2054. While he was there, I was reading in Deut. 1 about the Jewish people, about their having sent out to spy out the land and everything in it. These matters were turned by the heavenly spirits into a spiritual meaning, so that he was aware of nothing of the literal meaning, but only the spiritual. He said he did not know what I was reading, but that he was hearing wonderful things, for it was the inner meaning, that is, that the mountain of the Amorites [v. 7, 19, 20] symbolizes the world of evil spirits, through which they passed into heaven, and the river Eshkol, 1where there were fruits and grape clusters [v. 24-5, cf. Num. 13:23], symbolizes the inward heaven. This was the meaning of the words there, but not the literal meaning, of which they said they had noticed nothing at all.
This shows how the meaning of the Word of the Lord is lifted up toward the inward regions of the heavens, so that nothing of the literal meaning remains. This he declared to me, stating it to me in a clear voice, and that they were harligheter 2he was hearing. 1748, 23 May.
Footnotes:
1. See index under Coelum, Emorraei, Mons, Mundus, Verbum, Vinea, where Esel appears; also A. E. 403, which has Eskol.
2. Swedish for "glorious things."
2054. When he was there, I read in Deut. 1 respecting the Jewish people, how they sent messengers to explore the land and what was in it, all which were turned by the celestials into a spiritual sense, so that they perceived nothing from the literal sense, but only from the spiritual. The spirit in question then said to me that he knew nothing of what I was reading, but that he heard wonderful things; for there was an interior sense, namely, that by the mountains of the Amorites was signified the world of evil spirits, through whom the way led to heaven, and by the river of Eshkol, where there were fruits and clusters of grapes, [was signified] the interior heaven. This, he said, was the true sense of the words in that passage, and not the literal sense, of which he could perceive nothing. From this we may judge how the sense of the Lord's Word is elevated towards the interiors of the heavens, so that nothing of the literal sense remains; which he acknowledged, saying to me, with a clear voice, that the things which he saw were truly magnificent. - 1748, May 23.
2054. Cum ibi esset, legebam in Deut. I de populo judaico, quod misissent ad explorandum terram, et quae ibi sunt, quae in sensum spiritualem versa a coelestibus, sic ut nihil perciperet a sensu literali, sed solum a spirituali; dixit ad me, quod nesciret quid legam, sed quod audiat mirabilia, erat enim sensus interior, nempe quod per montem Emorraeorum [v. 7, 19, [20] significetur mundus spirituum malorum, per quem transirent in coelum, et per fluvium Eskol 1
, ubi fructus, et botri [v. 24, 25; cf. Num. XIII: 23], coelum interius, qui sensus verborum ibi erat, non autem literalis, e quo nihil percepisse se dixit, ex quibus constare potest, quomodo sensus Verbi Domini, exaltetur versus interiora coelorum, sic ut nihil remaneat a sensu literali, quod is fassus est, qui clara voce id mihi dixit, et quod essent harligheter {a}, quae audiret. 1748, 23 Maj.
Footnotes:
1. inclarum et imperfectum in the Manuscript; cf. indicem ad Coelum, Emorraei, Mons, Mundus, Verbum, Vinea, ubi fluvius Esel; ut et A.E. 403[11] ubi fluviumEskolem