608# 启10:6.“指着那活到时代的时代的起誓说”表示来自祂自己的神性的真理。这从“起誓”和“那活到时代的时代的”的含义清楚可知：“起誓”是指强烈的断言和确认，当论及主时，是指真理(对此，我们很快就会谈到)；“那活到时代的时代的”是指永恒的神性，唯独这神性活着，是宇宙中所有人生命的源头，无论天使还是世人。这就是“那活到时代的时代的”的含义(可参看AE 289, 291, 349a,b节)。“起誓”表示断言和确认，但在此表示真理，因为起誓的天使表示主，这一点可从以下事实清楚看出来：“起誓”表示断言和确认事情就是如此，当主起誓时，“起誓”表示神性真理或神性真实；因为只有那些没有从内层处于真理本身的人，也就是那些不是内层人，只是外层人的人才会发誓言；因此，天使永远不会发誓言，主更不会。圣言之所以说祂起誓，以色列人被允许指着神起誓，是因为以色列人只是外层人，当内在进入外在人时，内在人的断言和确认就取了誓言的形式。在以色列教会，一切事物都是外在的，代表并表示内在事物。字义上的圣言也一样。由此可见，“天使指着那活到时代的时代的起誓”意思不可能是说，他如此起誓，而是说他在自己里面说，这是真理，当这句话降至属世领域时，它就照着对应关系变成了誓言的形式。
由于“起誓”只是对应于属于内在人心智的确认的一个外在行为，并因此表示它，所以在旧约圣言中，经上说指着神起誓，甚至说神自己起誓是合法的。起誓表示确认、断言和绝对真理，或事情是真的，这一点可从以下经文明显看出来。以赛亚书：
耶和华指着自己的右手和大力的膀臂起誓。(以赛亚书62:8)
耶利米书：
万军之耶和华指着自己的灵魂起誓。(耶利米书51:14; 阿摩司书6:8)
阿摩司书：
主耶和华指着自己的圣洁起誓。(阿摩司书4:2)
又：
耶和华指着雅各的荣耀起誓。(阿摩司书8:7)
耶利米书：
看哪，我指着我的大名起誓。(耶利米书44:26)
经上说耶和华指着祂的右手、祂的灵魂、祂的圣洁、祂的名起誓，以表示指着神性真理；因为“耶和华的右手”、“祂的膀臂”、“祂的名”和“祂的灵魂”表示神性真理方面的主，因而表示从主发出的神性真理；“雅各的荣耀”所表相同，因为“雅各的大能者”表示神性真理方面的主。
“起誓”当论及耶和华时，表示来自祂自己，也就是来自祂神性的确认，这一点明显可见于以赛亚书：
我指着自己起誓，话是从我口中出来的，并不召回。(以赛亚书45:23)
耶利米书：
我指着自己起誓，这房屋必变为荒凉。(耶利米书22:5)
由于“起誓”当论及耶和华时，表示神性真理，所以诗篇上说：
耶和华向大卫凭真理起了誓，必不反复。(诗篇132:11)
耶和华神或主，从不起誓，因为起誓不属于神自己或神性真理；但当神，或神性真理愿意在世人面前确认某事时，那么这种确认在下降到属世领域的过程中，就会变成诸如世上所用的那种誓言形式，或采取庄严宣誓的方式。这表明为何在圣言字义，也就是属世意义上，经上说，神起誓，尽管祂从不起誓。这就是在前面和下面的经文中，当论及耶和华或主时，“起誓”的含义。以赛亚书：
万军之耶和华起誓说，我怎样思想，必照样成就。(以赛亚书14:24)
诗篇：
我与我所拣选的人立了约，向我的仆人大卫起了誓。主啊，你从前凭真实向大卫起誓。(诗篇89:3, 35, 49)
又：
耶和华起了誓，决不后悔。(诗篇110:4)
以西结书：
我向你起誓，与你立约，你就归我。(以西结书16:8)
诗篇：
我在怒中起誓。(诗篇95:11)
以赛亚书：
我起誓不再使挪亚的水漫过全地。(以赛亚书54:9)
路加福音：
记念祂的圣约，就是祂对我们祖宗亚伯拉罕所起的誓。(路加福音1:72, 73)
诗篇：
祂记念祂的约，就是与亚伯拉罕所立的，向以撒所起的誓。(诗篇105:8, 9)
耶利米书：
我好坚定我向你们列祖所起的誓。(耶利米书11:5; 32:22)
摩西五经：
我起誓赐给你们列祖的美地。(申命记1:35; 10:11; 11:9, 21; 26:3, 15; 31:20; 34:4)
由此可见，“天使向天举起手来，指着那活到时代的时代的起誓”是什么意思。同样在但以理书：
我听见那身穿细麻衣的人，向天举起右手左手，指着活到时代的时代的起誓。(但以理书12:7)
这些话表示在天使面前对教会的状态作见证，接下来是神性真理。
608b.由于建立在以色列中间的教会是一个代表性教会，其中所吩咐的一切事物都是代表、因而表示属灵事物的属世事物，所以有教会存在于其中的以色列人被允许指着耶和华和祂的名起誓，同样指着教会的圣物起誓；这代表、因而表示内在的确认，以及真理，这可从以下经文清楚看出来。以赛亚书：
那在地上给自己祝福的，让他凭真理的神给自己祝福，那在地上起誓的，让他以真理的神起誓。(以赛亚书65:16)
耶利米书：
凭真理、公平、公义，指着永生的耶和华起誓。(耶利米书4:2)
摩西五经：
你要敬畏耶和华你的神，侍奉祂，指着祂的名起誓。(申命记6:13; 10:20)
以赛亚书：
当那日，埃及地必有五城指着万军之耶和华起誓。(以赛亚书19:18)
耶利米书：
他们若殷勤学习我百姓的道，指着我的名，就是永生的耶和华起誓。(耶利米书12:16)
诗篇：
凡指着神起誓的都要荣耀，但说谎之人的口必被封住。(诗篇63:11)
“指着神起誓”在此表示讲真理，因为经上补充说：“说谎之人的口必被封住。”他们指着神起誓(也可参看创世记21:23, 24, 31; 约书亚记2:12; 9:20; 士师记21:7; 列王纪上1:17)。
由于古人被允许指着耶和华神起誓，所以可知，起假誓，或向谎言起誓是最严重的恶，这从这些经文明显看出来。玛拉基书：
我必作见证，警戒那些行邪术的、通奸的、起假誓的。(玛拉基书3:5)
摩西五经：
不可指着我的名起假誓，亵渎你神的名；不可妄称耶和华你神的名。(利未记19:12; 申命记5:11; 出埃及记20:7; 撒迦利亚书5:4)
耶利米书：
你们当在耶路撒冷的街上跑来跑去，看是否有人指着永生的耶和华说；其实，他们是指着谎言起誓。你的狮子毁灭我，又指着那不是神的起誓。(耶利米书5:1, 2, 7)
何西阿书：
以色列啊，你不要指着永生的耶和华起誓。(何西阿书4:15)
西番雅书：
我要剪除那些指着耶和华起誓，又指着他们的王起誓的人，并那些转离不跟从耶和华的人。(西番雅书1:4–6)
撒迦利亚书：
不可喜爱起假誓。(撒迦利亚书8:17)
以赛亚书：
雅各家啊，你们当听这话，你们不以真理，也不以公义指着耶和华的名起誓。(以赛亚书48:1)
诗篇：
就是手洁心清，不把灵魂提到虚妄，不怀诡诈起誓的人。(诗篇24:4)
由此可见，处于教会的代表和意义的古人都被允许指着耶和华神起誓，好为真理作见证，这誓表示他们思想真理，意愿良善。雅各的子孙尤其被允许这样做，因为他们完全是外在和属世人，不是内在和属灵的；纯外在或属世人想要有通过起誓被确认和见证的真理；但内在人或属灵人不想要这样的真理；事实上，他们厌恶起誓，对它们不寒而栗，尤其向神，向天堂和教会的圣物呼求的誓言，他们满足于说，或让人说，一件事情是真的，或事情就是如此。
由于起誓不属于内在人或属灵人，还由于当主降世时，祂教导世人要成为内在的或属灵的，为达到这个目的，还废除了教会的外在事物，打开教会的内在事物，所以祂也禁止指着神，指着天堂和教会的圣物起誓。 这一点从主在马太福音中的这些话清楚看出来：
你们又听见有人说，不可起假誓，而是向主履行你的誓言；但我对你们说，根本不可以起誓；不可指着天起誓，因为天是神的宝座；不可指着地起誓，因为地是祂的脚凳；也不可指着耶路撒冷起誓，因为耶路撒冷是大君王的城。又不可指着你的头起誓，因为你不能使一根头发变黑变白。(马太福音5:33–36)
此处提到了人决不可指着起誓的圣物，即“天”、“地”、“耶路撒冷”、“头”；“天”是指天使天堂，因此它被称为“神的宝座”。“神的宝座”表示天使天堂(可参看AE 253, 462, 477节)；“地”表示教会(参看AE 29, 304, 413, 417节)，它因此被称为“神的脚凳”，“神的脚凳”也表示教会(参看AE 606节)；“耶路撒冷”表示教会的教义，所以它被称为“大君王的城”，“城”表示教义(参看AE 223节)；“头”表示由此而来的聪明(参看AE 553, 577节)；故经上说“你不能使一根头发变黑变白”，这句话表示人凭自己什么都不理解。
同一福音书：
你们这瞎眼的向导有祸了，因为你们说，凡指着殿起誓的，这算不得什么；只是凡指着殿中金子起誓的，他就是欠债的！你们这愚蠢瞎眼的人哪；哪个更大呢？是金子，还是使金子成圣的殿呢？凡指着坛起誓的，这算不得什么；只是凡指着坛上礼物起誓的，他就是有罪的。你们这愚蠢瞎眼的人哪；哪个更大呢？是礼物，还是使礼物成圣的坛呢？那指着坛起誓的，就是指着坛和坛上的一切起誓。那指着殿起誓的，就是指着殿和那住在殿里的起誓。人指着天起誓，就是指着神的宝座和那坐在上面的起誓。(马太福音23:16–22)
人决不可“指着殿和坛起誓”，因为指着它们起誓就是指着主、天堂和教会起誓；事实上，“殿”在至高意义上表示神性真理方面的主，在相对意义上表示真理方面的天堂和教会，也表示来自神性真理的一切敬拜(参看AE 220节)；“坛”表示神性良善方面的主，在相对意义上表示这良善方面的天堂和教会，同样表示来自神性良善的一切敬拜(参看AE 391节)。由于主是指从祂发出的一切事物，因为祂自己在它们里面，它们属于祂，所以指着祂起誓的人就是指着属于祂的一切事物起誓；同样，指着天堂和教会起誓的人就是指着属于天堂和教会的一切圣物起誓，天堂综合和包含这些事物；教会也一样；因此，经上说殿比殿中的金子更大，因为殿使金子成圣，坛比坛上的礼物更大，因为坛使礼物成圣。
608. And sware by him that liveth unto the ages of the ages.- That this signifies truth from His own Divine, is evident from the signification of swearing, as denoting asseveration and confirmation, and when stated of the Lord, as denoting truth, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of, " him that liveth unto the ages of the ages," as denoting the Divine from eternity, which alone lives, and which is the source of life to all in the universe, both to angels and men. That this is the signification of him that liveth unto the ages of the ages, may be seen above (n. 289, 291, 349). That to swear signifies asseveration and confirmation, but, in the present case, truth, because from the angel, by whom the Lord is meant, is evident from this fact, that to swear is to assert and confirm the truth of a statement, and when done by the Lord, means Divine verity. For oaths are taken only by those who are not interiorly in truth itself, that is, by those who are not interior but only exterior men; therefore they are never taken by angels, and much less therefore by the Lord. But the reason why He is said to swear in the Word, and why the sons of Israel were allowed to swear by God, is, that they were merely exterior men, and because when the asseveration and confirmation of the internal man, comes into the external, it takes the form of an oath. And in the Israelitish church all things were external, and these represented and signified things internal. The case is similar also in regard to the Word in the sense of the letter. It is therefore evident that by the angel swearing by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages, is not meant that he thus sware, but that he said in himself that it was the truth, and that this falling into the natural sphere, became, according to correspondences, changed into the form of an oath.
[2] Now because to swear is only an external act corresponding to the confirmation of the mind of the internal man, and consequently signifies it, therefore in the Word of the Old Testament it is said to be lawful to swear by God, and even God Himself is said to take an oath. That this signifies confirmation, asseveration, and the absolute truth, or that a thing is true, is evident from the following passages.
Thus in Isaiah:
"Jehovah hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength" (62:8).
And in Jeremiah:
"Jehovah of hosts hath sworn by his soul" (51:14; Amos 6:8).
And again, in Amos:
"The Lord Jehovih hath sworn by his holiness" (4:2).
And again, in the same prophet:
"The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob" (8:7).
And in Jeremiah:
"Behold, I have sworn by my great name" (44:26).
Jehovah swearing by His right hand, by His soul, by His holiness, and by His name, signifies by the Divine Truth; for the right hand of Jehovah, the arm of His strength, His holiness, His name, and His soul, mean the Lord as to Divine Truth, thus Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord. The signification of the excellency of Jacob is similar, for the mighty one of Jacob means the Lord as to Divine Truth.
[3] That to swear, when stated of Jehovah, signifies confirmation from Himself, or from His Divine, is evident in Isaiah:
"By myself have I sworn, the word has gone out of my mouth, and shall not be recalled" (45:23).
And in Jeremiah:
"I swear by myself, saith Jehovah, that this house shall become a desolation" (22:5).
Because swearing, when stated of Jehovah, signifies Divine Truth, therefore it is said in David,
"Jehovah hath sworn in truth unto David; He will not turn from it" (Psalm 132:11).
[4] Jehovah God, or the Lord, never swears, for it does not belong to God Himself, or the Divine Truth, to swear; but when God, or the Divine Truth, wills to have anything confirmed before men, then that confirmation, passing into the natural sphere, becomes an oath or takes the solemn formula of an oath in the world. It is therefore evident, that although God never swears, yet in the sense of the letter of the Word, which is the natural sense, it may be said that He swears. This therefore is the signification of swearing when stated of Jehovah or the Lord in the preceding passages, and also in the following.
Thus in Isaiah:
"Jehovah of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass" (14:24).
And in David:
"I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant. O Lord, thou swearest unto David in truth" (Psalm 89:3, 35, 49).
And again:
"Jehovah hath sworn, and will not repent" (Psalm 110:4).
And in Ezekiel:
"I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, and thou becamest mine" (16:8).
And in David:
"Unto whom I sware in my anger" (Psalm 95:11).
And in Isaiah:
"I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth" (54:9).
And in Luke:
"To remember his holy covenant; the oath which he sware to our father Abraham" (1:72, 73).
And in David:
"He was mindful of his covenant which he made with Abraham, and his oath with Isaac" (Psalm 105:8, 9).
And in Jeremiah:
"That I may establish the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers" (11:5 32:22).
"The land which I sware to give to your fathers" (Deuteronomy 1:35 10:11; 11:9, 21; 26:3, 15; 31:20; 34:4).
[5] From these things it is evident what is meant by the angel lifting up his hand to heaven, and swearing by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages.
Similarly in Daniel:
"I heard the man (vir) clothed in linen, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto the heavens, and sware by him that liveth unto the ages of the ages" (12:7).
This signifies affirmation before the angels concerning the state of the church, that what follows is Divine Truth.
[6] Since the church instituted with the sons of Israel was a representative church, in which all things that were commanded were natural things, representing and consequently signifying spiritual things, therefore the sons of Israel, with whom the church was, were allowed to swear by Jehovah, and by His name, also by the holy things of the church, and this represented, and therefore signified, internal confirmation, and also truth. This will be evident from the following passages.
Thus in Isaiah:
"He who blesseth himself in the earth let him bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth let him swear by the God of truth" (65:16).
And in Jeremiah:
"Swear by the living Jehovah, in truth, in judgment, and in justice" (4:2).
And in Moses:
"Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear in his name" (Deuteronomy 6:13; 10:20).
And in Isaiah:
"In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt swear to Jehovah of hosts" (19:18).
And in Jeremiah:
"If in learning they will learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, Jehovah liveth" (12:16).
And in David:
"Every one that sweareth by" God "shall glory, but the mouth of them that speak a lie shall be stopped" (Psalm 63:11).
To swear by God, signifies to speak truth, for it follows, "but the mouth of them that speak a lie shall be stopped." That they swore by God, see also Genesis 21:23, 24, 31; Joshua 2:12; 9:20; Judges 21:7; 1 Kings 1:17.
[7] Since the ancients were allowed to swear by Jehovah God, it therefore follows that it is a most serious evil to swear falsely or to lie; as is evident from these passages.
Thus in Malachi:
"I will be a witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers" (3:5).
And in Moses:
"Thou shall not swear a lie by my name, so that thou profane the name of thy God," and "thou shalt not take the name of thy God in vain" (Deuteronomy 5:11; Leviticus 19:12; Zech. 5:4).
And in Jeremiah:
"Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see if there be those that say, By the living Jehovah; surely they swear falsely. Thy sons have destroyed me, and sworn by no god" (5:1, 2, 7).
And in Hosea:
"Israel, swear not, Jehovah liveth" (4:15).
And in Zephaniah:
"And I will cut off them that swear by Jehovah, and that swear by their king; and them that are turned back from Jehovah" (1:4, 5, 6).
And in Zechariah:
"Love not the oath of a lie" (8:17).
And in Isaiah:
"Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which swear by the name of Jehovah, not in truth, nor in justice" (48:1).
And in David:
"He that hath clean hands and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully" (Psalm 24:4).
[8] From these passages it is clear, that the ancients, who were in the representatives and significatives of the church, were allowed to swear by Jehovah God, in order to testify truth, and by that oath it was signified that they thought what was true, and willed what was good. But it was more especially permitted to the sons of Jacob, since they were altogether natural and external men, and not internal and spiritual; and mere external or natural men desire to have the truth attested and confirmed by oaths, whereas internal or spiritual men do not desire it, yea, are averse from oaths, and account them horrible, especially those in which God and the holy things of heaven and the church are appealed to, and they are satisfied with saying and with having it said, that a thing is true, or that it is so.
[9] Since swearing is not of the internal or spiritual man, and since the Lord, when He came into the world, taught men to be internal or spiritual, and to that end afterwards abrogated the external things of the church, and opened the internal things of it, therefore he also forbad swearing by God and by the holy things of heaven and the church. This is clear from his own words in Matthew:
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shall not swear, but shall perform unto the Lord thine oaths; I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne; neither by the earth; for it is his footstool; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black" (253, 462, 477); the earth means the church (see above, n. 29, 304, 413, 417), it is therefore called the footstool of God's feet (that the footstool of God's feet means the church, see above, n. 606); Jerusalem means the doctrine of the church, it is therefore called the city of the great God (Dei) (that a city denotes doctrine, may be seen above, n. 223); and the head means intelligence therefrom (see above, n. 553, 578); it is therefore said, "thou canst not make one hair white or black," which signifies, that man can understand nothing of himself.
[10] Again, in the same Evangelist:
"Woe unto you, ye blind guides, because ye say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind; for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and blind; for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? Whosoever therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whosoever shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by Him that dwelleth therein. And he that sweareth by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by Him that sitteth thereon" (220). And the altar signifies the Lord as to Divine Good, and, in the respective sense, heaven and the church as to that good, also all worship from Divine Good (see above, n. 391). And because by the Lord are meant all Divine things which proceed from Him, for He Himself is in them, and they are of Him, therefore he who swears by Him, swears by all things that are of Him. Similarly, he who swears by heaven and by the church, swears by all the holy things which pertain to them, for heaven embraces and contains them; and similarly the church; it is therefore said, that the temple is greater than the gold of the temple, because the temple sanctifies the gold, and that the altar is greater than the gift which is upon it, because the altar sanctifies the gift.
608. Verse 6 (289, 291, 349.) That "to swear" signifies asseveration and confirmation, but here verity (since it is the Lord that is meant by the angel that swears), can be seen from this, that "to swear" means to asseverate and confirm that a thing is so, and when done by the Lord means Divine verity; for oaths are made only by those who are not interiorly in truth itself, that is, by those who are not interior but only exterior men; consequently they are never made by angels, still less by the Lord; but He is said in the Word to swear, and the Israelites were allowed to swear by God, because they were only exterior men, and because the asseveration and confirmation of the internal man, when it comes into the external, falls into the form of an oath. In the Israelitish Church all things were external, representing and signifying things internal. The Word in the sense of the letter is similar. From this it can be seen that "the angel sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages" cannot mean that he thus sware, but that he said in himself that this is verity, and that when this came down into the natural sphere it was changed, according to correspondences, into the form of an oath.
[2] Now as "to swear" is only an external corresponding to the confirmation that belongs to the mind of the internal man, and is therefore significative of that, so in the Word of the Old Testament it is said to be lawful to swear by God, yea, that God Himself is said to swear. That this signifies confirmation, asseveration and simply verity, or that it is true, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Jehovah hath sworn by His right hand and by the arm of His strength (Isaiah 62:8).
In Jeremiah:
Jehovah of Hosts hath sworn by His soul (Jeremiah 51:14; Amos 6:8).
In Amos:
The Lord Jehovih hath sworn by His holiness (Amos 4:2).
In the same:
Jehovah hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob (Amos 8:7).
In Jeremiah:
Behold, I have sworn by My great name (Jeremiah 44:26).
Jehovah is said "to have sworn by His right hand," "by His soul," "by His holiness," and "by His name," to signify by Divine verity; for "the right hand of Jehovah," "the arm of His strength," "His holiness," "His name," and "His soul," mean the Lord in relation to Divine truth, thus Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; the like is meant by "the excellency of Jacob," for "the mighty One of Jacob" means the Lord in relation to Divine truth.
[3] That "to swear," in reference to Jehovah, signifies confirmation by Himself, that is, from His Divine, is evident in Isaiah:
By Myself have I sworn, the word has gone forth from My mouth, and shall not be recalled (Isaiah 14:23).
In Jeremiah:
By Myself I have sworn that this house shall become a desolation (Jeremiah 22:5).
Because "to swear" in reference to Jehovah signifies Divine verity it is said in David:
Jehovah hath sworn truth unto David, He turneth 1not from it (Psalms 132:11).
[4] Jehovah God, or the Lord, never swears, for to swear is not becoming to God Himself, or the Divine verity; but when God, or the Divine verity, wills to have anything confirmed before men, then that confirmation in its descent into the natural sphere falls into the form or formula of an oath, such as is used in the world. This shows why it is said in the sense of the letter of the Word, which is the natural sense, that God swears, although He never swears. This, then, is the signification of "to swear" in reference to Jehovah or the Lord in the preceding passages, and also in the following. In Isaiah:
Jehovah of Hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass (Isaiah 14:24).
In David:
I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn unto David My servant. Lord, Thou hast sworn unto David in verity (Psalms 89:3, 35, 49).
In the same:
Jehovah hath sworn and will not repent (Psalms 110:4).
In Ezekiel:
I have sworn unto thee, and have entered into a covenant with thee, that thou mightest become Mine (Ezekiel 16:8).
In David:
Unto whom I have sworn in Mine anger (Psalms 95:11).
In Isaiah:
I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more pass over the earth (Isaiah 54:9).
In Luke:
To remember His holy covenant, the oath which He sware to Abraham our father (Luke 1:72, 73).
In David:
He hath remembered His covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath with Isaac (Psalms 105:8, 9).
In Jeremiah:
That I may establish the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers (Jeremiah 11:5; 32:22).
In Moses:
The land which I have sworn to give unto your fathers (Deuteronomy 1:35; 10:11; 11:9, 21; 26:3, 15; 31:20; 34:4).
[5] From this it can be seen what is meant by "the angel lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages," as it is likewise said in Daniel:
And I heard the man clothed in linen, that he held up his right hand and his left hand unto the heavens, and sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages (Daniel 12:7);
as meaning to bear witness before the angels respecting the state of the church, that what follows is Divine verity.
[6] Because the church that was instituted with the sons of Israel was a representative church, in which all things that were commanded were natural things representing and signifying spiritual things, the sons of Israel, with whom that church existed, were permitted to swear by Jehovah, and by His name, likewise by the holy things of the church; and this represented and thus signified internal confirmation, and also verity, as can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
He that blesseth himself in the earth let him bless himself in the God of truth, and he that sweareth in the earth let him swear in the God of truth (Isaiah 65:16).
In Jeremiah:
Swear by the living Jehovah, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness (Jeremiah 4:2).
In Moses:
Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God, Him shalt thou serve, and shalt swear in His name (Deuteronomy 6:13; 10:20).
In Isaiah:
In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that swear to Jehovah of Hosts (Isaiah 19:18).
In Jeremiah:
If in learning they will learn the ways of My people, to swear by My name, Jehovah liveth! (Jeremiah 12:16).
In David:
Everyone that sweareth by God shall glory, but the mouth of them that speak a lie shall be stopped (Psalms 63:11).
"To swear by God" here signifies to speak the truth, for it is added, "the mouth of them that speak a lie shall be stopped." (That they swore by God see also Genesis 21:23, 24, 31; Joshua 2:12; 9:20; Judges 21:7; 1 Kings 1:17.)
[7] As the ancients were allowed to swear by Jehovah God, it follows that it was an enormous evil to swear falsely or to swear to a lie, as is evident from these passages. In Malachi:
I will be a witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against those that swear to a lie (Malachi 3:5).
In Moses:
Thou shalt not swear to a lie by My name, so that thou profane the name of thy God; also, Thou shalt not take the name of thy God in vain (Leviticus 19:12; Deuteronomy 5:11; Exodus 20:7; Zechariah 5:4).
In Jeremiah:
Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see whether there be any who say, By the living Jehovah; surely they swear by a lie. Thy sons have destroyed 2Me, and sworn by one not God (Jeremiah 5:1, 2, 7).
In Hosea:
Israel, ye shall not swear, Jehovah liveth (Hosea 4:15).
In Zephaniah:
I will cut off them that swear by Jehovah, and that swear by their king, and them that are turned back from following Jehovah (Zephaniah 1:4-6).
In Zechariah:
Love not the oath of a lie (Zechariah 8:17).
In Isaiah:
Hear ye, O house of Jacob, who swear by the name of Jehovah, not in truth nor in righteousness (Isaiah 48:1).
In David:
The clean in hands and the pure in heart doth not lift up his soul unto vanity, nor swear with deceit (Psalms 24:4).
[8] From this it can be seen that the ancients, who were in the representatives and the significatives of the church, were permitted to swear by Jehovah God in order to bear witness to the truth, and by that oath it was signified that they thought what is true and willed what is good. Especially was this granted to the sons of Jacob, because they were wholly external and natural men, and not internal and spiritual; and merely external or natural men wish to have the truth confirmed and witnessed to by oaths; but internal or spiritual men do not wish this; indeed, they turn away from oaths and shudder at them, especially those in which God and the holy things of heaven and the church are appealed to, and are content with saying and with having it said that a thing is true, or that it is so.
[9] As swearing does not belong to the internal or spiritual man, and as the Lord, when He came into the world, taught men to be internal or spiritual, and to that end abrogated the externals of the church, and opened its internals, therefore He forbade swearing by God and by the holy things of heaven and the church. This is evident from these words of the Lord in Matthew:
Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not swear [falsely], but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oath; but I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is the throne of God; neither by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet; neither by Jerusalem, for it is a city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black (253, 462, 477); "the earth" means the church (See above, n. 29, 304, 413, 417), which is called therefore "the footstool of God's feet" (that "the footstool of God's feet" also means the church, see above, n. 606; "Jerusalem" means the doctrine of the church, wherefore it is called "the city of the great king" (that "city" means doctrine, see above, n. 223; and the "head" means intelligence therefrom (See above, n. 553, 577), therefore it is said "thou canst not make one hair white or black," which signifies that man of himself can understand nothing.
[10] Again, in the same:
Woe unto you, ye blind guides, for ye say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind; for whether is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And whosoever shall swear by the altar it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it he is a debtor. Ye fools and blind; whether is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? But whosoever sweareth by the altar sweareth by it and by everything thereon. And whosoever sweareth by the temple sweareth by it and by Him that dwelleth therein. And he that sweareth by heaven sweareth by the throne of God and by Him that sitteth thereon (220); and the "altar" signifies the Lord in relation to Divine good, and in a relative sense heaven and the church in respect to that good, likewise all worship from Divine good (See above, n. 391); and because by the Lord all Divine things that proceed from Him are meant, for He is in them and they are His, so he who swears by Him swears by all things that are His; likewise he who swears by heaven and by the church, swears by all the holy things that belong to heaven and the church, for heaven is the complex and containant of these things; so, in like manner, is the church; therefore it is said that the temple is greater than the gold of the temple, because the temple sanctifies the gold, and that the altar is greater than the gift which is upon it, because the altar sanctifies the gift.
Footnotes:
1. Latin has "turneth," the Hebrew "turn back," which is found in Arcana Coelestia 2842.
2. Latin has "destroyed," the Hebrew "forsaken. "
608. [Vers. 6.] "Et juravit per Viventem in saecula saeculorum." - Quod significet veritatem ex Divino suo, constat ex significatione "jurare", quod sit asseveratio et confirmatio, et cum de Domino, quod sit veritas (de qua sequitur); et ex significatione "per Viventem in saecula saeculorum", quod sit Divinum ab aeterno, quod solum vivit, et ex quo omnibus in universo tam angelis quam hominibus vita. (Quod hoc significetur per "Viventem in saecula saeculorum", videatur supra, n. 289, 291, 349 [a, b] .) Quod "jurare" significet asseverationem et confirmationem, hic autem veritatem, quia ab "angelo", per quem intelligitur Dominus, constare potest ex eo, quod jurare sit asseverare et confirmare quod ita sit, et cum a Domino, quod sit Divina Veritas: juramenta enim fiunt solum ab illis qui non interius in ipsa veritate sunt; hoc est, ab illis qui non interiores sed solum exteriores homines sunt; inde nec fiunt usquam ab angelis, minus itaque a Domino; sed quod in Verbo dicatur quod juret, et quod concessum fuerit filiis Israelis jurare per Deum, est quia solum exteriores homines fuerunt, et quia asseveratio et confirmatio interni hominis, dum in externum, cadit in jurare: et in Ecclesia Israelitica omnia erant externa, quae repraesentabant et significabant interna; simile etiam est Verbum in sensu litterae. Inde constare potest quod per quod "angelus juraverit per Viventem in saecula saeculorum", non intelligendum sit quod ita juraverit, sed quod in se dixerit quod veritas sit, et quod hoc in sphaeram naturalem delapsum secundum correspondentias conversum sit in jurare.
[2] Nunc quia jurare est solum externum correspondens confirmationi, quae est mentis interni hominis, et inde significat illam, ideo in Verbo Veteris Testamenti dicitur quod liceat jurare per Deum, immo quod Ipse Deus juraverit: quod id significet confirmationem, asseverationem, et simpliciter veritatem, seu quod verum sit, constare potest ex sequentibus locis:
- Apud Esaiam,
"Juravit Jehovah per dextram, et per brachium roboris" (Esaiam 62:8);
apud Jeremiam,
"Juravit Jehovah Zebaoth par animam suam" (51:14; Amos 6:8);
apud Amos,
"Juravit Dominus Jehovih per sanctitatem suam" (4:2);
apud eundem,
"Juravit Jehovah per excellentiam Jacobi" (8:7):
apud Jeremiam,
"Ecce Ego juravi per nomen meum magnum" (44:26):
quod Jehovah dicatur juravisse per "dextram suam", per "animam suam", per "sanctitatem suam", et per "nomen suum", significat per Divinam Veritatem; nam per "dextram Jehovae", per "brachium roboris Ipsius", per "sanctitatem", per "nomen", et per "animam Ipsius", intelligitur Dominus quoad Divinum Verum, ita Divinum Verum procedens a Domino; similiter per "excellentiam Jacobi", nam per "fortem Jacobi" intelligitur etiam Dominus quoad Divinum Verum.
[3] Quod "jurare", cum a Jehovah, significet confirmationem a Se seu ex suo Divino, patet apud Esaiam,
"Per Me juravi, exivit ex ore meo Verbum, quod non revocabitur" (45:23);
et apud Jeremiam,
"Per Me juravi quod in desolatione futura sit domus haec" (22:5).
Quia per "jurare", cum a Jehovah, significatur Divina Veritas, ideo dicitur apud Davidem,
"Juravit Jehovah Davidi veritatem, e qua Se non 1
subducit" (Psalms 132:11).
[4] Jehovah Deus seu Dominus nunquam jurat, non enim convenit Ipsi Deo seu Divinae Veritati jurare; at cum Deus seu Divina Veritas vult aliquid coram hominibus confirmatum habere, tunc illa confirmatio, in sphaeram naturalem delapsa, in juramentum seu in juramenti formulam in mundo solennem cadit: inde patet quod tametsi Deus nusquam jurat, usque in Verbi sensu litterae, qui sensus est naturalis, dicatur quod juret. Hoc itaque significatur per "jurare", cum de Jehovah seu Domino, in locis praecedentibus, et quoque in his sequentibus:
- Apud Esaiam,
"Juravit Jehovah Zebaoth dicendo, Si non quemadmodum cogitavi, ita futurum est" (14:24);
apud Davidem,
"Pepigi foedus Electo meo, juravi Davidi servo meo:.... Domine, jurasti Davidi in veritate" (Psalms 89:4, 36, 50 [B.A. 3, 35, 49]);
apud eundem,
"Juravit Jehovah, et non paenitebit Ipsum" (Psalms 110:4);
apud Ezechielem,
"Juravi tibi, et inii foedus [tecum] , .... ut esses Mihi" (16:8);
apud Davidem,
"Quibus juravi in ira mea" (Psalms 95:11);
apud Esaiam,
"Juravi non transituras aquas Noachi amplius super terram" (54:9);
apud Lucam,
"Ad recordandum foederis sancti sui, juramenti quod juravit Abrahamo patri nostro" (1:72, 73);
apud Davidem,
"Memor fuit foederis sui.... quod excidit cum Abrahamo, et juramenti sui cum Isaco" (Ps. 105 [8,] 9, 9);
apud Jeremiam,
"Ut stabiliam juramentum quod juravi patribus vestris" (11:5; 32:22);
[apud Mosen, ]
"Terra... quam juravi daturum patribus vestris" (Deuteronomius 1:35; 10:11; 11:9, 21; 26:3, 15; 31:20; 34:4).
[5] Ex his constare potest quid intelligitur per quod "angelus sustulerit manum suam ad caelum, et juraverit per Viventem in saecula saeculorum"; similiter ut apud Danielem,
"Audivi Virum indutum linteis, quod sustulerit dextram suam et sinistram suam ad caelos, et juraverit per Viventem in saecula saeculorum" (12:7);
quod nempe sit contestatio coram angelis de statu ecclesiae, quod Divina Veritas esset quae sequitur.
[6] Quoniam ecclesia apud filios Israelis instituta fuit ecclesia repraesentativa, in qua omnia quae mandata fuerunt erant naturalia quae repraesentabant et significabant spiritualia, ideo filiis Israelis, apud quos illa ecclesia erat, concessum fuit jurare per Jehovam et per nomen Ipsius, tum per sancta ecclesiae; per quod repraesentabatur et inde significabatur confirmatio interna, et quoque veritas; ut constare potest ex sequentibus his locis:
- Apud Esaiam,
"Qui benedicit sibi in terra, benedicat sibi in Deo veritatis; et qui jurat in terra, juret in Deo veritatis" (65:16);
apud Jeremiam,
"Jura per vivum Jehovam in veritate, in judicio et in justitia" (4:2);
apud Mosen,
"Jehovam Deum tuum timebis, Illi servies, et in nomine Ipsius jurabis" (Deuteronomius 6:13; 10:20);
apud Esaiam,
"In die illo erunt quinque civitates in terra Aegypti, ... jurantes Jehovae Zebaoth" ( 2
19:18);
apud Jeremiam,
"Si discendo discent vias populi mei, ad jurandum per nomen meum, Vivus Jehovah (12:16);
apud Davidem,
"Gloriabitur omnis jurans per" Deum, "et obturabitur os loquentium mendacium" (Psalms 63:12 [B.A. Psalms 63bbccc[11]);
"jurare per Deum" hic significat loqui veritatem; nam sequitur, "Obturabitur os loquentium mendacium."
(Quod juraverint per Deum, videatur etiam Genesis 21:23, 24, 31; Joshua 2:12; 9:20; Judicum 21:7:1 Regnum 1:17.)
[7] Quoniam concessum fuit antiquis jurare per Jehovam Deum, ideo sequitur quod enorme malum fuerit jurare falso seu in mendacium, ut patet ex his locis:
- Apud Malachiam,
"Ero testis contra praestigiatores, et contra adulteros, et contra jurantes falso" (3:5);
apud Mosen,
"Non jurabis per nomen meum mendacium, ut profanes nomen Dei tui": et, "Ne sumas nomen Dei tui in vanum" ( 3
Leviticus 19:12; Deuteronomius 5:11; Exodus 20:7; Sacharia 5:4);
apud Jeremiam,
"Discurrite per plateas Hierosolymae, et videte.... num sint qui per vivum Jehovam dixerint, utique per mendacium jurant:.... filii tui 4
destruxerunt Me, et juraverunt per non Deum" (5:1, 2, 7);
apud Hoscheam,
"Israel, ... ne juretis, Vivit Jehovah" (4:15);
apud Zephaniam,
"Exscindam.... jurantes per Jehovam, et jurantes per Regem suum, et recedentes a post Jehovam" (1 [4,] 5, 6);
apud Sachariam,
"Non juramentum mendacii amate" (8:17);
apud Esaiam,
"Audite domus Jacobi, .... qui jurant per nomen Jehovae, .... non in veritate, neque in justitia" (48:1);
apud Davidem,
"Mundus manibus et purus corde non effert ad vanitatem animam suam, et non jurat cum dolo" (Psalms 24:4).
[8] Ex his constare potest quod antiquis, qui in ecclesiae repraesentativis et significativis fuerunt, concessum fuerit jurare per Jehovam Deum ut testarentur veritatem, et quod sic per juramentum illud significatum sit quod cogitent verum et velint bonum: imprimis id concessum fuit filiis Jacobi, quoniam illi prorsus externi et naturales homines fuerunt, et non interni et spirituales; et mere externi seu naturales homines volunt veritatem confirmatam et contestatam habere per juramenta; interni autem seu spirituales homines id nolunt, immo aversantur juramenta et horrent ad illa, praecipue ad illa quae fiunt per Deum et per sancta caeli et ecclesiae, contenti quod dicant et quod dicatur hoc verum esse vel ita esse.
[9] Quoniam jurare non est interni seu spiritualis hominis, ac Dominus, cum in mundum venit, docuit internos seu spirituales esse, et ob illum finem, postquam abrogavit externa ecclesiae, et aperuit interna ejus, ideo etiam prohibuit jurare per Deum et per sancta caeli et ecclesiae; ut constare potest ex his Domini verbis, apud Matthaeum,
"Audivistis quod dictum sit, Non jurabis, solves vero Domino juramentum tuum: Ego vero dico vobis, non jurabis omnino; neque per caelum quia thronus Dei est, neque per terram quia scabellum pedum Ipsius est, neque per Hierosolymam quia urbs est magni Regis; neque jurabis per caput tuum, quia non potes unum pilum album vel nigrum facere" (5:33-37);
memorantur ibi sancta, per quae non jurandum est; nempe "caelum", "terra", "Hierosolyma" et "caput"; et per "caelum" intelligitur caelum angelicum, quare vocatur "thronus Dei"; (quod per "thronum Dei" intelligatur id caelum, videatur supra, n. 253, 462, 477) per "terram" intelligitur ecclesia (videatur supra, n. 29, 304, 413, 417); quare vocatur "scabellum pedum Dei"; (quod "scabellum pendum Dei" etiam sit ecclesia, supra, n. 606); per "Hierosolymam" intelligitur doctrina ecclesiae, quare dicitur "urbs magni Dei"; (quod urbs sit doctrina, supra, n. 223): et per "caput" intelligitur intelligentia inde (supra, n. 553, 577 5
) quare dicitur "Non potes unum pilum album vel nigrum facere" per quod significatur quod homo ex se nihil intelligere possit.
[10] Porro, apud eundem,
"Vae vobis, duces caeci, quia dicitis, Quicunque juraverit per templum, nihil est; quicunque vero juraverit per aurum templi, reus est: stulti et caeci, utrum enim majus est, aurum an templum quod sanctificat aurum? Tum, Quicunque juraverit per altare, nihil est; quicunque vero juraverit per donum quod super illo est, reus est: stulti et caeci, utrum majus est, donum an altare quod sanctificat donum? Qui vero juraverit per altare, jurat per id et per omne id quod super illo est; et qui juraverit per templum, jurat per illud et per Ipsum qui habitat in illo; et qui jurat per caelum, jurat per thronum [Dei] , et per Ipsum qui sedet super illo" (23:16-22):
quod "non jurandum sit per templum et per altare" est quia jurare per illa erat jurare per Dominum, per caelum et per eccleSiam; nam per "templum" in supremo sensu intelligitur Dominus quoad Divinum Verum, et in sensu respectivo caelum et ecclesia quoad illud, tum omnis cultus ex Divino Vero (videatur supra, n. 220); et per "altare" significatur Dominus quoad Divinum Bonum, et in sensu respectivo caelum et ecclesia quoad illud, tum omnis cultus ex Divino Bono (etiam supra, n. 391): et quia per Dominum intelliguntur omnia Divina quae procedunt ab Ipso, est enim Ipse in illis et illa sunt Ipsius, ideo qui jurat per Ipsum jurat per omnia Ipsius; similiter qui jurat per caelum et ecclesiam jurat per omnia sancta quae sunt caeli et ecclesiae, nam caelum est complexus et continens illorum, similiter ecclesia; ideo dicitur quod templum sit majus auro templi, quia templum sanctificat illud; et quod altare sit majus dono quod super illo, quia altare sanctificat illud.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.
2. The editors made a correction or note here.
3. The editors made a correction or note here.
4. The editors made a correction or note here.
5. The editors made a correction or note here.