Spiritual Meaning of Street

Spiritual Meaning of

Street

That a street signifies truth, may be seen from many passages in the Word, as in John, where the New Jerusalem is treated of:--

The twelve gates were twelve pearls, every gate was one pearl; and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass (Rev. 21:21).

[2] The New Jerusalem is the Lord's kingdom, which, being described as to good and truth, is described by walls, gates, and streets. By the streets are meant all things of truth which lead to good, or all things of faith which lead to love and charity; and because truths then become of good, thus transparent from good, the street is said to be gold, as it were transparent glass. Again:--

In the midst of the street of it and of the river, on this side and on that, was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits (Rev. 22:2);

where also the New Jerusalem or the Lord's kingdom is treated of. The midst of the street denotes the truth of faith, by means of which' comes good, and which afterwards comes from good; the twelve fruits are what are called the fruits of faith; for twelve signifies all the things of faith (AC 577, 2089, 2129, 2130).

[3] In Daniel:--

Know and perceive that from the going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem, even unto Messiah the Leader, shall be seven weeks, and sixty and two weeks, and it shall be restored and built with street and moat (Daniel 9:25),

where the Lord's advent is treated of; it shall be restored with street and moat, denotes that there will then be what i true and good. That Jerusalem was not then restored and built is well known; and that it is not to be restored and built anew every one may also know provided he does not keep his ideas fixed on a worldly kingdom, but on the heavenly kingdom that is meant by Jerusalem" in the internal sense.

[4] In Luke:--

The master of the house said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind (Luke 14:21).

They who remain in the sense of the letter apprehend from this nothing else than that the servant should go everywhere, and that this is signified by the streets and lanes; and that he should bring in everybody, and that this is signified by the poor, maimed, lame, and blind. But each of these words contains deep secrets within it, for they are the Lord's words. That he should go into the streets and lanes, signifies that he should seek everywhere for some genuine truth, or truth which shines from good, or through which good shines. That he should bring in the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind, signifies such as were so called in the Ancient Church and were such as to the faith, but were in the life of good, who should thus be informed about the Lord's kingdom-thus the nations which were not yet instructed.

[5] As streets signified truths, it was a representative rite among the Jews to teach in the streets (Matt. 6:2, 5; Luke 13:26, 27). In the Prophets, streets, wherever named, signify in the internal sense either truths, or things contrary to truths, as in Isaiah:--

Judgment is cast away backward, and righteousness standeth afar off; for truth hath stumbled in the street, and uprightness cannot enter (Isaiah 59:14).

Again:--

Thy sons have fainted, and have lain at the head of all the streets (Isaiah 51:20).

In Jeremiah:--

Death is come up into our windows, it is entered into our palaces, to cut off the child from the street, the young men from the roads (Jeremiah 9:21).

[6] In Ezekiel:--

Nebuchadnezzar shall tread down all thy streets with the hoofs of his horses (Ezekiel 26:11),

speaking of Tyre, by which are signified the knowledges of truth (AC 1201), the hoofs of the horses denote the memory-knowledges that pervert truth. In Nahum:--

The chariots rave in the streets, they run to and fro in the roads (Nahum 2:4);

the chariots denote the doctrine of truth, which is said to rave in the streets, when falsity is in the place of truth. In Zechariah:--

There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls, playing in the streets (Zechariah 8:4, 5),

speaking of the affections of truth, and the consequent gladnesses and joys. Besides other places, as (Isa. 24:11; Jer. 5:1; 7:34; 49:26; Lam. 2:11, 19; 4:8, 14; Zeph. 3:6).

from AC 2336

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Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.