438. Of the tribe of Asher were sealed twelve thousand.- That this signifies charity towards the neighbour, and that all who are in it are in heaven, and come into heaven, is evident from the signification of the tribe of Asher, which denotes that spiritual affection, which is charity, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of twelve thousand sealed, as denoting those who are in heaven, and who come into heaven, as above (n. 433). That the tribe of Asher signifies love towards the neighbour, which is called charity, will be evident from what follows, and is also clear from this fact, that the twelve tribes taken together represented heaven and the church, and therefore signify these in the Word, and that each tribe represented, and therefore signifies, some universal essential which makes heaven and the church. There are in general three universal essentials which make these, that is, love to the Lord, charity towards the neighbour, and the obedience of faith. Love to the Lord is signified by the first three tribes, Judah, Reuben, and Gad, as shown above; charity towards the neighbour is signified by the following three tribes, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh; but the obedience of faith is signified by the three following, Simeon, Levi, and Issachar; the conjunction of all these with the Lord is signified by the last three tribes, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. This is the signification in brief of all the tribes named in the above order; for their significations are governed by the order in which they are named, as shown above (n. 431:12, 435, 436).

[2] Moreover the sealed mean those who are separated from the evil and are received into heaven. The first three tribes mean those who are received into the highest or third heaven, where all are in love to the Lord. The next three tribes, which are now the subject, mean those who are received into the middle or second heaven, where all are in charity towards the neighbour; but the three tribes which follow these mean those who are received into the ultimate or first heaven, where those are who are in obedience, which is called the obedience of faith. The last three tribes mean the reception of all these into the three heavens by the Lord. For there are three heavens which are distinguished one from another according to the degrees of the good of love. From these considerations, it is evident in the first place, that this second class of the tribes, that is, the three tribes, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh, mean those who are in charity towards the neighbour. The tribe of Asher denotes charity towards the neighbour; Naphtali, the regeneration of these; and Manasseh, their good of life.

[3] But it shall first be explained, what Asher signifies in the kingdom of the Lord, or in the church. Asher signifies the blessedness of spiritual affections, and thence spiritual affection itself. And because spiritual affection is that which is called love towards the neighbour or charity, therefore Asher here signifies charity, consequently, the twelve thousand of that tribe here signify all who are in charity, and therefore in the second or middle heaven.

[4] That Asher was named from what is blessed, or blessedness, is evident not only from the signification of that expression in the Hebrew, but also from these words spoken respecting him by Leah, the wife of Jacob, when he was born.

"Zilpah Leah's handmaid bare Jacob a second son. And Leah said, In my blessedness, for the daughters will call me blessed; and she called his name Asher" (Genesis 30:12, 13).

Here, the daughters who should call her blessed, signify those spiritual affections of truth which make the church from which all that internal blessedness, which is celestial, arises. In this blessedness are those who are in charity towards the neighbour, for charity towards the neighbour is the spiritual affection of truth, as said just above. To love truth in its essence, that is, to love truth because it is truth, is the spiritual affection of truth. The neighbour also, in the spiritual sense, is nothing else but good and truth, and charity is the love thereof. This may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, where the nature of love towards the neighbour, which is called charity, is shown (n. 84-107). The rest of the above passage may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia 3936-3940). That Asher signifies the blessedness of love and charity, is further evident from the blessing of Asher by Israel his father:

"From Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall give the delights of a king" (Genesis 49:20).

"From Asher" signifies from celestial and spiritual affections, which are those of love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour. His bread shall be fat, signifies delight from good. And he shall give the delights of a king, signifies pleasantness from truth. For a further explanation of these things see Arcana Coelestia 6408-6410).

[5] The signification of Asher is similar in the blessing pronounced upon him by Moses, namely, the delight of the affection of truth from the Word. The blessing is as follows:

"And of Asher he said, Blessed above sons be Asher; let him be acceptable to his brethren, dipping his foot in oil. Thy shoe shall be iron and brass; and as the days thy fame" (Deuteronomy 33:24, 25).

In the blessing of the sons of Israel by Moses there are contained interior facts concerning the Word. Asher, who is there named last, signifies the spiritual affection of truth from the Word, wherefore it is said, "Blessed above sons be Asher, let him be acceptable to his brethren," sons signifying, truths, and brethren, the church thence, while blessed and acceptable are used in reference to the affection of these. The good of love, from which are the truths of the Word in the sense of the letter, is signified by dipping his foot in oil; the foot denotes truth in the ultimates, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word, and oil signifies the good of love. That the ultimate of the Word is natural truth and good, is signified by, thy shoe shall be iron and brass; natural truth is signified by iron and natural good, by brass, and the ultimate, by the shoe. And as thy days thy fame, signifies that the Word shall endure to eternity. That iron signifies natural truth, may be seen above (n. 176) that brass signifies natural good, also above (n. 70); and that shoe signifies the ultimate of the natural, which is the sensual, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 1748, 2162, 6844).

[6] Because Asher signifies the delight of affections, such as those have who are in truths from the sense of the letter of the Word, therefore that tribe, together with the tribe of Dan, and the tribe of Naphtali, encamped to the north (Num. 2:25-31). The encampments of the sons of Israel in the wilderness, represented the arrangement of the angelic societies in the heavens (see above, n. 431:12-13), and those dwell in the heavens to the north who, from the good of charity, are in the affection of spiritual knowledges.

[7] That Asher signifies spiritual blessedness, which is blessedness from love and charity, is also evident in Ezekiel, where a new earth and a new city are treated of, and the land said to be distributed as an inheritance among all the tribes of Israel. The city is also stated to have twelve gates, one for each tribe. The inheritance of Asher is there treated of, chapter 48:1-3; and concerning the gates in these words:

"The corner towards the sea four thousand and five hundred; the gates of the city three; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali. The circuit eighteen thousand; and the name of the city from that day, Jehovah Shammah" (chap. 48:34, 35).

The land distributed among the tribes for an inheritance, signifies the church; the sons of Israel, amongst whom it was to be distributed, signify all the truths of the church which are from good collectively. The city signifies the doctrine of truth from the good of love, therefore it was called, Jehovah Shammah, Jehovah is there; the gates signify introductory truths, which are doctrinals; the number four thousand and five hundred also signify all truths from good, and eighteen thousand, all the truths of doctrine encompassing and defending. From these things it is evident, that not only all the particulars there mentioned, even to the numbers, signify things of the church, but also that not any tribe of Israel is there meant, but instead of the tribe named, some universal essential of the church. It is also evident there that Asher signifies the spiritual affection of truth, which makes one with charity towards the neighbour. That Asher, in the highest sense, signifies eternity, in the internal sense, felicity of life from the blessedness of the affections of love and charity, and in the external sense, natural delight therefrom, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 3938, 3939, 6408).

70. The reason why the feet are said to be like unto fine brass is, that by fine brass is meant brass polished and shining, like something fiery; and brass in the Word signifies natural good. Metals, like all other things in the Word, are significative. Gold in the Word signifies celestial good, which is inmost good; silver signifies its truth, which is spiritual good; brass natural good, which is ultimate good, and iron its truth, which is natural truth. That such things are signified by metals, is from correspondence; for many things are seen in heaven shining like gold and silver, and also many things shining like brass and iron. And it is there known, that by those things are signified the above-mentioned kinds of good and truth; this is why the ancients, who were in the knowledge of correspondences, named the ages after those metals. The first age they called the golden age, because innocence, love and wisdom therefrom, then reigned; but the second age they called the silver age, because truth from that good, or spiritual good, and intelligence therefrom, then reigned; the third age they called the brazen, or copper, age, because only natural good, which is what is just and sincere pertaining to moral life, then reigned; but the last age they called the iron age, because only truth without good then reigned, and when that reigns, then also falsity reigns. The reason why the ages were thus distinguished, was from the spiritual signification of those metals.

[2] From these considerations it is evident what is signified by the statue of Nebuchadnezzar, seen in his dream,

"whose head was of gold, the chest and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, the legs of iron, and the feet partly of iron and partly of clay" (Dan. 2:32, 33).

The state of the church from its first time to its last as to good and truth, is here signified; its last time was when the Lord came into the world.

When it is known that gold signifies celestial good, silver spiritual good, brass natural good, and iron natural truth, many arcana in the Word where those metals are mentioned can be known. For example, what is signified by these words in Isaiah:

"For brass I will bring gold, for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron; I will also make thy government peace, and thine exactors justice" (60:17).

[3] But as the signification of brass is what is here treated of, as being natural good, it is necessary only to adduce a few passages where brass is mentioned and signifies that good. Thus in Moses:

"Asher acceptable to his brethren, and dipping his foot in oil; iron and brass thy shoe, and as thy day, thy fame" (Deuteronomy 33:24, 25).

Asher, as one of the tribes, signifies the happiness of life, and the delight of the affections (see Arcana Coelestia 3938, 3939, 6408); to dip the foot in oil signifies natural delight (that oil denotes delight, see n. 9954, and that the foot denotes the Natural, see above, n. 69); the shoe being iron and brass signifies the lowest Natural derived from truth and good, shoe denoting the lowest Natural (see n. 1748, 1860, 6844); iron is its truth, and brass its good, as above. Again,

"Jehovah thy God will bring thee into a rich land; a land out of whose stones thou shalt cut iron, and out of whose mountains brass" (Deuteronomy 8:7, 9).

And in Jeremiah:

"I will give thee unto this people for a fortified wall of brass, that they may fight against thee, and not prevail over thee" (15:20).

And in Ezekiel:

"Javan, Tubal, and Mesech, they were thy merchants; with the soul of man and vessels of brass they gave thy merchandise" (27:13).

In this chapter the merchandises of Tyre are treated of, by which are signified the knowledges (cognitiones) of good and truth. By the names Javan, Tubal, and Mesech, are signified those things that pertain to good and truth, to which the knowledges relate; the soul of man denotes the truth of life; vessels of brass denote scientifics of natural good.

[4] (What is signified by Tyre, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 1201; what by merchandises, n. 2967, 4453; what by Tubal and Mesech, n. 1151; what by Javan, n. 1152, 1153, 1155; what by the soul of man, n. 2930, 9050, 9281; what by vessels, n. 3068, 3079, 3316, 3318.)

Again, in the same prophet:

The feet of the cherubs "shone like the appearance of polished brass" (1:7).

(What the cherubs and the feet signify, may be seen above, n. 69.) And in the same prophet:

"I saw, and, lo, a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, and a thread of flax in his hands; he stood in the gate" (40:3).

Because the angel here mentioned measured the wall and the gates of the house of God, which signify the externals of the church, his appearance was seen to be the appearance of brass.

He who knows that brass signifies the external of the church, which in itself is natural, may in some measure understand why the altar of burnt-offering was overlaid with brass, and the gate round it was of brass, and the vessels of brass (Exodus 27:1-4), also why the great vessel, which was called the sea, with the twelve oxen under it, and the ten lavers with the bases, and also all the vessels of the tabernacle for the house of God, were made by Solomon of polished brass (1 Kings 7:43-47). He who knows what brass signifies, can also enter into the arcanum why a serpent of brass was commanded to be set up for the people to look at, concerning which it is thus written in Moses:

"Jehovah sent serpents among the people, which bit the people. And he said unto Moses, Make thee a serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass that every one that is bitten, when he hath looked upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that when a serpent had bitten any man, and he looked upon the serpent of brass, he lived" (Numbers 21:6, 8, 9).

That the Lord was signified by that serpent, He himself teaches in John:

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (3:14, 15).

By the serpent is signified the ultimate of life in man, which is called the external Sensual, which is natural. To represent this ultimate, which in the Lord was Divine, among the sons of Israel, with whom all things were representative, a serpent of brass was made; and the signification was, that, if they looked to the Divine Human of the Lord, they would revive, that is, if they believed in Him, they should have eternal life, as the Lord himself also teaches. (That to see in the spiritual sense is to believe, may be seen above, n. 37, 68; and that a serpent denotes the external Sensual, which is the ultimate of the life of man, see Arcana Coelestia 195-197, 6398, 6949, 10313.) That brass and iron in the Word also signify what is hard, as in Isaiah 48:4; Dan. 7:19; and other places, will be seen in the following pages.