Spiritual Meaning of Days

Spiritual Meaning of

Days

That days signify states in general, and years states in special, appears from the Word, as in Ezekiel:--

Thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years (Ezekiel 22:4),

speaking of those who commit abominations, and fill up the measure of their sins, of whose state in general are predicated days, and in special years. So in David:--

Thou shalt add days to the days of the king, and his years as of generation and generation (Ps. 61:6),

speaking of the Lord and of His kingdom, where also days and years signify the state of His kingdom. Again:--

I have considered the days of old, the years of the ages (Ps. 77:5),

where days of old signify states of the Most Ancient Church, and years of the ages, states of the Ancient Church. In Isaiah:--

The day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed is come (Isaiah 63:4),

speaking of the last times, where the day of vengeance signifies a state of damnation, and the year of the redeemed a state of blessedness. Again:--

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn (Isaiah 61:2),

where both days and years signify states. In Jeremiah:--

Renew our days as of old (Lam. 5:21),

where state is plainly meant.

[2] In Joel:--

The day of Jehovah cometh, for it is nigh at hand, a day of darkness and of thick darkness, a day of cloud and of obscurity; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be after it, even to the years of generation and generation (Joel 2:1, 2),

where day signifies a state of darkness and of thick darkness, of cloud and of obscurity, with each one in particular, and with all in general. In Zechariah:--

I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day; in that day shall ye cry a man to his companion under the vine, and under the fig-tree (Zechariah 3:9, 10).

And in another place:--

It shall be one day which is known to Jehovah, not day nor night, and it shall come to pass that at evening time it shall be light (Zechariah 14:7),

where it is plain that state is meant, for it is said that there shall be a day that is neither day nor night, at evening time it shall be light. The same appears from expressions in the Decalogue:--

Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may be well with thee upon the ground (Deut. 5:16 25:15),

where to have the days prolonged does not signify length of life, but a happy state.

[3] In the literal sense it must needs appear as if day signifies time, but in the internal sense it signifies state. The angels, who are in the internal sense, do not know what time is, for they have no sun and moon that distinguish times; consequently they do not know what days and years are, but only what states are and the changes thereof; and therefore before the angels, who are in the internal sense, everything relating to matter, space, and time disappears, as in the literal sense of this passage in Ezekiel:--

The day is near, even the day of Jehovah is near, a day of cloud; it shall be the time of the nations (Ezekiel 30:3),

and of this in Joel:--

Alas for the day for the day of Jehovah is at hand, and as vastation shall it come (Joel 1:15),

where a day of cloud signifies a cloud, or falsity; the day of the nations signifies the nations, or wickedness; the day of Jehovah signifies vastation. When the notion of time is removed, there remains the notion of the state of the things which existed at that time.

AC 488

Back to Words index, Back to Time words index

Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.