9868. “是绿宝石, 蓝宝石, 金钢石” 表对真理的属天之爱, 接下来的事物皆源于这爱. 这从这些石头的含义清楚可知, 这些石头是指对真理的属天之爱, 如下文所述. 之所以说 “接下来的事物皆源于这爱”, 是因为接下来的一切良善和真理都是按次序从之前的那些发出的; 事实上, 与先于自己的其它事物无关的任何事物都是不可能存在的. 按照次序, 第一是对良善的属天之爱; 第二是对真理的属天之爱; 第三是对良善的属灵之爱; 第四是对真理的属灵之爱. 这个次序就表现在决断胸牌的那几行石头上, 这正是天堂里良善和真理的实际次序. 对良善的属天之爱和对真理的属天之爱在至内层天堂; 对良善的属天之爱构成它的内在, 对真理的属天之爱构成它的外在. 但对良善的属灵之爱和对真理的属灵之爱在第二层天堂; 对良善的属灵之爱构成它的内在, 对真理的属灵之爱构成它的外在. 此外, 每种爱都按同样的次序流入下一种爱, 它们可以说构成一个统一的整体. 由此明显可知 “接下来的事物皆源于这爱” 是什么意思.

至于这一行的石头, 它们和前一行的石头, 以及其余的石头一样, 其含义来源于它们的颜色. 宝石的含义取决于它们的颜色 (参看9865节); 在天堂, 颜色是那里的光与影的修改, 因而是天使中间形式多样的聪明和智慧 (3993, 4530, 4677, 4742, 4922, 9466节); 因为天堂之光是从主发出的神性真理, 一切聪明和智慧的源头. 第一行石头表示对良善的属天之爱, 这是由于它们深浅不同的红色; 但这一行的石头具有深浅不同的蓝色, 这是红色的产物. 因为既有红色所产生的蓝色, 也有白色所产生的蓝色; 由红色所产生的蓝色由内在从火焰闪耀; 正是这种蓝色表示对真理的属天之爱; 而白色所产生的蓝色, 就是下一行石头的那种颜色, 表示对良善的属灵之爱, 这蓝色不会由内在从火焰闪耀, 而是从光闪耀.

绿宝石, 就是这一行的第一块石头是否具有蓝色, 这从它在原文的词源无从得知; 但它表示对真理的属天之爱, 这一点明显可见于以西结书:

亚兰因你的手工很多, 就作你的客商; 他们用绿宝石, 紫色布, 绣货兑换你的货物.(以西结书 27:16)

这论及推罗, 推罗表示由关于良善和真理的认知或知识所产生的智慧和聪明 (1201节). 绿宝石在此与紫色布联系在一起, 由于 “紫色” 表示对良善的属天之爱 (9467节), 故可知 “绿宝石” 表示对真理的属天之爱; 因为在圣言的预言部分, 由于天上的婚姻存在于那里的每一个细节中, 故凡论述良善的地方, 也会论述属同一类的真理 (9263, 9314节). 此外,

“亚兰”, 就是 “客商”, 表示关于良善的认知或知识 (1232, 1234, 3249, 4112节); 关于良善的认知或知识是属天之爱的真理.

蓝宝石, 就是这一行的第二块宝石, 具有一种蓝色的, 就是那种天蓝色, 这是众所周知的; 故经上在出埃及记中说:

七十个长老看见以色列的神, 祂脚下仿佛有蓝宝石的作工, 好像天空物质一般明净.(出埃及记 24:10)

这块石头表示因着内层真理而透明之物, 也就是属天之爱的真理 (可参看9407节).

不过,

“金钢石”, 就是这一行的第三块石头, 表示属天之爱的真理, 是由于它的透明, 这种透明倾向于带有蓝色在里面. 这一行的石头, 以及前一行的石头, 其颜色就以这种方式从这块石头闪耀出来, 因为它是最后一块石头, 并与下一行石头相联系. 至内层天堂的良善和真理, 相对于随后天堂的良善和真理, 也是这种情况. 后者的良善和真理通过传送, 如同通过一种透光那样从前者获得它们仁与信的生命.

10570. 'And I and Your people will be made more distinguished than all the people who are on the face of the ground' means the consequent pre-eminence over all throughout the whole world where the Church exists. This is clear from the meaning of 'being made more distinguished than all the people who are on the face of the ground' as pre-eminence over all throughout the whole world. The reason why where the Church exists is also meant is that 'the ground' means the Church, which is dealt with below.

[2] It was this end in view - that they should be made more distinguished than all throughout the whole world - that caused the Israelite nation to worship Jehovah and enabled them to be outwardly holy. This is clear from what has been shown previously regarding that nation. The fact that such people are able to be outwardly holy and to seem to others to be worshippers of God is clear from the idolaters spoken of in the historical narratives of the Word, who were able in like manner to do the outward things. But anyone may see and deduce that those idolaters possessed no inner holiness from the consideration that the Divine Truths which have been revealed in the Word are what make worship internal, when people know them and lead a life in keeping with them. For if a person were able to worship God in a holy way without those Truths there would be no need for any of the Church's teachings, nor for any preaching.

[3] Since that nation was such that their end in view - to be pre-eminent over others - enabled them to be outwardly holy, and since among people such as these the things that are representative of celestial and spiritual realities, which the outward things of their worship were, can be conveyed to angels and a link with heaven can thereby be established, that nation was accepted. But anyone who supposes that this made them worshippers of God is very much mistaken; for they were worshippers of self and the world, and idolaters at heart. And because they were such, neither was any revelation given them of the interior things of worship, which have to do with faith in the Lord and love to Him. This is evident from the books in the Old Testament, and also from the fact that they did not acknowledge the Lord when He came into the world, and indeed still do not acknowledge Him; and if presented with teachings about the Lord contained in the prophetical parts, even then they do not accept them. They desire a Messiah who will exalt them above all throughout the whole world, not a Messiah whose kingdom is in heaven and who looks from there to the salvation also of all on earth. From all this it becomes clear what that nation has been like since the earliest ages, and why it is that it says here that by Jehovah's going with them they would be made more distinguished than all the people who are on the face of the ground.

[4] By the words 'on the face of the ground' wherever the Church exists should be understood; for 'the ground' has the same meaning as 'the earth', namely the Church (for the meaning of 'the earth', or 'the land', as the Church, see in the places referred to in 9325). But 'the ground' means the Church for the same reason as 'the field' does, that is, because it receives various kinds of seeds, which then grow into plants and bear fruit, by which the truths and forms of the good of faith and love are meant. For the human being is a recipient of these just as the ground is of seeds. The earth is called a Church however on account of the people inhabiting it, with whom the Church exists. But since the ground implies that which extends spatially just as the earth or the land does, translators use the word 'earth' instead of 'ground'. Here they say 'on the face of the earth' instead of 'on the face of the ground', as they do in other places. And yet in the original language the term that denotes the ground is derived from an entirely different root from the one that the term denoting the earth springs from.

[5] The fact that 'the ground' means the Church, just as 'the earth' or 'the land' does, is clear from various places in the Word, of which let only some be quoted, such as this in Jeremiah,

The nobles sent their inferiors for water, they came to the pits, and they found no water; their vessels returned empty, because the ground was broken up in pieces, no rain had come to be on the land. Jeremiah 14:3-4.

Here 'the ground' means the Church, and so does 'the land', for the subject in the internal sense is the lack of truth and resulting ruination of the Church. 'Water' means truths; 'pits' where those truths, thus religious teachings, are stored; 'vessels' recipients of them; and 'rain' the influx of them from heaven. 'The land' is where the Church is situated, and 'the ground' the actual Church, which is said to be 'broken up in pieces' owing to drought, that is, to the lack of truth from heaven.

[6] In Isaiah,

It will happen at the end of seventy years, that Jehovah will visit Tyre, and she will return to her harlot's reward and commit whoredom with all the kingdoms of the earth on the face of the ground. At length her merchandise and her harlot's reward will be holy to Jehovah. Isaiah 23:17-18.

'Tyre' means the Church in respect of its cognitions or knowledge of truth and good, and so in the abstract sense means those cognitions. These are called 'a harlot's reward' when they are taught for the sake of gain, position, and reputation for knowing them, thus when they are put on sale so to speak, and are not taught for truth's own sake. In the Word this is called harlotry and whoredom. 'Committing whoredom with all the kingdoms of the earth' means doing so with all the truths of the Church; 'on the face of the ground' means wherever the Church is situated. Since cognitions of truth and good continue to be cognitions of truth and good and so continue to be Divine, even when they are used for gain by a person who teaches and puts them up for sale, and they are consequently 'a harlot's reward', it says that 'her merchandise and her harlot's reward will be holy to Jehovah'. Everyone whose thought extends beyond the sense of the letter can see that a harlot's reward should not be understood in these verses, nor whoredom committed with all the kingdoms of the earth, nor that such a thing will be holy to Jehovah.

[7] In David,

You send forth Your spirit, they are created, and You renew the face of the ground. Psalms 104:30.

'Jehovah's spirit' means the Divine Truth emanating from the Lord, 9818; 'being created' means being created anew, that is, being regenerated, 10373; 'renewing the face of the ground' reforming and establishing the Church, 'the face of the ground' meaning wherever anything of the Church can be received. The like is meant in other places where the expression 'the face of the ground' occurs, such as Genesis 7:4; 8:8, 13; Exodus 32:12; Numbers 12:3; Deuteronomy 6:15; 7:6; 1 Samuel 20:15; 2 Samuel 14:7.