Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

1. After these things Jesus went away across the Sea of Galilee, [the Sea] of Tiberias.

2. And a crowd of many followed Him, because they saw His signs which He was doing on those who were sick.

3. And Jesus came up into a mountain, and there sat with His disciples.

4. And the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.

5. Jesus then, lifting up [His] eyes and observing that a crowd of many comes to Him, says to Philip, whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

6. But this He said, testing him, for He Himself knew what He was about to do.

7. Philip answered Him, Two hundred denarii of bread is not sufficient for them, that each of them may take a very little.

8. One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, says to Him,

9. There is one little boy here who has five [loaves of] barley bread and two little fish; but what are these to so many?

10. And Jesus said, Make the men recline. And there was much grass in the place. Then the men reclined, in number about five thousand.

11. And Jesus took the [loaves of] bread, and having given thanks, He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to those that were sitting; and likewise of the little fish, as much as they desired.

12. But when they were filled, He says to His disciples, Gather the excess fragments, lest anything be lost.

13. Then they gathered [them] together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments from the five [loaves of] barley bread, which were left over by those that had eaten.

14. Then the men, seeing the sign that Jesus did, said, This is truly the Prophet that is to come into the world.

The idea that the understanding must be reformed and the will regenerated has been a major point of emphasis in the first three miracles in this gospel. When water was transformed into wine, we regarded this as a miracle primarily about the reformation of the understanding. When the nobleman’s son was healed of a fever, we regarded this as a miracle primarily about the regeneration of the will. And when the man at the Pool of Bethesda was told to take up his bed and walk, we regarded this as being a miracle about both the understanding and the will. The words, “Rise, take up your bed,” relate to the understanding, and the word “walk” relates to the will.

In each case, Jesus’ uses the imagery of the natural world—water, wine, a fever, a bed, and walking—to teach important lessons about the spiritual world. Every miracle, like every parable, is an earthly story with a heavenly message.

The next major miracle in this series is the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus will again use the imagery of the natural world to teach about the wonders of the spiritual world. This time, He will use the miraculous multiplication of bread and fish to show how goodness and truth can be multiplied within each of us. Aside from the miraculous story of the Lord’s crucifixion and resurrection, the feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle that is repeated in all four gospels. While the basic story is the same in every gospel, the details differ. These subtle but significant differences provide important insights about the focus of each gospel. They illustrate the central premise this commentary—that the four gospels are a divinely arranged narrative, a continuous stream of divine truth in which every detail has heavenly significance. ¹

A miracle of abundance

The story begins when Jesus leaves Judea and crosses over the Sea of Galilee. After crossing the sea, a great multitude of people begin to follow Him because “they saw the signs which He had performed on those who were diseased” (6:2). While the people are coming towards Him, Jesus goes up on a mountain where He sits down with His disciples. Meanwhile, the multitudes continue to follow. As they press towards Him, Jesus says to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread that these may eat?” (6:5).

Jesus already knew how He would feed the multitude, even before He asked Philip where they might find bread for so many people. As it is written, “Jesus said this to test him, for He already knew what He was about to do” (6:6). Jesus knew where and how He would find bread for the people to eat. In the language of sacred scripture, “bread,” because it nourishes and sustains life, is a symbol of the Lord’s abundant love and goodness. Similarly, “eating” represents the reception of this goodness. This kind of bread can be received, but it cannot be bought with money. Philip, however, does not realize that Jesus is speaking spiritually. Therefore, Philip says, “Two hundred denarii of bread is not enough, even if each of them were to take a little” (6:7).

Philip’s response focuses on scarcity rather than abundance. And yet, the prophecies about the Lord’s coming focus on abundance. For example, Joel writes that when the Lord comes, “The threshing floors will be full of grain, and the winepresses shall overflow with oil and wine” (Joel 2:24). And the prophet Malachi describes the Lord as testing His people in regard to His abundant provision. “Test me in this” says the Lord. “I will open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings without measure” (Malachi 3:10). ²

Jesus’ question, then, is a test. He already knows that He is about to “open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings without measure,” but He wants to give Philip a chance to acknowledge that the Lord abundantly provides. Instead, Philip answer’s Jesus’ question literally, focusing on what is lacking. “Two hundred denarii,” he says, “is not enough.”

At this point another disciple makes a suggestion. Andrew says, “There is a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two little fish.” Rather than focus on what they do not have, Andrew focuses on what they do have. But then, realizing that five thousand people cannot be fed with just five loaves and two little fish, Andrew adds, “But what are these among so many people?” (6:9).

Philip and Andrew both believe that they do not have enough money or food to feed the people. It seems to be an impossible situation. With so little money and so little food, how will they feed the thousands that have gathered? But Jesus uses this seemingly impossible situation as an opportunity to perform another great miracle. “Make the people recline,” He says to His disciples, and five thousand people are invited to recline on the grass. Only in John is it written, “There was much grass in the place” (6:10).

Jesus’ next step is to take the loaves, give thanks, and distribute them to the disciples. He does the same with the fish, distributing both the bread and the fish to the disciples who, in turn, distribute the bread and the fish to the people who are reclining on the green grass. The imagery calls to mind the words of the twenty-third psalm: “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures” (Psalm 23:1-2).

Even though it all begins with just five loaves and two little fish collected from a little boy, it is written that the whole multitude of people received “as much as they wanted” (6:11). In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, when the feeding of the five thousand is described, it is said each time that the people ate until they were “satisfied.” Only in John is it written that they ate as much as they “wanted.”

The phrase “as much as they wanted” contains the verb ἤθελον (ēthelon) which suggests a fervent wish or an intense desire. This brings to mind the previous miracle at the Pool of Bethesda when Jesus said to the man at the pool, “Do you want to be made well?” (5:6). Jesus did not say, “Are you interested in getting well?” or “Would you like to get well?” Rather, He said, “Do you intensely desire to be made well?” The verb that is used is ἤθελον (ēthelon).” It is the same verb that is used to describe how much the people ate—“as much as they wanted.” That is, as much as they intensely desired. The spiritual lesson here is that the Lord is always ready to fill us with His goodness and truth; He is always ready to shower us with spiritual blessings. The only thing that determines how much we receive is our level of desire, our determination to grow, and our resolve to rise above the promptings of our unregenerate will. ³

It should also be noted that in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the disciples tell Jesus that they only have five loaves and two fish, but there is no mention of a little boy, nor are the fish described as “little.” Only in John is the little boy mentioned; only in John are the fish described as “little.” In the language of sacred scripture, little children represent those precious moments, especially in childhood, when we have been impressed by something that has deep significance to us. It could be a time when someone tenderly cared for us, showing us kindness, mercy, and compassion. It could be a time when someone spoke words of comfort, and helped us feel safe. It could be a time when someone encouraged us, and we felt the thrill of learning a new skill, and the satisfaction of completing a difficult task. It could be a time when someone taught us a valuable lesson about what it means to share, and how to appreciate. To the extent that these early impressions of goodness and truth remain with us, they serve as tiny seeds that can multiply over time. A very little can be multiplied into very much.

Depending on how much we want to grow, the Lord can make use of earlier experiences as seeds for future growth, multiplying the love we have received and the truth we have acquired. Even if we only have a little bit of goodness and a few truths within us, but have a great desire to learn, and grow, and share, the Lord can take whatever we bring to Him and multiply it immensely. ⁴

Gathering the fragments

The miracle, however, does not end with the multiplication of the loaves and fish. After the people have eaten, Jesus says to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost” (6:12). As a result, “they filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten” (6:13). The words “Gather up the fragments that remain so that nothing is lost” are significant. They remind us that every loving experience we have ever had and every truth we have ever learned cannot be lost. These holy states may recede from our awareness for a time, but the Lord preserves them above our consciousness where they remain, ready to bless us whenever they are called to remembrance. They might seem small, like tiny, left-over fragments, but they contain rich blessings. Therefore, we need to remember those experiences, and to “gather them up,” so that nothing is lost. ⁵

After the five thousand people had eaten to the full, there were twelve baskets full of fragments left over. In sacred scripture, the number twelve signifies that which is full and complete. Just as there were twelve tribes of Israel (Genesis 49:28), twelve men who spied out the promised land (Deuteronomy 1:23), twelve memorial stones in the midst of the Jordan (Joshua 4:9), twelve disciples (Matthew 10:1), twelve gates to the Holy City, New Jerusalem, and twelve angels at each gate (Revelation 21:12), there were twelve baskets of fragments left over.

This suggests that the miraculous feeding had been full and complete. Spiritually speaking, this means that when we earnestly desire to learn truth so that we can live according to it, the Lord will open heaven and pour out an abundance of blessings for us. ⁶

When the people see the miracle of the loaves and the fish, including the twelve baskets full of fragments that are left over, they are amazed, and exclaim, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world” (6:14).

A practical application

The miraculous feeding of the five thousand teaches many important lessons. In this study, we have focused on the way the Lord can tap into our childhood states of innocence, those tender times when we spontaneously loved our parents, siblings, friends, and teachers. These were also times when we learned precious lessons about love and kindness. These experiences are never taken from us. They remain above our consciousness as holy states capable of being remembered and multiplied whenever we are ready to access them. With this in mind, reflect on the loving memories that have been stored up within you. Share them with someone else, giving each other the opportunity to rekindle those tender moments. As you do this, notice how good memories bring to mind other good memories until your spirit is well-fed. Even if you begin with a little, it will soon multiply into a lot. Remember the lesson of the five loaves and the two little fish.

A Miracle of Immediate Presence

15. Then Jesus, knowing that they are about to come and seize Him that they might make Him a king, departed again into the mountain Himself alone.

16. And when it became evening, His disciples stepped down to the sea,

17. And having stepped into the ship, they were coming across the sea toward Capernaum. And darkness had already fallen, and Jesus had not come to them.

18. And, a great wind blowing, the sea was awakened.

19. Then having rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they behold Jesus walking on the sea and coming upon [them] near the ship; and they feared.

20. But He says to them, I am; be not afraid.

21. Then they desired to receive Him into the ship, and straightway the ship came to be at the land to which they were going.

The “hamotzi”

As a way of showing their gratitude to God for His abundant provision, Jewish people have a long tradition of reciting a mealtime prayer which has come to be known as the hamotzi. In Hebrew, the word hamotzi (המוציא) means “brings forth,” and is associated with Psalm 104:14 where it is written that God “brings forth bread from the earth.” The full prayer is, Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu melech ha'olam, hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz. This translates as, “Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.” It is very likely that Jesus recited this same blessing when He lifted up the loaves and gave thanks before feeding the multitude. Having experienced so great a miracle, the people believe that Jesus is truly the promised Messiah, the king of the universe, who has just “brought forth bread from the earth.”

Because of this, it is understandable that the people are eager to set Jesus up immediately as their king. In fact, they are ready to seize Him and force Him to be their king. Seeing this, and aware that He is a different kind of king, Jesus goes up into the mountain by Himself. As it is written, “Jesus, knowing that they were about to come and seize Him that they might make Him a king, departed again into the mountain Himself alone” (6:15).

A storm arises

In life, there are “mountain top” states, times of incredible abundance and joy, times when we feel close to God, well-nourished, and at peace. We are ready to make Him our king. This is represented in the previous episode by the feeding of the five thousand on the mountain top. In life we also experience times when we might feel “down and out.” These are times of darkness and despair, times when we feel distant from God, uninspired, and relatively lifeless.

It is in this “down” time that our next episode begins. In the literal narrative, “When evening came, the disciples went down to the sea” (6:16). While Jesus is going “up” into a mountain, the disciples are going “down” to the sea. We also read that when the disciples went down to the sea it was evening and growing dark. All of this is said to suggest that there are “down” times in the regenerative process. Just as we have “morning” states filled with love and wisdom, we also have “evening” states in which our understanding is darkened and our love grows cold. Therefore, it is written that when evening came, the disciples went “down to the sea.” ⁷

The miraculous multiplication of the loaves and the fishes is now over, and evening has come. At this point the disciples get into a boat and go over the sea toward Capernaum. We read, “It was now dark, and Jesus had not come to them” (6:17). This physical darkness corresponds to a state of spiritual darkness—a state of little faith and declining love. Whenever we come into states like this, the world no longer seems to be a place of safety and comfort. Instead, it can be seen as a harsh and dangerous place. At such times, our spiritual condition can be compared to someone who is lost at sea, in the dark, in the midst of a violent storm. Therefore, we read that “The sea arose because a great wind was blowing” (6:18).

We can only imagine the fear that the disciples must have felt, rowing in the darkness, tossed about on a billowing sea by a great wind. Suddenly, after rowing for three or four miles, they see Jesus walking on the sea and coming towards their boat. To them, this was not a comforting sight, but rather a fearful one. As it is written, “They saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid” (6:19). Seeing their frightened condition, Jesus takes command of the situation. “I am,” He says. “Do not be afraid” (6:20). Greatly relieved, the disciples willingly receive Him into the boat “and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going” (6:21).

When Jesus says, “I AM,” it is more than a simple statement that He, Jesus, is coming to them in the dark, counseling them to not be afraid. Much more than that, the holy words “I AM,” (Ego eime in Greek) call to mind the way Jehovah identified Himself at the burning bush. At that time, Moses said to Jehovah, “When they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what should I say to them?” (Exodus 3:13). In response, Jehovah says, “I AM who I AM” (Exodus 3:14). And He adds, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM’ has sent you” (Exodus 3:14). Therefore, in using the holy words, “I AM,” Jesus is telling the disciples that the powerful God of the universe is present and there is nothing to fear.

As we mentioned earlier, each of us goes through down times, times when we might feel “in the dark,” so to speak. Even worse, we might feel as though we are being tossed to and fro in the unpredictable storms of life, fearful that we will never achieve our goals or reach our destination. But then something wonderful can happen. A passage of scripture can come to mind, and through that passage we might hear the voice of God saying, “I AM—do not be afraid.” This is how God comes to us, in our darkest, most storm-tossed hours, calling to remembrance some comforting passage of scripture, or just reminding us to pray, and to trust. It is at times like these when we, like the disciples, willingly receive Him into our boat. ⁸

A practical application

It often appears that life is about setting goals in the external world and reaching them. These goals become, so to speak, our aim in life, our “destination.” But sometimes it feels like we are in a storm-tossed boat at sea, and that we might never reach our destination. However, if we set for ourselves spiritual goals, and allow the Lord to work within us, we can experience peace, even in the midst of a storm. In this regard, select a spiritual goal such as remaining peaceful during a difficult time. To help you accomplish your goal, choose a powerful scriptural passage where you hear God speaking to you. It could be the words, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10), or “Peace, be still” (Mark 4:39), or, especially in the light of this most recent episode, it could be Jesus saying to His disciples, “I am. Do not be afraid.” Whatever passage you choose, take it into your mind and heart, allowing it to provide insight about spiritual reality. Let it be the “eye” in the midst of the storm. Then notice how swiftly you arrive at your spiritual destination—a place of inner peace. As it is written in this episode, “They willingly received Him … and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.” ⁹

The Bread of Life

22. On the morrow, the crowd standing across the sea, having seen that there was no other boat there except that one into which His disciples had stepped, and that Jesus went not with His disciples into the boat, but His disciples went away alone;

23. But other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate the bread, when the Lord had given thanks;

24. When the crowd therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also stepped into the ships, and came into Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

25. And having found Him across the sea, they said to Him, Rabbi, when camest Thou hither?

26. Jesus answered them, and said, Amen, amen, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the bread, and were satisfied.

27. Work not for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains to everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give to you; for Him the Father, God, has sealed.

28. Then said they to Him, What shall we do that we may work the works of God?

29. Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.

30. They said therefore to Him, What sign doest Thou then, that we may see and believe Thee? What workest Thou?

31. Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness, as it is written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.

32. Then Jesus said to them, Amen, amen, I say to you, Moses gave you not the bread out of heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread out of heaven.

33. For the Bread of God is He who comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.

34. Then said they to Him, Lord, always give us this bread.

35. And Jesus said to them, I am the Bread of Life; he that comes to Me shall never hunger, and he that believes in Me shall never thirst.

After the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, Jesus’ fame was spreading rapidly. The crowds were gathering, and the people were becoming more insistent that He become their king. Knowing that this was not yet His time, Jesus went up into a mountain to be alone. Later, He walked upon the stormy Sea of Galilee, got into the boat with His disciples, and immediately they were at their destination. The crowd followed close behind, in other boats. Because they had not seen Jesus leave with His disciples, when the crowd caught up with Jesus in Capernaum, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?” (6:25).

For the most part, the people interpreted everything Jesus said and did in terms of their earthly ambitions. Therefore, Jesus does not answer their question directly. Instead, He says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (6:26). Jesus is referring to the miracle He had just performed. Five thousand people had just received an abundance of bread and fish, so much so that they were filled. All they knew was that Jesus could somehow provide the daily bread they needed. This is the kind of king they had been anticipating, an earthly king who would provide material prosperity, a military leader who would deliver them from their natural enemies, a miracle-worker who could “bring forth bread from the earth” so that they might never hunger. And so, they followed Him, hoping for more of the same. ¹⁰

Aware of this, Jesus says to them, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains to everlasting life” (6:27). Through these words, Jesus is opening the inner meaning of His miracle. He is telling those who have ears to hear that the food they just received during the miraculous feeding of the five thousand is only natural food. In time, it will perish. Therefore, their primary concern should not be about obtaining food for their bodies, but rather food for their souls—that is, food which remains to everlasting life.

The use of the verb “remains” in this verse is most significant. The Greek word is μένουσαν (menousan) which means “to remain,” “to abide,” or “to stay.” While there is no English noun that expresses the idea of something that remains with us forever, we do have the word “remains.” Unfortunately, this is more often associated with leftover food or even a person’s body after death. Jesus, however, is speaking about something entirely different. He is speaking about those things in spiritual reality that stay with us forever.

Tender feelings towards parents, siblings, and friends, might be buried for a while, but can never be lost. They remain forever. Kind words spoken and good deeds done have lasting effects on our spirit. Truths that are not only learned but also lived become a permanent part of our nature. They also remain forever. As Jesus said in a previous episode, “The water that I give will become in him a fountain springing up into everlasting life” (4:14). Whether Jesus is speaking about the water that quenches our spiritual thirst, or the bread that satisfies our spiritual hunger, He is contrasting what passes away in time to what remains for eternity. In brief, what is eternal cannot be consumed or perish. It remains forever. ¹¹

Like the woman of Samaria who asked to have everlasting water, the multitudes want to know about this food which will remain to everlasting life, and what they need to do to obtain it. Jesus has already told them not to labor for the food that perishes, but rather to labor for the food that remains to everlasting life. They are thinking that Jesus is referring to some form of physical labor. Therefore, they ask, “What shall we do that we may work the works of God?”(6:28). And Jesus tells them: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent” (6:29).

The people are not yet convinced. Jesus has just told them that their work is “to believe in Him whom God has sent,” but they still think that belief is dependent upon Jesus’ performance of an even greater miracle. So, they say, “What sign will you perform that we may see it and believe You?” (6:30). Apparently, a one-time feeding of five thousand people is not enough to convince them. After all, God had miraculously fed the children of Israel daily for forty years as they journeyed through the wilderness. Therefore, they say, “Our fathers ate the manna in the desert. As it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven’” (6:31).

Once again, Jesus takes advantage of this opportunity to lift their minds to higher things. He says to them, “Most assuredly I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of heaven is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (6:32-33).

Jesus is telling them that the manna in the wilderness is not the true bread of heaven. Rather, He Himself is the bread of heaven. Just as physical bread gives physical nourishment, the Father has sent Him into the world to give spiritual nourishment. But they still do not understand. They believe that Jesus somehow will be able to produce all the physical bread they need, not just for one day, but forever. And so, they say, “Lord, give us this bread always” (6:34).

Flesh and Blood

36. But I said to you that you also have seen Me, and do not believe.

37. All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and him that comes to Me I will not cast out.

38. For I came down out of heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.

39. And this is the will of the Father that sent Me, that of all which He has given Me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it again in the last day.

40. And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that everyone who beholds the Son, and believes in Him, should have eternal life, and I will raise him again at the last day.

41. The Jews then murmured about Him, because He said, I am the bread which came down out of heaven.

42. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then says he, I came down out of heaven?

43. Then Jesus answered and said to them, Murmur not with one another.

44. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draw him; and I will raise him again at the last day.

45. It is written in the Prophets, And they shall all be taught by God. Everyone therefore who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me;

46. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is with God; He has seen the Father.

47. Amen, amen, I say to you, He that believes in Me has eternal life.

48. I am the Bread of Life.

49. Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and died.

50. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.

51. I am the Living Bread which came down out of heaven; if anyone eat of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

52. The Jews therefore strove with one another, saying, How can He give us [His] flesh to eat?

53. Then Jesus said to them, Amen, amen, I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.

54. He that eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him again at the last day.

55. For My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink.

56. He that eats My flesh, and drinks My blood, remains in Me, and I in him.

57. As the living Father has sent Me, and I live by the Father, so he that eats Me, he also shall live by Me.

58. This is the bread that came down out of heaven, not as your fathers ate manna and died; he that eats of this bread shall live forever.

59. These things said He in the synagogue, teaching in Capernaum.

Even though Jesus knows that the people do not understand, He continues to speak to them in figurative language. He says: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and He who believes in Me shall never thirst” (6:35). Jesus then adds, “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of the Father who sent Me…. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (6:36, 39-40). To see the Son and believe in Him is to understand the truth—to “see” it’s meaning—and “to believe in Him” is to live according to the truth. This is what raises us from natural life to spiritual life. ¹²

When Jesus says that all who believe in Him will be “raised up at the last day,” it seems that He is referring to the end of life—often referred to as the “last day.” But like everything else that Jesus says, there is a deeper, more spiritual meaning within His words. There are times in each of our lives when we feel that we are at the end of our patience; we cannot go on; we can no longer endure. But, if we can turn to the Lord, doing His will and not our own, He brings us into an invisible, yet powerful sphere that can raise us up, even when it appears that we are “at the last day.” ¹³

Jesus not only claims that He will raise us up at the last day, but also that He has come down from heaven to do the Father’s will and to teach it. This bold declaration is so openly stated that many who hear Him are shocked. After all, they have known Him as Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother they know—but not as “the bread which has come down from heaven.” Therefore, they murmur among themselves and ask, “How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven?’” (6:42).

Jesus hears their murmuring, but does not qualify His statement. Instead, He continues to deliver straightforward testimony about who He is and what He has come to do, repeating the difference between the physical manna in the wilderness and the spiritual bread that He gives. As He puts it, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and are dead” (6:47-49). In saying this, Jesus is making a clear distinction between the physical manna given in the wilderness and the spiritual truth He is offering. Jesus says, “This is the bread which comes down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (6:50-51). ¹⁴

All of this, however, is beyond the comprehension of the multitude—especially the idea that the bread that Jesus will give is “His flesh.” Surprised by Jesus’ words, the people turn to each other and ask, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” (6:52). Jesus does not stop to explain. In fact, if it were hard for them to imagine eating His flesh, He now adds that they must drink His blood. As it is written, “Most assuredly I say to you unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” And just in case they do not get the point, Jesus reinforces it by saying, “My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in Him” (6:53-56).

The law that forbids eating flesh with blood

Jesus could not have said anything that would have been more offensive to the Jewish people. Their whole culture was based upon a strict observance of the Mosaic law, which included specific dietary restrictions. As it is written in the Hebrew scriptures, “You shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, with its blood” (Genesis 9:4). It was therefore mandatory that meat be prepared in such a way that all the blood was drained, and no trace of it left behind. If this dietary law were not strictly observed, the consequences were severe. As it is written, “Whoever eats any blood, I will set My face against that person … and will cut him off from among the people. (Leviticus 17:10).

This law, forbidding the eating of flesh along with the blood, was based on the idea that the life of an animal was in the blood. As the Lord said to Moses, “You may eat all the flesh you desire … only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the soul is in the blood (Deuteronomy 12:20, 23). Although the people understood that mixing meat and blood was forbidden, they were unaware that the prohibition against eating flesh with the blood was based on a much deeper spiritual principle. In sacred symbolism, “flesh” represents the corrupt will of human beings. “Blood,” on the other hand, represents the pure, uncorrupt will of God. It is, therefore, considered an abomination to mingle that which is corrupt with that which is holy. This was the spiritual reason for not eating “blood” with the “flesh.” A person’s will, which is driven by one’s lower nature, should be kept separate from God’s will. The two must never be commingled. As it is written in the beginning of this gospel, those who become children of God are born “not of the will of the flesh, or the will of man, but of God (1:13). ¹⁵

This deeper perspective, however, was unknown to the people who followed Jesus. All they knew was that they were forbidden to eat the blood of an animal because the life of the animal was in the blood. This was the cultural background of the people to whom Jesus was speaking. This was their heritage, their religion, and their way of life. In this context, it must have been especially shocking and confusing to hear Jesus say, “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life.” Even though Jesus was speaking figuratively, many people could not get past the literal words. Not stopping to explain, Jesus continues to emphasize why they must “feed” on Him. He says, “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so He who feeds on Me will live because of Me” (6:57).

As Jesus continues, He returns to the idea that the food He offers is different from the manna that was given in the wilderness. He says, “This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever” (6:58). As this episode closes, we learn that Jesus didn’t just say these things in private, or in the public square, but rather in the synagogue. As it is written, “These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum” (6:59). We can only imagine how disturbing and offensive this must have been for the religious leaders. ¹⁶

The Words of Eternal Life

60. Therefore many of His disciples, when they had heard, said, This word is hard; who can hear it?

61. But Jesus, knowing in Himself that His disciples are murmuring about this, said to them, does this cause you to stumble?

62. Then [what] if you behold the Son of Man ascending up where He was before?

63. It is the spirit that makes alive; the flesh profits nothing; the sayings which I speak to you are spirit, and are life.

64. But there are some of you who believe not. For from the beginning, Jesus knew who they are that believe not, and who it is that would betray Him.

65. And He said, On account of this I said to you that no one can come to Me, unless it be given him by My Father.

66. From this [time] many of His disciples went away into [things] behind, and walked no more with Him.

67. Then Jesus said to the twelve, do you also will to go away?

68. Then Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the sayings of eternal life.

69. And we have [come to] believe and know that Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

70. Jesus answered them, Have I not chosen you twelve? And one of you is a devil.

71. And He spoke of Judas Iscariot, [the son] of Simon, for he was about to betray Him, being one of the twelve.

Jesus’ discourse on the bread of heaven included the bold claim that all who eat His flesh and drink His blood will have eternal life. At this point in time, many people were following Jesus and considered themselves to be disciples. But Jesus’ assertion about eating His flesh and drinking His blood was too much for them. For many people, Jesus had gone too far. Therefore, they began to murmur among themselves, saying, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” (6:60).

Approaching His inner circle of twelve disciples, Jesus says to them, “Does this offend you?” (6:61). He is referring, of course, to His recent assertion that in order to have eternal life they must eat His flesh and drink His blood. He is asking, quite simply, if this has offended them.

As we have seen, the ability to hear God and receive His words without taking offense is a touchstone that determines the true condition of a person’s heart. Those who are good at heart, who trust in the Lord and are willing to follow Him, do not take offense no matter how hard his sayings are. They understand that He is speaking symbolically and that there is always deeper meaning within His literal words. Although they may not fully understand what Jesus means (as we have seen with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman), they want to know, they want to learn, and they want to be instructed. It is this affirmative spirit, the desire of good to be united with truth, that keeps them from being offended. In fact, this willingness to believe that something is true because the Lord has said it can lead to wonderful insights and growing wisdom. ¹⁷

This is especially significant when it comes to some of the difficult passages in sacred scripture. Those who are skeptical about scripture in the first place, and doubt its authority, may be quick to deny that there is any truth within a difficult passage. Others, however, are willing to learn and be instructed. This does not mean that they are willing to take everything literally or blindly, but it does mean that they approach sacred scripture with an affirmative attitude, willing to accept the possibility that it contains more than meets the eye. ¹⁸

Jesus knows that His words are hard to understand. He also knows that within that culture, His words could be received as quite offensive, especially since He spoke to them in a synagogue. But He also knows that His words will serve to separate those who truly love Him and want to follow Him, from those who are attracted to Him for merely external reasons—those who “ate of the loaves and were filled.”

The Spirit gives life

At the deepest level, Jesus wants people to believe not because of the external miracles He performs, but rather because of the inner truth that He teaches. As we have mentioned, truth that is learned and lived remains. It becomes a part of one’s nature. External miracles, no matter how marvelous or how often they are performed, tend to coerce belief, not develop it. Even if Jesus suddenly went back up to heaven before their very eyes it wouldn’t help. Therefore, Jesus asks, “What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?” (6:62).

In other words, Jesus is saying that faith in Him must be deeper than a belief in His miraculous activities. It must be based on a belief that within His words there is the Spirit of God, which is God’s will, and living according to God’s will brings eternal life. Living according to our own will, which is called “the will of the flesh,” does not. Therefore, Jesus says, “It is the Spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (6:63). ¹⁹

Jesus then adds, “But there are some of you who do not believe” (6:64). This is followed by a brief comment from John who says, “For from the beginning, Jesus knew who they are that believe not, and who it is that would betray Him” (6:64). This is sometimes understood as a reference to the idea that some people are predestined to follow Jesus and some people, like Judas, are predestined to betray Him. While it is true that Jesus knew from the beginning who would believe Him and who would betray Him, it does not follow that some people are predestined to believe the truth and others are predestined to reject it. Divine omniscience does not interfere with human freedom. Rather, the Lord is continually flowing into everyone with the ability to understand truth and the power to do good. From moment to moment, the Lord preserves our freedom to receive the truth or reject it, to “believe in Him” or “betray Him.” This means that the future is dependent on the choices we make today. ²⁰

Jesus had much to say and many things to teach about spiritual life. He came to teach His people about a world they had never seen, and a way of life they had never known. Unless they were true disciples, willing to be instructed because they sincerely desired to be good people, they would never believe. The only thing that would make them receptive to Jesus’ life-giving words was a humble heart and a deep, inexpressible desire to learn and grow spiritually. They would feel, somehow, in their heart of hearts, that Jesus’ words, however difficult to understand, and however counter-cultural they appeared to be, were spirit and life. Somehow, the words that Jesus spoke were the key to their spiritual growth and the doorway to eternal life.

This desire to understand what is true and the power to live according to that truth are divine gifts that remain with us forever. And even though these gifts remain forever, they can often be buried, forgotten, and seemingly lost, especially when we allow the loves of self and the world to take precedence over the love of God and the love of the neighbor. Nevertheless, it is reassuring to know that the affection for learning truth and the desire to live according to it are always there, implanted in each of us as states of holiness, even from the time of our first breath. It is these states of holiness that draw us to truth, fill us with a desire to do good, kindle our sense of compassion, and help us to rise above the promptings of our lower nature. These states of holiness, which are freely given not only at birth but throughout our life, can lead to the formation of a new will. ²¹

We have already referred to these aspects of our nobler nature as remains of goodness and truth—those holy states that remain with us forever. They are said to be holy because they are granted to us by God, and are never really our own. They are the invisible influences that draw us toward the truth that Jesus teaches and inspire us to follow Him. As Jesus puts it, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father” (6:65). ²²

Jesus predicts His betrayal

Having said these things, Jesus now watches as the inevitable separation takes place. As it is written, “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” (6:66). Those who turn away are not from the original twelve. Although the original disciples also have their doubts and concerns, they are still drawn to Him by love, and therefore will not leave Him.

Knowing that His disciples have doubts, Jesus turns to Peter and says, “Do you also want to go away?” (6:67). While Peter does not understand everything that Jesus has said, and while he probably could not explain it rationally, he has made his decision. He will follow Jesus. Therefore, He says, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (6:68).

Peter then adds, “Also, we have come to believe that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (6:69). Peter’s response contains the assumption that the disciples believe as he does. He says, “We have come to believe.” But Jesus challenges that assumption. Turning His attention to all of the disciples, Jesus says to them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” (6:70). We are not left in doubt about who this “devil” is. The narrator informs us that Jesus “spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve” (6:71).

The name “Judas” is associated with Judah, one of the sons of Jacob. In the Hebrew scriptures, it was Judah who conspired with his brothers to sell Joseph into slavery for twenty shekels of silver. In this regard, Judas represents the love of self when separated from higher principles. When properly subordinated, the love of self can be a good love. It helps us to take care of ourselves so that we might better serve others. But when it is not properly subordinated, it wants others to serve it. “Judas” then is one of the twelve disciples in each of us, useful when subordinated to higher principles, and destructive when separated from those principles. ²³

As we continue our study of the Gospel According to John, it will be important to remember the principle that the disciples represent various aspects of ourselves. This also applies to the crowd of people, some who walked away from Jesus and others who remained. In spiritual reality, it is our lower self—the part of us that is concerned primarily with achieving worldly goals—that walks away. At the same time, it is our higher self that remains focused primarily on the things of heaven. While both are necessary—we need both natural bread and heavenly bread—there is a difference between what is temporal and what is eternal. Will we be among those who walk away from Jesus or among those who walk with Jesus, saying “Where should we go? You have the words of eternal life.” ²⁴

A practical application

When Jesus said the blessing over the bread, we suggested that this was the traditional prayer, “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.” In the very next episode, however, Jesus says that the bread He gives is very different. He does not say that He brings forth bread from the earth. Rather, He says that He brings forth bread from heaven. In fact, He says that He is the bread that came down from heaven—living bread. Jesus is making it clear that His primary work is not about feeding our body, but rather about nourishing our soul. Reading this commentary might be an effective way to nourish your spiritual body—especially if you are putting these truths into your life. Similarly, there is a difference between reading a book about exercise and actually exercising. So don’t forget to exercise your spiritual muscles. What you put into practice becomes a part of your eternal character.

Footnotes:

355. Verse 2. And I saw, and behold a white horse, signifies the understanding of truth from the Word. This is evident from the signification of "horse," as being the intellect; and from the signification of "white," which is predicated of truth. (That the "horse" signifies the intellect can be seen from what is quoted and shown in the small work on The White Horse; and that "white" is predicated of truth, see above, n. 196.) It is said that "a white horse" was seen when the Lamb opened the first seal, "a red horse" when He opened the second, "a black horse" when He opened the third, and "a pale horse" when He opened the fourth; and as "horse" signifies the intellect, particularly in relation to the Word, it can be seen thence that the understanding of truth from the Word, and its quality with the men of the church, are here described by "horses." It is the same whether you say that the understanding of truth is described, or those who are in it are described; for men, spirits, and angels are the subjects in which it resides. From this it can be known what is described in the internal or spiritual sense in this chapter and in those that follow next, namely, the Word in relation to the understanding. This is evident also from the ninth verse of this chapter, where, after these four horses had appeared, and the fifth seal had been opened, it is said, "I saw the souls of them that had been slain for the Word of God;" also from the nineteenth chapter of this book, where it is said that:

The name of Him that sat upon the white horse is called the Word of God (Revelation 19:13).

That "a horse" signifies the intellect, and "a white horse" the understanding of truth from the Word, can be seen shown in the small work cited above, on The White Horse; but as only a few passages were there quoted from the Word, in proof that "horse" signifies the intellect, I will here quote more, that there may be full confirmation; these now follow.

[2] In Ezekiel:

Gather yourselves from the circuit to My sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you. Ye shall be satisfied at My table with horse and with chariot, with the mighty man, and with every man of war. So will I give My glory among the nations (Ezekiel 39:17, 20-21).

This treats of the calling together of all to the Lord's kingdom, and especially of the establishment of the church with the Gentiles; for it describes the spiritual captivity in which the Gentiles were, and their liberation from it. "The sacrifice to be sacrificed" signifies all the worship by which the Lord is worshiped; "to be satiated at My table" signifies with all spiritual food; and as this food is the understanding of truth from the Word and from doctrine from the Word, it is said, "with horse and with chariot," "horse" signifying the understanding of truth from the Word, and "chariot" signifying the doctrine therefrom. It is also said, "with the mighty man, and with every man of war," "mighty man" signifying the truth from good that destroys evil, and "man of war" the truth from good that destroys falsity. Unless such things were signified, how could it be said that they should be satiated "with horse and with chariot, with the mighty man, and with every man of war?"

[3] Likewise in Revelation:

Gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of commanders of thousands, and the flesh of the strong ones, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them (Revelation 19:17-18).

What precedes this treats of the Word and its spiritual sense; this now is an invitation to learn truths, and to perceive goods; and "the supper of the great God" signifies instruction in truths, and the consequent perception of good from the Lord; and "the flesh of kings," "of commanders of thousands," "of the strong ones," "of horses," and "of them that sit on them," signifies truths of every kind which are from good; "flesh" signifying good, "kings" Divine truths in general, "commanders of thousands" the same in particular, "strong ones" natural truths, "horses" intellectual truths, and "those that sit on them" spiritual truths. It must be clear to everyone that this does not mean the flesh of kings, of commanders of thousands, of strong ones, of horses, and of them that sit on them.

[4] In Habakkuk:

Was Jehovah displeased with the rivers? was Thine anger against the rivers? was Thy fury against the sea? because Thou ridest upon Thy horses, Thy chariots are salvation, Thou hast trodden down the sea with Thy horses, the mire [or clay] of many waters (Habakkuk 3:8, 15).

Who does not see that "horses" here do not mean horses? For it is said of Jehovah that "He rideth upon His horses," and that "He treadeth down the sea with His horses," and that "His chariots are salvation?" But this is said because "His riding upon horses" signifies that Jehovah, that is, the Lord, is in the understanding of His Word in its spiritual sense; and since the doctrine of truth, which teaches the way of salvation, is from the Word, it is added, "Thy chariots are salvation," "chariots" signifying doctrine; also "to tread down the sea with horses" signifies that Jehovah, that is, the Lord, is in the understanding of His Word in its natural sense; for "sea" here signifies that sense, and in general all things of the natural man and that are for the natural man; and because Divine truths there are in their ultimate, it is added, "the mire [or clay] of many waters," "mire" [or "clay"] signifying the ultimate from which and in which are truths, and "waters" signifying truths.

[5] In Zechariah:

I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; and the bow of war shall be cut off; but He shall speak peace to the nations (Zechariah 9:10).

This treats of the Lord's coming, and of the establishment of the church among the Gentiles. That there would then be nothing of the church remaining with the Jews is described by, "I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war shall be cut off," which signifies that there would no longer be any truth in doctrine nor any understanding of truth; and thence no combat and resistance against falsity; "Ephraim" signifies the church in relation to the understanding of truth, and "Jerusalem" the church in relation to the doctrine of truth, "the chariot" doctrine itself, and "the horse" the understanding itself, and "the bow of war" combat and resistance against falsity. The establishment of the church among the nations is signified by, "He shall speak peace to the nations," "nations" signifying all who are in the good of love to the Lord (See above, n. 331), "peace" signifying that good, and thence all things of the church. (That "Ephraim" signifies the church in relation to the understanding of truth, see Arcana Coelestia 3969, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6237, 6267, 6296; and that "Jerusalem" signifies the church in relation to doctrine, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 6, and above, n. 223.)

[6] In the same:

In that day I will smite every horse with astonishment, and the horseman with madness; and I will open mine eye upon the house of Judah, but every horse of the peoples will I smite with blindness (Zechariah 12:4).

This treats of the devastation of the former church, and the establishment of the new church. The devastation of the former church is described by "In that day I will smite every horse with astonishment, and the horseman with madness; and every horse of the peoples will I smite with blindness." It is plain that "horse" here signifies the understanding of truth with the men of the church, and "horseman" the affection of spiritual truth, from which is understanding; else why should it be said that "the horse should be smitten with astonishment, and the horse of the peoples with blindness?" "Astonishment" is predicated of the understanding when it has no perception of good, and "blindness" when it has no perception of truth; "the house of Judah" signifies the church with those who are in the good of love to the Lord, and thence in the doctrine of truth from the Word (See above, n. 119, 211); therefore it is said, "upon it I will open mine eye," which signifies to illustrate them that they may see truths.

[7] In the same:

In that day there shall be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness to Jehovah (Zechariah 14:20).

This also treats of the Lord's coming, and the invitation of all to the church; and "the bells of the horses" signify knowledges and cognitions [scientifica et cognitiones] and preachings therefrom which are from the understanding of truth; and as all understanding of truth is from the Lord, and thus the knowledges and preachings themselves, therefore it is said, "there shall be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness to Jehovah." Because "bells" have this signification:

There were bells of gold upon the skirts of Aaron's robe round about (Exodus 28:34-35).

[8] In Moses:

Dan shall be a serpent upon the way, an asp upon the path, biting the horse's heels, and its rider shall fall backwards: I wait for Thy salvation, O Jehovah (Genesis 49:17-18).

This is a prophecy of Israel the father, respecting the tribe of Dan, which tribe signifies the ultimates of the church, thus those who are in the ultimates of truth and good, who are called sensual; for there are in the church those who are spiritual and those who are natural, and the natural are interior, middle, and outmost; the outmost are the sensual, who do not elevate their thoughts above the sense of the letter of the Word. These are meant by "Dan;" of what quality they are is described in this prophecy, namely, that "Dan is a serpent upon the way, an asp upon the path, biting the horse's heels, and its rider shall fall backwards;" "serpent upon the way," and "asp upon the path" signify the sensual in relation to truth and good; "the horse's heels" signify the ultimates of the understanding of truth and good; and "the rider," reasoning from these; and because the sensual viewed in itself does not see truths, since it does not comprehend things spiritual, and therefore slides easily into falsities unless continually withheld from them by the Lord, it is said, "and its rider shall fall backwards: I wait for Thy salvation, O Jehovah." (That "Dan" signifies the ultimates of the church, see Arcana Coelestia 1710, 6396, 10335; that "serpent" signifies the sensual, which is the ultimate of the understanding, n. 6398, 6949, 8624 end, 10313, and above, n. 70; that "way" signifies truths, n. Arcana Coelestia 627, 2333, 10422, and above, n. 97 [1-2]; and that "the heel" signifies the ultimate natural, or the corporeal natural, n. 259, 4938, seq. What the sensual is, and what sensual men are in both senses, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 50.)

[9] In Zechariah:

I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, when behold, four chariots coming out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of copper. To the first chariot were red horses; to the second chariot black horses; to the third chariot white horses; and to the fourth chariot grisled horses, stout. The angel said, These are the four winds of heaven, going forth from standing by the Lord of the whole earth. The black horses which are therein go forth to the land of the north; and the white went forth after them; and the grisled went forth into the land of the south; and the stout ones went forth and sought to go that they might wander through the earth. And he said, See these that go forth to the land of the north, they have caused my spirit to rest in the land of the north. And they that are afar shall come and shall build in the temple of Jehovah (Zechariah 6:1-8, 15).

This prophecy is not understood by anyone unless he knows what "chariots" and "horses" signify, and what "red," "black," "white," "grisled," and "stout" signify; also what "the land of the north" and "the land of the south" signify. It treats of the church that was to be propagated among those who as yet were not in any light of truth, because they had not the Word; "the north" means the obscurity of the truth they possessed; "the south" the clearness of truth; "horses" mean their understanding; "red," "black," "white," and "grisled" mean its quality in the beginning, and its quality afterwards; "red," the quality of their understanding in the beginning in relation to good; "black," the quality of their understanding in the beginning in relation to truth; "white," the quality of their understanding afterwards in relation to truth; "grisled," its quality finally in relation to truth and good; and "stout" means its quality in relation to its power to resist evils and falsities. From this it can now be seen what is signified by "the black horses went forth to the land of the north, and the white went forth after them," and "they have caused my spirit to rest in the land of the north," namely, that those who from good of life are in the affection of knowing the truths of the church receive and understand, nor are any others illustrated; that such are illustrated and receive is meant by "they have caused my spirit to rest in the land of the north;" "the grisled went forth into land of the south, and the stout to wander through the earth" signifies that those who from the good of life are in the affection of knowing the truths of the church come into the light, and that they resist evils and falsities, and constitute the church. These four kinds of horses, therefore, are called "the four winds of the heavens, going forth from standing by the Lord of the whole earth;" "winds" signifying all Divine truths, and "going forth from standing by the Lord of the whole earth" signifying that all truths proceed from Him. (That "winds" signify all Divine truths, see Arcana Coelestia 9642, and Heaven and Hell 141-153; and that "to go forth" signifies to proceed, Arcana Coelestia 5337, 7124, 9303.) "They that are afar, that shall build in the temple of Jehovah" signify those who were previously far away from the truths and goods of the church, who shall draw near to the church. (That such are signified by "those that are afar," see Arcana Coelestia 4723, 8918; and that the "temple of Jehovah" signifies the church, n. 3720; moreover, that "the north" signifies the obscurity of truth, and "the south" [auster sive meridies] the clearness of truth, thus also those that are in obscurity and in clearness of truth, see Heaven and Hell 148-151.) What is signified by "red" and by "black," in both senses, will be seen in the explanations at verses 4 and 5 of this chapter, and what by "white," see above n. 196. "The mountains of copper, from between which the chariots and horses went forth," signify the good of love in the natural man; this is said because the nations here treated of, before they were illustrated, were not in spiritual good but in natural good. (That "mountain" signifies the good of love, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 795, 4210, 6435, 8327, 8758, 10438; and "copper" natural good, see above, n. 70)

[10] In Job:

God hath made her forget wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her intelligence. What time she lifteth up herself on high she laugheth at the horse and its rider (Job 39:17-18).

These things are said of a "bird," which signifies intelligence from self [proprium], which in itself is no intelligence; for man from self [proprium] sees nothing but falsities and not truths, and intelligence is from truths, and not from falsities; therefore it is said of her, "God hath made her to forget wisdom, neither hath He imparted to her intelligence," and "when she lifteth up herself on high she laugheth at the horse and its rider," that is, at the understanding of truth, and at him who is intelligent.

[11] In David:

The stout of heart have become a spoil, they have slumbered their sleep. At Thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both chariot and horse have fallen into a deep sleep (Psalms 76:5-6).

The "stout of heart" signify those who are in truths from good; "have become a spoil," and "have slumbered their sleep," signify their having fallen from evils into falsities; "the rebuke of the God of Jacob" signifies their state inverted by themselves; and "both chariot and horse have fallen into a deep sleep" signifies that their intellect was lulled to sleep, because it had become merely natural. That "to be awake" signifies to acquire for oneself spiritual life, and "to be asleep" to have natural life without spiritual, see above n. 187.

[12] In Ezekiel:

Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they gave to thy traffic the soul of man and vessels of brass. They of Bethogarma gave for thy wares horses, horsemen, and mules (Ezekiel 27:13-14).

This treats of Tyre, which signifies the knowledges of truth and good pertaining to the external and the internal church. "Javan, Tubal, and Meshech," signify those who are in external worship; and "they of Bethogarma," those who are in internal worship; it is said therefore that these "gave for the wares of Tyre, horses, horsemen, and mules;" and "the others gave the soul of man and vessels of brass;" the "soul of man" signifies the truth of faith in respect to knowledge; "vessels of brass" signify the truths of natural good; and "horses, horsemen, and mules," signify the understanding of truth and good, "horses" the understanding of truth, "horsemen" intelligence, and "mules" the rational. (That "mule" signifies the rational, see Arcana Coelestia 2781, 5741, 9212.) Everyone can see that "the tradings of Tyre," which are enumerated in this chapter and elsewhere, do not mean tradings with these things, such as vessels of brass, horses, and mules, and many others; but that spiritual tradings are meant, which are effected by means of the knowledges of truth and good; for the Word is Divine, and treats of Divine things, and not of earthly things; therefore it contains spiritual things which pertain to heaven and the church, expressed in the ultimate sense, which is the sense of the letter, by natural things which correspond to them. (That "to trade" and "to be a merchant" signifies in the Word to acquire and to communicate the knowledges of truth and good, see Arcana Coelestia 2967[1-9], 4453; and that "to buy" and "to sell" signify something similar, n. 2967, 4397, 4453, 5371, 5374, 5406, 5410, 5426, 5886, 6143, 7999, 9039.)

[13] In Isaiah:

Who led them through the deeps, as a horse in the wilderness they stumbled not; as a beast goeth down into the valley the Spirit of Jehovah led him (Isaiah 63:13-14).

This chapter treats of the Lord, and His combat with the hells, and His subjugation of them, but here of the salvation of those who are in love and faith towards Him. These are compared to "a horse in the wilderness," and to "a beast in the valley," because "horse" signifies the understanding of truth, and "beast" the affection of good; for all comparisons in the Word are from correspondences.

[14] In Revelation:

I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called the Word of God. And the armies that are in heaven followed Him upon white horses (Revelation 19:11-16).

"A white horse" evidently signifies the understanding of the Word, likewise "the white horses" upon which those sat who followed; for "He that sat upon" the white horse was the Lord in relation to the Word; for it is said, "and He that sat upon him was called the Word of God;" and in verse 19:16, "He had upon His vesture and upon His thigh a name written, Lord of lords and King of kings." The Lord is called the Word, because the Word means Divine truth proceeding from Him. (But these things in Revelation may be seen more fully explained in the small work on The White Horse 1, also why the Lord is called "the Word," n. 14 .) As "chariots" and "horses" signify doctrine from the Word and the understanding of it, and as all doctrine of truth and the understanding of it are out of heaven from the Lord, therefore it is said of Him that "He rides upon the Word," "upon the clouds," "upon heaven," "upon a cherub," also that "He makes to ride," as in the following passages. In David:

Gird thy sword upon the thigh, O mighty One, in Thy majesty, and in Thine honor mount, and ride upon the Word of truth and the meekness of righteousness (Psalms 45:3-4).

These things are said of the Lord. In the same:

Sing unto God, sing psalms to His name; extol Him that rideth upon the clouds (Psalms 68:4).

In Isaiah:

Behold, Jehovah rideth upon a cloud, and cometh into Egypt; and the idols of Egypt shall be moved before Him (Isaiah 19:1).

In David:

Sing psalms unto the Lord, to Him who rideth upon the heaven of the heaven of old (Psalms 68:32-33).

God rode upon a cherub, He did fly, and was borne upon the wings of the wind (Psalms 18:10).

In Habakkuk:

O Jehovah, Thou dost ride upon Thine horses, Thy chariots are salvation. Thou hast trodden the sea with Thy horses (Habakkuk 3:8, 3:15).

In Isaiah:

Then shalt thou delight in Jehovah; and I will make thee ride in the high places of the earth (Isaiah 58:14).

In Moses:

Jehovah alone did lead him, and made him ride upon the high places of the earth (Deuteronomy 32:12-13).

And in Hosea:

I will make Ephraim to ride (Hosea 10:11).

In these passages, "to ride" signifies to give intelligence and wisdom, because "chariot" signifies the doctrine of truth, and "horses" the understanding of it.

[15] In Isaiah:

Then shall they bring all your ¹ brethren out of all nations an offering unto Jehovah upon horses and upon the chariot, and upon covered wagons, upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to the mountain of My holiness, Jerusalem (Isaiah 66:20).

This treats of the establishment of a new church by the Lord; it is not meant therefore that they will bring their brethren upon horses, upon the chariot, upon covered wagons, upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to Jerusalem; but it is meant that all who are in good are to be instructed in Divine truths, and having been made intelligent and wise thereby are to be introduced into the church; for "brethren" signify all who are in good; "horses" signify the understanding of truth; "chariot" the doctrine of truth; "covered wagons" the knowledges of truth; "mules" the internal rational, which is spiritual; and "swift beasts" the external rational, which is natural; and "Jerusalem" signifies the church, in which is the doctrine of Divine truth, which is called "the mountain of holiness" from the love of truth. From the signification of "chariots" and "horses" it can be seen why:

Elijah and Elisha were called the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof, and the mountain was seen by the lad of Elisha to be full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha (2 Kings 2:11, 12; 6:17; 13:14);

namely, that both Elijah and Elisha represented the Lord in relation to the Word, and "chariots" signify doctrine from the Word, and "horsemen" intelligence. (That Elijah and Elisha represented the Lord in relation to the Word, see Arcana Coelestia 7643, 8029, 9372.)

[16] That "chariots" and "horses" signify doctrine and the understanding of it, can be seen, moreover, from their contrary sense, in which "chariots" and "horses" signify the doctrines of falsity, and false knowledges [scientifica] from a perverted intellect; for most things in the Word have a contrary sense, from which it can be seen what the same signify in the genuine sense. That "chariots" and "horses" in that sense have such a signification can be seen from the following passages. In Ezekiel:

Behold, I will bring against Tyre the king of Babylon from the north, with horse and with chariot, and with horsemen. He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field. By reason of the abundance of His horses their dust shall cover thee; by reason of the voice of the horseman and of the wheel and of the chariot, thy walls shall quake. With the hoofs of his horses shall he trample all thy streets; he shall slay the people with the sword (Ezekiel 26:7-8, 10-11).

"Tyre" signifies the church in relation to the knowledges of truth; and "the king of Babylon" the destruction of truth by falsities and profanation; "the north from which he was to come" signifies the source of all falsity, in particular, hell, out of which falsity arises; "chariot," "horses," and "horsemen" signify the doctrine of falsity and reasonings therefrom; "the daughters whom they shall slay in the field with the sword" signify the affections of truth which falsities will destroy, for "daughters" are the affections of truth, "the field is the church where those affections are, "the sword" is the combat of falsity against truth, and "to slay" is to extinguish. This makes clear the signification of "by reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee," "dust" meaning the evil of falsity; the "walls that shall quake by reason of the voice of the horseman, of the wheel, and of the chariot," signify protecting truths, which in general are, that there is a God, and that the Word is Divine, and that there is eternal life. These "walls," or these truths, are said "to quake by reason of the voice of the horseman, of the wheel, and of the chariot," when they come to be doubted through the falsities of doctrines and reasonings from them; "the hoofs of the horses with which he shall trample all the streets," signify the outermost things of the natural man, which are called sensual impressions [sensualia], from which are all falsities; the "streets that shall be trampled by them" are the truths of the doctrine of the church, which are wholly destroyed; the "people who shall fall by the sword" signify all who are in truths, and in an abstract sense all truths.

[17] In Jeremiah:

O sword, against the liars, that they may become foolish; O sword, against the mighty, that they may be dismayed; O sword, against her horses and against her chariots; O sword, against her treasures, that they may be despoiled; let there be drought upon her waters that they may be dried up: because it is a land of graven images (Jeremiah 50:36-38).

"Sword" signifies the combat of truth against falsity, and of falsity against truth and consequent vastation; here it signifies vastation; "liars" and "mighty men" signify falsities and reasonings therefrom; the same is signified by "horses" and "chariots;" the "treasures that shall be despoiled" signify all things of doctrine; "the drought upon the waters, that they may be dried up," signifies the deprivation of truth, "drought" meaning deprivation, and "waters" truths; and as all falsities are from self-intelligence, it is said, "because it is a land of graven images," "land" here signifying heresy, and "graven images" what is from self-intelligence. (That such is the signification of "graven images," "molten images," and "idols," see Arcana Coelestia 8869, 8941, 10406, 10503)

[18] In the same:

Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots as the storm; his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are devastated. Wash thine heart from evil, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thoughts of iniquity lodge in the midst of thee? The whole land shall be a waste. The whole city fleeth for the voice of the horseman and the shooters of the bow; they have entered the thick clouds, and have gone up into the rocks; the whole city is forsaken (Jeremiah 4:13-Jeremiah 4:13-14, 27, 29).

This describes the vastation of the church by the falsities of evil; falsities are signified by "clouds;" and the lust of reasoning from falsities against truths by "the horses that are swifter than eagles;" and the doctrinals of falsity by "the chariots that are as the storm;" that consequently everything of the church and everything of its doctrine shall perish, is signified by "the whole land shall be a waste, and the whole city fleeth for the voice of the horseman and the shooters of the bow;" "land" means the church, and "city" its doctrine; "the voice of the horseman and the shooters of the bow" means reasoning from falsities and assault, and "to flee" means to perish. That then mere falsity and the faith of falsity would reign is signified by "they have entered the thick clouds, and have gone up into the rocks," "clouds" meaning falsities, and "rocks" the faith of falsities. The devastation of the church and of its doctrine is evidently here described, for it is said, "Woe unto us! for we are devastated. How long shall the thoughts of iniquity lodge in the midst of thee? The whole land shall be a waste. The whole city is forsaken. "

[19] In the same:

Behold, a people cometh from the land of the north, and a great nation shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth. Their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses (Jeremiah 6:22-23; 50:41-42).

Here, too, the devastation of the church by the falsities of evil is described; "the land of the north," and "the sides of the earth," are the source of these, "the land of the north" the source of falsities, and "the sides of the earth" the source of evils; for "the north" signifies what is remote from truths, and "the sides of the earth" what is remote from goods; therefore "nation" is predicated of the latter, and "people" of the former, "nation" meaning those who are in evils, and "people" those who are in falsities (See above, n. 331). Their reasoning is signified by "their voice roareth like the sea, and they ride upon horses."

[20] In Ezekiel:

Thou shalt come from thy place out of the sides of the north; thou and many peoples with thee, all of them riding upon horses. And thou shalt go up against My people Israel, as clouds to cover the land (Ezekiel 38:15-16).

These things are said of Gog, by whom external worship without any internal is signified; "the sides of the north" signify here, as above, what is remote from goods and truths, thus the source of the falsities of evil; and because they reason therefrom and attack the truths of the church and extinguish them it is said, "all of them riding upon horses; and thou shalt go up against My people Israel, as clouds to cover the land;" "to ride upon horses" meaning reasonings, "to go up against the people of Israel," and "to cover the land," signifying to attack the truths of the church and to extinguish them; "clouds" are the falsities of evil.

[21] In Daniel:

At the time of the end, the king of the south shall come into collision with the king of the north. So the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariot, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the lands and shall overflow and pass through (Daniel 11:40).

This chapter treats of the combat of the king of the north with the king of the south; and "the king of the north" means falsity from evil, and "the king of the south" truth from good; so evidently the things mentioned in this chapter are not spoken of any future war between two kings, but of the combats of falsity from evil against truth from good. "The chariot and horsemen with which the king of the north shall rush upon him" are the assaults upon truth by the falsities of evil; the "many ships," with which also they shall rush upon him, are the knowledges [scientifica] and doctrinals of falsity; the destruction of the church thereby is signified by "he shall come into the lands and shall overflow and pass through." (That "ships" signify knowledges [scientifica] and doctrinals, in both senses, see Arcana Coelestia 1977, 6385; and that "to overflow" signifies immersion in falsities and evils, n. 660, 705, 739, 756, 790, 5725, 6853)

[22] In Jeremiah:

By thee will I scatter the nations, and by thee will I destroy kingdoms, and by thee will I scatter the horse and its rider, and by thee will I scatter the chariot and him that rideth in it (Jeremiah 51:20-21).

And in Haggai:

I will overturn the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overturn the chariot and those who ride in it; and the horses and their riders shall come down, a man by the sword of his brother (Haggai 2:22).

This is said of the destruction of falsity and evil, and not of the destruction of any nation or kingdom; for "nations" signify evils, and "kingdoms" (like "peoples") falsities. For this is prophetical, not historical. This makes clear what "horse" and "rider," and "chariot and him that rideth in it" signify, namely, that "horse and rider" signify a perverted intellect and reasoning therefrom and "the chariot and him that rideth in it" the doctrine of falsity or heresy, and those who are in it.

[23] In Nahum:

Woe to the city of bloods! the whole is filled with lying and rapine; the voice of the whip, and the voice of the rattling of the wheel, and the horse neighing and the chariot leaping, the horseman making to ascend, and the flame of the sword, and the flash of the spear, and a multitude of the slain, and a heap of carcasses, because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the harlot, selling nations by her whoredoms, and families by her sorceries (Nahum 3:1-4).

This treats of the violence offered to Divine truth, and its destruction by the falsities of evil; for this is signified by "the city of bloods," respecting which what follows is said (See above, n. 329); therefore it is also said, "the whole is filled with lying and rapine," "lie" meaning falsity, and "rapine" violence offered by falsity; and as "wars" signify spiritual combats, which are the combats of truth against falsity and of falsity against truth, all things pertaining to war, as "whip," "horse," "chariot," "sword," and "spear," signify various things pertaining to spiritual warfare; but what each of these in particular signifies need not be explained here, only what "horse," "horseman," and "chariot" signify. "The voice of the rattling of the wheel" signifies reasonings from falsities and evils; "the horse neighing and the chariot leaping" signifies the lust of destroying truths, "horse" meaning the intellect perverted, and "chariot" the doctrine of falsity, which destroy; "to neigh" and "to leap" meaning to be moved to destroy by lust and delight, and "horseman making to ascend" meaning assault. It is therefore said, "a multitude of the slain, and a heap of carcasses;" those are called "slain" who perish from falsities, and "carcasses" who perish from evils; therefore it is also said, "because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the harlot, selling the nations by her whoredoms, and families by her sorceries;" "whoredoms" signify the falsifications of truth, "harlot" heresy, "to sell nations" signifies to become estranged from goods, and "to sell families by sorcery" to become estranged from truths, "nations" meaning goods, "families" truths therefrom, and "sorceries" the falsities of evil which estrange.

[24] In Habakkuk:

I rouse up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, that marcheth into the breadths of the land; her horses are lighter than leopards, and more fierce than the wolves of the evening, so that her horsemen spread themselves; yea, her horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as an eagle that hasteth to eat. She shall come wholly for violence; she shall mock at kings, and rulers shall be a derision unto her (Habakkuk 1:6, 8-10).

"The Chaldeans" mean those who profane truths and thus vastate the church, therefore they are called "a bitter and hasty nation, that marcheth into the breadths of the land," "breadths of the land" meaning the truths of the church (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 197). Their lust for and dexterity in perverting truths and destroying them by reasonings from falsities altogether remote from truths are signified by, "her horses are lighter than leopards, and more fierce than the wolves of the evening, so that her horsemen spread themselves; yea, her horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as an eagle that hasteth to eat." Lust is signified by "her horses are lighter than leopards," and dexterity by "her horses are more fierce than the wolves of the evening," and both by "they fly as an eagle." Because the lust and dexterity are for destroying truths therefore it is said, "she shall come wholly for violence;" their scoffing at truths and goods is signified by "she shall mock at kings, and rulers shall be a derision unto her," "kings" signifying truths, and "lords" and "rulers" goods.

[25] In David:

Some in the chariot, and some in horses; but we will glory in the name of our God (Psalms 20:7).

In the same:

A king is not saved by the multitude of an army; a horse is a lying thing for safety (Psalms 33:16-17).

In the same:

Jehovah delighteth not in the might of a horse; His pleasure is not in the thighs of a man (Psalms 147:10).

"To glory in the chariot and in horses," and "Jehovah delighteth not in the might of a horse," signify all things from self-intelligence, from which are nothing but falsities; and "the thighs of a man" signify those things that are from his own will, from which are nothing but evils.

[26] In Amos:

He that holdeth the bow shall not stand, nor shall the swift of foot escape, nor shall he that rideth upon the horse cause his soul to escape, but he that is stout of heart shall flee naked in that day (Amos 2:15-16).

This, too, describes self-intelligence and confidence arising from an ability to speak and reason from falsities. "He that holdeth the bow shall not stand," and "the swift of foot shall not cause himself to escape," signify that one who knows how to reason readily from the doctrine of falsity and from the knowledge [scientia] and memory of the natural man, shall not on that account be saved; the like is signified by "he that rideth upon the horse shall not cause his soul to escape;" "he that is stout of heart, who shall flee naked in that day," signifies that he who trusts in his falsities shall be without any truth, "stout of heart" meaning one who trusts in his falsities, and "naked" one who is without any understanding of truth (See above, n. 240).

[27] In Isaiah:

The Lord Jehovih, the Holy One of Israel, saith, In quietness and in confidence shall be your might; but ye would not, and said, No, but upon a horse we will flee; therefore ye shall flee; and we will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be made swift (Isaiah 30:15-16).

This treats of confidence in the Lord and of confidence in self; confidence in the Lord in these words, "the Lord Jehovih, the Holy One of Israel, said, In quietness and in confidence shall be your might;" and confidence in self in these words, "and ye said, No, but upon a horse we will flee," and "we will ride upon the swift;" "to flee upon a horse," and "to ride upon the swift," signifying to covet and love those things that are of one's own understanding, and thought and reasoning therefrom. That falsities will then break in and take possession is signified by, "therefore ye shall flee," and "therefore shall they that pursue you be made swift," "swiftness" and "haste" signifying what is done from lust, or from love.

[28] In Zechariah:

Jehovah shall set Judah as the horse of His majesty in war; out of him shall be the corner, out of him the nail, and out of him the bow of war. And they shall be as mighty men treading down the mire of the streets; and they shall fight because Jehovah is with them, and they shall make ashamed them that ride upon horses (Zechariah 10:3-5).

"The house of Judah" signifies the Lord's celestial kingdom, that is, the heaven and church that are in love to the Lord; of this it is said that it shall be "as the horse of majesty in war," which signifies the understanding of Divine truth combating against evils and falsities, which it will destroy, "horse" signifying the understanding, "majesty" Divine truth, and "war" combat against falsities and evils and their destruction. "The corner," "the nail," and "the bow of war," that are "out of Judah," signify truths, "the corner" truth protecting, "the nail" truth strengthening, and the "bow of war" truth combating from doctrine; "they shall be as mighty men treading down the mire of the streets" signifies the power to disperse and destroy falsities, "mire of the streets" signifying falsities. "They shall make ashamed them that ride upon horses" signifies the annihilation of the reasonings, argumentations, and confirmations that are from man's own understanding; that this shall be accomplished by the Lord and not by them is meant by, "they shall fight because Jehovah is with them."

[29] In Hosea:

Asshur will not save us; we will not ride upon the horse; we will say no more to the work of our hands, Thou art our God (Hosea 14:3).

This also treats of intelligence from self [ex proprio], that it will not save. "Asshur" signifies the rational, here as being from self [ex proprio]; "to ride upon the horse" signifies reasoning of the understanding from self [ex proprio]; and "work of the hands" signifies the selfhood [proprium] itself.

[30] In Ezekiel:

Oholah committed whoredom, and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbors, clothed in blue, horsemen riding upon horses (Ezekiel 23:5-6, 12, 23).

"Oholah," which here is Samaria, signifies a church in which truths are falsified; "her whoredoms," which are treated of in this chapter, signify falsifications; "the Assyrians" signify reasonings by which truths are falsified; and because "to ride upon horses" signifies to reason from falsities that are from self-intelligence, it is said, "she doted on the Assyrians, horsemen riding upon horses;" the "blue, in which they were clothed," signifies falsity appearing as truth, which appearance comes chiefly from applying the sense of the letter of the Word to principles of falsity.

[31] In Jeremiah:

The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan; at the sound of the neighings of his stout ones the whole land quaked; and they came and devoured the land and its fullness; [the city] and those that dwell therein (Jeremiah 8:16).

What is meant by "Dan" has been told above in this article, namely, truth in its ultimate; this is the truth in the church that is contained in the sense of the letter of the Word. Those who abide in this alone, and do not read the Word from the doctrine of genuine truth, which should guide and illustrate, may be carried away into all kinds of errors; those who are carried away into errors or falsities are meant here by "Dan;" the consequent confirmation of falsities is meant by "the snorting of his horses;" and the falsifications of truth are meant by "the sound of the neighings of his stout ones;" these are called "stout" from their confidence, because it is from the sense of the letter of the Word, that falsity is truth. That the church in respect to its truths and goods is thereby vastated, is signified by "the whole land quaked;" and "they came and devoured the land and its fullness, and those that dwell therein," "the land" meaning the church, "its fullness" truths, and "those that dwell therein" goods.

[32] In Isaiah:

He hath lifted up an ensign to the nations from far, and hath hissed to him from the end of the earth, and behold the swift one shall come in haste, whose arrows are sharp, and all his bows are bent; the hoofs of his horses are reckoned as rock, and his wheels as a storm (Isa. 5:26, 5:28).

This, too, treats of those who are in ultimates in regard to the understanding of truth and as to the perception of good. These ultimates are what are called sensual impressions [sensualia], which are the ultimates of the natural man (of which see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 50); from these, when separated from the spiritual man, stream forth all the evils and falsities that are in the church and in its doctrine: evils from this source are signified by "the nations that shall come from far;" and falsities by "him that cometh from the end of the earth;" "far," and "the end of the earth" signifying those things that are remote from the truths and goods of the church. "The arrows that are sharp," and "the bows that are bent" signify the falsities of doctrine prepared to destroy truths, and "the hoofs of the horses that are reckoned as rock," and "his wheels that are as a storm" signify the ultimates of truth, like those in the sense of the letter of the Word, and arguments and confirmations of falsity by means of these; "the hoofs of the horses" mean the ultimates of the understanding, here of the perverted understanding, because separated from the understanding of the spiritual man; and because these ultimates are from the sense of the letter of the Word, it is said, "are reckoned as rock;" while "wheels" mean argumentations and confirmations by means of these, and because these appear strong they are said to be "as a storm."

[33] In the book of Judges:

My heart is toward the lawgivers of Israel. Ye that ride on white asses, and sit on middin, and that walk by the way, meditate. The stars from their courses fought with Sisera. Then were the hoofs of the horses bruised; the prancing of his stout ones struck together (Judges 5:9-10, 20, 22).

These words are contained in the song of Deborah and Barak, which treats of the combat of truth against falsity and its victory; "the lawgivers of Israel" signify the truths of the church; "to ride on white asses" and "to sit on middin" signify the perception of good and the understanding of truth, "white asses" signifying the rational in respect to good, and "middin" the rational in respect to truth; and "to walk by the way and to meditate" signify a life of truth; "the stars from their courses fought with Sisera" signifies the knowledges of truth, and combat from them against falsities of evil; "the feet of the horses that were bruised," and "the prancing of the horses that struck together" signify the falsities that are from the outmost natural, or the sensual [sensuali], and arguments therefrom that they were destroyed.

[34] In Amos:

Shall horses run upon the rock? shall one plough with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of justice into wormwood (Amos 6:12).

"Shall horses run upon the rock?" signifies, is there any understanding of truth? "Shall anyone plough with oxen?" signifies, is there any perception of good? This is plainly the meaning, for it follows, "for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of justice into wormwood;" "to turn judgment into gall," signifies to turn truth into falsity, and "to turn the fruit of justice into wormwood," signifies to turn good into evil.

[35] In David:

Thou hast laid oppression upon our loins. Thou hast caused a man to ride over our head; We entered into the fire and the waters: but Thou hast brought us out into a broad place (Psalms 66:11-12).

This is a description of spiritual captivity and deliverance therefrom. There is spiritual captivity when the mind is so shut up as not to perceive good nor understand truth; there is deliverance from it when the mind is opened; "the oppression upon the loins" signifies that there is no perception of good of love, for "loins" and "thighs" signify the good of love; "to cause a man to ride over our head" signifies that there is no understanding of truth; "man" here signifying intelligence from self [ex proprio], which is no intelligence; and "head" the like. Because this is the signification therefore it is said, "we entered into the fire and the waters," "into the fire" meaning into the evils that are from the love of self, and "into the waters" meaning into falsities; deliverance therefrom is meant by "but Thou hast brought us out into a broad place," "broad place" signifying truth (as above).

[36] In Isaiah:

Woe to them that go down into Egypt for help, and stay on horses, and trust in the chariot, but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek Jehovah. For Egypt is man and not God, and its horses flesh and not spirit (Isaiah 31:1, 3).

"Egypt" in the Word signifies the knowing [faculty] [scientificum] which is in the natural man, and thence also the natural man; and because the natural man, with the knowing [faculty] that is in it, has no understanding, but only thought from the memory, which is a kind of imagination from objects of sight and hearing; and because this is beneath the spiritual, in which nevertheless all the goods and truths of heaven and the church reside, therefore "Egypt" signifies in most passages a falsified knowing [faculty] [scientificum falsum]; for when the spiritual man does not flow in, knowledges in the natural man are turned into mere falsities, and its thoughts into confirmations of falsity and into reasonings from them against truths. From this it can be seen what is signified by "horses of Egypt and its chariots," namely, that "the horses" signify false knowledges, and "chariots" doctrinals from which there are reasonings against truth. Such, therefore, seek truths from no other source than themselves, for each one's own [proprium] has its seat in the natural man, and what is not his own has its seat in the spiritual; such persons therefore seize upon falsities instead of truths, and upon evils instead of goods, calling evils goods and falsities truths, and trusting in themselves, because they trust in what is their own. These things are signified by "Woe to them that go down into Egypt, and stay on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong;" "horses" here mean false knowledges; and "chariots" doctrinals therefrom; and "horsemen" reasonings from them against truths; therefore it is also said, "Egypt is man and not God, and his horses flesh and not spirit" signifying that what is in them is merely natural and not spiritual, consequently that there is not in them anything of life; "man" signifying the natural man, and "flesh" what is its own; "God" and "spirit" signifying the Divine spiritual man, and life therefrom; and since they trust in themselves and not in the Lord, it is said, "they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek Jehovah."

[37] From this it can now be seen what is signified by the horses, the chariots, and the armies of Pharaoh, in Moses:

I will be rendered glorious in Pharaoh and in his army and in his horsemen. And the Egyptians pursued the sons of Israel, and Pharaoh's horses went after them, his chariots and his horsemen, into the midst of the sea. And Jehovah took off the wheel of their chariots, so that they drove them with difficulty. And when Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, the waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen, together with the whole army of Pharaoh (Exodus 14:17-18, 23, 25, 27-28).

And in the same:

Moses and the children of Israel sang this song unto Jehovah. In singing I will sing unto Jehovah, for in exalting He hath exalted Himself; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea, and his chariots and his army (Exodus 15:1, 4, 19, 21).

What the horses and chariots of Pharaoh or Egypt signify has been shown above; his "army" signifies all falsities, in general and in particular; and "sea" signifies damnation and hell, where all are in their own [proprium], because they are in the natural man separated from the spiritual, and thence in all kinds of evils and falsities. The like is signified by "the horses of Egypt," in these words in Moses:

If thou shalt say, ² I will set over me a king, in setting thou shalt set ³ over thee a king whom Jehovah thy God shall choose; only he shall not multiply to himself horses, nor shall he bring back the people into Egypt, that he may multiply horses (Deuteronomy 17:14-16).

These things are said of the king, because the Lord in relation to Divine truth is represented by kings, and thence "kings" signify truths from good from the Lord (See above, n. 31). And as truths from good have their seat in the spiritual man, as was said above, and the knowledges [scientifica] that belong to the natural man serve the spiritual man as servants do their lord, it is said, "only he shall not multiply to himself horses, nor shall he bring back the people into Egypt, that he may multiply horses;" which signifies, only let no one from being a spiritual man become natural, and lead himself, and trust in what is his own [proprium] instead of in the Lord, that is, let not the truths of the spiritual man serve the natural, instead of the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man serving the spiritual; for this latter is according to order, but the former contrary to order. "Horses" of Egypt have a like signification elsewhere in the Word (as Jeremiah 46:4, 9; Ezekiel 17:15; 23:20).

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