Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 4424

Previous Number Next Number Next Translation See Latin 

4424. What the Lord's words quoted above involve in the internal sense may be seen without explication; for the Lord spoke them not so much by representatives and significatives, as by comparatives. There shall be stated merely what is signified by the words of the last verse, namely: "He shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." He shall cut him asunder; signifies separation and removal from goods and truths; for they who are in knowledges of good and truth, as are those who are within the church and yet in a life of evil, are said to be "cut asunder" when they are removed from these knowledges. For the knowledges of good and truth are separated from them in the other life, and they are kept in evils, and therefore also in falsities; which is done in order to prevent them from communicating with heaven by the knowledges of truth, and with hell by evils and the derivative falsities, and thus hanging between the two; and also to prevent them from profaning goods and truths, which is done when these are commingled with falsities and evils. The same is also signified by the Lord's words to him who hid the talent in the earth: "Take therefore the talent from him; and give it unto him that hath ten talents; for unto everyone that hath shall be given, and from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away" (Matt. 25:28, 29); also by what the Lord says in another place in Matthew 13:12; and in Mark 4:25; and in Luke 8:18. [2] And appoint his portion with the hypocrites;

signifies his lot (which is his "portion") with those who outwardly appear to be in truth as to doctrine and in good as to life, but inwardly believe nothing of truth and will nothing of good, who are the "hypocrites." In this manner they are "cut asunder." Therefore when their externals are taken away from them, as takes place with all in the other life, they appear such as they are as to their internals, namely, devoid of faith and charity, of which they nevertheless have made a show in order to win others and acquire honors, gain, and reputation. Those within a vastated church are almost all of this character, for they have externals, but no internals. This is the origin of that inundation of their interiors which has been already spoken of (n. 4423). [3] There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth; signifies their state in the other life, "wailing," their state as to evils, and "gnashing of teeth," their state as to falsities. For in the Word the "teeth" signify the lowest natural things, in the genuine sense the truths of these natural things, and in the opposite sense their falsities. The teeth moreover correspond to these things, and therefore the "gnashing of teeth" is the collision of falsities with truths. They who are in mere natural things, and who are in these from the fallacies of the senses, and who believe nothing but what they see thereby, are said to be in the "gnashing of teeth," and also in the other life appear to themselves to be so when they draw conclusions from their fallacies concerning the truths of faith. In a church vastated as to good and truth such persons abound. The like is signified elsewhere also by the "gnashing of teeth," as in Matthew:

The sons of the kingdom shall be cast forth into the outer darkness, there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 8:12);

the "sons of the kingdom" are those who are in a vastated church; the "darkness" is falsities (n. 4418), for they are in darkness when they are in the thick cloud mentioned above; the "gnashing of teeth" is the collision of falsities therein with truths. In like manner elsewhere, as in Matt. 13:42, 50; 22:13; 25:30; and Luke 13:28. GENESIS 34

1. And Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 2. And Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, and took her, and lay with her, and forced her. 3. And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spoke upon the heart of the damsel. 4. And Shechem said unto Hamor his father, saying, Get me this girl for a woman. 5. And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; and his sons were with his acquisition in the field; and Jacob was silent until they came. 6. And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to speak with him. 7. And the sons of Jacob came from the field as they heard it, and the men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he had wrought folly in Israel, in lying with Jacob's daughter, and so it ought not to be done. 8. And Hamor spoke with them, saying, Shechem my son, his soul longs for your daughter, give her I pray to him for a woman. 9. And share kinships with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to you. 10. And ye shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you, dwell ye, and range through it trading, and get you possession therein. 11. And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brothers, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye say unto me I will give. 12. Multiply upon me exceedingly dowry and gift, and I will give as ye say unto me; and give me the damsel for a woman. 13. And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father in fraud, and spoke, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. 14. And they said unto them, We cannot do this word, to give our sister to a man that hath a foreskin, because this would be a reproach unto us. 15. Nevertheless in this will we consent to you, if ye be as we to circumcise for you every male. 16. We will both give our daughters to you, and will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will be for one people. 17. And if ye will not listen unto us to circumcise, we will even take our daughter and go. 18. And their words were good in the eyes of Hamor, and in the eyes of Shechem Hamor's son. 19. And the lad delayed not to do the word, because he was well pleased in Jacob's daughter; and he was honored above all the house of his father. 20. And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and spoke unto the men of their city, saying, 21. These men are peaceable with us, and let them dwell in the land, and range through it trading, and behold the land is broad in spaces before them; let us take their daughters to us for women, and let us give our daughters to them. 22. Nevertheless in this will the men consent to us to dwell with us, to be for one people, in every male being circumcised to us, even as they are circumcised. 23. Their acquisition, and their purchase, and all their beast, will they not be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us. 24. And they listened to Hamor and to Shechem his son, all that went out of the gate of his city; and they circumcised every male, all that went out of the gate of his city. 25. And it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that the two sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, brothers of Dinah, took each his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew every male. 26. And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son at the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went forth. 27. The sons of Jacob came upon those who were pierced, and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. 28. Their flocks and their herds and their asses, and whatever was in the city, and whatever was in the field, they took;

29. And all their wealth, and all their babe, and their women, they took captive and made a prey of, and all that was in the house. 30. And Jacob said to Simeon and to Levi, Ye have troubled me, to make me to stink to the inhabitant of the land, to the Canaanite and the Perizzite; and I am mortals [few] of number, and they will be gathered together upon me, and will smite me, and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. 31. And they said, Shall he make our sister as a harlot?


This page is part of the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church