8369. And seventy palm-trees. That this signifies the goods of truth in like manner, that is, in all abundance, is evident from the signification of "seventy," as being all things in the complex, in like manner as "twelve" (see n. 7973); and from the signification of "palm-trees," as being the goods of the spiritual church, which are the goods of truth; and because by "palm-trees" are signified goods, by them is also signified the affection of good, and the consequent delight, for all delight is from the affection of good. As this was signified by "palm-trees," therefore also palm-trees were employed in holy festivities, as in the feast of tabernacles, according to these words in Moses:
Ye shall take for you in the first day the fruit of a tree of honor, spathes of palm-trees, and a branch of a dense tree, and willows of the torrent; and ye shall be glad before Jehovah your God seven days (Lev. 23:40);
by "the fruit of a tree of honor," is signified celestial good; by "palm-trees," spiritual good, or the good of truth; by "a branch of a dense tree," the truth of memory-knowledge; and by "willows of the torrent," the lowest truths of the natural; thus by these four are signified all goods and truths in their order. [2] That "palm-trees" signified a holy festivity which is from good, is evident also from these words in the following passages:
A great crowd that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming into Jerusalem, took boughs of palm trees, and went forth to meet Him, and cried out, Hosanna: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel (John 12:12, 13). I saw, when behold a great crowd standing before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palms in their hands (Rev. 7:9). The vine hath dried up, and the fig-tree languisheth, the pomegranate, and also the palm-tree, all joy hath dried up from the sons of man (Joel 1:12). The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon (Ps. 92:12);
here "palm-tree" denotes good; and "cedar" truth. [3] As a "palm-tree" signifies good, it also signifies wisdom, for wisdom is of good. This was signified by the palm-trees which together with the cherubs and flowers were carved upon the walls of the temple; for "the temple" signified the Lord Himself, and in the representative sense, heaven (n. 2777, 3720). The "cherubs," the "palm-trees," and the "flowers upon the walls" signified Providence, wisdom, and intelligence, which are from the Lord, thus all things which are of heaven. That these were carved on the walls of the temple, is evident in the first book of Kings:
Solomon carved all the walls of the house round about with openings of carvings of cherubs and palm-trees, and openings of flowers; and upon the two doors of woods of oil he carved carvings of cherubs and of palm-trees, and of openings of flowers, and overlaid them with gold, so that he overspread the gold upon the cherubs, and upon the palm-trees (6:29, 32); by these carvings was represented the state of heaven; by the "cherubs," the Providence of the Lord, thus that from Him are all things (that cherubs denote Providence, see n. 308); by "palm-trees," wisdom, which is of good from the Lord; and by "flowers," intelligence, which is of truth from Him; by the "gold" with which the cherubs and palm-trees were overlaid, was signified the good of love which reigns universally in the heavens. (That "gold" denotes the good of love, see n. 113, 1551, 1552, 5658.) Therefore also where the new temple is treated of in Ezekiel, by which is signified the heaven of the Lord, it is said that cherubs and palm-trees were upon the walls everywhere (41:17, 18, 20, 25, 26).
This page is part of 
© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church