Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 487The Lord will make bald the crown of the head of the daughters ofZion, and Jehovah will make naked their buttocks (3:17).“The daughters of Zion” signify the celestial church and the thingsof that church, but here that church perverted. “The crown of theirhead which shall be made bald” signifies intelligence of which thechurch shall be deprived; and “the buttocks which shall be madenaked” signify the love of evil and falsity.[8] In Nahum:Woe to the city of bloods; it is all full of lies and rapine, because ofthe multitude of her whoredoms. I will uncover thy skirts upon thyfaces; and will show the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thydisgrace (3:1, 4, 5).“The city of bloods” signifies the doctrine of falsity which offersviolence to the good of charity.[9] In Habakkuk:Woe unto him that maketh his companion drink, also making himdrunken; that thou mayest look on their nakednesses; drink thou also,that thy foreskin may be uncovered (2:15, 16).“To make a companion drink, and drunken,” signifies to so imbueone with falsities that he does not see the truth; “to look onnakednesses” means so that falsities which are of the understandingand evils which are of the will are seen; “that the foreskin may beuncovered” means so that filthy loves are seen. (That “to drink” isto be instructed in truths, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3069, 3772,4017, 4018, 8562, 9412; in the contrary sense, therefore, it meansto be imbued with falsities. That “to be made drunken” means tobecome insane from falsities, thus not to see truths, n. 1072; “that“the foreskin” signifies corporeal and earthly loves, n. 4462, 7045.)From this it can be seen what is signified by:Noah’s drinking wine and becoming drunken, so that he lay nakedin the midst of his tent, and that Ham laughed at the nakedness of his