----中文待译----
618. And it shall make thy belly bitter.- That this signifies that it was interiorly undelightful, because exteriorly adulterated, is evident from the signification of being bitter, or of bitterness, as denoting undelightfulness from adulterated truth, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of the belly, as denoting that which is interior. The reason why the belly denotes that which is interior, is, that after these words it is said, that "in the mouth it shall be sweet as honey," and by the mouth is meant that which is exterior, for what is received into the mouth, is masticated and passes into the belly, and thus goes from the exterior to the interior, for it enters into the viscera of man. But concerning the signification of belly, we shall speak presently. The reason why bitter or bitterness signifies that which is undelightful from adulterated truth, and that therefore to make bitter signifies to render undelightful, is, that what is sweet becomes bitter, and thus undelightful, by admixture with anything offensive, thence comes the bitterness of wormwood, gall, and myrrh. Now because "sweet" signifies what is delightful from the good of truth, and the truth of good, therefore "bitter" signifies what is undelightful from adulterated truth. What is undelightful is not perceived and felt by any man in the natural world as bitter, but by spirits and angels in the spiritual world, for all adulterated good of truth, when turned with them into taste, is sensitively perceived as bitter. For spirits and angels have taste equally as men, but the taste of spirits and angels flows from a spiritual origin, whereas that of men is from a natural origin. The bitter taste with spirits is from the adulterated truth of good, but, with men, from the mixture of the sweet with the offensive. The sensation of bitterness with John was also from a spiritual origin, for he was then in the spirit, otherwise he could not have eaten the little book. By adulterated truth is signified the truth of good applied to evil and mingled with its falsity, which is the case when the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, are applied to filthy loves, and thus mingled with evils. This is the undelightfulness here signified by the bitterness of the belly.
[2] The signification of what is interior in the Word, that is, of the interior things of the Word, shall be briefly explained. The interior things of the Word are those contained in its internal or spiritual sense; these are genuine truths; to these correspond the exterior truths of the Word, which are those in the external or natural sense, called the sense of the letter and literal sense. When the exterior things of the Word, or the truths of the Word in the sense of the letter or literal sense, are falsified and adulterated, then the interior truths of the Word are falsified and adulterated. When therefore man applies the Word in the sense of the letter to the evils of his earthly loves, then it becomes undelightful to the angels, who are in the internal or spiritual sense, and this undelightfulness is like the undelightfulness of what is bitter. It is evident from these things, that by the little book shall be bitter, and shall make thy belly bitter, is signified, that the Word was interiorly undelightful; but the undelightfulness of which we have just treated is spiritual undelightfulness. But spiritual-natural undelightfulness, which is also here signified by bitterness, arises from the fact that the truth of doctrine, which is collected interiorly from the sense of the letter of the Word, and is called its literal sense, is undelightful to those who are in the falsities of evil. For the subject here treated of is the understanding of the Word by the men of the church at its end, when they are, for the most part, in falsities from evil; and then the falsities of evil, confirmed from the sense of the letter of the Word, are delightful to them, but truths confirmed from the literal sense of the Word are undelightful. This also is the signification of the little book being in the mouth sweet as honey, but making the belly bitter.
[3] That bitter signifies adulterated truth of good, is evident also from the Word where bitter is mentioned, as in the following places.
Thus in Isaiah:
"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink" (5:20, 22).
That good and truth adulterated are here signified by bitter, is evident, for it is said, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light and light for darkness," by which are signified the adulteration of good, and the falsification of truth. For good is adulterated when good is called evil and evil good, and truth is falsified when darkness is put for light and light for darkness, darkness denoting falsities, and light denoting truths. It is therefore evident from these things that similar things are signified by putting bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter, also by its being said, "Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink;" by them that are mighty to drink wine are signified those who adulterate the truth of the Word, and by men of strength to mingle strong drink, are signified those who falsify it, wine and strong drink denoting the truths of the Word, and mighty men, and men of strength, those who excel in ingenuity and skill in adulterating them.
[4] Again, in the same prophet:
"The new wine (mustum) mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merry-hearted do sigh. They shall not drink wine (vinum) with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it" (24:7, 9).
Here, by the new wine, which shall mourn, and by the vine which shall languish, is signified the truth of the Word and of the church, which is destroyed, new wine denoting the truth of the Word, and the vine, the truth of the doctrine of the church. By, all the merry-hearted do sigh, and by, they shall not drink wine with a song, is signified, that internal blessedness of mind and happiness of heart will perish, because the truth of spiritual good is destroyed. Strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it, signifies that the truth of good will be undelightful by its falsification and adulteration.
[5] It is said in Moses, that the waters of Marah, which they could not drink because of their bitterness, were healed by wood cast into them (Exodus 15:23, 25). The waters of Marah which they could not drink because of their bitterness, represented truths adulterated; for waters signify truths, and bitterness signifies adulteration. The healing of the waters by the wood which was cast into them, represented the good of love and of life shaking off falsity and opening truth, and thus restoring it. For all truth is adulterated from evil of life and of love, therefore it is opened and restored by the good of love and of life, because all truth is of good, and the good of love is like fire, from which truth appears in the light.
[6] The same thing was signified by the pottage into which the sons of the prophets cast bitter gourds, or grapes of the field, which Elisha healed by casting in fine flour (2 Kings 4:38-41). By the pottage into which they cast bitter gourds, is signified the Word falsified; and by the fine flour which was cast in, by which it was healed, is signified truth from good; for truth which is from good dissipates the falsities which produce falsification.
[7] Since the sons of Jacob perverted all the truths of the Word, and by application to themselves and to their earthly loves, falsified and adulterated them, it is therefore said of them in the song of Moses, that their vine was as the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah, and their grapes, grapes of gall, and clusters of bitternesses (Deuteronomy 32:32).
By a vine is signified the church as to truth, consequently also the truth of the church; and by grapes are signified goods thence, which are the goods of charity, and by clusters, the goods of faith; hence it is evident that by clusters of bitternesses are signified adulterated goods of faith.
[8] Again, it is said that waters of the curse were to be given to a woman accused by her husband of adultery; if she were guilty, those waters would become bitternesses in her, and her belly would swell and her thigh fall away (Num. 5:12-29).
The marriage of a man (vir) and wife signifies the marriage of truth and good, for love truly conjugial descends from that spiritual marriage. Adultery therefore signifies the conjunction of falsity and evil, and this was the reason why, if she were guilty, the water became bitternesses, which signifies the adulteration of good. And because the belly signified conjugial love, like the womb, and also the thigh, therefore the belly swelled and the thigh fell away, which, in the spiritual sense, signifies that the conjugial [principle] perished, or spiritual and natural conjugial love itself, the womb or belly signifying that spiritual conjugial love, and the thigh the natural conjugial love. From these things it is evident that bitter and bitterness, in general, signify the falsification and adulteration of truth and good, and that the various species thereof are signified by gall, wormwood, myrrh, wild grapes, bitter gourds, and many other things.
618. And it shall make bitter thy belly, signifies that inwardly it was undelightful, because outwardly it was adulterated. This is evident from the signification of "to be bitter" or "bitterness," as meaning undelightful because of adulterated truth (of which presently); and from the signification of the "belly," as meaning what is interior. The "belly" means what is interior, because after this it is said that "in the mouth it was as honey, sweet," and the "mouth" means what is exterior, for what is taken in by the mouth is chewed and passed down into the belly, thus going from the exterior to the interior and entering into the viscera of man; but as to the signification of "belly" it shall be told presently. "Bitter" (or bitterness) signifies what is undelightful because of adulterated truth, and therefore "to make bitter" signifies to render undelightful, because what is sweet becomes bitter and thus undelightful by a mixture with something offensive; from this comes the bitterness of wormwood, gall, and myrrh. Now as "sweet" signifies what is delightful from the good of truth and the truth of good, so "bitter" signifies what is undelightful because of adulterated truth. What is undelightful thence is not perceived and felt as bitter by anyone in the natural world, but by the spirit and angel in the spiritual world; for every adulterated good of truth, when it is changed with them into taste, is clearly perceived as bitter. For spirits and angels equally with men have taste, but the taste of spirits and angels flows forth from a spiritual source, but that of men from a natural source; the taste of bitterness with spirits is from the adulterated truth of good, but with men it is from a mixture of what is sweet with what is offensive. John's sensation of bitterness was also from a spiritual origin, for he was in the spirit, otherwise he could not have eaten the little book. Adulterated truth means the truth of good applied to evil and mixed with its falsity, and this is done when the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word are applied to filthy loves, and are thus mixed with evils. This undelightfulness is what is here signified by the bitterness of the belly.
[2] It shall also be told briefly what is meant by what is interior in the Word, that is, the interiors of the Word. The interiors of the Word are the things contained in its internal or spiritual sense; these truths are genuine truths; to these the exterior truths of the Word correspond, which are the truths in the external or natural sense, called the sense of the letter and the literal sense. When the exterior things of the Word, or the truths in the sense of the letter or the literal sense of the Word, are falsified and adulterated, then the interior truths of the Word are falsified and adulterated; for this reason, when a man applies the Word in the sense of the letter to the evils of earthly loves, it becomes undelightful to angels, who are in the internal or spiritual sense of the Word, and this undelightfulness is like that of bitterness. From this it can be seen that "the little book would make bitter, and did make bitter, the belly," signifies that the Word was inwardly undelightful. This undelightfulness thus far spoken of is spiritual undelightfulness; but there is also a spiritual-natural undelightfulness that is also meant by this "bitterness," which is that the truth of doctrine inwardly gathered from the sense of the letter of the Word and called its literal sense, is undelightful to those who are in falsities of evil; for this relates to the understanding of the Word by the men of the church at its end, when they are for the most part in falsities from evil; and to such the falsities of evil, confirmed from the sense of the letter of the Word, are delightful, 1but truths confirmed from the literal sense of the Word are undelightful. This, too, is signified by "the little book made bitter the belly, but in the mouth was like honey, sweet."
[3] That "bitter" signifies the truth of good adulterated can also be seen from the Word where "bitter" is mentioned, as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe unto the mighty to drink wine, and to the men of strength to mingle strong drink (Isaiah 5:20, 22).
Evidently good and truth adulterated are here signified by "bitter," for it is said, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness," which signifies the adulteration of good and the falsification of truth; for good is adulterated when "good is called evil and when evil is called good," and truth is falsified when "darkness is put for light and light for darkness," "darkness" meaning falsities, and "light" truths. This makes clear that like things are signified by "putting bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter," also by "Woe unto the mighty to drink wine, and to the men of strength to mingle strong drink;" "the mighty to drink wine" signify those who adulterate the truth of the Word, and "the men of strength to mingle strong drink" signify those who falsify it, "wine" and "strong drink" meaning the truths of the Word, and "the mighty" and "men of strength" those who excel in ingenuity and skill in adulterating these.
[4] In the same:
The new wine shall mourn, the vine shall languish, all the glad in heart shall sigh. They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it (Isaiah 24:7, 9).
"The new wine that shall mourn," and "the vine that shall languish," signify the truth of the Word and of the church which has been lost, "new wine" signifying the truth of the Word, and the "vine" the truth of the doctrine of the church; "all the glad in heart shall sigh, and they shall not drink wine with a song," signifies that internal blessedness of mind and felicity of heart will perish because of the loss of the truth of spiritual good; "strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it," signifies the truth of good made undelightful by its falsification and adulteration.
[5] In Moses:
The waters in Marah, that they were unable to drink because of the bitterness, were healed by the wood that was cast into them (Exodus 15:23-25).
"The waters in Marah, that they were unable to drink because of their bitterness," represented truths adulterated, "waters" signifying truths, and "bitterness" adulteration. "Healing them by wood cast into them" represented the good of love and of life dispelling falsity and opening truth, and thus restoring it; for all truth is adulterated by the evil of life and of love, consequently it is opened and restored by the good of love and of life, because all truth is of good, and the good of love is like a fire, from which truth appears in light.
[6] The like is signified by:
The pottage into which the sons of the prophets cast the wild gourds or the bitter wild grapes, and which Elisha healed by casting in meal (2 Kings 4:38-41).
"The pottage into which they cast the bitter gourds" signifies the Word falsified; and the "meal" that was cast in, by which it was healed, signifies truth from good; for the truth that is from good dissipates the falsities from which is falsification.
[7] Because the sons of Jacob perverted all the truths of the Word, and by applying them to themselves and to earthly loves falsified and adulterated them, it is said of them in the song of Moses:
That their vine is of the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah, and their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are of bitternesses (Deuteronomy 32:32).
A "vine" signifies the church in respect to truth, consequently also the truth of the church; and "the grapes" signify the goods therefrom, which are the goods of charity, and "clusters", the goods of faith; from which it is evident that "clusters of bitternesses" signify the goods of faith adulterated.
[8] In the same:
That the waters of the curse should be given to the wife accused by her husband of adultery, and if she was 2guilty the waters would become bitternesses in her, and the belly would swell and the thigh fall away (Numbers 5:12-29).
The marriage of man and wife signifies the marriage of truth and good, for love truly conjugial descends from that spiritual marriage; therefore "adultery" signifies the conjunction of falsity and evil, and this was why "if she was guilty the waters became bitternesses," which signifies the adulteration of good; and as the "belly" signified conjugial love, in like manner as the womb, and also the thigh, so "the belly swelled and the thigh fell away," which signifies in the spiritual sense that the conjugial or conjugial love itself, spiritual and natural, had perished; "the womb" or "belly" signifying spiritual conjugial love, and the "thigh" natural conjugial love. From this it can be seen that "bitter" and "bitterness" signify in general the falsification and adulteration of truth and good, and that the various kinds of these are signified by "gall," "wormwood," "myrrh," "wild grapes," "wild gourds," and many others.
Footnotes:
1. Latin has "undelightful," the context calls for "delightful."
2. Latin has "they were," the Hebrew "she was," cf. Arcana Coelestia 3021.
618. "Et amaricabit tuum uentrem." - Quod significet injucundum esset interius, quia exterius adulteratum, constat ex significatione "amari" seu "amaritudinis", quod sit injucundum ex adulterato vero (dn qua infra), et ex, significatione "ventris", quod sit interius: quod "venter" sit interius, est quia sequitur post haec, quod "in ore esset sicut mel dulcis"; et per "os" intelligitur exterius, nam quod ore sumitur, manducatur, et demittitur in ventrem, hoc ab exteriori vadit ad interius, intratur enim in viscera hominis; sed de significatione "ventris", in sequentibus dicetur.
Quod "amarum" et "amaritudo" significet injucundum ex adulterato vero, et quod inde "amaricare" significet injucundum reddere, est quia dulce fit amarum et inde injucundum per admixtionem cum aliquo tetro; inde est amaritudo absinthii, fellis, myrrhae: nunc quia "dulce" significat jucundum ex bono veri et vero boni, inde "amarum" significat injucundum ex adulterato vero. Injucundum inde non percipitur et sentitur ab aliquo homine in mundo naturali ut amarum, sed a spiritu et ab angelo in mundo spirituali; omne enim bonum veri adulteratum, dum vertitur in saporem apud illos, persentiscitur sicut amarum: est enim spiritibus et angelis gustus, aeque ac hominibus; sed spirituum et angelorum gustus ex or, gine spirituali profluit, hominum autem gustus ex origine naturali; gustus amari est spiritibus ex vero boni adulterato, at gustus amari hominibus est ex commixtione dulcis et tetri: sensus amari fuit Johanni etiam ex origine spirituali, nam fuit in spiritu; alioqui nec potuisset comedere libellum. Per verum adulteratum significatur verum boni applicatum malo et commixtum falso ejus, quod fit quando vera sensus litterae Verbi applicantur spurcis amoribus, et sic commiscentur malis. Hoc injucundum est quod hic per "amaricationem ventris" significatur.
[2] Paucis etiam dicetur quid per interius in Verbo, hoc est, per interiora Verbi, significatur. Interiora Verbi sunt illa quae sensus ejus internus seu spiritualis continet; haec vera sunt genuina Vera; his correspondent vera exteriora Verbi, quae sunt quae in sensu ejus externo seu naturali sunt, qui vocatur sensus litterae et litteralis: quando exteriora Verbi, seu vera Verbi in sensu litterae et litterali, falsificantur et adulterantur, tunc vera interiora Verbi falsificata et adulterata sunt; quapropter cum homo Verbum in sensu litterae applicat malis amorum terrestrium, tunc fit illud angelis, qui in sensu Verbi interno seu spirituali sunt, injucundum; et injucundum hoc est sicut injucundum amari. Ex his constare potest quod per quod "libellus amaricabit" et "amaricaverit ventrem" significetur quod Verbum esset interius injucundum. Sed injucundum, de quo nunc actum est, est injucundum spirituale; at injucundum spirituale naturale, quod etiam hic per "amaricationem" illam intelligitur, est quod verum doctrinae, quod interius colligitur ex sensu litterae Verbi, et vocatur sensus litteralis ejus, sit injucundum illis qui in falsis mali sunt; agitur ellim de intellectu Verbi ab hominibus ecclesiae in fine ejus, quando plerique in falsis ex malo sunt; et tunc falsa mali confirmata ex sensu litterae Verbi illis 1
jucunda sunt, at vera confirmata ex sensu litterali Verbi illis injucunda; hoc quoque significatur per quod "libellus amaricaverit ventrem", et quod "in ore fuerit sicut mel dulcis."
[3] Quod "amarum" significet verum boni adulteratum, constare etiam potest ex Verbo, ubi "amarum" dicitur; ut ex sequentibus his locis:
- Apud Esaiam,
"Vae dicentibus de malo bonum, et de bono malum, ponentibus tenebras in lucem, et lucem in tenebras, ponentibus amarum in dulce, et dulce in amarum;.... vae heroibus ad potandum vinum, et viris roboris ad miscendum siceram" (5:20, 22):
quod bonum et verum adulteratum hic per "amarum" significetur, patet; nam dicitur, "Vae dicentibus de malo bonum, et de bono malum, ponentibus tenebras in luccm, et lucem in tenebras"; per quae significatur adulteratio boni et falsificatio veri; adulteratur enim bonum quando "bonum dicitur malum", et quando "malum dicitur bonum"; et falsificatur verum quando "tenebrae ponuntur in lucem, et lux in tenebras"; "tenebrae" sunt falsa, et "lux" sunt vera: ex illis patet quod similia significentur per "ponere amarum in dulce, et dulce in amarum"; simile etiam significatur per "Vae heroibus ad potandum vinum, et viris roboris ad miscendum siceram"; per "heroes ad potandum vinum" significantur illi qui adulterant verum Verbi, et per "viros roboris ad miscendum siceram" significantur illi qui falsificant illud; "vinum" et "sicera" sunt vera Verbi; et per "heroes" et "viros roboris" significantur pollentes ingenio et solertia adulterandi illa.
[4] Apud eundem,
"Lugebit mustum, languescet vitis, gement omnes laeti corde;.... cum cantu non bibent vinum, amara erit sicera bibentibus illam" (24:7, 9):
per "mustum" quod lugebit, et per "vitem" quae languescet, significatur verum Verbi et ecclesiae quod deperditum sit; "mustum" significat verum Verbi, et "vitis" verum doctrinae ecclesiae: per "Cement omnes laeti corde, et cum cantu non bibent vinum" significatur quod perierit interna beatitudo mentis et felicitas cordis propter deperditum verum boni spiritualis: "Amara erit sicera bibentibus illam" significat verum boni injucundum ex falsificatione et adulteratione ejus.
[5] Apud Mosem,
Quod aquae in Marah, quae non bibi poterant prae amaritudine, sanatae sint per lignum eis injectum (Exodus 15:23-25):
"aquae in Marah, quae non bibi poterant prae amaritudine", repraesentabant vera adulterata, nam "aquae" significant vera, et "amaritudo" adulterationem: sanatio illarum per "lignum injectum", repraesentabat bonum amoris et vitae, discutiens falsum, et aperiens verum, et sic restituens; nam omne verum ex malo vitae et amoris adulteratur; quare per bonum amoris et vitae aperitur et restituitur, ex causa, quia omne verum est boni, ac bonum amoris est instar ignis ex quo verum apparet in luce.
[6] Simile significatur per
Pulmentum, in quod filii prophetarum injecerunt colocynthidas seu uvas agrestes amaras, quod Elisaeus sanavit per injectionem farinae (2 Regnum 4:38-41):
per "pulmentum, in quod miserunt colocynthidas amaras" significatur Verbum falsificatum; et per "farinam" immissam, ex qua sanatum, significatur verum ex bono; verum enim quod ex bono dissipat falsa ex quibus falsificatio.
[7] Quoniam filii Jacobi pervertebant omnia vera Verbi, et per applicationem ad se et ad amores terrestres falsificabant et adulterabant illa, ideo dicitur de illis in Cantico Mosis,
Quod de vite Sodomae Vitis eorum, et de agris Gomorrhae, et quod uvae ejus uvae fellis, et botri amaritudinum illis (Deuteronomius 32:32):
per "vitem " significatur ecclesia quoad verum, proinde etiam verum ecclesiae; et per "uvas" significantur bona inde, quae sunt bona charitatis; et per "botros" bona fidei; inde patet quod per "botros amaritudinum" significentur bona fidei adulterata.
[8] Apud eundem,
Quod aquae maledictae darentur uxori a marito accusatae adulterii; quae si rea 2
esset, fierent aquae illae in ea in amaritudines; ac tumesceret venter et concideret femur (Numeri 5:12-29):
per conjugium viri cum uxore significatur conjugium veri et boni, quoniam amor vere conjugialis ex conjugio illo spirituali descendit; inde per "adulterium" significatur conjunctio falsi et mali; ex eo erat quod "si rea esset, aquae fierent in amaritudines", per quod significatur adulteratio boni: et quia "venter" significabat amorem conjugialem, simile quod "uterus" et quoque "femur", inde erat quod "tumesceret venter et concideret femur"; per quod in sensu spirituali significatur quod perierit conjugiale, seu ipse amor conjugialis spiritualis et naturalis; "uterus" seu "venter" significat amorem illum spiritualem, et "femur" eundem naturalem. Ex his constare potest quod per "amarum" et "amaritudinem" in genere significetur falsificatio et adulteratio veri et boni; et quod earum variae species significentur per "fel", "absinthium", "myrrham", "labruscas", "colocynthidas", et plura.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.
2. The editors made a correction or note here.