437. 'And the sound of [their] wings was as the sound of the chariots of many horses running to war' signifies their reasonings as if they were derived from the truths of a doctrine out of the Word fully understood, for which they must fight ardently. A 'sound of wings' signifies reasonings because 'to fly' signifies to perceive and instruct (n. 245, 415); 'chariots' signify doctrinal things, concerning which something follows; 'horses' signify the understanding of the Word (n. 298), and 'many horses' a full understanding. That 'running to war' signifies ardour for fighting is plain. That 'a chariot' signifies a doctrine is established from these passages:-
The chariots of God are two myriads, thousands of peaceful ones, the Lord is in them Ps. lxviii 17 [H.B. 18].
Jehovah makes the clouds His chariots, He walks upon the wings of the wind Ps. civ 2, 3.
Jehovah, Thou dost ride upon Thy horses, Thy chariots are safety Hab. iii 8.
Behold, Jehovah will come in fire, and His chariots like a whirlwind Isa. lxvi 15.
You shall be satiated upon My table with horse and chariot, thus will I set My glory among the nations Ezek. xxxix 20, 21.
I will cut off the horse out of Ephraim, and the chariot out of Jerusalem Zech. ix 10.
I will overthrow the throne of the kingdoms, I will overthrow the chariot, and those riding in it Hag. ii 22.
Set a watchman who may look, let him declare [what be sees], therefore he saw a chariot, a pair of horsemen, a chariot of a camel, and a chariot of a man, and he said, It has fallen, Babylon has fallen Isa. xxi 6, 7, 9.
Since Elijah and Elisha used to represent the Lord as to the Word, and consequently were signifying doctrine out of the Word, as did all the prophets (n. 8), therefore they were called 'the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof', and therefore Elijah was seen to be taken into heaven in a 'chariot of fire', and round about Elisha there were seen by his boy 'a chariot and horses of fire' (2 Kings ii 11, 12; vi 17; xiii 14); besides other places where 'chariots' [are mentioned], as Isa. xxxi 1; xxxvii 24; lxvi 20; Jer. xvii 25; xxii 4; xlvi 2, 3, 8, 9; l 37, 38; li 20, 21; Ezek. xxvi 7, 8, 10, 11; Dan. xi 40; Nahum iii 1-3; Joel ii 1-5.
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