Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 3956I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness. Thou hast notremembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare(Ezek. 16:7–8, 22);[6] this is said of Jerusalem, by which is meant the ancientchurch, as it was when set up, and as it afterward became, namely,that at first it was without truths, but afterward was instructed inthem, and at last rejected them. Again:If a just man who hath done judgment and justice give his bread tothe hungry, and cover the naked with a garment (Ezek. 18:5, 7);where “to cover the naked with a garment” denotes to instruct intruths those who desire them. In Hosea:Lest I strip her naked, and show her as in the day that she wasborn, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a land of drought,and slay her with thirst (Hos. 2:3);where “stripping naked” denotes to deprive of truths. In Nahum:I will show the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thyshame (Nah. 3:5);where “showing the nations the nakedness” denotes to show theugliness; for all ugliness is from want of truths, and all beauty isfrom truths (n. 4985, 5199).5434. And they said unto him, Nay my lord, we are upright. Thatthis signifies that they are truths in themselves is evident from thesignification of “saying to him, Nay my lord” as being that they didnot come to seek gain, which is signified by Joseph’s words, “Ye arespies” (see n. 5432), and that it was not the case that they wouldlike nothing better than to know in themselves that there are notruths as is signified by Joseph’s words, “To see the nakedness ofthe land ye are come” (n. 5433); and from the signification of “weare upright,” as being that they are truths in themselves; for in theinternal sense “upright” signifies truth, in this as in many otherpassages of the Word. This meaning—that they are truths in