Spiritual Meaning of

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As cupidities and falsities are what vastate or lay waste man, that is, deprive him of all the life of the love of good, and of the affection of truth, vastation is described in many passages by "saltness." As in Jeremiah:--

In Ezekiel:--

In David:--

In Zephaniah:--

[4] In Moses:--

The whole land brimstone and salt, a burning, denotes vastated goods and truths; brimstone, the vastation of good; salt, the vastation of truth; for parching and saltness destroy the land and the products of the land just as cupidity destroys goods and as falsity destroys truths. As salt was significative of devastation, it was also customary to sow with salt the cities which were destroyed, that they might not be rebuilt (Judges 9:45). Salt is used also in the opposite sense, signifying that which gives fertility, and as it were relish.

As most things in the Word have a double sense, namely, the genuine sense and its opposite, so also has salt; in the genuine sense it signifies the affection of truth; in the opposite sense, the vastation of the affection of truth, that is, of good in truth. Salt signifies the affection of truth (Exod. 30:35; Lev. 2:13; Matt. 5:13; Mark 9:49, 50; Luke 14:34, 35); and it signifies the vastation of the affection of truth, which is evident from the following passages. In Moses:--

where brimstone denotes the vastation of good; and salt the vastation of truth: that the subject is vastation is evident from every particular.

[3] In Zephaniah:--

where a place that is left to the nettle denotes vastated good, and a pit of salt vastated truth; for the expression place left to the nettle refers to Sodom, by which is signified evil or vastated good, and a pit of salt to Gomorrah, by which is signified falsity or vastated truth, as already shown. That the subject is vastation is manifest, for it is said an eternal desolation. In Jeremiah:--

where parched places denote vastated goods, and a salt land vastated truths.

[4] In David:--

a fruitful land made into a salt one denotes the vastation of good in truth. In Ezekiel:--

to be given up to salt denotes being altogether vastated as to truth. As salt signified vastation, and cities the doctrinal things of truth (AC 402, 2268, 2428, 2451), in ancient times when cities were destroyed they were sown with salt, in order to prevent their being rebuilt (Judges 9:45). The words before us therefore denote the fourth state of that church which was represented by Lot, which state was that all truth was vastated as to good.

That salted signifies the longing of truth for good, is evident from the signification of salt, as being that longing for good which is of the love of truth; hence salted denotes that in which is this longing. The reason why there must be a longing of truth for good is that this longing is conjunctive of the two; for in so far as truth longs for good, so far it is conjoined with it. The conjunction of truth and good is what is called the heavenly marriage, which is heaven itself with man; and therefore when in Divine worship, and in each and all things of it, there is a longing for this conjunction, heaven is in each and all things there. Thus the Lord is in them. This is signified by the requirement that the incense should be salted. Salt has this signification from its conjunctive nature; for it conjoins all things, and from this gives them relish; salt even conjoins water and oil, which otherwise will not combine.

[2] When it is known that by salt is signified a longing for the conjunction of truth and good, it can be known what is signified by the Lord's words in Mark:--

everyone shall be salted with fire denotes that everyone will long from genuine love; every sacrifice shall be salted with salt denotes that there shall be in all worship a longing from genuine love; salt without saltness signifies a longing from some other love than genuine love; to have salt in themselves denotes the longing of truth for good. That fire denotes love, (AC 4906, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 10055); and that sacrifice denotes worship in general, (AC 922, 6905, 8680, 8936). Who can know what it is to be salted with fire, and why the sacrifice should be salted, and what it is to have salt in themselves, unless it is known what is meant by fire, salt, and by being salted?

[3] In like manner in Luke:--

to renounce all his possessions denotes to love the Lord above all things; his possessions denote the things which are man's own; salt that has lost its savor denotes a longing from what is one's own, thus from the love of self and the world: such a longing is salt without savor, not fit for anything. So also in Matthew:--

[4] That in all worship there must be a longing of truth for good is also signified by the law that every offering of the meat offering should be salted; and that upon every offering there should be the salt of the covenant of Jehovah (Lev. 2:13). By the meat-offering, and the offering, which is sacrifice, is signified worship, as above; and salt is there called the salt of the covenant of Jehovah, because by a covenant is signified conjunction (AC 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 6804, 8767, 8778, 9396, 9416). Moreover longing is the very ardor of love, thus its continuity; and love is spiritual conjunction.

[5] As the longing of truth for good conjoins, so the longing of falsity for evil disjoins, and that which disjoins also destroys; consequently by salt in the opposite sense is signified the destruction and devastation of truth and good, as in Jeremiah:--

to make flesh his arm denotes to trust in one's self, thus in what is one's own, and not in the Divine (AC 10283); and as one's own consists in loving self more than God and the neighbor, it is the love of self which is thus described: hence it said that he shall not see when good cometh, and that he shall dwell in parched places, and in a salt land, that is, in filthy loves and their longings, which have destroyed the good and truth of the church.

[6] In Zephaniah:--

a place left to the nettle denotes the ardor and burning of the life of man from the love of self; a pit of salt denotes a longing for what is false, which, as it destroys truth and good, is called a waste forever. It is said that it shall be as Gomorrah, because by Gomorrah and Sodom is signified the love of self (AC 2220).

[7] That Lot's wife was turned into a statue of salt, because she turned her face to these cities (Gen. 19:26), signified the vastation of truth and good; for in the internal sense to turn the face to anything denotes to love (AC 10189); hence it is that the Lord says:--

The whole land thereof shall be sulphur, and salt, and a burning, according to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah (Deut. 29:22); by land here, as elsewhere in the Word, is meant the church (AC 9325).

[8] From this then it was that the cities which were no longer to be inhabited were after their destruction sown with salt (Judges 9:45). From all this it is evident that by salt in the genuine sense is signified the longing of truth for good, thus what is conjunctive; and in the opposite sense, the longing of falsity for evil, thus what is destructive.

[9] He therefore who knows that salt denotes the longing of truth for good and their capability of conjunction, is able to know also what is signified by the waters of Jericho being healed by Elisha by casting in salt into their outlet (2 Kings 2:10-22); for by Elisha, as by Elijah, was represented the Lord in respect to the Word (AC 2762, 8029); and by waters are signified the truths of the Word; by the waters of Jericho the truths of the Word in the sense of the letter, and likewise by the outlet of the waters; and by salt is signified the longing of truth for good, and the conjunction of both; whence comes healing.

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