788.启18:19.“他们又把尘土撒在头上，哭泣悲哀，喊着说，祸哉，祸哉，这大城阿”表他们内在和外在的悲伤和哀恸，也就是对如此显赫的一个宗教竟被完全摧毁并判罚感到悲痛。“把尘土撒在头上”表示因被摧毁和判罚而引发的内在悲伤和哀恸，如下文所述。“哭泣悲哀，喊着”表示外在的悲伤和哀恸；“哭泣”表示灵魂的哀恸；“悲哀”表示内心的悲伤。“祸哉，祸哉，这大城阿”表示对她被摧毁和判罚感到极其悲痛。“祸哉”表示对灾祸、不幸和谴责感到悲痛，因此“祸哉，祸哉”表示极其悲痛（参看416，769，785节）；“城”表示天主教（785节等）。“把尘土撒在头上”表示因被摧毁和判罚而引发的内在悲伤和哀恸，这一点从以下经文明显看出来：
他们必为你放声痛哭，把尘土撒在头上，在灰中打滚。（以西结书27:30）
锡安的女子坐在地上，扬起尘土落在头上。（耶利米哀歌2:10）
约伯的朋友各人撕裂外袍，把尘土撒在自己的头上。（约伯记2:12）
巴比伦的女儿啊，下来坐在尘埃，没有宝座，要坐在地上。（以赛亚书 47:1等）
他们极度悲伤时之所以把尘土撒在头上，是因为“尘土”表示受判罚或诅咒之物，这一点从有关经文明显看出来（如创世记3:14；马太福音10:14；马可福音6:11；路加福音10:10-12）；而且，“头上的尘土”代表承认他们自己该受判罚，因而代表悔改（马太福音11:21；路加福音10:13）。“尘土”之所以表示受判罚或诅咒之物，是因为在灵界，地狱之上的大地纯由没有青草和植物的尘土构成。
788. 18:19 "And they put dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning, and saying, 'Woe, woe, that great city!'" This symbolizes their interior and exterior grief and mourning, which is a lamentation that so eminent a religion was completely destroyed and condemned.
Putting dust on their heads symbolizes their interior and exterior grief and mourning over the destruction and damnation, as we will show below. To cry out, weeping and mourning, symbolizes their exterior grief and mourning - to weep symbolizing a mourning of the soul, and to grieve a grief of the heart. "Woe, woe, that great city!" symbolizes a grievous lamentation over the destruction and damnation. That "woe" symbolizes a lamentation over a calamity, misfortune, or damnation, and that "woe, woe," therefore symbolizes a grievous lamentation, may be seen in nos. 416, 769, 785; and that the city symbolizes the Roman Catholic religion may be seen in no. 785 and elsewhere.
That putting dust on the head symbolizes an interior grief and mourning over a destruction and damnation is clear from the following passages:
They will cry bitterly and cast dust on their heads; they will roll about in ashes. (Ezekiel 27:30)
(The daughters) of Zion sit on the ground...; they have cast dust on their heads... (Lamentations 2:10)
(Job's friends) rent their tunics and sprinkled dust upon their heads... (Job 2:12)
Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne... (Isaiah 47:1)
And so on elsewhere.
The people put dust on their heads when they grieved deeply, because dust symbolized something damned, as is apparent from Genesis 3:14, Matthew 10:14, Mark 6:11, Luke 10:10-12, and dust on the head represented the people's acknowledgment that of themselves they were damned, and thus their repentance, as in Matthew 11:21, Luke 10:13.
Dust symbolizes something damned because the land over the hells in the spiritual world consists of nothing but dust, without grass or plants.
788. [verse 19] 'And they cast dust upon their heads, and cried out weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, that great city' signifies their interior and exterior grief and mourning, which is a lamentation that such an eminent form of religion has been altogether destroyed and damned. By 'to cast dust upon heads 'is signified interior grief and mourning on account of the destruction and damnation, concerning which [something] follows. By 'to cry out weeping and mourning' is signified exterior grief and mourning; by 'to weep' is signified mourning of the soul, and by' to mourn 'grief of the heart. By 'Woe, woe, that city' is signified the grievous lamentation over the destruction and damnation. That 'woe' signifies lamentation over misfortune, unhappiness and damnation, and consequently 'woe, woe' grievous lamentation, may be seen (416, 769, 785); and that 'the city' signifies that form of religion (785; and elsewhere). That by 'to cast dust upon the head' is signified interior grief and mourning on account of destruction and damnation is established from the following passages:
They shall cry bitterly and shall cast up dust upon their head, and shall roll in ashes. Ezekiel 27:30.
The daughters of Zion sit on the earth, they have cast up dust upon their head, Lamentations 2:10.
Job's friends rent their coats (tunica), and sprinkled dust upon their heads, Job 2:12.
Go down and sit upon the dust, O daughter of Babel, sit on the earth, there is no throne for thee. Isaiah 47:1; besides elsewhere. The reason why they put dust upon their heads when they were inmostly grieving was because 'dust' used to signify what was damned, as is plain from. Genesis 3:14; Matthew 10:14; Mark 6:11; Luke 10:10-12; and 'dust upon the head' used to represent the acknowledgment that of themselves they were damned, and thus repentance (as in Matthew 11:21; Luke 10:13). The reason why 'dust' signifies damnation is because the land over the hells in the spiritual world consists of pure dust without grass and herbage.
788. Verse 19. And they cast dust upon their heads, and cried weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, that great city, signifies their interior and exterior grief and mourning, which is lamentation, that so eminent a religious persuasion should be altogether destroyed and condemned. By "casting dust upon the heads" interior grief and mourning are signified on account of the destruction and condemnation spoken of in what follows. By "crying out, weeping and mourning," is signified exterior grief and mourning; by "weeping" is signified mourning of soul, and by "mourning" grief of heart. By "Woe, woe, that city," is signified grievous lamentation over her destruction and condemnation. That "woe" signifies lamentation over calamity, infelicity, and condemnation, and hence "woe, woe," a grievous lamentation, may be seen, (416, 769, 785); and that "city" signifies that religious persuasion, (785 and elsewhere). That interior pain and mourning on account of the destruction and condemnation is signified by "casting dust upon the head," may be evident from the following passages:
They shall cry bitterly, and shall cast dust upon their heads, and shall roll themselves in ashes, (Ezekiel 27:30).
The daughters of Zion sit upon the earth, they have cast dust upon their heads, (Lamentations 2:10).
The friends of Job rent their mantles, and sprinkled dust upon their heads, (Job 2:12).
Come down and sit in the dust, O daughter of Babel, sit on the earth, there is no throne for thee, (Isaiah 47:1 besides other places).
The reason of their casting dust upon their heads, when they grieved inmostly, was because "dust" signifies what is condemned, as is manifest from Genesis 3:14; Matthew 10:14; Mark 6:11; Luke 10:10-12; and "dust upon the head" represented the acknowledgment that of themselves they were condemned, and thus repentance (as in Matthew 11:21; Luke 10:13). That "dust" signifies what is condemned, is because the earth over the hells in the spiritual world consists of mere dust without grass and herbage.
788. (Vers. 19.) "Et miserunt pulverem super capita sua, et clamaverunt flentes et lugentes, dicentes, Vae, vae, urbs illa magna," significat dolorem et luctum eorum interiorem, et exteriorem, qui est lamentatio, quod tam eminens Religiosum prorsus destructum et damnatum sit.--Per "mittere pulverem super capita" significatur interior dolor et luctus propter destructionem et damnationem, de qua sequitur; per "clamare flentes et lugentes" significatur dolor et luctus exterior; per "flere" significatur luctus animae, et per "lugere" luctus cordis; per "Vae, vae, urbs ista" significatur gravis lamentatio super destructione et damnatione. Quod "vae" significet lamentationem super calamitate, infelicitate, et damnatione, et inde "vae, vae" gravem lamentationem, videatur 416, 769, 785; et quod "urbs" significet Religiosum illud, 785, et alibi. Quod per "mittere pulverem super caput" significetur interior dolor et luctus propter destructionem et damnationem, constat ex his sequentibus:
"Clamabunt amare, et ascendere facient Pulverem super capite suo, et in Cinere volvent se," (Ezechiel 27:30);
"Sedent in terra (seniores) filiae Zionis, ascendere fecerunt Pulverem super caput suum," (Threni 2:10);
Amici Hiobi "sciderunt tunicas suas, et sparserunt Pulverem super capita sua," (Hiob 2:12);
"Descende et sede super Pulvere, filia Babelis; sede in terra, non thronus tibi," (Esaias 47:1).
(Praeter alibi.)
Quod miserint pulverem super capita cum intime dolerent, erat causa, quia "pulvis" significabat damnatum (Ut patet ex Genesis 3:14; Matthaeus 10:14; Marcus 6:11; Luca 10:10-12); 1
et "pulvis super capite" repraesentabat agnitionem quod ex se damnati essent, et sic paenitentiam (Ut Matthaeus 11:21; Luca 10:13);
quod "pulvis" significet damnatum, est quia terra super inferna in mundo spirituali consistit ex mero pulvere absque gramine et herba.
Footnotes:
1. Luc. pro "cap."