As with most common verbs, the spiritual meaning of “crying” or “crying out” (meaning a shout or wail, not weeping) is highly dependent on context. Who is crying out? To whom? Why? Those things greatly affect the meaning of “cry.”
In most cases, though, Swedenborg says crying has to do with speaking falsely, and of the emotions arising from the conflict between truth and falsity. When people cry out in distress it is most often an indication that they are being overwhelmed by false ideas. In other cases – especially regarding more joyful cries – it is a celebration of the triumph of truth.
Passages from Swedenborg
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 2240
- That ‘cry’ is falsity, and ‘sin’ evil, becomes clear from the meaning of ‘cry’ in the Word. The meaning of ‘cry’ as falsity is not seen by anyone unless he knows the internal sense of the Word. The expression occurs several times in the Prophets, and when vastation and desolation are the subject in those places it is said that men ‘wail and cry out’, meaning that goods and truths have been laid waste. In those places a word is used by which in the internal sense falsity is described, as in Jeremiah,
The voice of the cry of the shepherds, and the wail of the powerful ones of the flock, for Jehovah is laying waste their pasture. Jer. 25:36.
Here ‘the cry of the shepherds’ means that they are subject to falsity, which leads to vastation.
[2] In the same prophet,
Behold, waters rising out of the north, they will be a deluging stream, and they will deluge the land and all that fills it, the city and those who dwell in it, and men will cry out and every inhabitant of the land will wail, on the day that is coming to lay waste. Jer. 47:2, 4.
This refers to the desolation of faith which is effected by falsities. ‘A deluging stream’ is falsity, as shown in Volume One, in 705, 790.
[3] In Zephaniah,
The voice of a cry from the fish gate, and a wailing from the second quarter, and a loud crash from the hills. And their wealth will be for plunder, and their houses for desolation. Zeph. 1:10, 13.
Here also ‘a cry’ has reference to falsities that lay waste.
[4] In Isaiah,
On the road to Horonaim they will raise a cry of ruination, for the waters of Nimrim will be desolations, because the grass has withered, herbage is at an end, there are no plants. Isa. 15:5, 6; Jer. 48:3.
Here the desolation of faith is meant, and the climax is described by ‘a cry’.
[5] In Jeremiah,
Judah mourned and her gates languished; the people were in black down to the ground, and the cry of Jerusalem went up. And their illustrious ones sent their lesser ones to the waters; they came to the pits, they found no water, they returned with their vessels empty. Jer. 14:2, 3.
Here ‘the cry of Jerusalem’ stands for falsities, for their finding no water means lack of cognitions of truth – ‘water’ meaning such cognitions, as has been shown in Volume One, in 28, 680, 739.
[6] In Isaiah,
I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; and no more will there be heard in it the voice of weeping nor the voice of a cry. Isa. 65:19.
Here ‘there will not be heard the voice of weeping’ means that there will be no evil, ‘nor the voice of a cry’ that there will be no falsity. The majority of these details cannot be understood, nor thus what is meant by ‘a cry’, from the sense of the letter, but from the internal sense.
[7] In the same prophet,
Jehovah looked for judgement, but behold, rottenness; for righteousness, but behold, a cry. Isa. 5:7.
This also is referring to the vastation of good and truth. Here, as also in various places in the Prophets, a kind of reciprocity is expressed, which is such that one finds evil in place of truth, meant by ‘rottenness’ instead of ‘judgement’, and falsity in place of good, meant by ‘a cry’ instead of ‘righteousness’; for by ‘judgement’ is meant truth and by ‘righteousness’ good, as shown above in 2235.
[8] A similar reciprocity is expressed in Moses when Sodom and Gomorrah are referred to,
From the vine of Sodom comes their vine, and from the fields of Gomorrah their grapes; they have grapes of poison and clusters of bitterness. Deut. 32:32.
Here a similar manner of expression occurs, for ‘the vine’ is used in reference to truths and to falsities, ‘fields and grapes’ to goods and to evils, so that ‘the vine of Sodom’ means falsity derived from evil, and ‘fields and grapes of Gomorrah’ evils derived from falsities. For there are two kinds of falsity, dealt with in Volume One, in 1212, and so also there are two kinds of evil. Both kinds of falsity and evil are meant in this verse by ‘the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah has become great, and their sin has become extremely grave’, as is clear from the fact that ‘cry’ is mentioned first and ‘sin’ second, and ‘Sodom’, which is evil springing from self-love, is referred to first, and ‘Gomorrah’, which is falsity derived from that evil, is referred to second.
Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 2351
- They cried unto Lot and said unto him. That this signifies falsity from evil becoming angry against good, can be seen from the signification of “crying,” and also of “Lot,” and thereby from the feeling that is expressed. That the term “crying” is predicated of falsity, was shown above (n. 2240); and that “Lot” represents the men of the church who are in good, thus good itself (n. 2324). From this and from the feeling of anger expressed in these words, it is evident that they signify falsity from evil becoming angry against good. That there are many kinds of falsity, but in general two, namely, the falsity which is produced from evil, and that which produces evil, may be seen above (n. 1188, 1212, 1295, 1679, 2243).
[2] The falsity from evil, within the church, is especially that falsity which favors evils of life-such as that good, that is, charity, does not make a man of the church, but truth, that is, faith; and that a man is saved howsoever he may have lived in evils during the whole course of his life, provided that when corporeal things are lulled to sleep, as is usual a short time before death, he utters something of faith with apparent affection. This is the falsity which is especially angry against good, and is signified by their “crying to Lot.” The cause of anger is all that which endeavors to destroy the delight of any love. It is called “anger” when evil attacks good, but “zeal” when good reproves evil.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 4779
[3] In Ezekiel,
They will let forth a cry over you with their voice and will cry out bitterly; and they will cause dust to come up over their heads, and will roll themselves in ashes, and will make themselves bald over you, and will gird themselves with sackcloths. Ezek. 27:30, 31.
This refers to Tyre, each action mentioned here being representative of mourning for falsities and evils and so for lost truths and goods. ‘Letting forth a cry and crying out bitterly’ stands for lamentation over falsity or lost truth, 2240; ‘causing dust to come up over the head’ stands for having been condemned on account of evil, 278; ‘rolling themselves in ashes’ for having been condemned on account of falsities; ‘making themselves bald’ for mourning because the natural man has no truth, 3301 (end); ‘girding themselves with sackcloths’ for mourning because the natural man has no good.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 5011
- ‘That she cried out to the men of the house’ means falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a cry’ as falsity, dealt with in 2240, and consequently ‘crying out’ is used in reference to falsity. In the genuine sense ‘the men of the house’ are truths in the service of good, but in the contrary sense they are falsities in the service of evil. The fact that they are falsities which Potiphar’s wife tells the men of the house now, and her husband later on, is evident from what she actually tells them. For the natural truth that is meant here by ‘Potiphar’s wife’ is incapable of telling anything but falsities, which are the opposite of the truth, once outermost spiritual truth, the most external aspect of which can seemingly effect a joining together, has been torn away, see above towards the end of 5008.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 5016
- ‘And I cried out with a loud voice’ means that it was filled with aversion. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a cry’ as speaking falsely, dealt with in 5011, and therefore ‘crying out’ here implies the same. That is to say, false speaking is implied in her crying out to the men of the house for help, meaning that the unspiritual natural truth felt repelled by the spiritual; it is also implied by her assertion that she cried out with a loud voice, meaning that it was filled with aversion to the spiritual.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 5323
[3] Since ‘a cry’ is in a similar way an action which corresponds to a living confession or an acknowledgement that is a product of faith, crying out was also the custom followed by the ancients when an outward sign of such confession or acknowledgement needed to be made. The expression ‘crying out’ is therefore used in various places in the Word when confession and acknowledgement that are the product of faith are referred to, as in the description involving John the Baptist in John,
He bore witness to Jesus and he cried out, saying, This was He of whom I spoke, He who, though coming after me, was before me, for He was before me. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord. John 1:15, 23.
In the same gospel,
They took branches of palm trees, and went to meet Jesus, and cried, Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel! John 12:13.
In Luke,
Jesus said to the Pharisees that if [the disciples] kept silent, the stones would cry out. Luke 19:40.
Because ‘crying out’ meant an acknowledgement that was the product of faith and consequently acceptance rising out of the acknowledgement, one therefore reads several times of the Lord’s crying out, as in John 7:28, 37; 12:44, 45. Also in Isaiah,
Jehovah will go forth as a Mighty Man, as a Man of Wars He will arouse zeal; He will shout aloud, and also will cry out. Isa. 42:13.
In the contrary sense ‘crying out’ means lack of acknowledgement and so aversion, see 5016, 5018, 5027. This usage has reference to falsity, 2240.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 5365
- ‘And the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread’ means the need of good which was felt by truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘crying out’ as the expression of someone enduring pain and grief, and so of someone in need; from the meaning of ‘people’ as truth, dealt with in 1259, 1260, 3295, 3581; from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as the natural, dealt with in 5079, 5080, 5095, 5160; and from the meaning of ‘bread’ as the celestial element of love, and so good, dealt with in 276, 680, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3478, 3735, 3813, 4211, 4217, 4735, 4976. From these meanings it follows that ‘the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread’ means the need of good that was felt by truth in the natural. This meaning seems, it is true, to be remote from the historical sense of the letter. Nevertheless, since people acquainted with the internal sense understand ‘crying out’, ‘the people’, ‘Pharaoh’, and ‘bread’ in no other way than mentioned above, such is the meaning that emerges from those words.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 7119
- ‘Therefore they cry out, saying, Let us go, let us sacrifice to our God’ means that for that reason they give so much thought to such worship. This is clear from the meaning here of ‘crying out’ as thought, for ‘saying’ and ‘speaking’ mean thought, 2271, 2287, 7094, and so therefore does ‘crying out’ (though intense thought with full intention to act is meant by ‘crying out’, which is why the expression ‘so much thought’ is used); and from the meaning of ‘sacrificing to their God’ as worship of the Lord, dealt with in 6905, 7101. But since Pharaoh said that he did not know Jehovah, 7095, 7097, and the Egyptians loathed sacrifices, 1343, and since Moses said that they would be going a three days’ journey away into the wilderness, 6904, 7100, the expression ‘such worship’ is therefore used.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 8353
- ‘And he cried to Jehovah’ means pleas made to the Lord as a result of the grief. This is clear from the meaning of ‘crying’ as calling for help, dealt with in 6801, and also deep grief, 7782, so that pleas made as a result of grief are meant as well – ‘Jehovah’ in the Word being the Lord, see 8261.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 9202
- ‘And if he surely cries out to Me’ means pleading to the Lord for help. This is clear without explanation. The reason why ‘crying out’ is used in the Word to express pleading intensely is that the pleas, even if they are silent, of those whose pleading springs from the heart are heard in heaven as a cry. This happens when people are only thinking, and more so when they breathe a heartfelt sigh. This reality was represented in the representative Church by a crying out, which then came to be a ritual observance among the Jews. The situation is similar with teachers. If they teach from the heart they are heard in heaven as people crying out. Not only thoughts speak in heaven, but more especially affections for what is good and true. I have been led to know from experience that affections speak there, and that if they are fervent they cry out; this however is something which in the Lord’s Divine mercy will be dealt with elsewhere. But affections for what is evil and false are not heard at all in heaven, even though a person may be moved by them to plead and cry out at the top of his voice, while at the same time he presses the palms of his hands tightly together, and raises them together with his eyes towards heaven. Those affections are heard in hell, and also as cries if they are fervent.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 10456
- ‘And he said, It is not the noise of the cry in victory, and it is not the noise of the cry in defeat’ means heaven acting from one side and hell from the other, thus falsity acting against truth, and truth against falsity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the noise of the cry’, or the noise of shouting, as the essential nature of that nation’s interiors, dealt with above in 10454; from the meaning of ‘neither victory nor defeat’ as the indecisive nature of the conflict between falsity and evil and its failure to be resolved. And since all falsity comes from hell and truth from heaven the same words serve to mean that heaven acts from one side and hell from the other. (‘Cry’ means falsity, see 2240, also thought with full intention to act, 7119, and deep grief, 7782.) The words used here describe the condition of that nation’s interiors when hell with them acts against heaven, and heaven acts against hell, thus when they are held between the two, as happened when with their internal closed they were engaged in an outward act of worship. Their internal was closed in order that through outward observances, which were representative of more internal things, there might be contact with heaven, a subject that has been dealt with above.
Apocalypse Revealed (Rogers) n. 471
- And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. (10:3) This symbolizes a grievous lamentation that the church was taken from Him.
That to cry aloud as when a lion roars symbolizes a grievous lamentation over the church, which was taken from Him, is apparent from the explanations in the preceding chapter, where the states of life of people in the church were examined and exposed, states that were lamentable. It is apparent also from the following declaration in this chapter, that the angel swore by Him who lives forever and ever that there should be no more time, which symbolically means that there would be no more church. And in the next chapter as well, that the beast ascending from the bottomless pit killed His two witnesses. Especially is it apparent from the fact that people do not acknowledge the Lord and turn to Him, even though He is God of heaven and earth.
A lamentation over this is what the angel’s roaring like a lion symbolizes; for a lion roars when it sees its enemies and is attacked by them, and when it sees its young or its prey carried off. The same is comparatively the case with the Lord when He sees His church carried off by devils.
Apocalypse Revealed (Rogers) n. 831
- 19:17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God.” This symbolizes the Lord, out of Divine love and so out of Divine zeal, calling all people who have a spiritual affection for truth and think about heaven, and summoning them to the New Church and to conjunction with Himself, thus to eternal life.
The angel standing in the sun means the Lord in His Divine love. The angel means the Lord, and the sun His Divine love. Crying with a loud voice means, symbolically, out of Divine zeal, for a voice or influx coming from the Lord out of Divine love is an expression of Divine zeal, inasmuch as zeal is a characteristic of love.
Apocalypse Revealed (Rogers) n. 885
- That crying is mentioned in the Word in reference to grief over and fear of falsities from hell, and so of being devastated by them, is apparent from the following passages:
…the former distresses shall be forgotten, and…hidden from My eyes…. Then the sound of weeping shall not be heard in her, nor the sound of crying. (Isaiah 65:16, 19)
This, too, is said in reference to Jerusalem, as in the present instance in the book of Revelation.
They are dark upon the land, and the cry of Jerusalem has gone up. (Jeremiah 14:2ff.)
The reference here is to sorrow over falsities that are devastating the church.
(Jehovah) looked for judgment, but behold, scabies; for righteousness, but behold, a cry. (Isaiah 5:7)
The sound of the cry of the shepherds…. For Jehovah is laying waste their pasture. (Jeremiah 25:36)
The sound of a cry from the Fish Gate…, (because) their goods shall become booty, and their houses a desolation. (Zephaniah 1:10, 13)
And so on elsewhere, as in Isaiah 14:31, 15:4-6, 8, 24:11, 30:19, Jeremiah 46:12, 17.
It should be known, however, that crying in the Word is mentioned in reference to every affection of the heart that bursts out. It is consequently the sound of lamentation, of imploring, of supplicating out of grief, of calling to witness, of indignation, of confession, even of exultation.