Spiritual Meaning of

Back to Words index

Back to Religious words index

from AC 8901. Verse 13. Thou shalt not kill, signifies not to take away spiritual life from anyone, also not to extinguish faith and charity, as also not to hold the neighbor in hatred.

from AC 8902. Thou shalt not kill. That this signifies not to take away spiritual life from anyone, also not to extinguish faith and charity, as also not to hold the neighbor in hatred, is evident from the signification of killing, as being to deprive of spiritual life. That killing means this in the internal sense, is because in this sense spiritual life, or the life of heaven with man, is treated of; and spiritual life, or the life of heaven with man, is the life of faith and of charity; therefore by not to kill is signified also not to extinguish faith and charity in anyone. The reason why not to kill is also in the internal sense not to hold the neighbor in hatred, is that he who holds in hatred continually wishes to kill, and also would kill in act unless prevented by the fear of the penalty, of the loss of life, of reputation, and the like. For hatred is of evil, is contrary to charity, and breathes nothing but the murder of him whom it hates: in the world the murder of his body; in the other life the murder of his soul. This is meant by the words of the Lord in Matthew:--

hatred against the neighbor is meant by being angry with the brother rashly, and the degrees of its increase are described by saying to him Raca, and by calling him a fool. Anger is a turning away from charity, and is from evil, thus it is hatred, (AC 357, 4164, 5034, 5798, 5887, 5888).

[2] That in the internal sense to kill denotes to take away spiritual life from anyone, consequently to extinguish faith and charity, is evident from almost all the passages in the Word where a killing, or to kill, is mentioned, as in Isaiah:--

the subject treated of in this passage is the last time of the church, when there is no longer any faith and charity, which time is the day of Jehovah cruel, full of indignation, of wrath, and of anger. Everyone can see that something else is here meant than that which the words nakedly declare; but what is meant cannot be known except from the significations of the words in their spiritual sense. In this sense the land denotes the church (AC 566, 662, 1067, 1262, 1413, 1607, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577, 8011, 8732); therefore to make the land a waste, and to destroy the sinners out of it signifies that the man of the church is then without faith and charity.

[3] Stars and constellations denote the knowledges of truth and good (AC 2120, 2495, 2849, 4697), and these are said not to shine with their light, when they are no longer illuminated by the light of heaven which flows in through the faith of charity. That the sun denotes love to the Lord, and the moon faith in Him, see (AC 2120, 2441, 2494, 3636, 3643, 4060, 4321, 4696, 5097, 5377, 7078, 7083, 7171, 7173, 8644, 8812); therefore the sun being darkened in his rising, signifies that love to the Lord cannot arise with man; and the moon not causing her light to shine, signifies that neither can charity and faith arise, thus that man cannot any longer be regenerated.

[4] To make a man more rare than pure gold, and the son of man than the gold of Ophir, signifies that good is no longer seen, nor truth; for by man is signified the good of the church (AC 4287, 8547), and by the son of man truth from good, in the supreme sense the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (AC 1729, 1733, 2813, 3704). That everyone found shall be thrust through signifies that all will perish by reason of the evil of falsity; and that everyone that is gathered shall fall by the sword signifies that they will perish by reason of falsity. To be thrust through denotes to perish by reason of the evil of falsity, (AC 4503); To fall by the sword denotes to perish by reason of falsity, (AC 2799, 4499, 7102, 8294).

[5] The infants being dashed in pieces signifies that they will utterly extinguish innocence, for infants denote innocence (AC 430, 2126, 3183, 3494, 5608). The wives being ravished signifies that the goods of truth will be perverted by the evils of falsity, for wives denote the goods of truth (AC 2517, 4510, 4823, 7022), and to be ravished denotes to be perverted (AC 2466, 4865). That their bows shall dash the young men in pieces signifies that the truths of good will perish through the doctrines of falsity from evil; for a bow denotes the doctrine of truth, and in the opposite sense the doctrine of falsity (AC 2686, 6422, 8800); young men denote truths confirmed (AC 7668). And their eye shall not spare sons signifies that he who understands truths will nevertheless extinguish them, for sons denote truths (AC 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2803, 2813, 3373, 4257, 5542); and the eye denotes the understanding of truth (AC 2701, 4403, 4421, 4523, 4534). From all this it is now clear what is meant by the above prophetic words, namely, that when the church arrives at its end, all truth and all good will perish. It is also evident from what has been said, that to be thrust through, to be dashed in pieces, in a word to be killed, denotes the extinction of faith and charity.

[6] In Jeremiah:--

the day of killing here denotes the time of the vastated church, which is its last time, when there is no longer faith because there is no charity; the land shall mourn denotes the church; the herb of every field shall wither denotes that every truth of the church will do so; the beasts and the bird shall be consumed denotes that goods and truths will be so. The land denotes the church, (AC 8902). The herb of the field denotes the truth of the church, (AC 7571); The field denotes the church, (AC 2971, 3310, 3766). Beasts denote goods and the affections of good, (AC 45, 46, 142, 143, 246, 714, 715, 719, 1823, 2179, 2180, 3218, 3519, 5198). Birds denote truths and the affections of truth, (AC 5149, 7441). From all this it can be seen what is the internal sense of these words, and also that what is spiritual and holy of the church and of heaven is in all the particulars; and that without the internal sense it would not in any wise he understood what is meant by the day of killing, by that the earth shall mourn, that every herb of the field shall wither, and that the beasts and the bird shall then be consumed.

[7] In Zechariah:--

where "the sheep of the killing' denote those who are in simple good, in whom the truths of faith are extinguished, not by their own fault, but by the fault of those who teach.

[8] In Isaiah:--

Here also in the internal sense the subject treated of is the last time of the church, when a new church shall be resuscitated, the old perishing. Jacob denotes those who are in the external of the church; Israel those who are in the internal; the faces of the world denote the church in general; the land denotes the old church; the killed those in whom there is no faith because no charity.

[9] In the same:--

the killed denote those who have been deprived of spiritual life; thou hast killed thy people denotes the destruction of the truths and goods of faith. Babel is here treated of, by which is signified the profanation of good (AC 1182, 1283, 1295, 1306-1308, 1321, 1322, 1326), and also its vastation (AC 1327).

[10] In Jeremiah:--

the daughter of Zion denotes the celestial church; killers, those who destroy goods and truths; a man who doeth judgment, denotes those who are in truths from good.

[11] In Ezekiel:--

to kill souls here plainly denotes to take away spiritual life. As killing had also this signification, therefore it was one of the curses upon Mount Ebal, to slay one's companion in secret, and to take a gift to kill the soul innocent of blood (Deut. 27:24, 25).

[12] Again:--

In these passages also by killing is signified to deprive of spiritual life, that is, of faith and charity; for by the disciples are signified all things of the truth and good of faith and charity (AC 3488, 3858, 6397). That the disciples to whom the Lord spake are not here meant, is evident from the fact that the subject treated of is the consummation of the age, when the Lord is to come in the clouds of heaven, concerning which the disciples had asked, and by which is meant the last time of the church, when the disciples would not be alive (AC 3488).

[13] In like manner in Mark:--

here also the last times are treated of, and by killing here also is signified to deprive of the truths and goods which are of faith and charity, thus of spiritual life.

[14] In Luke:--

prophets and apostles denote in the spiritual sense the truths and goods of the church; to kill denotes to extinguish them; the blood of Abel denotes the extinction of charity. Prophets denote the truths of doctrine from the Word, (AC 2534, 7269); and the blood of Abel denotes the extinction of charity, (AC 374).

[15] In like manner in John:--

where also the blood of saints and of prophets denotes the extinction of the good and truth of faith and charity, and the killed denote those who have perished as to spiritual life. Blood denotes violence done to charity, as well as all evil in general, (AC 374, 1005); as also, specifically, the profanation of truth, (AC 4735, 6978, 7317, 7326).

[16] As by one killed, or thrust through, is signified the extinction of good and truth, and as all things which were instituted in the Jewish Church were representative of the spiritual and celestial things in the Lord's kingdom, and in the supreme sense, of the Divine things in the Lord, therefore when one was found lying in the field thrust through, the following procedure of expiation for the people was commanded, namely:--

Who would ever know why such a procedure was instituted on account of one lying in the field thrust through, unless it were known from the internal sense what is signified by one in a field thrust through, by the nearest city, by a calf, by a rapid stream, by the washing of hands, and by the other things there mentioned? By one in the field thrust through is signified truth and good extinguished (AC 4503); by field, the church (AC 2971, 3310, 3766); by city, the doctrine of truth (AC 402, 2449, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493); by the elders of the city, truths agreeing with good (AC 6524, 6525, 8578, 8585); by a calf upon which there had not yet been a yoke, truth not as yet confirmed (what a calf signifies, see (AC 1824, 1825); by washing the hands over the calf at a rapid stream is signified purification from that evil, because done from the immoderate zeal of one ignorant of what truth is.

[17] From the above, as from the other passages, it can be seen what and how great arcana are contained in the particulars of the Word, which will not appear even as arcana if it is believed that the sense of the letter is the whole of the Word; and thus it will not be believed that anything more holy and heavenly lies inwardly hidden therein; when yet the sense of the letter is for man in the world, that is, for the natural man; while the internal sense is for man in heaven, that is, for the spiritual man. Hence it is plain what is involved in the commandment not to kill, namely, that not only is man not to be killed as to the body, but also that he is not to be killed as to the soul; thus that he is not only not to be deprived of life in the world, but especially that he is not to be deprived of life in heaven. If this commandment had not involved within it at the same time this meaning, it would not have been pronounced by Jehovah Himself, that is, the Lord, in a living voice upon Mount Sinai with so great a miracle; for all peoples and nations know without immediate revelation, and moreover their laws decree, that man is not to be killed, as also that adultery, theft, and false witness are not to be committed. Neither is it to be believed that the Israelitish nation was so stupid as alone to be ignorant of what all other nations on the globe know. But the revealed Word, being from the Divine Itself, over and above this stores up in its bosom higher and more universal things, namely, such things as are of heaven, thus which not only concern the life of the body, but which also concern the life of the soul, or eternal life. Herein the Word differs from, is separated from, and is pre-eminent over, all other writing.

Back to Words index, Back to Religious words index