You have heard that it has been said,
An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth;
but I tell you,
Do not resist an evil person.
If someone strikes you on the right cheek,
turn to him the other also.
And if someone wants to sue you
and take your tunic,
let him have your cloak as well.
If someone forces you to go one mile,
go with him two miles.
Give to the one who asks you,
and do not turn away from the one
who wants to borrow from you.
(Matthew 5:38-42)
___________
AE 556 [8-9]
That these words
are not to be understood according to the letter
is evident to everyone;
for who is bound by Christian love
to turn the left cheek to him who smites the right,
or to give the cloak (tunic) to him
who would take away the coat?
In a word,
who is there to whom it is not allowable to resist evil?
But as all things that the Lord said
were in themselves Divine-celestial,
it can be seen that these words,
as well as the others which the Lord spoke,
contain a heavenly sense.
The sons of Israel had this law that they should give
"an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth"
(Exod. 21:23, 24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21),
because they were external men,
and thus were only
in the representatives of heavenly things,
and not in heavenly things themselves,
so not in charity, in mercy, in patience,
nor in any spiritual good;
consequently they were under the law of retaliation;
for the heavenly law
and from that the Christian law
is that which the Lord taught in the Gospels:
All things whatsoever you would
that men should do to you,
do you even so to them;
this is the Law and the Prophets
(Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31).
Because this is the law in heaven,
and from heaven in the church,
therefore every evil carries with it
a corresponding punishment,
which is called the punishment of evil,
and is in the evil as if joined with it;
and from this springs the punishment of retaliation
which was prescribed for the sons of Israel,
because they were external and not internal men.
Internal men, as the angels of heaven are,
do not wish the retaliation of evil for evil,
but from heavenly charity they forgive freely;
for they know that the Lord
protects from the evil
all who are in good,
and that He protects according to the good with them,
and that He would not protect
if on account of the evil done to them
they should burn with enmity, hatred, and revenge,
for these drive away protection.
These things, therefore, are involved
in what the Lord here said . . .
"An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,"
signifies that so far as anyone
takes away from another
the understanding of truth and the sense of truth,
so far are they taken away from him,
the "eye" signifying the understanding of truth,
and "tooth" the sense of truth,
for a "tooth" means truth or falsity
such as the sensual man has.
That one who is in Christian good
will permit an evil person to take these away
as far as he can,
is described by what the Lord says in reply
on the same subject.
"Resist not him that is in evil"
signifies that there should be
no fighting back of retaliation;
for angels do not fight with the evil,
much less do they return evil for evil,
but they allow it to be done,
since they are protected by the Lord,
and therefore no evil from hell can do them harm.
"Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek
turn to him the other also"
signifies if anyone wishes to do harm
to the perception and understanding of interior truth,
it may be allowed to the extent of the effort;
"the cheek" signifies the perception
and understanding of interior truth,
the "right cheek" affection for it
and consequent perception of it,
and the "left cheek" understanding of it,
and as the "cheek" is mentioned,
so is "smiting," which means doing harm to;
for all things pertaining to the mouth, as the throat,
the mouth itself, the lips, the cheeks, the teeth,
signify such things as belong to
the perception and understanding of truth,
because they correspond to them,
therefore by these objects
in the sense of the letter of the Word,
which consists of pure correspondences,
these things are expressed;
"if any man wishes to sue you at the law
and to take away your coat,
let him have your cloak also,"
signifies if anyone wishes
to take away truth interiorly with you,
it may be allowed him to take away also exterior truth,
"coat" signifying interior truth,
and "cloak" exterior truth.
This also is what angels do when they are with the evil,
for the evil can take away nothing
of good and truth from angels,
but they can from those
who on that account
burn with enmity, hatred, and revenge,
for these evils avert and repel protection by the Lord;
"whosoever shall compel you to go one mile,
go with him two,"
signifies whoever wishes
to lead away from truth to falsity
and from good to evil,
since he cannot do it,
may be left unopposed,
a "mile" having a similar signification as a "way,"
namely, that which leads away or leads;
"give to everyone that asks you"
signifies that it is to be permitted;
"and from him that wishes to borrow of you
turn you not away"
signifies that if anyone wishes to be instructed
he may be instructed,
for the evil desire this
that they may pervert and take away,
and yet they cannot.
This is the spiritual sense of these words,
in which are stored up the hidden things
that have now been said,
which are especially for the angels;
who perceive the Word only according to its spiritual sense;
they are also for men in the world who are in good,
when the evil are trying to lead them astray.
AC 8823 [2-3]
But the case with this law in the other life
is further as follows.
When the like, or retaliation, is evil,
it is inflicted by the evil,
and never by the good;
that is, it comes from the hells,
and never from the heavens.
For the hells, or the evil who are there,
are in the continual cupidity of doing evil to others,
for this is the very delight of their life;
and therefore as soon as it is permitted,
they do evil,
caring not to whom,
whether he is evil or good,
whether he is a companion or an enemy;
and as it is from a law of order
that evil returns upon those who intend evil,
consequently, when it is permitted by the law,
they rush on them.
This is done by the evil who are in the hells,
never by the good who are in the heavens,
for these latter are in the continual desire
of doing good to others,
because this is the delight of their life;
and therefore as soon as there is an opportunity,
they do good both to foes and to friends;
indeed, they do not resist evil,
for the laws of order defend and protect
what is good and true.
So it is that the Lord says,
"You have heard that it has been said,
An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth;
but I say to you that evil must not be resisted.
You have heard that it has been said,
Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy;
but I say to you,
Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you,
impart benefits to them that hate you;
that you may be sons of your Father in the heavens."
(Matt. 5:38, 39, 43-45)
It frequently happens in the other life
that when evil spirits wish to inflict evil on the good,
they are grievously punished,
and that the evil which they intend to others
returns upon themselves.
At the time this appears
as if it were revenge from the good;
but it is not revenge,
neither is it from the good, but from the evil,
to whom an opportunity is then given
from the law of order.
Indeed, the good do not wish evil to them,
but still they cannot take away the evil of punishment,
because they are then kept in the intention of good --
just like a judge
when he sees a malefactor being punished,
or like a father
when he sees his son punished by his master.
The evil who punish do it from the cupidity of doing evil;
but the good from the affection of doing good.
From all this it can be seen
what is meant by the Lord's words
concerning love for an enemy,
in Matthew, as above;
and concerning the law of retaliation,
which was not abrogated by the Lord, but explained;
namely, that they who are in heavenly love
ought not to have delight in retaliation or revenge,
but in imparting benefits;
and that the very law of order,
which protects what is good,
performs it from itself,
through the evil ones.
AC 9049 [5]
Who cannot see that these words
are not to be understood
according to the sense of the letter?
For who will turn the left cheek
to him who deals a blow on the right cheek?
And who will give his cloak to him
who would take away his coat?
And who will give his property to all who ask?
And who will not resist evil?
But no one can understand these words
who does not know what is signified by
"the right cheek" and "the left cheek,"
what by "a coat" and "a cloak,"
also what by "a mile,"
and likewise by "borrowing," and so on.
The subject there treated of is spiritual life,
or the life of faith;
not natural life, which is the life of the world.
The Lord there opens,
and also in this chapter, and the following,
the interior things that belong to heaven,
but by means of such things as are in the world.
The reason why He did so by such things,
was that not worldly men,
but only heavenly men,
should understand.
The reason why worldly men were not to understand,
was lest they should profane
the interior things of the Word,
for by so doing
they would cast themselves
into the most frightful hell of all,
which is the hell of the profaners of the Word.
but I tell you,
Do not resist an evil person.
If someone strikes you on the right cheek,
turn to him the other also.
And if someone wants to sue you
and take your tunic,
let him have your cloak as well.
If someone forces you to go one mile,
go with him two miles.
Give to the one who asks you,
and do not turn away from the one
who wants to borrow from you.
(Matthew 5:38-42)
___________
AE 556 [8-9]
That these words
are not to be understood according to the letter
is evident to everyone;
for who is bound by Christian love
to turn the left cheek to him who smites the right,
or to give the cloak (tunic) to him
who would take away the coat?
In a word,
who is there to whom it is not allowable to resist evil?
But as all things that the Lord said
were in themselves Divine-celestial,
it can be seen that these words,
as well as the others which the Lord spoke,
contain a heavenly sense.
The sons of Israel had this law that they should give
"an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth"
(Exod. 21:23, 24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21),
because they were external men,
and thus were only
in the representatives of heavenly things,
and not in heavenly things themselves,
so not in charity, in mercy, in patience,
nor in any spiritual good;
consequently they were under the law of retaliation;
for the heavenly law
and from that the Christian law
is that which the Lord taught in the Gospels:
All things whatsoever you would
that men should do to you,
do you even so to them;
this is the Law and the Prophets
(Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31).
Because this is the law in heaven,
and from heaven in the church,
therefore every evil carries with it
a corresponding punishment,
which is called the punishment of evil,
and is in the evil as if joined with it;
and from this springs the punishment of retaliation
which was prescribed for the sons of Israel,
because they were external and not internal men.
Internal men, as the angels of heaven are,
do not wish the retaliation of evil for evil,
but from heavenly charity they forgive freely;
for they know that the Lord
protects from the evil
all who are in good,
and that He protects according to the good with them,
and that He would not protect
if on account of the evil done to them
they should burn with enmity, hatred, and revenge,
for these drive away protection.
These things, therefore, are involved
in what the Lord here said . . .
"An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,"
signifies that so far as anyone
takes away from another
the understanding of truth and the sense of truth,
so far are they taken away from him,
the "eye" signifying the understanding of truth,
and "tooth" the sense of truth,
for a "tooth" means truth or falsity
such as the sensual man has.
That one who is in Christian good
will permit an evil person to take these away
as far as he can,
is described by what the Lord says in reply
on the same subject.
"Resist not him that is in evil"
signifies that there should be
no fighting back of retaliation;
for angels do not fight with the evil,
much less do they return evil for evil,
but they allow it to be done,
since they are protected by the Lord,
and therefore no evil from hell can do them harm.
"Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek
turn to him the other also"
signifies if anyone wishes to do harm
to the perception and understanding of interior truth,
it may be allowed to the extent of the effort;
"the cheek" signifies the perception
and understanding of interior truth,
the "right cheek" affection for it
and consequent perception of it,
and the "left cheek" understanding of it,
and as the "cheek" is mentioned,
so is "smiting," which means doing harm to;
for all things pertaining to the mouth, as the throat,
the mouth itself, the lips, the cheeks, the teeth,
signify such things as belong to
the perception and understanding of truth,
because they correspond to them,
therefore by these objects
in the sense of the letter of the Word,
which consists of pure correspondences,
these things are expressed;
"if any man wishes to sue you at the law
and to take away your coat,
let him have your cloak also,"
signifies if anyone wishes
to take away truth interiorly with you,
it may be allowed him to take away also exterior truth,
"coat" signifying interior truth,
and "cloak" exterior truth.
This also is what angels do when they are with the evil,
for the evil can take away nothing
of good and truth from angels,
but they can from those
who on that account
burn with enmity, hatred, and revenge,
for these evils avert and repel protection by the Lord;
"whosoever shall compel you to go one mile,
go with him two,"
signifies whoever wishes
to lead away from truth to falsity
and from good to evil,
since he cannot do it,
may be left unopposed,
a "mile" having a similar signification as a "way,"
namely, that which leads away or leads;
"give to everyone that asks you"
signifies that it is to be permitted;
"and from him that wishes to borrow of you
turn you not away"
signifies that if anyone wishes to be instructed
he may be instructed,
for the evil desire this
that they may pervert and take away,
and yet they cannot.
This is the spiritual sense of these words,
in which are stored up the hidden things
that have now been said,
which are especially for the angels;
who perceive the Word only according to its spiritual sense;
they are also for men in the world who are in good,
when the evil are trying to lead them astray.
AC 8823 [2-3]
But the case with this law in the other life
is further as follows.
When the like, or retaliation, is evil,
it is inflicted by the evil,
and never by the good;
that is, it comes from the hells,
and never from the heavens.
For the hells, or the evil who are there,
are in the continual cupidity of doing evil to others,
for this is the very delight of their life;
and therefore as soon as it is permitted,
they do evil,
caring not to whom,
whether he is evil or good,
whether he is a companion or an enemy;
and as it is from a law of order
that evil returns upon those who intend evil,
consequently, when it is permitted by the law,
they rush on them.
This is done by the evil who are in the hells,
never by the good who are in the heavens,
for these latter are in the continual desire
of doing good to others,
because this is the delight of their life;
and therefore as soon as there is an opportunity,
they do good both to foes and to friends;
indeed, they do not resist evil,
for the laws of order defend and protect
what is good and true.
So it is that the Lord says,
"You have heard that it has been said,
An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth;
but I say to you that evil must not be resisted.
You have heard that it has been said,
Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy;
but I say to you,
Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you,
impart benefits to them that hate you;
that you may be sons of your Father in the heavens."
(Matt. 5:38, 39, 43-45)
It frequently happens in the other life
that when evil spirits wish to inflict evil on the good,
they are grievously punished,
and that the evil which they intend to others
returns upon themselves.
At the time this appears
as if it were revenge from the good;
but it is not revenge,
neither is it from the good, but from the evil,
to whom an opportunity is then given
from the law of order.
Indeed, the good do not wish evil to them,
but still they cannot take away the evil of punishment,
because they are then kept in the intention of good --
just like a judge
when he sees a malefactor being punished,
or like a father
when he sees his son punished by his master.
The evil who punish do it from the cupidity of doing evil;
but the good from the affection of doing good.
From all this it can be seen
what is meant by the Lord's words
concerning love for an enemy,
in Matthew, as above;
and concerning the law of retaliation,
which was not abrogated by the Lord, but explained;
namely, that they who are in heavenly love
ought not to have delight in retaliation or revenge,
but in imparting benefits;
and that the very law of order,
which protects what is good,
performs it from itself,
through the evil ones.
AC 9049 [5]
Who cannot see that these words
are not to be understood
according to the sense of the letter?
For who will turn the left cheek
to him who deals a blow on the right cheek?
And who will give his cloak to him
who would take away his coat?
And who will give his property to all who ask?
And who will not resist evil?
But no one can understand these words
who does not know what is signified by
"the right cheek" and "the left cheek,"
what by "a coat" and "a cloak,"
also what by "a mile,"
and likewise by "borrowing," and so on.
The subject there treated of is spiritual life,
or the life of faith;
not natural life, which is the life of the world.
The Lord there opens,
and also in this chapter, and the following,
the interior things that belong to heaven,
but by means of such things as are in the world.
The reason why He did so by such things,
was that not worldly men,
but only heavenly men,
should understand.
The reason why worldly men were not to understand,
was lest they should profane
the interior things of the Word,
for by so doing
they would cast themselves
into the most frightful hell of all,
which is the hell of the profaners of the Word.
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