SS 84 - Paired Expressions

SS 84

Readers who pay attention to it can see
that we find in the Word paired expressions
which seem to be repetitious of the same idea,
such as brother and companion,
poor and needy, devastation and desolation,
empty and void, adversary and enemy,
sin and iniquity, anger and wrath, nation and people,
joy and gladness, mourning and weeping,
justice (or righteousness) and judgment, and so on.
These pairs seem to be synonyms,
but in fact they are not,
for the words brother, poor, devastation, empty,
adversary, sin, anger, nation, joy, mourning,
and justice (or righteousness) refer to goodness,
and in an opposite sense to evil,
whereas the words companion, needy, desolation,
void, enemy, iniquity, wrath, people, gladness,
weeping, and judgment refer to truth,
and in an opposite sense to falsity.
Still, it seems to the reader
who does not know this arcanum (secret)
that brother and companion, poor and needy,
devastation and desolation, empty and void,
and adversary and enemy have the same meaning,
and likewise sin and iniquity, anger and wrath,
nation and people, joy and gladness,
mourning and weeping,
justice (or righteousness) and judgment.
And yet these do not have the same meaning,
but by their combination come to have a united one.

We find in the Word many other combinations as well,
such as fire and flame, gold and silver, bronze and iron,
wood and stone, bread and water, bread and wine,
purple and fine linen, and so on,
and this because fire, gold, bronze, wood, bread,
and purple symbolize goodness,
while flame, silver, iron, stone, water,
wine and fine linen symbolize truth.

Similarly we are told that people are to love God
with all their heart and with all their soul,
and that God will create in a person
a new heart and a new spirit.
For the heart refers to the goodness of love,
and the soul to truth springing from that goodness.