Spiritual Meaning of EXODUS 15:1-2
[2] That "to sing a song" denotes to glorify, and that thus a "song" denotes a glorification, is because in the Ancient Church and afterward in the Jewish Church the songs were prophetic and treated of the Lord, especially that He would come into the world, and would overthrow the diabolical crew, then raging more than ever, and would liberate the faithful from their assaults. And because the prophetic utterances of the songs contained such things in the internal sense, therefore by these is signified a glorification of the Lord, that is, a celebration of Him from gladness of heart; for gladness of heart is especially expressed by a song, because in a song gladness breaks forth as it were of itself into sound. Hence it is that Jehovah - that is, the Lord - is called in songs "Hero," a "Man of war," the "God of armies," "Conqueror," "Strength," "Bulwark," "Shield," "Salvation;" and the diabolical crew that is overthrown, "the enemy" that is "smitten," "swallowed up," "overwhelmed," "cast into hell."
[3] They who knew nothing of the internal sense also believed in time past that such things as were in the world were meant, as worldly enemies, battles, victories, defeats, submersions, of which the songs treated in the external sense; but they who knew that all prophetic utterances involved things heavenly and Divine, and that these were represented in them, knew that the subject there treated of is the damnation of the unfaithful, and the salvation of the faithful by the Lord, when He would come into the world. And then those who knew this, and meditated upon it, and were affected thereby, had internal gladness; but others only external. The angels also who were with the men were at the same time in the glorification of the Lord; consequently they who sang, and they who heard the songs, had heavenly gladness from the holy and blessed influx which flowed in from heaven, in which they seemed to themselves to be as it were taken up into heaven. Such an effect had the songs of the church among the ancients. Such an effect also they would have at this day; for the spiritual angels are especially affected by songs which are about the Lord, His kingdom, and the church. That the songs of the church had this effect, was not only because by them gladness of heart became active, and burst forth from within even to the utmost fibers of the body, and set these in motion with a glad and at the same time a holy tremor; but also because there is a glorification of the Lord in the heavens by means of choirs, and thus by the harmonious music of many. From this also angelic speech is harmonious, falling into rhythmic measures. Concerning choirs see (n. 2595, 2596, 3350, 5182, 8115); and concerning angelic speech, that it falls into rhythmic measures, (n. 1648, 1649, 7191). From this it is that the glorifications of the Lord among the ancients who were of the church were performed by means of songs, psalms, and musical instruments of various kinds; for the ancients who were of the church had a joy that surpassed all other joys from calling to mind the Lord’s coming, and the salvation of the human race through Him.
[4] That in the internal sense the prophetic songs contained a glorification of the Lord, is evident from the songs in the Word, as in Isaiah:--
I Jehovah have called thee in righteousness, and I will take hold of thy hand, I will guard thee, and give thee for a covenant to the people, for a light to the nations, to open the blind eyes, to bring out the bound one from the prison, him that sitteth in darkness out of the house of confinement: sing ye to Jehovah a new song, His praise, extremity of the earth; let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up a voice, let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them give glory to Jehovah; Jehovah shall go forth as a hero, as a man of wars; He shall stir up the zeal, He shall prevail over His enemies (Isa. 42:6, 7, 10-13);
it is evident that this treats of the Lord, in that He would come to liberate those who were in spiritual captivity; wherefore it is said, "sing to Jehovah a new song," and "let the inhabitants of the rock sing." In like manner in the same:--
I have given thee for a covenant of the people, to restore the land, to divide the wasted heritages; to say to them that are bound, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Be ye revealed: they shall feed upon the ways, and on all hillsides shall be their pasture. Sing, O ye heavens; and exult, O earth; and resound, ye mountains, with song, because Jehovah hath comforted His people, and will have mercy on his afflicted ones (Isa. 49:8, 9, 13);
here also the coming of the Lord and the liberation of the bound are treated of.
[5] In David:--
Sing ye to Jehovah a new song, bless His name, recount His glory among the nations: all the gods of the peoples are vanities; but Jehovah made the heavens, glory and honor are before Him; strength and comeliness are in His sanctuary; give ye to Jehovah glory and strength, give ye to Jehovah the glory of His name; say ye among the nations, Jehovah reigneth, the world also is established, and it shall not be removed; Jehovah cometh, He cometh to judge the earth (Ps. 96:1-13).
Jehovah hath made me come up out of the pit of vastation, out of the mire of clay; and hath set my feet upon a rock; and He hath put a new song into my mouth, even praise to our God; many shall see, and shall trust (Ps. 40:2, 3).
From these words also it is evident that a "song" denotes a glorification of the Lord on account of liberation; for the songs involved gladness of heart, and the exaltation of the Lord - gladness of heart, on account of the Lord‘s coming and salvation then; and exaltation, on account of victory over spiritual enemies. Gladness of heart with exaltation of the Lord is what is meant by glorification.
[6] That gladness of heart was signified by "songs," is evident in these passages:--
Confess ye to Jehovah on the harp, on a psaltery of ten strings, sing psalms to Him, sing ye to Him a new song; beat surpassingly with a loud noise, because He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap, He putteth the deeps in treasuries (Ps. 33:2, 3, 7).
The joy of timbrels shall cease, the tumult of them that are merry shall cease, the joy of the harp shall cease. They shall not drink wine with a song (Isa. 24:8, 9).
I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation (Amos 8:10).
That the exaltation of Jehovah, that is, of the Lord, was performed by means of songs, is plain in David:--
David the servant of Jehovah, who spake unto Jehovah the words of this song. Jehovah, my strength, Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my rescuer; my God, my rock in whom I trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my refuge; I will call upon Jehovah, who is to be praised; then shall I be saved from mine enemies (Ps. 18:1-3).
Jehovah is my strength and my shield; whence in a song I will confess Him; Jehovah is their strength, and the strength of salvations of His anointed (Ps. 28:7, 8).
Thy salvation O God will bring me on high; I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with confession (Ps. 69:29, 30).
[7] That the songs treated of the Lord, is evident also in John:
The twenty-four elders sang a new song, saying, Worthy art Thou who takest the book, and openest the seals thereof; because Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us unto God with Thy blood (Rev. 5:8, 9).
I saw seven angels who sang the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, O Lord, God the Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, O King of saints; who would not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? (Rev. 15:1, 2, 4);
"the song of Moses and of the Lamb" is the song which is in this chapter: it is called "the song of the Lamb," because the glorification of the Lord is treated of therein.
. And they said, saying. That this signifies in this manner from influx, is evident from the signification of "saying," when the subject treated of is the glorification of the Lord by a song, as being influx. "To say" also denotes influx, (n. 5743, 6152, 6291, 7291, 7381, 8221). . I will sing to Jehovah. That this signifies that to the Lord alone is the glory, is evident from the signification of "to sing to Jehovah," as being to glorify the Lord (n. 8261); thus that to Him is the glory. That it is to Him alone, is because the Lord is "Jehovah" in the Word (n. 8261); thus is the only God. It is said in the Word throughout that to God alone shall be glory and honor. He who knows not the interior things of the Word may believe that the Lord desires and loves glory like a man in the world; and also for the reason that it is due to Him in preference to all in the universe; but the Lord does not desire glory for the sake of Himself, but for the sake of the man who glorifies Him. The man who glorifies Him does it from a holy reverence for Him in that He is the Supreme One, and from a humbling of himself as being relatively nothing; and because in the glorification of the Lord by the man there is thus both holy reverence and humiliation, the man is then in a state to receive the influx of good from the Lord, thus also to receive love to Him. It is from this that the Lord desires man to glorify Him (n. 4347, 4593, 5957). The influx of good from the Lord is into a humble heart, (n. 3994, 7478). . Because exalting He hath exalted. That this signifies that He has manifested His Divine in the Human, is evident from the signification of "exalting one’s self," when said of the Lord, as being to manifest the Divine in the Human. The reason why this is signified by "exalting He hath exalted Himself," is that the Divine is the Highest or Supreme; and the Lord, when He was in the world, made the Human in Himself Divine, and thus "exalting He exalted." By what is "high" in the Word is signified what is Divine, (n. 8153). It is here said that "exalting He hath exalted," and that thereby is signified the manifestation of the Divine in the Human, because in this song the subject treated of is the Lord, in that after He made His Human Divine, He cast the evil into the hells and raised the good into heaven (n. 8258), and this by His mere presence (n. 7989); for to cast the evil into the hells, and to raise the good into heaven, by mere presence, is Divine. . The horse and his rider hath He cast into the sea. That this signifies that by His mere presence the falsities from evil were damned and cast into hell, is evident from the signification of a "horse," as being falsities from a perverted understanding. A "horse" denotes the understanding, (n. 2761, 2762, 3217, 5321); and in the opposite sense a perverted understanding, and as this is no understanding, in this sense by a "horse" is signified falsity, and by "the horse of Pharaoh," false memory-knowledge, (n. 6125, 8146, 8148); from the signification of a "rider" or "horseman," as being the consequent reasonings (n. 8146, 8148); and from the signification of "casting into the sea," as being to damn and cast into hell. That "the sea," here the sea Suph, denotes the hell where are the falsities from evil of those who being of the church have been in faith separate and in a life of evil, see (n. 8099, 8137, 8148); hence it is that they are called falsities "from evil." That these falsities were damned and cast into hell by the mere presence of the Lord, was shown in the preceding chapter. For the evil can by no means endure and support the Divine presence, because by the Divine presence they are tortured, tormented, and as it were deprived of life, and comport themselves like those who are in the death agony. The reason is that in the Divine there is omnipotence, which destroys and extinguishes that which is opposed, thus what is false and evil; consequently the life of those who are in falsity and evil is distressed by the Divine presence, and hence feels hell in itself according to the degree of the presence. But lest they who are in falsities and evils should be tortured until they are utterly destroyed, they are veiled over by their falsities and evils as by thick mists, which are of such a nature as to mitigate the influx of the Divine, or to repel or to stifle it, as earthly mists or clouds do the rays of the sun.[2] These things are meant by the words in John:--
They shall say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall upon us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb; because the great day of His anger is come; who therefore shall be able to stand? (John 6:16, 17);
by "the mountains and rocks to which they shall say, Fall upon us and hide us" are signified evils and falsities; by "the anger of the Lamb" is signified torment, for it appears as if the Divine tormented from anger, when yet it is the falsities and evils themselves. In like manner in (Isa. 2:10; Hosea 10:8; Luke 23:30). That damnation is from the mere presence of the Lord, is also signified by what follows in this Song:--Thou sendest forth Thy wrath, it devoureth them as stubble; and with the wind of Thy nostrils the waters were heaped up, the floods stood together like a heap; Thou didst blow with Thy wind, the sea covered them; they sought the deep; Thou stretchedst out Thy right hand, the earth swallowed them (verses 7, 8, 10, 12). In like manner in many other passages in the Word.
. My strength. That this signifies that everything of power is from Him, is evident from the signification of "strength," as being force and power; and because it is said "my strength" when treating of Jehovah or the Lord, it denotes that everything of power is from Him. . And song is Jah. That this signifies that everything of faith and of the consequent glory is from the Divine truth which is from Him, is evident from the signification of a "song" when said concerning Jehovah, as being a glorification of the Lord (n. 8261) but when concerning man, as here, as being the glory which is from faith, thus faith from which is glory; for everything of glory that pertains to man is from faith in the Lord, because faith which is faith is from the Lord, and thus the Lord is in the faith, consequently so is the glory itself. That the glory of man is from faith is also because the Divine truth, from which and through which is faith, appears before the eyes of the angels as light, and also as brightness and a beam of light. This beam of light, together with the magnificences of heaven that are from the light, is called "glory," which accordingly is nothing else than Divine truth, thus faith.[2] That "Jah" denotes the Divine truth proceeding from the Divine Human of the Lord, is because "Jah" is from "Jehovah" and is called "Jah" because it is not being, but coming-forth from being; for Divine truth is coming-forth, but Divine good is being (n. 6880); and consequently it is said "Jah is my song," because by "song" is signified the faith which is of Divine truth. By "Jah" is signified Divine truth in David also:--
Sing ye to God, praise ye His name; extol Him that rideth upon the clouds by His name Jah, and exult ye before Him (Ps. 68:4);
where "to praise and extol God by His name Jah" denotes by means of Divine truth. Again in the same:--
In distress I called on Jah; Jah answered me in breadth; Jehovah helped me; Jah is my strength and song; I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of Jah; I will enter through the gates of righteousness, and I will confess Jah (Ps. 118:6, 13, 14, 17, 19);
here "Jah" denotes the Lord as to Divine truth; in like manner "Jah" in "Hallelujah" (Ps. 105:45; 106:1, 48; 111:1; 112:1; 113:1, 9; 115:17, 18; 116:19).
. And He hath been my salvation. That this signifies that salvation is from thence, is evident without explication. . And I will prepare Him a habitation. That this signifies that in the good which is from Him, He shall be as in His heaven, is evident from the signification of "a habitation," when said of Jehovah or the Lord, as being good. That "the habitation of the Lord" denotes good, is because all good is from the Lord, thus good is the Lord‘s, insomuch that it may be said that the Lord is good, and when the Lord dwells in this, He dwells in His Divine, nor can He dwell anywhere else, according to His own words in John:--Jesus said, If anyone love me, he keepeth My word; and My Father loveth him, and We will come unto him, and make an abode with him (John 14:23);
good from the Divine is here described by "loving the Lord and keeping His word," for good is of love; it is said that "they will make an abode with him," that is, in the good with him. It is said "as in His heaven," because heaven is called "the habitation of God" from the fact that good, which is from the Lord, is there and constitutes heaven. Moreover the Lord is in every man as in His heaven when He is in good there; for man’s heaven is good, and through good man is with the angels in heaven. From this it is now evident that by "I will prepare Him a habitation" is signified that in the good which is from Him, He will be as in His heaven.
. My father‘s God. That this signifies that there was no other Divine in the Ancient Churches, is evident from the signification of "father," as being the Ancient Church (n. 6050, 6075, 7649, 8055), consequently "father’s God" denotes the Divine in the Ancient Churches. The Divine in those churches was the Lord, (n. 6846, 6876, 6884); and by "Jehovah" they understood no other than the Lord, (n. 1343, 5663). . And I will exalt Him. That this signifies that now also He has Divine worship, is evident from the signification of "to exalt," when it is said of man that he "will exalt Jehovah," as being worship; for Divine worship consists in the exaltation of the Lord relatively to one‘s self, which is done according to the degree of the self-humiliation before the Lord. Humiliation is the essential of Divine worship. When man is in this essential he is hence in a state of receiving from the Lord the truth which is of faith and the good which is of charity, consequently in a state of worshiping Him. But if man exalts himself before the Lord, he hence closes the interiors of his mind for the reception of good and truth from the Lord. What is meant by "exalting one’s self," when it is said of the Lord that He "exalts Himself," see (n. 8264). EXODUS 15:1-2 - next - text - summary - Exodus - Full Page
| Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772). | Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002. | www.BibleMeanings.info |