|
1. ARISE, be thou enlightened; for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah hath risen, upon thee.
VERSES 1, 2, 3, 20. The advent of the Lord is here treated of. "Light" is the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, and "His glory and the brightness of His rising" are all things which appear in that light concerning the Lord, and concerning Faith in Him and Love to Him, "Darkness which shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples," are the obscure things of faith and of love; for the establislnnent of the church among the Gentiles or nations is the subject treated of. Hence it follows that by the "light" and "glory" which shall arise, and which shall be seen, and according to which they shall walk, are divine Truths concerning the Lord, and concerning faith in Him and love to Him from Him. A. C. 10,574. See also A. C. 5922.
In these verses the Lord is treated of, and the nations are said to "come unto Him," and to "acknowledge Him as their God;" and, what is wonderful, the nations or Gentiles adore one only God under a human form; wherefore when they hear concerning the Lord, they receive and acknowledge Him; nor can the New Church be established amongst others. A.C. 9256.
2. For, behold! darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples: but upon Thee shall Jehovah arise, and His glory shall be seen upon Thee.
Verses 2. 3. These things are said concerning the Lord. The Divine in Him is understood by "Jehovah shall arise upon Thee, and His glory shall be seen upon Thee;" the Divine Good of the Divine Love by "Jehovah shall arise upon Thee, and the Divine Truth from that Good by "His glory shall be seen upon Thee." "Nations" signify those who are in Goods, and "kings" those who are in Truths from Good; concerning the former it is said, "they shall come or walk to Thy light," whereby is signified a life according to Divine Truth; and concerning the latter, "they shall walk to the brightness of Thy rising," whereby is signified the life of intelligence from Divine Good; to "walk" denoting to live; "light," the Divine Truth; and the "brightness of His rising," the Divine Truth from the Divine Good, whence intelligence is derived. A. E. 422.
3. And the nations shall come to Thy light, and kings to the brightness of Thy rising.
Verses 3, 5, 11, 12, 6, 22. The Lord is here treated of. By the "nations" are understood all who are in the Good of Love to Him, and by "kings" all who are in Truths of Faith in Him; hence it is evident who are meant by "the nations who shall walk to Thy light," and by "the host of the nations who shall be brought," and who by "the kings that shall walk to the brightness of Thy rising;" and also what is understood by "Thou shalt suck the milk of the nations [or Gentiles], and the breast of kings;" "milk" is the delight from the Good of love, in like manner the "breasts," because from them is milk. The multiplication of Truth and the fructification of Good is described, in ver. 22, by "a little one becoming a thousand, and a small one a strong nation;" but by "the nations which shall be devastated " are understood all who are in evils. A. E. 175.
4. Lift up, thine eyes round about, and see; all of them are gathered together, they come unto thee: thy sons shall come from afar, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.
Verse 4. Thy sons shall come from afar, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.-As to what is understood in the spiritual sense by these words, see above, Chap. xlix. 17, 22, 23, Exposition.
5. Then shalt thou behold, and shalt overflow [with joy]; and thy heart shall be astonished, and dilated: when the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee; when the wealth of the nations shall come unto thee.
Verses 5, 6. When the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto Thee, &c- These words treat of the Lord and of the divine, celestial, and spiritual things in His Natural [principle]. The "abundance of the sea" signifies the immense abundance of natural Truth; the "multitude of camels" denotes the abundance of common scientifics; "gold and frankincense" are Goods and Truths, which are "the praises of Jehovah;" "from Sheba" is from the celestial things of love and faith; as may be seen, n. 113-117. "The queen of Sheba coming to Solomon at Jerusalem, with very great riches, and with camels carrying spices; and very much gold, and precious stones," (1 Kings x. 1, 2.) represented the wisdom and intelligence which the Lord [in the process of His glorification] acquired, who, in the internal sense, is "Solomon;" "the camels carrying spices, gold, and precious stones," signify those things which belong to wisdom and intelligence in the natural man. A. C. 3048.
These words also treat of the Lord's spiritual kingdom. The "dromedaries of Midian and Ephah" signify doctrinals; the doctrinals of Good are "gold;" the doctrinals of Truth are "frankincense ;" both are "the praises of Jehovah." Hence it may be seen what "Midian" and "Ephah" signify, namely, "Midian" signifles those who are in the Truths of Faith, and as "Ephah" (Gen. xxv. 4.) was a son of Midian, derivations from the Truths of Faith are signified by him, [or by "the land of Ephah."] No one is admitted into the Lord's kingdom, but those who are in the Good of Faith; for the Good of Faith is the Good of life. The life of Faith remains, but not the doctrine or Truth of Faith, except so far as it forms one with the life; nevertheless, those who are in the Truth of Faith, that is, who profess Faith, and call it the essential [of religion], because they have been so taught to believe, and are, notwithstanding, in the Good of life; that is, who in heart are Christians, and not in mouth only, are in the spiritual kingdom of the Lord; for anyone can be easily persuaded to believe that Faith is the essential, when he has been thus taught by masters, and when in his juvenile age he has been imbued with that opinion, and because those who are esteemed most learned, and who are the heads of the church, thus teach. A. C. 3242.
6. A multitude of camels shall cover thee; the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all of them from Sheba shall come: gold and frankincense shall they bring; and they shall shew forth the praises of Jehovah.
Verse 6. The advent of the Lord is here treated of. By: "the multitude of camels, and the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;" are signified knowledges of Truth and of Good in abundance; "all from Sheba, who shall come," signifies from the knowledges of genuine Truth and Good; "Sheba" denoting such knowledges, as may be seen in A. C. 1171, 3240. By "the gold and frankincense which they shall bring," is signified worship from spiritual Good, which is derived from celestial Good,-"gold" signifying celestial Good, and "frankincense" spiritual Good; on account of such worship being meant, it is therefore said-" They shall shew forth the praises of Jehovah," by which is signified the preaching of the Gospel concerning the Lord, also the worship of Him. A. E. 324.
Verses 6, 9. A multitude of camels shall cover thee;-the islands shall trust in Me, &c.-By "a multitude of camels" are understood all who are in the kuowledges of Truth and of Good, see A. C. 3048, 3071; by "Sheba," whence they shall come, is understood where the knowledges themselves are, see A. C. 1171, 3240; by "the gold and frankincense which they shall bring," are understood Goods and Truths derived from Good, which thence are grateful,-by "gold" the Goods, and by "frankincense" the Truths, see A. C. 9993, 10,177. By "the islands which shall trust in Him," are understood the nations which are in divine worship, but more remote from the Truths of the church, see A. C. 1158; by "the ships of Tarshish" are understood common knowledges of Truth and of Good, in which are contained many particular knowledges, see A. C. 1977, 6385; by "the sons whom they shall bring from afar," are understood Truths more remote, see A. C. 8613, 9487; "sons" denote Truths, as above, and "from afar" denotes which are more remote; by "their silver and their gold with them," are signified the knowledges of Truth and of Good which they possess. Similar things are understood by what is written in Matthew, that "the wise men who came from the East to the place where the Lord was born, offered gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh;" (ii. 11.) they offered those things because they signified Goods and Truths; interior and exterior, which are gifts grateful to God. A. E. 242.
7. All the cattle of Arabia shall be gathered unto thee; unto thee shall the rams of Nebaioth minister: they shall ascend with good pleasure on Mine altar; and I will glorify the house of My glory.
Verse 7. The subject here treated of is concerning the advent of the Lord, and these words have reference to the Lord Himself. By "all the cattle of Arabia which shall be gathered together," and by "the rams of Nebaioth which shall minister," are signified all spiritual Goods, external and internal; by "cattle" are understood external Goods, and by "rams" internal Goods; and by "Arabia " and "Nebaioth" things spiritual. "They shall ascend with acceptance on Mine altar, and I will glorify the house of My glory," signifies the Divine Human of the Lord, in which these things will be; the "altar" denoting His Divine Human as to Divine Good, and the "house of glory" the same us to Divine Truth, That the Lord as to His Divine Human is here understood appears from the former part of this chapter, where it is said-"Jehovah shall arise upon Thee, and His glory shall be seen upon Thee;" as also by what follows, where the Lord is described as to the Divine Wisdom, with which He was to be filled as to His Humanity. Inasmuch as the "altar," in a supreme sense, signifies the Divine Human of the Lord, therefore it also signifies heaven and the church; for the angelic heaven, properly considered, is from the Divine which proceeds from the Divine Human of the Lord, whence it is that the angelic heaven in its whole complex is as one Man, and is, therefore, also called the Grand Man, concerning which see what is shewn in the work concerning Heaven and Hell, ll. 59-86; and concerning the like circumstance with respect to the church, see n. 57 in the same work; and inasmuch as all worship is from the Lord, for it is the Divine which is communicated to man from the Lord, in which the Lord Himself is present, hence by the "altar" is signified, in general, the all of worship which proceeds from the Good of love, and by the "temple" the worship which proceeds from the Truths derived from that Good; for all worship is either from Love or from Faith, or from Good or from Truth. Worship from the Good of love is such as exists in the celestial kingdom of the Lord; and worship from Truths derived from that Good, which Truths are also called Truths of Faith, is such as exists ill the spiritual kingdom of the Lord; concerning which see also what is further shewn in the same work, n. 20-28. A. E. 391.
The cattle of Arabia.-In respect to "Arabia" aud " Kedar," see Chap. xxi. 11, 13, 14, Exposition.
Verses 7, 8. All the cattle of Arabia,--the rams of Nebaioth, &c. Who are these that fly like a cloud? and like doves to their wiindows?--The illustration of the nations by the Lord's coming is here treated of. By "all the cattle of Arabia which shall be gathered together," are signified all the knowledges of Truth and of Good; by "the rams of Nebaioth which shall minister," are signified Truths, which lend the life by virtue of spiritual affection. By, "flying like a cloud, and like doves to their windows," is denoted the investigation and examination of the Truth, from the sense of the letter of the Word; hence also by "flying" is signified circumspection; for by a " cloud " is meant the sense of the letter of the Word, by "doves" the spiritual affection of Truth, and by "windows" the Truth in the light. That such a sense is contained in these words, may appear from the signification, in the spiritual sense, of "the cattle of Arabia," of "the rams of Nebaioth," of a "cloud," of "doves." and of "windows." A. E. 28.
8. Who are these that fly like a cloud? and like doves to their windows?
9. Verily the islands shall trust in Me; and the ships of Tarshish among the first: to bring thy sons from afar; their silver and their gold with them: to the name of Jehovah thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel; for He hath glorified thee.
Verses 8, 9. These things are said concerning the Lord, and by them is signified that they who are in simple Truth and Good would receive and acknowledge Him, who are such as perceive the Truths of the Word in a natural manner, which is according to the sense of the letter, and do them. By the "islands" are signified those who are in this kind of perception of the Word; and by the "ships of Tarshish," in the beginning, are denoted the Goods which they bear and do; for "Tarshish" signifies the natural man as to knowledges of Good, inasmuch as in Tarshish was gold and silver, and the ships carried these things thence, (1 Kings x. 22.) and in the beginning the "gold," by which is signified Good; and Truths being from Good, it is therefore also said-"To bring thy sons from afar." And inasmuch as by "islands" and the "ships of Tarshish" are signified the knowledges of Truth and of Good appertaining to the natural man, it is therefore said-"Who are these that fly like a cloud? and like doves to their windows?"-"clouds" signifying the Truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, "doves" the Goods therein, and "windows" Truths from Good in light. That "ships" signify the knowledges of Truth and of Good from the Word, may be seen, A. C. 1977, 6385; and that "windows" signify Truths in light, and thence what is intellectual, may be seen, A. C. 655, 658, 3391. A. E. 406.
10. And the sons of the alien shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in My wrath I smote thee, but in My good pleasure have I had mercy on thee.
Verse 10. "Strangers" and the "sons of the alien" denote those who do not acknowledge the Lord, and are unwilling to acknowledge Him, whether they be out of the church or within it, thus who are in evils, and in the falses of evil; for those who do not acknowledge the Lord must needs be in evils and the falses of evil, for from the Lord is every Good and every Truth of Good. That this is the signification of "strangers," in a bad sense, is abundantly evident from the Word. (See Jer. ii. 25; li 51; see also above, Chap. i. 7, Exposition.) But when "strangers" and the "sons of the alien" are said to "build up the walls of Jerusalem," and to be "the husbandmen and the vinedressers of the people of Israel," (Isa. lxi. 5) they denote those in the church who are in mere externals of worship without internals, and who are, consequently, reduced to the performance of menial services in the church. (See Chap. lxi. 5, 6, Exposition.) A. C. 10,287.
In My wrath I smote thee, but in My good pleasure have I had mercy on thee.-To "smite in wrath," signifies temptation; "in good pleasure to have mercy," signifies deliverance from a principle of love. A.E. 205.
11. And thy gates shall be open continually; by day and by night they shall not be shut: to bring unto thee the wealth of the nations, and that their kings may be brought.
12. For the nation and the kingdom which will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly devastated.
Verses 11, 12, 18. The subject here treated of is concernlng the Lord, and concerning the church about to be established by Him; and by the above particulars is described the perpetual admission of those who are in Good and thence in Truths. By "the gates being open continually, and not shut by day and by night," is understood perpetual adrnission; by "the host of the nations [or Gentiles] are signified those who are in Good, and hy "kings" those who are in Truths; and that all should serve the Lord, is understood by its being said that "the nation and the kingdom which will not serve Thee shall perish." That "nation" or "nations" signify those who are in Good, may be seen above, 11. 275; and that "kings signify those who are in Truths, n. 31. A. E. 208.
13. The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee; the fir-tree, the pine, and the box together; to adorn the place of My sanctuary, and I will make the place of My feet glorious.
14. And the sons of them that afflicted thee shall come bending before thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet: and they shall call
thee, The City of Jehovah; The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Verse 13. The "glory of Lebanon," or the "cedar," is spiritual Good and Truth; the "fir-tree," the "pine," and the "Lox" are natural Goods and Truths which correspond. The "place of My sanctuary" is heaven and the church, and also the Word; the "place of My feet" is heaven, the church, and the Word in ultimates; that it is also the Word is, because heaven is heaven from the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord; in like manner the church; and the Divine Truth which makes the church and heaven is the Word. Hence it was that the inmost of the Tabernacle where the Ark was, in which the Law was deposited, was called the "Sanctuary;" the "Law" is the Word. A. C. 9406.
See further as to the meaning of the "cedar," "fir-tree," "box," &c., Chap. xli. 19, Exposition.
I will make the place of My feet glorious.-By "the place of the feet" of the Lord, in the general sense, are understood all things of heaven and the church, inasmuch as the Lord as a Sun is above the heavens; but, in a particular sense, by "the place of His feet" is signified the church; for the church of the Lord is with men in the natural world, and the natural principle is the ultimate into which the Divine [sphere] closes, and upon which it as it were subsists. Hence it follows that the church on earth is also called "the footstool of the Lord;" as in Isaiah :-"The earth is the stool of My feet." (lxvi. 1.) See also Matt. v. 35. A. E. 606.
15. Instead of thy being forsaken and bated, so that no one passed through thee, I will make thee an eternal magnificence, a joy of perpetual generations.
Verses 15, 16. I will make thee an eternal magnificence, &c.-Here "Zion" and "Jerusalem" are treated of, which are the celestial church, "Zion" its internal, and "Jerusalem " its external. To "suck the milk of the Gentiles," signifies the insinuation of celestial Good; to "suck the breast of kings," denotes the insinuation of celestial Truth. Everybody can see that there is a sense hidden in these words which does not appear in the letter, and that it is holy, because it is the divine Word; otherwise, what would be the meaning of "sucking the milk of, the Gentiles, and the breasts of kings"? The sense which is hidden, and which is holy, cannot possibly appear, unless it be known what is meant by "sucking," by "milk," by "Gentiles," by "breasts," and by "kings." A. C. 6745.
16. And thou shalt suck the milk of the nations; yea, thou shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I Jehovah am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
Verse 16. "Kings" denote Truths grounded in Good from the Lord, as may be seen above, n. 31; and "breasts" denote that Good, which is the Good of spiritual love. That the "breast" signifies the Good of spiritual love is from correspondence with heaven; for the whole heaven corresponds to all things of man,-the inmost or third heaven corresponds to the head, the middle or second to the breast, and the ultimate or first to the feet. On account of such, correspondence heaven is also called the Grand Man, and because the inmost or third heaven corresponds to the head, therefore by the "head" is signified the Good of celestial love, which is the Good of love to the Lord; the reason is, because that Good reigns in and makes that heaven; and because the middle or second heaven corresponds to the breast, therefore by the "breast" is signified the Good of spiritual love, which is the Good of neighbourly love, by reason that this Good reigns in and constitutes that heaven; and because the ultimate or first heaven corresponds to the feet, therefore by "feet" is signified the Good of natural love derived from spiritual, which is the Good of faith; the reason is, because that Good reigns in and constitutes that heaven. A. E. 65.
Verses 16, 17. By "breasts" are signified the affections of what is Good and True, both because they belong to the province of conjugial love and because thereby infants are nourished hence it is that the "breasts" signify the conjunction of conjugial love with the love of infants. To "suck the breasts of kings," is to suck Good out of Truth, for by " "kings" are signified primary Truths. (See A. C. 1672, 2015.) That by the milk of the nations [or Gentiles]," and by "the breast of lungs," something recondite, which is spiritual, is signified, must be evident; for otherwise they would be words without sense. That they signify what is good and True, is evident from those things which follow, namely:-"Instead of brass, I will bring qold; and instead of iron, I will bring silver;" for "brass" is natural Good, (A. C. 425.) "gold" is celestial Good; (A.C.113.) "iron" is natural Truth and "silver" is spiritual Truth, (1551.) A. C. 6432. See also 643, 1551.
17. Instead of brass, I will bring gold; and instead of iron, I will bring silver; and instead of wood, brass; and instead of stones, iron: and I will make thy government peace, and thine exactors righteousness.
18. Violence shall no more be heard in thy land; nor devastation and destruction within thy borders: but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.
Verses. 17, 18. The subject treated of in this chapter is concerning the advent of the Lord, and the New Heaven and the New Church to be then established; and by the above words is understood that they shall be spiritual and not natural as before, namely, they who are conjoined to the Lord by the Good of love; and that there shall be no more dissension or disagreement between the internal or spiritual man, and the external or natural man. That they shall be spiritual, and not natural as before, is understood by "Instead of brass, I will bring gold ; and instead of iron, I will bring silver; and instead of wood, brass; and instead of stones, iron;" "brass iron and stones " signifying things natural, and "gold, silver, and iron in the place thereof," denoting things spiritual--"gold" spiritual Good, "silver" the Truth of that Good, and "iron" spiritual-natural Truth. That the Lord will rule by the Good of love, is signified by "I will make thy government peace, and thine exactors justice;" "government" denoting rule, "peace" the Lord, and "justice" Good from the Lord. That there will be then no more disagreement between the spiritual and the natural man, is signifled by "violence shall no more be heard in the land, devastation and destruction [confractio] in thy borders;" by violence is meant dissension: by"land, the internal spiritual man, inasmuch as in that man the church is, which, in general, is signified by "land." or "earth;" by "devastation and destruction which shall be no more," is denoted that there shall be no longer any evils and falses; and by "in thy borders," is signified in the natural man; for in the things appertaining to the natural man, spiritual things are terminated. The reason why "devastation" and "destruction" signify evils and falses is, because evils devastate the natural man, and falses destroy [or break him up]. A. E. 305.
Verse 18. Thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, &c.-That "walls" signify the Truths of Faith defending, see Chap. xxvi. 1, Exposition.
19. The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: for Jehovah shall be to thee an everlasting light, and thy God shall be thy glory.
Verses 19, 20. By the "sun" here is signified the love which is merely natural, and by the "moon" the natural lumen thence derived; but by the "sun" and "moon" last mentioned, is understood the Sun and Moon of the angelic heaven; and by that "Sun" is signified the Divine Love of the Lord, and by the "Moon" the Divine Truth. This may appear from its being first said-"The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee;" and afterwards-"Thy Sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy Moon withdraw itself." From these considorations it is now evident what the "sun" and "moon" signify in both senses. A. E. 401.
By "the sun and the moon which shall shine no longer," is understood the love of self, and one's own intelligence; and by "the Sun and the Moon which shall set no more," are understood love from the Lord to the Lord, and intelligence and also faith from Him. A.R. 919.
20. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for Jehovah shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be fulfilled.
Verse 20. Treating concerning the Lord, and the New Heaven and the New Earth, that is, concerning the Church to be established by Him. That the Good of love to tho Lord should not perish, nor the Good of charity towards their neighbour, in those who belong to that church, is understood by "Thy Sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy Moon withdraw itself:" for the Lord appears to those who are in the Good of love to Him as a Sun, and to those who are in Truths from the Good of charity towards their neighbour as a Moon; hence by "thy Sun" is signified the Good of love to the Lord, and by "thy Moon" the Good of charity, which, in its essence, is Truth from Good. That they shall be to eternity in Truths from the Good of love, and in Truths from the Good of charity, is understood by "Jehovah shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be fulfilled;" the "everlasting light" is said of those who are in the Good of love to the Lord, and the "fulfilment of the days of mourning" of those who are in the Good of charity towards their neighbour, or in Truths originating in that Good; for "mourning," in the ancient churches, represented grief all account of the loss or deprivation of Truth and of Good; that "they shall be fulfilled" signifies that they shall be ended, and that they shall be in Truths from Good. From these considerations it may appear what is signified, in the opposite sense, by "the sun being darkened at his rising," and by "the moon not causing her light to shine," as may be seen in Isaiah xiii. 10, Exposition. A. E. 401.
21. And thy people shall be all just; for ever shall they possess the land: the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I maybe glorified.
Verse 21. As to "just" and also as to "justice," see Chap. lvii. 1, Exposition.
The work of My hands.-All things which are done by the Lord are called "the works of His hands," which are properly His works, and in themselves are Goods and Truths, as in the above passage; see also Chap, lxiv. 8. But "the works of man's hands" are from his proprium, hence from what is evil and false, as may be manifest from this fact, that it was prohibited to "build an altar and a temple of hewn stones, or to move an iron tool upon them." (Exod. xx. 25; Joshua viii. 30, 31; 1 Kings vi. 7.) A. R. 457. See also above, as to "hewn stones," Chap. ix. 10, Exposition.
22. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I Jehovah will hasten it in its time.
Verse 22. By these words is signified the multiplication of Truths and the fructification of Goods. A.E. 175.
Author: Emanuel Swedenborg [Compiled by J. H. Smithson 1860]
|
|
