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434. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand.- That this signifies the light of truth from that love, and that all who are therein are in heaven and come into heaven, is plain from the signification of the tribe of Reuben, which denotes those who are in the light of truth, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of twelve thousand, as denoting, all things and all persons, concerning which see above (n. 430); here all who are in the light of truth from the good of love to the Lord, and this love is signified by the tribe of Judah, as shown just above (n. 433:1); and from the signification of the sealed, as denoting, those who are in heaven and come into heaven, concerning also which see above (n.
[427:2], 433). It has been previously shown, that the twelve tribes of Israel represented, and thence signify in the Word, all things of the church, that each tribe signifies some universal essential of it, and that Judah signifies love to the Lord, but Reuben light from that love, will be seen in what follows.
[2] Reuben, and therefore the tribe named from him, in the highest sense, signifies the Lord as to foresight or foreknowledge; in the internal sense, spiritual faith and the understanding of truth; and in the external sense, sight. And because Reuben in the internal sense, signifies faith and the understanding, he also signifies the light of truth, for faith exists from the light of truth, from which the understanding is enlightened; for where the light of truth is, there are understanding and faith.
[3] Reuben or his tribe has a signification similar to that of the apostle Peter. For the twelve apostles, like the twelve tribes of Israel, represented all things of the church, and each apostle some universal essential of it. And because Peter has a representation similar to that of Reuben, he was therefore the first of the apostles, as Reuben was the first of the sons of Jacob. That Peter signifies truth in the light, and also faith, may be seen above (n. 9, 411:12-15).
[4] Reuben was the first of the sons of Jacob, and the tribe called after him is therefore named first in many passages of the Word, because he was the first-begotten, and the first-begotten in the Word signifies truth from good, or, what is the same thing, truth in the light, and therefore faith from charity. For truth, and that which pertains to faith, appears to man to be first, for it enters by the hearing into the memory, and is called forth thence into the thought; and what a man thinks, this he sees and perceives by interior sight, and that which is first perceived and seen is first, but only apparently, not actually. Good is actually the first-begotten, or the first thing of the church, because truth exists from good, for good forms itself in truths, and by means of truths renders itself visible, therefore truth is good in form. Truth is consequently said to be from good, and faith from charity, for that which is from anything is that thing in an image, and viewed in itself it is good formed and born; this therefore in the spiritual sense of the Word is the first-begotten. Moreover, with infants, the good of innocence is the first thing imparted by the Lord, and from this a man first becomes man. And because good is of love, and because man does not reflect upon his love, but upon his thought from the memory, and since good possesses no quality until formed into truths, and as apart from quality nothing is perceived, therefore it is not known that good is the first, and the first-begotten. For good is first formed by the Lord in man, and is brought forth by means of truths, in which good is in its own form and effigy.
[5] Moreover it must be known that the truths which a man receives from the Word, and from doctrine and preaching from it, during his infancy and childhood, appear indeed to be truths, yet are not truths with him; they are only like shells without kernels; or like the form of body and face without soul and life. They do not become truths before they are received in the will, for then they are first received by a man, and begin to live in him. For the will is the man himself, and all good is of the will, and all truth is of the understanding thence. From these things the reason is clear why the tribe of Judah, which signifies the good of love to the Lord, is named first, and afterwards the tribe of Reuben, which signifies truth in the light, from that good.
[6] It is to be noted, that all the light in which truth appears is from the light of heaven and this is from the Lord. The light of heaven is from the Divine Good of His Divine Love. The light of heaven is the Divine Good in form. These two in heaven are one, and are received by the angels as one. They must also be received by man as one, in order that he may have communion with angels. But these things are fully explained in the Arcana Coelestia, to this effect, that when man is being regenerated, truth is in the first place and good in the second, not actually but apparently, but that when he is regenerated, good is in the first place and truth in the second, actually and perceptibly (n. 3324, 3325, 3330, 3336, 3494, 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603, 3701, 4243, 4245, 4247, 4337, 4925, 4926, 4928, 4930, 4977, 5351, 6256, 6269, 6273, 8516, 10110); consequently good is the first and last of regeneration (n. 9337). Because truth appears to be in the first place, and good in the second, when man is being regenerated, or what is the same, when he is becoming a church, therefore it was a matter of controversy among the ancients, whether the truth of faith or the good of charity is the first-begotten of the church (n. 367, 2435). The good of charity is the first-begotten of the church actually, but the truth of faith only apparently (n. 3325, 3494, 4925, 4926, 4928, 4930, 8042, 8080). The first-begotten, in the Word, also signifies that primary thing of the church, to which is attributed priority and superiority (n. 3325). The Lord is therefore called the First-begotten, because in Him and from Him is all the good of love, of charity, and of faith (n. 3325).
[7] Because truth is apparently in the first place, therefore Reuben was the first-begotten, and was named from "sight" (visus), as is evident in Moses:
"Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, because Jehovah hath seen my affliction; now therefore my man (vir) 1will love me" (Arcana Coelestia 3860-3866).
In the original tongue, Reuben signifies sight, and sight, in the spiritual sense, signifies faith and the understanding of truth, and, in the highest sense, the Divine foresight. This is evident from what is said in the Arcana Coelestia concerning the signification of seeing and sight, where it is shown that sight in the highest sense, which treats of the Lord, signifies foresight (n. 2807, 2837, 2839, 3686, 3854, 3863, 10428). Sight in the internal sense signifies faith, because spiritual sight is sight from faith, and those things which pertain to faith are seen in the spiritual world (n. 897, 2325, 2807, 3863, 3869, 5400, 10705). To see also signifies to understand and perceive truth (n. 2150, 2325, 2807, 3764, 3863, 3869, 10705). Internal sight is the understanding, and this sees by means of the eyes of the body; the sight of the understanding is from the light of heaven (n. 1524, 3138, 3167, 4408, 5114, 6608, 8707, 9128, 9399, 10569).
[8] That Reuben signifies truth from good, or faith from charity, is evident from the mandrakes which he found in the field, and gave to his mother, concerning which it is thus written in Moses:
"And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray, of thy son's mandrakes. And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my man (vir)? and wilt thou take away my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee this night for thy son's mandrakes. And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; because hiring, I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night, and she conceived, and bare Jacob a son" Issachar (Arcana Coelestia 3940-3952).
[9] Because Reuben represented truth from good, or faith from charity, therefore, also, he exhorted his brethren not to kill Joseph, wishing to deliver him out of their hand; and he grieved exceedingly when Joseph was not found in the pit (Arcana Coelestia 4731-4738, and n. 4761-4766).
[10] Because Reuben or his tribe signified truth from good, or faith from charity, therefore the camp of that tribe in the wilderness was towards the south, and the camp towards the south was called the camp of Reuben (Num. 2:10-16). For the encampments of the tribes of Israel represented the arrangement of the angelic societies in heaven; and the angelic societies dwell in the quarters according to their states as to good and truth (see above, 422:1-4). In the southern quarter dwell those who are in the light of truth from good; and as the tribe of Reuben represented truth from good or truth in light, therefore it encamped on the south.
[11] Because truth from good, which the tribe of Reuben represented, is in the natural man, therefore an inheritance beyond Jordan was given to the tribe of Reuben (Num. 32:1 to end; Deuteronomy 3:12-20; Joshua 13:1 to end, and chap. 18:7). For the land of Canaan represented, and thence signifies the church in the Word. The region beyond Jordan signified the external church, the region on this side Jordan, the internal church, and the river Jordan the limit between them. And truth from good, or faith from charity, makes the church; truth from good in the natural man, the external church; and because the tribe of Reuben represented this attribute of the church, therefore an inheritance beyond Jordan was allotted to this tribe. Why inheritances beyond Jordan were also given to the tribe of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, will be explained in what follows.
[12] The conjunction of each church, that is to say the external and internal, which is like the conjunction of the natural and spiritual man, was represented, and, in the spiritual sense, is described by the altar which the sons of Reuben, of Gad, and of Manasseh built near the Jordan, and about which there was a strife between these tribes and the rest; but it was said that that altar should be for a witness that, although they dwelt beyond Jordan, they should still serve Jehovah in common with the rest; therefore they called the altar "A witness between us that Jehovah is God" (Josh. 22:9 to end). For Jordan signified the medium between the external and internal of the church. The land of Canaan on this side Jordan, signified the internal church, and the land beyond Jordan, the external church which was also represented by the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, whose inheritances were allotted there; and that altar signified the common worship of each church, and thus conjunction.
[13] That Reuben signifies truth in the natural man is evident also from the prophecy of Deborah and Barak in the Book of Judges:
"In the divisions of Reuben they are great, statutes of the heart; Wherefore sittest thou among the baggage to hear the shrill bleatings of the flocks? In the divisions of Reuben, where there are great searchings of heart, Gilead thou dwellest in the passage of Jordan" (5:15-17).
No one can understand these words unless what the prophecy treats of be known, and also the signification of the divisions of Reuben, of baggage, of the bleatings of the flocks, and of Gilead. The subject is the church among the Israelites, in a state of vastation. The divisions of Reuben signify all things, both truths and goods, in the natural man; baggage signifies the cognitions and scientifics there; the bleatings of the flocks signify the perceptions and thoughts thereof; and Gilead signifies the natural man. When these things are known it will be evident that the meaning in the spiritual sense is, that when the church is destroyed, the natural man, with that which is contained therein, is separated from the spiritual man, although it ought on the contrary to be conjoined with it; and when it is conjoined, then truths from good exist there, by means of which a combat against falsities from evil takes place; for the natural man must fight against these from the spiritual man. Statutes of the heart and searchings of heart, signify those truths from good, which are in the natural man from the spiritual. For the heart signifies the good of love, while statutes and searchings of the heart denote all those things that are determined and arranged in the natural man from good in the spiritual. These things are said of Reuben, because his tribe dwelt beyond Jordan in Gilead, and did not join with Deborah and Barak when they fought against Sisera, but only the tribes of Issachar and Zebulun; for Sisera, in the spiritual sense, means falsity from evil destroying the church.
[14] Reuben signifies the light of truth, and therefore the understanding of the Word, in Moses,
"Let Reuben live, and not die; yet shall his men be a number" (Deuteronomy 33:6).
Reuben here means the understanding of the Word, enlightened by light from heaven; and because there are few who receive enlightenment, it is therefore said, "Yet shall his men be a number," number signifying, fewness and a few.
[15] That Reuben signifies truth from good, or faith from charity, is evident from the opposite sense, in which he is also mentioned. In that sense, Reuben signifies truth separated from good, or faith separated from charity. And truth apart from good is not truth, except merely in regard to the expression and sound, for it is a scientific residing in the memory of the natural man, that is to say, only in the entrance to the man, and not within him in his life. The memory of the natural man is merely the entrance to him, nor does truth become truth with him until he wills it and does it, for then it first enters and receives life; previous to this, light from heaven does not flow in and enlighten. The case is similar with faith separated from charity, for truth is of faith, and good is of charity.
[16] That Reuben, in the opposite sense, signifies faith separated from charity, is evident from his adultery with Bilhah his father's concubine; concerning this it is written as follows in Moses:
"And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in the land" Ephrath-Bethlehem, "that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine; and Israel heard of it" (Genesis 35:22).
Ephrath-Bethlehem signifies the spiritual church, which is in truths from good, or in faith from charity. To separate the good of charity from the truths of faith, is signified by the adultery of Reuben. For truth is profaned when it is not united with its own good, which is the good of charity, since it is then united with the love of self and of the world, which is adulteration. All adulteries also, of which many kinds are recounted in Leviticus (18:6-23), correspond to the adulterations of good and truth. That the adultery committed by Reuben corresponds to faith separated from charity, has been made known and testified to me from things heard and seen in the spiritual world, where such a sphere of adultery is perceived to go forth from those who have separated charity from faith in doctrine and in life.
[17] Because this also was signified by Reuben, therefore the primogeniture was taken away from him by his father, and given to Joseph and his sons. That it was taken from Reuben is evident from these words of his father:
"Reuben my first-born, thou art my strength and the beginning of my might, excellent in eminence and excellent in worth. Unstable as water thou shalt not excel, because thou wentest up to thy father's bed, then thou profanedst [it]; he went up to my couch" (Arcana Coelestia 6341-6350).
[18] That the primogeniture was therefore given to the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, is meant by these words of his father Israel to Joseph:
"Now thy two sons, born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came to thee into Egypt, are mine, Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon shall be mine" (Genesis 48:5).
And in the [First] Book of Chronicles:
Reuben "is the first-born, but because he polluted his father's bed, his primogeniture was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel" (5:1, 2).
For Ephraim in the Word has a signification similar to that of Reuben, namely, the understanding of truth, and truth in light. It is said Ephraim and Manasseh shall be the sons of Israel, even as Reuben and Simeon, because Reuben signifies the understanding of truth, and Simeon, the will of truth; and Ephraim and Manasseh signify similar things. From these things it is now evident, what universal essential of the church is signified in the Word by Reuben.
Footnotes:
1. "Therefore my man (vir) will love me." The following words in the Arcana Coelestia sufficiently explain the distinction to be observed between maritus and vir:- "Cum nominatur maritus in Verbo tunc maritus significet bonum, et uxor verum, sed cum non nominatur maritus sed dicitur vir, tunc ille significat verum et uxor bonum" (1468). "When mention is made of husband (maritus) in the Word, then husband signifies good, and wife (uxor) truth; but when instead of husband (maritus) the term man (vir) is used, then the latter signifies truth, and wife good."
434. Of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand sealed, signifies the light of truth from that love, and that all who are in that light are in heaven and come into heaven. This is evident from the signification of "the tribe of Reuben," as being those who are in the light of truth (of which presently); from the signification of "twelve thousand," as being all things and all persons (of which above, n. 430, here all who are in the light of truth from the good of love to the Lord, which love is signified by "the tribe of Judah" (as was just shown above, n. 433; also from the signification of "the sealed," as being those who are in heaven and who come into heaven (of which also above, n. 427, 433). It has been said before, that the twelve tribes of Israel represented and thence signify in the Word all things of the church, that each tribe signifies some universal essential of the church, and that "Judah" signifies love to the Lord; but that "Reuben" signifies light from that love will be seen in what follows.
[2] "Reuben," and thence the tribe named from him, signifies in the highest sense the Lord in respect to foresight or foreknowledge; in the internal sense spiritual faith and the understanding of truth; and in the external sense, sight; and as "Reuben" in the internal sense signifies faith and understanding he also signifies the light of truth, for faith exists from the light of truth, and the understanding is illustrated by it; for where there is the light of truth there is understanding and there is faith.
[3] "Reuben," or the tribe of Reuben, has the same signification as "Peter" the apostle; for the twelve apostles in a similar manner as the twelve tribes of Israel, represented all things of the church, and each apostle some universal essential of the church; and as Peter had a similar representation with Reuben, therefore was he the first of the apostles, as Reuben was the first of the sons of Jacob. (That "Peter" signifies truth in the light, and faith, see above, n. 9, 411.)
[4] Reuben was the first of the sons of Jacob, and thence the tribe called from him is named in the first place in most passages of the Word, because he was the firstborn; and "firstborn" in the Word signifies truth from good, or what is the same thing, truth in light, and thus faith from charity. For truth and what is of faith appears to man to be first, for it enters by the hearing into the memory and is called forth therefrom into the thought; and that which a man thinks he sees and perceives by interior sight, and that which is first in sight and perception is first, but merely in appearance, not actually. Actually, good is the firstborn, or the first constituent of the church, since truth exists from good, for good forms itself in truths, and by means of truths presents itself to be seen, therefore truth is good in form. This is why truth is said to be from good and faith from charity, for that which is from anything is that thing imaged forth; and [truth] viewed in itself is good formed and born; such therefore is the meaning of "firstborn" in the spiritual sense of the Word. Moreover, with infants the good of innocence is what is first imparted by the Lord, and it is from this that man first becomes a man; and because good is of love, and man does not reflect about his love but about his thought from the memory, and because good has no quality until it is formed into truths, and without quality nothing is perceived, so it is not known that good is first, and is the firstborn; for it is good that is first conceived from the Lord with man, and it is brought forth through truths, in which good is in its own form and effigy.
[5] It is to be noted, furthermore, that the truths that man in his infancy and childhood imbibes from the Word and from doctrine therefrom, and from preaching, although they appear as truths, still they are not truths with him, they are only like shells without kernels, or like the form of the body or of the face without soul and life. These do not become truths until they are received in the will, for thus they are first received by the man and begin to live with him; for the will is the man himself, and all good is of the will, and all truth of the understanding therefrom. From this it can be seen why the tribe of Judah, which signifies the good of love to the Lord, is here named in the first place, and then the tribe of Reuben, which signifies truth in light from that good.
[6] It should be known that all light in which truth is seen is from the light of heaven which is from the Lord; the light of heaven is from the Divine good of the Lord's Divine love; the light of heaven is Divine good in form. In heaven these two are one, and are received by the angels as one, and should be received by man as one that he may have communion with the angels. (But these things may be seen more fully explained in the Arcana Coelestia, as follows: When man is regenerating, truth is in the first place and good in the second, not actually but apparently, but when he is regenerated, good is in the first place and truth in the second actually and perceptibly, n. 3324, 3325, 3330, 3336, 3494, 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603, 3701, 4243, 4245, 4247, 4337, 4925, 4926, 4928, 4930, 4977, 5351, 6256, 6269, 6273, 8516, 10110; thus good is the first and the last of regeneration, n. Arcana Coelestia 9337. Since truth appears to be in the first place and good in the second when man is regenerating, or what is the same, when he is becoming a church, because of this appearance it was a matter of controversy among the ancients whether the truth of faith or the good of charity is the firstborn of the church, n. Arcana Coelestia 367, 2435.
The good of charity is the firstborn of the church actually, and the truth of faith only apparently, n. 3325, 3494, 4925, 4926, 4928, 4930, 8042, 8080.
And the "firstborn" in the Word signifies the first constituent of the church, which has priority and superiority, n. 3325.
For this reason the Lord is called "the Firstborn," because in Him and from Him is all the good of love, of charity, and of faith, 3325)
[7] As truth is apparently in the first place, so Reuben was the firstborn, and was named from sight, as is evident in Moses:
Leah conceived and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, Jehovah hath seen my affliction; for now my man will love me (Arcana Coelestia 3860-3866.)
In the original language Reuben signifies sight, and in the spiritual sense "sight" signifies the understanding of truth and faith, in the highest sense Divine foresight (as can be seen from what is shown respecting the signification of seeing and sight in the Arcana Coelestia, as follows:
"sight" in the highest sense, which has reference to the Lord, signifies foresight, n. 2807, 2837, 2839, 3686, 3854, 3863, 10428;
"sight" in the internal sense signifies faith, because spiritual sight is sight from faith, and the things that pertain to faith are the objects of sight in the spiritual world, n. 897, 2325, 2807, 3863, 3869, 5400, 10705;
also "to see" signifies to understand and perceive truth, n. 2150, 2325, 2807, 3764, 3863, 3869, 10705;
the internal sight is the understanding, and this sees through the eyes of the body; and the sight of the understanding is from the light of heaven, n. 1524, 3138, 3167, 4408, 5114, 6608, 8707, 9128, 9399, 10569).
[8] That "Reuben" signifies truth from good, or faith from charity, is evident also from the "mandrakes" that he found in the field and gave to his mother, respecting which it is thus written in Moses:
Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto Leah his mother. And Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray, of thy son's mandrakes. And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken away my man? and wilt thou take away my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee tonight for thy son's mandrakes. And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou shalt come in unto me; because hiring I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. And she conceived, and bare Jacob a son, Issachar (Arcana Coelestia 3940-3952.)
[9] Because "Reuben" represented truth from good, or faith from charity:
It was he who exhorted his brethren not to kill Joseph, wishing to deliver him out of their hand; and was greatly grieved when Joseph was not found in the pit (Arcana Coelestia 4731-4738, and n. 4751-4766.)
[10] Because "Reuben" or his tribe signified truth from good, or faith from charity:
The camp of that tribe in the wilderness was to the south, and the camp to the south was called the camp of Reuben (422), and in the southern quarter there those dwell who are in the light of truth from good; and because the tribe of Reuben represented truth from good or truth in light, it encamped on the south.
[11] Because truth from good, which the tribe of Reuben represented, is in the natural man, to the tribe of Reuben an inheritance beyond Jordan was given (See Numbers 32, Deuteronomy 3:12-20; Joshua 13 end; Leviticus 18:7); for by "the land of Canaan" the church was represented and thus signified in the Word, that region of it beyond Jordan signifying the external church, the region on this side, Jordan the internal church, and the river Jordan the boundary between them; and it is truth from good, or faith from charity that constitutes the church, truth from good in the natural man constituting the external church; and because the tribe of Reuben represented this constituent of the church, therefore to that tribe an inheritance beyond Jordan was given. Why inheritances beyond Jordan were given also to the tribe of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh will be told in what follows.
[12] The conjunction of these two churches, namely, the external and the internal, which is like the conjunction of the natural and the spiritual man, was represented, and in the spiritual sense is described by:
The altar that the sons of Reuben, of Gad, and of Manasseh built beside the Jordan, about which there was a strife between these tribes and the other tribes; but it was said that the altar should be for a witness that although they dwelt beyond Jordan, they nevertheless served Jehovah in common with the rest; therefore they called that altar a witness between us that Jehovah is God (Joshua 22:9-34 to end).
For "the Jordan" signified the medium between the external and the internal of the church; "the land of Canaan on this side Jordan" signifying the internal church, and "the land beyond Jordan" the external, and this also was represented by the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, which had their inheritances there; while that altar signified the common worship of the two churches, and thus conjunction thereby.
[13] That "Reuben" signifies truth in the natural man is evident also from the prophecy of Deborah and Barak in the book of Judges:
In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of the heart. Why did you stay among the campfires to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart. Gilead dwelt 1beyond the Jordan (Judges 5:15-17).
This no one can understand unless he knows what the prophecy treats of, and what is signified by the "districts," "Reuben," "the campfires," "the whistling for the flocks," and "Gilead." This treats of the church among the sons of Israel in a state of vastation; and "the districts of Reuben" signify both all truths and all goods that are in the natural man; "the campfires" signify cognitions and knowledges there; "the whistling for the flocks" signify the perceptions and thoughts thereof; and "Gilead" signifies the natural man. When this is known, what these things mean in the spiritual sense becomes evident, namely, that when the church is destroyed the natural man with the things in it is separated from the spiritual man, whereas it ought to be conjoined to it; and when it is conjoined, there are truths there from good, by which truths there is a combat against the falsities from evil, for the natural man must combat against them from the spiritual man. "The statutes of the heart" and "the searchings of the heart" signify the truths from good, which are in the natural man from the spiritual man, "heart" signifying the good of love, and "the statutes and searchings of the heart" all things that are determined and arranged in the natural man from good in the spiritual man. This is said respecting Reuben because his tribe dwelt beyond Jordan in Gilead; and it was not conjoined with Deborah and Barak when they fought against Sisera, but only Issachar and Zebulun, "Sisera" in the spiritual sense meaning the falsity from evil destroying the church.
[14] "Reuben" signifies the light of truth, and the understanding of the Word therefrom, in Moses:
Let Reuben live and not die; yet his men shall be a number (Deuteronomy 33:6).
Here "Reuben" means the understanding of the Word illustrated by light from heaven; and because there are a few who receive such illustration it is said of Reuben, "Yet his men shall be a number," "number" signifying fewness and a few.
[15] That "Reuben" signifies truth from good, or faith from charity, is evident also from the contrary sense, in which he is also mentioned. In that sense "Reuben" signifies truth separate from good, or faith separate from charity; and truth without good is not truth except merely in respect to expression and sound, for it is merely a matter of knowledge, having its seat in the memory of the natural man, thus only in the entrance to man, and not within him in his life. The memory of the natural man is merely an entrance to him, and what is in it does not become truth in him until he wills it and does it; then it first enters and receives life; not till then does the light from heaven flow in and illustrate. It is similar with faith separate from charity, for truth is of faith, and good is of charity.
[16] That "Reuben" in the contrary sense signifies faith separate from charity can be seen from his adultery with Bilhah his father's concubine, which is thus described in Moses:
It came to pass while Israel dwelt in the land Ephrath Bethlehem, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine; and Israel heard (Genesis 35:22).
"Ephrath Bethlehem" signifies the spiritual church, which is in truths from good, or in faith from charity; Reuben's adultery signifies the rejection of the good of charity from the truths of faith, for truth is profaned when it is not conjoined with its own good, which is the good of charity, since it is then conjoined with the love of self and the world, which is adulteration. All adulteries (of which many kinds are enumerated in Leviticus 18:6-23) correspond to the adulterations of good and truth. That the adultery committed by Reuben corresponds to faith separate from charity has been made known and testified to me by things heard and seen in the spiritual world, where such a sphere of adultery is perceived to go forth from those who have separated charity from faith in doctrine and life.
[17] Because this too was signified by "Reuben," the birthright was taken away from him by his father and given to Joseph and his sons. That it was taken from Reuben is evident from these words of his father:
Reuben my firstborn, thou art my power and the beginning of my might, excelling in eminence and excelling in strength. Light as water, thou shalt not excel, because thou wentest up to thy father's bed, then profanedst thou it; he went up to my couch (Arcana Coelestia 6341-6350.)
[18] That the birthright was therefore given to the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, is meant by these words of Israel the father to Joseph:
Now thy two sons born unto thee in the land of Egypt, before I came into Egypt, they are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, shall be mine (Genesis 48:5).
And in the first book of Chronicles:
Reuben was the firstborn; but because he defiled his father's bed his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel (1 Chronicles 5:1, 2).
For "Ephraim" in the Word has a similar signification with "Reuben," namely, the understanding of truth, and truth in the light. It is said "Ephraim and Manasseh shall be the sons of Israel, even as Reuben and Simeon," because "Reuben" signifies the understanding of truth, and "Simeon" the will of truth, similar with "Ephraim" and "Manasseh." From this it can now be seen what universal essential of the church is signified in the Word by "Reuben."
Footnotes:
1. The photolithograph has "thou dwellest," "dwelling" is found in Arcana Coelestia 4117, 4255.
434. "Ex tribu Reubenis duodecim millia signati." - Quod significet lucem veri ex illo amore, et quod omnes qui in illa sunt, in caelo sint et in caelum veniant, constat ex significatione "tribus Reubenis", quod sint qui in luce veri sunt, de qua sequitur; ex significatione "duodecim millium", quod sint omnia et omnes (de qua supra, n. 430), hic omnes qui in luce veri ex bono amoris in Dominum, qui amor significatur per "tribum Jehudae" (ut mox supra, n. 433, ostensum est); et ex significatione "Signatorum", quod sint illi qui in caelo sunt et in caelum veniunt (de qua etiam mox supra, n. [427 [a] ,] 433 [a]). Prius dictum est quod duodecim tribus Israelis repraesentaverint et inde in Verbo Significent omnia ecclesiae, et quod unaquaevis tribus aliquod universale essentiale ejus, et quod "Jehudah" significet amorem in Dominum; quod autem "Reuben" significet lucem ex illo amore, in sequentibus videbitur.
[2] "Reuben", et inde tribus ab illo nominata, in sensu supremo significat Dominum quoad praevidentiam seu praescientiam; in sensu interno, fidem spiritualem et intellectum veri; ac in externo, visum: et quia "Reuben" in sensu interno significat fidem et intellectum, etiam significat lucem veri, nam fides existit ex luce veri, ac intellectus illustratur ex illa; nam ubi lux veri est, ibi est intellectus et est fides.
[3] Simile per "Reubenem" seu tribum ejus significatur quod per "Petrum" apostolum; nam duodecim apostoli similiter ac duodecim tribus Israelis repraesentaverunt omnia ecclesiae, et quisque apostolus aliquod universale essentiale ejus; et quia Petrus, simile repraesentabat quod Reuben, ideo ille primus apostolorum erat, sicut Reuben erat primus filiorum Jacobi.
(Quod "Petrus" significet verum in luce et fidem, videatur supra, n. 9, 411 [a] .)
[4] Quod Reuben fuerit primus filiorum Jacobi, et quod inde tribus ab illo dicta in primo loco in plerisque locis in Verbo nominetur, erat causa quia primogenitus erat; et per "primogenituram"in Verbo significatur verum ex bono, seu quod idem, verum in luce, et inde fides ex charitate; verum enim et quod fidei est, primum apparet homini, intrat enim per auditum in memoriam, et inde evocatur in cogitationem, et quod homo cogitat hoc visu interiori videt et appercipit; et quod primum videtur et appercipitur, hoc primum est sed modo apparenter, non autem actualiter: bonum est actualiter primogenitum seu primum ecclesiae, quoniam verum existit ex bono; format enim se bonum in veris, ac se per vera sistit videndum, quare verum est bonum in forma; inde est quod dicatur verum ex bono et fides ex charitate, quod enim est ex aliquo, hoc illud est in imagine, ac in se spectatum est bonum formatum et natum; hoc itaque est primogenitum in sensu spirituali Verbi. Praeterea apud infantes est bonum innocentiae, quod primum a Domino infunditur, ex quo homo primum fit homo; et quia bonum est amoris, et homo super amorem suum non reflectit, sed super cogitationem ex memoria, et quia bonum non prius habet quale quam cum formatum est in vera, et absque quali nihil percipitur, inde est quod ignoretur quod bonum sit primum et primogenitum; bonum enim primum concipitur a Domino apud hominem, et gignitur per vera, in quibus bonum est in sua forma et effigie.
[5] Praeterea sciendum est quod vera quae ab homine in ejus infantia et pueritia hauriuntur ex Verbo doctrina inde et praedicatione, appareant quidem ut vera, sed usque non sunt vera apud illum; sunt modo sicut cortices absque nucleo, seu sicut corporis et faciei forma absque anima et vita: haec non prius fiunt vera quam cum recipiuntur voluntate, sic enim primum recipiuntur ab homine et apud illum incipiunt vivere; voluntas enim est ipse homo, et omne bonum est voluntatis, ac omne verum est intellectus inde. Ex his constare potest unde est quod tribus Jehudae, per quam significatur bonum amoris in Dominum, primo loco nominetur; et quod dein tribus Reubenis, per quam significatur verum in luce ex illo bono.
[6] Sciendum est quod omnis lux, in qua apparet verum, sit a luce caeli quae a Domino; et lux caeli est ex Divino Bono Divini Amoris Ipsius; lux caeli est Divinum Bonum in forma. Illa duo in caelo unum sunt, ac ut unum recipiuntur ab angelis, et quoque ut unum recipienda sunt ab homine, ut homo communionem habere possit cum angelis. (Sed haec ample ostensa videantur in Arcanis Caelestibus, nempe quod cum homo regeneratur, verum primo loco sit et bonum secundo non actualiter sed apparenter, at quod cum homo regeneratus est bonum primo loco sit et verum secundo actualiter et perceptibiliter, n. 3324, 3325, 3330, 3336, 3494, 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603, 3701, 4243, 1
4245, 4247, 4337, 4925, 4926, 4928, 4930, 4977, 5351, 6256, 6269, 6273, 8516, 10110: ita quod bonum sit primum et ultimum regenerationis, n. 9337. Quia velum primo loco apparet esse, et bonum secundo, cum regeneratur homo, seu quod idem, cum homo fit ecclesia, quod propter illam apparentiam ab antiquis controversum sit num verum fidei vel num bonum charitatis sit primogenitum ecclesiae, n. 367, 2435. Quod bonum charitatis sit primogenitum ecclesiae actualiter, at verum fidei modo apparenter, n. 3325, 3494, 4925, 4926, 4928, 4930, 8042, 8080. Quod etiam per "primogenitum" in Verbo significetur primum ecclesiae, cui prioritas et superioritas, n. 3325. Quod ideo Dominus dicatur "Primogenitus", quia in Ipso et ab lpso omne bonum amoris, charitatis et fidei, n. 3325.)
[7] Quoniam verum apparenter primo loco est, ideo Reuben primogenitus erat, et nominatus est a visu, ut patet apud Mosen,
"Concepit Lea et peperit filium, et Vocavit nomen ejus Reuben, quia dixit quod vidit Jehovah afflictionem meam; quia nunc amabit me vir meus" (Genesis 29:32):
haec tametsi historica sunt usque tamen senSum spiritualem continent; nam omnia et singula quae in Verbo sunt, ex spirituali mundo sunt quia ex Domino; quae dum in mundum naturalem e caelo demissa sunt, induta sunt sensu naturali correspondente, qualis est sensus litterae Verbi: quare per nativitates filiorum Jacobi significantur nativitates spirituales, quae sunt quomodo nascitur bonum et verum apud hominem cum regeneratur a Domino. Unde per "Concepit Lea et peperit filium" significatur conceptio et partus spiritualis; per "vocavit ejus nomen Reuben" significatur quale ejus; per quod "dixit, quod vidit Jehovah", significatur in Supremo sensu praevidentia, in interno fides, in interiori intellectus, et in externo visus, hic fides a Domino; per "afflictionem meam" significatur status perveniendi ad bonum; "quia nunc amabit me vir meus" significat quod inde bonum veri. (Sed haec explicata videantur in Arcanis Caelestibus, n. 3860-3866.)
Reuben in lingua originali significat visum; et "visus" in sensu spirituali significat intellectum veri et fidem, et in sensu supremo Divinam praevidentiam. (Ut constare potest ex his quae de significatione "videre" et "visus" in Arcanis Caelestibus ostensa sunt; quae sunt, Quod "visus" in sensu supremo, in quo de Domino, significet praevidentiam, n. 2807, 2837, 2839, 3686, 3854, 3863, 10428:
quod "visus" in sensu interno significet fidem, quoniam visus spiritualis est visus ex fide, et quoniam illa quae fidei sunt videntur in mundo spirituali, n. 897, 2325, 2807, 3863, 3869, 5400, 10705:
quod etiam "videre" significet intelligere et percipere verum, n. 2150, 2325, 2807, 3764, 3863, 3869, 10705. Quod visus internus sit intellectus, et quod hic videat per oculos corporis; et quod visus intellectus sit ex luce caeli, n. 1524, 3138, 3167, 4408, 5114, 6608, 8707, 2
[8] Quod "Reuben" significet verum ex bono seu fidem ex charitate, etiam constare potest ex "dudaim", quod in agro invenit, et dedit matri suae; de qua re ita apud Mosen,
"Ivit Reuben in diebus messis triticorum, et invenit dudaim in agro, et adduxit illa ad Leam matrem suam; et dixit Rachel ad Leam, Da quaeso mihi de dudaim filii tui: et dixit illi, An parum sumpsisse te virum meum, et sumes etiam dudaim filii mei? Et dixit Rachel, Idcirco cubabit cum te nocte hac pro dudaim filii tui. Et venit Jacobus de agro in vespera, et exivit Lea obviam ei, et dixit, Ad me venies, quia conducendo conduxi te in dudaim filii mei: et cubuit cum illa in nocte illa, .... et concepit et peperit Jacobo filium" Jisaschar (Genesis 30:14-18):
qui non scit quid "dudaim" significant, tum quid Reuben, Jacob, Lea et Rachel repraesentabant, prorsus non sciturus est cur talia acciderant, et quod in Verbo memorata sint; at quod Divinum in sensu litterae non apparens insit, constare potest, quia est in Verbo, in quo omnia et singula Divina sunt. Divinum quod his inest, patet ex sensu spirituali eorum: in hoc sensu "dudaim" significant conjugium boni et veri, Reuben repraesentat verum ex bono, Jacob ecclesiam quoad verum, Lea et Rachel ecclesiam quoad bonum, sed Lea ecclesiam externam, et Rachel ecclesiam internam: quare per "dudaim" a Reubene inventa significatur conjugiale quod est veri cum bono; et quia id conjugiale est inter verum et bonum in interno seu spirituali homine, quod facit ecclesiam internam, et usque id verum datur primum in externo seu naturali homine quod facit ecclesiam externam, ideo dudaim inventa sunt a Reubene, per quem repraesentabatur verum ex bono, et primum data Leae matri suae, per quam repraesentabatur ecclesia externa sed usque a Lea data sunt Racheli, per quam repraesentabatur ecclesia interna, propterea ut Lea cubaret cum Jacobo. (Sed haec amplius explicata videantur in Arcanis Caelestibus, n. fff23940-3952.)
[9] Quoniam Reuben repraesentabat Verum ex bono, seu fidem ex charitate, ideo etiam
Ille exhortatus est fratres suos, ne occiderent Josephum, volens liberare illum e manu eorum: et valde doluit cum Josephus non inventus est in fovea (Genesis 37:21, 22, 29, 30)
(quae etiam explicata videantur in Arcanis Caelestibus, n. 4731-4738, et n. 4761-4766).
[10] Quoniam "Reuben" seu tribus ejus significabat verum ex bono seu fidem ex charitate, ideo
Castra illius tribus in deserto erant ad meridiem, et castra ad meridiem vocabantur "castra Reubenis" (Numeri 2:10-16);
castrametationes enim tribuum Israelis repraesentaverunt ordinationes societatum angelicarum in caelo; et societates angelicae habitant in plagis secundum status eorum quoad bonum et Verum (videatur supra, n. 422 [a]), ac in plaga meridionali ibi habitant qui in luce veri ex bono sunt; et quia tribus Reubenis repraesentabat verum ex bono seu verum in luce, ideo castrametata est tribus Reubenis ad meridiem.
[11] Quoniam verum ex bono, quod tribus Reubenis repraesentabat, est in naturali homine, ideo tribui Reubenis data est hereditas trans Jordanem (Videatur Numeri 32:1 ad fin. : Deuteronomius 3:12-20; Joshua 13:1 ad fin. ; cap. 18:7): terra enim Canaan repraesentabat et inde significat in Verbo ecclesiam, ac regio ejus trans Jordanem ecclesiam externam, et regio ejus cis Jordanem ecclesiam internam, et Jordanes fluvius limitem inter illas; ac verum ex bono seu fides ex charitate facit ecclesiam; Verum ex bono in naturali homine facit ecclesiam externam; et quia tribus Reubenis hoc ecclesiae repraesentabat, ideo illi tribui data est hereditas trans Jordanem. Cur datae sunt hereditates trans Jordanem etiam tribui Gadis et dimidiae tribui Menasses, dicetur in sequentibus.
[12] Conjunctio utriusque ecclesiae, nempe externae et internae, quae est sicut conjunctio naturalis et spiritualis hominis, repraesentabatur, et in sensu spirituali describitur per
Altare, quod filii Reubenis, Gadis et Menassis aedificabant juxta Jordanem, de quo lis erat inter has tribus et reliquas; sed dictum quod altare illud esset pro teste, ut illi, tametsi trans Jordanem habitent, usque servirent Jehovae conjunctim cum reliquis: quare vocabant illud altare, "Testis inter nos quod Jehovah Deus" (de qua re apud Josuam, cap. 22:9 ad fin. ):
"Jordanes" enim significabat medium inter externum et internum ecclesiae; "terra Canaan cis Jordanem" significabat ecclesiam internam, et illa "trans Jordanem" ecclesiam externam, quam etiam tribus Reubenis, Gadis et Menassis, quae ibi hereditates suas nactae sunt, repraesentabant; et "altare" illud significabat cultum communem utriusque ecclesiae, et sic conjunctionem.
[13] Quod "Reuben" significet verum in naturali homine, constat etiam ex prophetico Deborae et Baraki in Libro Judicum,
"In classibus Reubenis sunt magni, statuta cordis: quare sedes inter sarcinas ad audiendum sibila gregum? classibus Reubenis, ubi magni, pervestigationes cordis, Gilead in transitu Jordanis 3
habitans" (5:15-1 7):
haec nemo intellecturus est, nisi sciat quid in prophetico illo agitur, et quid per "classes", "Reubenem", "sarcinas", "sibila gregum", et per "Gilead" significatur; agitur ibi de ecclesia apud filios Israelis vastata; et per "classes Reubenis" significantur omnia tam vera quam bona quae in naturali homine; per "sarcinas" significantur cognitiones et scientifica ibi; per "sibila gregum" significantur illorum perceptiones et cogitationes; ac per "Gilead" significatur naturalis homo: ex quibus intellectis patet quid per illa in sensu spirituali intelligitur; nempe quod dum ecclesia destructa est, naturalis homo cum illis quae inibi separatus sit a spirituali homine, cum tamen ei conjunctus erit; et cum conjunctus, quod ibi vera sint ex bono, per quae pugnabitur contra falsa ex malo, naturalis enim homo pugnabit contra illa ex spirituali homine; per "statuta cordis" et per "pervestigationes cordis" 4
significantur vera ex bono quae ibi ex spirituali homine, "cor" enim significat bonum amoris, "statuta cordis" et "pervestigationes cordis" sunt omnia quae ex bono in spirituali homine determinantur et ordinantur in naturali. Haec de Reubene dicta sunt, quia tribus ejus habitavit trans Jordanem in Gilead; nec fuit conjuncta Deborae et Barako cum pugnarunt contra Siseram, sed solum Isaschar et Sebulon; per "Siseram" enim in sensu spirituali intelligitur falsum ex malo destruens ecclesiam.
[14] Per "Reubenem" significatur lux veri et inde intellectus Verbi apud Mosen,
"Vivat Reuben et non moriatur; erit tamen homines ejus numerus" (Deuteronomius 33:6):
per "Reubenem" ibi intelligitur intellectus Verbi illustratus per lucem e caelo; et quia pauci sunt qui recipiunt illustrationem, ideo dicitur, "Erit tamen homines ejus numerus"; "numerus" significat paucum et paucos.
[15] Quod "Reuben" significet verum ex bono seu fidem ex charitate, constare etiam potest ex sensu opposito, in quo etiam nominatur. In eo sensu significat "Reuben" verum separatum a bono, seu fidem separatam a charitate: ac verum absque bono non est verum aliter quam modo quoad vocem et sonum; est enim scientificum residens in memoria naturalis hominis, ita solum in introitu ad hominem, et non intra illum in ejus vita. Memoria naturalis hominis est modo introitus ad illum, nec fit verum apud illum priusquam vult illud et facit illud; tunc primum intrat, et accipit vitam; prius nec influit lux e caelo et illustrat. Simile est cum fide separata ex charitate, nam verum est fidei et bonum est charitatis.
[16] Quod "Reuben" in opposito sensu significet fidem separatam a charitate constare potest ab adulterio ejus cum Bilha concubina patris sui, de qua ita apud Mosen,
"Factum est in residendo Israel in terra" Ephrath Bethlechem, "et ivit Reuben, et cubuit cum Bilha concubina patris sui; et audivit Israel" (Genesis 35:22):
per "Ephratam Bethlechem" significatur ecclesia spiritualis, quae est in veris ex bono seu in fide ex charitate; bonum charitatis rejicere a veris fidei, significatur per adulterium Reubenis; nam profanatur verum quando non conjungitur cum suo bono, quod est bonum charitatis, sic enim conjungitur cum amore sui et mundi, quod est adulteratio: omnia etiam adulteria (quorum plura recensentur in Levit. cap. 18 vers. 6-23) correspondent adulterationibus boni et veri. Quod adulterium a Reubene commissum correspondeat fidei separatae a charitate, notum et testatum mihi factum est ex auditis et visis in mundo spirituali, ubi sphaera talis adulterii percipitur prodire ex illis qui doctrina et vita separaverunt charitatem a fide.
[17] Quoniam hoc etiam significatum est per "Reubenem", ideo primogenitura ei adempta est a patre ejus, ac data Josepho et ejus filiis. Quod adempta fuerit Reubeni, patet ab his patris ejus verbis,
"Reuben primogenitus meus, tu robur meum, et principium virium mearum, excellens eminentia et excellens valore: levis sicut aqua, ne excellas, quia ascendisti cubilia patris tui, tunc profanasti; stratum meum ascendit" (Genesis 49:3, 4):
per "Reubenem primogenitum meum" significatur fides quae apparenter priori loco, seu verum ex bono natum; per "Tu robur meum, et principium virium mearum", significatur quod per illud potentia bono, et prima potentia vero; per "excellens eminentia et excellens valore" significatur quod inde gloria et potestas: per "levis sicut aqua" significatur quod fides separata a charitate non talis sit; per "ne excellas" significatur quod ei nec gloria et potestas; per "quia ascendisti cubilia patris tui" significatur quia verum fidei separatum a bono charitatis foedam conjunctionem habet; per "tunc profanasti" significatur quod sic conjunctum amori sui et mundi ac inde malo, quod profanum; per "stratum meum ascendit" significatur quod contaminaverit bonum spirituale in naturali. (Sed haec plene explicata videantur in Arcana Caelestibus, n. 6341-6350.)
[18] Quod primogenitura ideo data fuerit duobus filiis Josephi, Ephraimo et Menassi, intelligitur per haec verba Israelis patris ad Josephum,
"Nunc duo filii tui nati tibi in terra Aegypti antequam veni...in Aegyptum, mihi illi; Ephraim et Menasse sicut Reuben et Simeon erunt mihi" (Genesis 48:5):
et in Libro [Primo] Chronicorum,
Reuben "est primogenitus; sed quia polluit. stratum patris sui, data est primogenitura ejus filiis Josephi filii Israelis" (5:1, 2):
per "Ephraimum" enim in Verbo simile significatur quod "Reubenem", nempe intellectus veri et verum in luce' per, quod dicatur quod "Ephraim et Menasse erunt filii Israelis sicut Reuben et Simeon", est quia per "Reubenem" significatur intellectus veri et per "Simeonem" voluntas veri, similia etiam per "Ephraimum" et "Menassen." Ex his nunc constare potest, quodnam universale essentiale ecclesiae per "Reubenem" in Verbo significatur.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.
2. The editors made a correction or note here.
3. The editors made a correction or note here.
4. The editors made a correction or note here.