Spiritual Meaning of Lamp, Lampstand

Spiritual Meaning of

Lamp, Lampstand

The signification of the lampstand, is the Divine spiritual in heaven and in the church from the Lord. That by the lampstand is signified the Divine spiritual, is because by the table on which were the breads of faces is signified the Divine celestial, as was shown in what goes before. The Divine celestial is the good of love, and the Divine spiritual is the truth of faith thence derived; both proceeding from the Lord. That the lampstand denotes the Divine spiritual is from its illumination, for the Divine truth which proceeds from the Divine good of the Lord is what gives light in heaven, nor have the angels light from any other source. Hence it is that in the Word the Lord is called the Light, and by light is signified faith, also the intelligence of truth and the wisdom of good, which are from the Lord alone (AC 1053, 1521-1533, 1619-1632, 2776, 3094, 3138, 3167, 3190, 3195, 3222, 3223, 3337, 3339, 3341, 3636, 3643, 3862, 3993, 4060, 4180, 4302, 4408, 4414, 4415, 4419, 4527, 4598, 5400, 6032, 6313, 6315, 6608, 6907, 7174, 8644, 8707, 8861, 9399, 9407).

[2] That the lampstand denotes the spiritual heaven from the Divine truth which is from the Lord, thus also the church; and that a lamp denotes faith, also the intelligence of truth and the wisdom of good, which are from the Lord alone; is evident from passages in the Word where a lampstand, and a lamp, are mentioned; as in John:--

I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lamb stands one like unto the Son of man. The seven lampstands are the seven churches (Rev. 1:12, 13, 20).

I will remove thy lampstand out of its place, except thou repent (Rev. 2:5).

The church is here called a lampstand from the Divine truth which is there from the Lord; for it is said, the seven lampstands are the seven churches; that the church is from the Divine truth is plain from its being said, I will remove thy lampstand except thou repent; that it is from the Lord is also plain, for it is said, in the midst of the lampstands was one like unto the Son of man. That the Lord is called the Son of man from Divine truth, (AC 2803, 2813, 3704).

[3] In the same:--

I will give unto My two witnesses that they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days. These are the two olive-trees and the two lampstands that stand before the God of the earth (Rev. 11:3, 4);

the two witnesses denote the Word of both Testaments in respect to its witnessing concerning the Lord; it is called an olive-tree from the Divine good, and a lampstand from the Divine truth, which are from the Lord.

[4] In Zechariah:--

The angel said unto the prophet, What seest thou? to whom I said, I see, and behold a lampstand all of gold, with its flask upon the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon, and seven funnels to the lamps. Two olive-trees near it, one on the right side of the flask, and one on the left side thereof (Zech. 4:2, 3);

this is said of Zerubbabel, who was about to lay the foundation of the house of God and to complete it, by whom is represented the Lord in that He would come and restore the spiritual heaven and church, which are the lampstand, and the holy truths therein which are the seven lamps.

[5] That a lamp denotes faith, also the intelligence of truth and wisdom of good, which are from the Lord alone, is evident in these passages:--

The holy Jerusalem hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; the glory of God shall lighten it, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof. The nations which are saved shall walk in His light (Rev. 21:23, 24).

There shall be no night there; and they need no lamp, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light (Rev. 22:5).

In the former passage the lamp denotes the Divine truth which is from the Lord; and the light, faith, thus also intelligence and wisdom. Again:--

The light of a lamp shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee (Rev. 18:23).

[6] And in Jeremiah:--

I will take away the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of the millstones, and the light of the lamp; that the whole land shall be a desolation and a devastation (Jer. 25:10, 11);

speaking of the extinction of faith and thereby of intelligence in spiritual things, which is meant by the lamp which shall no longer be, and by the light of the lamp which shall be taken away.

[7] In like manner in the following passages:--

How oft is the lamp of the wicked put out, and destruction cometh upon them (Job 21:17).

Thou lightest my lamp; Jehovah my God maketh my darkness to shine (Ps. 18:28; 2 Sam. 22:29).

From Thy commands I am become intelligent, Thy Word is a lamp to my foot, and a light to my path (Ps. 119:104, 106).

When God maketh His lamp to shine upon my head, by His light I walked in darkness (Job 29:3).

The lamp of the body is the eye; if thine eye be upright, thy whole body is full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be darkened. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is the darkness (Matt. 6:22, 23; Luke 8:16; 11:33-36);

by the eye is here meant faith and the intelligence from it. That these things are meant in the internal sense by the eye, (AC 4403-4421, 4523-4534, 9051). From this it is plain what is signified by the whole body being full of light if the eye be upright, and by the whole body being darkened if the eye be evil. As faith and the derivative intelligence and wisdom are signified by a lamp, therefore the kings of Judah are called lamps for David (1 Kings 11:36; 15:4; 2 Kings 8:19); and David is called the lamp of Israel (2 Sam. 21:16, 17); not that the kings of Judah, nor David, were lamps, but that by a kind is signified the Divine truth which is from the Lord (AC 6148); and by David, the Lord as to Divine truth, from which are faith, intelligence, and wisdom (AC 1888).

from AC 9548

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Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.