The words “ask” and “question” are used a number of different in natural language, and a number of different ways in the Bible. The spiritual meaning of the terms, according to Swedenborg, generally relates to the idea of gathering knowledge or, in some cases, acquiring the desire to do what is good.
When people ask for objects from others – such as when the women of Israel were told to borrow precious things from Egyptian women before the final plague and the flight into the wilderness – it usually means learning the ideas needed to put the desire for good into action (and in that particular case stripping that knowledge away from evil). Asking more general questions means seeking instruction, to bring light to the knowledge you have; at the highest level this rises to the perception of truth arising from the love of the Lord.
When the questions are asked by someone in a higher position of someone in a lower position – a master asking servants, and especially the Lord questioning anyone – it illustrates the Lord perceiving what’s inside us, and helping us to see it as well.
Finally, there are several instances, in the New Testament in particular, where Jesus promises that true believers can have anything they ask for. Swedenborg says this is a spiritual statement: Those who truly believe in and follow the Lord will want only what is spiritually good, will ask only for what is spiritually good, and will get what is spiritually good. Thus they do, indeed, get everything they ask for.
Passages from Swedenborg
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 10548
- ‘And so it was, that everyone asking Jehovah a question went out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp’ means that all instruction regarding the truths and forms of good belonging to the Church and worship was imparted to everyone through the outward sense of the Word, far removed from the external things in which the interest of that nation lay. This is clear from the meaning of ‘asking Jehovah a question’ as receiving instruction regarding the truths and forms of good belonging to the Church and worship, for whenever Jehovah is asked a question it is done for the sake of receiving instruction regarding those things; from the meaning of ‘the tent of meeting’ as the external aspect of the Church and worship, dealt with immediately above in 10547; and from the meaning of ‘outside the camp’ as far removed from the external things in which the interest of that nation lay, also dealt with above, in 10546. From all this it is evident that ‘everyone asking Jehovah a question went out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp’ means that all instruction regarding the truths and forms of good belonging to the Church and worship was imparted through the outward sense of the Word, far removed from the external things in which the interest of that nation lay.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 3179
- ‘And they said, Let us call the girl and ask her personally’ means consent solely of the affection for truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the girl’ as an affection that has innocence within it, dealt with in 3067, 3110, in this case the affection for truth because Rebekah is meant, who is ‘the girl’ before she gives her consent, but ‘Rebekah’ once she has given it, as in what follows immediately after (‘Rebekah’ being the affection for truth, see 3077); and from the meaning of ‘asking her personally’ as perceiving whether it does consent. Thus it is consent solely of the affection for truth that is meant here.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 4889
- ‘And he asked the men of her place’ means that truths were consulted. This is clear from the meaning of ‘asking’ as consulting, and from the meaning of ‘the men’ as truths, dealt with in 265, 749, 1007, 3134, 3309. ‘The men of the place’ means truths connected with the state belonging to the matter, for ‘place’ means state, 2625, 2837, 3356, 3387.
AC 6674
[3] In the same gospel,
If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:13, 14.
And elsewhere,
Whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give it to you. John 15:16, 17; 16:23, 24.
The real meaning here is not that they were to ask the Father in the Lord’s name, but that they were to ask the Lord Himself. For no access lies open to Divine Good, which is the Father, 3704, except through the Lord’s Divine Human, as the various Churches also well know. This being so, asking the Lord Himself is a request made in accordance with the truths of faith; and if the request is indeed made in accord with them it is granted, as He Himself also says in the place in John quoted immediately before – If you askanything in My name, I will do it.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6916
- ‘And let a woman ask of her female neighbour, and of the female guest in her house’ means that everyone’s good will be enriched with such things as are suited to it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a woman as an affection for the good of charity, dealt with in 6014; from the meaning of ‘female neighbour’ as an affection for truth which is present in those who are in possession of factual knowledge; and from the meaning of ‘the female guest in the house’ as an affection for good which is also present in them. And because it was her female neighbour and the female guest in her house whom she was to ask, the truths and forms of good which are nearest to it and so suited to it are meant.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 7770
- ‘And let them ask, a man from his companion and a woman from her companion, vessels of silver and vessels of gold’ means that factual knowledge of truth and of good must be removed from the evil who have belonged to the Church and be assigned to the good who belong to it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘vessels of silver and vessels of gold’ as factual knowledge of truth and of good, ‘silver’ being truth and ‘gold’ good, see 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658, 6112, and ‘vessels’ factual knowledge, 3068, 3079. That knowledge is referred to as vessels of truth and good because it contains them. The assumption is made that the facts which people know about truth or about good are the truths of faith themselves or the forms of the good of faith themselves. But they are not. Affections for truth and good are what compose faith; those affections flow into known facts, which are the appropriate vessels for them. Asking them from the Egyptians is, it is self-evident, taking them away and assigning them to oneself. This is why previously in Chapter 3:22 it says that they were to plunder the Egyptians, and subsequently in Chapter 11[:36] that they despoiled them. The reason why it says that ‘a man was to ask from his companion and a woman from her companion’ is that ‘a man’ has reference to and also means truth and ‘a woman’ has reference to and also means good.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 8081
- ‘And it shall be when your son asks you’ means perception springing from truth that belongs to conscience. This is clear from the meaning of ‘asking’ as knowledge gained by perception, dealt with in 5597, 5800, 6250; and from the meaning of ‘son’ as truth, dealt with in 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373. The fact that perception springing from truth that belongs to conscience is meant is evident from the explanation in 7935, where similar words occur. The expression ‘springing from truth that belongs to conscience’ is used because the conscience of members of the spiritual Church is a conscience composed of truth; for it is acquired from the things taught by the Church which are believed to be truths, whether they are in fact truths or not. But they become matters of conscience when they also become matters of life.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 9174
- ‘And when a man borrows something from his companion’ means truth from a different stock. This is clear from the meaning of ‘borrowing’ as receiving truth from a source other than self, thus from a different stock. The reason why ‘borrowing’ or ‘asking of another’ has this meaning is that in the spiritual world the only forms of good asked of others or imparted by others are ones that belong to intelligence and wisdom. Many other forms, it is true, are presented to view, indeed countless others; but these are appearances arising from those that belong to intelligence and wisdom. From this it is evident that ‘borrowing’ means being taught by another and so receiving truths or knowledge of truth and good from a source other than self.
AE 325
[8] In Mark:
“Jesus said, All things which ye ask in prayer, believe that ye shall receive them, and then it shall be done unto you. When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any” (xi. 24, 25).
Here, also, in the spiritual sense, by praying, desiring, and asking, is meant the life of love and charity; for to those who are in the life of love and charity, it is given from the Lord what they should ask; therefore they ask nothing but what is good, and that is done unto them; and because faith is also from the Lord, therefore, it is said, “believe that ye shall receive them.” And because prayers proceed from the life of charity, and are according to it, therefore, in order that it may be done according to the prayers, it is also said, “when ye stand praying forgive, if ye have ought against any.”
AE 815 [10]
In Matthew:
Jesus said unto the disciples, “If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig-tree; but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. Indeed all things whatsoever ye shallask in prayer, believing” in me “ye shall receive” (xxi. 21, 22).
In Luke:
“If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, and shall say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it shall obey you” (xvii. 6).
That these things are not to be understood according to the words, is evident from this, that it was said to the disciples, that if they had faith as a grain of mustard seed, they would be able to pluck up mountains and sycamine trees, and cast them into the sea; also that all things whatsoever they asked they should receive; when, nevertheless, it is not of Divine Order that every one should receive whatever he asks, if he only has faith; also that they should pluck up a mountain and a tree from their place, and cast them into the sea. But by faith here is meant faith from the Lord; therefore it is called the faith of God. And those who are in faith from the Lordask for nothing but what conduces to the Lord’s kingdom and their own salvation. Other things they do not desire; for they say in their hearts, “Why should we ask for anything that is not of such use?” Wherefore it is not possible to have the faith of God, or faith from the Lord, in asking any thing but what it is granted them from the Lord to ask. Indeed it is impossible for the angels of heaven to desire, and consequently to ask, any thing else; and if they did, they could not possibly believe that they would receive it.
That people who are in the Lord and have the Lord in them possess all the power needed to be able to do whatever they will, the Lord Himself says in John:
He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing…. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. (John 15:5, 7)
Something similar is said about this power in Matthew 7:7, Mark 11:24, Luke 11:9,10. Indeed, we read in Matthew:
Jesus…said…, “…if you have faith…, …if you say to this mountain, ‘Raise yourself up…cast yourself into the sea,’ it will be done. (Indeed,) everything you ask…, believing, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:21, 22)
This describes the power those people have who are in the Lord. They do not wish for and so do not ask for anything that does not come from the Lord; and whatever they wish for and ask from the Lord, this comes to pass, for the Lord says, “without Me you can do nothing. Abide in Me, and I in you.” Such is the power that angels in heaven have, that they have only to wish for something in order to obtain it. But still they wish only for things that may be of useful service, wishing this as though of themselves, but in fact from the Lord.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 5597
- ‘And they said, The man questioned us closely about ourselves’ means the clear perception this had regarding what existed within the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘questioning’ as perceiving another’s thought, dealt with below; and from the representation of the ten sons of Jacob, to whom ‘us’ refers here, as the truths known to the Church which were present in the natural, dealt with in 5403, 5419, 5427, 5458, 5512. The reason ‘questioning’ means perceiving another’s thought is that in heaven all thoughts are communicated, so clearly that no one needs to ask another what he thinks. This is why ‘questioning’ means perceiving another’s thought; for things as they exist on earth become in the internal sense things as they exist in heaven.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 5800
- ‘My lord questioned his servants, saying’ means perception of their thought. This is clear from the meaning of ‘questioning’ as perceiving another’s thought, dealt with in 5597. The reason ‘questioning’ has this meaning is that in the spiritual world or heaven no one needs to ask another what he thinks about the kinds of things for which he – that other person – has an affection, because in that world one person can perceive the thought that flows from another’s affection. Furthermore the internal represented by ‘Joseph’ does not question the external, which ‘Jacob’s sons’ represent, since the external receives its entire existence from the internal. From this too it is evident that ‘questioning’ means the perception of their thought. Also, the Word refers in various places to Jehovah questioning a person, when in fact He knows every single thought in that person. But such references are made to Him because people cannot help believing that their thoughts, being inside them, cannot be known to anyone. This appearance and consequent belief explain why questioning takes place.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6250
- ‘And said, Whose are these?’ means and regarding their origin, that is to say, a perception regarding it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ as perception, dealt with above in 6220; and from the meaning of whose are these?’ as a question regarding their origin. For in the internal sense putting questions denotes knowledge gained by perception, see 2693, 6132.