Doctrine of Holy Scripture - Swedenborg Foundation

DOCTRINE OF HOLY SCRIPTURE 179Jewish Church in respect to the Word. For this and no otherreason was it thatThe forty-two children who called Elisha bald were torn to pieces by twoshe-bears (2 Kings 2:23–24).For as before said a “prophet” represented the Word, and“baldness” signified the Word without its ultimate sense.[3] It will be seen in the next chapter (n. 49) that the “Nazirites”represented the Lord in respect to the Word in its ultimates; andtherefore it was an ordinance for them that they should let theirhair grow, and shave off none of it. Moreover the term “Nazirite”in the Hebrew tongue means the hair of the head.It was also an ordinance for the high priest that he should not shave hishead (Lev. 21:10).Likewise for the head of a household (Lev. 21:5).[4] This was why baldness was to them a great disgrace, as isevident from the following passages:On all heads baldness, and every beard shaven (Isa. 15:2; Jer. 48:37).Shame upon all faces, and baldness upon all heads (Ezek. 7:18).Every head made bald, and every shoulder plucked (Ezek. 29:18).I will cause sackcloth to come up upon all loins, and baldness upon everyhead (Amos 8:10).Put on baldness, and shave thee on account of the sons of thy delights, andenlarge thy baldness, for they are gone into exile from thee (Micah 1:16).To “put on baldness” and to “enlarge” it here signifies to falsify thetruths of the Word in its ultimates, for when these are falsified (aswas done by the Jews) the whole Word is destroyed; for theultimates of the Word are its props and supports; indeed, eachword is a prop and a support to its celestial and spiritual truths. As