238. And miserable and poor. That this signifies that neither do they know that these have neither knowledges of truth nor knowledges of good, is evident from the signification of misery, or miserable, as being those who are destitute of the knowledges of truth; and from the signification of poor, as being those who are without the knowledges of good. That the terms miserable and poor have such signification is evident from many passages in the Word, and moreover from this consideration, that spiritual misery and poverty are nothing else but a defect of the knowledges of truth and good, for when such defect exists, the spirit is both miserable and poor; but when these knowledges are possessed, the spirit is rich and opulent; therefore by riches and wealth in the Word are signified spiritual riches and wealth, which are the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good, as was shown above (n. 236).

[2] Miserable and poor are terms used in many passages in the Word; but when the spiritual sense of these terms is not known, it is believed that only those are meant who are miserable and poor as to the things of the world; when nevertheless these are not meant, but those who are not in truths and goods and in the knowledges thereof. Indeed, by the miserable are meant those who are not in truths because not in the knowledges of them, and by the poor, those who are not in goods because they are not in the knowledges thereof. Because truths and goods, are meant by these two expressions, therefore in many places both are mentioned, as in David:

"I am miserable and poor, Lord, remember me" (Psalms 40:17; 70:5).

Again:

"Incline thine ear, O Jehovah, answer; for I am miserable and poor" (Psalms 86:1).

That by the miserable and poor are not meant those who are so as to worldly riches, but as to spiritual riches, is clear, because David spoke this concerning himself; therefore he also said, "Jehovah, incline thine ear, and answer."

[3] Again:

"The wicked make bare the sword, and bend their bow, to cast down the miserable and poor" (Psalms 37:14).

That by the miserable and poor are here also meant those who are spiritually such but yet desire the knowledges of truth and good is evident, for it is said that the wicked make bare the sword, and bend their bow; the sword signifying falsity fighting against truth and endeavouring to destroy it; and the bow, the doctrine of falsity against the doctrine of truth; therefore it is said that they do this to cast down the miserable and poor. (That by sword is signified truth fighting against falsity, and, in an opposite sense, falsity fighting against truth, may be seen above, n. 131; and that by bow is signified doctrine in both senses, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 2686, 2709.)

[4] Again:

The wicked "persecuted the miserable and poor, and the dejected in heart to slay him" (Psalms 109:16).

In Isaiah:

"The fool speaketh foolishness, and his heart doeth iniquity to practise hypocrisy and to speak error against Jehovah, to make empty the hungry soul, and to make him who thirsteth for drink to faint. He deviseth wicked devices to destroy the miserable with words of falsehood, even when the poor speaketh judgment" (32:6, 7).

In this passage, also, by the miserable and poor are meant those who are destitute of the knowledges of truth and good; therefore it is said that the wicked deviseth wicked devices to destroy the miserable with words of falsehood, even when the poor speaketh judgment; words of falsehood denote falsities, and to speak judgment denotes what is right. Because such are here treated of, it is also said that they practise hypocrisy and utter error against Jehovah, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause him that thirsteth for drink to faint. To practise hypocrisy and to utter error denotes to do evil from falsity, and to speak falsity from evil; to make empty the soul of the hungry denotes to deprive of the knowledges of good those who desire them, and to cause the thirsty to faint for drink is to deprive of the knowledges of truth those who desire them. Again:

"The miserable shall have joy in Jehovah, and the poor of men shall exult in the Holy One of Israel" (29:19).

By the miserable and poor are here also signified those with whom there is a deficiency of truth and good, and who, nevertheless, desire them; of these it is said that they "shall have joy in Jehovah, and exult in the Holy One of Israel," and not of those who are miserable and poor as to worldly wealth.

[5] From these considerations it is evident what is signified by the miserable and poor in other passages in the Word, as in the following:

"The poor shall not always be forgotten; and the hope of the miserable shall not perish for ever" (Psalms 9:18).

Again:

"God shall judge the miserable of the people, he shall keep the sons of the poor. He shall liberate the poor when he crieth; the miserable also. He shall spare the poor and the needy, and shall save the souls of the poor" (Psalms 72:4, 12, 13).

Again:

"The miserable shall see, those seeking Jehovah shall be glad, because Jehovah heareth the poor" (Psalms 69:32, 33).

Again:

"Jehovah delivereth the miserable from him that is too strong for him, and the poor from him that spoileth him?" (Psalms 35:10).

Again:

"The miserable and poor praise thy name" (74:21; 109:22).

"I know that Jehovah will maintain the cause of the miserable, and the judgment of the poor" (Psalms 140:12).

And also elsewhere; as in Isaiah 10:2; Jeremiah 22:16; Ezekiel 16:49; 18:12; 22:29; Amos. 8:4; Deuteronomy 15:11; 24:14. The reason why both the miserable and the poor are mentioned in the passages adduced above, is, that it is according to the style of the Word that where truth is treated of good is also treated of; and, in the opposite sense, where falsity is treated of evil is also treated of, because they form one, and are like a marriage. On this account the miserable and the poor are mentioned together; for by the miserable are meant those who are deficient in the knowledges of truth, and by the poor those who are deficient in the knowledges of good. (That there is such a marriage almost everywhere in the prophetical parts of the Word, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 683, 793, 801, 2516, 2712, 3004, 3005, 3009, 4138, 5138, 5194, 5502, 6343, 7022, 7945, 8339, 9263, 9314.) On this account also it is said in what follows: "And blind and naked;" for by the blind are meant those who have no understanding of truth, and by the naked those who have no understanding and will of good. Also, in the verse following, it is said, "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed;" for by gold tried in the fire is meant the good of love, and by white raiment the truths of faith. And further, it is said, "That the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see," by which is meant lest the evils and falsities should be seen. The case is the same in other passages; but that such a marriage exists in every part of the Word, none can see but those who are acquainted with its internal sense.

3008. The first point - that Christ is the same as Messiah, Anointed, and King - is evident from the following places in the Word: In John,

Andrew found his own brother Simon and said to him, We have found the Messiah, which when interpreted is the Christ. John 1:41.

In the same gospel,

Many from the crowd as they heard this utterance said, This is truly the prophet. Others said, This is the Christ. But others said, Surely the Christ is not therefore going to come from Galilee? Does not the Scripture say that the Christ is going to come from the seed of David, and from Bethlehem, the town where David was? John 7:40-42.

'The Christ' plainly stands for the Messiah whom they awaited. In the same gospel,

Do the rulers indeed acknowledge that this is indeed the Christ? Yet we know where this man is from, whereas when the Christ comes no one knows where He is from. John 7:25-27.

'The Christ' stands for the Messiah. No one knew where He was from because He was unacknowledged. In the same gospel,

The Jews gathered round Jesus and said to Him, How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you and you do not believe. John 10:24-25.

Here also 'the Christ' stands for the Messiah whom they awaited. In the same gospel,

The crowd answered, We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains for ever. John 12:34.

'The Christ' stands for 'the Messiah'. In the same gospel,

Martha said, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world. John 11:27.

That is, Martha believed that He was the Messiah. In Luke,

There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. He had received an answer from the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had seen the Lord's Christ. Luke 2:25-26.

This stands for the Messiah or Jehovah's Anointed. In the same gospel,

Jesus said to the disciples, But whom do you say that I am? Peter answered and said, God's Christ. Luke 9:20; Mark 8:29.

And there are other instances besides these, such as Matthew 26:63-64; John 6:68-69; Mark 14:61-62.

[2] Since the names Christ and Messiah are one and the same - Christ in Greek and Messiah in Hebrew meaning the Anointed - it is therefore evident that Christ is one and the same as the Anointed. It is also one and the same as King, for kings were generally called the anointed, as is evident from many places in the Historical sections of the Word, as well as the Prophetical, as in David,

The kings of the earth have set themselves, and the princes have taken counsel together against Jehovah and against His Anointed. Psalms 2:2.

In the same author,

Now I know that Jehovah saves His Anointed. He will answer Him from His holy heaven with the mighty acts of His saving right hand. Psalms 20:6.

In the same author,

Jehovah is their strength, and the saving strength of His Anointed. Psalms 28:8.

In Samuel,

Jehovah will give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His Anointed. 1 Samuel 2:10.

In these and many other places elsewhere 'the anointed' stands for the king. The word used in the original language is Messiah. In all these prophetical utterances the subject in the internal sense is the Lord, who is the King, as is also evident from the New Testament, as in Matthew,

The governor asked Jesus, Are you the King of the Jews? Jesus said to him, You say so. Matthew 27:11.

In Luke,

Pilate asked Jesus, saying, Are you the King of the Jews? He answering him said, You say so. Luke 23:3; Mark 15:2.

In John,

They cried, Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel. John 12:13.

In the same gospel,

Nathanael said, Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel! John 1:49.