THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 10

(Note: Rev. Smithson's translation of the Isaiah text is appended below the explanation)

1. WOE unto them that decree decrees of iniquity; unto the scribes that prescribe oppression:

VERSE 1. That "woe" signifies lamentation over aversion from Goodness and Truth, and consequent damnation, see above, Chapter 1:4, the Exposition.

Decrees of iniquity, etc. - Crimes by injustice are here exposed, for they placed justice in the external observance of the works of the law, omitting at the same time altogether interior justice. But these things are also to be taken in a spiritual or internal sense, which is the genuine sense of the Prophets. These words are against those who in the spiritual sense are iniquitous, and whose laws are called "decrees or statutes of iniquity, which they cherish, and according to which they perpetrate their crimes, (Swedenborg's Notes on Isaiah, p. 22.)

2. To turn aside the poor from judgment: to rob of their right the miserable of My people: that widows may become their prey, and that they may plunder the orphans!

Verse 2. By "the poor, the miserable, the widows, and the orphans", none are signified but they who are spiritually such. For in the Jewish church, as in the ancient, all things were representative, so also was the doing of good to widows, to orphans, to the poor and needy, to sojourners, or strangers, to the lame, blind, sick, etc., for on such occasions was represented in heaven charity towards those who in a spiritual sense were such. That such are meant in a spiritual sense, is evident from the Lord's words "Blessed are the poor in spirit", etc. (Matthew 5:3)

Again,

"I was hungered, and you gave Me to eat; sick, and you visited Me, etc. (Matthew 25:35, 36)

There is frequent mention made of "widows" and of "orphans" in the Word, and he who is not acquainted with the internal sense, cannot believe otherwise than that by a "widow" is signified a widow; but by a "widow", in the internal sense, is signified the truth of the church without good, that is, they who are in truth without good, and yet desire to be in good, consequently who love to be led by good.

"Husband" is the good which should lead; such in the ancient church were understood in the good sense by "widows", whether they were women or men [viri].

For the ancient church distinguished the neighbour, towards whom they were to exercise charity, into several classes; some they called poor, some miserable and afflicted, some bound and in prison, some blind and lame, some sojourners, orphans, and widows, and according to their qualities they dispensed works of charity; their doctrinals instructed them in this respect, being the only doctrinals with which that church was acquainted.

Wherefore they who lived at that time, both taught and wrote according to their doctrinals, consequently when they spake of "widows", they meant no other than such as were in truth without good, and still desired to be led by good. Hence also it is evident that the doctrinals of the ancient church taught those things which related to charity and the neighbour, and their knowledges and scientifics were for the purpose of knowing what external things signified, for the church was representative of things spiritual and celestial; therefore the spiritual and celestial things which were represented and signified, were what they learnt by doctrinals and sciences.

But these doctrinals and these scientifics at this day are altogether obliterated, and indeed to such a degree that it is not known that they ever existed; for in the place thereof succeeded the doctrinals of faith, which, if they be widowed and separated from the doctrinals of charity, teach almost nothing, for the doctrinals of charity teach what Good is, and the doctrinals of faith what Truth is, and to teach Truth without Good is to walk as one who is blind, for Good is what teaches and leads, and Truth is what is taught and led; between those two doctrinals the difference is as great as between light and darkness; unless the darkness be illustrated by light, that is, unless Truth be illustrated by Good, or Faith by Charity, there is nothing else but darkness.

Hence it is, that no one knows from intuition, consequently neither from perception, whether Truth be Truth, but only from doctrine imbibed in childhood and confirmed in adult age; hence also it is that churches so much disagree, and one calls that true which another calls false, and they in no wise accord with each other.

That by "widows", in a good sense, are signified those who are in Truth without Good, but who are still desirous to be led by Good, may appear from the passages in the Word where "widows" are mentioned, as in David-

"Jehovah who does judgment to the oppressed, who giveth bread to the hungry; Jehovah who looseth the bound; Jehovah who opens the blind; Jehovah who raiseth up the bowed down; Jehovah who loves the just; Jehovah who guards the sojourners, supports the orphan and the widow." (Psalm 146:7-9)

The subject here treated of, in the internal sense, is concerning those who are instructed by the Lord in truths and are led to the bowed down; Jehovah who loves the just; Jehovah who guards the sojourners, supports the orphan and the widow." (Psalm 146:7-9)

The subject here treated of, in the internal sense, is concerning those who are instructed by the Lord in truths and are led to good; but some of these are called "oppressed", some " hungry", some "bound", "blind", "bowed down", "sojourners", "orphans", "widows", and this according to their quality; but their quality no one can know but from the internal sense; the doctrines of the ancient church taught that quality.

In this, as in several other passages, "the sojourner, the orphan, and the widow" are named jointly, because by the "sojourner" are signified they who are willing to be instructed in the Truths of faith, Arcana Coelestia 1463, 4444; by the "fatherless or orphan", they who are in Good without Truth, and are desirous by Truth to be led to Good; and by the "widow", they who are in Truth without Good, and are desirous by Good to be led to Truth. Those three are named jointly in this and other passages in the Word, because in the internal sense they constitute one class, for by them together are signified they who are willing to be instructed and to be led to Good and Truth.

Again,

"The Father of the fatherless, and Judge of the widows, God in the habitation of His holiness"; (Psalm 68:5),

where the "fatherless" denote those who as infants are in the good of innocence, but not as yet in truth, whose Father is said to be the Lord, because as a Father He leads them, and this by truth into goods, that is, into the good of life or wisdom.

"Widows" denote those who as adults are in truth but not yet in good, whose Judge is said to be the Lord, because He leads them, and this by good into truth, that is, into the truth of intelligence; for by a "judge" is here signified a leader.

Good without truth, which is the "fatherless", becomes the good of wisdom by the doctrine of Truth; and truth without good, which is the "widow", becomes the truth of intelligence by the life of Good.

So in Isaiah:

"Woe unto them who decree decrees of iniquity, to turn away the poor from judgment", etc. (Isaiah 10:1, 2)

So in Jeremiah,

"Do judgment and justice, and snatch what is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor; and defraud not the sojourner, the Fatherless, and widow, neither do violence, neither shed you innocent blood"; (Jeremiah 22:3),

where also by "the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow", are signified they who are spiritually such; for in the spiritual world or heaven it is not known who is a sojourner, who fatherless, and who a widow, for they are not such in that world as had been such in the natural world, therefore when these words are read by man, they are perceived by the angels according to their spiritual or internal sense.

In like manner in Moses, "You shalt not distress the sojourner, nor oppress him: you shalt not afflict any widow, or orphan. If in afflicting you afflictest him, and if in crying he cries to Me, hearing I will hear his cry; and My anger shall be hot, and I will slay you with the sword, that your wives may become widows, and your sons orphans." (Exodus 22:21-24)

This, like all the rest of the precepts, judgments, and statutes in the Jewish church, was representative, and also in that church they were held in externals so to do, and by such things to represent the internal things of charity, although they had nothing of charity, or did them not from internal affection; the internal thing was, from affection to instruct in truths, and lead by truths to good, those who were in ignorance, and by good to truths, those who were in science, whereby they would have done good in the spiritual sense to "the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow."

Thus still the external might remain for the sake of representation, it was amongst the curses pronounced on Mount Ebal, to "turn aside the judgment of the sojourner, the orphan, and the widow" (Deuteronomy 27:19), to "turn aside their judgment" denotes to do the contrary, that is, by instruction and life to lead to what is false and evil.

Whereas also to deprive others of goods and truths, and to appropriate those things to self for the sake of self-honour and gain, was amongst the curses; therefore the Lord said

"Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, because you devour widows' houses, and this under the pretext of making long prayers: therefore you shall receive greater condemnation" (Matthew 23:14; Luke 20:47),

To "devour widows' houses" denotes to deprive those of truths who desire truths, and to teach falsities. Arcana Coelestia 4844.

3. And what will you do in the day of visitation, and in the devastation which shall come from afar? to whom will you flee for help? and where will you leave your glory?

Verse 3. The last time of the church, prior to its judgment, is called in the Word the "day of visitation." This "visitation" is predicated both of the church in general, when it comes to its end, and of those who are within the church in particular, and of the New Church which is then to arise, and also of the Old Church which then expires; in particular, concerning the man of the church who is saved, and of the man who is condemned, That these things are understood in the Word by "visitation", and by the "day of visitation", is evident from many passages, as in Luke,

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people; through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the Day-spring from on high has visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.'" (Luke 1:68, 78, 79)

This prophecy of Zechariah is concerning the Lord, who was then born. To "visit." here, means to raise up a New Church, and to enlighten those who were in the ignorance of Truth, and of the Good of Truth, and to deliver them from their enemies, or from everything evil and false. Arcana Coelestia 6588.

Natural men explain the "day of visitation" by the "day of captivity and of the desolation of Jerusalem", but that it means the day of the Last Judgment, is not only evident from these words but from many other passages. (Swedenborg's Notes on Isaiah, p. 23)

The last time of the church in general, and of each individual in particular, is in the Word called "visitation", and precedes judgment, and thus visitation is nothing else than an examination as to nature and quality, that is, the nature and quality of the church in general, or of man in particular, which examination is expressed in the sense of the letter by Jehovah "going down and seeing"; (Genesis 18:21) hence it may appear what is the nature of tile sense of the letter, for Jehovah does not go down, inasmuch as "going down" cannot be predicated of the Lord, who is always in the supreme [or highest principles of things].

Nor does Jehovah see whether a thing be so or not, for neither can such "seeing" be predicated of the Lord, inasmuch as He knows all and every thing from eternity; but still it is so expressed in the Word, because with man it appears as if it was so. For man is in inferior [or lower principles], and when anything there exists, he does not consider, nor even know, how the case is with superior [or higher principles].

Consequently how they flow into the inferior, for his thought reaches no further than to those things which are nearest to him, and hence he cannot perceive otherwise than that "going down and seeing", when applied to the Lord, signify somewhat similar to what is implied in the expressions; and he is the more confirmed in this 'way of thinking, when he imagines that no one is acquainted with what he thinks; besides, that he has no other idea of heaven than of a place on high, and of God, than as dwelling in the highest, when yet He is not in the highest, but the inmost, Hence it may appear what is the nature of the letter of the Word, that is, that it is written according to appearances, and that if it was not so written, no one, would understand and acknowledge it, consequently no one would receive it.

But the angels are not thus in appearances as man is, wherefore the Word, whilst as to the letter it is for man, as to the internal sense is for the angels, and also for those men to whom, by the Divine Mercy of the Lord, it is given to be as angels during their life in the world. "Visitation" is spoken of in the Word throughout, and thereby is signified either devastation in reference to the church and to individuals, or deliverance, consequently examination as to nature and quality; it denotes devastation in the following passages:

"What will you do in the day of visitation?", etc. (Isaiah 10:3; 13:10, 11) Arcana Coelestia 2242.

Verses 3, 22, 23. In the devastation, the consummation. and decision. - The "devastation and consummation " of the Israelitish church is described both in the historical and in the prophetical parts of the Word, The passages in which this "devastation" of the church is described are too numerous to be quoted here. In Isaiah 10:3, 22, 23, and in very many other passages throughout the Prophets, we read of these "devastations." But we will here describe the difference between devastation and consummation.

Devastation and consummation differ from each other Just as the shade of evening differs from the thick darkness of night, for devastation is a recession from the church, as consummation is full separation therefrom. Devastation, therefore, is like the case of a person descending from heaven, but not yet arrived at hell, and who tarries in the mid-way, standing sideways between both; but consummation is like the case of the same person, who, after so standing, turns his face and breast to hell, and, his back and hinder part of his head to heaven, in like manner as the dragon and his angels did when they were cast out of heaven; on which subject see Apocalypse 12. While they were fighting with Michael, they were in the mid-way; but when they were overcome, they were in hell.

Devastation takes place while man views the holy things of the church from falsities and falsified truths; but consummation takes place when he lives in evils or in adulterated goods. But that the difference and distinction between a state of devastation and a state of consummation may be still more clearly comprehended, it shall be illustrated by comparisons.

A state of devastation may be compared with a garden or grove surrounding a temple, which garden, by reason of the divine worship performed in the temple, is considered as sanctified, and which contains places for drinking, feasting, dancing, and for the exhibition of plays and buffoonery, with spectators in the courts and windows of the temple; but a state of consummation may be compared to the same garden or grove, in which are satyrs and priapuses, with harlots and witches, who altogether enter the temple dancing, and there celebrating their profane sports, as the Pythons did on the sabbaths.

A state of devastation may also be compared with an hostile army, when it enters the suburbs of a besieged city, and rules therein; but a state of consummation may be compared with the same army, when it demolishes the wall, rushes into the city, and destroys the inhabitants.

A state of devastation may further be compared with a ship upon quicksands, or a sandy bottom, when it is violently shaken, and alternately raised and depressed, so that the master, pilot, and sailors utter cries of lamentation on account of the danger they are in; but a state of consummation may be compared to the same ship, when its keel is fretted away by the gravel beneath, and when the planks, being broken and perforated, the ship sinks, and in consequence thereof the people on board, together with the cargo, are lost.

A state of devastation may be compared with every disease which invades the members, viscera, and organs of the body, by which the patient, being apprehensive of death, consults a physician, takes medicines and all the while keeps his bed in hopes of recovery; but a state of consummation may be compared to the same disease, when it invades the breast, wherein the heart and lungs reside, as in their tabernacle, in which case the disease soon puts an end to the life of the body. Coronis 57.

4. He who will not bow himself down, shall fall under the prisoners, and under the slain. For all this His anger is not turned back, but His hand is stretched, out still.

Verse 4: To "fall under [or below] the prisoners, or the bound", means to fall into hell, which is under the places of vastation [where the prisoners or the bound are]. The "slain" [occisi] are those who by false principles have extinguished in themselves the truths of faith, but in a less degree than those who are signified by the "stabbed, or thrust through", [confossi] as described in Arcana Coelestia 4503. Arcana Coelestia 5037.

As to the meaning of "anger, " when said of Jehovah, see above, Chapter 9:12, 17, 21, the Exposition.

His hand is stretched out still. - In this passage, and frequently above, we read of the Lord's "hand being stretched out." That to "stretch out the hand" signifies the dominion of power, is because the hand or the arm has power when it is stretched out. Wherefore, when it is said of Jehovah that "He stretches out His hand or His arm", is signified His unlimited or infinite power in act. "Hence it was that Jehovah so often said to Moses, when miracles were to be performed, that "he should stretch out his hand or his staff." Arcana Coelestia 7673

5. Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of Mine anger·; he is the staff in whose hand is Mine indignation!

Verses 5, 24, 26. By "Ashur", or the Assyrian, here are signified, as above, (Chapter 8:7) ratiocinations from self-derived intelligence, by which truths are perverted and falsified; the falsities thence derived, and the perversion of truth, are signified by "the rod of Mine anger", and by "the staff of Mine indignation which is in their hand."

That truths shall not be perverted with those of the church who are in celestial love, and in truths thence derived, is signified by "Fear not, O My people, that dwellest in Zion"; that the false urges and excites and attempts to pervert by such things as appertain to the rational man, is signified by "he shall smite you with a rod, and lift up a staff upon you in the way of Egypt"; the "way of Egypt" denoting the scientifics of the natural mall, from which come ratiocinations. Apocalypse Explained 727.

6. Against a hypocritical nation will I send him; and against the people of My wrath will I give him a charge: to take the spoil, and to bear away the prey; and to trample them down like the mire of the streets.

Verse 6. To trample them down like the mire of the streets. - As to the spiritual meaning of "street", and of "the mud, the mire, and the dung of the streets", see above, Chapter 5:25, the Exposition.

7. But he doth not think rightly, and his heart doth not meditate rightly; but to destroy is in his heart, and to cut off nations not a few.

8. For he says, Are not my princes altogether kings?

9. Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arphad? is not Samaria as Damascus?

Verses 7, 8: He [Ashur] doth not think rightly, etc. - "Ashur" stands for ratiocination concerning divine truths, whence falsities arise, thus he stands for a perverse reason; (see Arcana Coelestia 1186) the truths thence falsified, or false principles themselves, which by reasonings are made to appear as though they were the veriest truths, are signified by his saying "Are not my princes kings?" , That "Ashur" is ratiocination, _and that "his princes who are kings" are the primary false principles which are believed to be the veriest truths, cannot be seen, and hence believed, so long as the mind is kept in the historical sense of the letter, and still less if it is in the negative, or denies that there is anything more holy or universal in the Divine Word than what appears in the letter. Whereas in the internal sense, by "Ashur", nothing else is understood in the Word than reason and ratiocination, and by "kings" truths themselves, and by "princes" primary truths. It is not known in heaven what "Ashur" is, and also the angels reject from themselves the idea of a "king" and a "prince"; and when they perceive that idea with a man, they transfer it to the Lord, and perceive that which proceeds from the Lord, and which is of the Lord in heaven, namely, the Divine Truth from the Divine Good. Arcana Coelestia 5044.

10. As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose graven images were more than those of Samaria and Jerusalem;

11. As I have done unto Samaria and her idols, shall I not likewise do unto Jerusalem and her images?

12. But it shall be, when the Lord has accomplished His whole work upon Mount Zion and upon Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the proud heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his lofty eyes.

Verses 10, 11. As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose graven images, etc. - For the meaning of "idols" and ''"images, '' see Chapter 2:20, the Exposition.

13. For he says, By the strength of my hand have I done it, and by my wisdom; for I am intelligent: I have removed the boundaries of the peoples; and I have plundered their treasures; and I have brought down, like a valiant man, the inhabitants:

14. And my hand has found, as a nest, the riches of the peoples: and as one gathers eggs deserted, so have I gathered all the earth; and there was no one that moved the wing, that opened the mouth, or that chirped.

Verses 13, 14. The Assyrian [or Ashur] has said, By the strength of my hand have I done it; I have removed the boundaries of the people, I have plundered their treasures, etc. - By "Ashur" is signified the rational mind; in this instance denoting that it perverts the goods and truths of the church, which are "the treasures and riches of the people" he would take away. Apocalypse Revealed 200.

In respect to the true process of reasoning concerning spiritual and divine things, as signified by "Ashur" and "Assyria" in a good sense, see below, Chapter 19:23-25, the Exposition:

15. Shall the axe boast itself against him that hews therewith? shall the saw magnify itself against him that moveth it? as if the rod should shake him that lifts it; as if the staff should raise him who is not wood.

16. Wherefore the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, shall send upon his fat ones leanness; and under his glory shall He kindle a burning, like the burning of a fire.

Verse 15. [These words are said respecting "Assyria" and the perverse use of the rational mind, of which it is here a type. Man has a spiritual-rational mind which is from heaven, or from the Lord, by regeneration; (Arcana Coelestia 3030) and he has also a natural-rational from the world. In the former he has "wisdom from above", but in the latter, if he is not regenerated, he is wise only for the world. (See James 3:15-17)

The natural-rational is by creation intended to be the instrument of the spiritual-rational, as "the axe or the saw in the hand of him that should use them"; but if a man does not by regeneration become spiritually rational, or, as the apostle says, "spiritually minded", it is as though these implements "moved and magnified themselves against those who should rightly use them. The perverse and rebellious action of man when he does not become spiritually rational, is thus, we apprehend, depicted in the above words. It does not appear that Swedenborg has quoted this passage.]

17. And the Light of Israel shall be for a fire, and His Holy One for a flame: and He shall burn, and consume his thorn and his brier in one day,

18. And the glory of his forest, and of his Carmel, from the soul to the flesh, shall He consume; and it shall be as when a standard-bearer fainteth,

19. And the remnant of the trees of his forest, shall be few, so that a boy may describe them.

Verses 17, 18. The Light of Israel, etc. - By "the LIght of Israel", and by "His Holy One which shall be for a fire and a flame, is understood the Lord as to the Last Judgment; by the "fire and flame" is signified the destruction of those who are in falsities of evil; by the "glory of the forest, and Carmel [or the fruitful field], which the fire and flame shall devour and consume, is signified the truth and the good of truth appertaining to the church, which, being turned into falsities and evils of the false, will be destroyed; "from the soul even to the flesh", signifies even from the understanding thereof to the will thereof"; the "soul" denoting the understanding of truth, and "flesh" the will of good. Apocalypse Explained 750.

And consume his thorn and his brier in one day. - For the signification of "thorns and briers", see above, Chapter 7:23-25; also Isaiah 5:6, the Exposition.

Verses 17, 18, 19, 34. The Light of Israel shall be for a fire, and He shall burn up the glory of his forest and of his Carmel, etc.The "forest" here stands for the church as to the knowledges of Truth, and "Carmel " [or a fruitful field] for the church as to the knowledges of Good; in like manner "Lebanon and Hermon"; to be "a number that a boy can describe them, means a few; and the "thicket of the forest" signifies scientifics; see Arcana Coelestia 2831. Arcana Coelestia 9011.

20. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and the escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more lean upon him that smote them; but shall lean upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

21. A remnant shall return, a remnant of Jacob, unto the Mighty God.

Verses 20-22. The remnant of Israel, and the escaped of the house of Jacob, etc. - As to "remains", and the "escaped which shall return", see Chapter 1:9; 6:13, the Exposition.

22. For though your people, O Israel, shall be as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them only shall return: the consummation is decreed, overflowing with justice.

23. For a consummation and decision shall the Lord Jehovih of Hosts accomplish in the midst of all the land.

Verses 22, 23. The consummation is decreed, etc. - By "consummation and decision", in this passage, is signified the last state of the church which is when there is no truth remaining, because no good, or when there is no faith, in consequence of there being no charity; and when this is the state of the church, then the Last Judgment takes place. The reason why the Last Judgment then comes or takes place, is also because the human race is the basis or foundation of the angelic heaven, for the conjunction of the angelic heaven with the human race is perpetual, and one subsists by the other; wherefore when the basis does not correspond, the angelic heaven as it were totters, therefore a judgment is then accomplished upon those who are in the spiritual world, that all things, as well in the heavens as in the hells, may be reduced into order. That the human race is the basis and foundation of the angelic heaven, and that there is a perpetual conjunction between them, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 291-302.

Hence it may be known that by "consummation" is understood the last state of the church, when there is no faith remaining, in consequence of there being no charity; this state of the church is also called in the Word "vastation and desolation", and by the Lord, "the consummation of the age." (Matthew 13:39, 40, 49; 24:3; 28:20) Apocalypse Explained 397. See verse 3; also Arcana Coelestia 4535.

24. Wherefore thus says the Lord Jehovih of Hosts, Fear not, O My people, that dwellest in Zion, because of the Assyrian: with his staff shall he smite you, and his rod shall he lift up against you, in the way of Egypt.

25. For yet a little time, and Mine indignation shall cease, and Mine anger in their destruction:

26. And Jehovah of Hosts shall raise up against him a scourge, like the stroke upon Midian at the rock of Oreb, and like the rod which He lifted up over the sea; yea, He will lift it up, in the way of Egypt.

27. And it shall be in that day, that his burden shall be removed from off your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck: and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

Verses 24, 26. Thus says the Lord Jehovih of Hosts, Fear not, O My people, that dwellest in Zion, because of the Assyrian: with his staff shall he smite you, and his rod shall he lift up against you, in the way of Egypt, etc. - Where "staff" denotes power derived from reasoning and science, such as is the power of those who reason from scientifics against the truths of faith, and pervert them, or make light of them, - these things are signified by "the staff with which the Assyrian will smite", and by "the rod which he will lift up in the way of Egypt"; that the "Assyrian" denotes reasoning" may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 1186, and that "Egypt" denotes science, Arcana Coelestia 1164, 1165. Arcana Coelestia 4876.

That dwellest in Zion. - See above, Chapter 1:8, the Exposition.

Verses 24-34. Thus says the Lord Jehovih of Hosts, etc. - That the names of kingdoms, of countries, of cities, and of men, signify things, may appear from the above words; for in this passage there is little but mere names, from which there could result no sense or meaning, unless they all signified things; and if the mind should abide in those names, without looking for an internal signification, it could never acknowledge this passage to be the Word of the Lord. But who will believe that all those names, in the internal sense, contain arcana of heaven, and that by them are described the states of those who, by reasonings grounded. in scientifics, endeavour to enter into the mysteries of faith, each name describing some particular of that state, - and that the conclusion is, that those reasonings are overturned and dispersed by the celestial things of love, and the spiritual things of faith, from the Lord? That by "Ashur", or Assyria, is signified reasoning or ratiocination, which is the subject here treated of, may appear plain from what has been shown above concerning "Ashur", Arcana Coelestia 119, 1186; and that by "Egypt" are signified scientifics, may also appear from what has been said above, Arcana Coelestia 1164, 1165, which the reader may consult and examine, and then determine for himself whether it be not so. The case is the same in respect to all other names which occur in the Word; and likewise in respect to every particular expression. Arcana Coelestia 1888.

Lord [Adonai] Jehovih. - See above, as to the specific meaning of "Jehovih", Isaiah chapter 3:15, the Exposition and note.

28. He will come to Aiath; he will pass to Migron; at Michmash he will deposit his arms.

29. They will pass the strait; Geba will be their lodging for the night: Ramah is frightened; Gibeah of Saul flees.

30. Cry aloud with your voice, O daughter of Gallim: hearken, O Laish; O miserable Anathoth!

31. Madmena is gone away; the inhabitants of Gelim do flee.

32. Yet this day shall he abide in Nob: he shall shake his hand against the mountain of the daughter of Zion; against the hill of Jerusalem.

33. Behold, the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, shall lop off the flourishing branch with a terrible crash; and the high of stature shall be cut down, and the lofty shall be brought low.

Verses 28-34. He will come to Aiath, to Migron, Michmash, Geba, Ramah, etc. - In this passage there occur only mere names from which no meaning can be drawn, except by the help of the spiritual sense; in which sense all names throughout the Word signify things appertaining to heaven and the church. By virtue of this sense is discovered the signification of the contents of the above passage, as denoting that the whole church was brought into devastation by means of scientifics perverting all truth and confirming all falsity. Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture 15.

34. And He shall hew down the thickets of the forest with iron, and by a mighty one shall Lebanon fall.

Verse 34. He shall hew down the thickets of the forest, etc. - The "thickets of the forest" signify scientifics [or the knowledges of the natural mind], and "Lebanon" rational things, [in this case reasonings from mere fallacies and from false doctrines. ] Arcana Coelestia 2831.

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Isaiah Chapter 10

1. WOE unto them that decree decrees of iniquity; unto the scribes that prescribe oppression:

2. To turn aside the poor from judgment: to rob of their right the miserable of My people: that widows may become their prey, and that they may plunder the orphans!

3. And what will you do in the day of visitation, and in the devastation which shall come from afar? to whom will you flee for help? and where will you leave your glory?

4. He who will not bow himself down, shall fall under the prisoners, and under the slain.

For all this His anger is not turned back, but His hand is stretched, out still.

5. Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of Mine anger·; he is the staff in whose hand is Mine indignation!

6. Against a hypocritical nation will I send him; and against the people of My wrath will I give him a charge: to take the spoil, and to bear away the prey; and to trample them down like the mire of the streets.

7. But he doth not think rightly, and his heart doth not meditate rightly; but to destroy is in his heart, and to cut off nations not a few.

8. For he says, Are not my princes altogether kings?

9. Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arphad? is not Samaria as Damascus?

10. As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose graven images were more than those of Samaria and Jerusalem;

11. As I have done unto Samaria and her idols, shall I not likewise do unto Jerusalem and her images?

12. But it shall be, when the Lord has accomplished His whole work upon Mount Zion and upon Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the proud heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his lofty eyes.

13. For he says, By the strength of my hand have I done it, and by my wisdom; for I am intelligent: I have removed the boundaries of the peoples; and I have plundered their treasures; and I have brought down, like a valiant man, the inhabitants:

14. And my hand has found, as a nest, the riches of the peoples: and as one gathers eggs deserted, so have I gathered all the earth; and there was no one that moved the wing, that opened the mouth, or that chirped.

15. Shall the axe boast itself against him that hews therewith? shall the saw magnify itself against him that moveth it? as if the rod should shake him that lifts it; as if the staff should raise him who is not wood.

16. Wherefore the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, shall send upon his fat ones leanness; and under his glory shall He kindle a burning, like the burning of a fire.

17. And the Light of Israel shall be for a fire, and His Holy One for a flame: and He shall burn, and consume his thorn and his brier in one day.,

18. And the glory of his forest, and of his Carmel, from the soul to the flesh, shall He consume; and it shall be as when a standard-bearer fainteth.

19. And the remnant of the trees of his forest, shall be few, so that a boy may describe them.

20. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and the escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more lean upon him that smote them; but shall lean upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

21. A remnant shall return, a remnant of Jacob, unto the Mighty God.

22. For though your people, O Israel, shall be as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them only shall return: the consummation is decreed, overflowing with justice.

23. For a consummation and decision shall the Lord Jehovih of Hosts accomplish in the midst of all the land.

24. Wherefore thus says the Lord Jehovih of Hosts, Fear not, O My people, that dwellest in Zion, because of the Assyrian: with his staff shall he smite you, and his rod shall he lift up against you, in the way of Egypt.

25. For yet a little time, and Mine indignation shall cease, and Mine anger in their destruction:

26. And Jehovah of Hosts shall raise up against him a scourge, like the stroke upon Midian at the rock of Oreb, and like the rod which He lifted up over the sea; yea, He will lift it up, in the way of Egypt.

27. And it shall be in that day, that his burden shall be removed from off your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck: and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

28. He will come to Aiath; he will pass to Migron; at Michmash he will deposit his arms.

29. They will pass the strait; Geba will be their lodging for the night: Ramah is frightened; Gibeah of Saul flees.

30. Cry aloud with your voice, O daughter of Gallim: hearken, O Laish; O miserable Anathoth!

31. Madmena is gone away; the inhabitants of Gelim do flee.

32. Yet this day shall he abide in Nob: he shall shake his hand against the mountain of the daughter of Zion; against the hill of Jerusalem.

33. Behold, the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, shall lop off the flourishing branch with a terrible crash; and the high of stature shall be cut down, and the lofty shall be brought low.

34. And He shall hew down the thickets of the forest with iron, and by a mighty one shall Lebanon fall.

3858. Since the subject in the verses that follow now is the twelve sons of Jacob, and since the twelve tribes of Israel were named after them as their fathers, let an introductory statement be made here about what the tribes mean and why there were twelve. Nobody as yet has known the arcanum lying within these considerations, for people have believed that the historical descriptions of the Word are purely history and hold nothing more of the Divine within them than their ability to be made to apply to matters of a holy nature when these are under discussion. Consequently they have also believed that the twelve tribes meant nothing else than the divisions of the Israelitish people into so many separate nations or general families, when in fact Divine realities are implied in those tribes. That is to say, those tribes mean so many universal divisions of faith and love and so mean things that constitute the Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth, each tribe in particular meaning some universal division. But what exactly each tribe means will be evident from the verses that follow directly after this, where the subject is the sons of Jacob after whom the twelve tribes were named. In general the twelve tribes meant everything constituting the doctrine of truth and good, that is, of faith and love; for these - that is to say, truth and good, or faith and love - constitute the Lord's kingdom, since what are essentially matters of truth or faith constitute the whole of thought there, and what are essentially matters of good or love constitute the whole of affection. And because the Jewish Church was established so as to represent the Lord's kingdom the divisions of that people into twelve tribes therefore meant those things of His kingdom. This is an arcanum which has not previously been disclosed.

[2] Twelve means all things in general, as shown already in 577, 2089, 2129, 2130 (end), 3272, while 'tribes' means matters of truth and good, or of faith and love, so that 'the twelve tribes' means all of these. Let this meaning of 'the twelve tribes' be substantiated here from the Word before each one is dealt with individually. In John,

The holy city New Jerusalem, having twelve gates, and above the gates twelve angels, and names written which are those of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. He measured the city with the measuring rod, twelve thousand stadia. And he measured its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Revelation 21:12, 14, 16-17, 21.

'The holy city', or the New Jerusalem, means the Lord's new Church, as is evident from each detail of this description. Previous chapters refer to what the condition of the Church was going to be like before its end; this chapter refers to a new Church. That being so, 'the gates', 'the wall', 'the foundations' mean nothing else than things constituting the Church, which are those of charity and faith since these constitute the Church.

[3] From this it may be clear to anyone that 'twelve' used so many times in that description, also 'tribes', and 'apostles' too, are not used to mean twelve, or tribes, or apostles, but that 'twelve' is used to mean all things in their entirety; see what has been shown in 577, 2089, 2129, 2130 (end), 3272. The same is true of the number 'a hundred and forty-four', for this is twelve twelves. And since 'twelve' means all things it is evident that 'the twelve tribes' means all things constituting the Church, which, as stated above, are truth and good, or faith and love. The same is also true of 'the twelve apostles' who as well represented all things constituting the Church, that is, all things of faith and love, see 2129, 3354, 3488, 3857. That number is therefore called 'the measure of a man, that is, of an angel', by which is meant a state of truth and good. For 'measure' means state, see 3104, and 'man' means that which constitutes the Church, as is evident from things said about the meaning of 'man' in 478, 479, 565, 768, 1871, 1894, and also from the fact that the Lord's kingdom is called the Grand Man, which it is called by virtue of good and truth which come from the Lord, dealt with at the ends of chapters in 3624-3649, 3741-3750. And 'angel' has the same meaning, 1705, 1754, 1925, 2821, 3039.

[4] As in John, so also in the Prophets, in the Old Testament Word, is the new Jerusalem referred to, where in a similar way the Lord's new Church is meant, as in Isaiah 65:18-19, and following verses; in Zechariah 14; and in particular in Ezekiel, Chapters 40-48, where the new Jerusalem, the new Temple, and a new earth describe in the internal sense the Lord's kingdom in heaven, and the Lord's kingdom on earth, which is the Church. The contents of those chapters, plainer than anywhere else, show what 'earth', 'Jerusalem', 'Temple', and everything in them meant, and also what 'the twelve tribes' means. For the subject of those chapters is the division of the land and the inheritance of it according to tribes, as well as the city and its walls, foundation, and gates, and everything that was to go with the Temple there. From those chapters let simply matters relating to the tribes be quoted here,

The Lord Jehovih said, This is the boundary of your inheritance of the land, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. You shall divide this land according to the tribes of Israel. But you shall divide it by lot as an inheritance, and for sojourners sojourning in your midst. They shall cast lots with you for an inheritance in the midst of the tribes of Israel. Ezekiel 47:13, 21-23.

As regards the land, it will be for the prince as a possession in Israel. And the princes will no longer oppress My people, and the land they will give to the house of Israel according to their tribes. Ezekiel 45:8.

Concerning inheritances and how they were assigned to individual tribes which are also referred to there by name, see Ezekiel 48:1 and following verses; and concerning the gates of the city which are named after the tribes of Israel, verses 31-34 of the same chapter.

[5] Quite plainly, when the tribes are spoken of here it is not the tribes who are meant, for by that time ten tribes had long since been scattered throughout the whole world, and had not subsequently returned. Nor can they possibly return, for they have become gentiles. And yet reference is made to each individual tribe, and to how it was to inherit the land and what its boundary was to be. What the boundary for the tribe of Dan was to be is stated in verse 2; what the boundary for the tribe of Asher was to be in verse 3; what those of Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, and Judah were to be, and concerning the inheritance of the Levites; and what the boundaries of Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad were to be in verses 4-29. In addition to all this that chapter declares that the city was to have twelve gates named after the tribes of Israel - three gates facing north, those of Reuben, Judah, and Levi; three gates facing east, those of Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan; three gates facing south, those of Simeon, Issachar and Zebulun; and three gates facing west, those of Gad, Asher, and Naphtali, in verses 31-34.

[6] From all this it is evident that 'the twelve tribes' means all things that belong to the Lord's kingdom, and so all that are matters of faith and love, for these constitute the Lord's kingdom, as stated above. Because the twelve tribes meant all things of the Lord's kingdom they also represented that kingdom by their encampments and by their travellings. In Moses it is said that they were to encamp according to the tribes around the Tent of Meeting - to the east, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; to the south, Reuben, Simeon, and Gad; to the west, Ephraim Manasseh, and Benjamin; and to the north, Dan, Asher, and Naphtali, and as they were encamped so they travelled, Numbers 2:1-end. In all this they represented the Lord's kingdom, as is quite evident from Balaam's prophecy,

When Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel dwelling according to tribes, the Spirit of God came upon him and he delivered his utterance, and said, How good your tabernacles are, O Jacob; your dwelling-places, O Israel! They are like valleys that are planted, like gardens beside a river, like aloes Jehovah has planted, like cedars beside the waters. Numbers 24:2-3, 5-6.

The fact that Balaam received from Jehovah these words spoken by him is explicitly stated in Numbers 22:8, 18-19, 35, 38; 23:5, 12, 16, 26; 24:2, 13.

[7] From this also it is evident what the inheritances of the land of Canaan according to tribes represented, in connection with which it is said in Moses that he was to take a census of the congregation of the children of Israel, according to their fathers' houses; a census of those twenty or more years old, everyone going into the army of Israel. The land was to be distributed by lot; according to the names of their fathers' tribes they were to receive an inheritance, Numbers 26:2, 7-56; 33:54; 34:19-29. And Joshua's actual division of the land by lot according to tribes is described in Chapters 13, 15, 19 of the Book of Joshua. From these particular details it is evident that the Lord's kingdom was represented, as has been stated; for the land of Canaan meant that kingdom, see 1585, 1607, 3038, 3481, 3705.

[8] The reason why they are called 'armies' and why it is said that 'they encamped according to their armies and travelled according to their armies', Numbers 2:4, 6, 8, 11, 13, 15, 19, 21-23, 26, 28, 30, is that 'an army' had the same meaning [as 'a tribe'], namely truths and goods, see 3448. And the Lord is called Jehovah Zebaoth or 'Jehovah of Armies (or Hosts)' 3448. They were for these reasons called 'the armies of Jehovah' when they departed from Egypt, as in Moses,

It happened at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, on that same day it happened that all the armies of Jehovah were to come out of the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:41.

Anyone may recognize that such people in Egypt, and after that in the wilderness, were not called 'the armies of Jehovah' except in a representative sense, for no good or truth was present in them, the worst of all nations.

[9] From this it is also quite evident what was meant by the names of the twelve tribes on Aaron's breastplate, which was called the Urim and Thummim. Concerning the breastplate the following is said in Moses,

There shall be four rows in it and twelve stones. These stones shall be according to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve according to their names. The engravings of a signet, for each one over its name, there shall be for the twelve tribes. Exodus 28:17, 21; 39:14.

For 'Aaron' represented the Lord's Divine priesthood, and therefore all the vestments worn by him as high priest meant Divine celestial and spiritual things. But the exact meaning of those vestments will in the Lord's Divine mercy be clear where they are the subject. Since the breastplate itself was most holy, the names of it were representations of all the essential characteristics of love and faith in the Lord. These are the Urim and Thummim. The reason why the names were engraved on the precious stones was that 'stones' in general meant truths, 1298, 3720, and 'precious stones' truths shining through from good, 114. And because the name of each individual tribe meant some essential characteristic, a specific stone was also allocated for each tribe, Exodus 28:17-20; 39:10-13, which expressed by means of its colour and transparence the characteristic meant by that tribe. This was how Jehovah or the Lord gave answers by means of the Urim and Thummim.

[10] The two shoham stones which were on the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod had a similar representation but in a lesser degree than the twelve stones on the breastplate. For 'the shoulders' meant all power, and so the Lord's omnipotence, 1085, whereas 'the breast' or heart and lungs meant Divine celestial and spiritual love - 'the heart' Divine celestial love, 'the lungs' Divine spiritual love, see 3635 and the end of the present chapter where the Grand Man and its correspondence with the province of the heart and the province of the lungs is the subject. The two stones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod are referred to in Moses as follows,

You shall take two shoham stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, six of the names on one stone and the remaining six names on the other stone, according to their births. You shall put two stones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. Exodus 28:9-12; 39:6-7.

[11] Because 'the tribes' meant what are essentially matters of truth and good, or faith and love, and each tribe meant some universal aspect of these, and since the tribe of Levi meant love, as will be evident from the explanation at verse 34 below, one can therefore recognize what was meant by their placing rods, one for each tribe, in the Tent of Meeting and by Levi's rod alone blossoming with almonds. All this is described in Moses as follows,

He was told to take twelve rods, one rod for each head of their fathers' houses, and these were to be left in the Tent of Meeting, the name of Aaron being written on the rod of Levi. Aaron's rod was placed in the middle of them. And the next day, behold, Aaron's rod for the tribe of Levi had blossomed; it had produced buds, ¹ so that it flowered and produced almonds. Numbers 17:2-8.

These occurrences meant that love was the essential, also the first and foremost, thing of all in the Lord's kingdom and that love is the source of all fruitfulness. And the reason why Aaron's name was on the rod was that Aaron represented the Lord as regards His Divine priesthood. For by the Lord's priesthood is meant Divine Good, which essentially is His love and mercy, and by the Lord's kingship is meant Divine Truth which stems from Divine Good, see 1728, 2015 (end), 3670.

[12] From what has been introduced so far one may now see what 'tribes' and 'the twelve tribes' mean in the following places: In John,

I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand sealed out of every tribe of Israel - twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Benjamin. Revelation 7:4-8.

In Moses,

Remember the days of old, understand the years of generation after generation.

When the Most High gave to the nations an inheritance, when He separated the sons of man, He fixed the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. Deuteronomy 32:7-8.

In David,

Jerusalem, built as a city which is closely compacted together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of Jah, a testimony to Israel, to confess the name of Jehovah. Psalms 122:3-4.

[13] In Joshua, who was told,

The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass over before you into the Jordan. Take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from each tribe. And it will happen when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the Ark of Jehovah, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan will be cut off. They will stand in one heap. Joshua 3:11-17.

And further,

Take out of the midst of the Jordan, from the places where the priests' feet stood, twelve stones which you are to prepare and carry with you. And let each man take a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, that it may be a sign that the waters of the Jordan were cut off. Moreover Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, beneath the places where the feet of the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant had stood. Joshua 4:1-9.

Also in the description about Elijah,

Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word had come, Israel shall be your name; and he built an altar to the name of Jehovah. 1 Kings 18:31-32.

[14] That 'the tribes' means the goods of love and the truths of faith is also clear from the Lord's words in Matthew,

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory. Matthew 24:30.

Here 'all the tribes of the earth will mourn' means that the acknowledgement of truth and the life of good will not exist any longer, for the subject in that chapter is the close of the age. Similarly in John,

Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, and those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will wail over Him. Revelation 1:7.

What 'coming in the clouds of heaven' means, see Preface to Genesis 18. See in addition what I have been shown from experience about the number 'twelve', in 2129, 2130.

[15] The reason why all things of faith and love are called 'tribes' is that the same expression in the original language also means a sceptre and a rod. For 'a sceptre' and also 'a rod' mean power, as will in the Lord's Divine mercy be shown elsewhere. For this reason the noun 'tribe' entails the idea that forms of good and truth possess within them all power from the Lord. And angels too are therefore referred to as 'powers' and also 'principalities', for 'princes' means the first and foremost aspects of charity and faith, such as the twelve princes descended from Ishmael, Genesis 25:16, see 2089, as well as the princes who were leaders of the tribes, Numbers 7; 13:4-16.

[16] From what has been said up to now about the twelve tribes one can recognize why the Lord's disciples, who later on were called apostles, were twelve in number, and that like the tribes they represented the Lord's Church as regards goods and truths, 2129, 3354, 3488, 3857. 'Peter' represented faith, 'James' charity, and 'John' the works that flow from charity, see the Prefaces to Genesis 18, 22, and also 3750. This is also quite evident from the things which the Lord said about them and to them.

Imibhalo yaphansi: