Spiritual Meaning of
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The vessels of gold and of silver denote the knowledges of good and truth, which were profaned; for the Chaldeans denote those who are in knowledges, but such as have been profaned by the falsities that are in them (AC 1368); so that the knowledges serve them to worship gods of gold and silver; for Belshazzar is called king of the chaldeans in this same chapter (Daniel 5:30).
[3] That vessels signify the externals of spiritual things, is also plain from other passages in the Word, as in Isaiah:--
As the sons of Israel bring their offering in a clean vessel into the house of Jehovah (Isa. 66:20);
where the Lord's kingdom is treated of. The offering in a clean vessel is representative of the external man relatively to the internal; that which brings the gift is the internal man; the clean vessel is the external man that is in agreement, thus it denotes the things in the external man, which are memory-knowledges, knowledges, and doctrinal things.
[4] In Jeremiah:--
The cry of Jerusalem is gone up, and their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters; they came to the pits, they found no waters, they returned with their vessels empty, they are ashamed (Jer. 14:2, 3);
empty vessels denote knowledges wherein there is no truth, and also truths wherein there is no good. Again:--
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel hath devoured me, he hath troubled me, he hath made me an empty vessel (Jer. 51:34);
where an empty vessel has a similar meaning. That it is Babel that lays waste, may be seen above (AC 1327). In Moses:--
As the valleys are they planted, as gardens by the river's side waters shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be at many waters (Num. 24:6, 7).
This is Balaam's parable concerning Jacob and Israel; waters flowing from his buckets, signify that truths flow from knowledges.
[5] In the parable of the ten virgins, five of whom took oil in their vessels with their lamps, while the foolish did not (Matt. 25:4), by the virgins are signified affections. That the wise took oil in their vessels, denotes that there was good in truths, and thus charity in faith. That oil denotes good, may be seen above (AC 886); lamps denote love.
from AC 3079
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| Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772). | Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002. | www.BibleMeanings.info |