Like so many common verbs, the meaning of “know” in the Bible is varied and dependent on context. And to a large degree, its spiritual meaning and natural meaning are essentially the same.
It’s interesting, though, that when the thing that is “known” is a fact or something related to objects or events, Swedenborg offers interpretations that are centered on truth, on our knowledge and thought about spiritual things.
On other hand, when the Bible talks about people knowing each other and especially when it talks about the Lord knowing people, the meaning has more to do with states of love, affection, the desire to be good and the desire to do what is good.
This makes sense if you think about it. The things we “know” about events and objects tend strongly to the intellectual — collections of facts along with concepts that weave facts together to find greater meaning. When we really “know” other people, however, what we mean is that we know what kind of person they are, what their motivations are, what they love, what they hate, what makes them tick. Those things are far more important than knowing their parents’ names, where they were born or what year they graduated from school.
Passages from Swedenborg
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 2230
- That ‘for I know him’ means that it is true becomes clear from the meaning of ‘knowing’. Properly speaking, to know a person is to be aware of what he is really like. Similarly whenever some real thing, or whatever else is spoken of as being known, an awareness of its real character is meant. Consequently ‘to know’ goes together with that which is its object, and means that that which occurs in the train of thought is indeed so or is true.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 3122
In Hosea,
Jehovah’s controversy with the inhabitants of the land because there is no truth, and no mercy, and no knowledge of God. Hosea 4:1.
‘No truth’ stands for no reception of the influx of charity, ‘no mercy’ for no reception of the influx of love, ‘no knowledge of God’ for no reception of the influx of the truth of faith.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 3863
[6] In Isaiah,
The Lord said, Go and say to this people, Hearing, hear – but do not understand; and seeing, see – but do not comprehend. 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. 6:9, 10.
Here it is quite evident that ‘seeing, see – but do not comprehend’ means understanding what is true and yet not acknowledging. The words ‘plastering over their eyes, lest they see with their eyes’ means depriving them of the understanding of truth, faith in the Lord being meant in this case by ‘seeing’, as is clear from the Lord’s words in Matthew 13:13, 14, and in John 12:36, 37, 39, 40.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 4638
[9] Afterwards the remaining virgins came also, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us means that they wish to enter on the basis of faith alone without charity, and of works in which the life of the Lord is not present, only selfish life.
But He replying said, Truly, I say to you, I do not know you means rejection. In the internal sense ‘not knowing them’ means that they lack any charity towards the neighbour, and are not joined through such charity to the Lord. Those who are not so joined to Him are said ‘not to be known’ by Him.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 5280
- ‘And the abundance of corn in the land will not be known’ means that no discernment at all regarding the truth present previously will exist there. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being known’ as being discerned; from the meaning of ‘the abundance of corn’ as truth that has been multiplied, dealt with above; in 5276, 5278; and from the meaning of ‘the land’, in this case the land of Egypt, as the natural mind, also dealt with above, in 5276, 5278, 5279. From these meanings it is evident that ‘the abundance of corn in the land will not be known means that no discernment at all regarding the truth present previously will exist in the natural.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 5309
- ‘After God has caused you to know all this’ means for the reason that Foresight and Providence belong to that celestial of the spiritual. This is clear from the meaning of ‘coming to know’, when used in reference to God, as foresight and providence. For one cannot speak of God coming to know since He has an underived knowledge of all things, whereas man’s capacity to know something is derived from Him. Therefore when used in reference to God, ‘coming to know’ means foresight and providence. Foresight is knowing from eternity to eternity, while providence is the performance of what is foreseen. The reason why foresight and providence belong to the celestial of the spiritual is that the Lord, who is the celestial of the spiritual represented by ‘Joseph’, is the subject at this point in the internal sense.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6652
- ‘Who did not know Joseph’ means which is completely alienated from the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘not knowing as being alienated, for anyone who does not know the truth and does not wish to know it is alienated from the Church’s truth (the fact that alienation is meant here is evident from what follows, for the king afflicted the sons of Israel – who represent the Church, 6637 – harshly and rigorously); and from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, dealt with in 6177, 6224. Factual knowledge alienated from the internal is factual knowledge opposed to the Church, for the goodness and truth that constitute the Church flow in by way of the internal. But if they are not received by the natural the internal is closed, and so the person is alienated from goodness and truth. When this happens no other factual knowledge in the natural is recognized as true than that which is false. These falsities then multiply, while genuine truths are banished out of doors.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6806
- ‘And God knew them’ means that He endowed it with charity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘knowing’ – when used in reference to God, that is, to the Lord – as endowing with charity. For charity is what joins the Lord and man together and what causes the Lord to be present with him and consequently know him. The Lord, it is true, knows all people everywhere; but He knows none in the way a father does his children except those who are governed by the good of love and charity.
[2] This explains why the Lord says of those who are governed by good, whom He calls His own sheep,
I am the good Shepherd; and I know those who are My own, and am known by those who are My own. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:14, 27.
But the Lord says of those who are governed by evil that He does not know them in Matthew,
Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by Your name, and by Your name cast out demons, and do many mighty works in Your name? But then I will declare to them, ! do not know you; depart from Me, you workers of iniquity. Matt. 7:22, 23.
In the same gospel,
At length the remaining virgins came also, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But He replying said, Truly, I say to you, I do not know you. Matt. 25:11, 12.
In Luke,
Once the Householder has risen up and shut the door, then you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But He replying will say to you, ! do not know where you come from. Then you will begin to say, We ate in Your presence and we drank; and You taught in our streets. But He will say, I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity! Luke 13:25-27.
[3] From this it is evident that the expression ‘being known’, when used by the Lord, means being governed by the good of charity, that is, being endowed with that good; for the good of charity comes entirely from the Lord. And the expression ‘not being known’ means being governed by evil. ‘Knowing’ implies being joined together; and how far a person is said to be known by the Lord depends on how far he has become joined to Him. The Lord does also know those who have not become joined, indeed He knows the tiniest details of every individual person, John 2:24, 25; but because those people are governed by evil they experience a different kind of presence, which is more like absence. This does not mean that the Lord is absent; rather, the person or the spirit governed by evil is the one who is absent, and that absence is what the Lord’s not knowing them describes. Something comparable to this occurs among angels and spirits whose states of life are like one another’s; they appear to be near one another and so they know one another. But those whose states of life are not alike appear to be distant from one another and for that reason do not know one another either. In short similarity of state causes people in the next life to be visibly present and to be known, while dissimilarity of state causes them to be absent to the sight and not to be known.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 7209
- ‘And you will know that I am Jehovah your God’ means the discernment then that the Lord is the only God. This is clear from the meaning of ‘knowing’ as discerning. One reason why ‘I am Jehovah your God’ means that the Lord is the only God is that by Jehovah in the Word none other than the Lord is meant, 1343, 1736, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5663, 6281, 6707, 6905. And another reason is that those in heaven know and perceive that the Lord is the Lord of heaven, and so is the Lord of the universe (even as He Himself says, in Matthew 28:18, that He has all power in heaven and on earth; in Isa. 42:8, that Jehovah does not give His glory to another;* in John 14:9-11, that He is one with the Father; and in John 16:13-15, that the Holy Spirit is a holy influence which emanates from Himself) thus that the Lord is the only God.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 8426
- ‘At evening you will know that Jehovah has brought you out of the land of Egypt’ means that at the end of a former state comes the revelation that they have been delivered. This is clear from the meaning of ‘at evening’ as the end of a former state, dealt with below; from the meaning of ‘knowing’ as being revealed, for what Jehovah causes a person to know is called revelation; and from the meaning of ‘bringing out’ as delivering, as often before, at this point from the molestations that are meant by ‘the land of Egypt’, 7278.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 10155
- ‘And they will recognize that I am Jehovah their God’ means perception that the Lord is the source of all good and all truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘recognizing’ as understanding, believing, and perceiving, dealt with below. The reason why perceiving that the Lord is the source of all good and all truth is meant is that the names Jehovah and God are used, and the Lord is called Jehovah by virtue of good and God by virtue of truth, see 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4287, 4402, 7010, 9167.
The reason why ‘recognizing’ means understanding, believing, and perceiving is that the word is used in reference both to the human power of understanding and to the power of will. When used in reference solely to the power of understanding it means understanding; when used in reference to the understanding and at the same time the will it means believing; and when used in reference solely to the will it means perceiving. With those therefore who merely know of something and as a result think about it, recognizing implies understanding. But with those who possess faith, recognizing implies believing, and with those who have love, recognizing implies perceiving. [2] When however recognizing is coupled with understanding, seeing, or believing, ‘recognizing’ means perceiving; for understanding, seeing, and believing are connected with the understanding, consequently with truth, whereas perceiving is connected with the will, consequently with good, as in John,
Peter said, We have believed and recognized that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. John 6:69.
In the same gospel,
Jesus said, Believe the works, that you may recognize and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father. John 10:38.
In the same gospel,
Jesus said, If you recognize Me you recognize My Father, and from now on you recognize Him and have seen Him. John 14:7.
In the same gospel,
The Spirit of truth will be sent, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor recognizes Him. But you recognize Him, because He remains with you and will be in you. John 14:16, 17.
In Mark,
Jesus spoke in parables, so that seeing they may see and not recognize. Mark 4:11, 12.
In Jeremiah,
… that you may recognize and see that it is evil and bitter to depart from Jehovah your God. Jer. 2:19.
In the same prophet,
Let him who glories glory in this, to understand and to recognize Me, that I am Jehovah. Jer. 9:24.
In Hosea,
I will betroth you to Me in faith, and you will recognize Jehovah. Hosea 2:20.
[3] In these places ‘recognizing’ means perceiving, and perceiving comes about as a result of good, whereas understanding and seeing come about as a result of truth. For inwardly within themselves those in whom good or love is predominant perceive that something is so, whereas within themselves those in whom truth or faith is predominant see that it is such. Therefore perception that something is so exists among those who are in the Lord’s celestial kingdom, but belief that it is so among those who are in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, see the places referred to in 9277, and what has been stated in 9992, 9995, 10105. And what perception is, see 125, 371, 483, 495, 503, 521, 536, 597, 607, 1121, 1384, 1387, 1398, 1442, 1919, 2144, 2515, 2831, 3528, 5121, 5145, 5227, 7680, 7977, 8780. [4] In addition, since the proper meaning of ‘recognizing’ is perceiving as a result of good, reference is made in Deut. 8:5 to recognizing from the heart; for ‘from the heart’ means from the good of love, 3883-3896, 7542, 9050, 9300, 9495. Therefore also doing good is referred to as recognizing Jehovah, Jer. 22:16.
From all this it is evident that ‘they will recognize that I am Jehovah their God’ means perception that the Lord is the source of all goodness and truth.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 10565
- ‘Make Your way known to me, I beg You, and I shall know You’ means instruction regarding the Divine, what He will be like as He resides with them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘making Jehovah’s way known’ as instruction regarding the Divine, for ‘making known’ means instruction, and ‘the way of Jehovah’ Divine Truth acting as guide; and from the meaning of ‘knowing Jehovah’ as being aware of what the Divine is like as He resides with them. ‘Way’ means truth, see 627, 2333, 10422, at this point Divine Truth acting as guide.
Apocalypse Explained (Tansley) n. 109
By the tree of life mentioned there is signified the good of love to the Lord, and thence heavenly joy, which those possessed who at that time formed the church, and who are meant by the man and his wife; and by the tree of knowledge is signified the delight of knowledges (cognitiones) without any other use than to be accounted learned, and to acquire renown for erudition, solely for the sake of honour or gain. The reason why the tree of life also signifies heavenly joy is, because the good of love to the Lord, which is specifically signified by that tree, has heavenly joy in it. (See the work, Heaven and Hell, n. 395-414, and The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 230-239.)