Like many verbs, the spiritual meaning of “bearing” something depends greatly on context – what it is that’s being borne, and why. It is further complicated by the fact that “bearing” something can (in ordinary use) mean anything from putting up with an annoyance to the miracle of pregnancy and birth.
Child-bearing being what it is, the internal meaning of “bearing” in that context seems to be particularly important, and sheds some light on other uses.
Children, according to Swedenborg, represent having new spiritual ideas or new spiritual affections and “acknowledging” them “in action as well as in faith.” So it’s not just thinking about a new idea or feeling good about something, it’s actually going out and doing something about it, making it real.
That makes sense if we think about childbirth — when a child is born, it goes from something held inside the mother’s body and kept alive through the mother’s body to something completely separated from the mother, breathing on its own and eating on its own, with its own life. The love shared between the mother and father has become something new that exists as itself in the world.
In a general sense, other uses of “bear” also indicate an active and supportive approach to spiritual things, with actual works being done in pursuit of spiritual issues of various sorts.
Passages from Swedenborg
Apocalypse Explained (Tansley) n. 99
- And that thou canst not bear them that are evil. That this signifies that they reject evils, is evident from the signification of not being able to bear, as being to reject, for what a man cannot bear, he rejects.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 10621
- ‘Bearing iniquity, transgression, and sin’ means shifting evil and its falsity away in order that it may not be apparent. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bearing’ or taking away as moving or shifting something in order that it may not be apparent, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘iniquity, transgression, and sin’ as evils. And since evils are meant, so are the falsities that go with them; for every evil is wedded to its own falsity. But as for what kind of evil is meant by ‘iniquity’, what kind by ‘transgression’, and what kind by ‘sin’, see 9156. The reason why ‘bearing’ evil or taking it away means shifting it in order that it may not be apparent is that evils present in a person cannot be taken away from him, only shifted in order that they may not be apparent; and when they have been shifted they are thought to have been taken away from that person. Therefore the literal sense of the Word speaks of their having been taken away and completely banished. For the fact that they are merely moved or shifted in order that they may not be apparent, see in the places referred to in 10057(end).
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 2208
- ‘Shall I really, in truth, bear a child’ means its amazement that the rational was to become Divine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bearing’ here in the internal sense, namely this: Since the Lord’s Divine Rational is represented by ‘Isaac’, as stated already and as will be evident from what follows, so ‘bearing’ here means Isaac, that is, the Rational in that it was to become Divine, which rational truth, represented by ‘Sarah’, was not able to comprehend.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6393
- ‘And he will bend his shoulder to bear a burden’ means that nevertheless he makes every effort. This is clear from the meaning of ‘shoulder’ as all power or every effort, dealt with in 1085, 4971-4937; and from the meaning of ‘bearing a burden’ as performing works so as to earn merit. Consequently ‘bending the shoulder to bear a burden’ means making every effort at performing works in order to earn merit. The reason this is described as ‘bearing a burden’ is that such people do good not out of an affection for good, thus not in freedom, but out of a selfish affection, which is servitude, 6390.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 1568
- That ‘the land was unable to bear them, that they might dwell together’ means that the things which belonged to the celestial internals could not remain together with the former ones, that is to say, with those things meant here by ‘Lot’, is evident from the following considerations: ‘Abram’, as has been stated, represents the Lord, and at this point His Internal Man, while ‘Lot’ represents the external, and at this point the things that had to be separated from the external Man, with which things internals could not dwell together.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 9850
- ‘And Aaron shall bear their names before Jehovah on his two shoulders for remembrance’ means a representative sign of the Divine preservation of good and truth for evermore, out of mercy. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bearing (or carrying) on two shoulders’ as the Divine preservation of good and truth, dealt with in 9836; from the meaning of ‘the names of the sons of Israel’ as forms of good and truths, the entire essential nature of them, dealt with in 9842; and from the meaning of ‘remembrance’, when attributed to the Lord, as mercy, dealt with immediately above in 9849. The fact that a representative sign of such things is meant is self-evident.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 3915
- ‘And let her bear [a child] upon my knees’ means acknowledgement by the affection for interior truth, in which affection the joining begins. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bearing’ as acknowledging in action as well as in faith, dealt with above in 3905, and from the meaning of ‘the knees’ or the thighs as things which belong to conjugial love, dealt with in 3021, and so to things to do with the joining of the truth of faith to the good of love, since this joining of truth and good is the fundamental marriage in the Lord’s kingdom. Thus ‘bearing upon my knees’ means an acknowledgement of interior truth represented by ‘Rachel’. The custom among the ancients of acknowledging as legitimate sons and daughters those who, with the consent of the wife, were borne by servant- girls, and who were born upon their [wives’] knees so that they would be acknowledged as such, was a custom that derived from the Ancient Church whose worship consisted in religious practices which were representatives and meaningful signs of celestial and spiritual things. Since ‘bearing’ meant the acknowledgement of truth, and ‘knees’ conjugial love, and so the joining of good and truth from affection, such a practice was followed in that Church when a wife was childless, to prevent her representing the dead who do not rise again to life, in accordance with what was stated just above in 3908.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 3905
- ‘Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob [any children]’ means that interior truth was not yet acknowledged. This is clear from the representation of ‘Rachel’ as the affection for interior truth, or as interior truth itself, dealt with in 3758, 3782, 3793, 3819; from the meaning of ‘bearing’ as acknowledging in action as well as in faith, dealt with below; and from the representation of ‘Jacob’ as the good of natural truth, dealt with in 3669, 3677, 3829, and in the whole of the previous chapter. The reason why ‘bearing’ means acknowledging in action as well as in faith is that births in the Word mean spiritual births, 1145, 1255, 3860, 3868. Spiritual birth is the acknowledgement of and faith in truth and good, in this verse acknowledgement in action as well as in faith, that is to say, an acknowledgement of the interior truth represented by ‘Rachel’. Since something is not acknowledged in faith until a person is living according to it the phrase ‘acknowledgement in action as well as in faith’ is therefore used. Truths of faith which are not learned for the sake of putting them into action but solely for the sake of knowing them attach themselves to affections for evil and falsity, and as a consequence are not the truths of faith with the person who learns them but within him go against faith.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 8719
- ‘And roll down [the burden] from upon yourself, and let them bear [it] with you’ means thus assigning them functions and duties. This is clear from the meaning of ‘rolling down from upon yourself’ as delegating also to others; and from the meaning of ‘bearing with him’ as being of assistance to. The reason why these words mean thus assigning them functions and duties is that in everything generally and specifically done by Him the Lord acts both directly from Himself and indirectly through heaven. He acts indirectly through heaven not because He needs their help but in order that the angels there may have functions and duties, and therefore life and happiness in keeping with the duties and services they perform. This accounts for the appearance to them that they act independently; yet they perceive that what they do comes from the Lord. These are the things which are meant by the advice that Moses should roll down [the burden] from upon himself, and that the rulers, who were to judge small matters, shouldbear [it] with him. Regarding the Lord’s inflowing not only directly but also indirectly, not merely into the first levels of order but also into the middle and lowest levels, see 6982, 6985, 6996, 7004, 7007.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 9309
- ‘For he will not bear your transgression’ means because those falsities are repugnant to truths springing from good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘transgression’ as things which are contrary to the truths of faith, dealt with in 9156, thus which are repugnant to truths springing from good, which the truths of faith are. The reason why truths springing from good are the truths of faith is that faith goes together with good, so much so that it cannot exist except where good does. Consequently ‘not bearing your transgression’ means not putting up with falsities arising from evil because they are repugnant to truths springing from good.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 8764
- ‘And [how] I bore you on eagles’ wings’ means and that as a result they were raised by means of truths to heavenly light. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bearing someone on eagles’ wings’ as being raised on high, even to heavenly light; for ‘bearing’ means being raised, ‘wings’ spiritual truths, and ‘an eagle’ the rational in respect of truth (regarding this meaning of ‘eagle’, see 3901); for eagles fly on high. By the visible heaven or sky the ancients understood the angelic heaven. The simple also believed that angels had their home up there, and in addition that since places on high were nearer the sun and stars, heavenly light itself shone there. So it is that ‘being borne on eagles’ wings’ means being taken on high into that light.