Spiritual Meaning of Bosom

Spiritual Meaning of

Bosom

The signification of hand, is power (AC 6947); and the signification of bosom, is love; for that which is of the breast corresponds to love, because therein is the heart, which corresponds to celestial love, and the lungs, which correspond to spiritual love (AC 3635, 3883-3896, 4112, 4113, 4133). And as from this the bosom corresponds to love, by it is also signified man's own, for that is man's own which is of his love. Therefore here by bringing the hand into the bosom is signified appropriation that it is the appropriation of truth, is plain from what follows, and also from the fact that spiritual power consists in truth (AC 6948).

[2] That the bosom denotes that very thing which belongs to man, thus his own, and from this, appropriation and conjunction by love, is evident from the following passages:--

Confide ye not in a companion, put not trust in a guide; keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom (Micah 7:5);

where she that lieth in the bosom denotes one who has been conjoined with him by means of love. For this also a wife is called the wife of her husband's bosom (Deut. 28:54; 2 Sam. 12:8) and a husband is called the husband of his wife's bosom (Deut. 28:56); and this because one belongs to the other. And in David:--

My prayer shall fall back upon my bosom (Ps. 35:13);

meaning that it would return to himself.

Remember Lord the reproach of Thy servants, how I do bear in my bosom all the great peoples (Ps. 89:50);

meaning with himself, as his own. In Isaiah:--

He feedeth his flock like a shepherd, He gathereth the lambs in His arm, and carrieth them in His bosom (Isa. 40:11)

where the sense is the same.

[3] In Luke:--

Give, and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall be given into your bosom (Luke 6:38);

to be given into the bosom denotes for themselves as their own. In the same:

And it came to pass that Lazarus died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom (Luke 16:22);

to be carried into Abraham's bosom denotes to the Lord (who is meant by Abraham), from conjunction through love.

[4] And in John:--

There was lying in Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved; he, leaning on Jesus' breast, saith unto Him, Lord who is it? (John 13:23, 25)

to lie in the bosom manifestly denotes to be loved, and to be conjoined through love. Again:--

No one hath ever seen God; the only-begotten son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath set Him forth (John 1:18);

in the bosom of the Father denotes to be one.

[5] The bosom denotes that very thing which belongs to man, and also appropriation not by love, in the following passages:--

I will recompense, I will recompense upon their bosom your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together; I will measure the price of their work upon their bosom (Isa. 14:6, 7).

Jehovah doing mercy to thousands and recompensing the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their sons after them (Jer. 32:18).

Recompense to our neighbors seven-fold into their bosom their reproach wherewith they have reproached Thee, O Lord (Ps. 79:12);

to recompense into their bosom denotes into themselves.

from AC 6970

Back to Words index, Back to Body words index

Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.