In this chapter, Jacob is old, and near death. Joseph comes to see him, bringing his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Overall, this story respresents a phase of our spiritual rebirth, in which our natural mind is no longer predominant, and deeper spiritual, even celestial, loves are coming to the fore.

“Joseph was told” (verse 1) represents an awareness of good and true things flowing from the inner part of our minds outward. Secrets of Heaven 6221 explains that “dying” (in cases such as this) refers to the process of regeneration, or being made anew. Swedenborg writes that this “is bound to seem too far-fetched to be believed,” but “angels have no knowledge at all of death or sickness and form no mental image of them.” Instead, they think of death as part of a continuation of life.

Israel strengthening himself indicates that truth in our natural self is now able to perceive good, because we are now connected with our inner self, symbolized by Joseph’s presence (verse 2).

Jacob's speaking to Joseph (verse 3) means that there will be a renewed exchange between our natural or material self [Jacob] and our more internal or spiritual self. When we receive spiritual ideas from God, we get them first in the most interior parts of our soul and mind, and they flow outward to our more exterior mind and body. New good and charitable ideals we’ve received from God prompt outer behaviors. The Lord can't reach our natural minds without first going through these inner channels. (See Secrets of Heaven 6230).

When God gives the land to Jacob’s descendants, it's showing that people who love others and believe in God will have the His kingdom within them even while they're still on earth. Love for others is fruitful, and the truth we have multiplies. (Secrets of Heaven 6232).

Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, (verse 5) represent a new kind of goodness and truth. Jacob saying, “They are mine” represents the natural part of us in relation to goodness and truth. The reason why Jacob counts them in with his other sons is that all of Jacob’s sons represent parts of our lives where the Lord is present within us. Ephraim symbolizes our understanding, and Manasseh symbolizes our will. Our understanding and will together make up our mind, which is where we receive internal truths from God.

When truth is first accepted, it is in the outer parts of our minds (as in verse 6). As more truths continue to be revealed, they lead us to a more profound understanding of spiritual matters. (See Secrets of Heaven 6239).

In Jacob’s blessing, he says that any children Joseph has after Ephraim and Manasseh will belong to Joseph, and Jacob (the outermost part) won’t claim them. In other words, once a person has a new will (Manasseh) and understanding (Ephraim), the rational part of their minds opens. Any truths and good that come after that will proceed from the deepest parts of a person, symbolized by Joseph (See Secrets of Heaven 6240).

The true rational part of our mind is distinguished from the natural rationality that exists before a person becomes open to spiritual truths. Swedenborg describes it this way, “Rationality consists in seeing inwardly and perceiving that what is good is indeed good, and from this that what is true is indeed true, for such vision and perception of these things comes from heaven” (See Secrets of Heaven 6240).

Jacob’s wife dying (verse 7) signifies the end of affection for inner truth. The meaning of Ephrath concerns a former, inner connection between truth and good. At first, a person has an affection for truth, for learning religious teachings. A later, better state is when a person's affection for truth focuses on implementing teachings in our daily lives, and not merely just studying them. The former state is impure because, while becoming spiritually intelligent, the person is “also moved at the same time by a desire for reputation and glory.” In this new state the person “casts aside glory and reputation as . . . ends in view and instead embraces the good of life, that is, love and caring towards the neighbor” (Secrets of Heaven 6247).

Loving truth for the sake of living is different from loving it for the sake of personal gain. In Genesis 48:8, Jacob asks, “Who are these?” This represents our outer self questioning the quality and origin of a new attitude to heavenly things.

“Joseph said to his father” (verse 9) is a response originating from the Lord. This results in a blessing, or a “foretelling regarding goodness and truth” (Secrets of Heaven 6254). In spiritual life, true blessings only come from God.

Israel’s dim eyes indicate obscure thinking (verse 10). This is because Jacob had “reached the final phase of his representation” (Secrets of Heaven 6256). The good coming from natural truth becomes relatively dim as more complex ideas from deeper parts of our mind become present. It might be like being in a light that is much brighter than your eyes are used to, thus making it difficult to see.

“Then Joseph brought them near him” shows how external self can accept internal truths from God. “Kissing” represents an affection for truth, and “embracing” an affection for good. Jacob embracing Joseph’s sons is a natural representation of embracing good on a spiritual level. Swedenborg explains that “every spiritual affection has a corresponding gesture that a person performs with his or her body” (Secrets of Heaven 6261).

Israel's speaking to Joseph (verse 11) corresponds with love flowing from our internal self to external self. Our internal self cannot actually possess love, because the love it feels belongs to the Lord. It possesses no love in and of itself, as indicated by the phrase “I had not thought,” but it feels the flow of love. In this wonderful state, we can also discern the goodness and truth springing from that outward flow, as represented by Joseph’s sons. (See Secrets of Heaven 6263, 6264).

Verse 12 draws us deeper into this wonderful state of receiving spiritual love. Joseph brings his sons from beside his knees, representing how good things in the will (Manasseh) and true things in the understanding (Ephraim) are now enriched from our spiritual truths (Joseph). From there, they become more present in our natural, more outward self (Jacob).

Joseph's bowing is an expression of humility before the Lord. We must do this on a spiritual level, because our natural mind possesses no ability to humble itself before the Lord. These ideas demonstrate that life first comes from the Lord and then flows to the natural world (See Secrets of Heaven 6266).

Ephraim represents new truth in understanding. His position on the left shows that truth is meant to take on a supporting role to will. Manasseh represents new good belonging to the will, and his position on the right shows that this good is meant to occupy the primary position.

Israel lays his right hand on Ephraim’s head (verse 14). This means “he considered truth to occupy the first place and good … the second place” (Secrets of Heaven 6269). This is the way we start out in life, thinking that truth takes precedence over love. Before being regenerated, a person is “not conscious of what the good of charity is because it comes from an interior route” (Secrets of Heaven 6269). The entire story of Joseph is about learning to see things in a deeper way. It does not describe people who are first starting out in their spiritual life, but those who have made progress, and now need to see how all things come from the Lord.

Israel “guiding his hands knowingly,” shows his belief that truth should be primary. He places love in a secondary position. However, the importance of love being primary can be seen by the following image. Good is like a flame and truth is like the light that shines from it. If you take away the flame, the light perishes, too.

Swedenborg notes that if people saw love and charity were what's most important, they wouldn’t split up into so many different religious organizations. “Instead, they would speak of one Church that included everyone leading a good life” (Secrets of Heaven 6269).

Here, Israel is identifying Joseph’s children with Joseph himself, since the new truth and good that Ephraim and Manasseh represent only have life because of the spiritual truths represented by Joseph (verse 15). On a natural level, the new good and truth are clothed so they can be a part of our daily lives.

Joseph’s father talks about God and his forefathers. Abraham represents the Divine itself, and Isaac represents the rational ability of God. As complex and difficult as it is to understand God, we can think of this rational ability as the part of God that arranges everything He creates.

In the Old Testament, Jehovah God’s presence flowed into the natural world through heaven, but only could be seen by people on earth when it took on an angelic appearance. (See Exodus 3 with the story of Moses and the burning bush). Over time, people distanced themselves so far away from heaven that Jehovah God could no longer reach them. The magnitude of His love, and His desire to save people from hell caused Jehovah to take on a human form. This is the reason Jesus was born on earth and why He was glorified or made divine. Through His teachings the Lord Jesus was, and is still, able to reach out to people and redeem them (See Secrets of Heaven 6280).

Joseph represents the innermost, or celestial, realms within us. These are the areas most closely associated with love. Israel represents good that comes from truth that is not quite as profound as what Joseph represents. Here our innermost realm sees that our outer self considers truth to occupy the primary position (See Secrets of Heaven 6287) and does not approve of this. It is like looking deep within and seeing that love is motivating us, but then not actually being able to act according to love. The reason why the deepest parts of our mind feel this way is because they operate in the light of heaven.

Joseph takes hold of his father’s hand. This symbolizes spiritual ideas flowing into Israel’s limited thinking. When spiritual ideas move into our thought processes concerning the material world, they begin to replace our old ways of thinking. (See Secrets of Heaven 6289). Think of the times when we were filled with love to do something, and how it overtakes our whole being, compared with the dimmer motivation of deciding to do something because simply we know it's true. Joseph grasping his father’s hand represents the way our inner self really wants us to see that love comes to us first from the Lord. “To remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head” shows that the celestial or most loving part of us wants to steer us away from the error of thinking that truth is more important than love.

Placing a hand on a person’s head for a blessing was an ancient custom. Doing this was a representative act, “denoting that a blessing should be imparted to a person’s understanding and will, thus to their real self” (Secrets of Heaven 6292). In this verse (18), the inflow is becoming stronger. It is giving the person a new way of thinking and providing new direction.

Joseph’s father saying, “I know, my son, I know” shows that our outer self recognizes the importance of love.

Jacob saying, “His younger brother shall be greater” is the reverse of true order. Since the time represented by the story of Adam and Eve being expelled from the garden, the will of humankind has been corrupted and revived, again and again. God had to change His way of leading people to moral living by shifting His focus to altering people’s understanding instead of their will. This is meant to explain why Jacob says Ephraim’s increase will be greater than Manasseh’s. But here, with inflow from the deepest parts of the mind, people become able to see and understand that love is what’s most important (See Secrets of Heaven 6296).

To give a little sense of how these things differ, the deepest or celestial things within a person (represented by Joseph) have “a concern for good [love], and from this for truth.” The more external things (represented by Israel) have “a concern for truth, and from this for good” (Secrets of Heaven 6295).

Israel's blessing of Joseph’s children (verse 20) speaks to the foresight and providence of God - evil is foreseen and good is provided. The true blessing is the foreseeing of evil which God then tries to turn towards good (See Secrets of Heaven 6298). With any true blessing, spiritual matters must reside in the natural world. If not, our spirit has no foundation to come into our physical body. For example, when a person enjoys a calm and blissful feeling in doing something for another without thought of reward, it is from the spirit. Doing good because it serves heaven requires our natural mind to cooperate. If the natural mind does not cooperate, we block the flow of spiritual ideas (See Secrets of Heaven 6299).

“God will be with you” shows that we will have some awareness of Divine Providence’s operation. The Lord here is trying to bring us back to “the land of your fathers,” as spoken to Joseph. That is, the Lord wants to lead us towards a time when we are willing to follow, in innocence, as we were before we turned away from Him.

When it says that Israel takes the land from the hand of the Amorite, this symbolizes victory over evil. “Whenever the children of Israel represented the things of heaven, [the nations around them] represented the things of hell; thus the land of Canaan represented every state that exists in the next life” both good and evil (Secrets of Heaven 6306). Here, Manasseh and Ephraim represent the new good flowing into the will and the new truths flowing into the understanding, “which are the two constituents of the Church” (Secrets of Heaven 6305). In its essence “church” means the inflow of Divine truth from heaven into the minds of people in the natural world.

2799. 'And he took in his hand the fire and the knife' means the good of love and the truth of faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'the fire' as the good of love, dealt with in 934, and from the meaning of 'the knife' as the truth of faith. As regards 'the knife' used on the victims in sacrifices meaning the truth of faith, this may be seen from the meaning of 'a sword' or 'a small sword' in the Word, for the expression 'small sword' is used instead of 'knife'. Both have the same meaning, the only difference being that 'a knife' which was used on sacrificial victims meant the truth of faith, whereas 'a sword' meant truth engaged in conflict. Now since the word 'knife' occurs but rarely in the Word, for a hidden reason given below, ¹ let the meaning of 'a sword' be shown. In the internal sense 'a sword' means the truth of faith engaged in conflict, and also the vastation of truth; and in the contrary sense it means falsity engaged in conflict and the punishment of falsity.

[2] A sword means the truth of faith engaged in conflict This becomes clear from the following places: In David,

Gird Your sword on Your thigh, O Mighty One; prosper in Your glory and honour, ride on the word of truth, and Your right hand will teach You marvellous things. Psalms 45:3-4.

This refers to the Lord. 'Sword' stands for truth engaged in conflict. In the same author,

The merciful will exalt in glory, they will sing on their beds. The high praises of God will be in their throats and an extremely sharp sword in their hand. Psalms 149:5-6.

In Isaiah,

Jehovah called Me from the womb, from My mother's body ² He made mention of My name, and made My mouth like a sharp sword, and made Me into a polished arrow. Isaiah 49:1-2.

'A sharp sword' stands for truth engaged in conflict, 'a polished arrow' for the truth of doctrine, see 2686, 2709. In the same prophet,

Asshur will fall by a sword, not of man (vir); a sword, not of man (homo), will devour him; and he will flee before the sword, and his young men will become tributary. Isaiah 31:8.

'Asshur' stands for reasoning in Divine things, 119, 1186, 'a sword, not of man (vir)' and 'not of man (homo)' stand for falsity, 'the sword before which he will flee' stands for truth engaged in conflict.

[3] In Zechariah,

Turn to the stronghold, O prisoners of hope; even today I declare I will render double to you - I who have bent for Myself Judah as a bow, I have filled Ephraim, and have roused your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Javan; and I will set you as the sword of one who is mighty, and Jehovah will appear over them, and His arrow will go forth like lightning. Zechariah 9:12-14.

'The sword of one who is mighty' stands for truth engaged in conflict. In John,

In the midst of the seven lampstands one like the Son of Man was holding in His right hand seven stars; out of His mouth a sharp two-edged sword was going forth, and His countenance was like the sun shining in full strength. Revelation 1:13, 16.

And further on,

These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword, I will come to you quickly and engage in conflict with them with the sword of My mouth. Revelation 2:12, 16.

'A sharp two-edged sword' plainly stands for truth engaged in conflict, which was therefore represented as 'a sword going out of His mouth'.

[4] In the same book,

Out of the mouth of Him who sat on the white horse went forth a sharp sword, and with it He is to smite the nations. And they were slain by the sword of Him sitting on the horse, which went out of His mouth. Revelation 19:15, 21.

Here it is plain that 'a sword going out of His mouth' means truth engaged in conflict. The one 'sitting on the white horse' is the Word, and thus the Lord who is the Word; see above 2760-2763. This explains what the Lord says in Matthew,

Do not think that I have come to bring peace on to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. Matthew 10:34.

And in Luke,

Now he who has a purse, let him take it, and likewise a bag. But he who has none, let him sell his garments and buy a sword. They said to Him, Behold, Lord, here are two swords. And Jesus said, It is enough. Luke 22:36-38.

'A sword' here is used to mean nothing else than the truth, from which and for which they were to engage in conflict.

[5] In Hosea,

I will make for them a covenant on that day with the wild animals of the field, and with the birds of the air, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish ³ the bow, and the sword, and war from the land, and I will make them lie down in safety. Hosea 2:18.

Here the subject is the Lord's kingdom. 'Abolishing the bow, the sword, and war' means the absence of any conflict there over doctrine and truth. In Joshua,

Joshua lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, a man was standing before him, with a sword drawn in his hand. He said to Joshua, I am the Prince of the army of Jehovah; and Joshua fell on his face to the earth. Joshua 5:13-14.

These words, which refer to the time when Joshua together with the children of Israel entered the land of Canaan, are used to mean the entry - of those who have faith - into the Lord's kingdom. Truth engaged in conflict, which is the Church's, is 'the sword drawn in the hand of the Prince of the army of Jehovah'.

[6] But as for 'small swords' or 'knives' meaning the truth of faith, this becomes clear from the fact that they were used not only in sacrifices but also in circumcision. Those used in circumcision were made of flint and were called 'small swords of flint', as is evident in Joshua,

Jehovah said to Joshua, Make small swords of flint for yourself; and again, circumcise the children of Israel a second time. And Joshua made small swords of flint for himself, and circumcised the children of Israel on the hill of the foreskins. Joshua 5:2-3.

'Circumcision' was a representative of purification from self-love and love of the world, see 2039, 2632. And because such purification is achieved by means of the truths of faith, 'small swords of flint' were therefore used, 2039 (end), 2046 (end).

[7] II A sword means the vastation of truth This is clear from the following places: In Isaiah,

These two will happen to you; who is to condole with you? Vastation and demolition, and famine and sword; who is to comfort you? Your sons fainted, they lay at the head of every street. Isaiah 51:19-20.

'Famine' stands for vastation of good, and 'sword' for vastation of truth. 'Lying at the head of every street' stands for being deprived of all truth. 'Street' means truth, 2336; and for what vastation is, see 301-304, 407, 408, 410, 411. In the same prophet,

I will destine ⁴ you for the sword, and all of you will bow down to the slaughter, because I called but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen. Isaiah 65:12.

[8] In the same prophet,

By fire Jehovah will judge, and by sword, all flesh; and the slain of Jehovah will be many. Isaiah 66:16.

'The slain of Jehovah' stands for those who have undergone vastation. In Jeremiah,

On all the hills in the wilderness those who cause devastation have come, for the sword of Jehovah is devouring from one end of the land even to the other end of the land. There is no peace for any flesh. They have sown wheat and reaped thorns. Jeremiah 12:12-13.

'The sword of Jehovah' plainly stands for the vastation of truth. In the same prophet,

They have lied against Jehovah and said, It is not He; and no evil will come upon us; neither shall we see sword and famine. And the prophets will become wind, and there is no utterance in them. Jeremiah 5:12-13.

[9] In the same prophet,

I am visiting them; the young men will die by the sword; their sons and their daughters will die by famine. Jeremiah 11:22.

In the same prophet,

When they offer burnt offering and minchah I will not accept them, for I am consuming them by sword and by famine and by pestilence. And I said, Ah, Lord Jehovih, behold, the prophets say to them, You will not see the sword, nor will you have famine. Jeremiah 14:12-13.

In the same prophet,

The city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans fighting against it, in face of the sword, and famine, and pestilence. Jeremiah 32:24, 36.

In the same prophet,

I will send sword, famine, and pestilence upon them, until they are consumed from the ground which I gave to them and their fathers. Jeremiah 24:10.

[10] In these places vastation is described as 'sword, famine, and pestilence'. 'Sword' describes the vastation of truth, 'famine' the vastation of good, and 'pestilence' preying upon even to destruction. In Ezekiel,

Son of man, Take a sharp sword, use it as a barber's razor and pass it over your head and over your beard. And you are to take balances and you are to divide the hair. A third part you are to burn with fire in the midst of the city; a third part you are to strike with the sword round about it; and a third part you are to scatter to the wind, and I will unsheathe the sword after them. A third part will die of pestilence, and be consumed with famine in the midst [of you], and a third part will fall by the sword round about [you], and a third part I will scatter to every wind; and I will unsheathe the sword after them. Ezekiel 5:1-2, 12, 17.

This refers to the vastation of natural truth, which is described in this fashion. In the same prophet,

The sword is without, and pestilence and famine within; he that is in the field will die by the sword, and him that is in the city famine and pestilence will devour. Ezekiel 7:15.

[11] In the same prophet,

Say to the land of Israel, Thus said Jehovah, Behold, I am against you, and will draw My sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. Because I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore My sword will go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north; and all flesh will know that I Jehovah have drawn My sword out of its sheath, and it will not return any more. The word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus said Jehovah, Say: A sword, a sword has been sharpened and also polished, sharpened, for great slaughter, so that it is polished to flash like lightning! Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus said the Lord Jehovih against the children of Ammon, and against their reproach, Say: A sword, a sword is bared for the slaughter, and polished to consume because [polished to shine like] lightning - while they see vanity for you, while they divine a lie for you. Ezekiel 21:3-5, 8-20, 28-29.

Here 'a sword' means nothing other than vastation, as is evident in the internal sense from each detail included here.

[12] In the same prophet,

The king of Babel will destroy your towers with his swords. By reason of the abundance of horses their dust will cover you; by reason of the noise of horsemen, and wheels, and chariots, your walls will be shaken. With the hoofs of his horses he will trample all your streets. Ezekiel 26:9-11.

What 'Babel' is, see 1326, and that it causes vastation, 1327. In David, If he does not turn back God will whet His sword, bend His bow, and make it ready. Psalms 7:12.

In Jeremiah,

I said, Ah, Lord, truly You have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, You will have peace; but the sword has reached even to the soul. Jeremiah 4:10.

[13] In the same prophet,

Declare in Egypt, and cause it to be heard in Migdol, Stand up and prepare yourself, for the sword will devour round about you. Jeremiah 46:14.

In the same prophet,

A sword over the Chaldeans and against the inhabitants of Babel, and against her rulers, and against her wise men! A sword against the boasters, and they will become insane! A sword against her mighty men, and they will be dismayed! A sword against her horses, and against her chariots, and against the whole mingled crowd in her midst, and they will become as women! A sword against her treasures, and they will be plundered! A drought on her waters, and they will dry up! Jeremiah 50:35-38.

'A sword' plainly stands for the vastation of truth, for it is said to be 'a sword against the wise men, against the boasters, against the mighty men, against the horses and chariots, against the treasures', and that there will be 'a drought on the waters and they will dry up'.

[14] In the same prophet,

We have given the hand to Egypt, to Asshur to be satisfied with bread. Slaves have had dominion over us; there is nobody to free us from their hand. In [peril of] our souls we acquired our bread, in face of the sword of the wilderness. Lamentations 5:6, 8-9.

In Hosea,

He will not return to the land of Egypt, and Asshur will be his king, because they have refused to return to Me. And the sword will come down on his cities, and consume his bars, and devour because of their counsels. Hosea 11:5-6.

In Amos.

I have sent the pestilence upon you in the way of Egypt, I have slain your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. ⁵ Amos 4:10.

'In the way of Egypt' stands for the facts which cause vastation when, on the basis of these, people reason in Divine things. 'Captured horses' stands for the understanding when stripped of its own inherent qualities.

[15] III A sword in the contrary sense means falsity engaged in conflict. This becomes clear in David,

As to my soul, I lie in the midst of lions setting on fire the children of men; their teeth are spear and arrows, and their tongues a sharp sword. Psalms 57:4.

In the same author,

Behold, they belch out with their mouths, swords are in their lips - for who hears? Psalms 59:7.

In Isaiah,

You are cast out from your sepulchre like an abominable stock, a garment of the slain pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit like a dead body trodden underfoot. Isaiah 14:19

This refers to Lucifer. In Jeremiah,

In vain have I smitten your sons, they took no correction Your own sword is devouring your prophets, like a ravaging lion. O generation, observe the Word of Jehovah, Have I been a wilderness to Israel? Jeremiah 2:30-31.

[16] In the same prophet,

Do not go out into the field, and do not walk on the road, for the enemy has a sword, terror is all around. Jeremiah 6:25-26.

In the same prophet,

Take the cup of the wine of wrath and make all the nations to which I send you drink it. And they will drink and reel, and go mad in face of the sword which I am sending among them. Drink and get drunk, and vomit, and fall, and do not get up again in face of the sword. Jeremiah 25:15-16, 27.

In the same prophet,

Go up, O horses; rage, O chariots; let the mighty men go forth, Cush and Put, that handle the shield, and the Ludim that handle and bend the bow. And that day is to the Lord Jehovih of hosts a day of vengeance. And the sword will devour, and be sated, and become drunk on their blood. Jeremiah 46:9-10.

[17] In Ezekiel,

They will strip you of your garments, and take the jewels ⁶ of your glory, and leave you naked and bare. And they will bring up an assembly upon you, and they will stone you with stones; they will run you through with their swords. Ezekiel 16:39-40.

This refers to the abominations of Jerusalem. In Zechariah,

Woe to the worthless shepherd, the deserter of the flock! The sword will fall upon his arm and upon his right eye. His arm will be wholly withered, and his right eye utterly darkened. Zechariah 11:17.

In Hosea,

They thought what was evil against Me. Their princes will fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue. This will be their derision in the land of Egypt. Hosea 7:15-16.

[18] In Luke,

There will be great distress over the earth, and wrath on that people; for they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive among all the gentiles; ⁷ at length Jerusalem will be trodden down by the gentiles. ⁷ Luke 21:23-24.

Here the Lord was referring to the close of the age - in the sense of the letter to the dispersion of the Jews and the destruction of Jerusalem, but in the internal sense to the final state of the Church. 'Falling by the edge of the sword' means that there was no truth any longer, but merely falsity. 'All the gentiles' means every kind of evil among which 'they will be led captive'. 'The gentiles' - or 'the nations' - means evils, see 1259, 1260, 1849, 1868, and 'Jerusalem' means the Church, 2117, which will be so 'trodden down' by them.

[19] IV A sword also means the punishment of falsity

This is clear in Isaiah,

On that day Jehovah will make a visitation with His hard and great and strong sword upon Leviathan the full-length serpent, ⁸ and upon Leviathan the twisting serpent, and He will slay the monsters that are in the sea. Isaiah 27:1.

This refers to those who by means of reasonings based on sensory evidence and factual knowledge enter into the mysteries of faith. 'The hard, great, and strong sword' stands for the punishments of the falsity that results from those reasonings.

[20] When one reads about people being put to, and being slain by, the edge of the sword, sometimes including 'both men and women, young people and old, oxen, sheep, and asses', the meaning in the internal sense is punishment consisting in the condemnation of falsity, as in Joshua 6:21; 8:24-25; 10:28, 30, 37, 39; 11:10-12, 14; 13:22; 19:47; Judges 1:8, 25; 4:15-16; 18:27; 20:37; 1 Samuel 15:8; 2 Kings 10:25; and elsewhere. This also explains why it was commanded to put to the sword any city which worshipped other gods, and to destroy it utterly and to burn it with fire, and to let it remain a heap for ever, Deuteronomy 13:12-18. 'The sword' stands for the punishment of falsity, 'fire' for the punishment of evil. The angel of Jehovah with a drawn sword who stood in the path against Balaam, Numbers 22:22, 31, meant the truth which stood in the way of the falsity which possessed Balaam. For that reason also he was slain with a sword, Numbers 31:8.

[21] The meaning of 'a sword' in the genuine sense as truth engaged in conflict, and in the contrary sense as falsity engaged in it, also the vastation of truth and the punishment of falsity, has its origin in the representatives that occur in the next life. For in that life, when anyone utters that which he knows to be false, daggers so to speak instantly come down over his head and strike terror, while truth engaged in conflict is represented there as well by objects which have sharp points like the tips of swords; for such is the nature of truth if it is devoid of good, but if it exists together with good it is rounded and gentle. Such being the origin of the meaning of a sword, therefore with angels, whenever a knife, spear, small sword, or sword is mentioned in the Word, truth engaged in conflict comes to mind.

[22] The reason why a knife is hardly mentioned at all in the Word is that in the next life there are evil spirits who are called 'knifers'. They seem to have knives hanging by their sides, and the reason for this is that they possess so brutal a nature that they wish to cut everyone's throat with their knife. This is why knives are not mentioned, but small swords and swords, for the latter being implements normally used in battle give rise to the idea of war and so of truth engaged in conflict.

[23] Because it was well known to the ancients that a small sword, a lance, and a knife meant truth, the gentiles, who received the practice through tradition, were therefore accustomed during sacrifices to stab and slash themselves, even until they bled, with small swords, lances, or knives, as one reads of the priests of Baal,

The priests of Baal cried out with a loud voice and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until blood gushed out. 1 Kings 18:28.

As regards all weapons of war in the Word meaning things that have to do with spiritual conflict, each one having some specific meaning, see 2686.

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