eyes. And he shall live, and to him shall He give of the gold of Sheba, and shall pray for him continually; all the day shall He bless him. Upon the top of the mountains his fruit shall be shaken (Psalms 72:13-16);

this treats of the "needy," by whom those who desire truths from spiritual affection are signified; of these it is said, that "He shall redeem their soul from fraud and violence," which signifies their liberation from evils and falsities, which destroy the goods of love and the truths of faith. The reception of Divine truth by them as being acceptable and grateful, is signified by "precious shall their blood be in His eyes," "blood" here meaning Divine truth received. Their reformation is described by "he shall live, and to him shall He give of the gold of Sheba, and shall pray for him continually; all the day shall He bless him;" the "gold of Sheba" meaning the good of charity; "to pray for him continually" signifying that they shall be continually withheld from falsities and kept in truths, and "He shall bless him" signifying that they shall be continually in the good of charity and faith; it is therefore said further, "upon the top of the mountains his fruit shall be shaken;" the "top of the mountains" signifying heaven, from which they have the good of love from the Lord, which is "fruit."

[19] In Moses:

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; who shall bind to the vine his ass's foal, and to the noble vine the son of his she-ass, whilst he shall wash his vesture in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes (Genesis 49:10-11).

This prophecy treats of the Lord, of whom it is said, "he shall bind to the vine his ass's foal, and to the noble vine the son of his she-ass," and "he shall wash his vesture in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes;" "vine" signifying the church, and "wine" and the "blood of grapes" Divine truth. (For what the other things signify, see the explanation of these words in Arcana Coelestia 6371-6377.) The like is meant by the "blood of grapes" in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 32:14); where the ancient church reformed by Divine truth is treated of.

[20] From what has been shown in this and the preceding article it can be seen by those who acknowledge the spiritual sense of the Word that "Thou didst redeem us to God in Thy blood" means conjunction with the Divine by the acknowledgment of the Lord, and by the reception of Divine truth from Him; also that the like is meant by "blood" in the twelfth chapter of this prophetic book, where it is said:

That Michael and his angels overcame the dragon by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their ³ testimony (Revelation 12:11).

It is said, "the blood of the Lamb" and "the word of testimony," because "the blood of the Lamb" signifies the reception of Divine truth from the Lord, and "the word of testimony" the acknowledgment of His Divine Human.

[21] That "blood" signifies Divine truth is still further evident from its contrary sense, in which "blood" signifies violence offered to Divine truth by the falsities of evil, and its destruction by these; and as what is signified in the genuine sense is also manifested by these contrary meanings, I will cite some passages in which "blood" and "bloods" have that significance. It is to be known that most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, and that from that sense it can be known what is signified in the genuine sense. The following will serve for illustration. In Revelation:

The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became as the blood of one dead, and every living animal in the sea died. And the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and into the fountains of the waters, and they became blood (Revelation 16:3-4).

And elsewhere:

The two witnesses have power over the waters to turn them into blood (Revelation 11:6).

In Isaiah:

The waters of Nimrim shall be desolations; and the waters of Dimon are full of blood (Isaiah 15:6, 9).

In David:

He sent darkness and made it dark. He turned their waters into blood, and made their fish to die (Psalms 105:28-29).

It is clear from these passages what "blood" signifies in the contrary sense; for blood in the genuine sense signifies Divine truth, and with those who receive it truth from good; so in the contrary sense it signifies violence offered to Divine truth, and with those who do that, it signifies falsity from evil. This contrary meaning is clear from its being said that the "waters" of "the sea," of "rivers," and of "fountains," "were turned into blood;" for "waters" signify truths, therefore "blood" here signifies falsities that destroy truths. The "living animal in the sea," and the "fish," signify truths known [vera scientifica]; so their "dying" and "being slain" by blood signify such truths also destroyed. (That "waters" signify truths, see above, n. 71; and that "fish" signify truths known [vera scientifica] of the natural man, see Arcana Coelestia 40, 991)

[22] Again in Revelation:

I saw when He had opened the sixth seal, and behold there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, and the whole moon became blood (Revelation 6:12).

In Joel:

I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth; blood, and fire, and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great day of Jehovah come (Joel 2:30-31).

Here also it is known from the contrary meaning that "blood" signifies violence offered to the Divine truth; for "sun" in the Word signifies the celestial Divine, which is the Divine good, and "moon" signifies the spiritual Divine, which is the Divine truth; it is therefore said that "the moon shall be turned into blood." (That this is the signification of "moon" see in the work on Heaven and Hell 118, 119.)

[23] In Isaiah:

He that walketh in righteousness, and speaketh uprightness, that stoppeth his ear lest he hear bloods, and shutteth his eyes lest he see evil (Isaiah 33:15);

"to stop the ear lest he hear bloods" meaning evidently not to hear falsities from evil. In David:

Thou wilt destroy those that speak falsehood; the man of blood and deceit Jehovah abhorreth (Psalms 5:6);

"the man of blood and deceit" meaning those who are in falsities from evil; it is therefore said, "Thou wilt destroy those that speak falsehood," "falsehood" in the Word signifying falsities. In Isaiah:

And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy to Him, everyone that is written unto life in Jerusalem. When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have washed away the bloods of Jerusalem out of the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of cleansing [burning] (Isaiah 4:3-4).

Because "Jerusalem" signifies the church in respect to doctrine, therefore it is said, "When He shall have washed away its blood out of the midst thereof," "bloods" signifying the falsities of evil. The "spirit of judgment" signifies Divine truth, and because this purifies it is said, "by the spirit of cleansing" [burning].

[24] In Ezekiel:

In the day wherein thou wast born I passed by beside thee, and I saw thee trodden down in thy bloods, and I said unto thee, In thy bloods, live; yea, I said unto thee, In thy bloods live. I washed thee, and I washed away thy bloods from upon thee, and I anointed thee with oil (Ezekiel 16:5-6, 9, 22, 36, 38).

This also treats of Jerusalem, which signifies the church in respect to the doctrine of truth, here first of the falsities of evil in which it was before it was reformed, and afterwards of its reformation; the falsities of evil are signified by its being seen "trodden down in bloods;" and its reformation by "he washed, and washed away the bloods, and anointed with oil;" "to wash" signifying to purify by truths; "to wash away bloods" signifying to remove the falsities of evil; and "to anoint with oil" signifying to endow with the good of love.

[25] In Lamentations:

For the sins of the prophets of Jerusalem, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her. They have wandered blind in the streets, they have been polluted with blood, what they cannot pollute they touch with their garments (Lamentations 4:13-14).

"Prophets of Jerusalem" signify those who are to teach the truths of doctrine, and "priests" those who are to lead by truths to good; here mentioned in a contrary sense, since it is said, "for their sins;" "to shed the blood of the just" signifies to falsify truths and adulterate goods; it is therefore said, "they have wandered blind in the streets, they have been polluted with blood, what they cannot pollute they touch with their garments;" "to wander blind in the streets" signifies not to see truths at all, "streets" meaning truths; "polluted with bloods" signifies to be wholly in falsities; "what they cannot pollute they touch with their garments" signifies that what they cannot pervert they nevertheless falsify, "garments" meaning the truths that invest interior things, which truths are the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word.

In Isaiah:

All uproar shall be whirled about by the earthquake, and the garment is polluted with bloods (Isaiah 9:5);

"earthquake" signifying the perversion of the church by the falsification of truth, and the "garment polluted with bloods" the falsification of the sense of the letter of the Word.

[26] In Jeremiah:

Thou hast taught evils thy ways; also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the innocents; I found them not in digging through, but upon all these (Jeremiah 2:33-34).

Here "blood found in the skirts" signifies the like as above by "what they cannot pollute they touch with their garments," "skirts" are the "garments." "I found them not in digging through, but upon all these" signifies that they dared not destroy the truths themselves, but that they falsified the truths of the sense of the letter, "skirts" signifying those truths.

[27] In Isaiah:

Your hands are full of bloods (Isaiah 1:15).

Your hands are polluted with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue hath meditated perverseness. Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity (Isaiah 59:3, 7).

"Hands polluted with blood, and fingers with iniquity" signifies that in all things belonging to them there is falsity and the evil of falsity; "hands" and "fingers" signify power, thus all things with them that have power. Because this is the meaning it is also said, "your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue hath meditated perverseness," "lies" meaning falsities, and "perverseness" the evil of falsity; "their feet make haste to shed innocent blood" signifies their hastening to destroy the good of love and charity; this is signified by "shedding innocent blood." The good of innocence is that from which is every good and truth of heaven and the church (See Heaven and Hell 276-283). From this it can be seen what is signified in a general sense by "bloods," in the plural, namely, violence offered both to the truths and the goods of the Word and of the church.

As "shedding innocent blood" signifies to destroy the good of love and of charity, every kind of precaution was taken that innocent blood should not be shed; and if it were shed:

That expiation shall be made for the land (Deuteronomy 19:10, 13; 21:1-9);

for the "land" signifies the church.

[28] In Isaiah:

Jehovah goeth forth from His place to visit the iniquity of the earth; then shall the earth reveal her bloods, and shall no more cover her slain (Isaiah 26:21).

The "bloods" that the earth shall reveal signify all the falsities and evils that have destroyed the truths and goods of the church, the "earth" being the church where these are; the "slain" signify those that have perished by falsities and evils. (That the "slain" signify those that have perished by falsities and evils, see above, n. 315.) In Revelation:

In Babylon was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth (Revelation 18:24);

"the blood of prophets and of saints" meaning truths and goods extinguished; and the "slain" those who have perished by falsities and evils (as just above).

[29] The like is meant by:

The blood of the prophets which was shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just even to the blood of Zachariah, the son of Barachiah, whom they slew between the temple and the altar (Matthew 23:30, 34-35; Luke 11:50-51).

In the spiritual sense, by "Abel" those who are in the good of charity are meant, and, abstractly from person, that good itself; and by "Cain" those who make faith alone the sole means of salvation, and the good of charity of no account, thus rejecting and slaying it; and by "Zachariah" those who are in the truths of doctrine are meant, and abstractly from person the truth itself of doctrine; therefore the "blood" of these two signifies the extinction of all good and truth; "whom they slew between the temple and the altar" signifies in the spiritual sense every kind of rejection of the Lord; for "temple" signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and "altar" the Lord in respect to Divine good, and "between them" signifies both together.

(That "Abel" in a representative sense is the good of charity, see Arcana Coelestia 342, 354, 1179, 3325; and that "Cain" is faith alone, separated from charity, n. 340, 347, 1179[1], 3325. That "prophet" signifies the doctrine of truth, n. 2534, 7269. That "temple" signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and "altar" the Lord in respect to Divine good, and in a relative sense the Lord's kingdom and church in respect to truth and good, n. 2777, 3720, 9714, 10642. That "between" the two signifies where there is a marriage of Divine truth and Divine good, n. 10001, 10025.)

[30] In the Word it is often said of those condemned to death, that "their bloods should be upon them," which means, in the spiritual sense, that damnation should be upon them because of the falsities and evils by which they had destroyed the truths and goods of the church; for in general "bloods" signify all the falsities of doctrine, of life, and of worship, by means of which come the evils that destroy the church. These evils are in part enumerated in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 18:10-13); these are also signified by "bloods" in John:

As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God, to them that believe on His name; who were born, not of bloods nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12, 13).

"The Lord's name" means all truths and goods by which He is to be worshiped; "bloods" mean all the falsities and evils that destroy; "the will of the flesh" and "the will of man" signify all the evils of love and the falsities of faith, for "flesh" signifies the voluntary that is man's own [proprium volutarium] from which is every evil, and "man" [vir] signifies the intellectual that is man's own [proprium intellectuale], from which is every falsity, "will" meaning where these things are; "to be born of God" is to be regenerated by means of the truths of faith, and by means of a life according to them.