Spiritual Meaning of Finger

Spiritual Meaning of

Finger

That finger denotes power is because the fingers belong to the hands, and by hands is signified power (AC 878, 4931-4937, 6344, 6424, 6948). That finger denotes power, is evident also from the following passages:--

When I behold the heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast prepared (Ps. 8:3).

Jesus said, If I by the finger of God cast out demons, surely the kingdom of God is come unto you (Luke 11:20).

That Jesus took the deaf man who had an impediment in his speech apart from the people, and put His finger into his ears, and spat, and touched his tongue (Mark 7:32, 33); was also a representative of Divine power.

[2] That a finger represents power is plain also from the rites of the church among the Jews, in that blood should be put upon the thumb, and that the priest should sprinkle the blood with his finger, concerning which it is thus written in Moses:--

Thou shalt kill the ram, and put of the blood upon the thumb of the hand of Aaron and his sons, and upon the great toe of their right foot (Exod. 29:20).

The priest shall take of the blood of the guilt-offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. Afterward the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil which is upon the palm of his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before Jehovah; and of the rest of the oil, which is upon the palm of his hand, the priest shall put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot (Lev. 14:14, 16, 17).

Thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger (Exod. 29:12; Lev. 4:6; 9:9).

[3] That all these things signified secrets of heaven and holy things, is evident from the fact that the Word is from the Divine, and is inspired as to every point in the original (Luke 16:17), thus also as to these details in Moses. That the thumb and the finger denote the power of good through truth, is here plain from the internal sense. Power is also signified by finger in David:--

Blessed be Jehovah who teacheth my hands to fight, and my fingers war (Ps. 144:1);

And in Isaiah:--

He shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and that which his fingers have made (Isa. 17:8);

altars denote worship in general (AC 4541); the work of the hands, and what the fingers have made denote such things as are from what is man's own, thus which are from his own power.

from AC 7430

Back to Words index, Back to Body words index

Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.