619. But it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.- That this signifies exterior delight, is evident from the signification of the mouth, as denoting what is exterior, for the subject here treated of is the little book, and the eating of it up; by the little book is signified the Word, and by eating it up are signified perception and exploration, whence by the mouth, which first receives, is meant the external of the Word; and from the signification of "sweet as honey," as denoting the delight of natural good. The reason why the external of the Word was sweet as honey, that is, thus delightful, was, that it is of such a nature as to be capable of application to any love whatever, and to any principle thence conceived; and these can be confirmed by it. The reason why the external of the Word, which is the sense of the letter is such, is that many things therein are written according to appearances with the natural man, and many appearances, if not interiorly understood, are fallacies, like the fallacies of the senses. Those therefore who love to live for the body and the world, use the external of the Word by means of those appearances to confirm evils of life and falsities of faith.

[2] This was especially the case with the sons of Jacob, who applied all things of the Word to themselves, and from the sense of the letter maintained that belief, which they also retain to this day, that they were chosen in preference to others, and were therefore a holy nation; they believed that their Jerusalem, and its temple, the ark, the altar, the sacrifices, with innumerable other things, were of themselves holy, not knowing or being willing to know, that the holiness of all those things consisted solely in the fact that they represented Divine things proceeding from the Lord, which are called celestial and spiritual, and are the holy things of heaven and the church, and that to think them to be holy of themselves, and not from the Divine things which they represented, was to falsify and adulterate the Word by applying it to themselves and to their own loves. The case was similar in regard to their faith concerning the Messiah, which was, that He would be king of the world, and raise them above all the nations and peoples in the whole world; not to mention other things which they gathered from the mere sense of the letter of the Word, which were to them as sweet as honey in the mouth. For this reason those things that are in the spiritual sense of the Word are undelightful, for in that sense are truths themselves, and these are not according to appearances; as for example, that that nation was not holy, but worse than every other nation, consequently that it was not a chosen nation; that the city of Jerusalem merely signifies the church of the Lord, and doctrine concerning Him and concerning the holy things of heaven and the church; and that the temple, the ark, the altar, and the sacrifices, represented the Lord and the holy things proceeding from Him, and that their holiness was from this and no other source. These are the truths stored up interiorly in the sense of the letter of the Word, that is, in its internal spiritual sense. These truths they deny, because, as stated, they falsified and adulterated the Word in the sense of the letter, and therefore they are undelightful to them like food that is bitter in the belly.

[3] It is said that the little book should be in the mouth sweet as honey, because honey signifies the delight of natural good. That honey signifies that delight is evident from the following passages.

Thus, in Ezekiel:

It was said to the prophet, "Open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee. And I looked, and behold, a hand was sent unto me; and lo, a roll of a book was therein. And when he had spread it before me, it was written before and behind; and there were written thereon lamentations, and mourning, and woe. Then he said unto me, Son of man, eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. And he said unto me, Cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. And when I ate it, it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. And then he said unto me, Go unto the house of Israel, and speak my words unto them" (2:8-10; 3:1-4).

These words involve things similar to those in the Apocalypse. The command given to the prophet Ezekiel to eat the roll of the book, involves the same thing as the command to John to eat the little book, that is to say, exploration as to how the Divine Truth which is in the Word is as yet received, perceived, and appropriated by those who are of the church. For as the prophet Ezekiel and John represented the doctrine of truth and the Word, exploration was therefore made with them. The reason why this was done by eating a book is, that to eat signifies to perceive and thus to appropriate to oneself, as shown above; and when exploration was made as to the manner in which the Word was as yet perceived, it is then said to the prophet Ezekiel, that, he should go unto the house of Israel and speak the words of God unto them, also to the prophet John, that he must prophesy, that is, as yet teach the Word in the church; and this because in his mouth the book was perceived to be as sweet as honey, that is, because the Word as to the sense of the letter, is yet delightful, though only so for the reason that this sense can be used in favour of any principle of falsity whatever, and of any loves of evil whatever, and thus serve to confirm the delights of the natural life separated from the delights of the spiritual life, which, when separated, are merely delights of the loves of the body and of the world, whence arise principles of falsity from fallacies.

[4] Again, in Isaiah:

"A virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name God with us. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good" (7:14, 15).

That these words are spoken of the Lord may be seen proved in Matthew (1:23). Any one may see that butter and honey there mentioned do not mean butter and honey, but something Divine corresponding [to them], for it follows, "that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good," and this is not known by eating butter and honey. But by butter is signified the delight of spiritual good, and by honey, the delight of natural good, consequently the spiritual Divine and the natural Divine of the Lord are signified by these, thus His interior and exterior Human. That the Lord's Human is what is meant is evident from its being said that a virgin shall conceive and bear a son; and that it is Divine, is evident from the words, "and shall call his name God with us," to call a name denoting quality, here Divine quality, for he was to be called God with us.

[5] Butter and honey also signify the delight of spiritual and natural good in these words in the same chapter:

"Butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land" (ver. 22).

Those left in the land mean those who are interiorly and also exteriorly good from the Lord, consequently those who receive good proceeding from the Lord in truths; the blessedness therefore of the internal or spiritual man, and also of the external or natural, is signified by butter and honey.

[6] Thus also in Job:

"He shall suck the poison of asps; the viper's tongue shall slay him. He shall not see the brooks, the flowings of the torrents of honey and butter" (20:16, 17).

These things are said concerning hypocrites, who speak well and smoothly concerning God, their neighbour, and also heaven and the church, when nevertheless they think quite differently; and because they can thus cunningly devise how to captivate the minds of others, although in their heart they cherish what is infernal, it is said, "He shall suck the poison of asps, the viper's tongue shall slay him." That these have no delight in natural good or spiritual good, is meant by, He shall not see the brooks, the flowings of the torrents of honey and butter, rivers denoting those things that pertain to intelligence, and the flowings of the torrents of honey and butter, those that pertain thence to the affection and love, which are the very delights of heavenly life. All the delight of life which remains to eternity is the delight of spiritual good and truth, and thence of natural good and truth, whereas hypocritical delight is a natural delight separated from spiritual delight, but this delight, in another life, is turned into what is direfully infernal. That butter and honey in this passage also do not mean butter and honey, is evident, for where in the world are flowings of torrents of honey and butter found?

[7] The signification of butter and honey is similar to that of milk and honey. And since milk signifies the delight of spiritual good, and honey, the delight of natural good, and these delights are enjoyed by those who are of the church of the Lord, therefore the land of Canaan, which signifies the church, was called "a land flowing with milk and honey" (Exodus 3:8, 17; Leviticus 20:24; Num. 13:27; 14:8; Deuteronomy 6:3; 11:9; 26:9, 15; 27:3; 31:20; Joshua 5:6; Jeremiah 11:5; 32:22; Ezekiel 20:6). That the land of Canaan in the Word means the church was shown above (n. 29, 304:59, 431:9). And the church is with those only who are in spiritual good and at the same time in natural good; the church is formed in these by the Lord. For the church is in man, and not outside of him, consequently, not with those who do not possess those goods; these goods with their delights are signified by milk and honey.

[8] That in the land of Canaan there was also much honey at that period, because the church of the Lord was there then, is evident from the First Book of Samuel, where it is said, that they came into a wood where were honey upon the faces of the ground, and a stream of honey, and that the eyes of Jonathan were opened from tasting of the honey (14:25-27, 29). The reason why Jonathan's eyes were opened by his tasting of the honey was, that honey corresponds to natural good and its delight, and this good imparts intelligence and enlightens, consequently Jonathan knew that he had done evil; as is said in Isaiah, that he shall eat butter and honey, that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. For correspondences at that time manifested their effect, since all things of the Israelitish church existed from correspondences, by which things celestial and spiritual were represented and signified.

[9] The signification of butter and honey is similar to that of oil and honey in the following passages.

Thus in Moses:

"He made him to ride on the high places of the earth, and fed him with the increase of the fields; he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the stone of the rock" (Deuteronomy 32:13).

These words occur in the song of Moses, in which the subject treated of is the church in its beginning and afterwards in its progression, and at length at its end. Those who formed the Ancient Church are described by these words, but not those who constituted the Israelitish Church, for the latter were evil from the beginning even to the end, as is evident from their fathers in Egypt, and afterwards in the wilderness. But the Ancient Church, the men of which are meant by their fathers, was that which the Lord caused to ride upon the high places of the earth, and fed with the increase of the fields. That the good of natural love and the good of spiritual love, with their delights, were imparted to them by means of truths, from which their intelligence was derived, and according to which was their life, is signified by, he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the stone of the rock, honey denoting the delight of natural love, oil the delight of spiritual love, and the rock, and the stone of the rock, truth from the Lord. That oil signifies the good of love and of charity, may be seen above (n. 375), and that rock and stone signify truth from the Lord (n. 411, 443).

[10] So in David:

"I fed them with the fat of wheat, and with honey out of the rock I satisfied them" (Psalm 81:16).

The fat of wheat also signifies the delight of spiritual good, and honey out of the rock, the delight of natural good by means of truths from the Lord, as above. It must be observed, that natural good is not good, unless it be also spiritual good. For all good inflows through the spiritual man or mind into the natural man or mind, and so far as the natural man or mind receives the good of the spiritual man or mind, so far he receives good. There must be both, or both sides, in order to constitute good; wherefore natural good separated from spiritual good is in itself evil, which nevertheless is perceived by man as good. Since there must be both therefore in the passages quoted, and in those still to be quoted, mention is made of butter and honey, milk and honey, fat and honey, and also of oil and honey; and butter, milk, fat and oil, signify the good of spiritual love, and honey, the good of natural love, together with their delights.

[11] Again, in Ezekiel:

"Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen and silk, and needlework; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil; whence thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. But my bread which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set before idols for an odour of rest" (16:13, 19).

These things are said concerning Jerusalem, by which is signified the church, first the Ancient Church, and afterwards the Israelitish Church. It is said of the Ancient Church, that she was decked with gold and silver, which signifies, the love of good and truth with the men of the church. The raiment of fine linen, silk, and needlework, signifies the cognitions of celestial, spiritual, and natural truth; fine linen signifies truth from a celestial origin, silk, truth from a spiritual origin, and needlework, truth from a natural origin, which is called scientific [truth]. By eating fine flour, honey, and oil, are signified the perception of truth and good natural and spiritual, and the appropriation of them; to eat denoting to be appropriated, fine flour denoting truth, honey, natural good, and oil spiritual good, which were appropriated to them by a life according to the truths above mentioned. By becoming exceedingly beautiful and prospering into a kingdom, is signified to become intelligent and wise, so as to constitute a church from these, beauty denoting intelligence and wisdom, and a kingdom signifying a church. But concerning the Israelitish Church, which was merely in externals without internals, whence the men of that church were idolatrous, it is said, that they placed the fine flour, honey, and oil, before images of a male, or of idols, for an odour of rest, that is, that they turned the truths and goods of the church into falsities and evils, and thus profaned them.

[12] Again, in the same prophet:

"Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy traders; they traded in the wheat of Minnith, and pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm" (27:17).

This is spoken of Tyre, which signifies the church as to the cognitions of truth and good, therefore also by Tyre are signified the cognitions of truth and good pertaining to the church; by oil and honey are signified things similar to those above. The meaning in the spiritual sense of Judah, and the land of Israel, also of wheat of Minnith and pannag, and balsam, also of the trading of Tyre, may be seen explained above (n. 433:22).

[13] Again, in Moses:

"A land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of the valley and mountain; a land of wheat and barley, and the vine, and the fig-tree, and pomegranate; a land of oil, olive, and honey" (Deuteronomy 8:7, 8).

These things are said concerning the land of Canaan, by which is understood the church which is in celestial, spiritual, and natural good, and thence in truths; but the details of this verse are explained above (n. 374:7, 403:11), where it is shown, that oil and honey signify the good of love in the internal or spiritual man and in the external or natural man.

[14] So in David:

"The judgments of Jehovah are truth, they are just altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the droppings of the honeycomb" (Psalm 19:9, 10).

In the same,

"I have not departed from thy judgments, for thou hast taught me. How sweet are thy words to my palate! [Sweeter] than honey to my mouth" (Psalm 119:102, 103).

The judgments of Jehovah signify the truths and goods of worship; therefore it is said, "the judgments of Jehovah are truth, they are just altogether"; just being used in reference to the good of life and worship therefrom. And as good is also signified by gold and fine gold, it is therefore said, that they are more desirable than gold and than much fine gold, gold denoting celestial good, fine gold, spiritual good, while desirable denotes what is of affection and love. Since the goods with which a man is affected are also delightful, therefore it is said, that they are sweeter than honey and the droppings of the honeycomb, and that the words of the Lord are sweet to the palate and [sweeter] than honey to the mouth, sweet denoting what is delightful, honey, natural good, the droppings of the honeycomb, natural truth, and because honey signifies natural good, and the mouth the external, therefore it is said [sweeter] than honey to my mouth; as in the Apocalypse, that the little book was sweet as honey in the mouth.

[15] So in Luke:

Jesus said to His disciples, when they believed that they saw a spirit, "Behold, my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. Then he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of a honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat it before them" (24:39, 41-43).

From this series of words regarded in their spiritual sense it is evident, that honeycomb and honey signify natural good, for the Lord showed His disciples that He had glorified or made Divine His whole Human, even as to its Natural and Sensual. This is signified by the hands and feet, and by the flesh and bones, which they saw and felt; the hands and feet, signify the ultimate of man, called the Natural, the flesh signifies its good, and the bones signify its truth. For everything in the human body corresponds to spiritual things, the flesh to the good of the natural man, and the bones to its truths. More may be seen concerning this correspondence in Heaven and Hell 87-102). The Lord also proved this by eating of the broiled fish and also of the honeycomb in the presence of His disciples, the broiled fish signifying the truth of the good of the natural and sensual man, and the honeycomb, the good of truth of the same, therefore the Lord by being touched (palpationem) showed and proved that His whole Human, even to its ultimates, was glorified, that is, was made Divine; and [this He showed too] by eating, in that He ate in their presence a piece of a broiled fish and of an honeycomb.

[16] Since honey signifies the good of the natural man, therefore also John the Baptist

"had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey" (Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6).

The reason of this was, that John the Baptist represented the same as Elias, therefore also it was said, that Elias should come, by whom was meant John. Elias represented the Lord as to the Word, or the Word which is from the Lord; and similarly John. And because the Word teaches that the Messiah or the Lord was about to come, therefore John was sent before to preach concerning the coming of the Lord, according to the predictions of the Word. And because John represented the Word, therefore the ultimates of the Word, which are natural, were represented by John, by his clothing, and also by his food, that is, by having his raiment of camel's hair, and the leathern girdle about his loins. For camel's hair signifies the ultimates of the natural man, such as are the exteriors of the Word, and the leathern girdle about his loins, their external bond and connection with the interior things of the Word, which are spiritual. Similar things are signified by locust and wild honey; by locust, is signified the truth of the natural man, and by wild honey, its good. Whether we speak of the truth and good of the natural man, or of natural truth and good, such as the Word is in its ultimate sense, called the sense of the letter, or natural sense, it is the same thing, for John represented this by his clothing and food.

[17] The reason why neither leaven, nor honey, was used in the offerings made by fire to Jehovah (Leviticus 2:11), was, that leaven signifies the falsity of the natural man, and honey, the delight of the good of the natural man, and, in the opposite sense, the delight of his evil, which also is like leaven when it is mingled with those things that signify things of a holy interior nature. For natural delight derives its all from the delights of the love of self and the love of the world. And because the Israelitish nation was in those delights more than other nations, therefore it was forbidden them to use honey in their sacrifices. More may be seen concerning the signification of honey, as denoting the delight of the good of the natural man, in the Arcana Coelestia 5620, 6857, 8056, 10137, 10530).

[18] It is recorded of Samson, that, after he had rent the young lion, and taken a wife from the nation of the Philistines, he found "a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion" (Judges 14:8). This circumstance signified the dissipation of faith separated from charity, which the Philistine nation represented. It was on this account that the Philistines were called the uncircumcised, and this name signifies that they were without spiritual love and charity, and were only in natural love, which is the love of self and of the world. Such faith, because it destroys the good of charity, was represented by the young lion, which attacked Samson with intent to tear him in pieces; but Samson, because he was a Nazarite, and by his Nazariteship represented the Lord as to His ultimate Natural, rent the lion in pieces, and afterwards found in his carcase a swarm of bees and honey, which signified, that after such faith is dissipated, the good of charity succeeds in its place. Similar things were represented and signified by the rest of the acts related of Samson in the Book of Judges. For nothing is written in the Word which does not represent and signify such things as pertain to heaven and the church, and these can be understood only from the knowledge (scientia) of correspondences, and thence from the spiritual sense of the Word.

403. As a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken by a mighty wind. That this signifies, which the natural man has laid waste by his reasonings, is plain from the signification of a fig-tree, as denoting the natural man, of which we shall speak presently; from the signification of its untimely figs, as denoting those things that are in the natural man, these being especially the knowledges implanted in the natural man from infancy, and are not yet mature, having been merely heard and thence received; and from the signification of, shaken by a mighty wind, as denoting, which the natural man has laid waste by reasonings. To be shaken by a mighty wind here signifies reasonings from the falsities of evil; for mighty in the Word is said of good and evil; wind, of truth and falsity; and to be shaken thereby, of reasoning thence. The reason why such things are signified by these words, although they are said comparatively, is, that all comparisons in the Word are significative, just as other things, for they are equally correspondences. With respect to these things, the case is this: every man is born natural from his parents, but becomes spiritual from the Lord; this is called to be born again, or regenerated. And because he is born natural, therefore the knowledges he imbibes from infancy, before he becomes spiritual, are implanted in his natural memory. But as he advances in years, and begins to view rationally the knowledges of good and truth he has imbibed from the Word or from preaching, if he then leads an evil life, he seizes upon and examines the falsities that are the opposite of and contrary to these knowledges; then as he is gifted with a talent for reasoning, he reasons from falsities against the knowledges of his infancy and childhood, and as a result these are cast out, and falsities succeed in their place. This, therefore, is what is signified by, "The stars shall fall to the earth, as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken by the wind."

[2] That the fig-tree signifies the natural man is from correspondence; for in heaven gardens and paradises appear, where there are trees of every kind, and every tree signifies something of the Divine, which is communicated to angels from the Lord. In general, the olive signifies the celestial which is of the good of love; the vine, the spiritual which is of the truth from that good; and the fig-tree, the natural, which is derived from the spiritual or the celestial. And because those trees signify such things, therefore they also signify the angel or man with whom such things exist; but in a general sense they signify a whole society, because every society in the heavens is formed so as to present the image of one man. But in the spiritual sense those trees signify the church; the olive, the celestial church; the vine, the spiritual church; and the fig-tree, the natural church, which is the external church corresponding to the internal. From these considerations it is evident why it is that the fig-tree is said to signify the natural man, that is, the Natural in man.

[3] That the fig-tree signifies this, and, in general, the external church, is also clear from other passages in the Word, where it is mentioned, as from the following. In Isaiah:

"All the host of the heavens shall be consumed, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll; and all the host thereof shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as that which falleth from the fig-tree" (34:4).

These things are said concerning the day of the Last Judgment, which was about to come, and also came. For the Last Judgment predicted by the prophets of the Old Testament, was accomplished by the Lord when He was in the world; and because similar things then took place as in the Last Judgment, which was predicted in the Apocalypse, and which has at this day been accomplished by the Lord, therefore nearly similar things are said. As in the prophet Isaiah, that, all the host of the heavens shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as that which falleth from the fig-tree, also that the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll. In the Apocalypse, that the stars shall fall unto the earth, as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, and that the heaven shall depart as a scroll rolled together. That all the host of the heavens shall be consumed, signifies that all the goods and truths of love and faith have been corrupted; for by the host of the heavens are meant all the goods and truths of love and faith; the sun, moon, and stars, by which those things are signified, being called the host of the heavens. The heavens being rolled together as a scroll, signifies their dissipation; that all the host shall fall down as the leaf from the vine, and as that which falleth from the fig-tree, signifies the laying waste from the falsities of evil.

[4] In Jeremiah:

"In consuming I will consume them; there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig-tree, and the leaf shall fade" (8:13).

There being no grapes on the vine signifies that there is no spiritual good; for the vine signifies the spiritual man, and the grape, because it is its fruit, signifies the good of that [man], which is called spiritual good; nor figs on the fig-tree, signifies that there is no natural good, for the fig-tree signifies the natural man, and the fruit of the fig-tree signifies the good of that [man], which is called natural good. That the vine does not signify the vine, nor the fig-tree the fig-tree, is evident, for it is said, "In consuming I will consume them, there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig-tree," for they will not on that account be consumed. The vastation of the church is also treated of, as clearly appears from what precedes and follows there.

[5] In Hosea:

"I will also make all her joy to cease, her feast, her new moon, her sabbath. And I will devastate her vine and her fig-tree, whereof she hath said, These are the rewards of my whoredom; and I will make her a forest, and the wild beast of the field shall devour" (2:11, 12).

The churches are here treated of, and the falsification of truth therein. That it is said concerning the church, is clear from the second verse of this chapter, where it is said, contend with your mother; for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. By a mother and by a wife is signified the church; the holy things of the church also, from which worship is performed, and the worship itself, are signified by the feast, the new moon, and the sabbath, which shall cease; therefore by, "I will devastate her vine and her fig-tree," is signified that both spiritual good and natural good would perish. That they shall be made a forest, and the wild beast of the field shall devour, signifies that both shall be merely natural, and that the spiritual shall be consumed by falsities and lusts; the forest signifying the merely natural, and the wild beast of the field, falsities and lusts. And inasmuch as falsities in the church are especially falsified truths, and these are treated of in this chapter, therefore it is said, "whereof she hath said, These are the rewards of my whoredom," the rewards of whoredom signifying falsification.

[6] In Joel:

"A nation shall come up upon my land, strong, and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it hath the great grinding teeth of a lion. It hath reduced my vine to a waste, and my fig-tree to froth; the branches thereof are made white. The vine is dried up, and the fig-tree languisheth; the pomegranate-tree, and also the palm-tree, and the apple-tree, all the trees of the field are withered" (1:6, 7, 12).

In this whole chapter the devastated church is treated of; and by the nation, which comes up upon the land, which is strong and without number, which has the teeth of a lion, and the great grinding teeth of a lion, is not signified any nation of such a kind, but direful evil and the falsity thence. By the land upon which it comes up, is signified the church; by the teeth of a lion are signified the falsities of that evil; and because these destroy all the goods and truths of the church, they are called the great grinding teeth of a lion; a lion signifying that which destroys. Hence by, "He hath reduced my vine to a waste, and my fig-tree to froth," is signified that the church internal and external is thereby vastated; for the vine signifies the internal church, and the fig-tree the external; froth signifies where there is inwardly no truth; and by, "in making it bare he has made it bare, and cast it away," is signified that there is no longer any good or truth which is not destroyed; to make bare, namely, of fruits and leaves, denotes to deprive of goods and truths; and to cast away denotes entirely to destroy. By, "the branches thereof are made white," is signified, that there is no longer anything spiritual. By the pomegranate, the palm, and the apple, and all the trees of the field which are withered, are signified species of goods and truths of the church, and the knowledges thereof, which are consummated by evils and falsities; the trees of the field, in general, signifying the knowledges of good and truth.

[7] In the same:

"Be not afraid, ye beasts of my fields; for the dwelling-places of the wilderness are made grassy, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig-tree and the vine shall yield their strength" (2:22).

The establishment of the church is here treated of; therefore by the beasts of the field are not meant beasts of the field, but the affections of good in the natural man, consequently, those with whom such affections are. Who does not see that they are not beasts to whom it is said, "Be not afraid, ye beasts of my fields?" By, "the dwelling-places of the wilderness are made grassy," is signified that with such there will be knowledges of truth where there were none before; the dwelling-places of the wilderness denoting the interiors of the mind of those in whom they did not exist before; grassy signifies the increase and multiplication thereof; "for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig-tree and the vine shall yield their strength," signifies that they have natural good and spiritual good, for strength here denotes the production of fruit.

[8] In Amos:

"Your many gardens, and your vineyards, and your fig-trees, and your olive-trees, the canker-worm hath devoured; yet have ye not returned unto me" (4:9).

By gardens are signified all things of the church that constitute intelligence and wisdom; by vineyards, spiritual goods and truths; by fig-trees, natural goods and truths; by olive-trees, celestial goods and truths; the canker-worm denotes the falsity which destroys; the fig-tree, the vine, and the olive, properly signify the church, and the man of the church; but because the church is a church and a man is a man from goods and truths, therefore these also are signified by those trees, the goods by their fruits, and the truths by their branches and leaves.

[9] In Haggai:

"Set your heart from this day and henceforwards. Is there not yet seed in the barn, and even to the vine and fig-tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive-tree?" (2:18, 19).

By these words, in the spiritual sense, is meant that goods and truths are yet remaining; all goods and truths from primaries to ultimates are meant by the vine, the fig-tree, the pomegranate, and the olive-tree; by the vine, spiritual good and truth; by the fig-tree, natural good and truth; by the pomegranate, the knowing and perceptive faculty in general, and specifically the knowledges and perceptions of good and truth; and by the olive-tree, the perception of celestial good and truth; the barn signifies where those things are, either the church, or the man in whom the church is, or the mind of man, which is the subject.

[10] In Habakkuk:

"The fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall increase be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall deceive, and the fields shall yield no food" (3:17).

The fig-tree shall not blossom, signifies that there shall be no natural good; neither shall increase be in the vines, signifies that there shall be no spiritual good; the labour of the olive shall deceive signifies that there shall be no celestial good; the fields shall yield no food, signifies that there shall be no spiritual nourishment.

[11] In Moses:

"Jehovah God leadeth thee to a good land, a land of rivers of water, of fountains and depths that go out of valley and mountain; a land of wheat and barley, and of the vine and fig-tree and pomegranate; a land of oil olive, and honey" (Deuteronomy 8:7, 8).

By the good land to which they shall be led, is meant the land of Canaan, by which is signified the church, therefore here the same things are signified by the vine, the fig-tree, the pomegranate, and the olive, as now [explained] above. The other things may be seen explained before in n. 374. Because by the land of Canaan is signified the church, and by the vine, the fig-tree, and the pomegranate, are signified the internal and external things of the church, therefore it came to pass that the explorers of that land brought such things thence; concerning this it is thus written in Moses:

The explorers of the land of Canaan "came to the river Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, which they bare between two upon a pole; [they brought] also of the pomegranate, and of the figs" (Num. 13:23).

[12] Because the vine and the fig-tree signify such things, therefore it is said in the Word of those who are in the goods and truths of the church, and thence in safety from evils and falsities, that they shall sit under their own vine, and under their own fig-tree in security, and none shall make them afraid; as in the first book of Kings:

"Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig-tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon" (4:25).

In Zechariah:

"I will remove the iniquity of this land in one day. In that day, ye shall call every man to his neighbour, to the vine and to the fig-tree" (3:9, 10).

And in Micah:

"In the end of the days the mountain of the house of Jehovah shall be established on the top of the mountains; and nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree; neither shall any make them afraid" (4:1, 3, 4).

These things are said of the Lord's kingdom, which is with those in the heavens, and on earth, who are in love to Him. The Lord's kingdom is signified by the mountain of Jehovah, which is established on the top of the mountains, for the mountain of Jehovah signifies the Lord's kingdom of those who are in love to Him; and because these dwell above the others in the heavens, it is said of that mountain, that it shall be established on the top of the mountains (see the work concerning Heaven and Hell 188). And because these have truths inscribed upon their hearts, and, therefore, do not debate concerning them, it is said that "nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more," by which is signified, that in that kingdom there shall be no dispute about truths (as may be seen in the same work, n. Heaven and Hell 25, 26, 270, 271). That by the truths and goods which they possess, they shall be safe from evils and falsities, is signified by, they shall sit under their own vine and under their own fig-tree, none making them afraid.

[13] In Jeremiah:

"Lo, I will bring upon you a nation from afar, which shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread; it shall eat up thy sons and thy daughters; it shall eat up thy flock and thine herd; it shall eat up thy vine and thy fig-tree" (5:15, 17).

By a nation from afar is signified the evil opposed to celestial good; by from afar is signified distant and remote from goods and truths, also opposed; "which shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread," signifies that it shall destroy all truths and goods by means of which there is spiritual nourishment; "it shall eat up thy sons and thy daughters," signifies all the spiritual affections of truth and good; "it shall eat up thy flock and thine herd," signifies truths and goods internal and external; "it shall eat up thy vine and thy fig-tree," signifies, thus the internal and external of the church.

[14] In Hosea:

"I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first-ripe in the fig-tree in its first season" (9:10).

By Israel and the fathers here are not meant the fathers of the tribes from the sons of Jacob, but those who belonged to the Ancient Church, because they were in good (as may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 6050, 6075, 6846, 6876, 6884, 7648, 8055); because they were in good, but at the beginning in ignorance of the truth, by which, however, good is [formed], it is said, "I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first-ripe in the fig-tree in its first season"; grapes signifying spiritual good, wilderness signifying ignorance of the truth; and the first-ripe in the fig-tree signifying natural good from spiritual good in infancy.

[15] In Luke:

"And when all these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads. And he spake a parable; Behold the fig-tree, and all the trees; when they now have shot forth, ye see and shall know of your own selves that summer is now near. So also ye, when ye shall see these things, know that the kingdom of God is nigh" (21:28-31; Matthew 24:32; Mark 13:28, 29).

The subject here treated of is the consummation of the age, which is the Last Judgment, and the signs that precede are enumerated; these are meant by, "when all these things begin to come to pass." That a new church will then commence, which will be external in the beginning, is signified by, "Behold the fig-tree, and all the trees, when they have shot forth." This parable or similitude was related, because the fig-tree signifies the external church, and the trees signify the knowledges of truth and good. The kingdom of God, which then is near, signifies the Lord's New Church; for at the time of the Last Judgment, the old church perishes, and a new commences.

[16] In Luke:

"Every tree is known by his own fruit; for of thorns [men] do not gather figs, nor of a bramble-bush gather they the grape" (6:44).

As by fruit is signified the good of life, and the good of life is external good from internal, or natural good from spiritual, and as man is known from this good, therefore the Lord says, "Every tree is known by his own fruit; of thorns [men] do not gather figs, nor of a bramble-bush gather they the grape," the fig here denoting the good of the external or natural man, and the grape denoting the good of the internal or spiritual man; the thorns and the bramble-bush denote the evils opposed to them.

[17] Because the kings of Judah and Israel represented the Lord as to Divine truth, and Divine truth is, as it were, tortured, and labours with man, when there is not a life according to it, and it does not become the good of life; but only when it becomes of the life, it lives; this was signified by the following:

That by command of Jehovah to Hezekiah king of Judah, when he was sick, they should bring a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaster, upon the boil, and so should he live (2 Kings 20:7; Isaiah 38:21).

From these things it is evident that the fig-tree, in the genuine sense, signifies the natural man as to good and truth, the fig itself as a tree, the natural man; the fig as a fruit, the good of the natural man; and its leaf, the truth of that good.

[18] But that the fig-tree in an opposite sense signifies the natural man as to evil and falsity, the fig as a tree, the natural man himself, the figs of it as fruit, the evil of that natural man; and its leaf, the falsity of that evil, is plain from the following passages.

In Jeremiah:

"Jehovah shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of Jehovah. One basket [held] very good figs, as of fig-trees bearing the first-fruits; and the other basket [held] exceeding bad figs, which could not be eaten for badness. Jehovah said, As these figs are good, so will I acknowledge the migration of Judah into the land of the Chaldeans for good; and I will set mine eye upon them for good, and I will bring them back upon this land; and I will build them, and I will plant them. And like the figs that are bad; so will I give them that are left in this land, to commotion, and to evil in all nations; and I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, that they may be consumed" (24:1-10).

By the captivity of the Jews in the land of the Chaldeans, is signified the same as by the spiritual captivity, or the removal of the good from the evil in the spiritual world (according to what has been recorded above, n. 391, 392, 394, 397); namely, that the inwardly evil, who could nevertheless lead a moral life, like the spiritual life in externals, remained upon the earth in the spiritual world, and made themselves habitations there upon the higher places; and that the inwardly good were removed from them, and concealed by the Lord in the lower earth. This was represented by the carrying away of the Jews into the land of the Chaldeans, and by the continuance of the rest in the land; therefore it is said concerning those who suffered themselves to be carried away into the land of the Chaldeans, "I acknowledge the migration of Judah into the land of the Chaldeans for good; and I will set mine eye upon them for good, and I will bring them back upon this land; and I will build them, and I will plant them"; whereas, concerning those who remained, it is said, "I will give them that are left in this land, to commotion, and to evil in all nations; and I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, that they may be consumed." That these were the things represented, is plain also from this fact, that the temple of Solomon was destroyed before they were carried away, and that a new [temple] was built when they returned. By the temple is signified Divine worship; and by the new temple, that [worship] restored.

[19] From these things it is evident what is signified by the two baskets of figs set before the temple of Jehovah, in one of which were figs that were very good, as of fig-trees bearing the firstfruits, and in the other were figs exceeding bad, which could not be eaten for badness; namely, that those who are inwardly good, from whom a new heaven is to be formed, are meant by the basket of good figs, and those who are inwardly evil, who are to be cast down into hell, are meant by the basket of bad figs. Therefore it is said concerning the latter, that they could not be eaten for badness; by which is signified that they were inwardly evil; and concerning the former that they were as fig-trees bearing the first-fruits, by which is signified that they were inwardly good, so that a new heaven could be formed from them; for the fig, as a fruit, signifies the good of life in the internal, and at the same time in the external form, and, in an opposite sense, it signifies the good of life solely in the external form, which is evil of life, because it is inwardly evil; for every external derives its quality from the internal, for it is the effect of it. The reason why, with such persons, evil appears in the externals as good, is, because they feign what is good for the sake of the evil that is within, in order to obtain some end, to which apparent good serves as a means. The same is said of those who remained in the land of Canaan elsewhere in the same [prophet]:

"Thus said Jehovah of the king, and all the people that dwell in this city, that are not gone forth with you into captivity; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and I will make them like harsh figs, that cannot be eaten for badness" (29:16, 17).

[20] That the fig as a tree, in the opposite sense, signifies the merely natural man, and the church from such, or those with whom there is no natural good, because there is no inward good, is plain in Luke:

Jesus "spake this parable: A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard; he therefore came seeking fruit thereon, but found none. He said unto the vine-dresser, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, but find none, cut it down, for wherefore also maketh it the ground unfruitful? But he answering said, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: if only it bear fruit, [well]; if not at all, after that thou shalt cut it down" (13:6-9).

By the vineyard, in which the fig-tree was, is signified the church, where also those are who are in externals; for there is both an internal and an external in the Lord's church; the internal of the church consists of charity and the faith thence, but the external of the church consists of the good of life. Because the works of charity and faith, which constitute the good of life, pertain to the natural man, and charity itself and the faith thence to the spiritual man, hence by the vineyard is signified the internal of the church, and by the fig-tree its external. With the Jewish nation there was only the external of the church, because it was in external representative worship; therefore by the fig-tree is meant the church with that nation; but because they were in external and in no internal worship, for they were inwardly evil, and since external worship without internal is no worship, and with the evil is evil worship, therefore with them there was nothing of natural good. Hence it is said, that for three years he had not found fruit on the fig-tree, and that he commanded the vinedresser to cut it down; by which is signified, that from beginning to end there was not any natural good with that nation; for by three years is signified a whole period, or a time from beginning to end; and by the fruit of the fig-tree is signified natural good; by natural good is meant spiritual-natural good, or good in the natural from the spiritual. And because a church composed of such as are not in natural good, as was the Jewish nation, is not a church, therefore it is also said of the fig-tree, "wherefore also maketh it the ground unfruitful?" the earth denoting the church. That the vine-dresser begged that it should still be left, and that he would dig about it, signifies that [the nation] should remain, and that hereafter they should be instructed by the Christians, in the midst of whom they would be; but because no answer was made to this, it is meant that the fig-tree would still produce no fruit; that is, that the Jewish nation would do no good that proceeds from anything spiritual.

[21] This is signified by the fig-tree which withered away on account of the Lord's finding no fruit thereon.

In Matthew:

"In the morning, Jesus returning into the city, hungered. And seeing a fig-tree in the way, he came to it, but found nothing thereon but leaves, therefore he said unto it, Let nothing grow on thee henceforward for ever; whence the fig-tree from that time withered away" (21:18, 19; Mark 11:12-14).

By the fig-tree is here also meant the church with the Jewish nation. That with that nation there was no natural good, but only truth falsified, which is in itself falsity, is signified by, the Lord came to the fig-tree, but found nothing thereon but leaves; the fruit, which He did not find, signifies natural good such as was described above; and the leaf signifies truth falsified, which in itself is falsity; for leaf, in the Word, signifies truth, but the leaf of a tree which is without fruit signifies falsity, and with that nation, truth falsified, because they had the Word, in which truths are, but which they falsified by application to themselves, whence [arose] their traditions. That that nation would never do any natural good from a spiritual origin called spiritual natural [good], is signified by the words which the Lord spoke concerning it, "Let nothing grow on thee henceforward for ever," whence from that time it withered away; to wither away signifies that there were no longer good and truth. The reason why the Lord saw [the fig-tree] and said this, when He was returning into the city, and hungered, is, because by the city of Jerusalem is signified the church; and by hungering, when said of the Lord, is signified to desire good in the church (as may be seen above, n. 386). He who does not know what the fig-tree signifies, and that by that fig-tree was meant the church with that nation, can think no otherwise than that this was done by the Lord from indignation, because He hungered; whereas it was not done on this account, but that the quality of the Jewish nation might be thereby signified. For all the Lord's miracles involve and signify such things as belong to heaven and the church, whence those miracles were Divine (as may be seen, n. 7337, 8364, 9031 at the end).

[22] The perverted church, or the perverted man of the church as to his natural or external man, is also signified by the fig-tree, in David:

"He gave them hail for rain, a fire of flames in their land and he smote their vines and their fig-trees; he brake the tree of their border" (Psalms 105:32, 33).

These things are said concerning Egypt, by which is signified the natural man who is in falsities and evils; and by the vine, the fig-tree, and the tree of the border, are signified all things of the church; by the vine, the internal or spiritual things thereof; by the fig-tree, the external or natural things thereof; and by the tree of the border, every thing of the cognitive and perceptive faculty; the border signifying the ultimate in which interior things terminate, and in which they are together, and the trees [signifying] knowledges and perceptions. Because all these things were perverted and therefore damned, it is said that they were smitten and broken, by which is signified destruction and damnation. That [this was] from the falsities of evil that originate in the love of the world, is signified by, "hail for rain, a fire of flames in their land"; rain as hail signifies the falsities of evil, and a fire of flames signifies the love of the world.

[23] In Nahum:

All thy strongholds [shall be] like fig-trees with the first ripe figs if they are shaken, they fall upon the mouth of the eater (3:12).

This is said of the city of bloods, by which is signified doctrine in which truths are falsified and goods adulterated. This is compared to fig-trees with their first-fruits, which, if they be shaken, fall upon the mouth of the eater, and by this is signified that the goods therein are not goods, however much they appear as goods; and that they are not received, and if they are received, they are received only in the memory and not in the heart. That they fall when they are shaken, signifies that they are not goods although they appear as goods, because they are the first-fruits; and upon the mouth of the eater signifies non-reception, not even in the memory. That the mouth of the eater signifies not to receive, is plain from appearances in the spiritual world; for those who commit any thing to the memory appear to receive with the mouth; therefore to fall upon the mouth signifies, not to receive even in the memory, but only to hear, and also if they do receive, that it is only in the memory, and not in the heart. By fig-trees with their first-fruits can also be understood genuine goods, with which the same is accomplished with those who are in falsities of evil.