Spiritual Meaning of Forehead

Spiritual Meaning of

Forehead

That by the forehead is specifically signified the Divine love itself, is because the interiors have been allotted their provinces in the face; those which are of love being in the province of the forehead; those which are of wisdom and intelligence being in the province of the eyes; those which are of perception being in the province of the nostrils; and those which are of utterance being in the province of the mouth. From this it is evident why the forehead, when said of the Lord, who is represented by Aaron, signifies the Divine love.

[2] As the forehead with man corresponds to his love, therefore they who are in celestial love (that is, in love to the Lord from the Lord) are said to have a mark on their foreheads, by which is signified that they are under the Lord's protection, because they are in His love, as in the following passages:--

Jehovah said, Go through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that groan and sigh for all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof; and smite; let not your eye spare; but come not near against any man upon whom is the mark (Ezek. 9:4-6).

Behold the Lamb standing on the Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty and four thousand, having the name of His Father written on their foreheads (Rev. 14:1).

They shall see the faces of God and of the Lamb, and His name shall be on their foreheads (Rev. 22:4).

It was said that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, nor any tree; but only the men that have not the mark of God on their foreheads (Rev. 9:4).

[3] Having the mark, or seal, of God, and the name of God, on their foreheads, denotes to be in safety from the infestation of evils which are from hell, because they are in the Lord through love; the grass and the green thing, which were not to be hurt, denote the memory-truth through which is the truth of faith (AC 7571, 7691); the tree, which also was not to be hurt, denotes the perception of truth from good (AC 103, 2163, 2722, 2972, 4552, 7692).

[4] In Moses:--

Thou shalt love Jehovah thy God from all thine heart, and from all thy soul, and from all thy strengths. Thou shalt bind these words for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes (Deut. 6:5, 8);

to be for frontlets denotes for a sign of love to Jehovah God.; it is said between the eyes, because the eyes signify the intelligence and wisdom which are from this love, and wisdom from this love is to have God continually before the eyes. That this is the meaning is evident, because love to Jehovah God is treated of. It is said that they should love Him from all the heart, from all the soul, and from all the strengths, by which is signified with all that is in man. From the heart denotes from the will in which is the good of love (AC 7542, 9050, 9300, 9495); from the soul denotes from the understanding in which is the truth of faith, thus from faith (AC 9050), which two are of the internal man; from all the strengths denotes from the things that belong to the understanding and the will in the external man. The strengths and power of the love of both the external and the internal man are signified by the hands (AC 4931-4937, 7518); and therefore it is said that these words shall be bound for a sign upon the hand.

[5] As by virtue of its correspondence the forehead signifies heavenly love with the good; so with the evil it signifies infernal love, which is opposite to heavenly love. The forehead of the latter is called a brazen forehead in (Isaiah 48:4); and a hardened forehead in (Ezekiel 3:7, 8); and of those who are in infernal love it is said that they had the mark of the beast upon their foreheads (Rev. 13:16; 14:9; 20:4); and also the name of Babylon upon their foreheads (Rev. 17:5).

from AC 9936

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Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.