Illustration of the Spiritual Sense of the Word

Selection from The Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
The Parable of the Ten Virgins

The Lord when He was in the world spoke by correspondences, and thus both spiritually and naturally at the same time, may appear from His parables, in which every single expression contains a spiritual sense. Take for example, the parable of the ten virgins. He said:

The kingdom of the heavens is like unto ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise. Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying (A.V. Not so) lest there be not enough for us and you; but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came: and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage; and the door was shut. Afterwards came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said; Verily I say unto you, I know you not. (Matt. 25:1-12)

That in every part of this parable there is a spiritual sense, and consequently a Divine holiness, none can see but those who know that there is a spiritual sense, and are acquainted with the nature of it.

In the spiritual sense:
• by the kingdom of God is meant heaven and the Church;
• by the bridegroom, the Lord;
• by the wedding, the marriage of the Lord with heaven and the Church by means of the good of love and of faith;
• by the virgins are meant those who belong to the Church;
• by ten are meant all:
• by five a certain part;
• by lamps are meant the truths of faith, and by oil, the good of love;
• by sleeping and waking are meant the natural life of man in the world, and his spiritual life after death;
• by buying is meant to procure for themselves;
• by going to those that sell, and buying oil, is meant to procure for themselves after death the good of love from others. Because this can no longer be acquired after death, therefore, although they came to the marriage door with their lamps and the oil they had purchased, still the bridegroom said to them, "I know you not". This is because man, after his life in the world, remains such as he had been in the world.

From these things it is evident that the Lord spoke by pure correspondences, and this because He spoke from the Divine that was in Him and was His own.

• the bridegroom signifies the Lord, the kingdom of the heavens, the Church;
• the wedding signifies the marriage of the Lord with the Church by means of the good of love and of faith;
• virgins signify those who belong to the Church;
• by ten are meant all;
• by five a certain part;
• sleeping means a natural state, buying, procuring for themselves;
• the door means entrance into heaven;
• not to know, when spoken by the Lord, not to be in His love;

All this may appear from many passages in the prophetic Word, where these expressions have a similar signification.

Because virgins signify those who belong to the Church, therefore, in the prophetic Word is there such frequent mention of virgin, and daughter of Zion, of Jerusalem and of Israel, and because oil signifies the good of love, that all the holy things of the Israelitish Church were anointed with oil. The case is the same with the other parables, and with all the words spoken by the Lord and recorded in the Evangelists. For this reason the Lord declares that

His words are spirit and life. (John 6:63)

It is the same with all the Lord's miracles. These were Divine because they signified the various states of those with whom the Church was to be established by the Lord. Thus, when the blind received sight, it signified that those who were in ignorance of truth should receive understanding; when the deaf received hearing, it signified that those who had previously heard nothing concerning the Lord and the Word, should hear and obey; when the dead were raised, it signified that those who otherwise would have spiritually perished, should become alive; and so on. This is meant by the Lord's reply to the disciples of John when he sent them to inquire whether it was He who should come:

Go and tell John those things which ye do hear and see:
The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them. (Matt. 11 3-5)

Moreover, all the miracles recorded in the Word contain within them such things as relate to the Lord, to heaven and to the Church. On this account these miracles are Divine, and are distinguished from miracles not Divine. These few examples may serve to illustrate what the spiritual sense of the Word is, and to show that it is present in the whole of the Word, in general and in particular.

(Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture 17)