PSALMS 119
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beth.
gimel.
DALETH.
he.
vau.
zain.
cheth.
teth.
jod.
caph.
lamed.
mem.
NUN.
samech.
ain.
pe.
TSADDI.
koph.
resh.
shin
thau.
That the lord fulfilled the law, or the Word, from its first principles to its ultimates, and was therefore hated, and suffered temptations, and that thus he united his Human to his Divine, verses 1—176.
Aleph. All syllables and letters of the alphabet in the spiritual world signify things, hence originate the speech and writing of those who are there, and hence it is, that the lord describes his divinity and infinity by Alpha and Omega, by which is signified that he is the All in All of heaven and the church, since every letter signifies a thing in the spiritual world, and consequently in the language of angels, therefore David wrote the cxix. Psalm, in order, according to the letters of the alphabet, beginning with Aleph and ending with Thau, as may appear from the initials of the verses; something similar appears in Psalm cxi, but not so evidently. Ap. Re. 38.
Verse 1. Blessed are the perfect in the way. By the perfect in the way are meant those who are in truth grounded in good, or who speak and do the truth from charity. AC 612.
Verses 1 to 27. The subject treated of throughout the whole of this Psalm is concerning the Word, and concerning the things belonging to the Word, which, it is evident, are precepts, statutes, judgements, testimonies, commandments, and ways; but what is specifically meant by these expressions cannot possibly be seen from the sense of the letter, in which they appear only as a repetition of the same thing; it may, however, be seen from the internal sense, in which things altogether different are signified by precepts, by statutes, by judgements, testimonies, commandments, and ways. AC 3382
Verses 2 to 7. In several passages mention is made of testimonies, and at the same time of law, precepts, commandments, statutes, and judgements, and in those passages by testimonies and commandments are signified such things as teach life, by law and precepts such things as teach doctrine, by statutes and judgements such things as teach ceremonies of worship. AE 392.
The precepts of the decalogue were called a testimony, because they had relation to a covenant, thus to conjunction between the lord and man, which conjunction cannot exist unless man keeps those precepts, not only in the external form, but also in the internal. AC 4197.
Verses 6 to 17. Word denotes doctrine in general; that a distinction is here made between precepts, judgements, testimonies, commandments, statutes, ways, and lips, is evident, all which things appertain to the Word or doctrine; in other parts of the Word also these expressions have a distinct signification. AC 1288.
Verse 25. My soul cleaves to the dust, etc. The reason why dust denotes what is damned is because the places where evil spirits are, at the sides beneath the soles of the feet, appear as earth, and indeed as earth uncultivated and dry, under which are certain hells; this earth is what is called damned earth, and the dust there signifies what is damned. AC 7418.
Verse 27. Make me to understand the way of your precepts, etc. The way of commandments and precepts is called the way of truth, the contrary way is called the way of a lie,—false doctrine. AC 627.
Verse 37. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity, etc. That vanity denotes the false principle of doctrine and religion is evident from this passage. AC 9248.
Verse 103. How sweet are your words to my palate, yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! The reason why honey denotes delight is because it is sweet, and every thing sweet in the natural world corresponds to what is delightful in the spirit; the reason why it is said the delight thereof, namely the delight of truth derived from good in the exterior and natural principle is because every truth, and especially every truth of good, has its delight, but a delight arising from the affection of good and truth, and from consequent use. AC 5620.
Verse 135. Make your face to shine upon your servant, etc. That the face of jehovah or the lord is mercy, and also peace and good, because these are of mercy, may likewise be manifest from this passage, where face also denotes mercy, AC 5585.
Verse 154, Plead you my cause and deliver me; revive me according to your word. To plead my cause denotes to defend truth against falsehood, and to liberate. AC . 9024.
Verse 164. Seven times a day do I praise you because of your just judgements. The number seven was accounted holy to the six days of creation: hence in the ceremonies of the Jewish church, the number seven so often occurs, and is everywhere accounted holy. AC 395.
That seven signifies an entire period from beginning to end, thus what is full, is manifest from several passages in the Word, as in Isaiah, "The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days, in the day wherein jehovah shall bind up the breach of his people," Isaiah 30:26; where the subject treated of is concerning the salvation of the faithful, and concerning their intelligence and wisdom in the lord's kingdom; the moon is faith from the lord, thus faith in the lord, and the sun love from the lord, thus love to the lord; the light of the sun being seven-fold as the light of seven days, denotes a full state of intelligence and wisdom derived from love and faith from the lord. AC 9228
As this Psalm treats of the Word, and of the life according to the Word, the reader is especially recommended to peruse the two works of the New Jerusalem on those very important subjects, the heads of which shall be here adduced:—
On the Word, or Sacred Scripture.
I. That the Sacred Scripture, or Word, is Divine Truth itself............................................................... SS 1
II. That in the Word then; in a spiritual sense, heretofore unknown,—
III. That the literal sense of the Word is the basis, the continent, and the firmament of its spiritual and celestial sense.................................................................. SS 27
IV. That Divine Truth, in the literal sense of the Word, is in its fullness, in its sanctity, and in its power............... SS 37
V. That the doctrine of the church ought to be drawn from the literal sense of the Word, and to be confirmed thereby SS 50
VI. That by the literal sense of the Word, man has conjunction with the Lord and consociation with the angels...... SS 62
VII. That the Word is in all the heavens, and that the wisdom of the angels is thence derived........................ SS 70
VIII. That the church exists from the Word, and that, with man, the quality of the church is according to his understanding of the Word............................................. SS 76
IX. That there is a marriage of the Lord and the church, and thence a marriage of good and truth, in every part of the Word............................................................. SS 80
X. That heretical opinions may be collected and imbibed from the letter of the Word, but that to confirm such opinions is hurtful.............................................................. SS 91
XI. That the Lord came into the world that he might fulfill all things contained in the Word, and thereby become Divine Truth or the Word in its ultimates................. SS 98
XII. That previous to the Word which the world now possesses, there existed a Word which is lost.................. SS 101
XIII. That by means of the Word, light is communicated to those who are out of the pale of the church, and are not in possession of the Word....................................... SS 104
XIV. That without the Word, no one would have any knowledge of God, or of heaven and hell, or of a life after death, and much less of the Lord.............................. SS 114
On the White Horse................................................... 1
References to passages in the Arcana Coelestia..................... 6
On the Doctrine of Life.
I. That all religion has relation to life, and that the life of religion is to do good............................................. DLife 1
II. That no one can do good, which is really good, from himself...............................................................DLife 9
III. That so far as man shuns evils as sins, so far he does what is good, not from himself, but from the Lord............... DLife 18
IV. That so far as any one shuns evils as sins, so far he loves truths............................................................... DLife 32
V. That so far as any one shuns evils as sins, so far he has faith, and is spiritual............................................. DLife 42
VI. That the Decalogue teaches what evils are sins............ DLife 53
VII. That murders, adulteries, thefts, and false witness, of every kind, with the cravings prompting thereto, are evils which ought to be shunned as sins.................. DLife 62
VIII. That so far as any one shuns murders of every kind as sins, so far he has love towards his neighbour............... DLife 67
IX. That so far as any one shuns adulteries of every kind as sins, so far he loves chastity.................................... DLife 74
X. That so far as any one shuns thefts of every kind as sins, so far he loves sincerity.......................................... DLife 80
XI. That so far as any one shuns false witness of every kind as sins, so far he loves truth.................................... DLife 87
XII. That it is not possible for any one to shun evils as sins, so that he may hold them inwardly in aversion, except by combats against them............................................. DLife 92
XIII. That man ought to shun evils as sins, and to fight against them, as from himself.................................... DLife 101
XIV. That if any one shuns evils for any other reason than because they are sins, he does not shun them, but only prevents their appearing before the eyes of the world...... DLife 108
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