Thanks to science, we now understand that hearing actually happens in the brain, not the ears. The ears collect vibrations in the air and turn them into electrical signals which are sent via nerves to the brain; the brain sorts and interprets the signals and conveys them an interpretation of their meaning to the conscious mind. Of course, this all happens instantaneously and without our awareness; we just hear sounds, voices, language, car horns, train whistles, chirping crickets, whatever. Our brains also do a marvelous job of sorting the sounds and assigning value: A new mother who lives near train tracks may barely hear the train whistle, but is instantly alert at her baby’s quietest whimper.
It makes sense, then that, according to Swedenborg, “hearing” in the Bible means more than just the collection of atmospheric vibrations; it represents receiving and understanding new ideas, particularly those from the Lord. And on a deeper level it represents obedience, because we must understand to obey. This also is reflected in natural language, in which we often use “hear” to mean “obey.”
There are many shades of meaning beyond that, depending on context – who is hearing whom and what the subject at hand is.
Passages from Swedenborg
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 1707
1707. That ‘Abram heard that his brother had been taken captive’ means that the Interior Man perceived the nature of the state of the External Man is clear from the meaning of ‘Abram’ in the previous verse as the Interior Man to which the Internal or Divine Man was joined; from the meaning of ‘Lot’ as the External Man, as shown already; and also from the meaning of ‘hearing that his brother had been taken captive’ as perceiving the nature of its state, namely, as stated in verse 12, that – apparent goods and truths had possession of it.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 2542
2542. ‘And spoke all these words in their ears’ means an exhortation made to confirmations from this source, even until they should become obedient. This becomes clear from the train of thought in the internal sense, and also from the meaning of ‘ears’.
From the train of thought: There are many matters of a confirmatory nature that lend support to whatever the rational acknowledges; indeed its acknowledgement is due entirely to those confirmatory matters. This is why, when rational concepts are brought into a condition of obedience, an exhortation is made to things that confirm, for these are for ever at hand and so to speak rising up.
From the meaning of ‘ears’: ‘Ears’ in the internal sense of the Word means obedience because of the correspondence that exists between hearing and obeying. Furthermore, this correspondence lies hidden within the very word ‘hearing’, more so in ‘hearkening’. This correspondence has its origin in the next life where those who are obedient and willing belong to the province of the ear. Indeed they correspond to the faculty of hearing itself, an arcanum unknown as yet. But these matters will be seen more easily when correspondence will be dealt with in the Lord’s Divine mercy later on. The fact that ‘ears’ has this meaning becomes clear from very many places in the Word; but for the time being let only the following in Isaiah be quoted,
Make the heart of this people fat and their ears heavy, and plaster over their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and their heart understands. Isa. 6:10.
Here ‘seeing with the eyes’ means understanding, and ‘hearing with the ears’ means perceiving with affection and therefore means obeying. And nothing else is meant when the Lord says,
He who has an ear to hear, let him hear. Matt. 11:15; 13:9, 43; Luke 8:8; 14:35.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 2641
2641. That ‘everyone who hears will laugh for me’ means that all things there will possess this affection is clear from the meaning of ‘hearing’ and of ‘laughing’. In the Word ‘hearing’ has reference to things that are matters of affection, but ‘laughing’ to those that are matters of thought. This becomes clear from very many places in the Word as well as from correspondences, see 2542. Because the subject at present is the affection for celestial truth, the phrase ‘everyone who hears’ is used, by which all things that are matters of affection are meant. For ‘laughing’ means being stirred by an affection for truth or possessing an affection for truth, see 2072, 2216, 2640.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 3163
3163. ‘So it was, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, that he bowed down to the earth to Jehovah’ means the perception of joy in the natural man. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hearing the words’ as perceiving, from the representation of ‘Abraham’s servant’ as in general the natural man insofar as it is subservient to the rational, here to the Divine, dealt with in 3019, 3020, and from the meaning of ‘bowing down to Jehovah’ as rejoicing, dealt with in 2927, 2950, 3118.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 3507
3507. ‘Rebekah was listening to Isaac while he spoke to [Esau] his son’ means the affection for truth and the life from that affection. This is clear from the representation of ‘Rebekah’ as the Lord’s Divine Rational as regards Divine Truth joined to Divine Good there, and so as the affection itself for truth; and from the meaning of ‘listening to Isaac while he spoke’ as the life from that affection. For in the internal sense ‘listening to someone speaking’ means influx, and it does so because in the representative sense ‘listening to’ means being obedient, 2542, and ‘speaking’ means willing and flowing in, 2626, 2952, 3037; so that in the highest sense ‘listening to someone speaking’ is the life from that affection, that is to say, the life of Divine Truth received from Divine Good.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 3869
3869. ‘For Jehovah has heard’ means in the highest sense providence, in the internal sense the will of faith, in the interior sense obedience, in the external sense the sense of hearing – faith in the will which is received from the Lord alone being meant here. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hearing’. As regards ‘hearing’ meaning the sense of hearing, this needs no explanation; but that ‘hearing’ in the interior sense means obedience and in the internal sense faith in the will, this is clear from the many places in the Word that are referred to below. The same is clear also from the nature of the sense of hearing when compared with that of sight. Sight in the interior sense means the understanding and in the internal sense faith in the understanding, see 3863; and the reason why it has these meanings is that the essential nature of things comes to be seen by means of one’s internal sight and with the aid of this comes to be grasped by a kind of faith, though such as exists only in the understanding. When however things that are heard penetrate to the interior parts they too are converted into something similar to sight, for things that are heard are then seen interiorly. Consequently that which is meant by the sense of sight is also meant by the sense of hearing; that is to say, that which is of the understanding and also that which is of faith is meant. But the sense of hearing at the same time convinces a person that the thing is true, for it has an influence not only on the understanding part of a person’s mind but also on the will part, and so reaches more interiorly. That is to say, it reaches the will and causes that person to will that which he sees. This is why ‘hearing’ means the understanding of a thing and at the same time obedience, and why in the spiritual sense it means faith in the will.
[2] It is because these two – obedience, and faith in the will – lie thus within ‘hearing’ that these attributes are also meant in everyday speech by the phrases hearing, listening to, and paying attention to; for a person who ‘hears’ is one who is obedient, and ‘listening to’ somebody also means obeying him. For those entities which exist interiorly within something are sometimes included within the actual expressions a person uses when he speaks. These occur there because it is a person’s spirit which thinks and which grasps the meaning of the expressions used by others when they speak; and his spirit is in a way in contact with spirits and angels among whom the first beginnings of verbal expressions exist. What is more, the whole range of man’s experience is such that whatever enters in through the ear and eye, or hearing and sight, passes into his understanding, through the understanding into the will, and from the will into deed. So it is with the truth of faith. This first becomes the truth of faith present within knowledge, then the truth of faith within the will, and finally the truth of faith in deed, and so finally charity. Faith within knowledge or the understanding is meant by ‘Reuben’, as has been shown; faith in the will by ‘Simeon’; and faith in the will when it becomes charity by ‘Levi’.
[3] As regards ‘hearing’ in the highest sense meaning providence, this may become clear from what has been stated above in 3863 about ‘seeing’ in the highest sense meaning foresight, for the Lord’s foresight is a seeing from eternity to eternity that a thing is so, whereas His providence is a governing that that thing should be so and a bending of a person’s freedom towards good insofar as He foresees that that person is going to allow himself in freedom to be bent towards it, see 3854.
[4] That ‘Jehovah heard’, the phrase from which Simeon received his name, in the interior sense means obedience, and in the internal sense faith in the will acquired from the Lord alone, is evident from very many places in the Word, such as the following: In Matthew,
Behold, a voice from the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear Him. Matt. 17:5.
‘Hearing Him’ stands for possessing faith in Him, and obeying His commandments, and so possessing faith in the will. In John,
Truly, truly, I say to you, that the hour will come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. Do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice. John 5:25, 28.
‘Hearing the voice of the Son of God’ stands for possessing faith in the Lord’s words, and willing them. People who possess faith that is part of the will receive life, and that is why the words ‘those who hear will live’ are used.
[5] In the same gospel,
The one entering by the door is the shepherd of the sheep; to him the gate- keeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:2, 3, 16, 27.
‘Hearing the voice’ plainly stands for obedience resulting from faith that is part of the will. In the same gospel,
Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice. John 18:37.
Here the meaning is similar. In Luke,
Abraham said to him, They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them. If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets neither will they be persuaded if someone rose from the dead. Luke 16:29, 31.
‘Hearing Moses and the Prophets’ stands for knowing things contained in the Word and possessing faith in it, and so also willing those things. For possessing faith without willing is seeing but not hearing, whereas possessing faith together with willing is seeing and hearing. This is why both – seeing and hearing – are mentioned together in various places throughout the Word, seeing meaning that which is portrayed through ‘Reuben’ and hearing that which is portrayed through ‘Simeon’, since the two are joined together like brother to brother.
[6] The fact that seeing and hearing are referred to jointly is clear from the following places: In Matthew,
Therefore I speak to them in parables, because those who see do not see, and those who hear do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says, By hearing you will hear and not understand, and seeing you will see and not discern. This people’s heart has become gross, and with ears they have heard in a dull manner, and their eyes they have closed, lest perhaps they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and with their heart understand. But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it. Matt. 13:13-17; John 12:40; Isa. 6:9.
In Mark,
Jesus said to the disciples, Why do you discuss the fact that you have no loaves? Are you still without understanding and do not understand? Do you still have your heart hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? Mark 8:17, 18.
[7] In Luke,
To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but for everyone else in parables, that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not hear. Luke 8:10.
In Isaiah,
The eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be opened. Isa. 35:5.
In the same prophet,
Then on that day the deaf will hear the words of the book, and out of thick darkness and out of darkness the eyes of the blind will see. Isa. 29:18.
In the same prophet,
Hear, you deaf, and look and see, you blind. Isa. 42:18.
In the same prophet, Bring forth the blind people, who will have eyes, and the deaf, who will have ears. Isa. 43:8.
In the same prophet,
The eyes of those who see will not be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. Isa. 32:3.
In the same prophet, Let your eyes be looking at your teachers, and let your ears hear the word. Isa. 30:20, 21.
In the same prophet,
He who stops his ear lest it hears of blood, and shuts his eyes lest they see evil, will dwell on the heights. Isa. 33:15, 16.
In Ezekiel,
Son of man, you are dwelling in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see but they do not see, who have ears to hear but they do not hear. Ezek. 12:2.
In these places both seeing and hearing are mentioned because one follows the other. That is to say, faith in the understanding, meant by ‘seeing’, is followed by faith in the will, meant by ‘hearing’. Otherwise it would have been sufficient to mention only one. From this it is also evident why one son of Jacob was named from the expression ‘seeing’ and the other from ‘hearing’.
[8] The origin of ‘seeing’ meaning faith within knowledge or the understanding, and ‘hearing’ faith within obedience or the will rests in correspondences in the next life and in meaningful signs based on these. People who have understanding and faith resulting from that understanding belong to the province of the eye, and those who are obedient and have faith resulting from that obedience belong to the province of the ear. The truth of this will be seen from what, in the Lord’s Divine mercy, is going to be shown at the ends of chapters concerning the Grand Man and the correspondence with it of everything in the human body.
[9] So it is then that ‘the eye’ in the internal sense means the understanding, see 2701, and ‘the ear’ obedience. And in the spiritual sense ‘the ear’ means faith resulting from obedience, or faith in the will, as is also clear from the following places: In Isaiah,
Even so, you have not heard, even so, you have not known; even so, from that time your ear has not opened itself. Isa. 48:8.
In the same prophet,
The Lord Jehovih will arouse my ear to hear like those who are being taught. The Lord Jehovih opened my ear, and I was not rebellious. Isa. 50:4, 5.
In the same prophet,
Attend diligently to Me, and eat what is good, that your soul may delight in fatness; incline your ear and come to Me; hear, that your soul may live. Isa. 55:2, 3.
In Jeremiah,
To whom am I to speak and testify, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot listen. Jer. 6:10.
In the same prophet,
This I commanded them, saying, Hear My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people. But they did not hear, nor did they incline their ear. Jer. 7:23, 24, 26
In the same prophet,
Hear, O women, the word of Jehovah, and let your ear receive the word of His mouth. Jer. 9:20.
In the same prophet,
You did not incline your ear, and you did not obey Me. Jer. 35:15.
In Ezekiel,
Son of man, all My words that I have spoken to you, receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. Ezek. 3:10.
In the same prophet,
I will bring My zeal against you, and they will deal with you in fury. Your nose and your ears they will remove Ezek. 23:25.
‘Removing nose and ears’ stands for removing the perception of truth and good, and the obedience that goes with faith. In Zechariah,
They refused to pay attention, and fumed a stubborn shoulder, and made their ears heavy so that they might not hear, and set their heart adamant, so that they might not hear the law. Zech. 7:11, 12.
[10] In Amos,
Thus said Jehovah, As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs or a piece of an ear, so will the children of Israel in Samaria be rescued, on the corner of a bed and on the end of a couch. Amos 3:12.
‘Rescuing two legs’ stands for rescuing the will for good, ‘a piece of an ear’ for rescuing the will for truth. It may be seen that ‘a piece of an ear’ has this meaning, as has been stated, solely from correspondences in the next life and from the meaningful signs based on these, with which the internal sense of the Word and also the ritual observances in the Israelitish and Jewish Church are in accordance. This explains why, when Aaron and his sons were to be consecrated for their specific function, Moses was commanded among other things to take some of the ram’s blood and to put it on the tip of Aaron’s ear and on the tips of the ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the large toes of their right feet, Exod. 29:20. This ritual act represented the will anointed by faith, into which also as priest he was to be initiated. Anyone can recognize that this ritual act was holy since it was Jehovah who commanded Moses to perform it, and so also that putting blood on the tip of the ear was holy. But what holy thing was meant cannot be known except from the internal sense of the things in the Word, which at this point is that the holiness of faith when applied to the will must be preserved.
[11] The meaning of ‘the ear’ as obedience, and in the internal sense as faith resulting from that obedience, is even more plainly evident from the ritual that was to be observed when a slave did not wish to go free, described in Moses as follows: If a slave or servant-girl did not wish to go free,
His master shall bring him to God, and shall bring him to the door or to the doorpost; and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him for ever. Exod. 21:6; Deut. 15:17.
‘Piercing his ear with an awl at the doorpost’ stands for serving and obeying for ever. In the spiritual sense it stands for having no wish to understand what is true, only a wish to be obedient to it. This, compared with an understanding of what is true, is not freedom.
[12] Since the obedience of faith is meant in the internal sense by ‘the ears’, and being obedient by ‘hearing’, one may see what is meant by the following words spoken by the Lord many times, He who has an ear to hear, let him hear, Matt. 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35; Rev. 2:7, 11, 29; 3:13, 22.
[13] As regards ‘hearing’ in the highest sense meaning providence and ‘seeing’ foresight, this is clear from the following places in the Word in which eyes and also ears are attributed to Jehovah or the Lord; as in Isaiah,
Incline Your ear, O Jehovah, and hear; open Your eyes, O Jehovah, and see. Isa. 37:17.
In Daniel,
Incline Your ear, O my God, and hear; open Your eyes* and see our devastations. Dan. 9:18.
In David,
O God, incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech. Ps. 17:6.
In the same author,
Incline to me Your ear, and save me. Ps. 71:2.
In the same author,
Turn an ear to my prayers, on account of Your truthfulness; answer me, on account of Your righteousness. Ps. 143:1.
In Jeremiah,
O Jehovah, You heard my voice; do not hide Your ear at my sighing, at my cry. Lam. 3:56.
In David,
O Jehovah, do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress; incline to me Your ear; in the day I cry answer me. Ps. 102:2.
[14] It is well known that Jehovah does not have ears or eyes as man does but that some attribute which may be ascribed to the Divine is meant by the ear and the eye, namely infinite will and infinite understanding. Infinite will is providence, and infinite understanding foresight; and it is these that are meant in the highest sense by ear and eye when these are attributed to Jehovah. These considerations now show what is meant in each sense [of the Word] by ‘Jehovah heard’, the phrase from which ‘Simeon’ received his name.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 3921
3921. ‘Rachel said, God has judged me, and also has heard my voice’ in the highest sense means righteousness and mercy, in the internal sense the holiness of faith, in the external sense the good of life. This is clear from the meaning of ‘God’s judging me’, and from the meaning of ‘hearing my voice’. ‘God’s judging me’ means the Lord’s righteousness, as may be seen without explanation, while ‘hearing my voice’ means mercy, as may likewise be seen; for the Lord judges everyone from righteousness, and hears everyone from mercy. He judges from righteousness in that He does so from Divine Truth, and hears from mercy in that He does so from Divine Good. He judges from righteousness those who do not receive Divine Good, and hears from mercy those who do. Yet when He judges from righteousness He does so at the same time from mercy since all Divine righteousness includes mercy within itself, even as Divine Truth includes Divine Good within it. But as these arcana are too deep for brief comment, they will in the Lord’s Divine mercy be explained more fully elsewhere.
[2] The reason why ‘God has judged me, and also has heard my voice’ in the internal sense means the holiness of faith is that faith, which is associated with truth, corresponds to Divine righteousness, and holiness, which is goodness, corresponds to the Lord’s Divine mercy; and in addition to this, judging or judgement is associated with the truth of faith, 2235. And since it is God who is said to have judged, that which is good or holy is meant. From this it is evident that the holiness of faith, at the same time as righteousness and mercy, is meant by these two expressions – ‘God has judged me’ and ‘has heard my voice’. And because the two together mean a single entity they are joined by the words ‘and also’. The reason the good of life is meant in the external sense is also rooted in correspondence, for the good of life corresponds to the holiness of faith. Without the internal sense no one can know what ‘God has judged me, and also has heard me’ means, and this is evident from the consideration that in the sense of the letter the two phrases do not fit together very easily to present one complete and intelligible idea.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 5017
5017. ‘And it happened as he was hearing [me]’ means when it was discerned. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hearing’ as obeying and also discerning. As regards obeying being meant, see 2542, 3869; but the fact that discerning is meant as well is evident from the actual function performed by the ear and consequently from the nature of hearing. The function of the ear is to receive what is spoken by another and to convey this to the general seat of sensation, so that this may discern from what has been conveyed to it the other person’s thought. This is the reason why ‘hearing’ means discerning. The nature of hearing therefore is to carry one person’s utterances expressing his thought to another’s thought, and from there into his will, and from there into actions. This is the reason why ‘hearing’ means obeying. Such are the two functions proper to hearing, and in spoken languages they are distinguished from each other by the expressions ‘to hear someone’, meaning to discern what he says, and ‘to listen to someone or hearken to him, meaning to obey him. The reason hearing has these two functions is that the human being is unable to communicate the contents of his thought and also of his will in any other way; nor can he do other than use reasons to persuade and lead others to do and obey what he wills. From this one may see the circle through which desires and ideas are communicated – from will into thought and thus into speech, then from speech by way of his ear into another’s thought and will. From this one may also see why spirits and angels who correspond to the ear or sense of hearing in the Grand Man are not only ‘discernments’ but also ‘obediences’. As regards their being ‘obediences’, see 4652-4660; and being these they are also ‘discernments’, for the one entails the other.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 5477
5477. ‘And they did not know that Joseph was hearing’ means that the natural light in which those truths dwell does not engender any belief that spiritual light renders all things visible. This is clear from the representation of ‘the sons of Jacob who did not know’ as the truths which the external Church possesses, and so are present in the natural, often dealt with already – from which comes the meaning that the natural light in which those truths dwell does not engender any belief; and from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the celestial of the spiritual, which dwells in spiritual light. But this spiritual light renders truths in the natural visible, and this is meant by ‘Joseph was hearing’; for ‘hearing’ means both obeying and discerning, 5017. Thus spiritual light renders truths in the natural visible; but natural light cannot do the same for truths in the spiritual.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6852
6852. ‘And have heard their cry from before their taskmasters’ means the help of that mercy in opposition to those who wished to compel them to serve. This is clear from the meaning of ‘cry’ as a calling for help, dealt with in 6801; from the meaning of ‘hearing’ as obeying and discerning, dealt with in 5017, though when used in reference to Jehovah or the Lord ‘hearing’ is bringing the help of His mercy to the one calling out for it (the situation with ‘hearing’ is the same as that above in 6851 with ‘seeing’, in that the Lord hears everyone and so brings help to everyone, but each according to his needs. Those who cry out to Him and call for help solely in support of themselves, and so in opposition to others, as the evil are accustomed to do, are also heard by the Lord, but He does not bring them help; and when He does not bring help it is said that He does not hear); and from the meaning of ‘taskmasters’ as those who wish to compel people to serve.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 8361
8361. ‘And do what is right in His eyes’ means a life in keeping with them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘doing what is right’ as leading a life in keeping with what truth dictates; and from the meaning of ‘in Jehovah’s eyes’ as before the Lord, thus in keeping with His commandments, since the Lord is within His commandments when a person leads a life in keeping with them. Also a person who possesses faith in the Lord is said to be ‘in His eyes’. As regards ‘hearing the voice’, its proper meaning is obedience, 2542, 3869, 5017. But when the verb ‘doing’ is used as well, as it is here, ‘hearing’ in that case means faith and ‘doing’ means life, as may be recognized from the Lord’s words in Matthew,
Everyone who hears My words and does them I will liken to a wise man. But everyone hearing My words yet not doing them will be likened to a foolish man. Matt. 7:24, 26.
In Luke,
Everyone who comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like. Luke 6:47.
In the same gospel,
The seed which [fell] on the good earth – these are they who with a simple and good heart hear the Word, keep it, and bear fruit*’ with patience. Luke 8:15.
In the same gospel,
Jesus said, My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it. Luke 8:21.
In these places ‘hearing’ means having perception, understanding, and faith; and ‘doing’ means leading a life in keeping with them. But when ‘hearing’ is used by itself and not together with ‘doing’ it means faith in will and action, thus obedience. The reason why is that what a person hears passes into his inward power of sight which belongs to the understanding; there it is embraced by the will and completes a kind of circle that passes into action. This explains why the actual word ‘hear’, from the nature of the activity it describes, may mean obedience, as in the expression to hear or else hearken to someone, see 4652-4660.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 9311
9311. ‘For if you indeed hear his voice’ means learning and accepting the commandments of faith. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hearing’ as learning and accepting, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘voice’ as the commandments of faith, as above in 9307. In the Word ‘hearing’ means much more than simply hearing with the ear. Besides this it means receiving things in the memory and learning them, also receiving them in the understanding and believing them, and in addition receiving them in obedience and doing them. The reason why all this is meant by ‘hearing’ is that speech heard by the ear passes on into a person’s inner sight, which is the understanding, and so is received within the person. Then what is seen there is either retained, believed, or obeyed, according to how compelling the reasons for it are or else how far the person has been swayed by others. So it is that there is a correspondence of the ear and of hearing with such things in the spiritual world; regarding this, see 4652-4660, 5071, 7216, 8361, 8990.
[2] The fact that ‘hearing’ means receiving things in the memory and learning them, also receiving them in the understanding and believing them, and in addition receiving them in obedience and doing them, is also evident from the following places: In Matthew,
I speak in parables, because those who see do not see, and those who hear do not hear, nor do they understand, that in them may be fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says, By hearing you will hear and not understand, and seeing you will see and not discern. This people’s heart has become gross, and with ears they have heard in a dull manner, and their eyes they have closed, lest perhaps they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and with their heart understand. Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Many prophets and righteous people desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it. Matt. 13:12-17.
In this passage the word ‘hear’ is used with all its meanings; it stands both for learning and for believing, as well as for obeying. ‘Those who hear do not hear’ stands for being taught things and yet not believing them, also for learning them and not obeying them. ‘With ears they have heard in a dull manner’ stands for refusing to learn, believe, and obey. ‘Blessed are your ears, for they hear’ stands for the blessedness that comes as a result of accepting the teachings of faith which concern the Lord and are received through the Word from the Lord.
[3] In John,
He who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep; the sheep hear His voice. Those who were before Me were thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not hear them. Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:2, 3, 8, 16, 27.
‘Hearing His voice’ stands for learning the commandments of faith and accepting them in faith and obedience. The same things are meant by the words the Lord used so many times, He who has an ear to hear, let him hear, Matt. 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35.
[4] The same are also meant in the following places: In Matthew,
Behold, a voice from the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son; hear Him. Matt. 17:5.
In John,
He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. John 3:29.
In the same gospel,
Truly I say to you, that the hour will come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. John 5:25.
‘The dead’ stands for those who do not as yet have spiritual life owing to lack of knowledge of the truth of faith; ‘hearing the voice of the Son of God’ stands for learning the truths of faith and obeying them; ‘living’ stands for being endowed with spiritual life through those truths.
[5] In the same gospel,
He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God. John 8:47.
In the same gospel,
Jesus said, Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice. John 18:37.
In Luke,
Abraham said to the rich man, They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them. Luke 16:29.
In Mark,
They said about Jesus, He has done all things well, for He makes the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak. Mark 7:37.
‘The deaf’ stands for those who have no knowledge of the truths of faith and therefore are unable to live in accordance with them, see 6989. ‘Hearing’ stands for learning, accepting, and obeying them. In John,
When the Spirit of Truth comes He will guide you into all truth; He will not speak from Himself, but whatever He hears He will speak. He will receive from what is Mine. John 16:13, 14.
‘Whatever He hears’ stands for whatever He receives from the Lord. In Matthew,
Everyone who hears My words and does them I will liken to a wise man. But everyone hearing My words yet not doing them will be likened to a foolish man. Matt. 7:24, 26.
And in Luke,
Everyone who comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show [you] whom he is like. Luke 6:47.
‘Hearing His words’ and ‘hearing His sayings’ stand for learning and knowing the commandments of faith which come from the Lord; ‘doing’ stands for living in accordance with them.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 9398
9398. ‘And they said, All that Jehovah has spoken we will do and hear’ means receiving the truth that emanates from the Lord’s Divine Human, and obeying it with heart and soul. This is clear from the meaning of ‘all that Jehovah has spoken’ as truth emanating from the Lord’s Divine Human, dealt with below; from the meaning of ‘doing’ as obeying with the will, thus with the heart, dealt with in 9311, 9385; and from the meaning of ‘hearing’ as obeying with the understanding, thus with the soul, dealt with in 7216, 8361, 9311. Obeying with the heart describes obeying with the will, thus with affection and love, and obeying with the soul describes obeying with the understanding, thus in belief; for ‘the heart’ means will and love, 3883-3896, 7542, 8910, 9050, 9300, and ‘the soul’ means understanding and belief, 2930, 9050, 9281. All this explains why the words ‘we will do and hear’ are used. The reason why ‘all that Jehovah has spoken’ means truth emanating from the Lord’s Divine Human is that all truth emanates from there.
Apocalypse Revealed (Rogers) n. 87
87. “‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'” (2:7) This symbolically means that anyone who understands these things, let him obey what the Divine truth of the Word teaches those who will be members of the New Church, which is the New Jerusalem.
To hear means, symbolically, both to perceive and to obey, because a person pays attention in order to perceive and obey. That both are symbolically meant by hearing is apparent from common speech, in which people speak of hearing someone or something, and of listening to someone or something, the first signifying to perceive, the latter to obey.
To hear has both symbolic meanings owing to correspondence, for the province of the ears in heaven is occupied by people who possess perception and at the same time are obedient.
Since hearing has both symbolic meanings, therefore the Lord says so many times, “He who has an ear to hear, let him hear!” (Matthew 11:15, 13:43; Mark 4:9, 23, 7:16; Luke 8:8, 14:35) And the same command is also addressed to all the churches here, as is apparent from verses 11, 17, and 29 in this chapter, and from verses 6, 13, and 22 in the following chapter.