I saw heaven opened, until I beheld (dum ecce) a white horse, and the One sitting upon it is called the Word of God, and He has upon His raiment and upon His thigh a Name written, King of kings and Lord of lords: and His armies in heaven were following Him upon white horses Rev. xix 11, 13, 14, 16.

[2] That 'a horse' signifies the understanding of the Word can be established further from the following passages:-

Is Thy growing anger against the sea, O Jehovah, that Thou dost ride upon Thy horses? Thy chariot is safety, Thou hast furnished shoes to Thy horses with the sea, the mud of the waters Hab. iii 8, 15.

The hooves of Jehovah's horses are counted as pieces of rock Isa. v 28.

In that day I will smite every horse with astonishment, and its rider with madness, and will smite every horse of the people, with blindness Zech. xii 4.

In that day there shall be upon the bells of the horse, Holiness to Jehovah Zech. xiv 20.

Because God has made her to forget wisdom, neither has imparted intelligence, what time she lifts up herself on high, she laughs at the horse and its rider Job xxxix 17, 18 seq.

I will cut off the horse from Jerusalem, until (contra) he shall speak peace to the nations Zech. ix 10.

At Thy rebuke, O Jehovah*, both the chariot and the horse have fallen asleep Ps. lxxvi 5, 6 [H.B. 6, 7].

I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will overthrow the chariot and those who ride in it, and the horses and their riders shall come down Hag. ii 22.

By Thee will I scatter the kingdom, by Thee will I scatter the horse and its rider Jer. li 20, 21.

Gather yourselves on every side upon My sacrifice, you shall be satisfied upon My table with horse and chariot, thus will I give My glory among the nations Ezek. xxxix 17, 20, 21.

Gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God, and you shall eat the flesh of horses and of those sitting upon them Rev. xix 17, 18.

Dan shall be a viper upon the way, biting the horse's heels, and its rider** shall fall backwards, I wait for Thy salvation, O Jehovah Gen. xlix 17, 18.

Gird on Thy sword, O Mighty One, mount, ride upon the Word of truth (veritas) Ps. xlv 3, 4 [H.B. 4, 5].

Sing unto God, extol the One riding upon the clouds Ps. lxviii 4 [H.B. 5].

Behold Jehovah riding upon a cloud Isa. xix 1, 2.

Sing psalms unto the Lord, riding upon the heaven of the heaven of antiquity Ps. lxviii 33 [H.B. 34].

God rode upon a cherub Ps. xviii 10 [H.B. 11].

Then shalt thou delight thyself in Jehovah, and I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the land Isa. lviii 14.

Jehovah alone did lead him, and made him ride upon the high places of the land Deut. xxxii 12, 53.

I will make Ephraim to ride Hos. x ii.

[3] 'Ephraim' also signifies the understanding of the Word. Since Elijah and Elisha used to represent the Lord as to the Word, they were therefore called 'the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof'. Elisha said to Elijah:-

My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof 2 Kings ii 12;

and king Joash said to Elisha:-

O my father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof 2 Kings xiii 14.

Jehovah opened the eyes of Elisha's boy, and he saw, and behold the mountain was full of horses and fiery chariots around Elisha 2 Kings vi 17.

A 'chariot' signifies a doctrine out of the Word, and a 'horseman' the wisdom therefrom. Similar things are signified by:-

The four chariots coming out from between the mountains of bronze, and by the four horses harnessed to them, which were red, black, white, and grizzled, which are also called four spirits, and are said to have gone forth from standing beside the Lord of the whole earth Zech. vi 1-8, 15.

By 'horses' in these places is signified the understanding of the Word, or the understanding of truth out of the Word; equally so in other places. [4] This can be further established from 'horses' mentioned in the opposite sense, in which they signify the understanding of the Word and of truth falsified by reasonings, and destroyed likewise, also one's own intelligence, as in the following:-

Woe to those going down to Egypt for help; and they lean upon horses, and look not unto the Holy One of Israel, for Egypt is man and not God, and the horses thereof are flesh and not spirit Isa. xxxi 1, 3.

Thou shalt set a king over Israel, whom Jehovah shall choose, only let him not multiply horses to himself, lest he lead the people back into Egypt, so that he may multiply horses Deut. xvii 14-16.

These things were said because by 'Egypt' is signified knowledge and reasoning out of one's own intelligence, whence there is a falsification of the truth of the Word, which here is 'a horse'.

Asshur will not preserve us, we will not ride upon a horse Hos. xiv 3 [H.B. 4].

Some [trust] in chariots, and some in horses, but as for us we shall glory in the Name of our God Ps. xx 7, 8 [H.B. 8, 9].

A horse is a lying creature (mendacium) for safety Ps. xxxiii 17.

Jehovah delights not in the strength of the horse Ps. cxlvii 10.

The Holy One of Israel says, In confidence shall be your strength, but you said, No, we will flee upon a horse, and we will ride upon a swift one Isa. xxx 15, 16.

Jehovah will set Judah as a horse of glory; the riders on horses shall be ashamed Zech. x 3-5.

Woe to the city of bloods, all full of lying, and the horse neighing, and the chariot leaping, the horseman making to mount Nah. iii 1-4.

I will bring against Tyre the king of Babel with horse and with chariot and with horsemen, by reason of the abundance of the horses their dust shall cover thee, by reason of the voice of the horseman and the chariot thy walls shall be shaken, with the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets Ezek. xxvi 7-11.

By 'Tyre' is signified the Church as to cognitions of truth, here cognitions falsified therein, which are 'horses of Babel'; besides in other places, as Isa. v 26, 28; Jer. vi 22, 23; viii 16; xlvi 4, 9; l 37, 38, 42; Ezek. xvii 15; xxiii 6, 20; Hab. i 6, 8-10; Ps. lxvi 11, 12. The understanding of the Word destroyed is also signified by the red, black, and pale 'horse' in the things now following. That 'horse' signifies the understanding of truth out of the Word is on account of appearances in the spiritual world. This may be seen in the little work concerning THE WHITE HORSE. * So in the Original Edition; but Hebrew and AE 355:11 have 'O God of Jacob'. ** Reading eques instead of equus (horse).