Spiritual Meaning of
Spiritual Meaning of |
|
Back to Words index | Back to Body words index |
That nakedness signifies to be without truths, may be seen from other passages in the Word, as in the Revelation:--
To the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, Because thou sayest I am rich, and have been enriched, so that I have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and needy and blind and naked (Rev. 3:17);
where naked denotes penury of truth. In the same
I counsel thee to buy of Me gold purified in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white garments, that thou mayest be clothed, and the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest (Rev. 3:18);
to buy gold denotes to procure and appropriate good to one's self; that thou mayest be rich, denotes being in celestial and spiritual good; white garments denote spiritual truths; the shame of thy nakedness denotes being without goods and truths. To buy is to procure and to appropriate to one's self, (AC 5374); also gold is celestial and spiritual good, (AC 1551, 1552); garments are truths, (AC 1073, 2576, 4545, 4763, 5248, 5319); and white is predicated of truth, because from the light of heaven, (AC 3301, 3993, 4007, 5319),
[4] Again:--
Behold I come as a thief, blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked (Rev. 16:15);
he that keepeth his garments denotes him that keepeth truths; lest he walk naked, denotes being without truths. In Matthew:--
The King shall say unto them on His right hand, I was naked, and ye clothed Me; and to them on His left, I was naked, and ye clothed Me not (Matthew 25:36, 43);
where naked denotes the good who acknowledge that there is nothing of good and truth in themselves (AC 4958).
[5] In Isaiah:--
Is not this the fast, to break thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the afflicted that are cast out into thy house? when thou seest the naked that thou cover him? (Isa. 58:7);
where the meaning is similar. In Jeremiah:--
Jerusalem hath sinned a sin; therefore she hath become a menstrous woman; all that honored her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness (Lam. 1:8);
where nakedness denotes without truths. In Ezekiel:--
Thou hast come into comelinesses of comelinesses, the paps have been made firm, and thy hair was grown, yet thou wast naked and bare. I spread My skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness. Thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare (Ezek. 16:7, 8, 22);
[6] this is said of Jerusalem, by which is meant the Ancient Church, as it was when set up, and as it afterward became, namely, that at first it was without truths, but afterward was instructed in them, and at last rejected them. Again:--
If a just man who hath done judgment and justice give his bread to the hungry, and cover the naked with a garment (Ezek. 18:5, 7);
where to cover the naked with a garment denotes to instruct in truths those who desire them. In Hosea:--
Lest I strip her naked, and show her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a land of drought, and slay her with thirst (Hosea 2:3);
where stripping naked denotes to deprive of truths. In Nahum:--
I will show the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame (Nahum 3:5);
where showing the nations the nakedness denotes to show the ugliness; for all ugliness is from want of truths, and all beauty is from truths (AC 4985, 5199).
from AC 5433
Back to Words index, Back to Body words index
| Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772). | Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002. | www.BibleMeanings.info |