|
1. HEARKEN unto Me, ye that pursue justice, ye that seek Jehovah: look unto the rock whence ye were hewn, and to the excavation of the pit, whence ye were digged.
VERSE 1. By the "rock." is understood the Lord as to Divine Truth; and by the "pit" is here signified the Word, as also in other places. To be "hewn out of the rock, and digged out of the pit," signifies to be regenerated from divine Truths and divine Goods, thus by Truths from Good from the Lord; for "stones" which are cut out of a rock signify Truths from the Lord, and "ground" which is dug out of the pit signifies Good from the Lord, wherefore it is called "the excavation [effossio] out of the pit." A. E. 411.
Verses 1-3. Look unto the rock whence ye were hewn, and to the excavation of the pit whence ye were digged; &c.--These things are said concerning the Lord, and concerning the New Church from Him. The Lord as to Divine Truth, and as to the doctrine of Truth, is understood by "the rock whence ye were hewn," and by "the pit whence ye were digged," see above, n.411; but the Lord as to the Divine, from which comes reformation, is understood by "Abraham, to whom they should look," and by "Sarah, who bare them;'' for by "Abraham," "Isaac," and "Jacob," in the Word, are not understood those persons, but the Lord as to His Divine Itself, and the Divine Humun, as may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 1893, 2833, 3245. But the heavenly marriage, which is of Divine Good and Divine Truth, from which comes all reformation, and. thence the church, is signified by "Abraham" and, "Sarah, who bare them." Inasmuch as the Lord is understood by "Abraham," therefore it is said-"I called, him alone [or when he was but one], and, I blessed him, and I multiplied him;" and afterwards that "Jehovah will comfort Zion, and all her waste places;" "Zion" signifying the New Church, "waste places" Truths destroyed, and "comfort" or "consolation" the restoration of the church. That they who will be of that church will acknowledge the Lord, and receive love to Him, and thence wisdom, is signified by "He shall make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah;" "Eden" denoting love to the Lord, and the "garden of Jehovah" wisdom thence derived. A.E. 721.
That the Lord, and the Divine Truth, as well as a true faith, is signified by a "Rock," see Chap. xvi, 1,: Exposition;
2. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah who bare you: for I called him alone, and I blessed him, and I multiplied him.
Verse 2. The Lord, as to Divine Truth, is called a "rock" and a "pit," and as to Divine Good, "Abraham the father;" and because the marriage of Goodness and Truth is represented by "Abraham and Sarah," as may be seen A. C. 1468, 1901, Abraham is called "father," and of Sarah it is said; "she bare you.'" That "Abraham," as father, signifies the Lord as to Divine Good, may be seen in John viii. 38, 39; Matt. iii. 9, 10; Luke xvi, 19-31. A. C. 3703.
3. For Jehovah will comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of singing.
Verse 3. Speaking of the advent of the Lord, and of the establishment of the church, which at that time was devastated or destroyed. By "Zion" is signified the church where the Lord is to be worshipped; by her "waste places" are signified the defect of Truth and Good from a want of knowledge. By "making her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah," is signified that they shall have Truth and Good in abundance; "wilderness" is predicated of the want of Good, and "desert" of the want of Truth : "Eden" signifies Good in abundance, and the "garden of Jehovah" Truth in abundance. Inasmuch as a "song" and "singing" signify thanksgiving [confession] from joy of heart, therefore it is said-"Joy and gladuess shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of singing;" the " voice of singing;" denoting the same as a "song." A. E. 326.
As to "thanksgiving" (or confession), see Chap. xii, 1, Exposition.
He shall make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the qarden of Jehovah, &c.-The spiritual meaning of a "garden" is grounded in the nature of representations in the spiritual world, in which world gardens and paradises appear where dwell the angels who excel in inte!ligence and wisdom. The intelligence and wisdom which they receive from the Lord form themselves into such representations around them, and this takes place from correspondence; all things that exist in the spiritual world being correspondences. T. C. R. 467.
Hence it is that man is so often compared to a "tree," and the church to a "garden," as in Isaiah li, 3; lviii. 11; Jer. xxxi. 12. Coronis, 27.
4. Attend unto Me, O My people; and give ear unto Me, O My nation: for the law shall proceed from Me, and My judgment will I cause to break forth for a light to the peoples.
5. My justice is near; My salvation is gone forth; and Mine arms shall judge the peoples: the islands shall hope in Me, and on Mine arm shall they trust.
Verses 4, 5. These things are also said concerning the Lord. "Attend unto Me, O My people, and give ear unto Me, O My nation," signifies all of the church who are in Truths and Goods; "people" those who are In Truths, and "nation" those who are in Goods; it is said "attend ye" and "give ear" in the plural number, because all are understood. "The law shall proceed from Me, and My judgment will I cause to break forth for a light to the peoples, "signifies that from Him is Divine Good and Divine Truth, from which is illustration; "law" signifies the Divine Good of the Word, and "judgment" the Divine Truth of the Word; and "for a light to the peoples" denotes illustration. "My justice is near, My salvation is gone forth," signifies judgment, when they are saved who are in the Good of love, and who are in Truths thence derived; "justice" is predicated of the salvation of those who are in Good at the day of judgment, and "salvation" of the salvation of those who are in Truths. "Mine arms shall judge the peoples," signifies judgment upon those of tho church who are in falses; "peoples" here being taken in an opposite sense. "The islands shall hope in Me, and on Mine arm shall they trust" signifies the access of those to the church who are remote from the Truths of the church, and their trust in the Lord; "islands" denoting those who are remote from the Truths of the church, because they are in natural light, and not yet in spiritual light from the Word; and to "trust in His arm" signifying confidence in the Lord, who has all power,-"arm," when predicated of the Lord, denoting Omnipotence. A. E. 406. See also A. C. 9857.
6. Lift up unto the heavens your eyes, and look unto the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke; and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and its inhabitants shall die in like manner: but My salvation shall be for ever, and My justice shall not be broken.
Verse 6. The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, &c.-By "the heavens which shall vanish away, and the earth which shall wax old like a garment," is understood the church, which successively falls away, and at length is desolated, but not the visible heaven and the habitable earth; wherefore it is said, "and its inhabitants shall die in like manner,"-to "die" signifying spiritually to die. A. E. 304.
By "smoke" is signified what is false, by which those in the former heaven would perish; and by "a garment waxing old" is signified Truth destroyed by the falses of evil. A comparison is made between "smoke vanishing away" and "a garment waxing old," because comparisons in the Word are also correspondences, and equally signify. A.E. 539.
7. Hearken unto Me, ye that know justice; the people in whose heart is My law: fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye dismayed by their revilings.
8. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them up like wool: but My justice shall be for ever, and My salvation from generation to generation.
Verses 7, 8. Fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye dismayed by their revilings; for the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them up like wool, &c.-The "moth" stands for falses in the extremes of man, and the "worm" for evils therein; for "a garment which the moth eats" signifies inferior or exterior Truths, which are of the sensual man; (see A. C. 2576, 5248.) and "the wool which the worm eats" signifies inferior or exterior Goods, which are of the sensual man, as is evident from many passages, and also from the signification of a "sheep," from which wool is derived, and which signifies the Good of charity, n. 4169. A. C. 9331.
9. Awake, awake, clothe thyself with strength, O arm of Jehovah! awake, as in the days of antiquity, in the generations of old. Art thou not the same that smote Rahab, that wounded the dragon?
Verses 9, 10. The "arm of Jehovah "is the Lord as to the Divine Human. The "days of antiquity" [or of eternity] signify the state of the most ancient church; "eternity" is predicated of that church, because it was in the Good of love to the Lord, of which Good, because immediately from the Lord, "eternity" is predicated; the "generations of old" [or eternities] signify Goods in the ancient church hence derived. "The waters of the great deep and the depths of the sea" is the hell, where those are who are in faith separate from charity, and in a life of evil; "the waters of the sea," under which they are, signify falses; for falses, in the other life, appear as dense and dark clouds, and as inundations of waters; "the redeemed, who pass over," are those who are liberated by the Lord. A. C. 8099. See also 6239, 9789.
Verse 9. Art thou not the same that smote Rahab, &c.-See above, as to "Rahab," Ohap. xxx. 7, note; and as to the "dragon," see Chap. xxvii. 1, Exposition.
10. Art thou not the same that dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep? that made the depths of the sea a path for the redeemed to pass over?
Verses 10, 15. By "the sons of Israel, before whom the Red Sea [Suph] was dried up, so that they passed through safe," are understood all who are in Truths from Good, whom the Lord, defends, lest the falses of evil which ascend continually from the hells should injure them. This is what is understood by "drying up the sea, the waters of the great deep," and by "making the depths thereof into a path for the redeemed to pass over;" likewise by "leading them through the abysses or depths;" for the falses exhaled from the hells continually cling to man, consequently the hells; for, whether we speak of falses from the hells, or of the hells themselves, it is the same thing; but the Lord continually dissipates them with those who are in Truths originating in Good from Himself. This, then, is what is slgnified by "drying up the sea, and leading them through the abysses." They who are in Truths grounded in Good from the Lord; are understood by the "redeemed." A. E. 538.
11. Thus shall the ransomed of Jehovah return, and come to Zion with singing; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: joy and gladness shall they obtain, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Verse 11. Joy and gladness shall they obtain, &c.-It is said "joy and gladmess" on account of the marriage of what is Good and True; for "joy" is predicated of what is Good, because from love, as it is properly of the heart and of the will; and "gladness" is predicated of Truth, because of the love thereof, for it is properly of the mind [animi] and of its thoughts; wherefore it is said, "joy of heart and gladness of mind." There are Evrywhere in the Word two expressions, of which one relates to what is Good and the other to what is True and this because the conjunction of what is Good and True makes heaven and the church; hence both heaven and the church are compared to a "marriage," and the Lord is said to be "the Bridegroom and the Husband," and heaven and the church "the bride and wife;" Wherefore every one who is not in that marriage is not an angel of heaven or a man of the church. The reason is, because no Good can be given with anyone except it is formed by Truths, nor can Truth be given with anyone except it live from Good; for all Truth is the form of Good, and all Good is the esse of Truth; and because one cannot be given without the other, it follows that the marriaqe of what is Good and True must necessarily exist with the man of the church as with an angel of heaven. All intelligence and wisdom come from this marriage, for from it there constantly spring forth Goods and Truths from which the intellect and the will are formed. A. E. 660.
12. I, even I, am He that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldst fear man that shall die, and the son of man that shall become as the grass?
Verse 12. By these words is signified that all things are from the Lord, and nothing from self-derived intelligence and wisdom. "Man" signifies man as to wisdom, and the "son of man" the same as to intelligence; that this latter is only science is understood by "becoming as grass." A. E. 507.
13. And forgettest Jehovah thy Maker, who stretched out the heavens, and founded the earth; and fearest continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? but where is the fury of the oppressor?
Verse 13. Here by the "heavens" and the "earth" is signified the church as to its internal or spiritual things, and as to its external or natural things; and by "stretching out" and "laying at the foundation thereof," is signified to establish them. A. E. 1057.
14. He that leadeth out shall hasten to open; and [the captive] shall not die in the pit, and his bread shall not fail.
Verse 14. Treating concerning the Lord. His advent is understood by "He that leadeth out shall hasten." Liberation from the falses of ignorance is signified by "not dying in the pit;" wherefore the same is here understood by "pit," as by the "'pit" mentioned above, (chap. xxiv. 22.) in which were the bound, Supply of spiritual instruction and nourishment is signified by "his bread not failing;" for by "bread," is understood all spiritual food, and by spiritual "food " is meant instruction in Truths and Goods, whence come intelligence and wisdom. A. E. 537.
15. For I am Jehovah thy God, who rebuketh the sea, when the waves thereof roar: Jehovah of Hosts is His name,
Verse 15. Who rebuketh the sea, &c.-To "rebuke the sea" is to dissipate falses; the "waves roaring" are noisy ratiocinations from falses against the Truths of the Word. A. E. 304.
16. I have put My words in thy mouth: and with the shadow of My hand have I covered thee: to plant the heavens, and to found the earth; and to say unto Zion, Thou art My people.
Verses 16, 17. Here by "planting the heavens, and founding the earth," is manifestly meant to establish the church; for this is said unto the prophet" that "the Word should be put into his mouth, and that he should be covered with the shadow of the hand, to plant the heavens, and to found or to lay the foundation of the earth," whereas the foundation of the earth cannot be laid by a prophet, but that of the church may; wherefore also it is added, "to say unto Zion, Thou art My people;" likewise, "Awake, awake; arise, O Jerusalem" for by "Zion" and by "Jerusalem," in the Word, is understood the church. A. E. 1057.
17. Arouse thyself, arouse thyself; arise, O Jerusalem! who hast drunk from the hand of Jehovah the cup of His fury: the dregs of the cup of trembling hast thou drunk, thou hast sucked them out.
18. There is none to lead her, of all the sons she hath brought forth; neither is there any to take her by the hand, of all the sons she hath brought up.
Verses 17, 18. The restoration of the church which was fallen into mere falses of evil, is signified by "Arouse, or stir up thyself; arise, O Jerusalem I who hast drunk from the hand of Jehovah the cup of His fury: the dregs of the cup of trembling hast thou drunk, thou hast sucked them out." "Jerusalem " denotes the church as to doctrine; to "awake or stir up" and to "arise" denotes the restoration thereof; to "drink the cup of fury" denotes the false, and "the dregs of the cup" mere falses, from which are evils; and to attract them is signified by "drinking and sucking them out." "There is none to lead her, of all the sons she hath brought forth; neither is there any to take her by the hand, of all the sons she hath brought up," signifies that no Truths of the Word which she has learned and imbibed withdraw her from falses; "sons" here denoting Truths. A. E. 724.
19. These two things have befallen thee; who shall bemoan thee? desolation, and destruction; the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee ?
Verse 19. By "famine" is here understood the deprivation of the knowledges of Good, even until Good is no more; and by the "sword," the deprivation of the knowledges of Truth, until Truth is no more; therefore mention is also made of "devastation" and "breaking up" [confractio], the former having relation to Good being no more, and the latter to Truth being no more. A. E. 386. See also A. O. 2799.
20. Thy sons have fainted; they lie at the head of all the streets, like a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of Jehovah, the rebuke of thy God.
Verse 20. Speaking of "Jerusalem," that is, of the church, devastated as to doctrine. By "sons" are meant those who are in Truths of doctrine; to "faint" and to "lie at the head of all the streets," signifies to be deprived of all Truth; the "head" or beginning of the streets denoting the entrance to Truth, consequently. all Truth.A.E.652.
As to "streets," &c., see Chap. xxiv. 10-12; xxxv. 8, Exposition.
Thy sons have fainted, &c.-These words signify that Truths are dissipated by falses of every kind. Inasmuch as "sons" denote Truths, by "fainting" is signified to be dissipated; and by" lying at the head of all the streets," is signified by falses of every kind; for the "streets" of a city signify doctrinal Truths, but here doctrinal falses. A.E. 724.
Like a wild bull in a net.-[The antelope or some wild animal is meant, which, being caught in a net, struggles to ernancipate itself, but is not able; in like manner Truths in bondage to the natural man struggle, as it were, to come forth and to make him spiritual and free, but, in the perverse state of the church and of the unregenerate mind here depicted, are not able. Swedenborg has quoted the sentence in A. E. 652, but has not. explained it.]
21. Wherefore hear now this, O thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine:
22. Thus saith thy Lord, Jehovah, and thy God, who pleadeth for His people, Behold, I will take from thy hand the cup of trembling, the dregs of the cup of My fury; thou shalt drink of it no more:
23. But I will put it into the hand of them that affiicted thee; who have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may pass over: and thou didst lay down thy back, as the ground; and as the street, to them that passed over.
Verse 21. By "the drunken, but not with wine," are here understood those who are in falses from ignorance of Truth. A. E. 376.
Author: Emanuel Swedenborg [Compiled by J. H. Smithson 1860]
|
|
