213. 'And the shame of thy nakedness may not appear' signifies so that the good of celestial love may not be profaned and adulterated. No one can know what 'the shame of nakedness' signifies, unless he knows that the organs (membra) of generation in each sex, which are also called the genitals, correspond to celestial love. That there is a correspondence of man and all his members with heaven, may be seen in the work concerning HEAVEN AND HELL, published at London in the year 1758 (n. 87-102); and that the genital organs (membra) correspond to celestial love, in ARCANA CAELESTIA, also published at London (n. 5050-5062). Since those organs (membra) correspond to celestial love, which is the love of the third or inmost heaven, and a man from his parents is born into loves opposite to that love, it is plain that if he does not acquire for himself from the Lord the good of love and the truths of wisdom, which are signified by 'gold tried in the fire' and by 'white garments', he will make his appearance in the opposite love, which in itself is profane. [2] This is signified by 'uncovering nakedness' and 'making one's shame visible' in the following places:-
Blessed is he who is awake and takes care of his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame Rev. xvi 15.
Daughter of Babel and of Chaldea, sit on the earth, uncover thy hair, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers, let thy nakedness be revealed, and let thy reproach also be seen Isa. xlvii 1-3.
Woe to the city of bloods; because of the multitude of her whoredoms, I will uncover the extremities upon thy faces, and I will show the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy disgrace Nab. iii 1, 4, 5.
Plead with your mother, lest perchance I lay her naked Hos. ii 2-4.
When I have passed by thee, I have covered thy nakedness, and washed thee, and clothed thee, but then thou hast committed whoredom, not remembering thy youth, when thou wast naked and stripped bare; on that account thy nakedness has been revealed Ezek. xvi 6 seq.
Jerusalem has sinned a sin, therefore all despise her, because they have seen her nakedness Lam. i 8.
By 'Jerusalem', of which these things have been said, the Church is understood; and by 'to commit whoredom' is signified to adulterate and falsify the Word (n. 134).
Woe to him who makes his companion drink, making him drunken, that thou mayest look upon his nakedness: drink thou also that thy foreskin may be revealed Hab. ii 15, 16.
[3] He who knows what 'nakedness' signifies is able to understand what is signified by [the statement] that:-
Noah, when drunk from wine, was lying naked in the midst of his tent, and Ham saw and laughed at his nakedness, and Shem and Japheth covered his nakedness, turning away their faces lest they should see it Gen. ix 21-23:
and why it was commanded that:-
Aaron and his sons should not go up by steps upon the altar, lest their nakedness should be revealed Exod. xx 26 [H.B. 23]
as also that:-
They should make for them linen breeches to cover the flesh of their nakedness, and they should be upon them when they were coming near the altar, and that otherwise they should bear iniquity and die Exod. xxviii 42, 43.
By 'nakedness' in these passages the evils into which man is born are signified, which, because they are opposed to the good of celestial love, are in themselves profane, and are not removed except by means of truths and a life in accordance with them. 'Linen' also signifies truth (n. 671). INNOCENCE also is signified by 'nakedness', and also IGNORANCE or GOOD AND TRUTH; innocence by these [words]:-
They were both naked, the man and his wife, and had no cause for shame Gen. ii 25.
Ignorance of good and truth by these:-
This is the fast that I choose, to break bread to the hungry, and when thou seest the naked, to cover him Isa. lviii 6, 7.
Let him give his bread to the hungry, and cover the naked with a garment Ezek. xviii 7.
I was hungry and you gave Me to eat, naked and you clothed Me Matt. xxv 35, 36.
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