6078. 'For there is no pasture for the flock which belongs to your servants' means that factual knowledge holding forms of the good of truth is wanting. This is clear from the meaning of 'pasture for the flock' as factual knowledge holding forms of the good of truth, so that 'no pasture' means factual knowledge that does not hold any forms of the good of truth. In the internal sense 'pasture' is that which supports spiritual life; in particular it is truth contained in factual knowledge, for the human soul desires such truth just as the body desires food. Nourishment is derived from it, and for that reason 'feeding' means receiving instruction, 5201. That factual knowledge and truths sustain the human soul is quite evident from a person's desire for knowledge, as well as from the correspondence of food with factual knowledge, 1480, 3114, 4792, 5147, 5193, 5340, 5342, 5576, 5579, 5915. This correspondence also manifests itself when a person is eating food. If he eats it while talking and listening the vessels that receive the chyle are opened, and he is nourished more fully than if he is alone. Spiritual truths and instruction in them would have the same kind of effect on people if they were to have an affection for what is good. The fact that truths nourish spiritual life is revealed primarily among good spirits and among angels in heaven. Those spirits and angels have a constant desire to acquire knowledge and wisdom; and when they lack this spiritual food they feel desolate, listless, and famished. Nor are they refreshed and raised into the bliss of their life until their desires are satisfied. But if that factual knowledge is to yield the soul wholesome nourishment, that knowledge must contain life received from forms of the good of truth. If it does not contain life received from them factual knowledge still sustains a person's inner life, but his natural life, not his spiritual life.

[2] The meaning of 'pasture' in the internal sense as that which sustains a person's spiritual life is also evident from other places in the Word, as in Isaiah,

I have given you as a covenant to the people, to restore the land; to say to the bound, Go out, to those who are in darkness, Reveal yourselves. They will feed along the ways, and on all slopes will their pasture be. Isaiah 49:8-9.

'Feeding along the ways' stands for receiving instruction in truths, 'the ways' being truths, see 627, 2333, and 'feeding' receiving instruction, 5201. 'On all slopes will their pasture be' stands for being sustained with good, for 'slopes', like 'mountains' are forms of the good of love, 795, 796, 1430, 2722, 4210.

[3] In Jeremiah,

Woe to the shepherds destroying and scattering the flock of My pasture. Jeremiah 23:1.

'Pasture' stands for the kinds of things that sustain spiritual life. In the same prophet,

The princes of Zion have become like deer, they have not found pasture. Lamentations 1:6.

'They have not found pasture' stands for no truth of good.

[4] In Ezekiel,

I, even I will look for My sheep. I will feed them in a good pasture, and their fold will be on the mountains of the loftiness of Israel; there ¹ they will lie down in a good fold, and on fat pasture they will feed upon the mountains of Israel. Ezekiel 34:11, 14.

'A good and fat pasture upon the mountains of Israel' stands for forms of the good of truth. In the same prophet,

Is it a small thing to you? You feed off the good pasture but tread down with your feet the rest of your pastures. Ezekiel 34:18.

Here the meaning is similar. In Hosea,

I knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought. When [they had] their pasture, they were filled; they were filled and their heart was exalted. Hosea 13:5-6.

In Joel,

The beasts groan, the herds of cattle are perplexed because they have no pasture, even the flocks of sheep ² are made desolate. Joel 1:18.

In David,

Jehovah is my Shepherd; He will make me lie down in green pasture; ³ He will lead me away to still waters; He will restore My soul. Psalms 23:1-3.

In the same author,

Jehovah made us and not we ourselves, His people and the flock of His pasture; therefore we are His, His people, and the flock of His pasture. ⁴ Psalms 100:3.

[5] 'Pasture' in these quotations stands for the truths in which a person receives instruction, here the kinds of things which have regard to spiritual life. For the nature of spiritual life is such that if it lacks that pasture it languishes and so to speak fades away, like the body when it lacks food. The fact that 'pasture' is the goodness and truth that refresh and sustain a person's soul or spirit is plain from the Lord's words in John,

I am the door. If anyone enters through Me he will be saved, and will go in and out, and find pasture. John 10:9.

'Pasture' stands for the forms of good and the truths which those people have who acknowledge the Lord and seek life from Him alone.

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7729. 'Not a hoof shall be left behind' means that nothing at all of the truth from good shall be lacking. This is clear from the meaning of 'a hoof' as truth from good, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'not being left behind' as not to be lacking, that is, from worship of the Lord. In the internal sense nearest to the literal 'not a hoof shall be left behind' means that nothing whatever shall be lacking, for the hoof is common to all livestock. But in the sense more internal than that 'a hoof means truth in the last degree - that is, truth on the level of the senses, which is the lowest - and in the contrary sense falsity. The reason why 'a hoof' has this meaning is that 'foot' means the natural, and 'sole of the foot' the last and lowest level of the natural, 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952, 5327, 5728, much the same being meant by 'hoof' since it is the sole of the foot in the case of livestock. And because the last and lowest level of the natural is meant by 'hoof' as it is by 'sole', truth forming that level of the natural is also meant; for when the natural is spoken of, truth and good are meant, or in the contrary sense falsity and evil. The natural is formed from these, and without them is devoid of any attributes.

[2] The fact that 'hoof', in particular that of a horse, means truth in the last and lowest degree, that is, truth on the level of the senses, and in the contrary sense falsity belonging to the same degree, becomes clear from the following places: In Isaiah,

Whose arrows are sharp, and all bows bent. His horses' hoofs are considered as flint, his wheels as the whirlwind. Isaiah 5:18.

This refers to a people laying waste. 'Arrows' means ideas fired from false doctrine, which they use to fight with, and 'bow' the doctrine itself, 2686, 2709. 'Horses' means powers of understanding, in this instance perverted ones, 2761, 2762, 3117, 5321, 6125, 6534. Which shows what 'the hoofs' of the horses means, namely falsity in the last and lowest degree.

[3] In Jeremiah,

. . . because of the sound of the beat of the hoofs of his mighty ones, on account of the noise of his chariot, the rumble of his wheels. Jeremiah 47:3

This refers to a people laying the Philistines waste. 'The beat of the hoofs of his mighty ones', that is, of horses, stands for open conflict of falsity against truth. 'Chariot' stands for teachings maintaining falsity, for 'a chariot' means teachings that maintain either truth or falsity, see 5321, 5945.

[4] In Ezekiel,

By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust will cover you; by reason of the noise of horsemen, and wheels, and chariots, your walls will be shaken; by means of the hoofs of his horses he will trample all your streets. Ezekiel 26:10-11.

This refers to Nebuchadnezzar laying Tyre waste. 'Horses' stands for perverted powers of understanding, as above, 'horsemen' for concepts that go with that kind of understanding, 6534. 'The wheels' that the chariots have stands for the falsities that are taught, 'chariot' being such teaching, as above, while 'streets' stands for truths, 2336. From this it is evident that 'the hoofs of horses' stands for falsities. If such were not meant, what would be the point of the statement 'by reason of the abundance of his horses their dust will cover you; by reason of the noise of horsemen, and wheels, and chariots, your walls will be shaken; by means of the hoofs of his horses he will trample all your streets'? Without an inner meaning would they be anything more than empty sounds? In actual fact every expression used in the Word, being Divine in origin, carries weight.

[5] In the same prophet,

They will devastate the pride of Egypt, in order that its multitude may be destroyed. And I will destroy all its beasts over many waters, in order that the foot of man (homo) may not disturb them any more, nor the hoof of beast disturb them. Then I will turn their waters into a depth, ¹ and cause their rivers to flow like oil. Ezekiel 32:12-14.

Nor are these details intelligible unless one knows what is meant by 'Egypt', by 'the foot of man', by 'the hoof of beast', by 'waters' over which beasts will be destroyed, which the foot of man and hoof of beast will disturb, and which will be turned into a depth. Waters and rivers of Egypt are collections of true factual knowledge, while 'the hoof of beast' is falsity on the last and lowest level of the natural that disturbs true factual knowledge.

[6] In Micah,

Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs bronze, in order that you may crush many peoples. Micah 4:13.

Nor can anyone know without the internal sense what these things are, that is, unless he knows what is meant by 'threshing', 'daughter of Zion', 'horn that will be made like iron', 'hoof that will be made like bronze', both of which will be used 'to crush many peoples'. 'Daughter of Zion' is the celestial Church, 1362; 'horn' is the power of truth that springs from good, 2832; 'iron' is natural truth that will have the ability to destroy falsities, 425, 426; 'hoof' is truth that springs from good in the last and lowest degree; and 'bronze' is natural good that will have power over evils, 425, 1551.

[7] In Zechariah,

I will raise up a shepherd in the land; he will not go ² to [the sheep] that are to be cut off, he will not seek one tender in age, and he will not heal one that is maimed. ³ But he will eat the flesh of the fat, and tear apart their hoofs. Zechariah 11:16.

This refers to a stupid shepherd. 'Eating the flesh of the fat' stands for turning good into evil, 'tearing apart the hoofs' for turning truth into falsity.

[8] How superior in intelligence the ancients were to people at the present day becomes clear from the consideration that in regard to very many objects in the world they knew which realities in heaven they corresponded to, and therefore what their spiritual meanings were. This knowledge existed not only with those who belonged to the Church but also with those outside the Church, such as the people in Greece, the most ancient of whom employed images with spiritual meanings to depict those realities. But at the present day, since such meanings are entirely unknown, those images are called myths. Knowledge of such correspondences among the sages of old is evident from the fact that they spoke of a winged horse, which they called Pegasus, to depict the rise of intelligence and wisdom. With its hoof it broke open a fountain, at which there were nine virgins, and which was situated on a hill. For they knew that 'the horse' was a sign of the power of understanding, 'its wings' a sign of spirituality, 'its hoofs' a sign of the last and lowest degree of truth, which gave rise to intelligence, 'virgins' a sign of varieties of knowledge, 'hill' a sign of unanimity, and in the spiritual sense of charity, and so on with the rest. But such matters at the present day are some of those that are lost.

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