Spiritual Meaning of Tyre, Zidon

Spiritual Meaning of

Tyre, Zidon

That Zidon signifies exterior knowledges of spiritual things, is evident from the fact that it is called the firstborn of Canaan; for the firstborn of every church, in the internal sense, is faith (AC 352, 367). But here, where there is no faith, because no internal things, there are nothing but exterior knowledges of spiritual things which are in the place of faith; thus knowledges such as existed among the Jews, which are knowledges not only of the rites of external worship, but also of many things, such as doctrinals, which belong to that worship. That this is the signification of Zidon is also evident from the fact that Tyre and Zidon were extreme borders of Philistia, and were moreover by the sea; and therefore by Tyre interior knowledges are signified, and by Zidon exterior knowledges, that is, of spiritual things-which is also evident from the Word. In Jeremiah:--

On the day that cometh to lay waste all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Zidon every helper that remaineth; for Jehovah will lay waste the Philistines, the remnant of the isle of Caphtor (Jer. 47:4).

Here the Philistines denote the mere memory-knowledge of the knowledges of faith and charity; Tyre denotes the interior knowledges, and Zidon the exterior knowledges, of spiritual things.

[2] In Joel:--

What are ye to Me, O Tyre and Zidon, and all the borders of Philistia? Forasmuch as ye have taken My silver and gold, and have carried into your temples My desirable good things (Jer. 3:4, 5).

Here Tyre and Zidon evidently denote knowledges, and are called the borders of Philistia; silver and gold, and desirable good things, are knowledges. In Ezekiel:--

The princes of the north, all of them, and every Zidonian who has gone down with the slain into the pit. When he has been made to lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with them that are slain with the sword; Pharaoh and all his crowd (Ezekiel 32:30, 32).

The Zidonians here denote exterior knowledges, which without internal things are nothing but memory-knowledges and therefore they are named in connection with Pharaoh, or Egypt, by whom memory-knowledges are signified. In Zechariah:--

Hamath also shall be bordered thereon; Tyre and Zidon, because she was very wise (Zechariah 9:2).

The subject here is Damascus; Tyre and Zidon denote knowledges.

[3] In Ezekiel:--

The inhabitants of Zidon and of Arvad were thy rowers; thy wise men, O Tyre, were in thee, they were thy pilots (Ezekiel 27:8).

Here Tyre denotes interior knowledges; wherefore her wise men are called pilots; and Zidon denotes exterior knowledges, and therefore her inhabitants are called rowers; for such is the relation of interior knowledges to exterior. In Isaiah:--

Let the inhabitants of the isle be silent, the merchant of Zidon, that passes over the sea, they have replenished thee. And in great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river was her revenue, and she was the mart of nations. Be ashamed, O Zidon for the sea hath spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, nor brought forth, nor have I brought up young men, nor caused virgins to grow up (Isaiah 23:2-4)

Zidon here denotes exterior knowledges, which, because there is nothing internal in them, are called the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river her revenue, the mart of the nations, and also the sea, and the stronghold of the sea; and it is said that she doth not travail and bring forth-which could not be comprehended in the literal sense, but is all perfectly clear in the internal sense; as is the case with other passages in the Prophets. Because Zidon signifies exterior knowledges, it is said to be a circuit about Israel, that is, around the spiritual church (Ezek. 28:24, 26); for exterior knowledges are like a circuit round about.

from AC 1201

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Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.