TCR 200 - meanings

TCR 200 [1-3]

At various places in the Word
there is talk of Egypt, Assyria, Edom,
Moab, the Children of Ammon, the Philistines,
Tyre and Sidon, and Gog.
Anyone who does not know that their names stand
for matters that relate to heaven and the church,
may be led into the erroneous belief
that the Word has much to say about peoples and nations,
and only a little about heaven and the church,
much, that is, on worldly subjects
and little on heavenly ones.
But when he knows what is meant
by these peoples or their names,
he can be rescued from his error
and brought back to the true belief.

It is similar when one sees in the Word
so many mentions of a garden,
a grove, a wood, or the trees in them,
such as the olive, the vine, the cedar, the poplar or the oak;
or so many mentions of
the lamb, the sheep, the goat, the calf or the ox;
or of mountains, hills, valleys
and the springs, rivers and waters in them,
or many other similar things.
Anyone who knows nothing
of the spiritual sense of the Word
cannot help thinking
that it is merely these things which are intended.
For he is unaware that garden, grove and wood
mean wisdom, intelligence and knowledge,
or that olive, vine, cedar, poplar and oak
mean the good and truth of the church
in their celestial, spiritual, rational, natural and sensual forms.
Nor does he know that lamb, sheep, goat, calf and ox
mean innocence, charity and natural affection;
or that mountains, hills and valleys
mean the highest, lower and lowest elements in the church.

Nor does he know that Egypt means factual knowledge,
Assyria the faculty of reason,
Edom the natural level,
Moab the adulteration of good,
the Children of Ammon the adulteration of truth,
the Philistines faith without charity,
Tyre and Sidon the knowledge of good and of truth,
Gog external worship without any internal.
In general, Jacob in the Word means the natural church,
Israel the spiritual church,
Judah the celestial church.

When one knows all these meanings,
it is possible to reflect
that the Word speaks only of heavenly matters,
and those worldly matters
are merely the underlying supports for the others.