Spiritual Meaning of Sapphire, Jewel, Precious Stone

Spiritual Meaning of

Sapphire, Jewel, Precious Stone

That under the Lord's feet there appeared as it were a work of sapphire, and that this signifies the shining through of the Word in the sense of the letter, is because a stone in general signifies truth, and a precious stone truth shining through from the Divine of the Lord. That a stone in general signifies truth, (AC 643, 1298, 3720, 3769, 3771, 3773, 3789, 3798, 6426, 8609, 8940-8942); and that a precious stone signifies truth shining through from the Divine of the Lord. This was signified by the twelve precious stones in the breast plate of Aaron, which was called the Urim and Thummim (AC 3862, 6335, 6640).

[6] In like manner in Ezekiel:--

Full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty, thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the ruby, the topaz, the diamond, the tarshish, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the chrysoprase, the emerald, and gold. The work of thy timbrels and of thy pipes was in thee, in the day that thou wast created they were prepared. Thou wast perfect in thy ways in the day that thou wast created (Ezek. 28:12, 13, 15);

speaking of Tyre, by which is signified the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and of good (AC 1201); her intelligence and wisdom, such as it had been in her infancy, that is, in the first age, is described by these precious stones; the day that she was created signifies the first state when they were regenerated, for creation in the Word denotes regeneration, or the new creation of man (AC 16, 88).

[7] Like things are signified by the precious stones in John:--

The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every precious stone. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst (Rev. 21:19, 20);

the subject here treated of is the holy Jerusalem coming down out of heaven, by which is meant a new church among the nations, after the present church in our European world has been vastated; the precious stones which are the foundations denote truths Divine shining through in the ultimate of order.

[8] Truth Divine shining through in the ultimate of order, which is the Word in the letter, is especially signified by the sapphire, as in Isaiah:--

O thou afflicted, and tossed with tempests, and not comforted, behold I will set thy stones with antimony, and lay thy foundations in sapphires (Isa. 54:11);

here also the subject treated of is the church that will succeed the former, which is meant by the desolate having more sons than the married one (Isa. 54:1); setting stones denotes arranging the truths of the church; foundations in sapphires denotes truths shining through in ultimates.

[9] The same is signified by sapphire in Jeremiah:--

Her Nazirites were whiter than snow, they were whiter than milk, their bones were redder than pearls, their polish was sapphire (Lam. 4:7);

in the representative sense the Nazirites signified the Lord as to the Divine natural (AC 3301, 6437), consequently also the Divine truth that proceeds from Him in ultimates, which is the Word in the sense of the letter; for the hair, which is here meant by the Nazirites, and which is said to be whiter than snow and whiter than milk, signifies truth in ultimates n. 3301, 5247, 5570),whiteness being predicated of truth (AC 3301, 5319); the bones that are red denote memory-truths, which are the ultimate ones, and serve the others as servants (AC 6592, 8005); redness is predicated of the good of love which is in the truths (AC 3300). From this it is evident that a sapphire denotes truth in ultimates translucent from internal truths.

[10] In Ezekiel:--

Above the expanse that was over the head of the cherubs was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne as it were the appearance of a man sitting upon it (Ezek. 1:26; 10:1);

cherubs denote the guard and providence of the Lord lest there should be any approach to Him except through good (AC 9277); the throne upon which was the appearance of a man denotes Divine truth from the Divine good of the Lord (AC 5313, 6397, 9039). From this it is plain that a sapphire stone denotes truth translucent from internal truths--namely, a stone denotes truth, and a sapphire translucence.

[11] That all things of the Word are translucent from the Lord, is because the Divine truth which is from the Lord is the one only thing from which are all things; for that which is first is the one only thing in the sequents and derivatives, because they are and come forth from it; and Divine truth is the Lord. Wherefore also in the supreme sense of the Word nothing is treated of but the Lord alone, His love, His providence, His kingdom in the heavens and on earth, and especially the glorification of His Human.

[12] That Divine truth is the Lord Himself, is evident from the fact that whatever proceeds from anyone is himself, just as that which proceeds from a man while speaking or acting is from his will and understanding; and the will and understanding make the man's life, thus the man himself. For man is not man from the form of the face and the body; but from the understanding of truth, and the will of good. From this it can be seen that that which proceeds from the Lord is the Lord: that this is Divine truth, has been frequently shown in what goes before.

[13] But he who does not know the arcana of heaven may suppose that the case with the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord is no different from that of the speech which proceeds from a man. But Divine truth is not speech; but is the Divine filling the heavens, just as light and heat from the sun fill the world. This may be illustrated by the spheres that proceed from the angels in heaven (AC 1048, 1053, 1316, 1504-1520, 1695, 2401, 4464, 5179, 6206, 7454, 6598-6613, 8063, 8630, 8794, 8797), and which, as can be seen in the passages here cited, are spheres of the truth of faith and good of love from the Lord. But the Divine sphere which proceeds from the Lord and is called Divine Truth, is universal, and as just said fills the whole heaven and makes everything of life there. It appears there before the eyes as light which illumines not only the sight, but also the minds. It is also the same that makes the understanding in man. This is meant in John:--

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. That was the true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world; and the world was made through Him (John 1:4, 9, 10);

the subject here treated of is the Divine truth, which is called the Word; and it is said that the Divine truth, or the Word, is the Lord Himself.

[14] This light, which is the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord, was pictured by the ancients with radiant circles of a golden color around the head and body of God, represented as a man, for the ancients perceived God no otherwise than under the human form.

[15] When a man is in good, and from good in truths, he is then raised into this Divine light, and into its interior light according to the amount and quality of his good. From this he has a general enlightenment, in which from the Lord he sees innumerable truths, which he perceives from good; and then he is led by the Lord to perceive and be imbued with those truths which are suited to him; and this in respect to the veriest singulars in order, just as is conducive to his eternal life. It is said in respect to the veriest singulars, because the universal providence of the Lord is universal because it is in the veriest singulars, for singulars taken together are called universal (AC 1919, 6159, 6338, 6482, 6483, 8864, 8865).

from AC 9407

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Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.