Spiritual Meaning of Horsemen

Spiritual Meaning of

Horsemen

The signification of horsemen, is things that belong to the intellect, for by a horse is signified the intellectual (AC 2760-2762, 3217, 5321, 6125). That horsemen denote things that belong to the intellect or understanding, may be seen further from the following passages:--

Jehovah alone did lead him; He made him ride upon the high places of the earth (Deut. 32:12, 13);

speaking of the Ancient Church; to make him ride upon the high places of the earth denotes to endow with higher understanding.

[2] In David:--

In thine honor mount up, and ride upon the Word of truth, and of gentleness, and of righteousness, and thy right hand shall teach thee wonderful things (Ps. 45:4);

speaking of the Lord; riding upon the Word of truth denotes being in the very understanding of truth. Again:--

Sing to God, praise ye His name; extol Him that rideth upon the clouds by His name Jah (Ps. 68:4);

this also is said of the Lord; the clouds denote the literal sense of the Word (AC 2135a, 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343); to ride upon them is to be in the internal sense, where truth is in its intelligence and wisdom.

[3] In Zechariah:--

In that day I will smite every horse with amazement, and his rider with madness, and I will open Mine eye upon the house of Judah; but will smite every horse of the peoples with blindness (Zech 12:4);

where horse denotes the intellectual; and rider, the intellect. Who does not see that horse here does not mean horse, nor rider rider; but that something is signified which can be smitten with amazement and madness, also with blindness? That this pertains to the understanding is obvious.

[4] That by horses and horsemen are signified intellectual things, and in the opposite sense reasonings and falsities thence derived, may be seen in John:--

I saw and behold a white horse, and he that sat thereon had a bow, and there was given unto him a crown, and he went forth conquering. And there went forth another horse that was red, and to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another, and there was given unto him a great sword. I saw and behold a black horse, and he that sat thereon had a balance in his hand. And I saw and behold a pale horse, and him that sat upon it, whose name was Death (Rev. 6:2-8);

that here the horses and they that sat upon them signify such things as belong to the understanding of truth, and in the opposite sense such things as belong to falsity, is evident from all the details. The white horse and he that sat thereon denote the understanding of truth from the Word. That he who sat upon the white horse is the Lord as to the Word, is said in plain words (Rev. 19:11, 13, 16). The red horse and he that sat thereon denote reasonings from the cupidities of evil, whereby violence is done to truths from the Word; the black horse and he that sat thereon denote the intellectual of truth extinguished; and the pale horse and he that sat upon it denote the consequent damnation.

[5] In the opposite sense horses and horsemen denote the intellect perverted; and the consequent falsities, as in Ezekiel:--

Oholah committed whoredom under Me, and she doted on her lovers, governors and leaders, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses. Her sister Oholibah loved the sons of Asshur, governors and leaders, her neighbors, clothed in perfect attire, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men (Ezek. 23:5, 6, 12);

Oholah denotes the perverted spiritual church, which is Samaria; and Oholibah the perverted celestial church, which is Jerusalem; for the Israelites who were of Samaria represented the spiritual church, but the Jews who were of Jerusalem represented the celestial church. The Assyrians and sons of Asshur denote reasoning against the truths of faith (AC 1186); horsemen riding on horses denote the understanding perverted, whence come falsities.

[6] And in Habakkuk:--

I stir up the Chaldeans, a bitter and hasty nation, that goeth into the breadth of the earth, to inherit habitations not their own; their horses are swifter than leopards, and are sharper than the evening wolves, that their horsemen may spread themselves, whence their horsemen come from far (Habakkuk 1:6, 8);

the Chaldeans denote those who are in falsities, but in externals appear to be in truths, thus the profanation of truth, and Babylon the profanation of good (AC 1182, 1368). Going into the breadth of the earth denotes to destroy truths. The breadth of the earth is truth, (AC 3433, 3434, 4482). Hence it is evident that the horsemen who spread themselves and come from far denote the things that belong to perverted understanding, thus falsities.

from AC 6534

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Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.