Spiritual Meaning of Hunting

Spiritual Meaning of

Hunting

That by hunting are signified truths sensuous and of memory-knowledge, in which are instructed and by which are affected those who are in the good of life, is because hunting, in a wide sense, means the things taken by hunting; such as rams, kids, she-goats, and the like; and which are spiritual goods, as may be seen above (AC 2180, 2830); and also because the arms used in hunting, which were quivers, bows, and darts, signify the doctrinal things of truth (AC 2685, 2686, 2709). That such are the things which are signified by hunting, is evident from what is said to Esau by his father Isaac in a subsequent chapter:--

Take I pray thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and hunt me a hunting, and make me savory meat, such as I have loved (Gen. 27:3, 4);

and to Jacob, who is there taken for Esau, in the same chapter:--

Bring to me that I may eat of my son's hunting, that my soul may bless thee (Gen. 27:25);

from which it is evident what is signified by hunting.

[3] Hence it is that to hunt signifies to teach and also to persuade, and this in both senses, that is, from the affection of truth, and from the affection of falsity; from the affection of truth in Jeremiah:--

I will bring them back into their land that I gave unto their fathers; behold I will send for many fishers, saith Jehovah, and they shall fish them; and after this I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and from every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks (Jeremiah 16:15, 16);

where fishers denote those who teach from sensuous truths (AC 40, 991); and hunters, those who teach from truths of memory-knowledge, and also from doctrinal things. Upon every mountain and upon every hill, signifies teaching those who are in the affection of good and in the affection of truth. Mountain and hill have this signification, (AC 795, 796, 1430). The like is involved in hunting in the field (Gen. 27:3). That hunting signifies also persuading from the affection of falsity, appears in Ezekiel:--

Behold I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly away, and I will tear off your coverings, and will deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall be no longer in your hand to be hunted (Ezek. 13:20, 21).

Concerning the signification of hunting in this sense, (AC 1178); but to this kind of hunting, nets are usually attributed.

from AC 3309

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Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.