Doctrine of Holy Scripture - Swedenborg Foundation

DOCTRINE OF HOLY SCRIPTURE 228thee, O covering cherub, in the midst of the stones of fire (Ezek. 28:12–14,16).“Tyre” signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of truthand good, and therefore its “king” signifies the Word, in which andfrom which are these knowledges. It is evident that the Word in itsultimate, which is the sense of the letter, is here signified by thatking, and also that a guard is signified by a “cherub,” for it is said,“thou sealest up the measure; every precious stone was thycovering”; and “thou, O cherub, art the outspreading of that whichcovereth”; and also “O covering cherub.” That the “preciousstones” mentioned in this passage mean truths of the literal sense ofthe Word may be seen above (n. 45). As “cherubs” signify what isultimate of Divine truth as a guard, it is said in David:Jehovah bowed the heavens also and came down; and he rode upon acherub (Ps. 18:9–10).O Shepherd of Israel, thou that sittest upon the cherubim, shine forth (Ps.80:1).Jehovah sitteth upon the cherubim (Ps. 99:1).To “ride upon cherubs” and to “sit upon them” means upon theultimate sense of the Word.[5] Divine truth in the Word, and the quality of it, are describedby the cherubs in the first, ninth, and tenth chapters of Ezekiel; butas no one can know what is signified by the several particulars ofthe description of them, except one to whom the spiritual sense hasbeen opened, it has been disclosed to me what in brief is signifiedby all the things said about the cherubs in the first chapter ofEzekiel, which are as follows:The external Divine sphere of the Word is described (Ezek. 1:4);It is represented as a man (Ezek. 1:5);And conjoined with spiritual and celestial things (Ezek. 1:6);