323. Having every one harps, signifies confession from spiritual truths. This is evident from the signification of a "harp," as being confession from spiritual truths. This is signified by "harps," because the harp was a stringed instrument, and by such instruments spiritual things, or those that are of truth, are signified, while wind instruments signify celestial things, or those that are of good. Such things are signified by musical instruments because of their sounds, for sound corresponds to the affections; moreover in heaven affections are perceived by sounds; and because there are various affections, and various sounds are produced by musical instruments, therefore these instruments, by correspondence and consequent agreement, signify affections. In general, stringed instruments signify such things as belong to the affections of truth, and wind instruments such as belong to the affections of good; or, what is the same, some instruments belong to the spiritual class, and some to the celestial class. That sounds correspond to the affections has been made evident to me by much experience, so also musical tones; also that angels are affected in accordance with sounds and their variations; but to recite all such experience would occupy too much space. I will mention only, what is a matter of general observation, that discrete sounds excite the affections of truth, that is, those are affected by them who are in the affections of truth; while continuous sounds excite the affections of good, that is, those are affected by them who are in the affections of good. Whether you say the affections of truth or things spiritual, it is the same, or whether you say the affections of good or things celestial, it is the same. (But these things can be better comprehended from what has been related from experience respecting sounds and their correspondence with affections, in the work on Heaven and Hell 241.)

From this it can now be seen why in the Word, and especially in David, so many kinds of musical instruments are mentioned, as psalteries, harps, flutes, cymbals, timbrels, horns, organs, and others, namely, that it is because of their correspondence with the affections, and at the same time with articulations that are expressions containing things, and flowing from them.

[2] That harps especially signify the affections of truth because they excite such affections, consequently that they also signify confession made from spiritual truths with a cheerful heart, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:

The new wine shall mourn, the vine shall languish, all the glad of heart shall sigh. The joy of timbrels shall cease, the noise of the merry shall leave off; the joy of the harp shall cease. They shall not drink wine with a song (Isaiah 24:7-9).

This treats of the vastation of the spiritual church, that is, of the good and truth thereof. Spiritual good, which is about to cease, is signified by "the new wine shall mourn," and "the joy of timbrels shall cease;" and that its truth is about to cease is signified by "the vine shall languish," and "the joy of the harp shall cease;" for "new wine" signifies spiritual good, and its joy is signified by the "timbrel;" and the "vine" signifies spiritual truth, and its joy is signified by the "harp." Since it is the affection of these that is about to cease, it is said, "all the glad of heart shall sigh," and "the noise of the merry shall leave off;" "gladness" and "mirth" in the Word signifying spiritual gladness and mirth, all of which are from the affections of truth and good. It is added, "they shall not drink wine with a song," because "song" signifies the testification of gladness from the affection of truth, and "wine" signifies truth.

[3] In David:

Confess unto Jehovah with the harp; sing psalms unto Him with the psaltery of ten strings. Sing unto Him a new song; play well with a loud noise. For the word of Jehovah is right; and His work is done in truth (Psalms 33:2-4).

As a "harp" signifies confession from spiritual truths, it is said, "confess unto Jehovah with the harp;" "a psaltery of ten strings" signifies the corresponding spiritual good; therefore it is said, "sing psalms unto Him upon a psaltery of ten strings;" and for the same reason also it is said, "for the word of Jehovah is right, and all His work is done in truth;" "the word of Jehovah is right" signifying the truth of good; "His work is done in truth" signifying the good of truth; the truth of good is the truth that proceeds from good, and the good of truth is the good which is produced by truth.

[4] In the same:

Send Thy light and Thy truth, let them lead me; let them bring me unto the mountain of holiness, and to Thy tabernacles, that I may confess unto Thee upon the harp, O God, my God (Psalms 43:3-4);

the "harp" evidently signifying confession from spiritual truths, for it is said "I will confess unto Thee with the harp, O God, my God;" and it is also said before, "send Thy light and Thy truth; let them lead me."

[5] In the same:

I will confess unto Thee with the instrument of psaltery, even Thy truth, O my God; unto Thee will I sing with the harp, O Holy One of Israel (Psalms 71:22).

As the "psaltery" signifies spiritual good, that is, the good of truth, and the "harp" spiritual truth, that is, the truth of good, and confession is made from each, it is said, "I will confess unto Thee with the instrument of psaltery; unto Thee will I sing with the harp."

[6] In the same:

I will sing, and I will sing psalms. Arouse me, ¹ my glory, arouse me, psaltery and harp. I will confess unto Thee, O Lord, among the nations, I will sing psalms unto Thee among the peoples (Psalms 57:7-9; 108:1-3).

Confession and glorification from the good of truth or from spiritual good, and from truth of good or from spiritual truth, are expressed in these several things, the good of truth by "singing," "being aroused by the psaltery," and "confessing among the nations;" and the truth of good by "singing psalms," "being aroused by the harp," and "singing psalms among the peoples;" for "nations" in the Word mean those who are in good, and "peoples" those who are in truth; here those in spiritual truth. It is so said because where good is spoken of, in the Word, truth also is spoken of, and this because of the marriage of these in every particular of the Word (See above, n. 238 end, 288).

[7] In the same:

Answer unto Jehovah by confession; sing psalms with the harp unto our God (Psalms 147:7).

Here also confession from spiritual good and from spiritual truth is expressed by "answer unto Jehovah by confession," and "sing psalms with the harp unto our God;" from spiritual good by "answer unto Jehovah;" and from spiritual truth by "sing psalms with the harp unto God;" "Jehovah" being used where good is treated of, and "God" where truth is treated of (See Arcana Coelestia n. 709, 732, 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4287, 4402, 7010, 9167).

[8] In Ezekiel:

I will cause the noise of the songs to cease; and the voice of thy harps shall be no more heard; I will give thee to the parchedness of the cliff (Ezekiel 26:13-14).

This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of good and truth. Its vastation is described by these words; the vastation in respect to the knowledges of good by "I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease;" and the vastation in respect to the knowledges of truth by "the voice of harps shall be no more heard;" desolation of all truth by "I will give thee to the parchedness of the cliff;" "cliff" signifying truth, and its "parchedness" desolation.

[9] In David:

Make a loud noise unto Jehovah, all the earth; break forth, shout for joy, and sing psalms. Sing psalms unto Jehovah with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and the sound of a cornet, make a loud noise before the King, Jehovah (Psalms 98:4-6).

The various kinds of affections from which the Lord is confessed and glorified are here expressed by various kinds of sounds and instruments; the various kinds of sounds in "making a loud noise," "breaking forth," "shouting for joy," and "singing psalms," and the various kinds of instruments, by "harps," "trumpets," and "cornets;" but to explain the signification of the particulars is not in place here, but only what relates to the harp. "To sing unto Jehovah with the harp, with the harp and the voice of a psalm," signifies confession from the affection of spiritual good and truth; for every affection, since it is from love, when it falls into sound, produces a sound in accord with itself; consequently from the sound that is in the speech, and in which, as it were, the expressions of speech flow, the affection of the other is heard, and thus becomes known to his companion; this is manifestly so in the spiritual world, where all sounds of speech make manifest the affections.

[10] So elsewhere in David, as the following:

Shout for joy unto God our strength; make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob. Lift up the psalm and strike the timbrel, the pleasant harp, with the psaltery. Blow the cornet at the new moon (Psalms 81:1-3).

It is good to confess unto Jehovah, and to sing psalms unto Thy name, O Most High; with an instrument of ten strings, and with the psaltery; and with resounding music on the harp (Psalms 92:1-3).

Let the sons of Zion exult in their King; let them praise His name in the dance; let them sing psalms unto Him with the timbrel and harp (Psalms 149:2-3).

Praise God with the sound of the cornet; praise Him with the psaltery and harp; praise Him with the timbrel and dance; praise Him with stringed instruments and organ. Praise Him with cymbals of soft sound; praise Him with cymbals of loud sound (Psalms 150:3-5).

[11] Because musical instruments and also dances signify varieties of joy and gladness that spring from the affections, as well as the affections themselves of the mind which their sounds excite, both singly and in combination, therefore:

David and the whole house of Israel played before Jehovah upon wooden instruments of every kind, and upon harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels; and on sistra, and on cymbals (2 Samuel 6:5).

[12] Because the "harp" signifies confession from spiritual truths, and spiritual truths are those by which angels who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom are affected, and which disperse the falsities of evil, and with these the spirits themselves who are in them, so:

When the evil spirit was upon Saul, David took a harp and played with his hand; and so rest was given to Saul, and the evil spirit departed from him (1 Samuel 16:23).

This was done because kings represented the Lord in respect to the spiritual kingdom, and therefore signified spiritual truths (See above, n. 31); but Saul then represented the falsities that are opposed to these truths; and these were dispersed by the sound of the harp, because the "harp" signified the spiritual affection of truth. This then took place because with the sons of Israel all things were representative and thus significative; it is otherwise at this day. From the passages here quoted it can be seen what the "harp" signifies, also in other places (as Isaiah 30:31, 32; Psalms 49:3, 4; 137:1, 2; 1 Samuel 10:5; Revelation 14:2; 18:22; Job 30:31).

[13] As most things in the Word have also a contrary meaning, so do musical instruments, in which sense they signify varieties of gladness and joy that spring from the affections of falsity and evil; thus the "harp" signifies the confession of falsity and the consequent exultation over the destruction of truth. As in Isaiah:

At the end of seventy years the song of Tyre shall be even as the song of a harlot; take a harp, walk in the city, thou harlot delivered over to forgetfulness; play elegantly, multiply the song (Isaiah 23:15-16).

"Tyre" signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of spiritual truth and good (as was said above), here the church in which these are falsified; "harlot" signifies the falsification of truth (See above, n. 141); and "to take a harp, walk in the city," "play elegantly, and multiply the song," signifies the exultation and boasting of falsity over the destruction of truth.

[14] In the same:

Woe to them that rise early in the morning that they may follow strong drink; to them that tarry until twilight till the wine inflame them. And the harp and the psaltery and the timbrel and the pipe and wine are at their feasts; but they do not look upon the work of Jehovah, and they see not the working of His hands (Isaiah 5:11-12).

Here "harp," "psaltery," "timbrel," "pipe," and also "wine," have the contrary meaning, in which they signify exultation and boastings from the falsities of evil. Such is evidently the meaning, for it is said, "Woe to them; they do not look upon the work of Jehovah, and they see not the working of His hands."

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3994. 'And every black one among the lambs' means a proprium of innocence, which belongs to the good meant by 'Laban'. This is clear from the meaning of 'black' as the proprium, dealt with immediately above in 3993, and from the meaning of 'a lamb' as innocence, dealt with below. With regard to a proprium of innocence meant by 'black one among the lambs' the position is that, to be good, all good must contain innocence. Charity devoid of innocence is not charity, and still less can love to the Lord exist without it. Innocence is therefore an absolutely essential element of love and charity, and consequently of good. A proprium of innocence consists in knowing, acknowledging, and believing, not with the lips but with the heart, that nothing but evil originates in oneself, and everything good in the Lord, and therefore that such a proprium is altogether black, that is to say, both the will side of the proprium, which is evil, and the understanding side, which is falsity. When a person confesses and believes that in his heart, the Lord flows in with good and truth and instills a heavenly proprium into him which is bright and shining. Nobody can possibly be truly humble unless that acknowledgement and belief are present in his heart; and when they are present he is self-effacing, indeed self-loathing, and so is not preoccupied with himself, in which case he is in a fit state to receive the Lord's Divine. These are the circumstances in which the Lord flows in with good into a humble and contrite heart.

[2] Such is the proprium of innocence meant here by 'the black one among the lambs' which Jacob chose for himself, whereas 'the white one among the iambs' means the merit that is placed in good deeds - 'white' meaning merit, as stated above in 3993. Jacob did not choose this because it goes against innocence. Indeed anyone who places merit in good deeds acknowledges and believes that all good originates in himself, for he regards himself, not the Lord, in the good deeds he does and as a consequence seeks reward on the basis of that merit. For the same reason he also despises others in comparison with himself, indeed he even condemns them, and therefore to the same extent departs from heavenly order, that is, from good and truth. From all this it may be seen that charity towards the neighbour and love to the Lord are by no means able to exist unless they have innocence within them, and consequently that no one can enter heaven unless he possesses some degree of innocence, according to the Lord's words,

Truly I say to you, Whoever has not received the kingdom of God like a young child will not enter into it. Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17.

Here and elsewhere in the Word 'a young child' means innocence - see what has been stated already on these matters in the following paragraphs,

Early childhood is not innocence, but innocence resides in wisdom, 2305, 3494.

The nature of the innocence of early childhood, and the nature of the innocence of wisdom, 2306, 3183; also the nature of the proprium when, with innocence and charity, the Lord gives it life, 154.

Innocence causes good to be good, 2526, 2780.

[3] The fact that innocence is meant by 'lambs' may be seen from many places in the Word, of which let the following be quoted to confirm the point,

The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the ox together; and a little child will lead them. Isaiah 11:6.

This refers to the Lord's kingdom and to the state of peace and of innocence there. 'The wolf' stands for those who are opposed to innocence, 'the lamb' for those in whom innocence is present. A similar example occurs elsewhere in the same prophet,

The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and for the serpent, dust will be his bread. They will not hurt and will not destroy on all My holy mountain. Isaiah 65:25.

As above, 'the wolf' stands for those who are opposed to innocence, and 'the lamb' for those in whom innocence is present. Because 'the wolf' and 'the lamb' are opposites, the Lord also said to the seventy whom He sent out, in Luke,

Behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Luke 10:3.

In Moses,

He causes him to suck honey out of the crag, and oil out of the stony rock - butter from the cattle, and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs and rams, the breed ¹ of Bashan. Deuteronomy 32:13-14.

This refers in the internal sense to the celestial qualities of the Ancient Church. 'The fat of lambs' stands for the charity that goes with innocence.

[4] In the original language various nouns exist for lambs, and each is used to mean a different degree of innocence, for as has been stated, all good, if it is to be good, must have innocence within it. And so also must truth. Here in Genesis 30:32 the word used for lambs is also used for sheep, as in Leviticus 1:10; 3:7; 5:6; 17:3; 22:19; Numbers 18:17; and by that word is meant the innocence belonging to faith grounded in charity. Different words are used elsewhere, as in Isaiah,

Send the lamb of the ruler of the land from the rock towards the wilderness, to the mountain of the daughter of Zion. Isaiah 16:1.

A different word again is used in the same prophet,

The Lord Jehovih is coming with strength, and His arm will exercise dominion for Him. He will pasture His flock like a shepherd, He will gather the lambs into His arm, He will carry them in His bosom, and will lead those that give suck. Isaiah 40:9-11.

'Gathering the lambs into the arm and carrying in the bosom' stands for people who are governed by charity that has innocence within it.

[5] In John,

When He appeared [to the disciples] Jesus said to Peter, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these? He said to Him, Yes, Lord; You know that I love You. He said to him, Feed My lambs. He said to him again, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You. He said to him, Feed My sheep. John 21:15-16.

Here as elsewhere 'Peter' means faith - see the Prefaces to Chapters 18 and 22, and 3750. And since faith is not faith if it does not arise out of charity towards the neighbour, and so out of love to the Lord, neither are charity and love charity and love if they do not arise out of innocence. This is why the Lord first asks whether he loves Him, that is, whether love is present within faith, and after that says, 'Feed My lambs', that is, feed those who are innocent. Then after putting the same question again, He says, 'Feed My sheep', that is, feed those who have charity.

[6] Because the Lord is the Innocence itself which exists in His kingdom, for He is the source of all innocence, the Lord is therefore called the Lamb, as in John,

The next day John Baptist saw Jesus coming towards him, and said, Behold, the Lamb of God who bears away the sin of the world. John 1:29, 36.

And in Revelation,

They will fight with the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings, and those with Him have been called and chosen. Revelation 17:14.

There are other places in Revelation besides this - 5:6; 6:1, 16; 7:9, 14, 17; 12:11; 13:8; 14:1, 4; 19:7, 9; 21:22-23, 27; 22:1, 3. It is well known that in the highest sense the paschal lamb means the Lord - for the Passover meant the Lord's glorification, that is, His enduing the Human with the Divine - and in the representative sense means the regeneration of man. Indeed the paschal lamb means that which is the essential feature of regeneration, namely innocence; for nobody can be regenerated except by means of charity that has innocence within it.

[7] Because innocence is the first essential in the Lord's kingdom and is the celestial itself there, and because sacrifices and burnt offerings used to represent the spiritual and celestial things of the Lord's kingdom, the essential itself of the Lord's kingdom, which is innocence, was therefore represented by 'lambs'. This was why the continual or daily burnt offering was made from lambs, the first in the morning and the second 'between the evenings', Exodus 29:37-39; Numbers 28:3-4; and a double offering on the sabbath, Numbers 28:9-10; and many more lambs still at the appointed festivals, Leviticus 23:12; Numbers 28:11, 14, 19, 27; 28:1-end. After the days of her cleansing had been completed a woman who had given birth was required to offer a lamb as a burnt offering, also a young pigeon or else a turtledove, Leviticus 12:6. This was required in order that the sign of the fruit of conjugial love - a love which is innocence itself, see 2736 - might be represented, and because innocence is meant by 'babes'.

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