Spiritual Meaning of Sons, Daughters

Spiritual Meaning of

Sons, Daughters

That by sons and daughters are signified the truths and goods which they had a perception of, and indeed by sons truths, and by daughters goods, is evident from many passages in the Prophets; for in the Word, as also in olden time, the conceptions and births of the church are called sons and daughters, as in Isaiah:--

The Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising; lift up thine eyes round about and see; all they gather themselves together and come to thee; thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side; then thou shalt see and flow together, and thy heart shall be amazed, and shall be enlarged (Isaiah 60:3, 4, 5),

in which passage sons signify truths, and of daughters goods.

[2] In David:--

Deliver me and rescue me from the hand of the sons of the stranger, whose mouth speaketh vanity; that our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth, that our daughters may be as corner-stones hewn in the form of a temple (Ps. 44:11, 12),

where the sons of the stranger signify spurious truths, or falsities; our sons signify doctrinals of truth; our daughters, doctrinals of good.

[3] In Isaiah:--

I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Keep not back; bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the ends of the earth; bring forth the blind people, and they shall have eyes; the deaf, and they shall have ears (Isaiah 43:6, 8),

in which passage sons signify truths; daughters, goods; the blind, those who would see truths; and the deaf, those who would obey them.

[4] In Jeremiah:--

Shame hath devoured the labor of our fathers from our youth; their flocks, their herds, their sons, and their daughters (Jeremiah 3:24),

where sons and daughters signify truths and goods. That children and sons signify truths, is plain from Isaiah:--

Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale; for when he shall see his children the work of My hands in the midst of him, they shall sanctify My name, and shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel; they also that erred in spirit shall know understanding (Isaiah 29:22, 23, 24),

where the Holy One of Jacob, the God of Israel, signifies the Lord; children signify the regenerate, who have the understanding of good and truth, as is indeed explained.

[5] Again:--

Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear, for more are the sons of the desolate than the sons of the married wife (Isaiah 54:1),

where the sons of the desolate signify the truths of the primitive Church, or that of the Gentiles; the sons of the married wife, the truths of the Jewish Church.

[6] In, Jeremiah:--

My tent is laid waste and all My cords are plucked out; My sons are gone forth of Me, and are not (Jeremiah 10:20),

where sons signify truths. Again:--

His sons shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before Me (Jeremiah 30:20),

where sons signify the truths of the Ancient Church. In Zechariah:--

I will stir up thy sons, O Zion, with thy sons, O Javan, and make thee as the sword of a mighty man (Zechariah 9:13),

signifying the truths of the faith of love.

from AC 490. In the Word daughters frequently denote goods; as in David:--

Kings' daughters were among thy precious ones; at thy right hand doth stand the queen in the best gold of Ophir; the daughter of Tyre with a gift; the king's daughter is all glorious within of eyelet work of gold is her raiment; instead of thy fathers shall be thy sons (Ps. 45:10-17),

where the good and beauty of love and faith are described by the daughter. Hence churches are called daughters by virtue of goods, as the daughter of Zion and the daughter of Jerusalem (Isa. 37:22); they are also called daughters of My people (Isa. 22:4), the daughter of Tarshish (Isa. 23:10), the daughter of Sidon (Isaiah 23:12), and daughters in the field (Ezek. 26:6, 8).

from AC 490

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Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.