Spiritual Meaning of

Back to Words index

Back to Animal words index

"Lambs" signify innocence may be seen from many passages in the Word, of which the following may be adduced in confirmation. In Isaiah:--

where the subject treated of is the Lord's kingdom, and the state of peace and innocence therein. The "wolf" denotes those who are against innocence; and the "lamb," those who are in innocence. Again in the same Prophet:--

where the "wolf" as above denotes those who are against innocence; and the "lamb," those who are in innocence. As the "wolf" and the "lamb" are opposites, the Lord also said to the seventy whom He sent forth:--

In Moses:--

here in the internal sense the celestial things of the Ancient Church are treated of, and the "fat of lambs" denotes the charity of innocence.

[4] In the original language "lambs" are expressed by various names, by which are signified the different degrees of innocence; for as before said, in all good there must be innocence to make it good; consequently there must be the same in truth. "Lambs" are here expressed by the same word that is used for "sheep" (Lev. 1:10; 3:7; 5:6; 17:3; 22:19; Num. 18:17); and it is the innocence of the faith of charity that is signified. Elsewhere they are expressed by other words, as in Isaiah:--

By still another word in the same Prophet:--

where to "gather the lambs in His arm, and carry them in His bosom," denotes those who are in charity in which there is innocence.

[5] In John:--

"By Peter" here and elsewhere is signified faith (AC 2135A, 2760, 3750); and as faith is not faith unless it is from charity toward the neighbor, and thus from love to the Lord; and as charity and love are not charity and love unless they are from innocence, for this reason the Lord first asks Peter whether he loves Him, that is, whether there is love in the faith, and then says, "Feed My lambs," that is, those who are in innocence. And then, after the same question, He says, "Feed My sheep," that is, those who are in charity.

[6] As the Lord is the innocence itself which is in His kingdom, the all of innocence being from Him, He is called the "Lamb;" as in John:--

And in the Revelation:--

That in the supreme sense the paschal lamb is the Lord, is well known; for the passover signified the Lord's glorification, that is, the putting on of the Divine in respect to the Human; and in the representative sense it signifies man's regeneration; and the paschal lamb signifies that which is the essential of regeneration, namely, innocence; for no one can be regenerated except by means of the charity in which there is innocence.

[7] As innocence is the primary thing in the Lord's kingdom, and is the celestial itself there, and as the sacrifices and burnt-offerings represented the spiritual and celestial things of the Lord's kingdom, therefore the very essential of the Lord's kingdom, which is innocence, was represented by lambs. For this reason a perpetual or daily burnt-offering was made of lambs, one in the morning, and another in the evening (Exod. 29:37-39; Num. 28:3, 4), and a double one on the Sabbath days (Num. 28:9, 10), and of still more lambs on stated festivals (Lev. 23:12; Num. 28:11, 17, 19, 27; 29). The reason why a woman in child-bed, after the days of her cleansing were accomplished, was to offer a lamb for a burnt-offering, and the young of a pigeon or a turtle-dove (Lev. 12:6), was that the effect of conjugial love might be signified. Conjugial love is innocence (AC 2736); and also because innocence is signified by "infants."

That lambs denote the good of innocence, is evident from the passages in the Word where lambs are mentioned, as in Isaiah:--

there is here described the state of peace and innocence in the heavens and in the church after the Lord came into the world; and as a state of peace and innocence is described, mention is made of a lamb, a kid, and a calf, also of a little child, a sucking child, and a weaned child, and by all of these is signified the good of innocence -- the inmost good of innocence by a lamb, the interior good of innocence by a kid, and the exterior good of innocence by a calf; the like is signified by a child, a sucking child and a weaned child; the mountain of My holiness denotes the heaven and the church where is the good of innocence; the nations denote those who are in this good; the root of Jesse denotes the Lord from whom is this good; the good of love from Him to Him, which is also called celestial good, is the good of innocence.

[3] That a lamb denotes the good of innocence in general, and specifically the inmost good of innocence, is evident from its being mentioned first, and also from the fact that the Lord Himself is called a Lord as will be seen in what follows. That a kid denotes the interior good of innocence, (AC 3519, 4871); that a calf or a bullock denotes the exterior good of innocence, (AC 430, 9391); a child, innocence, (AC 5236); in like manner a sucking child, a weaned child, or infant, (AC 430, 2280, 3183, 3494, 5608); the mountain of holiness denotes where the good of love to the Lord is, (AC 6435, 8758); and nations denote those who are in this good, (AC 1416, 6005). That the good of love to the Lord, which is called celestial good, is the good of innocence, is evident from those who are in the inmost heaven, who because they are in this good appear naked, and like infants, for the reason that nakedness denotes innocence, and likewise infancy (AC 9262, 3887, 5608).

[4] It is said that the wolf shall abide with the lamb, because by a "wolf,' are signified those who are against innocence, as also is the case in the following passages:--

[5] As when the Lord was in the world He was innocence itself in respect to His Human, and as consequently everything that belongs to innocence proceeds from Him, the Lord is called the Lamb, and the Lamb of God, as in these passages:--

Besides many other passages in the (Revelation 5:6, 8, 12, 13; 6:1, 16; 7:9, 10, 14; 12:11; 13:8; 14:1; 15:3; 17:14; 19:7, 9; 21:9, 14, 22, 23, 27; 22:1, 3).

[6] As lambs denote those who are in innocence, therefore the Lord said to Peter, first, Feed My lambs, and afterward, Feed My sheep, and again, Feed My sheep (John 21:15-17); lambs here denote those who are in the good of love to the Lord, for these are in the good of innocence more than all others; but sheep denote those who are in the good of charity toward the neighbor, and who are in the good of faith

[7] The like is signified by lambs in Isaiah:--

that these things were said of the Lord is evident, because by lambs are meant those who are in love to Him, thus who are in the good of innocence, wherefore it is said that He will gather them in His arm, and carry them in His bosom; for they are conjoined with the Lord by love, and love is spiritual conjunction; and for this reason it is also added that He will gently lead the sucklings, for sucklings and infants denote those who are in the good of innocence (AC 430, 2280, 3183, 3494).

[8] From all this it can now be seen what is signified by the burnt-offerings and sacrifices of lambs, and why they were to be made every day, every sabbath, every new moon, and at every feast, and every day on the feast of the passover; and why at the feast of the passover the lamb that was called the paschal lamb was to be eaten, of which it is thus written in Moses:--

By the feast of the passover was signified the liberation from damnation of those who receive the Lord in love and faith (AC 9286-9292); thus who are in the good of innocence, for the good of innocence is the inmost of love and faith, and is their soul; wherefore it is said that they should put the blood of it upon the posts, the lintel, and the houses, for where the good of innocence is, there hell cannot enter. They were to eat it roast with fire, because by this was signified the good of celestial love, which is the good of love to the Lord from the Lord

[9] As a lamb signified innocence, therefore when the days of purifying after childbirth had been fulfilled, there were offered:--

By the son of a pigeon and by a turtle-dove was signified innocence in like manner as by a lamb; by childbirth in the spiritual sense is signified the birth of the church, which is that of the good of love, for no other birth is understood in heaven; and by the burnt-offering and sacrifice from these is signified purification from evils through the good of innocence; for this good is that into which the Divine flows, and through which it purifies.

[10] He who sinned through error was to offer a lamb, or a kid of the goats, or two turtle-doves, or two sons of pigeons, for guilt (Lev. 5:1-13), for the reason that sin through error is sin from ignorance, and if in ignorance there is innocence, purification is effected. Concerning the Nazirite also it is said:--

by all these things, namely, the lamb, the ewe lamb, the ram, the unleavened breads, the wafers, and the oil, are signified celestial things, that is, those which are of love to the Lord from the Lord. These were to be sacrificed by the Nazirite after the fulfilling of the days of the Naziriteship, because the Nazirite represented the celestial man, or the Lord as to the Divine celestial. The Divine celestial is the Divine of the Lord in the inmost heaven; and this Divine is innocence.

[11] From all this it can be seen that by a lamb is signified the good of innocence; for by all the beasts that were sacrificed something of the church was signified, as can be very well seen from the fact that the Lord Himself is called a Lamb, as is evident from the passages above cited; and likewise that those are called lambs who love the Lord, as in (Isaiah 40:10, 11, and in (John 21:15); and that upright men are also called sheep (Matt. 15:21-29; 25:31-41; 26:31; John 10:7-16, 26-31; 21:16, 17); and evil men are called goats (Matt. 25:31; Zech. 10:3; Dan. 8:5-11, 25). That all useful and gentle beasts signify good affections and inclinations; but that useless and fierce ones signify evil affections and inclinations, (AC 9280).

[12] The good of innocence is signified not only by a lamb, but also by a ram, and by a bullock, but with the difference that by a lamb is signified the inmost good of innocence; by a ram, the interior or middle good of innocence; and by a bullock, the external good of innocence. The good of innocence in even one must be external, internal, and inmost, in order that the man may be regenerated, for the good of innocence is the very essence of all good. As these three degrees of innocence are signified by a bullock, a ram, and a lamb, therefore these three were offered for sacrifice and burnt-offering when purification was represented by this good, as was done in each of the new moons, the feasts, the day of firstfruits, and when the altar was inaugurated (Numbers 7:15, 21, 27, 38; 28:1-31; 29:1-40). That a bullock denotes the external good of innocence, (AC 9391, 9990); and a ram, the internal good of innocence, (AC 10042). As regards innocence and its quality with infants, also with the simple who are in ignorance, and with the wise, (AC 10021).

[13] By its being said that the lamb which was to be offered for a burnt-offering should be the son of a year, was signified that it then was a lamb, for when it exceeded a year, it was a sheep; and because a lamb was as it were an infant sheep, by it was signified such good as is of infancy, which is the good of innocence; hence also it was that lambs were to be offered for a burnt-offering in the first month of the year at the time of the passover (Exod. 12:2; Num. 28:16, 19); on the day of the firstfruits (Num. 28:26, 27); and on the day in which they waved the sheaf (Lev. 23:11, 12); for by the first month of the year, and by the day of the firstfruits, and by the day of waving the sheaf, there was also signified a state of infancy, thus a state of innocence.

Back to Words index, Back to Animal words index