Spiritual Meaning of

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That wine denotes love toward the neighbor and the good of faith, may be seen from what has been shown in respect to the bread and wine in the Holy Supper (AC 2165, 2177, 3464, 4581, 5915), namely, that the bread is the good of celestial love, and that the wine is the good of spiritual love. This may be seen also from the meat-offering and the drink-offering in the sacrifices, in which the meat-offering signified the good of love, and the drink-offering the good of faith, the meat-offering consisting of such things as signified the good of love, and the drink-offering of wine which signified the good of faith; moreover the very sacrifices were called bread (AC 2165). That a drink-offering of wine was employed in the sacrifices may be seen in (Exod. 29:40; Lev. 23:12, 13, 18, 19; Num. 15:2-15; 28:6, 7, 18; 29:1-7).

[3] That wine signifies love toward the neighbor and the good of faith, is plain also from Isaiah:--

everyone must know that they were not to buy wine and milk, but that which is signified by wine and milk, that is, love toward the neighbor and faith; these are given by the Lord without silver and without price.

[4] And in Hosea:--

here also in the internal sense are meant the good of love and the good of faith, that they ceased; the good of love is the threshing-floor, from the grain there and the bread that comes from it; and the good of faith is the winepress, the new wine, and the libation of wine: that Ephraim shall return into Egypt denotes that the intellectual should consult memory-knowledges with respect to the secrets of faith; they shall eat what is unclean in Assyria denotes that which results from the consequent reasoning. Ephraim is the intellectual of the church, (AC 5354, 6222, 6238, 6267); also Egypt is memory-knowledge, (AC 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 5702); and Assyria reasoning, (AC 1186). Moreover the very connection shows that there is more in the words than appears in the letter; for in the internal sense there is coherence, but not in the external; as when it is said that the threshing-floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and that the new wine shall deceive them, and presently that Ephraim shall return into Egypt, and they shall eat what is unclean in Assyria; and moreover without the internal sense what could be meant by Ephraim returning into Egypt, and by their eating what is unclean in Assyria?

[5] The cessation of mutual love and of the good of faith is also described by a winepress and wine in Jeremiah:--

[6] That wine signifies the good of mutual love and of faith, is plain also in John:--

where oil is the good of celestial love; and wine, the good of spiritual love.

[7] The like is meant by oil and wine in the Lord's parable about the Samaritan, in Luke:--

where pouring in oil and wine signifies that he performed the works of love and of charity. Oil denotes the good of love, (AC 886, 3728). The like was meant by the ancients pouring oil and wine upon a pillar when they sanctified it (Gen. 35:14); (AC 4581, 4582).

[8] That wine denotes the good of love and of faith, is plain from the Lord's words which He said of wine when He instituted the Holy Supper:--

everyone can see that He would not drink wine there, but that there is signified the good of love and of faith, which He would give to those who are of His kingdom. The like is signified by wine in (Isa. 24:9, 11; Lam. 2:11, 12; Hos. 14:7; Amos 9:13, 14; Zech. 9:15, 17; Luke 5:37-39).

[9] As wine signifies the good of love and of faith, therefore in the supreme sense it signifies the Divine truth from the Divine good of the Lord, for from this by influx the man who receives it has the good of love and of faith.

[10] As most expressions in the Word have also a contrary sense, so also has wine, In which sense wine signifies falsity from evil, as in Isaiah:--

Again:

Again:--

And further in (Jer. 13:12; Hos. 4:11; 7:5; Amos 2:8; Micah 2:11; Ps. 75:8; Deut. 32:33). Falsity from evil is also signified by the cup of the wine of anger (Jer. 25:15, 16; Rev. 14:8, 10; 16:19); and by the winepress of the wine of the fury of the anger of God (Rev. 19:15); and by the wine of whoredom (Rev. 17:2; 18:3).

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