Spiritual Meaning of Corn, New Wine

Spiritual Meaning of

Corn, New Wine

That new wine signifies the derivative natural truth, is evident from the signification of corn, as being good; and from the signification of new wine, as being truth; which when predicated of the natural signify natural good and truth, and then bread and wine are predicated of the rational. That bread is celestial good, see above, (AC 276, 680, 1798, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3478); and that wine is what is spiritual, thus truth from good, (AC 1071, 1798).

[2] That corn and new wine have this signification, may be seen also from the following passages in the Word. In Haggai:--

The heavens are closed from dew, and the earth is closed from her produce. And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine; and upon that which the ground bringeth forth (Haggai 1:10, 11);

where drought denotes a lack of dew and of rain, thus a lack of truth derived from any good; drought upon the corn is a lack of good and drought upon the new wine is a lack of truth. In Moses:--

Israel shall dwell securely, alone at the fountain of Jacob in a land of corn and new wine; yea, his heavens shall drop down dew (Deut. 33:28);

alone denotes those who are not infested by evils and falsities (AC 139, 471); a land of corn and new wine denotes the good and truth of the church.

[3] In Hosea:--

I will be as the dew unto Israel; he shall bud forth as the lily, and shall fix his roots as Lebanon; his branches shall go forth, and his honor shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon; they that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall vivify the corn, and blossom as the vine; his memory shall be as the wine of Lebanon (Hosea 14:5-7);

where corn denotes spiritual good and wine, spiritual truth. In Isaiah:--

The curse shall devour the earth. The new wine shall mourn, the vine shall languish, all the glad of heart shall sigh (Isa. 24:6, 7);

where the vastation of the spiritual church is treated of; the new wine mourning denotes that truth shall cease.

[4] In Jeremiah:--

Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob. And they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together unto the goodness of Jehovah, to the corn and to the new wine, and to the oil, and to the sons of the flock and of the herd (Jer. 31:11, 12);

the corn and new wine denote good and the derivative truth oil, the good from which they come, and which is from them; the sons of the flock and of the herd, the truth which thus comes therefrom; and as these things have such a signification, they are called the goodness of Jehovah."

[5] In Hosea:--

She did not know that I gave her the corn, and the new wine, and the oil, and multiplied unto her silver and gold which they made for Baal. Therefore will I return and take away My corn and My new wine in their appointed season, and I will pluck away My wool and My flax (Hosea 2:8, 9);

where the church perverted is treated of; and it is manifest that by corn is not meant corn; nor by new wine, new wine; neither by oil, silver, gold, wool, and flax, are such things meant, but those which are spiritual; that is, those of good and truth.

[6] In like manner where a new church is treated of, in the same Prophet:--

I will betroth thee unto Me in faithfulness and thou shalt know Jehovah. And it shall come to pass in that day that I will hearken to the heavens; and these shall hearken to the earth; and the earth shall hearken to the corn, and the new wine, and the oil; and these shall hearken to Jezreel (Hosea 2:20-22);

where Jezreel denotes a new church. In Joel:--

Awake ye drunkards and weep, and howl all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine, for it is cut off from your mouth. The field is wasted, the land mourneth for the corn is wasted, the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth (Joel 1:5, 10).

[7] Again:--

Rejoice ye sons of Zion, and be glad in Jehovah your God; for He hath given you the early rain for righteousness; and He will cause to come down for you the rain, the early rain and the latter rain in the first. And the floors shall be filled with pure corn, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil (Joel 2:23, 24).

Again in the same Prophet:--

And it shall come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drop down sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall go forth out of the house of Jehovah (Joel 3:18);

where the Lord's kingdom is treated of; and by sweet wine by milk, and by waters, are signified spiritual things whose abundance is thus described.

[8] In Zechariah:--

Jehovah their God shall save them in that day as the flock of His people. For how great is His goodness! and how great is His beauty! corn shall make the young men to flourish, and new wine the virgins (Zech. 9:16, 17).

In David:--

Thou dost visit the earth, and delightest in it; Thou greatly enrichest it; the stream of God is full of waters; Thou preparest them corn; the meadows are clothed with flocks;the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing (Ps. 65:9, 13).

From all this we can see what is signified by corn and new wine.

from AC 3580

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Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.