ON MARRIAGE II

On the representation of conjugial love by the most beautiful objects.

Truly conjugial love is represented in heaven by various means. It is represented by diamond auras, glistening as if with rubies and garnets, also by the most beautiful rainbows and showers of gold, the sight of which fills by-standers with such pleasure and delight that their minds are stirred to their depths. I have heard the angels in the gardens of heaven when conjugial love was so represented, and they said that they were filled with such delight that they could not express it otherwise than by saying it was delight itself, from which all other delights sprang as from their origin. They said that this was pure mental delight, without any arousing of lust. For such is conjugial love in origin.

As with many common verbs, the meaning of “to say” in the Bible is highly dependent on context. Who is speaking? Who is hearing? What is it about? Is it a command, a message, an apology, instruction? All these things enter into the meaning of “say.” In general, though, “saying” has to do with sharing truth at various levels -- from the most exalted power people can have to perceive the Lord's desires directly to the most basic of orders issued to people at their lowest.