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175. To him will I give power over the nations. That this signifies power over his evils, which will be dispersed by the Lord in such case, is evident from the signification of nations, as denoting evils, concerning which we shall speak in what follows; and from the signification of giving power over them, as denoting that evils are then dispersed by the Lord. To have power, when it is said, "over the nations," is to disperse, when used in reference to evils; thus are words applied to their subjects. The reason why they are dispersed by the Lord is, that the Lord disperses evils by means of truths. He first reveals them by means of truths; and when a man acknowledges them, the Lord then disperses them. (That the Lord alone does this, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 200.) Peoples and nations are often mentioned in the Word, and it is believed by those who know nothing of the spiritual or internal sense of the Word that peoples and nations are thereby meant; whereas by peoples are meant those who are in truths, or, in the opposite sense, those who are in falsities, and by nations, those who are in goods, or, in the opposite sense, those who are in evils. And when such are meant by peoples and nations, then also, in the abstract, by peoples are meant truths or falsities, and by nations goods or evils, for the true spiritual sense is not concerned with persons, spaces, times and similar things, that are proper to nature.
[2] The natural sense of the Word, which is the sense of its letter, is one with the things of nature, and therefore serves as a basis for the sense which is without these things. For all things in nature are ultimates of Divine order; and the Divine does not stop in the midst, but flows down to ultimates, and thus subsists. This is why the Word is such in the letter; unless it were of this nature, it would not serve as a basis for the wisdom of angels, who are spiritual. It may be seen, therefore, how much those err who despise the Word on account of its style. The reason why nations signify those who are in good, and, in the abstract goods themselves, is, that men in ancient times lived divided into nations, families and houses. They then mutually loved each other; the father of a nation loved the whole nation which sprang from himself; thus the good of love was the ruling good among them. This is why by nations are signified goods; but when men went in opposition to this, as was the case in the following ages, when empires took their rise, then nations signified evils. (See what is further said upon this subject in the small work, The Earths in the Universe 49, 90, 173, 174.)
[3] That nations in the Word signify goods or evils, and peoples truths or falsities is evident from the following passages.
In Isaiah:
"The nations shall walk to thy light and kings to the splendour of thy rising. Then shalt thou see and flow, and thine heart shall be enlarged, because the multitude of the sea is converted unto thee, the hosts of the nations come unto thee: thy gates shall be open continually, they shall not be shut day and night, to bring unto thee the host of the nations; and their kings shall be led down; for the nation or kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish. And the nations by wasting shall be wasted. Thou shalt suck the milk of nations, yea, the breasts of kings shalt thou suck; a little one shall become a thousand, and the few a numerous nation" (60:3, 5, 11, 12, 16, 22).
Here the Lord is treated of; and by nations are meant all those who are in the good of love, and by kings all those who are in the truths of faith towards Him. It is therefore evident who are meant by the nations of whom it is said, they "shall walk to thy light," and by "the host of the nations that shall be brought;" and also who are meant by kings, respecting whom it is said, "they shall walk to the brightness of thy rising," and "the kings of the nations shall be led down." It is also plain what is meant by sucking the milk of the nations and the breasts of kings; milk is the delight of the good of love, similarly breasts, as milk is from them. The multiplication of truth and the fructification of good, are described by a little one becoming a thousand, and the few a numerous nation. But by the nations which shall perish are meant all those who are in evils, and also the evils themselves.
[4] In the same:
"Behold I will lift up my hand towards the nations, and towards the peoples I will lift up my standard, that they may bring thy sons in the bosom and carry thy daughters upon the shoulder; and kings shall be thy nourishers, and princesses those who shall suckle thee; with the face to the earth shall they bow down to thee" (166). And of these it is said, kings shall be thy nourishers, and princesses those who shall suckle thee. Kings signify truths themselves, and princesses the goods thereof; and because a man is regenerated by means of these, and also nourished, it is therefore said that they shall be nourishers and those who shall give suck. (That man is regenerated by truths and by a life according to them, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 23, 24, 27, 186.) This is the internal sense of those words; and without that sense who could understand them?
[5] In the same:
"Jehovah said, Behold I spread out upon" Jerusalem "peace as a river, and as a torrent the glory of the nations that ye may suck. He shall come to gather together all nations and tongues, that they may come and see my glory. They shall announce my glory in the nations; then shall they bring your brethren from all nations, a gift to Jehovah upon horses and upon the chariot, to the mountain of my holiness" (Heaven and Hell 221-227). By nations and tongues, are meant all those who are in the goods of love and thence in truths. To bring from all nations a gift to Jehovah, upon horses and upon the chariot, denotes worship from the good of love, which is signified by a gift to Jehovah. Horses and chariots signify intellectual and doctrinal things, for from these and upon these worship is founded. (That horses and chariots have such a signification may be seen in the small work, The White Horse 1-5.)
[6] In the same:
"In that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the peoples; the nations shall seek" (Heaven and Hell 308, 318-328).
[7] In the same:
"A strong people shall honour thee, the city of the powerful nations shall fear thee" (25:3).
"Open ye the gates that the righteous nation may enter in. Thou hast added to the nation, Jehovah, thou hast added to the nation, thou art glorified" (26:2, 15).
"Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye peoples" (34:1).
In the same:
"I, Jehovah, have called thee in justice, for a covenant to the people, for a light of the nations" (42:6).
In Jeremiah:
"And the nations shall bless themselves in him - and in him shall they glory" (4:2).
In the same:
Who shall not fear thee, O king of nations? - and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee" (10:7).
And in Daniel:
"I saw in visions of the night, and behold with the clouds of heaven one like the Son of man. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, and all peoples, nations, and tongues shall serve him" (7:13, 14).
And in David:
"Let the peoples confess thee, O God; let all the peoples confess thee. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the peoples in rectitude, and shalt lead the nations upon earth" (67:3-4).
In the same:
"That I may see the good of thy chosen and be glad in the joy of thy nations" (106:5).
In the Apocalypse:
The glory and honour of the nations shall be brought into the New Jerusalem (21:26).
In Isaiah:
"Ye shall be called the priests of Jehovah; the ministers of our God, shall be said to you; ye shall eat the riches of the nations, and in their glory shall ye glory" (61:6).
In Lamentations:
"The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Jehovah, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, In his shadow we shall live among the nations" (4:20).
In these places, by nations are meant all those who are in love to the Lord, whether they be within the church, where the Word is, or out of it. That by nations, in an opposite sense, are meant those who are in evils, and, in the abstract, evils themselves, is evident from the following passages;
[8] as in Jeremiah:
"I will bring a nation upon you from far: it is a strong nation, it is a nation of an age, a nation whose language thou knowest not. It shall eat up thine harvest and thy bread, and shall eat thy sons and thy daughters: it shall eat up thy vine and thy fig-tree; it shall desolate cities with the sword" (Arcana Coelestia 9295); by bread, the good of love (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 218); by sons and daughters, the affections of truth and good (see above, n. 166); by vine, the internal church, thus the internal things of the church (see Arcana Coelestia 1069, 5113, 6376, 9277); by the fig-tree, the external church, thus the external things of the church (n. 5113); by cities, doctrines (see Arcana Coelestia 402, 2449, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493); by sword, falsity destroying (see above, n. 73, 131). From these considerations it is evident that by nation is signified the evil which destroys everything of the church.
[9] In the same:
"Behold I lay stumbling blocks before this people, that they may stumble upon them, the fathers and the sons together. Behold a people cometh from the land of the north, and a great nation from the sides of the land. They have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea, and they ride upon horses" (6:21-23).
In this passage also, nation denotes evil, and people falsities the stumbling blocks upon which the fathers and the sons stumble denote perversions of good and truth; fathers denote goods, and sons the truths therefrom. It is said, a people from the land of the north, and a nation from the sides of the land, because the north signifies that falsity from evil, and the sides of the land those things that are outside the church, thus they signify evils remote from the goods of the church. To roar like the sea, and to ride upon horses, denotes to persuade from the fallacies of the senses, and by reasonings therefrom.
[10] In Ezekiel:
"The land is full of the judgment of bloods, and the city is full of violence, therefore I will bring upon them the worst of the nations, and they shall occupy their houses; the king shall mourn and the prince shall be clothed with stupor" (Arcana Coelestia 662, 1066, 1068, 1262, 1413, 1607, 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577, 8011, 9325, 9643; that bloods denote falsities destroying goods, n. 374, 1005, 4735, 5476, 9127; that city denotes doctrine, n. 2268, 2449, 2451, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493; that violence denotes to violate the good of charity, n. 6353; that house denotes the things that belong to a man's mind, n. 710, 2231, 2233, 2559, 3128, 3538, 4973, 5023, 6690, 7353, 7848, 7910, 7929, 9150; that the king who shall mourn denotes the truth of the church, may be seen above, n. 31.)
[11] Again, in David:
"Jehovah rendereth vain the counsel of the nations, he subverteth the thoughts of the peoples" (Psalms 33:10).
Nations denote those who are in evils, and peoples those who are in falsities; and because both the former and the latter are signified, it is therefore said, that Jehovah rendereth vain the counsel of the nations, and subverteth the thoughts of the peoples, which are two expressions as it were signifying one thing, but yet they are distinct in the internal sense, in which nations signify one thing, and peoples another.
[12] In Luke:
"Then they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be taken captive among all nations, and at length Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the nations, until the times of the nations be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and upon the earth distress of nations, the sea and the waves roaring" (21:24, 25).
The consummation of the age is here treated of, which is the last time of the church, when there is no longer any faith because no charity, or no truth because no good. This is described in the above passage by correspondences. To fall by the edge of the sword is to be destroyed by falsities; to be taken captive among all nations is to be possessed by evils of every kind; Jerusalem, which shall be trodden under foot is the church; the sun denotes love to the Lord; the moon, faith towards Him; the stars denote knowledges (cognitiones) of good and truth; the signs in them denote that they therefore would perish; the sea and the waves roaring are fallacies and reasonings.
[13] In Matthew:
"Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places; and they shall deliver you up to tribulation; and ye shall be hated by all nations for my name's sake" (102, 135).
[14] In Ezekiel:
"Behold, Asshur a cedar in Lebanon, he is become high and his branches are multiplied: in his branches have all the birds of the heavens built their nests, and under his branches all the beasts of the field have brought forth, and in his shade have dwelt great nations. But his heart is lifted up in his height, wherefore I will give him into the hand of the strong, one of the nations, strangers shall cut him off, and the violent of the nations shall cast him down; whence all peoples of the earth have descended from his shade, and have deserted him" (1059, 1159, 1258, 1260, 1416, 1849, 6005; concerning the assembly of the nations as denoting truths and goods, n. 4574, 7830; concerning the holy nation, as denoting the spiritual kingdom, n. 9255, 9256. When it is said nation and people, by nation are meant those who are in celestial good, and by people those who are in spiritual good, n. 10288. That by nations, especially those of the land of Canaan, are meant evils and falsities of every kind, n. 1059, 1205, 1868, 6306, 8054, 8317, 9320, 9327.)
175. I will give him power over the nations, signifies over the evils within him, which will then be scattered by the Lord. This is evident from the signification of "nations," as being evils (of which presently); and from the signification of "giving power over them," as being that these (the evils) will then be dispersed by the Lord. "To have power," in reference to "over the nations," means to scatter in reference to evils; thus there is an adaptation of words to their subjects. It is said that evils will be scattered by the Lord, for the Lord scatters evils by means of truths. He first discovers them to man by means of truths, and when man acknowledges the evils, the Lord scatters them. (That the Lord alone does this, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 200.) "Nations and peoples" are often mentioned in the Word, and those who know nothing of the spiritual or internal sense of the Word, believe that peoples and nations are to be understood. But "peoples" mean those who are in truths, or in the contrary sense those who are in falsities, and "nations" those who are in goods, or in the contrary sense, those who are in evils. And as such are meant by "peoples" and by "nations," so abstractly from persons "peoples" mean truths or falsities, and "nations" goods and evils; for the true spiritual sense is abstracted from persons, spaces, times, and like things, that are proper to nature.
[2] With these the natural sense of the Word, which is the sense of its letter, is at one; and the sense that is at one with these serves as a basis to the sense that is apart from them. For all things that are in nature are ultimates of Divine order, and the Divine does not rest in the middle, but flows down even to its ultimates, and there subsists. From this it is that the Word in the letter is such as it is, and unless it were such it would not serve as a basis for the wisdom of angels who are spiritual. It can be seen from this how mistaken those are who despise the Word on account of its style. "Nations" signify those who are in good, and in the abstract, goods, because men who lived in ancient times were divided into nations, families, and houses; and they then loved each other mutually; and the father of a nation loved the whole nation which was from him; thus the good of love reigned among them. For this reason "nations" signified goods. But when men came into the opposite state, which took place in the following ages when empires were established, then "nations" signified evils. (See further on this subject in The small work on The 49, 90, 173, 174.)
[3] That "nations" in the Word signify either goods or evils, and "people" either truths or falsities, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Nations shall walk to Thy light, and kings to the brightness of Thy rising. Then shalt Thou see and flow together, and Thine heart shall be enlarged, because the multitude of the sea is converted unto Thee, the army of the nations come unto Thee; Thy gates shall be opened continually, they shall not be shut by day and by night, that men may bring unto Thee the army of the nations, and their kings shall be brought; for the nation or kingdom that will not serve Thee shall perish; and the nations by wasting shall be wasted. Thou shalt suck the milk of nations, even the breasts of kings shalt Thou suck. The little one shall become a thousand, and the few a numerous nation (Isaiah 60:3, 5, 11-12, 16, 22).
Here the Lord is treated of; and by "nations" all who are in the good of love to Him are meant, and by "kings" all who are in the truths of faith in Him. From this it is manifest who are meant by the "nations" that "shall walk to Thy light;" and by "the army of the nations that shall be brought;" also, who are meant by "the kings" that "shall walk to the brightness of Thy rising;" and by "the kings of the nations" that "shall be brought;" also, what is meant by "Thou shalt suck the milk of nations and the breasts of kings" ("milk" is the delight of the good of love, likewise "breasts," for milk is from them). The multiplication of truth and the fructification of good are described by the "little one shall become a thousand, and the few a numerous nation." But by "the nations that shall be wasted" are meant all that are in evils, and also the evils themselves.
[4] In the same:
Behold I will lift up My hand towards the nations, and set up Mine ensign towards the peoples, that they may bring thy sons in the bosom, and carry thy daughters upon the shoulder; and kings shall be thy nourishers and the chief women thy sucklers; with the face to the earth shall they bow down to thee (Isaiah 49:22, 23).
here also the Lord is treated of, and those who shall worship and adore Him. To "lift up His hand towards the nations, and His ensign towards the peoples, " 1is to join to Himself all who are in the goods of love and in truths therefrom; of these it is said that "they shall bring thy sons in the bosom, and carry thy daughters upon the shoulder;" "sons" are the affections of truth, and "daughters" the affections of good (See above, n. 166). And of these it is said that their "kings shall be thy nourishers, and the chief women thy sucklers." "Kings" are truths themselves, "chief women" are the goods thereof; and as man is regenerated by both of these, and also nourished, it is said that they shall be "nourishers" and "sucklers." (That man is regenerated by means of truths and a life according to them, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 23, 24, 27, 186.) This is the internal sense of these words; without that sense who could understand them?
[5] In the same:
Jehovah said, Behold I spread out upon Jerusalem peace as a river, and as a torrent the glory of the nations, that ye may suck. He will come to gather all nations and tongues, that they may come and see My glory. They shall declare My glory among the nations; then shall they bring your brethren out of all nations, as a gift to Jehovah, upon horses and upon the chariot, to the mountain of My holiness (Heaven and Hell 221-227). By "nations and tongues" all who are in the goods of love and in truths therefrom are meant. It is said that "they shall bring out of all nations a gift to Jehovah, upon horses and upon the chariot;" "a gift to Jehovah" is worship from the good of love; "horses and chariots" are intellectuals and doctrinals, for these are the source and foundation of worship. (That this is what "horses and chariots" signify, see 1:1-5.)
[6] In the same:
It shall be in that day that a Root of Jesse, which shall stand for a sign of the people, the nations shall seek (Heaven and Hell 308, 318-328).
[7] In the same:
A strong people shall honor Thee, the city of the powerful nations shall fear thee (Isaiah 25:3).
In the same:
Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation may enter in. Thou hast increased the nation, O Jehovah, Thou hast increased the nation, Thou art glorified (Isaiah 26:2, 15).
In the same:
Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye peoples (Isaiah 34:1).
In the same:
I, Jehovah, have called thee in righteousness, for a covenant to the people, for a light of the nations (Isaiah 42:6).
In Jeremiah:
The nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him shall they glory (Jeremiah 4:2).
In the same:
Who will not fear Thee, O king of nations? and in all their kingdom there is none like unto Thee (Jeremiah 10:7).
In Daniel:
I was seeing in the night visions, and behold with the clouds of heaven One like the Son of man. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom; and all peoples, nations, and tongues shall worship Him (J er. Daniel 7:13, 14).
In David:
The peoples shall give thanks unto Thee, O God; all the peoples shall give thanks unto Thee. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for Thou shalt judge the peoples with equity, and shalt lead the nations upon the earth (Psalms 67:3, 4).
In the same:
That I may see the good of Thy chosen, and be glad in the joy of Thy nations (Psalms 106:5).
In Revelation:
The glory and honor of the nations shall be brought into the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:26).
In Isaiah:
Ye shall be called priests of Jehovah; ministers of your 2God, it shall be said to you. Ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory shall ye glory (Isaiah 61:6).
In the Lamentations:
The breath of our nostrils, the Anointed of Jehovah, was taken in their pits; of whom we had said, In His shadow we shall live among the nations (Lamentations 4:20).
In these passages, by "nations" all who are in love to the Lord, whether within the church where the Word is or out it: are meant.
[8] That by "nations" in a contrary sense those who are in evils are meant, and in the abstract, evils themselves, can be seen from the following passages. In Jeremiah:
I will bring a nation upon you from far, it is a mighty nation; it is a nation of an age, a nation whose tongue thou shalt not know. It shall eat up thy harvest and thy bread; it shall eat up thy sons and thy daughters; it shall eat up thy vine and thy fig-tree; it shall impoverish the cities with the sword (Arcana Coelestia 9295); by "bread" the good of love (See in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 218); by "sons and daughters" the affections of truth and good (See above, n. 166); by "vine" the internal church, thus the internal things of the church (See Arcana Coelestia 1069, 5113, 6376, 9277): by "fig-tree" the external church, thus the external things of the church (Arcana Coelestia 5113); by "cities" doctrines (Arcana Coelestia 402, 2449, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493); by "sword" falsity destroying (See above, n. 73, 131). From this it can be seen that by "nations" is signified the evil that destroys all these.
[9] In the same:
Behold I lay stumbling-blocks before this people, that they may stumble upon them, the fathers and the sons together. Behold, a people cometh from the land of the north, and a great nation from the sides of the earth. They have no compassion, their voice roareth like the sea, and they ride upon horses (Jeremiah 6:21-23).
Here also "nation" means evil, and "peoples" falsities, "the stumbling-blocks upon which the fathers and the sons stumble" are the perversions of good and truth ("fathers" are goods, and "sons" truths therefrom). It is said, "a people from the land of the north, and a nation from the sides of the earth," for the "north" signifies falsity from evil, and "the sides of the earth" signify what is outside of the church, thus evils remote from the goods of the church. "To roar like the sea, and to ride upon horses," is to persuade by fallacies of the senses, and by reasonings therefrom.
[10] In Ezekiel:
The land is full of the judgment of bloods, and the city is full of violence, wherefore I will bring the worst of the nations, that they may occupy their houses; the king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with stupor (662, 1066, 1068, 1262, 1413, 1607, 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577, 8011, 9325, 9643; that "bloods" are falsities destroying good, n. 374, 1005, 4735, 5476, 9127; that "city" is doctrine, n. 2268, 2449, 2451, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493; that "violence" is using force against the good of charity, n. 6353; that "houses" are the things of man that belong to his mind, n. 710, 2231, 2233, 2559, 3128, 3538, 4973, 5023, 6690, 7353, 7848, 7910, 7929, 9150; that "the king who shall mourn" is the truth of the church, see above n. 31.)
[11] In David:
Jehovah bringeth the counsel of the nations to naught, He overthroweth the thoughts of the peoples (Psalms 33:10).
"Nations" mean those who are in evils, and "peoples" those who are in falsities; and because both are signified, it is said that "Jehovah bringeth the counsel of the nations to naught, and overthroweth the thoughts of the peoples," which are two expressions, as it were, of one thing, yet they are distinct in the internal sense, in which "nations" signify one thing, and "peoples" another.
[12] In Luke:
Then they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive among all nations, and at length Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the nations, until the time of the nations be fulfilled. Then there shall be signs in sun, moon, and stars, and upon the earth anguish of nations, the sea and the waves roaring (Luke 21:24-25).
The consummation of the age is here treated of, which is the last time of the church, when there is no longer any faith because there is no charity, or no truth because there is no good. This is here described by correspondences: "to fall by the edge of the sword" is to be destroyed by falsities; "to be led captive among all nations" is to be possessed by evils of every kind; "Jerusalem, which shall be trodden down," is the church; the "sun" is love to the Lord; the "moon" faith in Him; the "stars" the knowledges of good and truth; the "signs" in them mean that these are to perish; "the sea and the waves that shall roar" are fallacies and reasonings therefrom.
[13] In Matthew:
Nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. And they shall deliver you unto affliction, and ye shall be hated of all the nations for My name's sake (102, 135).
[14] In Ezekiel:
Behold Asshur a cedar in Lebanon. He has become high, and his branches have been multiplied. In his branches have all the fowl of the heavens built their nests, and under his branches all the beasts of the field have brought forth, and in his shade have dwelt all great nations. But his heart is lifted up in his height; therefore I will give him into the hand of the strong one of the nations, strangers shall cut him off, the violent of the nations, and they shall cast him down; whence all peoples of the earth have gone down from his shadow, and have abandoned him (1059, 1159, 1258, 1260, 1416, 1849, 6005; "the assembly of the nations," truths and goods, n. 4574, 7830; "the holy nation," the spiritual kingdom, n . AC 9255, 9256; when it is said "nation and people," by "nation" those who are in celestial good are meant, and by "people" those who are in spiritual good, n. 10288. That by "nations," especially the nations of the land of Canaan, evils and falsities of every kind are meant, n. 1059, 1205, 1868, 6306, 8054, 8317, 9320, 9327).
Footnotes:
1. The Latin has "kings" for "peoples," but see text as quoted just before.
2. Hebrew: "our," as also found in Apocalypse Explained 155, 1115, Arcana Coelestia 9809; but in Apocalypse Revealed 128 we find "your."
175. (a). "Et dabo illi potestatem super gentes." - Quod significet quod super mala apud se, quae tunc a Domino discutientur, constat ex significatione "gentium", quod sint mala (de qua sequitur); et ex significatione "dare potestatem super illas", quod sit quod illa, nempe mala, tunc a Domino discutientur: "potestatem habere" cum dicitur "super gentes", est discutere cum dicitur de malis; ita voces applicantur suis subjectis: quod discutientur a Domino, est quia Dominus discutit mala per vera; revelat illa prius per vera, et cum homo agnoscit illa, tunc Dominus discutit illa. (Quod solus Dominus id faciat, videatur Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae, n. 200.) Pluries in Verbo nominantur "gentes et populi", et qui non scit aliquid de sensu spirituali seu interno Verbi, credit quod populi et gentes intelligantur, sed per "populos" intelliguntur illi qui in veris sunt, aut in opposito sensu qui in falsis, ac per "gentes" intelliguntur illi qui in bonis, aut in opposito sensu qui in malis; et cum per "populos" et "gentes" illi intelliguntur, etiam abstracte a personis per "populos" intelliguntur vera aut falsa, ac per "gentes" bona aut mala, nam verus sensus spiritualis est abstractus a personis, spatiis, temporibus, et similibus quae sunt propria Naturae;
[2] sensus naturalis Verbi, qui est sensus litterae ejus, est una cum illis, et sensus qui est una cum illis inservit pro basi sensui qui est absque illis: omnia enim quae in Natura sunt, ultima ordinis Divini sunt; ac Divinum non subsistit in medio, sed defluit usque ad sua ultima, et sic subsistit; inde est quod Verbum tale sit in littera, et nisi tale foret, non inserviret sapientiae angelorum, qui spirituales sunt, pro basi. Inde videri potest quantum errant qui contemnunt Verbum propter stylum.
Quod "gentes" significent illos qui in bono sunt, et abstracte bona, est quia homines antiquis temporibus vixerunt distincti in gentes, familias, et domos, et tunc amaverunt se mutuo et pater gentis totam gentem quae ex se erat, ita erat inter illos bonum amoris regnans; inde est, quod per "gentes" significentur bona. At cum in contrarium iverunt, quod factum est sequentibus aevis, cum imperia coeperunt, tunc per "gentes" significata sunt mala. (Sed plura de his videantur in opusculo De Telluribus in Universo, n. 49, 90, 173, 174.)
[3] Quod "gentes" in Verbo significent bona aut mala, ac "populi" vera aut falsa, constare potest a sequentibus his locis:
- Apud Esaiam,
"Ambulabunt gentes ad lucem tuam, et reges ad splendorem ortus tui.... Tunc videbis et afflues, .... et dilatabit se cor tuum, quod convertatur ad Te multitudo maris, exercitus gentium 1
veniunt ad Te.... aperientur portae tuae jugiter, interdiu et noctu non claudentur, ad adducendum ad Te exercitum gentium, et reges earum deducentur; nam gens aut regnum quae non servient Tibi peribunt; et gentes vastando vastabuntur.... Suges lac gentium, immo ubera regum suges.... Exiguus erit in mille, et paucus in gentem numerosam" (Esaiam 40 [3,] 5, 11, 12, 16, 22);
agitur ibi de Domino, et per "gentes" intelliguntur omnes qui in bono amoris sunt in Ipsum, et per "reges" omnes qui in veris fidei in Ipsum; inde patet quinam intelliguntur per "gentes" quae "ambulabunt ad lucem tuam" et per "exercitum gentium" quae "adducentur", et quinam per "reges qui ambulabunt ad splendorem ortus tui", et per "reges gentium" qui "deducentur"; et quid intelligitur per quod "suges lac gentium, et ubera regum" ("lac" est jucundum boni amoris, similiter "ubera" quia ex illis lac); multiplicatio veri et fructificatio boni describitur per quod "exiguus erit in mille, et paucus in gentem numerosam": per "gentes" autem "quae vastabuntur", intelliguntur omnes qui in malis sunt, et quoque ipsa mala.
[4] Apud eundem,
"Ecce tollam erga gentes manum meam, et erga populos tollam signum meum, ut adferant filios tuos in sinu, et filias tuas super humero apportent; et erunt reges nutritii tui, et principes feminae lactatrices tuae; facies (ad) terram incurvabunt Tibi" (49:22, 23);
agitur etiam ibi de Domino, et de illis qui Ipsum colent et adorabunt; "tollere erga gentes manum et erga 2
populos signum", est adsciscere sibi omnes qui in bonis amoris et inde veris sunt; de his dicitur, quod "adferent filios tuos in sinu, et filias tuas apportabunt humero"; "filii" sunt affectiones veri, et "filiae" sunt affectiones boni (videatur supra, n. 166 3
); et de illis dicitur quod eorum "reges erunt nutritii tui, et principes feminae lactatrices tuae"; "reges" sunt ipsa vera, "principes feminae" sunt eorum bona; per haec et illa quia homo regeneratur et quoque alitur, dicitur quod erunt "lactatrices" et "nutritii." (Quod homo per vera et per vitam secundum illa regeneretur, videatur in Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae, n. 23, 24, 27, 186.) Hic est sensus internus horum verborum; quis absque eo sensu intellecturus esset illa?
[5] Apud eundem,
"Dixit Jehovah, Ecce Ego expandens super" Hierosolymam, "sicut fluvium, pacem, et sicut torrentem (inundantem), gloriam gentium, ut sugatis.... . Veniet ad congregandum omnes gentes et linguas, ut veniant videantque gloriam meam.... . . Annuntiabunt gloriam meam in gentibus; tunc adducent fratres vestros ex omnibus gentibus munus Jehovae super equis et super curru, .... ad montem sanctitatis meae" (66:12, 18-20);
"Hierosolyma" ibi est ecclesia Domini in caelis et in terris; ecclesia in caelis dicitur, quia ibi etiam est ecclesia (videatur in opere De Caelo et Inferno 221-227); per "gentes et linguas" intelliguntur omnes qui in bonis amoris et inde veris: (dicitur) "adducere ex omnibus gentibus munus Jehovae super equis et super curru", (et hic) "munus Jehovae" est cultus ex bono amoris, "equi et currus" sunt intellectualia et doctrinalia, nam ex his et super his fundatur cultus.
(Quod "equi et currus" illa significent, videatur in opusculo De Equo Albo 1-5.)
[6] Apud eundem,
"Fiet in die illo Radicem Jischaji, qui stans in signum populorum, gentes quaerent" (11:10);
"Radix Ischaji" est Dominus; "Stare in signum populorum", est ut videatur ab illis qui in veris sunt; "gentes qui quaerent" sunt qui in bono amoris: creditur quod per "gentes" ibi intelligantur gentes quae accessurae sunt et Dominum agniturae, ex quibus ecclesia quae Ecclesia Gentium vocatur; at non illi per "gentes" intelliguntur, sed omnes qui in amore et fide in Dominum Sunt, sive intra ecclesiam sive extra illam sint (videatur in opere De Caelo et Inferno 308, 4
318-328).
[7] Apud eundem,
"Honorabunt Te populus validus, urbs gentium potentium timebunt Te" (25:3);
apud eundem,
"Aperite portas ut ingrediatur gens justa; .... addidisti genti, Jehovah, addidisti genti, glorificatus es" ( 5
apud eundem,
"Appropinquate gentes ad audiendum, et populi auscultate" (34:1);
apud eundem,
"Jehovah vocavi Te in justitia, .... in foedus populo, in lucem gentium" (42:6);
apud Jeremiam,
"Benedicent sibi in Eo gentes, et in Eo gloriabuntur" (4:2);
apud eundem,
"Quis non timebit Te, Rex gentium? .... et in omni regno earum non sicut Tu" (10:7);
apud Danielem,
"Videns fui in visionibus noctis, et ecce cum nubibus caeli sicut Filius hominis; .... Huic datum est dominium et gloria et regnum, et omnes populi, gentes, et linguae Ipsum colent" (7:13, 14);
apud Davidem,
"Confitebuntur Tibi populi, Deus, confitebuntur Tibi populi omnes. laetabuntur et jubilabunt gentes, eo quod judicaturus es populos rectitudine, et gentes in terra ducturus es" ( 6
apud eundem,
"Ut videam bonum electorum tuorum, et laeter in gaudio gentium tuarum" (Psalm. 106:5 7
);
in Apocalypsi,
Afferretur gloria et honor gentium in Novam Hierosolymam (21:26 8
);
apud Esaiam,
"Vos sacerdotes Jehovae vocabimini, ministri Dei 9
nostri, dicetur vobis; opes gentium comedetis, et in gloria earum gloriabimini" (61:6);
in Threnis,
"Spiritus narium nostrarum, Unctus Jehovae, captus est in foveis eorum, de quo dixeramus, In umbra ejus vivemus inter gentes" (4:20).
In his locis per "gentes" intelliguntur omnes qui in amore in Dominum sunt, sive intra ecclesiam ubi Verbum est, sive extra illam sint.
[8] (b.) Quod per "gentes" in opposito sensu intelligantur illi qui in malis sunt, et abstracte ipsa mala, constare potest a sequentibus:
- Apud Jeremiam,
"Adducam super vos gentem e longinquo .... gens valida ista, gens a saeculo ista, gens cujus non cognosces linguam; .... comedet messem tuam et panem tuam, comedet filios tuos et filias tuas comedet vitem tuam et ficum tuam; desolabit urbes .... gladio" (5:15, 17);
agitur ibi de vastatione ecclesiae, et per "gentem" intelligitur malum, quod illam consummaturum; inde dicitur quod "comedet messem et panem", "filios et filias", "vitem et ficum", et "depauperabit urbes gladio"; per quae significantur omnia bona amoris et vera fidei; per "messem" status receptionis veri a bono (videatur n. 9295); per "panem", bonum amoris (in Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae, n. 218); per "filios et filias", affectiones veri et boni (supra, n. 166 10
); per "vitem", ecclesia interna, ita interna ecclesiae (in Arcanis Caelestibus, n. 1069, 5113, 6376, 9277); per "ficum", ecclesia externa, ita externa ecclesiae (n. 5113); per "urbes", doctrinae (n. 4011, 11
2449, 12
2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493); per "gladium", falsum destruens (supra, n. 73, 131(b)): ex his constare potest quod per "gentem" significetur malum quod destruit ea omnia.
[9] Apud eundem,
"Ecce Ego dans coram populo hoc offendicula, ut offendant in iis patres et filii: .... ecce populus veniens e terra septentrionis, et gens magna ex lateribus terrae; .... non miserantur, vox 13
eorum sicut mare resonat, et super equis equitant" (6:21-23);
"gens" etiam ibi pro malo, et "populi" pro falsis; "offendicula in quibus offendent patres et filii", sunt perversiones boni et veri ("patres" sunt bona, et "filii" sunt vera quae inde); "populus" dicitur "e terra septentrionis, et gens e lateribus terrae", quia "septentrio" significat falsum ex malo, et "latera terrae" significant quae extra ecclesiam, ita significant mala remota a bonis ecclesiae; "resonare sicut mare, et equitare super equis", est persuadere ex fallaciis sensuum, et per ratiocinia inde.
[10] Apud Ezechielem,
"Terra est plena judicio sanguinum, et urbs plena est Violentia; ideo adducam pessimas gentium, ut occupent domos eorum; .... rex lugebit, et princeps induetur stupore" (7:23, 24, 27);
"terra" est ecclesia; "plena judicio sanguinum", est quod sit in falsis destruentibus bona; "urbs" est doctrina; "plena violentia", est quod vim inferat bono charitatis; "pessimae gentium", sunt dira falsa ex malo; "occupare domos eorum", est mentes eorum; "rex" qui "lugebit", est verum ecclesiae; "princeps" qui "induetur stupore", est verum inserviens.
(Quod "terra" sit ecclesia, videatur n. 662, 1066, 14
1068, 1262, 1413, 1607, 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577, 8011, 9325, 9643:
quod "sanguines" sint falsa destruentia bonum, n. 374, 1005, 4735, 5476, 9127:
quod "urbs" sit doctrina, n. 2268, 15
2449, 2451, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4192, 4493:
quod "violentia" sit vis inferens bono charitatis, n. 6353:
quod "domus" sint illa apud hominem quae ejus mentis sunt, n. 710, 16
4973, 5023, 6690, 7353, 7848, 7910, 7929, 9150: "rex" qui "lugebit", quod sit verum ecclesiae, videatur supra, n. 31(a).)
[11] Apud Davidem,
"Jehovah irritum reddit consilium gentium, subvertit cogitationes populorum" (Psalms 33:10);
"gentes" pro illis qui sunt in malis, et "populi" pro illis qui sunt in falsis; quia illi et hi significantur, ideo dicitur quod "Jehovah irritum reddet consilium gentium, et subvertet cogitationes populorum", quae sunt binae expressiones sicut unius rei, sed usque distinctae sunt in sensu interno, in quo per "gentes" aliud significatur quam per "populos."
[12] Apud Lucam,
"Tunc cadent acie gladii, et captivabuntur inter omnes gentes, et tandem Hierosolyma erit conculcata a gentibus, usque dum implebuntur tempora gentium; tunc erunt signa in sole, luna et astris, et super terra angustia gentium, .... resonante mari et salo" (Lucam 21:24, 25);
agitur ibi de consummatione saeculi, quae est ultimum tempus ecclesiae, quando nulla amplius fides quia nulla charitas, seu non verum quia non bonum: hoc describitur ibi per correspondentias; "cadere acie gladii" est destrui a falsis; "captivari inter omnes gentes" est occupari a malis omnis generis; "Hierosolyma" quae "erit conculcata" est ecclesia; "sol" est amor in Dominum, "luna" est fides in Ipsum, "astra" seu "stellae" sunt cognitiones boni et veri; "signa in illis" est quod peritura; "mare et salum" quae "resonabunt" sunt fallaciae et inde ratiocinia.
[13] Apud Matthaeum,
"Insurget gens contra gentem, et regnum contra regnum, et erunt fames, pestes et terrae motus in singulis locis; .... et tradent vos in afflictionem: .... et eritis exosi omnibus gentibus propter nomen meum" (24:7, 9; Luca 21:10, 11);
haec etiam dicta sunt a Domino de ultimo tempore ecclesiae, et per quod "insurget gens contra gentem et regnum contra regnum", significatur quod dissidia erunt malorum et falsorum inter se; per "fames et pestes" significatur defectus et consumptio verorum; per "terrae motus" perversio ecclesiae; per "esse exosi omnibus gentibus", significatur esse exosi omnibus qui in malo sunt; per "nomen Domini", propter quod "exosi erunt", significantur omnia amoris et fidei, per quae Dominus colitur (videatur supra, n. 102, 135).
[14] Apud Ezechielem,
"Ecce Aschur, cedrus in Libano, .... alta facta est et multiplicati sunt rami ejus in ramis ejus nidificarunt omnes aves caelorum, et sub ramis ejus pepererunt omnes bestiae agri, et in umbra ejus habitarunt omnes gentes magnae.... . Sed elatum est cor ejus in altitudine sua, quare dabo eum in manum fortis gentium, .... exscindent eum alieni, violenti gentium, et dejicient eum; .... unde descenderunt ex umbra ejus omnes populi terrae, et deseruerunt eum" (31:3, 5, 6, [10,] 11, 12);
haec nemo intellecturus est nisi noverit sensum spiritualem seu internum Verbi; credet quod sint merae comparationes, in quibus non aliqua significatio spiritualis, cum tamen singula ibi significant talia quae caeli et ecclesiae sunt; quare illa paucis explicabuntur: "Aschur" est rationale hominis ecclesiae quod illustratur; hoc vocatur "cedrus in Libano", quia "cedrus" significat idem cum "Aschure", in specie verum ex bono ibi; et "Libanus" est mens ubi illud, quia in Libano cedri; "rami ejus" qui "multiplicati", sunt vera inde; "aves caelorum" qui "nidificarunt in ramis ejus", sunt affectiones veri; "bestiae agri" quae "pepererunt sub ramis", sunt affectiones boni; "gentes magnae" quae "in umbra ejus habitarunt", sunt bona amoris; "cor elatum in altitudine sua", est amor sui; "dari in manum fortis gentium, ac dejici a violentis gentium", est quod mala ex illo amore destruent bona et vera; "populi terrae" qui "descenderunt ex umbra ejus et deseruerunt eum", sunt omnia vera ecclesiae: quod per "gentes" significentur bona, et in opposito sensu mala, constat inde; per "gentes" quae "habitarunt in umbra ejus", bona, et per "gentes" quae "exscindent et dejiciunt eum", mala. (Praeterea videantur quae de gentibus et earum significatione dicta et ostensa sunt in Arcanis Caelestibus, nempe quod per "gentes" in Verbo intelligantur qui in bono, et quod inde per illas significentur bona, n. 1059, 1159, 1258, 1260, 1416, 1849, 6005; "coetus gentium", quod sint vera et bona, n. 4574, 7830; "gens sancta", quod sit regnum spirituale, n. 9255, 9256; cum dicitur "gens et populus", quod per "gentem" intelligantur qui in bono caelesti, et per "populum" qui in bono spirituali, n. 19
10288. Quod per "gentes", imprimis per "gentes terrae Canaanis", intelligantur mala et falsa omnis generis, n. 1059, 1205, 1868, 20
6306, 8054, 8317, 9320, 9327.)
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