6022 – 7326 – The Lord's New Church

7326 AC (Elliott) n. 6022 6022. ‘And all his seed’ means every integral part of faith and charity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seed’ as faith springing from charity, as above in 6019, thus both faith and charity, for where one exists so does the other.

AC (Elliott) n. 6023 6023. ‘He brought with him to Egypt’ means that they were gathered into the Church’s factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘coming (or going down) into Egypt’ as introducing and gathering truths into the Church’s factual knowledge, dealt with above in 6004, 6018; and the same thing is meant by ‘bringing with him to Egypt’, see 5373, 6004. They are introduced and gathered into it when factual knowledge is ruled by truths, and it is ruled by truths when truth is acknowledged because it is what the Lord has said in the Word; after that, factual knowledge which endorses it can be accepted, and that which refutes it can be banished. In this way truth becomes master of the facts that endorse it, while those that do not are cast aside. When this is the situation a person is not carried away into falsities when he bases his thought on factual knowledge, as happens when truths are not contained in that knowledge. For in themselves facts are not truths; they are such only by virtue of the truths they hold within them. And according to the nature of the truths they hold within them, so is the nature of the truth in general which presents itself as factual knowledge. For factual knowledge is merely a vessel, 1469, 1496, which can receive either truths or falsities, and in vastly differing ways.

[2] Take for example the Church’s knowledge that the neighbour is every person. A vast quantity of truths can be introduced and gathered into this known fact, such as the truth that every person is indeed the neighbour, but that any one individual is so in a different way from another; also that in a supreme sense the neighbour is someone who is governed by good, but again in a different way from others, according to the essential nature of that good. Then there is the truth that neighbourship has its origin in the Lord Himself, so that the nearer people are to Him, that is, the more they are governed by good, the more they are the neighbour; and the further away they are from Him, the less they are the neighbour. Besides these there is the truth that a community is the neighbour more than an individual person, and one’s country as a whole more than a community, though one’s country comes before other kingdoms; and that the Church is more the neighbour than one’s country, and the Lord’s kingdom even more than that. Then there is the further truth that the neighbour is loved when a person discharges his duties correctly for the good of other people, or of his country, or of the Church, and so on. From this one can see how numerous are the truths that can be gathered into that one fact known to the Church. Indeed they are so numerous that it is difficult to divide them into separate categories, assigning specific truths to each category in such a way that one can distinguish and recognize it. This was something that people in the Ancient Churches were keen to do.

[3] The same known fact can also be filled with a vast quantity of falsities, as may also be recognized when people turn those truths upside down by saying that everyone is neighbour to himself, and that each person should trace the origin of the neighbour back to himself; and by saying that therefore he is especially your neighbour who shows you the greatest favour, identifies himself with you, and thereby presents himself in you as a reflection of you. Indeed people say that your country is not your neighbour either, apart from what you can get out of it for yourself. And there are countless other truths turned upside down by them besides these. Yet the known fact is still the same, which is that every person is the neighbour; but it is filled by one person with truths, by another with falsities. The same is so with all other factual knowledge.

AC (Elliott) n. 6024 6024. Verses 8-27 And these are the names of the sons of Israel who were coming to Egypt – of Jacob and his sons: Jacob’s firstborn was Reuben. And the sons of Reuben were Enoch,* and Pallu, and Hezron, and Carmi. And the sons of Simeon were Jemuel and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. And the sons of Levi were Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari. And the sons of Judah were Er and Onan, and Shelah, and Perez, and Zerah; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. And the sons of Issachar were Tola and Puvah, and Job and Shimron. And the sons of Zebulun were Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel. These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, and Dinah his daughter. All the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty-three. And the sons of Gad were Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni and Ezbon, Eri and Arodi, and Areli. And the sons of Asher were Jimnah, and Jishvah, and Jishvi, and Beriah, and Serah their sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel. These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob. They were sixteen souls. The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife, were Joseph and Benjamin. And born to Joseph in the land of Egypt were those whom Asenath the daughter of Potiphera the priest of On bore to him, Manasseh and Ephraim. And the sons of Benjamin were Bela and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera and Naaman, Ehi and Rosh, Muppim and Huppim, and Ard. These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob; all the souls were fourteen. And the sons of Dan were Hushim. And the sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, and Cuni, and Jezer and Shillem. These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob. All the souls were seven. Every soul coming with Jacob to Egypt – those who came out of his thigh, not counting Jacob’s sons’ wives – all the souls were sixty-six. And Joseph’s sons who were born to him in Egypt were two souls; all the souls belonging to the house of Jacob who was coming to Egypt were seventy.

[2] ‘And these are the names of the sons of Israel who were coming to Egypt’ means the essential nature of the truths from the spiritual in their order, which were gathered into the Church’s factual knowledge. ‘Jacob and his sons’ means the truth of the natural in general and the truths of the natural in particular. ‘Jacob’s firstborn was Reuben’ means faith in the understanding, which seemingly occupies first place. ‘And the sons of Reuben were Enoch, and Pallu, and Hezron, and Carmi’ means teachings regarding faith in general. ‘And the sons of Simeon were Jemuel and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar’ means faith in the will, and teachings regarding it in general. ‘And Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman’ means a teaching that did not spring from a genuine source. ‘And the sons of Levi were Gershon and Kohath and Merari’ means spiritual love, and teachings regarding it in general.

[3] ‘And the sons of Judah were Er and Onan and Shelah, and Perez and Zerah’ means celestial love, and teachings regarding it. ‘And Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan’ means that falsity and evil were wiped out. ‘And the sons of Perez were Hezron, and Hamul’ means the truths of that good, which are forms of the good of charity. ‘And the sons of Issachar were Tola, and Puvah, and Job, and Shimron’ means heavenly conjugial love, and teachings regarding it. ‘And the sons of Zebulun were Sered, and Elon and Jahleel’ means the heavenly marriage, and teachings regarding it. ‘These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram’ means that those things sprang from a spiritual affection in the natural through cognitions of goodness and truth. ‘And Dinah his daughter’ means the Church. ‘Every soul of his sons and his daughters were thirty-three’ means the state in which spiritual life existed, and the essential nature of it.

[4] ‘And the sons of Gad were Ziphion and Haggi, Shuni and Ezbon, Eri and Arodi and Areli’ means the good of faith and the deeds that are a product of it, and teachings regarding them. ‘And the sons of Asher were Jimnah and Jishvah, and Jishvi, and Beriah, and Serah their sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel’ means the happiness of eternal life and the delight supplied by affections, and teachings regarding them. ‘These were the sons of Zilpah’ means that these things belong to the external Church. ‘Whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter’ means received from the affection for external good. ‘And these she bore to Jacob’ means that they were begotten by the natural. ‘They were sixteen souls’ means their state and essential nature.

[5] ‘The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife’ means things that are born from a heavenly affection. ‘Joseph and Benjamin’ means the internal aspect of the Church, ‘Joseph’ its good, ‘Benjamin’ truth from that good. ‘And born to Joseph in the land of Egypt’ means infernal celestial and spiritual entities within the natural. ‘Were those whom Asenath the daughter of Potiphera the priest of On bore to him’ means born from the marriage of good wedded to truth and truth to good. ‘Manasseh and Ephraim’ means a new area of will and a new associated area of understanding, which the Church possesses. ‘And the sons of Benjamin were Bela and Becher and Ashbel, Gera and Naaman, Ehi and Rosh, Muppim and Huppim and Ard’ means the spiritual internal, and teachings regarding it. ‘These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob’ means that those things were born from a celestial affection. ‘All the souls were fourteen’ means their state and essential nature. ‘And the sons of Dan were Hushim’ means the holiness of faith and the good of life, and teaching regarding them. ‘And the sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem’ means temptations in which victory was won, and teachings regarding them. ‘These were the sons of Bilhah’ means that they belong to the internal Church. ‘Whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter’ means received from the affection for internal good. ‘All the souls were seven’ means their state and essential nature.

[6] ‘Every soul coming with Jacob to Egypt’ means all the truths and forms of good that were introduced into the Church’s factual knowledge. ‘Who came out of his thigh’ means which were born of the marriage. ‘Not counting Jacob’s sons’ wives’ means quite apart from the affections for things not born of the marriage. ‘All the souls were sixty-six’ means their state and essential nature. ‘And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt’ means celestial and spiritual entities within the natural. ‘Were two souls’ means the resulting new areas of will and understanding, which the Church possesses. ‘All the souls belonging to the house of Jacob who was coming to Egypt were seventy’ means the entire number in their proper order.
* In most English versions this name appears as Hanoch, but in the Latin, as in the original Hebrew, the spelling is the same as that of the one mentioned in Gen. 4:17, 18; 5:18-24. Cp Gen. 25:4.

AC (Elliott) n. 6025 6025. Further explanation of these verses can be dispensed with since they are mere names. What those names mean may be seen from the general explanation given immediately above in 6024; and what Jacob’s actual sons mean may be seen in the explanation where their births are dealt with. But the following observation is worth making, that no son was born to Jacob’s sons in Egypt when they came there, though they were still young men; all their sons were born in the land of Canaan. They themselves, apart from Benjamin, were born in Paddan Aram; and this was for a particular reason that the Lord in His Divine Providence had in view, which was that aspects of the Church might be represented by them from when they were born. Their being born in Paddan Aram represented the fact that a member of the Church must be born anew or regenerated through knowledge or cognitions of goodness and truth, for Paddan Aram means that knowledge, 3664, 3680, 4107, while their actual birth represented the new birth effected through faith and charity, 4668, 5160, 5598, and so at the initial stage through knowledge of them. But the birth of all Jacob’s sons’ sons in the land of Canaan represented the fact that the kinds of things that constitute the Church spring from that knowledge, for ‘the land of Canaan’ is the Church, 3705, 3686, 4447, 4454, 4517, 5136, 5757. The birth of Joseph’s sons took place in Egypt however so as to represent the dominion of the internal man within the external, especially the dominion of the celestial of the spiritual within the natural. ‘Manasseh’ is the new area of will within the natural, and ‘Ephraim’ the new area of understanding there, which the Church possesses.

AC (Elliott) n. 6026 6026. Verses 28-30 And he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to show [the way] before him to Goshen; and they came to the land of Goshen. And Joseph harnessed his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen; and he was seen towards him,* and fell on his neck,** and wept on his neck’ a long while. And Israel said to Joseph, Now let me die,*** after I have seen your face, that you are still alive.

‘And he sent Judah before him to Joseph’ means a communication of the good of the Church with the internal celestial. ‘To show [the way] before him to Goshen means regarding the middle of the natural. ‘And they came to the land of Goshen’ means the situation in life there. ‘And Joseph harnessed his chariot’ means doctrinal teaching from the internal. ‘And went up to meet Israel his father’ means an inflowing. ‘To Goshen’ means in the middle of the natural. ‘And was seen towards him’ means perception. ‘And fell on his neck’ means a joining together. ‘And wept on his neck a long while’ means mercy. ‘And Israel said to Joseph’ means the perception by spiritual good. ‘Now let me die’ means new life. ‘After I have seen your face’ means after the mercy has been discerned. ‘That you are still alive’ means a perception of the subsequent life in himself.
* i.e. Joseph presented himself to his father
** lit. necks
*** lit. Let me die this once

AC (Elliott) n. 6027 6027. ‘And he sent Judah before him to Joseph’ means a communication of the good of the Church with the internal celestial. This is clear from the representation of ‘Judah’ as the good of the Church, dealt with in 5583, 5603, 5782, 5794, 5837; and from the representation of’ Joseph’ as the internal celestial, dealt with in 5869, 5877. And ‘sending before him’, it is self-evident, means communicating. The reason why Judah and not anyone else was sent was so that a direct communication of good with good might be denoted, that is, a direct communication of external good, which ‘Judah’ represents, with internal good, which ‘Joseph’ represents. For good that is the good of love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour flows in from Him by way of the internal into the external, the amount of good in the external determining how much is received there. But if merely the truth of faith and no good is present in a person’s external, the inflow of good from the Lord by way of the internal cannot be received in the external. For no direct communication with truth can exist there, only an indirect one through good. This is why Judah and not anyone else was sent from Jacob to Joseph.

AC (Elliott) n. 6028 6028. ‘To show [the way] before him to Goshen’ means regarding the middle of the natural, that is to say, a communication regarding it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Goshen’ as the middle, that is, the inmost part of the natural, dealt with in 5910. By the middle or inmost part of the natural is meant the best part there; for the best good exists in the middle, that is, in the centre or inmost part. Then surrounding it in every direction lie other grades of good, which follow a heavenly pattern and are positioned near to or further away from the best part in the middle in keeping with their degree of goodness. This is how different degrees of good are arranged into order with a regenerate person. But with the evil the grossest evils exist in the middle and all good is banished to the outermost parts, where it is constantly being pushed right outside. This pattern exists with evil persons in particular and in the hells in general, and is accordingly the hellish pattern. From what has now been said about the existence of the best part in the middle and other grades of good in order outside it one may see what is meant by a communication of the good of the Church with the internal celestial regarding the middle of the natural.

AC (Elliott) n. 6029 6029. ‘And Joseph harnessed his chariot’ means doctrinal teaching from the internal. This is clear from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, dealt with often; and from the meaning of ‘a chariot’ as doctrinal teaching, dealt with in 5721.

AC (Elliott) n. 6030 6030. ‘And went up to meet Israel his father’ means an inflowing – from the internal celestial into spiritual good from the natural. This is clear from the representation of Joseph, the one who ‘went up’, as the internal celestial, dealt with in 5869, 5877; and from the representation of ‘Israel’ as spiritual good, dealt with in 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833. From this it follows that an inflowing is meant by ‘going up to meet him’, for ‘going up to meet’ here implies setting out and coming towards him.

AC (Elliott) n. 6031 6031. ‘To Goshen’ means the middle of the natural. This is clear from what has been stated about Goshen just above in 6028.

AC (Elliott) n. 6032 6032. ‘And was seen towards him’ means perception. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seeing’ as understanding and discerning, dealt with in 2150, 3764, 4567, 4723, 5400, and as having faith, 1315, 1807, 3863, 3869, 4403-4421, 5400. As regards the meaning of ‘seeing’ as understanding and therefore perceiving, and also as having faith, it should be recognized that a person has two components constituting his life – SPIRITUAL LIGHT and SPIRITUAL HEAT. Spiritual light constitutes the life of his understanding, and spiritual heat the life of his will. By virtue of its very own origin spiritual light is Divine Truth flowing from the Lord’s Divine Good and is therefore the truth of faith flowing from the good of charity, while spiritual heat by virtue of its very own origin is the Divine Good of the Lord’s Divine Love and is therefore the good of celestial love or love to the Lord and the good of spiritual love or love towards the neighbour. As has been stated, these two constitute the entire life in a person.

[2] As regards spiritual light, this is related to a person’s understanding in the way that natural light is related to his external sight. That is to say, so that the eye can function, light must exist which enables it to do so. When it exists the eye beholds in that light everything all round outside itself. The same is true of the intellectual power of the mind, which is a person’s inner eye. So that this eye can function the light of heaven flowing from the Lord must exist, enabling it to do so. And when this eye functions with the aid of that light it too beholds things all round outside itself. But the objects it sees are spiritual ones – facts and truths. When however it does not have the aid of that light, a person’s intellectual power of the mind or inner eye is like his external or physical eye when this is in darkness and cannot see anything. That is, it does not from factual knowledge behold any truth, or from truth behold any good. The light which enables the intellectual power of the mind to function is light indeed, a kind of light which is a thousand times brighter than midday light in the world, as I can testify since I have beheld it. In that light all the angels in heaven see things all round outside themselves, and in that same light they also behold and perceive the truths of faith and the essential nature of them. This now explains why in the spiritual sense ‘seeing’ means not only the understanding but also any of its activities, such as cogitation, reflection, observation, circumspection, and many others, as well as meaning not only faith but also anything constituting faith, such as truth, teaching drawn from the Word, and the like.

[3] As regards spiritual heat however, this is related to a person’s will in the way natural heat is related to his body, in that the one imparts life to the other. But by virtue of its very origin – an origin that can be traced back to the Lord – spiritual heat is nothing other than Divine Love towards the entire human race and the reciprocation of that love by man, to Him and also towards the neighbour. And that heat is heat indeed; it blesses angels’ bodies with warmth and at the same time blesses their inmost beings with love. This is the reason why ‘heat’, ‘flame’, and ‘fire’, when used in the genuine sense in the Word, mean things connected with love, such as affections for goodness and truth, and also goodness itself.

AC (Elliott) n. 6033 6033. ‘And fell on his neck’ means a joining together. This is clear from the meaning of ‘falling on the neck’ as a close and intimate joining together, dealt with in 5926. The reason ‘falling on the neck’ means a joining together is that the neck joins together the head and the body; and since ‘the head’ means interior things, and ‘the body’ exterior ones, ‘the neck’ means a joining together of interior and exterior things, see 3542, 5320, 5328. From this arises a communication of interior things with exterior ones, as well as of celestial things with spiritual ones, see those same paragraphs. A communication such as this resulting from a joining together is meant in addition by the same words, for ‘Joseph’ is the internal, and ‘Israel’ considered in relation to it is the external.

AC (Elliott) n. 6034 6034. ‘And wept on his neck a long while’ means mercy. This is clear from the meaning of ‘weeping’ as mercy, dealt with in 5480, 5873, 5927. The expression ‘on his neck for a long while’ is used because the beginning as well as the continuance of the joining together consists in mercy, the mercy of the Lord, who in the highest sense is ‘Joseph’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6035 6035. ‘And Israel said to Joseph’ means the perception by spiritual good – a perception received from the internal celestial. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ in the historical narratives of the Word as perception; from the representation of ‘Israel’, upon whose neck Joseph wept, as spiritual good; and from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal celestial, which have all been dealt with often before.

AC (Elliott) n. 6036 6036. ‘Now let me die’ means new life. This is clear from the meaning of ‘dying’ as resurrection into life, thus new life, dealt with in 3326, 3498, 3505, 4618, 4621, 6008. The reason why ‘dying’ means a new phase of life has also been shown in those paragraphs, and it is this: Because a person instantly begins a new phase of his life when he dies, he is awakened into life as soon as he has cast aside the material body which had served him for use in the world. New life is meant here by ‘dying’ because that life comes through an inflowing from the internal, an inflowing that is meant by Joseph’s going up to meet his father, 6030, and through the joining together meant by Joseph’s falling on Israel’s neck, 6033.

AC (Elliott) n. 6037 6037. ‘After I have seen your face’ means after the mercy has been discerned. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seeing’ as discerning, dealt with above in 6032; and from the meaning of ‘face’, when used in reference to the Lord, as mercy, dealt with in 222, 223, 5585, 5816.

AC (Elliott) n. 6038 6038. ‘That you are still alive’ means a perception of the subsequent life in himself. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being alive’ in the internal sense as spiritual life, 5890. A perception that this life was present within himself follows from what has gone before (new life came to him from the inflowing and the joining together, 6036) and from the feeling of joy at seeing him, which feeling gave him the perception of the presence of life within himself.

AC (Elliott) n. 6039 6039. Verses 31-34 And Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s house, I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, My brothers and my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. And the men are shepherds of the flock, for they are keepers* of livestock, and their flocks and their herds, and all that they have, they have made to come. And it may be, that Pharaoh may call you and say, What are your works?** And you are to say, Your servants have been keepers* of livestock from our*** boyhoods and right up to now, both we and our fathers – so that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd of the flock is an abomination to the Egyptians.

‘And Joseph said to his brothers’ means a perception by the truths in the natural. ‘And to his father’s house’ means by the forms of good there. ‘I will go up and tell Pharaoh’ means a communication with the natural, where the Church’s factual knowledge resides. ‘And say to him, My brothers and my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me’ means that the truths and forms of good which the Church possesses are to be introduced [into that knowledge]. ‘And the men are shepherds of the flock’ means that they lead to good. ‘For they are keepers of livestock’ means that they possess good deriving from truths. ‘And their flocks and their herds, and all that they have, they have made to come’ means that interior good and exterior good, and whatever is dependent on them, are present. ‘And it may be, that Pharaoh may call you’ means if the natural in which the Church’s factual knowledge resides wishes to be joined to you. ‘And says, What are your works?’ means and to know your forms of good. ‘And you are to say, Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our boyhoods and right up to now’ means that the truths which lead to good have been present from the beginning and are present still. ‘Both we and our fathers’ means that this was so from when the earliest forms of good existed. ‘So that you may dwell in the land of Goshen’ means that your position will for that reason be in the middle of the natural where the Church’s factual knowledge resides. ‘For every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians’ means thereby a separation from perverted factual knowledge which is opposed to the Church’s factual knowledge.
* lit. men
** i.e.. What is your occupation?
*** The Latin means their, but the Hebrew means our.

AC (Elliott) n. 6040 6040. ‘And Joseph said to his brothers’ means a perception by the truths in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ as perception, dealt with often; from the representation of ‘the sons of Israel’ as spiritual truths within the natural, dealt with in 5414, 5879; and from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal celestial, dealt with in 5869, 5877. From this it is evident that ‘Joseph said to his brothers’ means a perception by the truths in the natural which was received from the internal celestial. The reason ‘Joseph said’ does not mean a perception by him is that Joseph is the internal and all perception flows by way of the internal into the external or natural. By itself the natural does not perceive anything whatever but receives its perceptions from what is prior to itself. Yet what is prior does not perceive by itself but from what is yet prior to it, so that finally perception is received from the Lord, who has uncreated Being. Such is the nature of influx and consequently of perception. The situation with influx is like coming into being and remaining in being. Nothing comes into being by itself but from what is prior to itself, so that finally everything comes from Him who is First, that is, whose Being (Esse) and Manifestation (Existere) are uncreated. Everything is also kept in being by Him who is First, for the same applies to remaining in being as to coming into being, since remaining in being is constant coming into being.

[2] The reason why the expression ‘a perception by the truths in the natural’ is used and not a perception by people in possession of those truths is that spiritual language employs that kind of expression. For such a usage draws the ideas composing one’s thought away from persons and fixes them on spiritual realities; and those realities, which are truths and forms of good, are what possess life in a person and cause him to have life. For those realities are derived from the Lord, the Source of life in its entirety. That kind of usage also leads one’s mind away from ascribing truths and forms of good to a person. Such spiritual language also enables one to form an overall idea that extends further and wider than when the idea of a person is tied up with it. If for example one speaks of perception by people in possession of truths in the natural one’s ideas become fixed at the same time on people like that – a common occurrence – and so one’s ideas are drawn away from the overall idea, with the result that the light of truth is diminished. Furthermore, in the next life thought about persons disturbs such persons, for in that life all thought is communicated. These are the reasons why impersonal expressions like the one here – ‘a perception by the truths in the natural’ are used.

AC (Elliott) n. 6041 6041. ‘And to his father’s house’ means by the forms of good there, that is to say, a perception by them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘house’ as good, dealt with in 3128, 3652, 3720, 4982; and from the meaning of ‘father’ likewise as good, dealt with in 2803, 3703, 3704, 5581, 5902.

AC (Elliott) n. 6042 6042. ‘I will go up and tell Pharaoh’ means a communication with the natural where the Church’s factual knowledge resides. This is clear from the meaning of ‘telling’ or ‘pointing out’ as a communication, dealt with in 4856; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as the natural where the Church’s factual knowledge resides, dealt with in 5799, 6015.

AC (Elliott) n. 6043 6043. ‘And say to him, My brothers and my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me’ means that the truths and forms of good which the Church possesses are to be introduced [into that knowledge]. This is clear from the representation of the sons of Israel, to whom his ‘brothers’ refers here, as spiritual truths within the natural, dealt with just above in 6040; from the meaning of ‘father’s house’ as the forms of good there, also dealt with just above, in 6041; from the meaning of ‘the land of Canaan’ as the Church, dealt with in 3686, 3705, 4447, 4517, 5136; and from the meaning of ‘coming’ to Joseph, or to Egypt where Joseph was, as being introduced into the Church’s factual knowledge, dealt with above in 6004, 6018. Regarding the introduction of the truths the Church possesses into the factual knowledge present in the natural, see above in 6023, and regarding the joining together of them, below in 6047.

AC (Elliott) n. 6044 6044. ‘And the men are shepherds of the flock’ means that they lead to good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘shepherds of the flock’ as those who lead to good, dealt with in 343, 3795, 5201; for a shepherd or pastor is one who teaches and leads, and the flock one who is taught or led; but in the internal sense truths that lead to good are meant since the sons of Israel, to whom ‘the men are shepherds of the flock’ refers here, represent spiritual truths, 6040, and also since truths present with those who teach are what do the leading. It has been shown previously that truths, which are the essence of faith, lead to good, which is the essence of charity. This is also evident from the consideration that every single thing is related to an end and has that end in view, and that things which do not have an end in view cannot remain in being. For the Lord has never created anything for any other reason than its end in view. So true is this that one may speak of the end as the all in all created things. And created things exist within this state of order: Even as the end looks from Him who is the First through means to what is last, so the end within what is last looks to the end in Him who is the First. This is the way things link together. By virtue of its very own origin the end itself is nothing else than the Divine Good of Divine Love, thus the Lord Himself, which also is why in the Word He is called the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega, Isa. 41:4; 44:6; 48:12; Rev. 1:8, 11, 17; 2:8; 21:6, 22:13.

[2] This being so, every single aspect of the life a person has looks to an end and has that end in view. Anyone who is at all rational can see that the factual knowledge a person has looks to truths as its end in view, and that truths look to forms of good as their end in view, and that forms of good look to the Lord as their last and first ends in view, their last when motivated by truths, their first when motivated by good. This is how it is with the truths the Church possesses, in that they lead to good, meant by ‘the men are shepherds of the flock’ and by ‘they are keepers of livestock’, as in what follows below.

AC (Elliott) n. 6045 6045. ‘For they are keepers of livestock’ means that they possess good deriving from truths. This is clear from the meaning of ‘livestock’ as the good of truth, which is good deriving from truths, dealt with in 6016. The description here has reference to the sons of Israel, by whom spiritual truths within the natural are represented, 5414, 5879, and so has reference to truths, here to the fact that they lead to good, regarding which see immediately above in 6044.

AC (Elliott) n. 6046 6046. ‘And their flocks and their herds, and all that they have, they have made to come’ means that interior good and exterior good, and whatever is dependent on them, are present. This is clear from the meaning of ‘flock’ as interior good, and from the meaning of ‘herd’ as exterior good, both dealt with in 5913; from the meaning of ‘all that they have’ as whatever is dependent on them, as in 5914; and from the meaning of ‘they have made to come’ as being present.

AC (Elliott) n. 6047 6047. ‘And it may be, that Pharaoh may call you’ means if the natural in which the Church’s factual knowledge resides wishes to be joined to you. This is clear from the meaning of ‘calling to oneself’ as wishing to be joined to, for the call to them, made with affection, to live in his land and become a single nation together with his subjects is the expression of a wish to be joined to them; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as the natural in which the Church’s factual knowledge resides, as above in 6042. Pharaoh’s call to them means the response made to the introduction and joining together, that is to say, the joining of the Church’s factual knowledge to truths and forms of good in the natural. For every joining together requires such a response and therefore agreement on both sides.

[2] The subject here is the joining together of the Church’s truths and its factual knowledge; but one needs to know in what way they should become joined. The joining together must not start with factual knowledge which is then used to look into the truths of faith; for a person’s factual knowledge comes from sensory impressions, thus from the world, the source of countless illusions. It must start with the truths of faith; that is to say, one should proceed in the following way. First of all one should get to know what the Church teaches; then one should discover from the Word whether such teaching is the truth. For things are true not because they are what leaders of the Church have so declared and their followers uphold. If that were so one would have to say that the teachings of any Church or religion were the truth simply because they are those of a person’s native soil and are those into which he was born. Thus not only the teachings of Papists or Quakers would be true but also those of Jews and of Mohammedans too since their Church leaders have so declared and their followers uphold it. From all this it is evident that one should search the Word and there see whether what the Church teaches is the truth. When an affection for truth motivates the search a person receives light from the Lord so that he may discern, though unaware of the source of his enlightenment, what the truth is and may be assured of it in the measure that he is governed by good. But if the truths discerned by him are at variance with the teachings of the Church, let him beware of creating a disturbance in the Church.

[3] Once he has become assured and so affirms from the Word that the Church’s teachings are truths of faith, let him then employ any fact he knows, whatever the name or nature of it, to corroborate them. For now that he is thoroughly affirmative in his attitude towards the truth he welcomes facts that accord with them and casts away those which because of the misconceptions present within them do not accord. The facts are used in support of his faith. No one therefore should be forbidden to search the Scriptures if motivated by a desire to know whether the teachings of the Church in which he was born are true; for in no other way can he ever become enlightened. Nor should he be forbidden after that to use factual knowledge to support his beliefs; but let him not do so before that. This and no other is the way in which the truths of faith should be joined to factual knowledge – not only the facts known to the Church but also any other kinds of facts. But very few at the present day proceed in this way, for the majority of people who read the Word are not motivated by a desire for truth when they read it but by a desire to endorse the teachings of the Church in which they were born, no matter what those teachings may be like.

[4] The Word contains a description of the Lord’s kingdom in which the spiritual domain, the domain of reason, and the domain of factual knowledge exist joined together; but in that description names that serve to mean those domains are used – Israel, Asshur, and Egypt. ‘Israel’ describes the spiritual domain, ‘Asshur’ the domain of reason, and ‘Egypt’ that of factual knowledge, in the following words in Isaiah,

On that day there will be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to Jehovah at its border; and it will be for a sign and a witness to Jehovah Zebaoth in the land of Egypt, for they will cry out to Jehovah because of the oppressors, and He will send a saviour and prince to them, and he will deliver them. And Jehovah will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know Jehovah on that day and will offer sacrifice and minchah, and will make a vow to Jehovah and perform it. On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Asshur, and Asshur will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Asshur, and Egypt will serve Asshur.* On that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Asshur, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom Jehovah Zebaoth will bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, and Asshur the work of My hands, and Israel My heritage. Isa. 19:18-25.

[5] Anyone may see that in this quotation the country Egypt is not meant, or Asshur, or even Israel, but that some other thing is meant by each of them. ‘Israel’ is used to mean the spiritual domain of the Church, see 3654, 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5837; ‘Asshur’ to mean the domain of reason, 119, 1186; and ‘Egypt’ to mean the domain of factual knowledge, 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 4749, 4964, 4966, 5700, 6004, 6015. The existence of the three joined together in the member of the Church is described in the prophet by the words ‘there will be a highway from Egypt to Asshur, and Asshur will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Asshur, and Egypt will serve Asshur. On that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Asshur, a blessing in the midst of the earth’. For to be a member of the Church a person must of necessity be a spiritual person, and also a rational one whom factual knowledge will serve. From all this it may now be evident that factual knowledge should not on any account be cast aside from the truths of faith but should be joined to them. But one should go the primary way, that is, the way that begins with faith, not the secondary way, that is, the one that begins with factual knowledge. See also what has been shown in 128-130, 195, 196, 232, 233, 1226, 1911, 2568, 2588, 4156, 4760, 5510, 5700.
* The Hebrew of this text in Isaiah may be read in two different ways – serve Asshur or serve with Asshur. Most English versions of Isaiah prefer the second of these .

AC (Elliott) n. 6048 6048. ‘And says, What are your works?’ means and to know your forms of good. This is clear from meaning of ‘works’ as forms of good. The reason why ‘works’ means forms of good is that works originate in the will, and what originates in the will is a form of good or a form of evil, whereas what originates in the understanding, such as spoken words, is a form of truth or a form of falsity. The ‘works’ done by Jacob’s sons, and also by their forefathers, consisted in tending livestock, thus in acting as shepherds; and by these ‘works’ too forms of good are meant, in particular forms of the good of truth. This meaning has its origin in correspondences, for lambs, sheep, kids, and she-goats, which are members of the flock, correspond to forms of the good of charity; and so do young bulls and oxen, which are members of the herd. The fact that these animals have this correspondence is clear from the consideration that when angels, moved by a heavenly affection, talk to one another about forms of the good of charity, flocks and herds are seen in some places in the world of spirits and also in the first or lowest heaven. Flocks are seen when they talk about interior forms of the good of charity, but herds when they talk about exterior forms, see 3218-3220. This explains why in the Word such deeds are meant by ‘flocks and herds’.

[2] In general it should be recognized that every spiritual meaning contained in the Word has its origin in representatives in the next life, and those representatives in correspondences. The reason for this is that the natural world derives its existence from the spiritual world in the way an effect does from its cause, to the end that the spiritual world may flow into the natural world and act as the causes behind things there. In this way everything there is maintained in its proper path and order. For the whole natural creation is a theatre representative of the Lord’s kingdom, that is, of the spiritual and celestial realities there, see 2758, 2987-3002, 4939, 5116.

AC (Elliott) n. 6049 6049. ‘And you are to say, Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our boyhoods and right up to now’ means that the truths which lead to good have been present from the beginning and are present still. This is clear from the meaning of ‘keepers of livestock’ as truths that lead to good, dealt with in 6016, 6045; and from the meaning of ‘from our boyhoods and right up to now’ as from the beginning and remaining so still. Regarding the meaning of ‘livestock’ as truths that lead to good, it should be recognized that livestock includes all draught animals, large and small – both those in the flock and those in the herd, and in addition camels, horses, mules, and asses. The latter mean things connected with truths, whereas the former – members of the herd and of the flock – mean things connected with good. This then is why all these draught-animals in general, which are ‘livestock’, mean truths that lead to good. In the original language ‘livestock’ is derived from a word which also means acquisition, and ‘acquisition’ in the spiritual sense also means truth that leads to good, for the reason that good is acquired by means of truth. But the smaller animals mean interior forms of good since they are members of the flock, such as lambs, sheep, kids, she-goats, and rams.

[2] ‘Livestock’ also means truths that lead to good in other places in the Word, as in Isaiah,

Then He will give rain for your seed with which you will sow the land, and bread the produce [of the land]; and there will be fatness and wealthiness. On that day they will feed your livestock in a broad grassland. Isa. 30:23.

‘Feeding’ stands for receiving instruction in truths and forms of good, 5201, while ‘a broad grassland’ stands for the doctrine of truth, the expression ‘broad’ being used because ‘breadth’ means truth, 3433, 3434, 4482. From this it is evident that ‘livestock’ means truths that lead to good. In Ezekiel,

To bring back your hand upon the inhabited waste places and upon the people that were gathered out of the nations, that are working with livestock and a possession – dwellers upon the navel of the earth. Ezek. 38:11, 12.

‘Livestock’ in a similar way stands for truths leading to good, ‘a possession ‘for good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6050 6050. ‘Both we and our fathers’ means that this was so from when the earliest forms of good existed. This is clear from the meaning of ‘fathers’ as forms of good, dealt with in 2803, 3703, 3704, 5581, 5902. Consequently the fact that they were keepers of livestock as their fathers had been means from when the earliest forms of good existed. There are in addition many other places in the Word where ‘fathers’ is not used in the internal sense to mean Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but members of the Ancient Church, who were governed by good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6051 6051. ‘So that you may dwell in the land of Goshen’ means your place will for that reason be in the middle of the natural where the Church’s factual knowledge resides. This is clear from the meaning of ‘dwelling’ as life and so the place where it is situated, 1293, 3384, 4451; and from the meaning of ‘Goshen’ as the middle or inmost part of the natural, dealt with in 5910, 6028. The residence there of the Church’s factual knowledge, which is meant by ‘Egypt’, is self-evident; for Goshen was the best land in Egypt.

AC (Elliott) n. 6052 6052. ‘For every shepherd of the flock is an abomination to the Egyptians’ means thereby a separation from perverted factual knowledge which is opposed to the Church’s factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘an abomination to the Egyptians’ as a separation of factual knowledge, for things that are an abomination are separated, and the reason why something is an abomination is that it is contrary and so opposed to ideas that have been adopted and to loves that are present (here it is opposed to perverted factual knowledge, meant by ‘the Egyptians’, since it says ‘every shepherd of the flock is an abomination to them’); and from the meaning of ‘a shepherd of the flock’ as one who leads to good, dealt with in 6044. Factual knowledge that supports good is what perverted factual knowledge is opposed to. And perverted factual knowledge is what destroys the truth of faith and the good of charity, as well as being what turns order upside down, as magical practices in Egypt did. For there are many things in accord with order that were misused by the magicians of Egypt, such as correspondences and representatives, which existed as factual knowledge more highly developed among them than any other people. This knowledge conforms to order even when the evil make use of it; and when they make use of it to control other people and do harm to other people, that knowledge is perverted because it involves magic. As regards the separation of factual knowledge under consideration here, it is effected by a rearranging; when good accompanied by truths comes to be in the middle or inmost part meant by ‘Goshen’, perverted factual knowledge that is opposed to it is cast out.

[2] Up to now the subject has been the joining of truths to factual knowledge. Regarding this joining together one should go on to recognize that a joining of the internal or spiritual man to the external or natural man cannot be effected at all unless truths are introduced into factual knowledge. For factual knowledge together with the delights that belong to natural affections constitutes the external or natural man, and therefore unless a joining to factual knowledge is effected, none at all is effected. But if a person is to become regenerated his internal and external must exist joined together. If they do not, then all good flowing in from the Lord by way of the internal man into the external or natural man is either perverted, smothered, or cast aside, in which case there is also a closing of the internal. The method by which that joining together is effected is what the present chapter has described, the execution of which method involves the introduction of truths into factual knowledge.

AC (Elliott) n. 6053 6053. INFLUX AND THE INTERACTION OF THE SOUL WITH THE BODY

No one can have any knowledge at all or even be able to think about the influx of the soul into the body, or about the interaction of them, unless he knows what the soul is and also something about the nature of the soul. If nothing is known about what the soul is, nothing at all can be said about its inflow and interaction; for how can anyone think about two parts communicating with each other when there is complete lack of knowledge about the nature of one of them? The lack of knowledge, particularly in the learned world, about the whole nature of the soul may be seen from the fact that some people think it is something ethereal, others something flame-like or fiery, others something existing purely on the level of thought, others a general life-force, and others some natural force. Still greater lack of knowledge about what the soul may be is demonstrated by the varying places in the body to which people assign it. Some assign it to the heart, others to the brain – some to its fibres, others to the corpora striata, others to its ventricles, and others to its tiny glands. Others assign it to every part of the body, but these people’s conception is of a vitality like that common to everything that has life in it. From this it is evident that people know nothing at all about the soul. This is the reason why the ideas they have peddled around regarding the soul are all guesswork. And since for this reason they cannot have any idea of what the soul is, very many cannot do other than suppose that it is no more than vitality that is dissipated when the body dies. This now explains why the learned have less belief than the simple in a life after death; and because they have no belief in it they cannot have any belief in anything belonging to that life, that is, in the celestial and spiritual realities constituting faith and love. This is also evident from the Lord’s words in Matthew,

You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to young children. Matt. 11:15.

And again,

Those who see do not see, and those who hear do not hear, nor do they understand. Matt. 13:13.

For the simple do not think at all about the soul in the way that the learned do but believe that they will be alive after death. Concealed within their simple faith, though they are not conscious of it, is the belief that they will live there as people, seeing the angels, talking to them, and being filled with joy.

AC (Elliott) n. 6054 6054. As regards the soul, which – it is said – goes on living after death, it is nothing else than the actual person living in the body. That is, the soul is the person’s inner self acting in the world by means of the body and imparting life to the body. When his inner self is released from the body the person is called a spirit and then appears in a completely human form. Yet he cannot be seen at all by the eyes of the body, only by those of the spirit, to which he has the same appearance as Someone in the world. He has the senses – touch, smell, hearing, and sight – which are far keener than when he was in the world. He has appetites, longings, desires, affections, and loves that are like those he had in the world yet far superior. He also engages in thought as he did in the world, but in a more perfect way, and he holds conversations with others. In short his life there is as it was in the world, so much so that if he does not stop to reflect on the fact that he is in the next life, he knows no other than that he is in the world, as I have frequently heard spirits say. For life after death is a continuation of life in the world. This then is a person’s soul which is alive after death.

[2] But in order that people may not lose all idea of what the word ‘soul’ means because of the guessing and speculation about what the soul may be, it is better to speak of a person’s spirit or, if you prefer, his inner self. For his spirit, seen there, appears just like a person possessing all the members and organs that a person has; indeed it is the actual person In a body. The truth of this may also be recognized from the angels seen by people and described in the Word; all appeared in human form. Every angel in heaven possesses the human form, for the Lord, who was seen so many times after His resurrection as a person, has that form. The reason why an angel as well as a person’s spirit is human in outward form is that the whole of heaven receives from the Lord the disposition to combine into a human form, which is why the whole of heaven has been called the Grand Man. (The subject of the Grand Man and the correspondence with it of all the parts of a human being have been dealt with at the ends of many chapters.) Also because the Lord lives within each inhabitant of heaven, and through what flows in from the Lord the whole of heaven exerts an influence on each inhabitant, every angel is an image of heaven, that is, he possesses a form most perfectly human. So too does a person after death.

[3] However many the spirits I have seen, thousands upon thousands, they have all looked to me exactly like men and women. Some have declared that they are people just as they were in the world, and have added that during their lifetime they had not believed anything of the sort. Many have felt sad that the human race lives in such ignorance regarding their state after death and that they think about the soul in such a senseless and futile way, and that most of those who have thought more seriously about the soul have visualized it as something like a thin column of air, which has inevitably led to the crazy error that the soul is dissipated after death.

AC (Elliott) n. 6055 6055. Anyone who has no knowledge of the more internal aspects of the human being cannot know about the inflowing of the soul into the body or its interaction with it; for that interaction and inflowing takes place through those more internal aspects. To know about these more internal aspects of the human being one should know about the existence of the internal man and of the external man, and that the internal man exists in the spiritual world and the external in the natural world, so that the former dwells in the light of heaven, the latter in the light of the world. One also needs to know that the internal man is so distinct and separate from the external that, being prior and more internal, it can remain in being without the external, but that the external man, being posterior and more external, cannot remain in being without the internal. In addition one should know that the internal man is the one who is called intellectual or rational, using those terms in their proper sense, since that man dwells in the light of heaven, a light which holds reason and understanding within it. But the external man is one who must be called, strictly speaking, a knowledge-receiver since known facts reside in him, which knowledge derives its light for the most part from things belonging to the inferior light of the world that is brightened and so made living by means of the light of heaven.

AC (Elliott) n. 6056 6056. It has just been said that being prior the internal man can remain in being without the external, but not the external man, being posterior, without the internal. For it is a universal law that nothing can remain in being by itself, only from and through another, consequently that nothing can be maintained within the form it possesses except from and through another, as every single thing in the natural order goes to prove. The same is true of the human being. So far as his external man is concerned, he cannot remain in being except from and through the internal. But the internal man cannot remain in being except from and through heaven; nor yet can heaven do so from itself, only from and through the Lord, who alone is Self-existent. What makes all coming into and remaining in being is influx, for influx is the means by which all things are kept in being. But it will be shown in a later section that through influx the Lord keeps every single thing in being, not only indirectly through the spiritual world but also directly both in intermediate causes and in ultimate effects.

AC (Elliott) n. 6057 6057. Before anything can be said about the influx and operation of the soul into the body, a proper knowledge is required of the truth that the internal man has been created so as to conform to an image of heaven, and the external man to an image of the world, so much so that the internal man is the smallest form heaven can take, and the external man is the smallest the world can take and is thus the microcosm. The fact that the external man is an image of the world can be seen from his external or physical senses. The ear has been made to conform to the whole nature of the modification of air, and the lungs to the whole nature of air-pressure. So too with the surface-areas of the body, which are held in shape by the pressure of air all around them. The eye has been made to conform to the whole nature of the ether and light; the tongue to the perception of particles dissolved and suspended in fluids, and at the same time along with the lungs, trachea, larynx, glottis, jaws, and lips to conform to the power of using air in varying ways to produce articulated sounds or words, and musical sounds too. The nostrils have been made to conform to the perception of particles suspended in the atmosphere, and touch, a sense which is distributed over the whole of the body, to the perception of changes in the condition of the air, that is to say, whether it is cold or hot, as well as the perception of the nature of fluids and the weights of objects. (The internal organs, which the air surrounding the body cannot enter, are held together and kept in shape by a purer kind of air, called ether.) This is not to mention all the deeply hidden aspects of the natural world that have been inscribed on and apply themselves to the body, such as all the secrets of mechanics, physics, chemistry, and optics. All this goes to prove that the entire natural order was drawn on so that the external side of the human being might be created in conformity with it, which was why the ancients named the human being the microcosm.

[2] Now just as the external man has been created so as to conform to an image of everything in the world, so the internal man has been created so as to conform to an image of everything in heaven, that is, an image of the celestial and spiritual qualities that come from the Lord, from which heaven is formed and in which it consists. The celestial qualities there are all the aspects of love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour, and the spiritual qualities are all the aspects of faith. They are intrinsically so great and of such a nature that no tongue can possibly declare even a millionth of them. The truth that the internal man has been made so as to conform to an image of all those qualities is plain to see in the angels. When they appear before a person’s internal sight, as they have appeared before mine, their presence alone stirs feelings to the depths of his being. For love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour pour out of them and into the onlooker; and what is radiated by that love and charity, namely rays of faith, shines out of them and stirs one’s affections. This has served to show, as well as other proofs, that because the internal man has been created to be an angel, the internal man is the smallest form heaven can take.

[3] From all this it now becomes clear that within the human being the spiritual world has been joined to the natural world. As a result, in the case of the human being, the spiritual world flows into the natural world in so vital a way that a person can discern it if he merely stops to pay attention to it. This also shows what the interaction of the soul with the body is, that strictly speaking it is a communication of the spiritual realities of heaven with the natural things of the world, a communication which is effected by one flowing into the other, yet depends on the way the two have been joined together. This communication effected through an inflowing which depends on the way the two have been joined together is unknown at the present day, for the reason that every single thing is attributed to natural forces and there is no knowledge of what is spiritual, which at the present day is so remote that when people give it any thought it seems to be non-existent.

AC (Elliott) n. 6058 6058. But the nature of the inflowing is such that it begins in the Lord’s Divine Being and passes into every angel, every spirit, and every man, and in this way the Lord governs everyone not only in an overall sense but also in the smallest details. He does so both directly from Himself and indirectly through the spiritual world. So that the existence of this inflowing may be known much has been stated already regarding the correspondence of the parts of the human being with the Grand Man, that is, with heaven, and at the same time regarding the representation of spiritual realities with natural things. These matters were dealt with at the ends of Chapters 23-43. After that the subject, the angels and spirits present with a person, was dealt with at the ends of Chapters 44 and 45. It now follows that the specific matters of influx and the interaction of the soul and the body should be dealt with. But they are matters that need to have the light of experience thrown on them, otherwise a subject about which people are so ignorant and which they place in the dark by conjecturing about it cannot be brought out into the light. Experiences that throw light on these matters will be related at the ends of several chapters following this. What has been stated so far may serve instead of an introduction to those experiences.

47

GENESIS 47

1 And Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brothers, and their flocks and their herds, and all that they have, have come from the land of Canaan, and behold, they are in the land of Goshen.

2 And from his brothers’ party he took five men, and placed them before Pharaoh.

3 And Pharaoh said to his brothers, What are your works?* And they said to Pharaoh, Shepherds of the flock are your servants, both we and our fathers.

4 And they said to Pharaoh, We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for the flock which belongs to your servants, for the famine is serious in the land of Canaan; and now let your servants, we beg you, dwell in the land of Goshen.

5 And Pharaoh said to Joseph – he said, Your fathers and your brothers have come to you.

6 The land of Egypt is before you; in the best of the land cause your father and your brothers to dwell; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know that there are among them men of energy, then set them as the chief men over the livestock belonging to me.

7 And Joseph caused Jacob his father to come and placed him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

8 And Pharaoh said to Jacob, How many are the days of the years of your life?

9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, The days of the years of my sojournings are a hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers, in the days of their sojournings.

10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

11 And Joseph caused his father and his brothers to dwell, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.

12 And Joseph sustained his father, and his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread, according to the mouth of a young child.**

13 And there was no bread in all the land, for the famine was extremely serious; and the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished from the presence of the famine.

14 And Joseph gathered up all the silver found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they were buying; and Joseph caused the silver to come to Pharaoh’s house.

15 And when the silver was used up in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all Egypt came to Joseph, saying, Give us bread; and why should we die near by you because the silver is lacking?

16 And Joseph said, Give your livestock, and I will give you [bread] in exchange for your livestock, if the silver is lacking.

17 And they caused their livestock to come to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for livestock of the flock, and for livestock of the herd, and for asses; and he provided them with bread in exchange for all their live stock that year.

18 And that year ended, and they came to him in the second year, and said to him, We will not hide from [my] lord, that since the silver has been used up and the livestock of the beasts has passed to [my] lord, nothing is left before [my] lord apart from our bodies and our ground.

19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our ground? Buy us and our ground for bread, and we will live, and our ground, as Pharaoh’s slaves; and give us seed so that we may live and not die, and the ground may not become a waste.

20 And Joseph bought all the ground of Egypt for Pharaoh, for the Egyptians sold, each one his field, because the famine overwhelmed them; and the land was Pharaoh’s.

21 And the people, he transferred them to the cities from one end of the border of Egypt to the other end of it.

22 Only the ground of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had a fixed portion from Pharaoh and ate their fixed portion which Pharaoh had given them; therefore they did not sell their ground.

23 And Joseph said to the people, Behold, I have bought you today, and your ground, for Pharaoh; look, here is seed for you, and you may sow the ground.

24 And so it will be at in gatherings,*** that you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four portions shall be yours, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for those in your households, and children.

25 And they said, You have bestowed life on us; let us find favour in the eyes of [my] lord, and we shall be Pharaoh’s slaves.

26 And Joseph made it a statute even to this day regarding the ground of Egypt, that a fifth went to Pharaoh. Only the ground of the priests, theirs alone, did not belong to Pharaoh.

27 And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they had a possession in it, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly.

28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; and the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were a hundred and forty-seven years.

29 And Israel’s days drew near when he must die; and he called his son Joseph, and said to him, If now I have found favour in your eyes, put now your hand under my thigh, and show me mercy and truth;**** do not, I beg you, bury me in Egypt.

30 And let me lie with my fathers, and you are to carry me out of Egypt, and to bury me in their sepulchre And he said, I will do according to your word.

31 And he said, Swear to me. And he swore to him. And Israel bowed
himself over the head of the bed.
* i.e. What is your occupation?
** i.e. according to the number of young mouths they had to feed
*** lit. comings forth
**** lit. make with me mercy and truth

AC (Elliott) n. 6059 6059. CONTENTS

After the joining of spiritual good from the natural, which is ‘Israel’, to the internal celestial, which is ‘Joseph’, has been effected, which was the subject in the previous chapter, the present chapter deals in the internal sense with the introduction of the Church’s truths within the natural into factual knowledge. The Church’s truths in the natural are ‘the sons of Jacob’; truth itself as a whole there is ‘Jacob’; and the factual knowledge into which those truths are introduced is ‘Pharaoh’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6060 6060. After that the subject is the order into which known facts have been arranged by the internal celestial, which is ‘Joseph’. Factual knowledge with truth in it comes first, then the truths of good and the goods of truth, and lastly the entire natural in respect of factual knowledge, subject to the general whole to which they belong.

AC (Elliott) n. 6061 6061. Finally the subject is the regeneration of spiritual good from the natural, which is ‘Israel’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6062 6062. THE INTERNAL SENSE

Verse 1 And Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brothers, and their flocks and their herds, and all that they have, have come from the land of Canaan, and behold, they are in the land of Goshen.

‘And Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said’ means the presence of the internal celestial within the natural where factual knowledge resides, and the consequent influx and perception. ‘My father and my brothers’ means spiritual good within the natural and the truths of the Church there. ‘Their flocks and their herds’ means forms of the good of truth, interior and exterior ones. ‘And all that they have’ means whatever is dependent on them. ‘Have come from the land of Canaan’ means that they originate in the Church. ‘And behold, they are in the land of Goshen’ means that they are in the middle of the natural where factual knowledge resides.

AC (Elliott) n. 6063 6063. ‘And Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said’ means the presence of the internal celestial within the natural where factual knowledge resides, and the consequent influx and perception. This is clear from the meaning of ‘coming to someone’ as presence, as in 5934; from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal celestial, dealt with in 5869, 5877; from the meaning of ‘telling as an influx, dealt with in 5966; from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as the natural and therefore factual knowledge in general, dealt with in 5799, 6015; and from the meaning of ‘saying’ in historical narratives of the Word as perception, dealt with in 1791, 1815, 1819, 1822, 1898, 1919, 2080, 2619, 2862, 3509, 5687. From all this it is evident that ‘Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said’ means the presence of the internal celestial within the natural where factual knowledge resides, and the consequent influx and perception.

[2] Reference has been made many times before this to the flowing of the internal into the natural or external, and to perception in the natural. It has been shown that the natural is kept in being and receives its life from an influx from the internal, that is, from the Lord through the internal. For without the influx from that source the natural does not have any life, since it exists on the natural level of creation and derives all that it is from there, and the natural level of creation is totally devoid of life. This being so, if a person’s natural is to have life there must be an influx from the Lord. It must come not only directly from Him but also indirectly through the spiritual world, consequently into a person’s internal, since this exists in the spiritual world, and from there into the natural so that it may have life. The human natural has been formed so that it may receive life thereby. This then is what is meant by a flowing of the internal celestial into the natural where factual knowledge resides. As a result of this influx from the internal, perception takes place in the external or natural, which ‘Pharaoh’ represents; for influx and perception answer to each other, 5743.

AC (Elliott) n. 6064 6064. ‘My father and my brothers’ means spiritual good within the natural and the truths of the Church there. This is clear from the representation of Israel, to whom ‘father’ refers here, as spiritual good within the natural, as in 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812 from the representation of ‘the sons of Israel’ as the truths of the Church within the natural, dealt with in 5414, 5879, 5951. The influx and perception spoken of immediately above in 6063 have regard to these – to spiritual good and to the truths of the Church within the natural.

AC (Elliott) n. 6065 6065. ‘Their flocks and their herds’ means forms of the good of truth, interior and exterior ones. This is clear from the meaning of ‘flocks’ as interior forms of good, and of ‘herds’ as exterior forms of good, both dealt with in 5913, 6048. The reason forms of the good of truth are what is meant is that spiritual good, which is represented by ‘Israel’, is the good of truth, 4598. Forms of good as they exist in heaven or with man have two different origins; that is to say, they originate in the will or in the understanding. Good that originated in the will existed among the most ancient people who belonged to the celestial Church, whereas good that originated in the understanding existed among the ancients who belonged to the spiritual Church. The first kind of good exists with those in the inmost or third heaven, the second kind with those in the middle or second heaven. What the difference is between them, and the nature of that difference, has been stated many times in explanations. Good that has its origin in the will is good from which truth is derived, whereas good that has its origin in the understanding is good which is a product of truth, that is, it is the good of truth. Essentially this good is nothing else than truth put into practice.

AC (Elliott) n. 6066 6066. ‘And all that they have’ means whatever is dependent on them, as above in 6046.

AC (Elliott) n. 6067 6067. ‘Have come from the land of Canaan’ means that they originate in the Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘coming from some land or other’ as originating there; and from the meaning of ‘the land of Canaan’ as the Lord’s kingdom in heaven and the Lord’s kingdom on earth, which is the Church, dealt with in 1607, 3038, 3481, 3686, 3705, 4447, 4454, 5136.

AC (Elliott) n. 6068 6068. ‘And behold, they are in the land of Goshen’ means that they are in the middle of the natural where factual knowledge resides. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Goshen’ as the middle or inmost part of the natural, dealt with in 5910, 6028, 6031. What is meant by their being in the middle of the natural is this: Once the Church’s forms of good and its truths – that is, those which it has received from the Lord’s Word – have been acknowledged and with faith accepted in the natural, they occupy the middle there. For things that are immediate objects of attention are in the middle, and those that are not immediate objects of attention are to the sides; consequently the ones in the middle are seen clearly, those to the sides vaguely.

[2] It is the same as it is with the sight of the eye. The objects on which the eye is directly focused are in the middle, that is, in the centre and are seen clearly; but those on which it is not directly focused are to the sides, away from the middle, and are seen vaguely. For the inner eye, which is the intellectual power of the mind and which depends for its vision on the light of heaven, sees things outside itself in the natural, which are known facts, just as the physical eye sees objects or a whole range of objects outside itself. Inward sight is directed towards the things that give the greatest delight and are close to the heart, and it fixes its attention directly on them, in the same way as outward sight focuses on things similarly delightful in whole ranges of objects. Inward sight accordingly focuses on those known facts that are in close agreement with the truth and good that govern a person. These facts are then, for that person, in the middle. The reason why inward sight sees factual knowledge is that such sight is spiritual and therefore directs its attention towards spiritual matters, thus towards known facts, for these are the appropriate objects of spiritual attention.

AC (Elliott) n. 6069 6069. Verses 2-6 And from his brothers’ party he took five men, and placed them before Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to his brothers, What are your works?* And they said to Pharaoh, Shepherds of the flock are your servants, both we and our fathers. And they said to Pharaoh, We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for the flock which belongs to your servants, for the famine is serious in the land of Canaan; and now let your servants, we beg you, dwell in the land of Goshen. And Pharaoh said to Joseph – he said, Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you; in the best of the land cause your father and your brothers to dwell; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know that there are among them men with energy, then set them as the chief men over the livestock belonging to me.

‘And from his brothers’ party he took five men’ means some of the truths of the Church. ‘And placed them before Pharaoh’ means an introduction into factual knowledge. ‘And Pharaoh said to his brothers’ means perception regarding the truths of the Church within the natural. ‘What are your works?’ means regarding duties and useful services. ‘And they said to Pharaoh, Shepherds of the flock are your servants’ means that they lead to good. ‘Both we and our fathers’ means that this was so since the time of the ancients. ‘And they said to Pharaoh’ means a continuation of the perception. ‘We have come to sojourn in the land’ means a seeking to live in factual knowledge. ‘For there is no pasture for the flock which belongs to your servants’ means that factual knowledge holding forms of the good of truth is wanting. ‘For the famine is serious in the land of Canaan’ means that there is a lack of such forms in the Church. ‘And now let your servants, we beg you, dwell in the land of Goshen’ means so that they may live in the middle of them. ‘And Pharaoh said to Joseph – he said’ means perception in the natural where factual knowledge resides. ‘Your father and your brothers have come to you’ means regarding the influx of the internal celestial into spiritual good from the natural and into the truths of the Church there. ‘The land of Egypt is before you means that factual knowledge in the natural mind is subject to the guidance of the internal celestial. ‘In the best of the land cause your father and your brothers to dwell’ means that they may live in the inmost part of it. ‘Let them dwell in the land of Goshen’ means where the middle is. ‘And if you know that there are among them men with energy’ means the more outstanding contents of doctrine. ‘Then set them as the chief men over the livestock belonging to me’ means that they are the first and foremost among known facts.
* i.e. What is your occupation?

AC (Elliott) n. 6070 6070. ‘And from his brothers’ party he took five men’ means some of the truths of the Church. This is clear from the representation of Jacob’s sons, to whom ‘brothers’ refers here, as the truths of the Church, dealt with in 5403, 5419, 5427, 5458, 5512; and from the meaning of ‘five’ as some, dealt with in 4638, 5291.

AC (Elliott) n. 6071 6071. ‘And placed them before Pharaoh’ means an introduction into factual knowledge. This is clear from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as factual knowledge in general, dealt with in 5799, 6015. An introduction is meant by ‘placing before him’, for the intention behind his presentation of them was so that he might introduce them, that is, the truths of the Church, since these are meant by ‘the sons of Jacob’. Regarding the need for the truths known to the Church to be introduced into the Church’s factual knowledge, see 6004, 6023, 6052; but as this is a subject that is not known about at the present day, let some more light be shed on it.

[2] The facts known to the Church are at the present day the things stated in the literal sense of the Word. Unless truths from the internal sense are introduced into those facts the mind can be misled into all kinds of heresy; but once truths have been introduced into them the mind cannot be misled into heresies. For example the person who has learned from the literal sense of the Word statements that God can be angry, punish, lead into temptations, cast into hell, and do evil can be misled into false ideas about God. He may be led to think that Goodness itself, which is what God is, can be the source even of evil, thus the opposite of what He is, when in fact good comes from good, and evil from evil. But this fact [which he knows from the literal sense] takes on a different appearance if interior truths are introduced into it, such as the truth that evil in a person is what creates anger in him, leads into temptations, punishes, casts into hell, and constantly brings forth further evils. There is also the truth that the situation with these woes is like the laws that countries have; the laws come from the monarch, but the miseries that come with punishment are not attributable to the monarch but to those who commit evils.

[3] Then there is the truth that the hells are the source of all evil and are allowed to be the source of it because on man’s account it cannot be otherwise. For he is sunk in evil and his life arises out of it, and therefore unless he is left in evil he cannot be in freedom, or thus be reformed. Even so, nothing but good comes from God, for to the extent a person allows, God turns that evil towards what is good.

[4] There is too the truth that the very general outlines of belief must come first, after which they must be filled out with individual truths. This is so with the general piece of knowledge that all things which happen come without exception from God, including the miseries that punishment brings. In what way those miseries come from Him has to be learned subsequently, as also do the nature and source of what happens by permission.

[5] There is likewise the truth that all worship of God inevitably has its beginning in holy fear, which holds within it the belief that God rewards good people and punishes the bad. Simple people and young children must believe this because they have no understanding as yet of permission; and their belief is in keeping with the Lord’s words,

Rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in Gehenna. Matt. 10:28.

So although to begin with it is out of fear that they do not dare to do evil, love accompanied by good is gradually introduced, and then they start to know and perceive that nothing but good comes from God, and that evil comes from themselves; then at length that all evil comes from hell.

[6] Furthermore those in heaven perceive that nothing but good comes from God; but those in hell say that everything evil comes from God because He permits it and does not take it away. But in reply to this those of them who are in the world of spirits are told that if evil were taken away from them they would not possess any life; and neither would anyone in the world who is engrossed in evil. They are also told that the evil within them punishes itself in accordance with the law, and that the miseries that punishment brings eventually causes them to refrain from the doing of evils, also that the punishment of evil persons is the protection of the good.

[7] Added to all this is the consideration that people engrossed in evil, also those whose worship is external devoid of anything internal, as that of the Jews was, must live altogether in fear of God and in a belief that He is the one who punishes; for their fear of God can lead them to do what is good, but love never can. When these and many other truths are introduced into that known fact [drawn from the literal sense of the Word] it takes on a completely different appearance. It becomes like a transparent vase containing truths which shine through and make the vase look like nothing else than a single and general body of truth.

AC (Elliott) n. 6072 6072. ‘And Pharaoh said to his brothers’ means perception regarding the truths of the Church within the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ as perception, dealt with above in 6063; from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as the natural, and factual knowledge in general, also dealt with above in 6063; and from the representation of the sons of Jacob, to whom ‘brothers’ refers here, as the truths of the Church within the natural, dealt with above in 6064. From all this it is evident that ‘Pharaoh said to his brothers’ means the perception of the natural regarding the truths of the Church there.

AC (Elliott) n. 6073 6073. ‘What are your works?’ means regarding duties and services. This is clear from the meaning of ‘works’ as forms of good, dealt with in 6048, thus useful services and duties, for these are forms of good. Every good that is called a good of charity consists in nothing other than useful service, and useful services are nothing other than works done for one’s neighbour, country, Church, and the Lord’s kingdom. Regarded essentially charity does not actually become charity until it passes into action and becomes a work; for loving someone but not doing anything good for him when the possibility exists is not really loving him. Doing good for him when the possibility exists, and doing it with all one’s heart, is loving him; for then the actual deed or work contains all that constitutes charity towards him. For works embrace every aspect of charity and faith present with a person and are called forms of spiritual good, made such through the exercise of charity, that is, through useful services.

[2] Because the angels in heaven are governed by good received from the Lord, they have no greater desire than to perform useful services. These are the very delights of their life, and in the measure that they perform useful services they enjoy blessing and happiness, 453, 696, 997, 3645. This is also the Lord’s teaching in Matthew,

The Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father together with His angels, and at that time He will repay everyone according to his works. Matt. 16:17.

‘Works’ is not used here to mean works such as they are in outward appearance but such as they appear inwardly – that is to say, what kind of charity they hold within them. Angels do not look on works in any other way.

[3] Furthermore, since works are a combination of every aspect of charity and faith present with a person, and since life causes charity to be charity and faith to be faith, and so to be good, John was loved more than the other disciples by the Lord and leaned on His breast at the Last Supper, John 21:20. For that disciple represented the good deeds or works of charity, see the Prefaces to Genesis 18 and 22. For the same reason the Lord said to him Follow Me; He did not say it to Peter,* who represented faith, see those same Prefaces, and this led faith, which is Peter, to be indignant and say,

Lord, but what about this man? Jesus said to Him, If I will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You, follow Me. John 21:19, 11-23.

This was also a prediction that faith would come to despise works, even though the Lord associates Himself with them, as may also be seen quite clearly from the Lord’s words addressed to the sheep and the goats at Matthew 25, where nothing else than works are listed in verses 34-46. The fact that faith would disown the Lord is evident from the representation by Peter in his denial of Him three times, [Matt. 26:34.] His denial ‘at night’ means the final period of the Church when no charity would exist any longer, 6000; his denial ‘three times’ means that at that point the final period would be complete, 1825, 2788, 4495, 5159; and ‘before the cock crowed’ means before a new phase of the Church had arrived, for twilight and morning which follow night mean the first phase of a Church, 2405, 5962.
* The words Follow Me at John 21:22 were clearly addressed to Peter. What Sw. intended to say is not clear to the translator.

AC (Elliott) n. 6074 6074. ‘And they said to Pharaoh, Shepherds of the flock are your servants’ means that they lead to good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘shepherds of the flock’ as those who lead to good, dealt with in 6044, here truths that lead to good since the truths of the Church are represented by ‘the sons of Jacob’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6075 6075. ‘Both we and our fathers’ means that this was so since the time of the ancients. This is clear from the meaning of ‘fathers’ as those who belonged to the ancient Churches, dealt with in 6050. In the Word there are many places referring to the Jews and Israelites in which their fathers are spoken of in a praiseworthy manner. People who confine themselves to the sense of the letter do not take ‘fathers in those places to mean anybody other than Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and also the sons of Jacob. But in the internal sense ‘fathers’, in a good sense, is used to mean not them but those who belonged to the Most Ancient Church which existed before the Flood and those who belonged to the Ancient Church which existed after the Flood. Members of both were called ‘fathers’ because the Church came down from them and things of the Church were derived from them.

[2] ‘Fathers’ is used in Moses to mean those belonging to the Ancient Churches,

Your fathers Jehovah delighted to love, and He chose their seed after them. Deut. 10:15.

And in the same author,

Remember the days of old, understand the Years of generation after generation. When the Most High gave to the nations an inheritance, when He separated the sons of man, He fixed the boundaries of the peoples, according to the number of the sons of Israel. But when Jeshurun became fat he forsook God. They sacrifice to demons, to gods [whom they do not know, to new ones] that have come from near by and that your fathers did not fear.* Deut. 32:7, 8, 15, 17.

These words appear in the prophetical Song of Moses, in which verses 7-15 refer to the Ancient Church and verses 15-44 to the descendants of Jacob. The state of the Most Ancient Church which existed before the Flood is meant by ‘the days of old’, and the state of the Ancient Church which existed after the Flood by ‘the years of generation after generation’. Their state of good is meant by ‘an inheritance which the Most High gave to the nations’, and their state of truth by ‘the Most High separated the sons of man, He fixed the boundaries of the peoples, according to the number of the sons of Israel’, which ‘number’, being ‘twelve’, means all the truths of faith in their entirety, see 577, 2089, 2129 (end), 2130 (end), 3272, 3858, 3913. From this it is evident that ‘fathers’ means those who belonged to the ancient Churches. A similar meaning exists in the following places: In Isaiah,

Our holy house, and our splendour, where our fathers praised You, has been made into a blaze of fire. Isa. 64:11.

In Jeremiah,

Did not your father eat and drink, yet execute judgement and righteousness? Then all went well for him. Jer. 22:15.

In the same prophet,

They have sinned against Jehovah, the habitation of righteousness and the hope of their fathers. Jer. 50:7.

In David,

O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us the work You worked in their days, in the days of old. Ps. 44:1.

‘Fathers’ is used in the same way in Daniel 11:14, 37, 38. The fact that those who belonged to the ancient Churches are meant in these places by ‘fathers’ is not apparent in the sense of the letter; it is seen only from the internal sense in which the Church, its forms of good, and its truths are the subject. Furthermore the Church itself – being the heavenly marriage, that is, the marriage of goodness and truth – is called ‘father’ in the Word in respect to goodness and ‘mother’ in respect to truth, 3707, 5581.
* The Latin means know but the Hebrew means fear.

AC (Elliott) n. 6076 6076. ‘And they said to Pharaoh’ means a continuation of the perception. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ as perception, dealt with above in 6063; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as the natural in general, dealt with previously. The reason a continuation of the perception by the natural is meant is that the phrase ‘they said to Pharaoh’ was used just previously, 6074, and now occurs again.

AC (Elliott) n. 6077 6077. ‘We have come to sojourn in the land’ means a seeking to live in factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘sojourning’ as receiving instruction, and also living, dealt with in 1467, 2025, so that ‘coming to sojourn’ means a seeking to live; and from the meaning of ‘the land’, in this case the land of Egypt, as the place where factual knowledge exists, and so as factual knowledge itself (it has been shown quite a number of times that ‘Egypt’ means factual knowledge). As to the idea that the life of truth exists within factual knowledge or that truths seek to live in factual knowledge, it should be recognized that all things in the spiritual world, and consequently all those in the natural world, seek something beyond themselves in which they can exist, acting as the cause within the effect, to the end that they may be producing something constantly. That something beyond them is so to speak the body, and what seeks to exist within it is so to speak the soul. This endeavour comes to an end only in the lowest aspects of the natural order in which inert substances occur. In the natural world this can be seen in specific examples; and it can also be seen in the spiritual world, in that there good seeks to live in truths, truths seek to live in factual knowledge, factual knowledge to live in sensory impressions, and sensory impressions in the world.

[2] As regards the specific matter of the presence of truths within factual knowledge, it should be recognized that interior truths can indeed be introduced into factual knowledge; but those truths do not have life until good exists within them. Good has life in it, but truths receive theirs from good; thus factual knowledge receives its life from good through truths. Good is in that case a kind of soul for truths, and through truths for factual knowledge, which is a kind of body. In short, charity towards the neighbour gives faith its life and soul, and through faith gives them to factual knowledge belonging to the natural mind.

[3] At the present day there are few who know that truths are distinct and separate from factual knowledge. The reason for this is that truths of faith which are rooted in charity exist with only few, and truths of faith that have no charity in them are no more than factual knowledge since they exist in the memory, no different from anything else there. But when truths of faith are rooted in charity, that is, have charity within them, they make themselves clearly distinct and separate from factual knowledge. Sometimes they lift themselves above it, in which case they look down on factual knowledge below them. This may be seen primarily from a person’s state after death. In that state he can think and speak in a rational manner about the truths and goods of faith, and in a far more clear-sighted way than during his lifetime; yet he cannot draw out any factual knowledge from his memory. That knowledge exists with him as things that lie forgotten and removed from sight, even though he retains it all, see 2475-2477, 2479, 2480-2486. From this it may be seen that the truths of faith, which are essentially spiritual, are distinct and separate from factual knowledge, which is essentially natural, and that the truths of faith are lifted up from factual knowledge towards heaven by means of an affection for the good of charity.

AC (Elliott) n. 6078 6078. ‘For there is no pasture for the flock which belongs to your servants’ means that factual knowledge holding forms of the good of truth is wanting. This is clear from the meaning of ‘pasture for the flock’ as factual knowledge holding forms of the good of truth, so that ‘no pasture’ means factual knowledge that does not hold any forms of the good of truth. In the internal sense ‘pasture’ is that which supports spiritual life; in particular it is truth contained in factual knowledge, for the human soul desires such truth just as the body desires food. Nourishment is derived from it, and for that reason ‘feeding’ means receiving instruction, 5201. That factual knowledge and truths sustain the human soul is quite evident from a person’s desire for knowledge, as well as from the correspondence of food with factual knowledge, 1480, 3114, 4792, 5147, 5193, 5340, 5342, 5576, 5579, 5915. This correspondence also manifests itself when a person is eating food. If he eats it while talking and listening the vessels that receive the chyle are opened, and he is nourished more fully than if he is alone. Spiritual truths and instruction in them would have the same kind of effect on people if they were to have an affection for what is good. The fact that truths nourish spiritual life is revealed primarily among good spirits and among angels in heaven. Those spirits and angels have a constant desire to acquire knowledge and wisdom; and when they lack this spiritual food they feel desolate, listless, and famished. Nor are they refreshed and raised into the bliss of their life until their desires are satisfied. But if that factual knowledge is to yield the soul wholesome nourishment, that knowledge must contain life received from forms of the good of truth. If it does not contain life received from them factual knowledge still sustains a person’s inner life, but his natural life, not his spiritual life.

[2] The meaning of ‘pasture’ in the internal sense as that which sustains a person’s spiritual life is also evident from other places in the Word, as in Isaiah,

I have given you as a covenant to the people, to restore the land; to say to the bound, Go out, to those who are in darkness, Reveal yourselves. They will feed along the ways, and on all slopes will their pasture be. Isa. 49:8, 9.

‘Feeding along the ways’ stands for receiving instruction in truths, ‘the ways’ being truths, see 627, 2333, and ‘feeding’ receiving instruction, 5201. ‘On all slopes will their pasture be’ stands for being sustained with good, for ‘slopes’, like ‘mountains’ are forms of the good of love, 795, 796, 1430, 2722, 4210.

[3] In Jeremiah,

Woe to the shepherds destroying and scattering the flock of My pasture. Jer. 23:1.

‘Pasture’ stands for the kinds of things that sustain spiritual life. In the same prophet,

The princes of Zion have become like deer, they have not found pasture. Lam. 1:6.

‘They have not found pasture’ stands for no truth of good.

[4] In Ezekiel,

I, even I will look for My sheep. I will feed them in a good pasture, and their fold will be on the mountains of the loftiness of Israel; there* they will lie down in a good fold, and on fat pasture they will feed upon the mountains of Israel. Ezek. 34:11, 14.

‘A good and fat pasture upon the mountains of Israel’ stands for forms of the good of truth. In the same prophet,

Is it a small thing to you? You feed off the good pasture but tread down with your feet the rest of your pastures. Ezek. 34:18.

Here the meaning is similar. In Hosea,

I knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought. When [they had] their pasture, they were filled; they were filled and their heart was exalted. Hosea 13:5, 6.

In Joel,

The beasts groan, the herds of cattle are perplexed because they have no pasture, even the flocks of sheep** are made desolate. Joel 1:18.

In David,

Jehovah is my Shepherd; He will make me lie down in green pasture;*** He will lead me away to still waters; He will restore My soul. Ps. 23:1-3.

In the same author,

Jehovah made us and not we ourselves, His people and the flock of His pasture; therefore we are His, His people, and the flock of His pasture.**** Ps. 100:3.

[5] ‘Pasture’ in these quotations stands for the truths in which a person receives instruction, here the kinds of things which have regard to spiritual life. For the nature of spiritual life is such that if it lacks that pasture it languishes and so to speak fades away, like the body when it lacks food. The fact that ‘pasture’ is the goodness and truth that refresh and sustain a person’s soul or spirit is plain from the Lord’s words in John,

I am the door. If anyone enters through Me he will be saved, and will go in and out, and find pasture. John 10:9.

‘Pasture’ stands for the forms of good and the truths which those people have who acknowledge the Lord and seek life from Him alone.
* Reading there (ibi) for thus (ita)
** lit. small cattle or livestock
*** lit. pasture of the plant
**** The first and second halves of this sentence are in fact alternative ways of understanding the original Hebrew.

AC (Elliott) n. 6079 6079. ‘For the famine is serious in the land of Canaan’ means that there is a lack of such forms in the Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the famine’ as a lack of good, dealt with in 5893; and from the meaning of ‘the land of Canaan’ as the Church, also dealt with above, in 6067.

AC (Elliott) n. 6080 6080. ‘And now let your servants, we beg you, dwell in the land of Goshen’ means so that they may live in the middle of them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘dwelling’ as living, dealt with in 1293, 3384, 3613, 4451, 6051; and from the meaning of ‘the land of Goshen’ as the middle or inmost part of the natural, dealt with in 5910, 6028, 6031, 6068.

AC (Elliott) n. 6081 6081. ‘And Pharaoh said to Joseph – he said’ means perception in the natural where factual knowledge resides. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ as perception, dealt with often; from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as the natural where factual knowledge resides, dealt with in 5799, 6015, 6063; and from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, the source of perception in the natural, dealt with in 5469.

AC (Elliott) n. 6082 6082. ‘Your father and your brothers have come to you’ means regarding the influx of the internal celestial into spiritual good from the natural and into the truths of the Church there. This is clear from the representation of Israel, to whom ‘father’ refers here, as spiritual good from the natural, dealt with in 5801, 5807, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833; and from the representation of his sons, to whom ‘brothers’ refers here, as the truths of the Church in the natural, dealt with in 5414, 5879, 5951. The reason it is an influx of the internal celestial is that the words were addressed to Joseph, who represents the internal celestial, 5869, 5877, and an influx into the natural or external comes from the internal.

AC (Elliott) n. 6083 6083. ‘The land of Egypt is before you’ means that factual knowledge in the natural mind is subject to the guidance of the internal celestial. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the land of Egypt’ as the natural mind where factual knowledge resides, dealt with in 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5301; and from the meaning of ‘before you’ as being subject to the guidance of the internal celestial, which is ‘Joseph’, 5869, 5877.

AC (Elliott) n. 6084 6084. ‘In the best of the land cause your father and your brothers to dwell’ means that they may live in the inmost part of it, that is to say, of factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the best of the land’ as the inmost part of the natural mind where factual knowledge resides, dealt with below, for ‘the land of Egypt’ is the natural mind, as immediately above in 6083; from the meaning of ‘dwelling’ as living, dealt with in 1293, 3384, 3613, 4451, 6051; and from the representation of Israel and his sons, to whom ‘father’ and ‘brothers’ who are to live there refer here, as spiritual good from the natural and the truths of the Church there, dealt with above in 6082.

[2] ‘The best’ means the inmost part since the best is that which is kept immediately beneath one’s gaze. The eye is always directed towards that for which it feels the greatest affection and delight; and that which is kept immediately beneath its gaze is also the inmost part because it is in the centre and as a consequence exists before the eyes in greatest light. All else lies round about in peripheral positions and as a consequence is less clear, till at the edges it is obscure because it arouses less delight and affection. This is the situation with factual knowledge beheld by inward sight. The objects of that sight are nothing else than known facts and truths. The delight and goodness present in those objects are what direct that sight towards them. It should be recognized however that truths and factual knowledge agreeing with those truths come directly under its gaze, that is, they reside in the inmost part, if people take a delight in and feel an affection for spiritual and celestial truths since they are for those people ‘the best’. But falsities and factual knowledge agreeing with those falsities come directly under the gaze of inner sight, that is, they reside in the inmost part, if people feel an affection for and take delight in the evils that belong to self-love and love of the world. See also what has been stated in 6068.

AC (Elliott) n. 6085 6085. ‘Let them dwell in the land of Goshen’ means where the middle is. This is clear from the meaning of ‘dwelling’ as living, as immediately above in 6084; and from the meaning of ‘the land of Goshen’ as the middle or inmost part of the natural, dealt with in 5910, 6028, 6031, 6068.

AC (Elliott) n. 6086 6086. ‘And if you know that there are among them men with energy’ means the more outstanding contents of doctrine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘men with energy’ a, the more outstanding contents of doctrine. For ‘man’ means one who has intelligence and also means truth, 158, 265, 749, 1007, 3174, 4823, and as a consequence means doctrine, while ‘energetic’ means what is outstanding In the original language ‘energy’ is expressed by a word that also means strength and power, which in the internal sense means those things that prevail and so are more outstanding.

AC (Elliott) n. 6087 6087. ‘Then set them as the chief men over the livestock belonging to me’ means that they are the first and foremost among known facts. This is clear from the meaning of ‘chief men’ or princes as features that are first and foremost, dealt with in 1482, 2089, 5044; and from the meaning of ‘the livestock’ as truths from which good springs, dealt with in 6016, 6045, 6048, at this point factual knowledge that has those truths within it, since the expression used is ‘over the livestock belonging to me’, that is, to Pharaoh, who does not represent truths that have good within them but factual knowledge that has truths within it.

AC (Elliott) n. 6088 6088. Verses 7-10 And Joseph caused Jacob his father to come and placed him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Jacob, How many are the days of the years of your life? And Jacob said to Pharaoh, The days of the years of my sojournings are a hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers, in the days of their sojournings. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

‘And Joseph caused Jacob his father to come means the presence of general truth from the internal. ‘And placed him before Pharaoh’ means an introduction into factual knowledge as a general whole. ‘And Jacob blessed Pharaoh’ means a heartfelt desire for a joining together and resulting fruitfulness. ‘And Pharaoh said to Jacob’ means perception in the natural where factual knowledge resides, regarding the Church’s truth in general. ‘How many are the days of the years of your life?’ means regarding the state of life of the natural from the spiritual. ‘And Jacob said to Pharaoh’ means the reply. ‘The days of the years of my hundred and thirty years’ means its state and essential nature. ‘[Few] and evil have been the days of the years of my life’ means that the state of life of the natural has been full of temptations. ‘And they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers’ means that it did not come means up to the state of life of those that went before. ‘In the days of their sojournings’ means so far as their state of life was concerned. ‘And Jacob blessed Pharaoh’ means, as before, a heartfelt desire for a joining together and resulting fruitfulness. ‘And went out from before Pharaoh’ means a temporary separation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6089 6089. ‘And Joseph caused Jacob his father to come’ means the presence of general truth coming from the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘causing to come., or bringing to, as causing to be present, and ‘coming to someone’ as presence, 5934, 6063; and from the representation of ‘Jacob’ as the doctrine of natural truth, and also natural truth itself, dealt with in 3305, 3509, 3525, 3546, 4538, at this point truth in general since his sons represent particular truths. The reason why it comes from the internal is that ‘Joseph’ is the internal, from which truth in the natural comes. General truth is called ‘Joseph’s father’ because a person first of all is introduced into general truth. After that it is enriched with particular truths, and in the end there comes an insight into those truths from the internal, which is reason and understanding. This is plain to see in a person, for the power of judgement develops in him from young childhood onwards. Something similar happens with spiritual truths and forms of good when a person is being born anew or regenerated. But after the internal has come into being from general truth in the natural the state is turned around; the internal no longer acknowledges truth in the natural as its father but as a servant. That it is then a servant is made clear by Joseph’s dream regarding his father, in which he says that the sun and moon, and the eleven stars were bowing down to him, which led his father to say,

What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall we indeed come – I and your mother, and your brothers – to bow down to you to the earth? Gen. 37:9, 10.

This explains why, in Joseph’s presence, the other sons call his father so many times his servant, Gen. 43:28; 44:24, 27, 30, 31, besides which Joseph was lord in the whole land of Egypt, thus even over his father.

AC (Elliott) n. 6090 6090. ‘And placed him before Pharaoh’ means an introduction into factual knowledge as a general whole. This is clear from the explanation above in 6071.

AC (Elliott) n. 6091 6091. ‘And Jacob blessed Pharaoh’ means a heartfelt desire for a joining together and resulting fruitfulness. This is clear from the meaning of ‘blessing’ here as a heartfelt desire for a joining together – for a joining of truth to factual knowledge in the natural since that is the subject here. ‘Blessing has many meanings; in the spiritual sense it includes all things that are good and also those that are blissful. It therefore means being endowed with the good of love and charity, 3185, 4981, also a joining together or conjunction, 3504, 3514, 3530, 3565, 3584, as well as fruitfulness by virtue of the affection for truth, 2846, and a heartfelt desire for someone’s happiness, 3185. Here therefore a heartfelt desire for that which is the subject here is meant, namely a desire for a joining together and thus fruitfulness. Fruitfulness follows as a result of the joining together, because once the joining together has been effected good grows and truth multiplies; for the marriage of goodness and truth is then the producer of that fruitfulness. It cannot come about prior to that except as a result so to speak of fornication, the good from which union is spurious, as is the truth. Good from that union is full of self-regard, and truth likewise has the same flavour.

AC (Elliott) n. 6092 6092. ‘And Pharaoh said to Jacob’ means perception in the natural, where factual knowledge resides, regarding the Church’s truth in general. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ as perception, dealt with above in 6063; from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as the natural, where factual knowledge resides, dealt with in 5799, 6015; and from the representation of ‘Jacob’ as the Church’s truth in general, dealt with above in 6089.

AC (Elliott) n. 6093 6093. ‘How many are the days of the years of your life?’ means regarding the state of life of the natural from the spiritual. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the days’, also ‘the years’, as states, dealt with in 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850; and from the meaning of ‘life’ as spiritual life, dealt with in 5407, 5890, in this case spiritual life in the natural, which is the natural from the spiritual.

AC (Elliott) n. 6094 6094. ‘And Jacob said to Pharaoh’ means the reply. This is clear without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6095 6095. ‘The days of the years of my sojournings’ means regarding the succeeding stages of life. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the days’ and ‘the years’ as states, dealt with just above in 6093; and from the meaning of ‘sojournings’ as life and instruction, dealt with in 1463, 2025, 3672, thus the succeeding states of life.

AC (Elliott) n. 6096 6096. ‘A hundred and thirty years’ means its state and essential nature. This is clear from the fact that all numbers in the Word mean spiritual realities, see 575, 647, 648, 755, 813, 1963, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 4495, 4670, 5265, thus the state and essential nature of the reality under consideration. The specific number used here therefore means the state and essential nature of Jacob’s life up to that point, that is, the state and essential nature of the spiritual life which the natural from the spiritual possessed at that point.

AC (Elliott) n. 6097 6097. ‘[Few] and evil have been the days of the years of my life’ means that the state of life of the natural has been full of temptations. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the days’ and ‘the years’ as states, as above in 6093, 6095; and from the meaning of ‘Jacob’s life’ as spiritual life in the natural, also as above in 6093. Temptations in that state are meant by the statement that the days had been ‘evil’. All temptations appear to be evil because they are inner feelings of anxiety and distress, and of seeming damnation. For at such times a person is thrown into a state involving his own evils, as a consequence of which he is in the midst of evil spirits who make accusations and thereby torment his conscience. But the angels still protect him, that is, the Lord does so through the angels. The Lord preserves in him a sense of hope and trust, which are fighting strengths from within that enable him to offer resistance. The natural is particularly subjected to temptations when it is to receive the spiritual, for in it reside evils of life and falsities of doctrine. That is the reason why Jacob says what he does about himself, for here he represents the natural in respect of truth.

AC (Elliott) n. 6098 6098. ‘And they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers’ means that it did not come up to their state of life.* This is clear from the meaning of ‘attaining to’ here as coming up to, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘the days’ and ‘the years of life’ as states of spiritual life, as above in 6093, 6095, 6097. The reason ‘attaining to’ here means coming up to is that his fathers Isaac and Abraham represented higher, that is, more internal, things than he. ‘Abraham’ in the highest sense represented the Lord’s Divine itself, ‘Isaac’ the Lord’s Divine Rational, and ‘Jacob’ His Divine Natural. For the representation of ‘Abraham’ as the Lord’s Divine itself, see 1965, 1989, 2011, 7245, 7251, 3305 (end), 3439, 3703, 4615; for the representation of ‘Isaac’ as the Divine Rational, 1893, 2066, 2072, 2083, 2630, 2774, 3012, 3194, 3210, 4615; and for the representation of ‘Jacob’ as the Divine Natural in respect of truth and in respect of good, 3305, 3509, 3525, 3546, 3576, 3599, 4286, 4538, 4570, 4615. That being so, ‘Abraham’ also represents the celestial degree with man, ‘Isaac’ the spiritual degree, and ‘Jacob’ the natural, for the reason that the regeneration of man is an image of the Glorification of the Lord, 3138, 3212, 3296, 3490, 4402, 5688. From all this one may now see that ‘they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers’ means that it did not come up to their state of life.
* cf what appears in 6088.

AC (Elliott) n. 6099 6099. ‘And Jacob blessed Pharaoh’ means a heartfelt desire for a joining together and resulting fruitfulness, as above in 6091.

AC (Elliott) n. 6100 6100. ‘And went out from before Pharaoh’ means a temporary separation. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going out’ as becoming separated, in this case separated for a time from the natural, where factual knowledge represented by ‘Pharaoh’ resides. The situation with the meaning of ‘going out’ as becoming separated is this: Previous sections have dealt with the joining of spiritual good from the natural, which is ‘Israel’, and also of the Church’s truths in the natural, which are ‘his sons’, to the internal celestial, which is ‘Joseph’. But the actual joining to the natural has not yet been effected, only an introduction into it. What will now follow below, at verses 17-27, deals with that actual joining together – see Contents, 6059, 6060. Thus it is that ‘Jacob went out from before Pharaoh’ means a temporary separation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6101 6101. Verses 11, 12 And Joseph caused his father and his brothers to dwell, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Ramases, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph sustained his father, and his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread, according to the mouth of a young child.*

‘And Joseph caused his father and his brothers to dwell’ means the life which spiritual good and the Church’s truths received from the internal celestial. ‘And gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land’ means in the inmost part of the natural mind where factual knowledge resides. ‘In the land of Rameses’ means the inmost part of the mind and the essential nature of it. ‘As Pharaoh had commanded’ means with the acquiescence of the natural, where factual knowledge resides. ‘And Joseph sustained his father, and his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread’ means that from the internal celestial there was a constant influx of good into spiritual good and the Church’s truths in the natural, which gave them their life. ‘According to the mouth of a young child’ means each one in keeping with the essential nature of the good of innocence.
* i.e. according to the number of young mouths they had to feed

AC (Elliott) n. 6102 6102. ‘And Joseph caused his father and his brothers to dwell’ means the life which spiritual good and the Church’s truths received from the internal celestial. This is clear from the meaning of ‘dwelling’ as life, dealt with in 1293, 3384, 3613, 4451, 6051; from the representation of Israel, to whom ‘father’ refers here, as spiritual good from the natural, dealt with in 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833; from the representation of his sons, to whom ‘brothers’ refers here, as the Church’s truths in the natural, dealt with in 5414, 5879, 5951; and from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal celestial, dealt with in 5869, 5877. From all this it is evident that ‘Joseph caused his father and his brothers to dwell’ means the life which spiritual good and the Church’s truths received from the internal celestial.

AC (Elliott) n. 6103 6103. ‘And gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land’ means in the inmost part of the natural mind where factual knowledge resides. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a possession’ as the position spiritual life occupies, dealt with in 2658; from the meaning of ‘the land of Egypt’ as the natural mind where factual knowledge resides, dealt with in 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5301; and from the meaning of ‘the best of the land’ as the inmost part, dealt with above in 6084. From this it is evident that ‘gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land’ means the position occupied by spiritual life in the inmost part of the natural mind where factual knowledge resides.

AC (Elliott) n. 6104 6104. ‘In the land of Rameses’ means the inmost part of the mind and the essential nature of it. This is clear from the consideration that all names in the Word, both of persons and of places, mean spiritual entities, 1888, 3412, 4298, 4442, 5095, 5215. And since ‘the land of Goshen’ is the inmost part of the natural mind, 5910, 6018, 6031, 6068, ‘Rameses’, which was the best region in the land of Goshen, is the inmost part of the spiritual within the natural mind. But the essential nature of this inmost part can hardly be comprehended by man since it contains countless and also indescribable features which can be seen only in the light of heaven, and so only by angels. The same applies to the essential nature meant by all other names both of places and of persons that occur in the Word.

AC (Elliott) n. 6105 6105. ‘As Pharaoh had commanded’ means with the acquiescence of the natural, where factual knowledge resides. This is clear from the meaning of ‘commanding’ as influx, dealt with in 5486, 5732; but in this case acquiescence is meant, for the natural, which ‘Pharaoh’ represents, owes its whole existence to the internal flowing into it. Consequently what the natural commands does indeed appear to be a direction coming from there, but in fact it comes from the internal; thus it is an acquiescence. The relationship of a person’s natural to his internal is virtually the same as that of a person’s speech to his thought. It seems as though a person’s speech gives a command or issues a direction; but in fact thought does so.

AC (Elliott) n. 6106 6106. ‘And Joseph sustained his father, and his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread’ means that from the internal celestial there was a constant influx of good into spiritual good and the Church’s truths in the natural, which gave them their life. This is clear from the meaning of ‘sustaining with bread’ as an influx of good, for ‘sustaining’ here is a constant inflowing, which gives a person spiritual life, while ‘bread’ is the good of love, 276, 680, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3478, 3735, 3813, 4211, 4217, 4735, 4976, 5915; from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal celestial, dealt with in 5869, 5877; from the representation of Israel, to whom ‘father’ refers here, as spiritual good from the natural, and from the representation of his sons, to whom ‘brothers’ refers here, as the Church’s truths in the natural, both dealt with in 6101; and from the meaning of ‘all his father’s household’ as everything in its entirety which belongs to spiritual good and is derived from that good. From all this it is evident that ‘Joseph sustained his father, and his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread’ means that there was a constant influx of the good of love from the internal celestial into spiritual good and the Church’s truths in the natural, and into everything belonging to spiritual good and derived from it.

AC (Elliott) n. 6107 6107. ‘According to the mouth of a young child’ means each one in keeping with the essential nature of the good of innocence. This is clear from the meaning of ‘according to the mouth’ as each one and in keeping with the essential nature; and from the meaning of ‘a young child’ as the good of innocence, dealt with in 430, 2126, 3183, 5608. What the description ‘influx from the internal celestial into spiritual good and the Church’s truths within the natural in keeping with the essential nature of the good of innocence’ really means is this: Innocence is what gives all the good of charity and love its essential nature from deep within. For the Lord flows by means of innocence into charity; and the amount of innocence present determines the amount of charity received, since innocence is the very essence of charity, 2780, 3111, 3183, 3994, 4797, 6013.

[2] What innocence is like is mirrored by young children. That is to say, one can see what it is like in the way they love their parents and trust only them, also in their lack of all concern except to please their parents, so that food and clothing are to them not only something they need but also a source of delight. Because they love their parents they do with affection and delight whatever their parents approve of, thus not only what their parents command but also what they think they wish to command. In addition they have no regard for themselves, besides having many other characteristics. But it should be recognized that the innocence of young children is not really innocence, only a semblance of it. Real innocence resides solely in wisdom, see 2305, 2306, 3494, 4797; and wisdom consists in behaving towards the Lord in the ways, as have just been described, that young children do towards their parents, yet with the good of love and faith as the motivation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6108 6108. Verses 13-26 And there was no bread in all the land, for the famine was extremely serious; and the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished from the presence of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the silver found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they were buying; and Joseph caused the silver to come to Pharaoh’s house. And when the silver was used up in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all Egypt came to Joseph, saying, Give us bread; and why should we die near by you because the silver is lacking? And Joseph said, Give your livestock, and I will give you [bread] in exchange for your livestock, if the silver is lacking. And they caused their livestock to come to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for livestock of the flock, and for livestock of the herd, and for asses; and he provided them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year. And that year ended, and they came to him in the second year, and said to him, We will not hide from [my] lord, that since the silver has been used up and the livestock of the beasts has passed to [my] lord, nothing is left before [my] lord apart from our bodies and our ground. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our ground? Buy us and our ground for bread, and we will live, and our ground, as Pharaoh’s slaves; and give us seed so that we may live and not die, and the ground may not become a waste. And Joseph bought all the ground of Egypt for Pharaoh, for the Egyptians sold, each one his field, because the famine overwhelmed them; and the land was Pharaoh’s. And the people, he transferred them to the cities from one end of the border of Egypt to the other end of it. Only the ground of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had a fixed portion from Pharaoh and ate their fixed portion which Pharaoh had given them; therefore they did not sell their ground. And Joseph said to the people, Behold, I have bought you today, and your ground, for Pharaoh; look, here is seed for you, and you may sow the ground. And so it will be at ingatherings,* that you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four portions shall be yours, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for those in your households, and for food for your young children. And they said, You have bestowed life on us; let us find favour in the eyes of [my] lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves. And Joseph made it a statute even to this day regarding the ground of Egypt, that a fifth went to Pharaoh. Only the ground of the priests, theirs alone, did not belong to Pharaoh.

‘And there was no bread in all the land’ means that good was not apparent any longer. ‘For the famine was extremely serious’ means desolation. ‘And the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished from the presence of the famine’ means that this was so in the natural [where factual knowledge resides], and within the Church. ‘And Joseph gathered up all the silver’ means all factual knowledge that held truth in it and was appropriate. ‘Found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan’ means that was present in the natural and in the Church. ‘For the corn which they were buying’ means that they were to be sustained by this. ‘And Joseph caused the silver to come to Pharaoh’s house’ means that factual knowledge was brought into association with the general whole within the natural. ‘And when the silver was used up in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan’ means that factual knowledge that held truth in it and was appropriate could be seen no longer in the natural or within the Church on account of the desolation. ‘And all Egypt came to Joseph’ means a turning to the internal. ‘Saying, Give us bread’ means a plea for the sustainment of spiritual life. ‘And why should we die near by you because the silver is lacking?’ means that otherwise spiritual death takes place because of the lack of truth. ‘And Joseph said’ means the internal from which the response came. ‘Give your livestock, and I will give you [bread] in exchange for your livestock’ means that they were to offer forms of the good of truth and would be sustained. ‘If the silver is lacking’ means if truth could no longer be seen by them. ‘And they caused their livestock to come to Joseph’ means that forms of the good of truth were offered. ‘And Joseph gave them bread’ means the sustainment of spiritual life. ‘In exchange for horses’ means factual knowledge supplied from the understanding. ‘And for livestock of the flock and for livestock of the herd’ means forms of the good of truth, interior and exterior ones. ‘And for asses’ means things of a subservient nature. ‘And he provided them with bread in exchange for all their livestock’ means the sustainment by means of an influx of good from the internal. ‘That year’ means the period covered by that state. ‘And that year ended’ means the desolation that followed the period covered by this state. ‘And they came to him in the second year’ means the beginning of the next state. ‘And said to him, We will not hide from [my] lord’ means a perception that it is well known to the internal. ‘Since the silver has been used up’ means that truth can be seen no longer because of the desolation. ‘And the livestock of the beasts has passed to [my] lord’ means similarly the good of truth. ‘Nothing is left before [my] lord apart from our bodies and our ground’ means that the receptacles of goodness and truth have been made completely desolate. ‘Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our ground?’ means that if they have been made desolate there is no longer any spiritual life beneath the internal. ‘Buy us and our ground for bread’ means it should make both its own so that they may be sustained with good. ‘And we will live, and our ground, as Pharaoh’s slaves’ means total submission. ‘And give us seed’ means an influx, as a result of this, of the good of charity and the truth of faith. ‘So that we may live and not die’ means spiritual life from them, and the fear no longer of damnation. ‘And the ground may not become a waste’ means that the mind must be cultivated with the facts known to the Church. ‘And Joseph bought all the ground of Egypt for Pharaoh’ means that the internal made the entire natural mind where factual knowledge resides its own and placed it under its overall control. ‘And the Egyptians sold, each one his field’ means a renunciation and surrender of everything of service to the Church. ‘Because the famine overwhelmed them’ means because the desolation reached the point of despair. ‘And the land was Pharaoh’s’ means that all things were made subject to the natural, which was under the control of the internal. ‘And the people, he transferred them to the cities’ means that facts holding truths within them were assigned to different areas of doctrine. ‘From one end of the border of Egypt to the other end of it’ means a spread throughout the whole natural where factual knowledge resides. ‘Only the ground of the priests he did not buy’ means that the internal obtained for itself from the natural every capacity to receive good, because every such capacity came from itself. ‘For the priests had a fixed portion from Pharaoh’ means that this had (therefore] been decreed by the natural, which was under the control of the internal. ‘And ate their fixed portion which Pharaoh had given them’ means that they did not make any forms of good their own beyond what had been decreed. ‘Therefore they did not sell their ground’ means that for this reason they had no need to renounce those things or surrender them. ‘And Joseph said to the people’ means an influx of the internal into the facts that have truths within them. ‘Behold, I have bought you today, and your ground, for Pharaoh’ means that it had obtained those things for itself and had made them subject to the general whole in the natural, which was under the control of the internal. ‘Look, here is seed for you, and you may sow the ground’ means the good of charity and the truth of faith that are to be implanted. ‘And so it will be at ingatherings’ means the fruits from this. ‘That you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh’ means that remnants are to be assigned to the general whole, which is under the control of the internal. ‘And four portions shall be yours’ means those things which have not yet become remnants. ‘For seed of the field’ means for mental nourishment. ‘And for your food, and for those in your households’ means so that the good of truth may therefore be present within every single part. ‘And for food for your young children’ means in those things that are forms of innocence. ‘And they said, You have bestowed life on us’ means spiritual life, in no other way and from no other source. ‘Let us find favour in the eyes of [my] lord’ means a willingness to be made subject in this way, and self-abasement. ‘And we will be Pharaoh’s slaves’ means that they should renounce what is properly their own and become submissive to the natural, which is under the control of the internal. ‘And Joseph made it a statute’ means a conclusion based on consent. ‘Even to this day’ means lasting for ever. ‘Regarding the ground of Egypt, that a fifth went to Pharaoh’ means remnants, as previously. ‘Only the ground of the priests, theirs alone, did not belong to Pharaoh’ means every capacity to receive good came directly from the internal.
* lit. comings forth

AC (Elliott) n. 6109 6109. ‘And there was no bread in all the land’ means that good was not apparent any longer. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bread’ as the good of love and charity, dealt with just above in 6106; and from the meaning of ‘none in all the land’ as the fact that none was apparent any longer. The subject in what follows below is the internal celestial, how it brought everything in the natural into order beneath the general whole, to the end that factual knowledge might become joined to the Church’s truths, and through those truths to spiritual good, and through this good to the internal celestial. But since factual knowledge cannot be brought into order beneath the general whole except through stages when good is laid waste and truth is made desolate, and then by stages of sustainment, both the latter and the former stages are dealt with in the internal sense of what follows next. These things rarely happen to a person while he lives in the world, for a number of reasons; but in the next life they happen to all who are being regenerated. And since they do not happen to a person while he is in the world it is not surprising if they appear to him as things unknown and strike him as deep secrets about which no one has heard before.

AC (Elliott) n. 6110 6110. ‘For the famine was extremely serious’ means desolation. This is clear from the meaning of ‘famine’ as an absence of good and of cognitions, dealt with in 1460, 3364, 5277, 5279, 5281, 5300, 5579, 5893, so that ‘the famine was extremely serious’ is desolation, 5360, 5376, 5415, 5576. As regards desolation, it should be recognized that truths and forms of good, together with cognitions of them, compose the spiritual life of those who are in heaven. They are the celestial and spiritual foods that nourish them; and these foods are given them every day by the Lord. When it is morning with them forms of good are supplied, and when it is midday truths are supplied; but when evening comes they lack them, and continue to lack them until it is twilight and then morning again. Their yearning when they lack them remains so strong that their desire for them is greater than starving people’s desire for food on earth. This state is meant by ‘the famine’ and it is a kind of desolation, though not the kind experienced by those on the lower earth, 698, 699, 1106-1113.

[2] Scarcely anyone in the world can believe that the angelic heaven can have so great a yearning for truths and forms of good, and for cognitions of them. For people whose minds are set on nothing else than gain and glory, and who are given up to worldly pleasures, will be amazed to learn that those things constitute angelic life. ‘What use they will say ‘are cognitions of goodness and truth to me? What life can they give me? The things that bring me life and my life’s delight are wealth, position, and worldly pleasures!’ But let those who speak like this know that the life these things bring is that of the body, not that of the soul, and that the former kind of life perishes along with the body, whereas the latter kind remains for ever. Let them also know that people are ill-advised if while in the world they do not give any thought to spiritual life.

[3] Further as regards desolation, it exists on account of the yearning; for forms of good and truth are accepted in the measure that they are yearned for, and when the desires created by the yearning are fulfilled they produce feelings of happiness and bliss. In the next life therefore those who pass through desolation are refreshed immediately afterwards and realize their desires; everyone there is made more perfect by means of such alternating experiences. It is a fact worthy of note that the changing times of day in the natural world – morning, midday, evening, night, and morning again – are wholly representative of the changes that take place in the spiritual world, yet with one difference. The changes that occur in the spiritual world have an effect on the understanding and the will, establishing in them the basic elements of life, whereas the changes that occur in the world have an effect on and sustain things of the body.

[4] What is even more noteworthy is the fact that it is not the Lord who brings on the shades of evening and the darkness of night but those characteristics of angels, spirits, or men that are entirely their own. For the Lord as the Sun shines and flows in constantly; but because the evils
and falsities that spring from what is his own are present in a man, spirit, or angel, they turn and direct him away from the Lord. In so doing they bring him into the shades of evening, and lead the wicked into the darkness of night. It is similar to the way things are with the sun in our world. It shines and flows in constantly, but the earth by rotating on its axis turns away from the sun and brings itself into shade and darkness.

[5] These features of the natural world come about because the natural world comes into being from the spiritual world and is also kept in being from there, as a consequence of which the entire natural system is a theatre representative of the Lord’s kingdom, 3483, 4939. The purpose served by the changes that take place in the spiritual world is that all who are in heaven may constantly become more perfect. Such changes exist in the natural world for the same reason, for if they did not occur everything there would perish because of drought.

[6] It should be recognized however that in heaven there is no night, only evening, which is followed by the twilight that comes before morning; but in hell there is night. Changes take place there also, but they are of a contrary nature to those in heaven. In hell morning is the heat of evil desires, midday is the itch of false ideas, evening is anxiety, and night is torment. But through all these changes night predominates; merely variations of shade and darkness are what bring about those changes. In addition to this it should be recognized that in the spiritual world the changes which take place are not the same with one person as they are with another, also that the changes there do not divide into regular periods of time because they are variations of state that produce those changes. For instead of the periods of time that occur in the natural world there are states in the spiritual world, 1274, 1382, 2625, 2788, 2837, 3254, 3356, 4814, 4916, 4882, 4901.

AC (Elliott) n. 6111 6111. ‘And the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished from the presence of the famine’ means that this was so in the natural where factual knowledge resides, and within the Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the land of Egypt’ as the natural mind where factual knowledge resides, dealt with in 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5701; from the meaning of ‘the land of Canaan’ as the Church, dealt with above in 6067; and from the meaning of ‘the famine’ as desolation, as immediately above in 6110. From these meanings it is evident that ‘the land of Egypt languished, and the land of Canaan, from the presence of the famine’ means that there is desolation in the natural where factual knowledge resides, and within the Church.

AC (Elliott) n. 6112 6112. ‘And Joseph gathered up all the silver’ means all factual knowledge that held truth in it and was appropriate. This is clear from the meaning of ‘gathering up’ as bringing together into a single whole; from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal celestial, often dealt with already; and from the meaning of ‘silver’ as truth, dealt with in ‘551, 2954, 5658, but in this case factual knowledge that holds truth in it and is appropriate, for this silver existed, as stated in the words that immediately follow, in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan. All this shows that ‘Joseph gathered up all the silver’ means that the internal celestial brought together into a single whole all factual knowledge that held truth in it and that was appropriate. Factual knowledge is said to hold truth in it and to be appropriate when there are no illusions to darken it, for as long as these cannot be dispelled, factual knowledge is rendered inappropriate. The same is true of factual knowledge which has not become perverted through applications of it to falsities and to evils by others or by oneself, for once imprinted on factual knowledge such falsities and evils remain. Factual knowledge therefore which does not languish under these defects is factual knowledge that holds truth in it and is appropriate.

AC (Elliott) n. 6113 6113. ‘Found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan’ means that was present in the natural and in the Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the land of Egypt’ as the natural where factual knowledge resides, dealt with above in 6111; and from the meaning of ‘the land of Canaan’ as the Church, also dealt with above, in 6067. The word Church is used here to mean that which constitutes the Church in a person, for a person is a Church when goodness and truth are present in him; and groups of such people make up the Church in general.

AC (Elliott) n. 6114 6114. ‘For the corn which they were buying’ means that they were to be sustained by this. This is clear from the meaning of ‘corn’ as truth that the Church possesses, dealt with in 5402; and from the meaning of ‘buying’ as making one’s own, dealt with in 4797, 5374, 5397, 5406, 5410, 5426, and therefore being sustained. For spiritual food, meant by ‘corn’, is what is referred to here, and when this food is made a person’s own it sustains his spiritual life.

AC (Elliott) n. 6115 6115. ‘And Joseph caused the silver to come to Pharaoh’s house’ means that all that factual knowledge was brought into association with the general whole within the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘causing to come’ as bringing into association with and introducing into; from the meaning of ‘silver’ as factual knowledge that holds truth in it and is appropriate, dealt with in 6112; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as the natural in general, dealt with in 5160, 5799, 6015, and therefore ‘Pharaoh’s house’ is the general whole within the natural since this includes everything there in its entirety.

[2] Regarding this matter of bringing known facts that hold truths in them and that are appropriate into association with a general whole, it should be recognized that all known facts, and truths as well, if they are to be anything, must without exception be brought into association with a general whole. They must be placed with and contained within the general whole and be made subject to it; otherwise they are instantly scattered to the winds. Indeed, if known facts and truths are to be anything, they must be brought into a form in which they have a mutual relationship with one another, and this cannot be done if they do not exist in association with one another subject to a general whole. This therefore is what preserves them in the form they receive and gives each fact or truth there its specific character. That general whole too, together with others like it, must be brought into association with one another subject to a more general whole, and these in turn must be subject to the most general of all. If they are not, even the general wholes, and the more general ones too, are scattered to the winds.

[3] The most general and all-embracing whole, the source from which everything is held in place, is the Lord Himself; and what holds everything in place is Divine Truth going forth from Him. The more general wholes are general communities in the spiritual world into which Divine Truth flows, which makes them distinct and separate from one another on a general level; and the general wholes are less general communities subject to a more general one. The more general communities are those to which the members, organs, and viscera in a person correspond; through the amazing way that they are linked together they exist in a kind of form in which they have regard to one another and thus hold one another in place, and also present themselves as a single whole. In the human being the most general and all-embracing whole, holding every single thing in place, is the soul. It is also Divine Truth going forth from the Lord, for Divine Truth flows constantly into the soul and makes it what it is.

[4] Divine Truth going forth from the Lord is what is called the Word, through which all things were created, John 1:1-3, that is, through which all things came into being, and therefore through which all things are kept in being. The truth that all things in the entire natural world exist subject to a general whole, each specific thing to its own general whole, and that otherwise they cannot remain in being, anyone will plainly discover who is willing to turn his attention to those things in the natural creation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6116 6116. ‘And when the silver had been used up in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan’ means that factual knowledge that held truth in it and was appropriate could be seen no longer in the natural or within the Church on account of the desolation. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being used up’ as being seen no longer; from the meaning of ‘silver’ as factual knowledge that holds truth in it and is appropriate, dealt with above in 6112; from the meaning of ‘the land of Egypt’ as the natural where factual knowledge resides, dealt with above in 6111; and from the meaning of ‘the land of Canaan’ as the Church, also dealt with above, in 6067. The fact that it was on account of the desolation is evident from what has gone before, see 6110.

AC (Elliott) n. 6117 6117. ‘And all Egypt came to Joseph’ means a turning to the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘coming to him’ as turning to; from the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as factual knowledge, dealt with already; and from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, also dealt with already. The consideration that all factual knowledge in the natural was subject to the control of the internal is meant by Joseph’s being master over the whole land of Egypt. But the joining of the Church’s truths to known facts in the natural is what the internal sense is describing here.

AC (Elliott) n. 6118 6118. ‘Saying, Give us bread’ means a plea for the sustainment of spiritual life. This is clear from the meaning of ‘giving’, when it has reference to ‘bread’, as sustaining; and from the meaning of ‘bread’ as spiritual life. In a specific sense ‘bread’ means the good of love and charity; but in a general sense it means spiritual life, for in this case bread is used to mean all food, as shown in 2165. When used to mean all food in general, it is spiritual life; for in the spiritual sense food in general is all the good of love and all the truth of faith. These two are what compose spiritual life.

AC (Elliott) n. 6119 6119. ‘And why should we die near by you because the silver is lacking?’ means that otherwise spiritual death takes place because of the lack of truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘dying’ as spiritual death, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘the silver lacking’ as a lack of truth – ‘silver’ being factual knowledge that holds truth in it and is appropriate, see 6112. What is implied by the notion that spiritual death takes place when there is a lack of truth is that spiritual life consists in deeds carried out in accordance with truths, consequently in useful services. For people endowed with spiritual life possess a yearning and desire for truths with life in view – that is, their end in view is to lead a life according to those truths – thus with useful services in view. Therefore the extent to which they can absorb truths, in accordance with which useful services are to be rendered, determines how much spiritual life they possess, because it determines how much of the light of intelligence and wisdom they possess. When truths are lacking therefore, as happens when a state of shade arrives – a state meant in the Word by ‘evening’, 6110 – spiritual life languishes. It languishes because things such as belong to the state of shade, that is, to spiritual death, enter in. When this happens people cannot be kept in the light in which they were before but are returned in part to a state of selfhood. As a consequence there emerges from the shade an image of spiritual death, that is, of damnation.

[2] It is clear from very many places in the Word that ‘death’ means spiritual death, or damnation; but let simply the following be quoted here: In Isaiah,

With righteousness He will judge the poor, and will reprove with uprightness the wretched of the earth. On the other hand He will smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath* of His lips He will make the wicked die. Isa. 11:4.

This refers to the Lord. ‘The rod of His mouth’ and ‘the breath of His lips stand for Divine Truth, the source of judgement. ‘Dying’ stands for suffering damnation. In the same prophet, He Will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord Jehovih will wipe away tears from upon all faces. Isa. 15:8.

In the same prophet,

The dead will not live, the Rephaim will not rise. To that end You have visited them, You have wiped them out. Isa. 16:14.

In the same prophet,

Your dead will live, my corpse will rise again. Isa. 26:19.

In the same prophet,

You have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell we have shaped a vision. Your covenant with death will be annulled, and your vision with hell will not stand. Isa. 28:15, 18.

[3] In Jeremiah,

You look for light, but He will turn it into the shadow of death, He will place it in thick darkness. Jer. 13:16.

In Ezekiel,

You have desecrated Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for crusts of bread, to slay souls that ought not to die and to bestow life on souls that ought not to live. Ezek. 13:19, 22.

In Hosea,

Out of the hand of hell I will redeem them, from death I will deliver them. I will be your plagues, O death; I will be your destruction, O hell! Hosea 13:14.

In David,

You lift me up from the gates of death. Ps. 9:13.

In the same author,

Lighten my eyes, lest perhaps I sleep [the sleep of] death. Ps. 13:3.

In the same author,

The cords of death encompassed me, and the cords of hell. Ps. 18:4, 5.

In the same author,

Like sheep they will be placed in hell, death will feed them. Ps. 49:14.

In John,

I have the keys of hell and of death. Rev. 1:18.

In the same book,

He who overcomes will not suffer harm in the second death. Rev. 1:11.

[4] In the same book,

I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive; but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen what remains, which is at the point of death. Rev. 3:1, 2.

In Matthew,

The people sitting in darkness have seen a great light; and for those sitting in the region and shadow of death, the light has arisen. Matt. 4:16.

In John,

He who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me will have eternal life, and will not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life. John 5:24.

In the same gospel,

I am going away and you will seek Me, but you will die in your sin. I have said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins. If anyone keeps My word he will not ever see death. John 8:21, 14, 51, 52.

Because ‘death’ meant damnation those who belonged to the representative Church were forbidden to touch the dead. If they did touch them they were unclean and had to be cleansed, Ezek. 44:25; Lev. 15:71; 21:2, 3; 22:8; Num. 6:6-12; 19:11-end.
* or the spirit

AC (Elliott) n. 6120 6120. ‘And Joseph said’ means the internal from which the response came. This is clear from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, dealt with already. The fact that it is a response is self-evident.

AC (Elliott) n. 6121 6121. ‘Give your livestock, and I will give you [bread] in exchange for your livestock’ means that they were to offer forms of the good of truth and would be sustained. This is clear from the meaning of ‘livestock’ as forms of the good of truth, dealt with in 6016, 6045; and from the meaning of ‘giving in exchange for them’ – giving them bread – as the sustaining of spiritual life, dealt with above in 6118.

AC (Elliott) n. 6122 6122. ‘If the silver is lacking’ means if truth could no longer be seen by them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the silver lacking’ as a lack of truth, thus that truth is no longer to be seen, dealt with above in 6116, 6119. Truth is said not to be seen because in a state of desolation truth seems to have fled. But it is in fact present, for all truth and good that the Lord ever grants man, spirit, or angel remains. None is ever taken away from them, but in a state of desolation they become so obscured by the person’s selfhood that they cannot be seen. Once a state of light returns however, they are made present and to be seen. This shows what is meant by truth’s inability to be seen.

AC (Elliott) n. 6123 6123. ‘And they caused their livestock to come to Joseph’ means that forms of the good of truth were offered. This is clear from the meaning of ‘causing to come’ as being offered; and from the meaning of ‘livestock’ as forms of the good of truth, dealt with in 6016, 6045.

AC (Elliott) n. 6124 6124. ‘And Joseph gave them bread’ means the sustainment of spiritual life. This is clear from the meaning of ‘giving bread’ as the sustainment of spiritual life, dealt with above in 6118.

AC (Elliott) n. 6125 6125. ‘In exchange for horses’ means factual knowledge supplied from the understanding. This is clear from the meaning of ‘horses’ as ideas forming the understanding, dealt with in 2760-2762, 3217, 5321; and since they are spoken of in connection with Egypt, which means factual knowledge, ‘horses’ here are factual knowledge supplied from the understanding. But what factual knowledge supplied from the understanding is must be stated. There is an understanding part and there is a will part in the human mind, and these are situated not only in his internal man but also in his external. The human understanding is developing and growing from early childhood through to manhood, and it consists in a discernment of things gained from experience and formal knowledge, also a discernment of causes from effects as well as of consequences from a chain of causes. Thus the understanding part consists in a comprehension and perception of such things as are part of everyday life, public and private. An inflowing of light from heaven brings it into existence, and for that reason everyone’s understanding is capable of being made more perfect. Understanding is given to everyone in accordance with his effort to make use of what he knows, in accordance with the life he leads, and in accordance with his individual character; no one lacks it provided he is of sound mind. A person is given it to the end that he may have freedom of choice, that is, have the freedom to choose good or evil. Unless he possesses an understanding like the one just described, he has no power of his own to make that choice; thus nothing could possibly be made his own.

[2] In addition to this it should be recognized that the understanding part of a person’s mind is that which receives what is spiritual, so that it is the recipient of spiritual truth and good. For no good at all, that is, no charity, nor any truth at all, that is, any faith, can be instilled into anyone if he does not have that understanding part; but they are instilled in the measure that he does have it. This also explains why a person is not regenerated by the Lord until adult life when he does possess an understanding. Till then the good of love and the truth of faith fall like seed into utterly infertile soil. But once a person has been regenerated his understanding serves the function of enabling him to see and perceive what good is and from this what truth is. For the understanding converts things belonging to the superior light of heaven into those belonging to the inferior light of the natural world, as a consequence of which the former are then seen within the latter in the same way as a person’s inner affections are seen in his face when it lacks all pretence. And because the understanding serves that function, many places in the Word where the spiritual side of the Church is referred to refer also to its power of understanding, a matter which will in the Lord’s Divine mercy be dealt with elsewhere.

[3] From all this one may now see what is meant by factual knowledge supplied from the understanding, namely known facts which lend support to the things a person grasps and perceives with his understanding, whether those things are bad or good. Such facts are what are meant in the Word by ‘horses from Egypt’, as in Isaiah,

Woe to those who go down into Egypt for help, and rely on horses and trust in chariots because they are many, and on horsemen because they are extremely strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel and do not seek Jehovah. For Egypt is man (homo), not God; and his horses are flesh, not spirit. Isa. 31:1, 3.

‘Horses from Egypt’ stands for factual knowledge supplied from a perverted understanding.

[4] In Ezekiel,

He rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that ha might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will he who does this be rescued? Ezek. 17:15.

‘Horses from Egypt’ again stands for factual knowledge supplied from a perverted understanding, which knowledge is resorted to in matters of faith, though there is no belief in the Word, that is, in the Lord, apart from what that knowledge provides. Thus no belief ever comes to exist, for within a perverted understanding a negative attitude reigns.

[5] The destruction which such factual knowledge underwent is represented by the drowning of Pharaoh’s horses and chariots in the Sea Suph; and since that knowledge is meant by ‘horses’ and false matters of doctrine by ‘chariots’, his horses and chariots are mentioned so many times in the description of that event, see Exod. 14:17, 18, 27, 26, 28. And the Song of Moses and Miriam consequently contains these words,

Pharaoh’s horse went, also his chariot, also his horsemen, into the sea; but Jehovah made the waters of the sea come back over them. Sing to Jehovah, for He has highly exalted Himself; He has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea. Exod. 15:19, 21.

[6] Similar factual knowledge is also meant by the things required before-hand for a king over Israel, in Moses,

If they desire a king, from among their brothers shall a king be set over them. Only let him not multiply horses for himself nor lead the people back into Egypt in order to multiply horses. Deut. 17:15, 16.

‘A king’ represented the Lord as regards Divine Truth, 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, 3009, 3670, 4575, 4581, 4789, 4966, 5044, 5068, thus as regards intelligence since this comes, when it is genuine, from Divine Truth. The need for intelligence to be acquired through the Word, which is Divine Truth, and not through factual knowledge taken from one’s own understanding is meant by the injunction that the king should not multiply horses or lead the people back into Egypt in order to multiply horses.

AC (Elliott) n. 6126 6126. ‘And for the livestock of the flock and for the livestock of the herd’ means forms of the good of truth, interior and exterior ones. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the flock’ as interior forms of good, and from the meaning of ‘the herd’ as exterior forms, both dealt with in 5913. And since forms of the good of truth are meant, the expression ‘the livestock of the flock and the livestock of the herd’ is used, ‘livestock’ being the good of truth, 6016, 6045, 6049.

AC (Elliott) n. 6127 6127. ‘And for asses’ means things of a subservient nature. This is clear from the meaning of ‘asses’ as things of a subservient nature, dealt with in 5958, 5959.

AC (Elliott) n. 6128 6128. ‘And he provided them with bread in exchange for [all] their livestock’ means the sustainment by means of an influx of good from the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘providing with bread’, or giving them bread, as the sustainment of spiritual life, dealt with above in 6118; from the meaning of ‘livestock’ as the good of truth, dealt with just above in 6126; and from the representation of ‘Joseph’ who provided them with it, as the internal, dealt with already. From this it follows that what is supplied comes through an influx of good from the internal, for the reason that the entire sustainment of spiritual life in the natural is effected by an influx from the internal, that is, from the Lord through the internal.

[2] Since the word ‘influx’ is used so frequently, and yet few perhaps know what it means, something therefore needs to be said about it. What influx is may become evident by comparing it with the kinds of things in the natural world that inflow. It may become evident for example from the flow of heat from the sun into all earthly objects, which gives rise to plant-life, and from the flow of light into the same objects, which assists plant-life and thereby in addition produces different colours and beautiful sights. What influx is evident in a similar way from the flow of heat into the surface-area of our bodies, and also of light into the eye. It is likewise evident from the flow of sound into the ear; and so on. These comparisons enable one to understand what the influx of life from the Lord is; the Lord is the Sun of heaven, the Source of [spiritual] heat, which is love, and of spiritual light, which is faith. One can also plainly feel the actual inflow, for heavenly heat, which is love, produces the vital heat that exists in a person, while heavenly light, which is faith, produces the light of understanding that exists in him. Yet such heat and light vary according to the different ways they are received.

AC (Elliott) n. 6129 6129. ‘That year’ means the period covered by that state. This is clear from the meaning of ‘year’ as a whole period from start to finish, dealt within 2906.

AC (Elliott) n. 6130 6130. ‘And that year ended’ means the desolation that followed the period covered by this state. This is clear from the meaning of ‘that year ended’ as that which followed the period covered by this state – ‘year being the period covered by an entire state, see immediately above in 6129. The fact that desolation followed that period is evident from the details that come next.

AC (Elliott) n. 6131 6131. ‘And they came to him in the second year’ means the beginning of the next state. This is clear from what comes before this, thus without any further explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6132 6132. ‘And said to him, We will not hide from [my] lord’ means that it is well known to the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ as perception, dealt with above in 6063; from the representation of Joseph, to whom ‘lord’ refers here, as the internal, dealt with already; and from the meaning of ‘not concealing from him’ as being well known. The reason why ‘not concealing’ in the internal sense means being well known is that everything that exists and happens in the natural is well known to the internal; for the natural derives all that it is from the internal, from which therefore nothing can be hidden. Yet even so, the external sense, especially where it is historical, uses the kind of words that appear here. It is like when the Lord speaks to a person He first asks him about what is going on even though it is fully known to Him, as when the angel of Jehovah spoke to Hagar, Gen. 16:7, 8; to Abraham, Gen. 18:9; and to Moses, Exod. 4:2. Nor can the external otherwise be content, for unless it declares something it does not think it can be known.

AC (Elliott) n. 6133 6133. ‘Since the silver has been used up’ means that truth can be seen no longer because of the desolation. This is clear from what is stated above in 6116, where similar words occur.

AC (Elliott) n. 6134 6134. ‘And the livestock of the beasts has passed to [my] lord’ means similarly the good of truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the livestock of the beasts’, that is, the livestock of the flock and of the herd, as the good of truth, interior and exterior, dealt with above in 6126. The fact that the good of truth similarly can be seen no longer because of the desolation is evident from what has been stated about ‘the silver’ immediately above in 6133.

AC (Elliott) n. 6135 6135. ‘Nothing is left before [my] lord apart from our bodies and our ground’ means that the receptacles of goodness and truth have been made completely desolate. This is clear from the meaning of body’ as the receptacle of good, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ground’ as the receptacle of truth. The reason why ‘ground’ is the receptacle of truth is that it receives seeds, and seeds sown in it mean in a specific sense matters of faith derived from charity, thus of truth derived from good, 1025, 1447, 1610, 1940, 2848, 3038, 3310, 3373; consequently ‘the ground’ means the receptacle of truth. See also what has been stated and shown previously regarding the ground in 566, 1068, 3671. The fact that such receptacles have been made desolate is meant by ‘nothing is left before [my] lord apart from’.

[2] In the genuine sense ‘body’ means the good of love and ‘ground’ the truth of faith. When truths and forms of the good of truth, meant by ‘the silver’ and ‘the livestock’, can be seen no longer on account of the desolation, ‘body’ means merely the receptacle for good and ‘ground’ the receptacle for truth. The reason why ‘body’ in the genuine sense means the good of love is that the body or the entire person meant by the body is a receptacle of life from the Lord, thus a receptacle of good; for the good of love composes the actual life in a person. The vital heat that consists in love is vital heat itself; and unless that heat exists in a person, the person is something dead. This then is the reason why in the internal sense ‘body’ means the good of love. Even if a person does not have heavenly love present in him but hellish love, the inmost centre of his life still owes its existence to heavenly love. For this love flows in constantly from the Lord and provides him with vital heat in its primary and original form; but as it comes to that person it is perverted by him, and this gives rise to hellish love, from which an unclean heat is radiated.

[3] I have been able to see quite clearly from the angels that ‘body’ in the genuine sense is the good of love. When they are present, love floods out of them, so much so that you think they are nothing but love; it floods out of their entire bodies. Also their bodies have a dazzling appearance, full of light shining from them; for the good of love is like a flame sending out from itself light, which is the truth of faith derived from that good. If this therefore is what the angels of heaven are like, what of the Lord Himself? He is the Source of every spark of love among the angels, and His Divine Love is seen as the Sun from which the whole of heaven receives its light, and from which all who are there derive their heavenly heat, that is, their love and so their life. The Lord’s Divine Human is what appears in that way and is the Source of all those things. From this one may now see what is meant by the Lord’s body – Divine Love, the same as is meant by His flesh, dealt with in 3813. Also, the Lord’s very body – having been glorified, that is, made Divine – is nothing else than such Love; so what else can one feel the Divine, which is the Infinite, to be?

[4] From all this one may recognize that nothing else is meant by ‘body’ in the Holy Supper than the Lord’s Divine Love towards the entire human race, described in the Gospels as follows,

Jesus, taking the bread and saying a blessing, broke and gave to the disciples and said, Take, eat, this is My body. Matt. 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19.

He said, referring to the bread, ‘this is My body’ because ‘bread’ too means Divine Love, 276, 680, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3478, 3735, 4735, 5915.

[5] Divine Love is again meant by the Lord’s body in John,

Jesus said, Destroy [this] temple and in three days I will raise it up again. But He was speaking of the temple of His body. John 2:19, 21.

‘The temple of His body’ is Divine Truth derived from Divine Good, for ‘the temple’ is the Lord’s Divine Truth, see 3720. And since ‘body’ in the highest sense is the Divine Good of the Lord’s Divine Love, all in heaven are said to be in the Lord’s body.

[6] That the Lord’s body is Divine Good is also clear from the following words in Daniel,

I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, a man clothed in linen whose loins were girded with gold of Uphaz, and his body was like tarshish,* and his face was like the appearance of lightning, and his eyes were like fiery torches, and his arms and his feet like the shine of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. Dan. 10:5, 6.

‘The gold of Uphaz’ with which the man’s loins were girded, ‘the appearance of lightning’ that his face had, ‘the fiery torches’ descriptive of his eyes, and ‘the shine of bronze’ descriptive of his arms and feet mean aspects of the good of love. ‘Gold is the good of love, see 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, as also is ‘fire’, 934, 4906, 5215; and since ‘fire’ has that meaning, so does ‘lightning’. ‘Bronze’ is the good of love and charity in the natural, 425, 1551; ‘tarshish’ which the rest of his body looked like, that is to say, which his trunk between head and loins looked like, means the good of charity and faith; for tarshish is a sparkling and precious stone.
* A Hebrew word for a particular kind of precious stone, possibly a beryl.

AC (Elliott) n. 6136 6136. ‘Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our ground?’ means that if they have been made desolate, there is no longer any spiritual life beneath the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘before your eyes’ as beneath the internal, for ‘Joseph’, to whom these words are addressed, represents the internal; and from the meaning of ‘both we and our ground’ as the receptacles of goodness and truth, as immediately above in 6135, and so the receptacles of spiritual life. Those receptacles are said ‘to die’ when they do not have any spiritual life at all within them; for ‘to die’ means desolation, that is, the deprivation of goodness and truth, the components of spiritual life.

AC (Elliott) n. 6137 6137. ‘Buy us and our ground for bread’ means that it should make both its own so that they may be sustained with good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘buying’ as making one’s own, 4397, 5374, 5397, 5406, 5410, 5426; from the meaning of ‘us and our ground’ as the receptacles of goodness and truth, as above in 6135, 6136, thus both these, and from the meaning of ‘for bread’ as sustainment by good. The reason ‘bread’ is the good both of love and of faith is that the word ‘bread’ is also used to mean all food in general, 6118.

AC (Elliott) n. 6138 6138. ‘And we will live, and our ground, as Pharaoh’s slaves’ means total submission. This is clear from the meaning of ‘us and our ground’ as the receptacles of goodness and truth, as immediately above in 6135-6137; and from the meaning of ‘slaves’ as existing without any freedom of one’s own, dealt with in 5760, 5763, thus total submission. By receptacles are meant human forms themselves. For human beings are nothing else than forms receiving life from the Lord; yet the nature of those forms is such, owing to people’s heredity and their own actions, that they refuse spiritual life coming from the Lord. But once those receptacles have been renounced so completely that they no longer claim any freedom of their own, there is total submission. The person who is being regenerated is brought at length, through the repeated experiences of desolation and sustainment, to a point at which he no longer wishes to be his own man but the Lord’s. And once he has become the Lord’s he passes into a state in which, if left to himself, he is dejected and gripped by anxiety. But when he is brought out of that state he returns to the bliss and happiness that are his, to the kind of state all the angels experience.

[2] The Lord desires any person’s total submission so that He can make him blissful and happy. That is, He does not want him to be partly his own man and partly the Lord’s, for then there are two masters whom a person cannot serve simultaneously, Matt. 6:24. Total submission is again meant by the Lord’s words in Matthew,

Whoever loves father or mother above Me is not worthy of Me; and whoever loves son or daughter above Me is not worthy of Me. Matt. 10:37.

‘Father or mother’ in general means those aspects of a person essentially his own by virtue of his heredity, and ‘son or daughter’ those essentially his own by virtue of his own actions. What is essentially a person’s own is also meant by his ‘soul’ in John,

He who loves his soul will lose it, and he who hates his soul in this world will keep it into eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. John 11:25, 26.

Total submission is also meant by the Lord’s words in Matthew,

Another disciple said, Lord, let me first go away and bury my father. But Jesus said to him, Follow Me, and leave the dead to bury their dead. Matt. 8:21, 22.

[3] The need for total submission is perfectly clear from the Church’s first commandment,

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. Mark 12:30.

Thus since love to the Lord does not come from man but from the Lord Himself, all his heart, all his soul, all his mind, and all his strength, which are recipients, must be the Lord’s; they must therefore be submitted totally to Him. Such a submission is what is meant by ‘we will live, and our ground, as Pharaoh’s slaves’; for ‘Pharaoh’ represents the natural in general, which is subject to the control of the internal celestial, in the highest sense to the control of the Lord, who is ‘Joseph’ in that highest sense.

AC (Elliott) n. 6139 6139. ‘And give us seed’ means an influx, as a result of this, of the good of charity and the truth of faith. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seed’ as the good of charity and the truth of faith, dealt with in 1025, 1447, 1610, 1940, 2848, 3078, 3310, 3373. It is self-evident that ‘giving’ them means an influx, for they enter a person by flowing in from the Lord.

AC (Elliott) n. 6140 6140. ‘So that we may live and not die’ means spiritual life received from them, and the fear no longer of damnation. This is clear from the meaning of ‘living’ as spiritual life, dealt with in 5890; and from the meaning of ‘dying’ as damnation, dealt with in 6119, in this case the fear of damnation because their state is one of desolation. When a person is being regenerated damnation is not present, but the fear of damnation is.

AC (Elliott) n. 6141 6141. ‘And the ground may not become a waste’ means that the mind must be cultivated with facts known to the Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the ground’ as the receptacle of truth, as above in 6135-6137, the actual receptacle being the mind, in this instance the natural mind since it is the ground of Egypt; and from the meaning of ‘being laid waste’ as a situation in which there is no truth to be seen, at this point no facts known to the Church, for ‘the Egyptians’ means the facts known to the Church, 4749, 4964, 4966, 6004, which are also the truths present in the natural. ‘The land of Egypt’ means the natural mind where factual knowledge resides, see 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5701, and therefore ‘the ground of Egypt’ means that mind specifically. This now explains why ‘the ground may not become a waste’ means that the mind must be cultivated with facts [known to the Church].

AC (Elliott) n. 6142 6142. ‘And Joseph bought all the ground of Egypt for Pharaoh’ means that [the internal] made the entire natural mind where factual knowledge resides its own and placed it under its overall control. This is clear from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, dealt with often; from the meaning of ‘buying’ as making one’s own, dealt with in 4397, 5374, 5797, 5406, 5410, 5426; from the meaning of ‘the ground of Egypt’ as the natural mind where factual knowledge resides, dealt with immediately above in 6141; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as the natural in general, dealt with in 5160, 5799, 6015. Thus the acquisition of that ground for Pharaoh means placing under an overall control in the natural.

AC (Elliott) n. 6143 6143. ‘And the Egyptians sold, each one his field’ means a renunciation and surrender of everything of service to the Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘selling’ as alienating so that it no longer belongs to that person, dealt with in 4098, 4751, 4758, 5886, thus renouncing and surrendering; and from the meaning of ‘field’ as doctrine taught by the Church, and in a general sense the Church itself, dealt with in 368, 2971, 3310, 3766. From this it is evident that ‘the Egyptians sold, each one his field’ means a renunciation and surrender of everything of service to the Church.

AC (Elliott) n. 6144 6144. ‘Because the famine overwhelmed them’ means because the desolation reached the point of despair. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the famine’ as desolation so far as things of the Church are concerned, dealt with in 5415, 5576. When it is said to ‘overwhelm’ them, it is despair, as in 5279, for the final stage of desolation is despair. Despair is the final stage of desolation and temptation, 5279, 5280, for a number of reasons, of which let only the following be advanced here: Through despair people are led in an effective and perceptible way to acknowledge that nothing true or good comes from themselves, and to acknowledge that what is their own has caused them to be damned but that with the Lord’s aid they are delivered from damnation, with salvation entering in through what is true and good. Despair also exists to the end that life’s bliss which the Lord imparts may be felt; for when people come out of that state of despair they are like those who have been condemned to death but then freed from prison. Periods of desolation and temptation also serve as the means by which people gain an insight into states contrary to heavenly life and from them are given a perception and insight into the bliss and happiness of heavenly life. For a perception and insight into bliss and happiness come in no other way than from a contrast with their opposites. Therefore so that they can have the one fully demonstrated as against the other, periods of desolation and temptation are protracted to the utmost, that is, to the point of despair.

AC (Elliott) n. 6145 6145. ‘And the land was Pharaoh’s’ means that all things were made subject to the natural, which was under the control of the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the land was his’ as the making its own of all things, meant by ‘the land’, and the subjection of them to itself; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as the natural in general, dealt with in 5160, 5799, 6015, into which factual knowledge, meant by ‘Egypt’, was gathered, 6115. The reason this was under the control of the internal is that the entire natural, both in general and in every part, was under it. Being under the control of the internal is meant by Joseph’s being lord over all the land of Egypt, and also by his having been placed in charge over Pharaoh’s house, Gen. 41:40-43; also Chapter 45 where it says,

Joseph said to his brothers, God has established me as father to Pharaoh, and lord for all his house; and I have dominion in all the land of Egypt. Gen. 45:8.

This now explains why it is said of the natural that it was under the control of the internal.

AC (Elliott) n. 6146 6146. ‘And the people, he transferred them to the cities’ means that facts holding truths within them were assigned to different areas of doctrine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the people’ as truths, dealt with in 1259, 1160, 3295, 3581, at this point facts holding truths within them since the people of Egypt are referred to; and from the meaning of ‘the cities’ as areas of doctrine, dealt with in 402, 2449, 3216, 4492, 4497. Consequently ‘transferring the people to the cities’ means assigning facts that hold truths within them to different areas of doctrine. This follows from what has gone before – from the description that truths were assigned to a general whole within the natural, 6715. For matters of doctrine are general wholes to which truths are assigned. The teaching of the Church divides up under its own headings, and each heading forms a general whole in the Church. From this one may also see that the transfer of the people by Joseph to the cities was carried out so that the relating of truths to general wholes, and so to different areas of doctrine, might be represented.

AC (Elliott) n. 6147 6147. ‘From one end of the border of Egypt to the other end of it’ means a spread throughout the whole natural where factual knowledge resides. This is clear from the meaning of ‘from one end of the border to the other end of it’ as a spread throughout the whole; and from the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as factual knowledge in the natural, often dealt with already, consequently the natural where factual knowledge resides. For the natural is the container, factual knowledge its contents; therefore ‘Egypt’ means both container and contents, that is, both the natural and factual knowledge. For the same reason ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt’ means the natural in general, 5160, 5799, and also factual knowledge in general, 6015, while ‘the land of Egypt’ means the natural mind, 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5301.

AC (Elliott) n. 6148 6148. ‘Only the ground of the priests he did not buy’ means that the internal obtained for itself from the natural every capacity to receive good, because every such capacity came from itself. This is clear from the representation of ‘Joseph’, about whom these things are said, as the internal, dealt with already; from the meaning of ‘the ground’ as the receptacle of truth, dealt with above in 6135-6137, at this point the capacity to receive good, for the capacity of something is its inherent ability to receive, which causes a receptacle to be a receptacle (that capacity comes from good, that is, from the Lord through good, for if the good of love did not flow in from the Lord no one would ever have the capacity to receive truth or good. That inflow of the good of love from the Lord causes everything present inwardly in a person to be of a receptive nature. The truth that the capacity to receive good comes from the natural is meant by the fact that the ground lay in Egypt, since ‘Egypt’ means the natural in respect of factual knowledge, 6142); from the meaning of ‘the priests’ as good, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘not buying’ as not taking those capacities to itself – not in the way that it made truths and forms of the good of truth, together with their receptacles, its own, which came about through periods of desolation and sustainment – for the reason that those capacities came from itself, from the internal. All these meanings serve to show that ‘only the ground of the priests he did not buy’ means that the internal obtained for itself from the natural every capacity to receive good, because every such capacity came from itself.

[2] The implications of all this are that a person’s capacities to receive truth and good come directly from the Lord; he obtains them without any help at all from himself. A person’s capacity to receive goodness and truth is maintained in him unceasingly; and from that capacity he possesses understanding and will. But a person does not receive them if he turns to evil. The capacity to receive does, it is true, remain, but its access to thought and sensitivity is blocked, on account of which his capacity to see what is true and have a sensitive awareness of what is good perishes. And it perishes to the extent that he turns to evil and in faith and life becomes firmly settled in it. The fact that a person contributes nothing whatever to his capacity to receive truth and good is well known from the Church’s teaching that nothing at all of the truth of faith and nothing at all of the good of charity comes from man but from the Lord. Yet a person can destroy that capacity residing with him. From all this one may now see how one should understand the idea that the internal obtained for itself from the natural every capacity to receive good, because every such capacity came from itself. The expression ‘from the natural’ is used because the inflow of good from the Lord is effected by the Lord through the internal into the natural; and once the capacity to receive has been obtained from there, the inflow takes place, for now there is reception, see 5828.

[3] So far as the meaning of ‘the priests’ as forms of good is concerned, it should be recognized that there are two realities which go forth from the Lord – goodness and truth. Divine Good was represented by priests, and Divine Truth by kings; and this is why ‘the priests’ means forms of good and ‘the kings’ truths. Regarding the attribution of Priesthood and Kingship to the Lord, see 1728, 2015 (end), 3670. In the representative Ancient Church those two offices of priest and king existed jointly in one personage, the reason for this being that goodness and truth which go forth from the Lord are united; and they are also joined together in heaven among the angels.

[4] A personage in the Ancient Church in whom the two offices existed joined together was called Melchizedek, a name meaning king of righteousness. This may be seen from the following statement about Melchizedek who came to Abraham,*

Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; and he was a priest to God Most High. And he blessed Abraham. Gen. 14:18, 19.

His representation of the Lord in both offices is evident from the fact that he was a king and at the same time a priest, and from the fact that he was allowed to bless Abraham and offer him bread and wine, which even at that time were the symbols of the good of love and the truth of faith. His representation of the Lord in both offices is further evident in David,

Jehovah has sworn and will not repent, You are a priest for ever after the manner of Melchizedek. Ps. 110:4.

These words were spoken in reference to the Lord. ‘After the manner of Melchizedek’ means that He is both King and Priest, that is, in the highest sense that Divine Good and Divine Truth go forth together from Him.

[5] Because a representative Church was going to be established also among the descendants of Jacob, they too were to have a single personage to represent jointly Divine Good and Divine Truth, which go forth from the Lord united. But on account of the wars and the idolatry of that people the two were in fact divided right from the start; those who ruled over the attended to sacred duties were referred to as the priests, who belonged to the seed of Aaron and were the Levites. At a later time the two functions were joined together in a single person, as they were in Eli and Samuel. Yet because the nature of the people was such that the representative Church could not be established among them, only a representative of the Church, on account of the practice of idolatry prevalent among them, the two functions were allowed to be separated. The Lord was then represented in respect of Divine Truth by kings and in respect of Divine Good by priests. The separation took place because the people desired it, not because the Lord took any pleasure in it, as is clear from the Word of Jehovah to Samuel,

Obey the voice of the people in all that they have said to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them; and show them the right of the king. 1 Sam. 8:7-end; 12:19, 20.

[6] The reason why the two functions were not meant to be separated was that Divine Truth separated from Divine Good condemns all people, whereas Divine Truth united to Divine Good saves them. Judged by Divine Truth a person is condemned to hell, but Divine Good brings him out of there and raises him into heaven. Salvation comes of mercy and so sprigs from Divine Good; but damnation exists when a person rejects mercy and so casts Divine Good away from himself, as a consequence of which he is left to be judged by Truth. As regards ‘kings’ representing Divine Truth, see 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, 3009, 3670, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068.

[7] ‘The priests’ represented the Lord in respect of Divine Good, and for that reason good is meant by them. This becomes clear from the internal sense of all that was prescribed regarding the priesthood when Aaron was chosen, and after him the Levites, such as these prescriptions:

The High Priest alone should enter the Holy of holies and minister there. [Lev.16.]

Things holy to Jehovah were to be for the priest. Lev. 23:20; 27:21.

They were not to have any portion or inheritance in the land, but Jehovah would be their portion and inheritance. Num. 18:20; Deut. 10:9; 18:1.

The Levites were given to Jehovah instead of the firstborn, and they were given by Jehovah to Aaron. Num. 3:9, 12, 13, 40-end; 8:16-19.

The high priest and the Levites were to be in the middle of the camp when they pitched it and when they were journeying. Num. 1:50-54; 2:17; 3:23-38; 4:1-end.

No one from the seed of Aaron who had a blemish in himself was to approach to offer burnt offerings or sacrifices. Lev. 21:17-20.

And there are many other prescriptions besides these, such as those in Lev. 21:9-13, and elsewhere.

[8] In the highest sense all these prescriptions relating to the priests represented the Lord’s Divine Good and therefore in the relative sense the good of love and charity. Aaron’s vestments however, called ‘vestments of holiness’, represented Divine Truth from Divine Good. These matters will in the Lord’s Divine mercy be dealt with in the explanations of what appears in Exodus.

[9] Since truth is meant by ‘kings’ and good by ‘priests’, ‘kings and priests’ are mentioned together many times in the Word, as in John, Jesus Christ has made us kings and priests to His God and Father. Rev. 1:6; 5:10.

By virtue of the truth of faith we are said to have been made ‘kings’, and by virtue of the good of charity to have been made ‘priests’, so that the truth and good residing with those who abide in the Lord have been joined together, in the way they are in heaven, as stated above. This is what is meant by ‘being made kings and priests’.

[10] In Jeremiah,

It will happen on that day, that the heart of the king and of the princes will perish, and the priests will be dumbfounded and the prophets left wondering. Jer. 4:9.

In the same prophet,

The house of Israel is ashamed, they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets. Jer. 2:26.

In the same prophet,

The kings of Judah, the princes, the priests, and the prophets, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Jer. 8:1.

In these places ‘kings stands for truths, ‘princes’ for first and foremost truths, 1482, 1089, 5044, ‘priests’ for forms of good, and ‘prophets’ for those who teach, 2534.

[11] Quite apart from this it should be recognized that Joseph did not buy the ground of the priests. The fact that this was representative of the consideration that the whole of a person’s capacity to receive truth and good comes from the Lord is evident from a similar law in Moses regarding the fields belonging to the Levites,

The field of the country surrounding the cities of the Levites shall not be sold, for it is their eternal possession. Lev. 25:34.

The meaning here in the internal sense is that no one ought to lay any claim to the good of the Church, which is the good of love and charity, because that good is from the Lord alone.
* At this time the patriarch’s name was still Abram.

AC (Elliott) n. 6149 6149. ‘For the priests had a fixed Portion from Pharaoh’ means that this had therefore been decreed by the natural, which was under the as the natural in general, dealt with in 5160, 5799, 6015. And since that decree made in the natural originated in the internal, the description ‘under the control of the internal’ is added, which control was also represented by Joseph’s being lord over the whole of Egypt, and over Pharaoh’s house too, see 6145.

AC (Elliott) n. 6150 6150. ‘And ate their fixed portion which Pharaoh had given them’ means that they did not make any forms of good their own beyond what had been decreed. This is clear from the meaning of ‘eating’ as making one’s own, dealt with in 3168, 3513 (end), 3596, 3872, 4745; and from the meaning of ‘fixed portion’ as that which has been decreed, as immediately above in 6149, so that ‘eating a fixed portion’ means not making any forms of good one’s own beyond what has been decreed. This decree was made by the natural, represented by ‘Pharaoh’. that is, in the natural under the control of the internal, see also immediately above in 6149.

AC (Elliott) n. 6151 6151. ‘Therefore they did not sell their ground’ means that for this reason they had no need to renounce those things or surrender them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘selling’ as renouncing, dealt with above in 6143, and so surrendering, since that which is renounced is surrendered to another; and from the meaning of ‘ground’ – that of the priests of Egypt – as the capacity to receive good in the natural, also dealt with above, in 6148. That for this reason they had no need to – to renounce and surrender those things – is meant by ‘therefore they did not’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6152 6152. ‘And Joseph said to the people’ means an influx of the internal into facts that have truths within them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ as perception, dealt with in 6063, and since it refers to the internal, which is ‘Joseph’, an influx is meant (for what is perceived in the eternal flows in from the internal); from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, as has often been stated already; and from the meaning of ‘the people’ as facts that have truths within them, dealt with in 6146.

AC (Elliott) n. 6153 6153. ‘Behold, I have bought you today, and your ground, for Pharaoh’s house means that it had obtained those things for itself and had made them subject to the general whole within the natural, which was under the control of the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘buying’ as making one’s own and acquiring, dealt with in 4797, 5374, 5397, 5406, 5410, 5426; and from the meaning of ‘ground’ as the receptacles of truth, dealt with in 6135-6137; and the subjection of those receptacles to the general whole in the natural is meant by ‘his buying them for Pharaoh’ who represents the natural in general, dealt with in 5160, 5799, 6015. The use of the expression ‘under the control of the internal’ is in keeping with the explanation above in 6145.

AC (Elliott) n. 6154 6154. ‘Look, here is seed for you, and you may sow the ground’ means the good of charity and the truth of faith that are to be implanted. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seed’ as truth derived from good, or faith from charity, thus both of them, dealt with in 1025, 1447, 1610, 1940, 2848, 3038, 3310, 3373, 3671; from the meaning of ‘sowing’ as implanting; and from the meaning of ‘ground’ as receptacles, dealt with in 6135-6137. But once the truth and good have been implanted, ‘the ground’ no longer means a receptacle of them but that which actually constitutes the Church, as with ‘the field’, 566.

AC (Elliott) n. 6155 6155. ‘And so it will be at ingatherings’ means the fruits from this. This is clear from the meaning of ‘ingatherings’ as the fruits, for the harvest which comes forth from the field is the fruits of that field.

AC (Elliott) n. 6156 6156. ‘That you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh’ means that remnants are to be assigned to the general whole, which is under the control of the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘five’ or ‘a fifth’ as remnants, dealt with in 5291, 5894; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as the general whole within the natural, as above in 6153, the expression ‘under the control of the internal’ being used for the reason dealt with above in 6145. For what remnants are, see 1050, 1738, 1906, 2284, 5135, 5897, 5898, where it is shown that they are goods and truths stored away by the Lord in the interior man. They are brought out into the exterior or natural man when a person is in a state of goodness; but they are withdrawn and stored away again the moment he passes into a state of evil. They are withdrawn and stored away again to prevent them from being mixed up with evils and thereby destroyed.

[2] During the time that a person is unable to be regenerated his remnants are held in safe keeping within him interiorly; but when he is being regenerated they are brought from his interiors – as many as are appropriate to the stage reached in his regeneration – into his exteriors, for the reason that through regeneration his interiors become joined to his exteriors and act in unison with them. Those remnants are assigned first to general wholes, then gradually to specific parts. From this one may see, since the subject here in the internal sense is the regeneration of the natural, what is meant by the assignment of those remnants to the general whole in the natural.

AC (Elliott) n. 6157 6157. ‘And four portions shall be yours’ means those things which have not yet become remnants. This is clear from the meaning of ‘four portions’ – when this describes what is left over from ‘a fifth’, which means, 6156 – as things which are not yet remnants. ‘Four’ has a similar meaning to two, namely pairs and things joined together, 1686, as goodness and truth are a pair and joined together. When these have not yet become remnants is what is meant here by ‘four portions’. For forms of good and truths do not become remnants until they are made over to a person; and they are made over to him when they are accepted by him with affection and in freedom.

AC (Elliott) n. 6158 6158. ‘For seed of the field’ means for mental nourishment. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seed’ as truth and good, and so faith and charity, dealt with above in 6154; and from the meaning of ‘the field’ in a general sense as the Church, dealt with in 2971, 3766, and in a particular sense as the Church with the individual person, thus a person who has the Church within him, that is, who is receptive of truth and good. When that person is called ‘the field’, his mind is what is meant; for a human being is not a human being by virtue of the outward form he takes but by virtue of his mind, that is, of his understanding and will which constitute his mind, and also by virtue of the truth of faith and the good of charity which constitute a yet more interior mind. Since the latter, the mind, is in a genuine sense the human being, he is nourished and sustained by truth and good. And because truth and good are meant by ‘seed’, nourishment is also meant by it. This is also evident from the words that immediately follow – ‘for your food, and for those in your households, and for food for your young children’. From all this one may now see that ‘seed of the field’ means mental nourishment.

AC (Elliott) n. 6159 6159. ‘And for your food, and for those in your households’ means so that the good of truth may therefore be present in every single part. This is clear from the meaning of ‘food’ as the good of truth, dealt with in 5410, 5426, 5487, 5582, 5588, 5655, and from the meaning of ‘those who are in households’ as every single instance of good derived from truth, so that ‘for food for those in your households’ is the good of truth in every single part. What is really meant by this – by the statement that the good of truth may be present in every single part – is this: As a person undergoes regeneration, good instills itself into every single part of him, for it then comes about that an affection for good reigns throughout the whole of him. And what reigns throughout the whole reigns in each individual or every single part. This may be recognized from the dominant affection in any person. That affection, whatever it may be, is present in every individual part of his will, and also in every individual part of his thought. Even though it does not seem to be present always in his thought, it is nevertheless there. It does not seem to be there because at such moments it is covered over by other affections that circumstances introduce; but as those affections are stripped away, so the dominant affection comes into view.

[2] There is no better way to demonstrate this than by reference to spirits and angels. Spirits who are evil, that is, ones in whom evil has dominion, are evil in every single part. They are such even when they utter what is true or perform a good action, for in doing so they have nothing else in mind than to deceive others into thinking that they are in fact good spirits, and so to mislead them by an outward appearance of goodness. When they are doing this it can be clearly detected simply from the sound of their voice, and one can also detect it in the sphere emanating from them. Angels in heaven, in whom good has dominion, that is, reigns throughout, are good in every single part. That is, good from the Lord shines out of every single aspect of them. Even if they do something evil to outward appearance, their end or intention nevertheless is that good may be the outcome. From all this it may be seen that where good reigns throughout the whole, it does so in every single part; and the same holds true where evil reigns. For a reigning throughout the whole first begins when every single part is good or evil; and the essential nature and the number of those parts determines the nature of the whole. For what is called the whole is such by virtue of its existence in each separate part .

AC (Elliott) n. 6160 6160. ‘And for food for your young children’ means in those things that are forms of innocence. This is clear from the meaning of ‘food’ as the good of truth, as immediately above in 6159; and from the meaning of ‘young children’ as innocence, dealt with in 430, 3183, 5608.

AC (Elliott) n. 6161 6161. ‘And they said, You have bestowed life on us’ means spiritual life, in no other way and from no other source. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bestowing life’ as spiritual life, dealt with in 5890. Since the bestowal of life on, or the regeneration of the natural has been the subject in what has gone before, and since the entire process has been described there – and it takes place in that and no other way – the words of explanation ‘in no other way and from no other source’ are added.

AC (Elliott) n. 6162 6162. ‘Let us find favour in the eyes of [my] lord’ means a willingness to be made subject in this way, and self-abasement. This becomes clear from the fact that these words, coming as they do after the renunciation by those people of all they possess, are words expressing a willingness to be made subject in this way, and thus that they are words expressing self-abasement. The presence of these meanings within those words is clear from the state in which the people found themselves at that time, a state that is also evident from the train of thought in what comes before and after this.

AC (Elliott) n. 6163 6163. ‘And we will be Pharaoh’s slaves’ means that they should renounce their own and become submissive to the natural, which is under the control of the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘slaves’ as being without any freedom of their own, dealt with in 5760, 5767, thus a renunciation of what is properly their own; and from the meaning of ‘being Pharaoh’s’ as becoming submissive to the natural which is under the control of the internal, dealt with in 6145.

AC (Elliott) n. 6164 6164. ‘And Joseph made it a statute’ means a conclusion based on consent. This is clear from the meaning of ‘making it a statute’ as a conclusion based on consent; for what is made a statute comes into being with the consent of both parties and is regarded as one of those which have been mutually agreed on and so have imposed an obligation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6165 6165. ‘Even to this day’ means lasting for ever. This is clear from the meaning of ‘even to this day’ as lasting for ever, dealt with in 2838, 4304.

AC (Elliott) n. 6166 6166. ‘Regarding the ground of Egypt, that a fifth went to Pharaoh’ means remnants, as previously in 6156.

AC (Elliott) n. 6167 6167. ‘Only the ground of the priests, theirs alone, did not belong to Pharaoh’ means that every capacity to receive good came directly from the internal, as also previously, in 6148.

These matters which have now been stated regarding the joining of the natural to the internal, and so regarding the regeneration of the natural, effected through means that involve repeated phases of desolation and bestowal of life, will inevitably strike the member of the Church at the present day as things unheard of before. Even so, this is the truth of the matter and is something quite well known even by simple spirits in the next life. This being so, when a person reads the Word, those in the next life – being ones who understand the internal sense of the Word – not only have a perception of all those matters but in addition see countless arcana within them, arcana such as no human language can describe. In comparison with them the matters that have been introduced here are a mere few.

AC (Elliott) n. 6168 6168. Verses 27-31 And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they had a possession in it, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; and the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were a hundred and forty-seven years. And Israel’s days drew near when he must die; and he called his son Joseph, and said to him, If now I have found favour in your eyes, put now your hand under my thigh, and show me mercy and truth;* do not, I beg you, bury me in Egypt. And let me lie with my fathers, and you are to carry me out of Egypt, and to bury me in their sepulchre. And he said, I will do according to your word. And he said, Swear to me. And he swore to him. And Israel bowed himself over the head of the bed.

‘And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt’ means that spiritual good lived among the facts known to the Church. ‘In the land of Goshen’ means in the middle of them. ‘And they had a possession in it’ means given and set in order thus by the internal. ‘And were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly’ means resulting forms of the good of charity and resulting truths of faith. ‘And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt’ means the truth of the natural existing among known facts. ‘Seventeen years means the state there. ‘And the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were a hundred and forty-seven years means the state in general and its essential nature. ‘And Israel’s days drew near when he must die’ means the state immediately before regeneration. ‘And he called his son Joseph’ means the presence of the internal. ‘And said to him, If now I have found favour in your eyes’ means a desire. ‘Put now your hand under my thigh’ means a sacred bond. ‘And show me mercy and truth’ means humility. ‘Do not, I beg you, bury me in Egypt’ means regeneration not among known facts. ‘And let me lie with my fathers’ means life such as the ancients possessed. ‘And you are to carry me out of Egypt’ means so that there may be a raising up from factual knowledge. ‘And to bury me in their sepulchre’ means that kind of regeneration. ‘And he said, I will do according to your word’ means that it will indeed be done, for which the Divine has provided. ‘And he said, Swear to me’ means so that no change can be made. ‘And he swore to him’ means that no change can be made. ‘And Israel bowed himself over the head of the bed’ means that it turned towards things of the interior natural.
* lit. make with me mercy and truth

AC (Elliott) n. 6169 6169. ‘And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt’ means that spiritual good lived among the facts known to the Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘dwelling’ as living, dealt with in 1293, 3384, 3617, 4451; from the representation of ‘Israel’ as spiritual good, dealt with in 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833; and from the meaning of ‘the land of Egypt’ as the natural mind, where factual knowledge resides, dealt with in 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5301 – ‘Egypt’ meaning the facts known to the Church, see 4749, 4964, 4966, 6004.

AC (Elliott) n. 6170 6170. ‘In the land of Goshen’ means in the middle of them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the land of Goshen’ as the middle or inmost part of the natural, dealt with in 5910, 6028, 6031, 6068, thus in the middle of the known facts, for Goshen was the best part of the land in Egypt.

AC (Elliott) n. 6171 6171. ‘And they had a possession in it’ means given and set in order thus by the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a possession’ as the position spiritual life occupies, dealt with in 6103; and since Joseph was the one who gave them that possession, verse 11, the giving and setting in order of that position by the internal is meant. It follows from the whole train of thought that this is what is meant.

AC (Elliott) n. 6172 6172. ‘And were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly’ means resulting forms of the good of charity and resulting truths of faith. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being fruitful’ as bringing forth forms of the good of charity, and from the meaning of ‘multiplying’ as bringing forth truths of faith, dealt with in 43, 55, 913, 983, 2846, 2847. For the expression ‘to be fruitful’ is derived from the word ‘fruits’, by which the works of charity are meant in the internal sense, while the expression ‘to be multiplied’ is derived from the word ‘multitude’, which in the internal sense is used to refer to the truths of faith, since ‘much’ (multum) refers in the Word to truths, but ‘great’ to forms of good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6173 6173. ‘And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt’ means the truth of the natural existing among known facts. This is clear from the meaning of ‘living’ as spiritual life, dealt with in 5890; from the representation of ‘Jacob’ as the truth of the natural, dealt with in 3305, 3509, 3525, 3546, 3599, 3775, 4009, 4234, 4520, 4538; and from the meaning of ‘the land of Egypt’ as the facts known to the Church, as just above in 6169.

AC (Elliott) n. 6174 6174. ‘Seventeen years’ means the state there. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seventeen’ as from beginning to end, or from the beginning to something new, dealt with in 755, 4670 (end); and from the meaning of ‘years’ as states, dealt with in 487, 488, 493, 893, so that here ‘seventeen years in which Jacob lived in Egypt’ means the beginning of the state of spiritual life in the natural among known facts even to the end of that state. For all numbers in the Word serve to denote spiritual realities, see 575, 647, 648, 755, 817, 1963, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 4495, 4670, 5265.

AC (Elliott) n. 6175 6175. ‘And the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were a hundred and forty-seven years means the state in general and its essential nature. This becomes clear if the meaning of the numbers seven, forty, and a hundred is brought out.* For what seven means, see 395, 433, 716, 728, 881, 5165, 5268; for what forty means, 730, 862, 2272, 2273; and for what a hundred means, 1988, 1636, 4400. But no easy explanation of the sum of these numbers is possible, for they contain far more than anyone can calculate or explain intelligibly. In general these numbers contain the entire state of the reality represented by ‘Jacob’ and its essential nature. The angels can see these things in their entirety simply from that number; they can do so because with the angels all numbers in the Word pass into ideas about spiritual realities. This has also been made evident to me by the fact that on several occasions a long sequence of numbers has appeared in front of me, and whenever they have appeared the angels have told me that the numbers held, in sequence, the realities which they were talking about to one another. This in addition explains why the most ancient people who belonged to the celestial Church also had a way of calculating that consisted of numbers employed to express heavenly things which could barely be understood by the use of ideas in the natural mind. But after those people’s times such evaluations perished, along with the perception of heavenly things. All that remained was a knowledge of the general meaning of the simple numbers, such as three, six, seven, and twelve, but not much knowledge of the meaning of compound numbers. At the present day however even the idea that numbers in the Word mean something more than their numerical values is quite unknown, and therefore the idea will probably be treated as one of those that are unbelievable.
* The Hebrew way of expressing the number, which is rendered literally in the Latin, is seven years and forty and a hundred years.

AC (Elliott) n. 6176 6176. ‘And Israel’s days drew near when he must die’ means the state immediately before regeneration. This is clear from the meaning of ‘drawing near’ as being near, thus immediately before; from the meaning of ‘days as states, dealt with in 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 7462, 3785, 4850; from the representation of ‘Israel’ as spiritual good, dealt with above in 6169; and from the meaning of ‘dying’ as rising again and being roused into spiritual life, dealt with in 3326, 3498, 3505, 4618, 4621, 6036, thus being regenerated. For one who is being regenerated rises from spiritual death and is roused into new life.

AC (Elliott) n. 6177 6177. ‘And he called his son Joseph’ means the presence of the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘calling to himself’ as causing to be present with oneself, thus the presence; and from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, as many times before, 6089, 6117, 6120, 6128, 6136, 6145, 6149, 6152, 6153, 6156, 6163, 6167.

AC (Elliott) n. 6178 6178. ‘And he said to him, If now I have found favour in your eyes’ means a desire. This is clear from the emotion that stirred Jacob when he addressed these words to Joseph. That emotion is contained in this stock phrase, for ‘If now I have found favour in your eyes’ is purely a stock phrase that serves to express emotion, thus the desire of the will, as also above in 6162.

AC (Elliott) n. 6179 6179. ‘Put now your hand under my thigh’ means a sacred bond. This is clear from the meaning of ‘putting a hand under the thigh’ as a bond established through what is connected with conjugial love, by all one’s power, for ‘hand’ means power, 878, 3091, 4971-4937, 5728, 5544, and ‘thigh’ what is connected with conjugial love, dealt with in 3021, 4277, 4280, 4575, 5050, 5062. The conjugial relationship in the supreme sense is the union within the Lord of the Divine and the Divine Human. From this it is the union of Divine Good and Divine Truth in heaven, for what goes forth from the Lord is Divine Truth from Divine Good. This is why heaven is heaven and is called a marriage, for the existence there of goodness and truth joined together, which go forth from the Lord, is what makes heaven. Also, since the Lord is the good there, and heaven is the truth from it, the Lord is in the Word called ‘the bridegroom’, while heaven and also the Church is called ‘the bride’. For goodness and truth constitute a marriage, and the existence of the two joined together is meant by the conjugial relationship. From this one may see how sacred it to be bound by what is of a conjugial nature, meant by ‘putting a hand under the thigh’. From that marriage, the marriage of goodness and truth, genuine conjugial love comes down, regarding which love and its holiness, see 2727-2759.

AC (Elliott) n. 6180 6180. ‘And show me mercy and truth’ means humility. This is clear from the meaning of ‘showing mercy’ as the good of love, and from the meaning of ‘showing truth’ as the truth of faith, both of which meanings are dealt with below. When these words are spoken they are words of entreaty, thus of humility. The reason why ‘showing mercy’ means the good of love is that all mercy is an expression of love, for one who has love or charity also has mercy; and his love and charity become mercy when his neighbour is poor or in misery and he comes to that neighbour’s aid while he is in that condition. This is why ‘mercy’ means the good of love. ‘Showing truth’ means the truth of faith for the reason that all truth is the province of faith, which explains why in the original language the word for truth also means faith.

[2] Since the good of love and the truth of faith exist completely joined together and one does not exist without the other, ‘mercy and truth’ was a phrase in common use among the ancients, for they knew well that the good of love was inseparable from the truth of faith. Since they are inseparable the two are mentioned jointly many times in the Word, as in Exodus,

Jehovah great in mercy and truth. Exod. 34:6.

In the second Book of Samuel,

David said to the men of Jabesh, May Jehovah show you mercy and truth. 2 Sam. 2:5, 6.

In the same book,

David said to Ittai the Gittite, Return and take your brethren back with you with mercy and truth. 2 Sam. 15:20.

In Hosea,

Jehovah’s controversy with the inhabitants of the land because there is no truth and no mercy, and no knowledge of God* in the land. Hosea 4:1.

In David,

All the ways of Jehovah are mercy and truth to those keeping His covenant. Ps. 25:10.

In the same author,

O Jehovah, You will not hold back from me Your mercies; let Your mercy and Your truth continually keep me safe. Ps. 40;11.

In the same author,

I will sing the eternal mercies of Jehovah, to generation after generation [I will make known] Your truth with my mouth. For I have said, For ever will mercy be built, in the very heavens You will make firm Your truth. Righteousness and judgement are the support of Your throne, mercy and truth stand before Your face. Ps. 89:1, 2, 14.

Also other places in David besides these – Ps. 26:3; 76:5; 57:3, 10; 61:7; 85:10; 86:15; 89:24, 33; 92:2.
* The Latin means Jehovah but the Hebrew means God, which Sw. has in another place where he quotes this verse.

AC (Elliott) n. 6181 6181. ‘Do not, I beg you, bury me in Egypt’ means regeneration not among known facts. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being buried’ as resurrection and regeneration, dealt with in 2916, 2917, 4621, 5551; and from the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as factual knowledge, often dealt with already. For what is meant by regeneration not among known facts, see just below in 6187.

AC (Elliott) n. 6182 6182. ‘And let me lie with my fathers’ means life such as the ancients possessed. This is clear from the meaning of ‘lying’ as life, for here lying implies being buried with them, and since being buried is resurrection and regeneration, ‘lying with them’ is life (for resurrection is an entering into life, and so similarly is regeneration); and from the meaning of ‘fathers’ as those who belonged to the Ancient Church and the Most Ancient, dealt with in 6075, thus the ancients.

AC (Elliott) n. 6183 6183. ‘And you are to carry me out of Egypt’ means so that there may be a raising up from factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘carrying me’ as a raising up (for when people pass from Egypt to the land of Canaan they are said ‘to go up ,which means a raising up, 3084, 4539, 4969, 5406, 5817, 6007; and the same is meant by ‘carrying someone there out of Egypt’); and from the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as factual knowledge, dealt with already. A brief statement must be made to explain what a raising up from factual knowledge is. The regeneration of the natural is effected by an instilling of spiritual life from the Lord through the internal man into the known facts residing in the natural (this instilling has been the subject in the present chapter). But once a person has been regenerated thus far, and if he is the kind whose regeneration can go further, he is raised up from the exterior to the interior natural, which is subject to the direct control of the internal man. But if he is not that kind of person, his spiritual life exists in the exterior natural. The raising up is effected by a withdrawal from sensory impressions and factual knowledge and so by a raising up above them, and then the person comes into a state of interior thought and affection; thus interiorly he is raised into heaven. People who attain this state are in the internal Church, whereas those who attain only the first state are in the external Church. The latter are represented by ‘Jacob’, the former by ‘Israel’. It was therefore so that Jacob might be Israel, and so that spiritual good present in the interior natural – thus the internal spiritual Church – may thereby be represented by him as Israel, that these words were uttered by Jacob.

AC (Elliott) n. 6184 6184. ‘And to bury me in their sepulchre’ means that kind of regeneration. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being buried’ as regeneration, dealt with above in 6181, so that ‘being buried in their sepulchre’ – that is, in the same sepulchre – means that kind of regeneration.

AC (Elliott) n. 6185 6185. ‘And he said, I will do according to your word’ means that it will indeed be done, [for which the Divine has provided.] This is clear from the meaning of ‘doing according to someone’s word’ as it will indeed be done. The reason for the addition of the phrase ‘for which the Divine has provided’ is that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob represented three entities which however made one. In the highest sense Abraham represented within the Lord the Divine Itself, ‘Isaac’ the Divine Rational, and ‘Jacob’ the Divine Natural, 3305 (end), 4615, 6098. But in the relative sense that applies to man they represent what is inmost, which is celestial good; what is relatively internal, which is spiritual good; and what is relatively external, which is natural good. These are what is meant by the three in one sepulchre, for ‘a sepulchre’ means resurrection into life and regeneration, 2916, 2917, 4621, 5551.

AC (Elliott) n. 6186 6186. ‘And he said, Swear to me’ means so that no change can be made. This is clear from the meaning of ‘swearing’ as an unchangeable confirmation, dealt with in 2842.

AC (Elliott) n. 6187 6187. ‘And he swore to him’ means that no change can be made. This is clear from the meaning of ‘swearing’ as that which is unchangeable, as immediately above in 6186.

AC (Elliott) n. 6188 6188. ‘And Israel bowed himself over the head of the bed’ means that it turned towards things of the interior natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bowing oneself’ here as turning oneself; and from the meaning of ‘the bed’ as the natural, dealt with below. Thus ‘the head of the bed’ is that within the natural which is higher, that is, more internal; for wherever ‘the head’ is mentioned in the Word, what is more internal is meant. This is in relation to the body, which is more external. In saying that it turned towards things of the interior natural one means that natural truth, which is ‘Jacob’, was to be raised up to spiritual good, which is ‘Israel’, in accordance with what was stated and explained above in 6183.

[2] The reason ‘the bed’ means the natural is that the natural exists beneath the rational and serves it as a kind of bed. For the rational reclines so to speak on the natural, and since the natural is accordingly what is spread beneath, it is therefore called ‘the bed’, as also in Amos,

As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs or a piece of an ear, so will the children of Israel dwelling in Samaria be rescued, on the corner of n bed and on the end of a couch. Amos 3:12.

‘On the corner of a bed’ stands for within the lowest part of the natural, ‘on the end of a couch’ for within sensory awareness. For the people of Israel, whose capital city was Samaria, represented the Lord’s spiritual kingdom. One speaks of that kingdom being, as is said of father Israel here, ‘over the head of the bed’, because spiritual good, which is represented by ‘father Israel’, is ‘the head of the bed’. But when people turn away from that good to what belongs to the lowest part of the natural and to what belongs to sensory awareness, one speaks of them being ‘on the corner of a bed and on the end of a couch’. The same prophet speaks of

Those who lie on beds of ivory, and stretch out on their couches, but feel no grief over the ruin of Joseph. Amos 6:4, 6.

‘Beds of ivory’ are the pleasures of the lowest part of the natural that are pursued by haughty people. ‘Feeling no grief over the ruin of Joseph’ stands for feeling no concern at all that good from the internal has been reduced to nothing. In David,

If I come into the tent of my house, if I go up onto the couch of my bed . . . Ps. 132:3.

‘The tent of my house’ stands for the holiness of love, 414, 1102, 2145, 2152, 3312, 4128, 4391, 4599. ‘Going up onto the couch of a bed’ stands for up onto the natural, to truth that derives from the good of love. ‘Coming into the tent of one’s house and going up onto the couch of one’s bed’ is a prophetical saying which, as anyone may see, nobody can understand without the internal sense.

AC (Elliott) n. 6189 6189. INFLUX AND THE INTERACTION OF SOUL AND BODY – continued

The sections at the ends of Chapters 44 and 45 showed that two angels from heaven and two spirits from hell are present with a person and that their presence gives him a communication with both places, as well as giving him the freedom to turn to one or else the other. But the fact that the inflow of every single thing into him – evil from hell and good from heaven, that is, from the Lord through heaven – is dependent on his freedom is unknown to mankind, who therefore will hardly be ready to believe it.

AC (Elliott) n. 6190 6190. Since influx is the subject under discussion and the word is used so frequently, a preliminary statement must be made as to what influx is. There is no better way to show what is meant by spiritual influx than by comparison with natural kinds of influx that take place and reveal themselves in the world. There is for example the flow of heat from the sun into all earthly objects and all its variations that are determined by the seasons of the year and climates of the earth. Then there is the flow of light into those same objects and all its variations that are determined by the times of day as well as seasons of the year, further varied also by climates. It can be seen from the fact that the flow of heat from the sun into all earthly objects gives rise to plant-life, and that the flow of light into the same objects assists that plant-life and also produces different colours and beautiful sights. What influx is may be recognized in a similar way from the flow of that same heat into the surface-area of our bodies, and also of light into the eye. Likewise from the flow of sound into the ear, and from other inflowings like it, one may understand what the influx of life from the Lord is. He is the Sun of heaven and the Source of heaven’s heat, which is the good of love, and the Source of heaven’s light, which is the truth of faith. One can also plainly feel the inflow of them, for heavenly heat, which is love, produces the vital heat that exists in a person, while heavenly light, which is faith, produces his power of understanding, since the truth of faith, which goes forth from the Lord, gives his understanding light. But there is much variation to both these kinds of influx, for the exact nature of them is determined by the ways people receive them.

AC (Elliott) n. 6191 6191. Experience enabling me to know that the Lord governs a person by means of angels and spirits has been so conclusive that I have been left with not the slightest shadow of doubt. For many years now all my thoughts and all my affections, down to the last detail, have flowed in by means of spirits and angels. This I have been allowed to perceive so plainly that nothing could be plainer; for I have perceived, seen, and heard who exactly the spirits or angels were, what they were like, and where they came from. And whenever anything inimical has come into my thought or will I have spoken to and rebuked those who were responsible. I have also noticed that their power to introduce any such thing was curbed by the angels, observed how this was done, and also seen that they were often driven away by the angels. When they had been driven away, I noticed that in their place new spirits were present, from whom influx again took place. I was also allowed to discern where those spirits were from, that is, of which communities they were emissaries.

[2] Besides this I have often been given the opportunity to talk to those actual communities. Although every one of my thoughts and affections, down to the last detail, was flowing in through spirits or angels, my thinking was nevertheless as it had been before, and my desires as they had been before. I mixed with other people as I had done before, without anyone noticing any difference in my life from what it had been before. I realize that scarcely anyone will believe what I am saying; but all the same it is the absolute truth.

AC (Elliott) n. 6192 6192. I have been shown by live demonstration the manner in which spirits flow in with a person. When they come to him they adopt everything his memory contains, thus everything he has learned and retained since early childhood. Then the spirits suppose that what they have adopted is their own and thus play the part so to speak of the person in the person; but they are not allowed to go beyond the interior parts forming the person’s thought and will. They are not allowed to enter the exterior parts of actions and speech; for these are brought into play by means of a general influx from the Lord, without the intervention of specific spirits or angels. But although the spirits play the part of the person in the person so far as what forms his thought and will is concerned, they are not actually aware of their presence with him. The reason for this is that they take possession of all that his memory contains and imagine that it does not belong to another but is their own. A further reason is that they are thus prevented from doing the person harm, for if the spirits from hell who are present with a person did not imagine the contents of his memory were their own they would try by every method to destroy the person, body and soul, since that is hell’s essential delight.

AC (Elliott) n. 6193 6193. Since spirits take possession in that way of all that forms a person’s thought and will, and angels take possession of what is even more interior, so that he is joined very closely to them, the person cannot avoid the perception and sensation that he himself is the one who thinks and wills. For the nature of all communication in the next life is this: In a community in which people are alike, each thinks that what is another’s is his own. When therefore people who are good go into a heavenly community they instantly enter into all the intelligence and wisdom of that community, entering into it so fully that they know no other than that such things exist within themselves. This is also how it is with man and a spirit present with him. The things that flow in from spirits from hell are evil and false, but those which flow in from angels from heaven are good and true; and through these opposite kinds of influx a person is held in the middle, thus in freedom.

[2] Because what flows in from angels comes through the more interior parts of a person, it is less easily recognized by outward sensation than that which flows in from evil spirits. Also, the angels are by nature such that they will not hear of goodness and truth flowing in from themselves, only of its coming from the Lord. They are indignant at the thought of anything different; for they have a very clear perception that that is the truth of the matter, and there is nothing they like more than for their desires and thoughts to begin not in themselves but in the Lord. Evil spirits on the other hand are angry if they are told that their thoughts and desires do not begin in themselves, because that idea is contrary to what their loves lead them to be delighted with. And they are all the more angry when they are told that life does not exist independently in them but flows into them. This is demonstrated to those spirits through actual experience; and such demonstration takes place many times, when they do indeed confess that such is the truth, since they cannot speak contrary to experience. But after a while they deny it and have no wish to have it proved any more from experience.

AC (Elliott) n. 6194 6194. Sometimes it has happened that I have been thinking to myself or else talking to others without reflecting that spirits were present who prompted what I thought or said. But immediately afterwards the spirits spoke to me, telling me what their state was at the time, namely one in which they knew no other than that it was they who did the thinking. They told me indeed that those closest to me were fully convinced that they themselves did the thinking, but that those further away were not so convinced and those still further away even less so. I was also shown which particular communities flowed into the spirits as their subordinates.

AC (Elliott) n. 6195 6195. Some spirits were once present with me for a long time, neither particularly good nor particularly evil ones, a little way above my head. They had the ability to flow deeply into people’s affections; and because this was what they wanted to do, they also entered mine after a while and tied themselves to me in such a way that it seemed as though they could hardly be separated. I talked to them about what was going on, saying that they ought to separate themselves from me. But they could not do it. When they tried to do so and did succeed to some small extent, they then caused my thinking to be so dull that I could not think except in a confused and disjointed manner; and I felt pain in my head like that experienced by people who are fainting. This showed me how people’s loves serve to join them together and that all in the next life are joined together through them. This is the reason why spirits who enter the actual affections of another take possession of him, just as happens in the world when one person indulges another person’s love. But truths do not join people together, only affections for truth do so.

[2] From this it has become clear to me how a person is joined either to heaven or to hell, namely through his loves. He is joined to hell through his self-love and love of the world, but to heaven through his love of the neighbour and love of God. In addition it has been clear to me that a person tied to hell cannot possibly be released except by Divine means employed by the Lord, as has also been shown to me from those who have been tied to me by merely slender affections. I was not released from them except through intermediate kinds of love, by means of which they were gradually joined to others. As the spirits were separated they seemed to be placed further away from me, in front and to the left. I noticed that the separation took place through changes in the state of my affections; for as my affections changed, so those spirits departed from me. This also revealed to me where the appearances of distance in the next life originate.

AC (Elliott) n. 6196 6196. All kinds of experiences have enabled me to know that a person’s loves determine how closely spirits are associated with him. As soon as I have begun to love something intently, spirits with a similar love were present, and they were not removed until that love died down.

AC (Elliott) n. 6197 6197. As often as anything which I have not known the source of has entered my thinking or the desires of my will and I have wished to know the source, it has been shown me. That is to say, I have been shown which communities it came from, and sometimes which spirits were their agents through whom it came. Those spirits have also talked to me at such times and have confessed that they were thinking about that particular matter and that they also knew it was coming to me and seemed to me to exist within me. Deceitful ones, who are visible directly overhead, have come to me, sometimes in such a clever way that I did not know where the influx came from, and I could hardly discern what flowed in as anything else than something that existed in and originated with me, as is ordinarily so with others. But as I knew quite definitely that it originated somewhere else, the Lord granted me a perception which was so keen that I discerned every detail of what flowed in from those deceitful spirits. I also discerned exactly where they were and exactly who they were. When they realized this they were highly indignant, especially at the idea that I could reflect on the fact that my thought had originated with them. That reflection came to me by way of the angels.

[2] In particular the deceitful spirits instilled ideas such as were opposed to the Lord, and on these occasions I was also led to reflect that no one in hell acknowledges the Lord, and that they speak as insolently against Him as they are allowed to, though they do not mind hearing mention made of the Father, the creator of all things. This experience, which is a very clear sign, makes it quite plain that the Lord is the One who reigns over the whole of heaven, as He Himself teaches in Matthew,

All power in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Matt. 28:18.

It also shows that those spirits are opposed to the Lord because they are opposed to heaven, in which the Lord is the All in all.

AC (Elliott) n. 6198 6198. Some spirits were once present with me who imagined that it was they who had life and that the life I had came to me solely from them, so that they were in effect myself. But when they were told that they were spirits who existed separately from me, and that interiorly I too was a spirit they could not believe it. To enable them to know it, they were separated and in that way shown that they were spirits with a separate existence. But they still refused to believe it and stubbornly stuck to their own ideas. They went away for a while, and when they came back their conviction was still the same. This experience too shows that spirits know nothing different from this, that what exists with man is essentially theirs. But spirits like these who cling tenaciously to such beliefs are not afforded easy access to men because it is hard for them to be separated from men. A similar conviction has, it is true, been instilled into all other spirits to the end that they may be of service to men, but in them it is somewhat different.

AC (Elliott) n. 6199 6199. Another spirit too imagined that he was myself. He was so sure of it that he believed, when he talked to me in my native tongue, that he was using his own; for he said that that language was his. But he was shown that the language proper to spirits is entirely different and that it is the universal language of all languages. He was shown that ideas flow from that language into my own native tongue, so that spirits do not speak independently but within me, and that this serves to show that they not only enter what is man s but also suppose it to be their own.

AC (Elliott) n. 6200 6200. Because I have been living – constantly, for nine years now* – in company with spirits and angels, I have been able to take careful note of the nature of influx. When I have been thinking, the material ideas in my thought have presented themselves so to speak in the middle of a wave-like motion. I have noticed that the wave was made up of nothing other than such ideas as had become attached to the particular matter in my memory that I was thinking about, and that a person’s entire thought is seen by spirits in this way. But nothing else enters that person’s awareness then apart from what is in the middle which has presented itself as a material idea. I have likened that wave round about to spiritual wings which serve to raise the particular matter the person is thinking about up out of his memory. And in this way the person becomes aware of that matter. The surrounding material in which the wave-like motion takes place contained countless things that harmonized with the matter I was thinking about. This was made clear to me by the fact that from those things spirits living in a more perfect sphere knew everything I had ever learned on that particular subject. It accordingly showed me that spirits take in and absorb everything a Person knows, while genii, who are interested solely in his desires and affections, do the same to all aspects of his loves.

[2] Let the following example illustrate the point. Whenever I have thought about a person I knew, an image of that person, like that which comes to anyone s mind when his name is mentioned, presented itself in the middle. But round about the image of him – looking like the wings of a bird that are moving up and down – there was everything I had known and thought since childhood regarding that person. Consequently the entire character of that person as it existed in my thought and affection presented itself to spirits in an instant. The like has also happened whenever I have thought about any city. From the sphere round about moving like a wave spirits knew in an instant everything I had ever seen in it or known about it. The same thing has applied to my scientific knowledge.
* These words occur in Volume Five of the Latin, published in 1753.

AC (Elliott) n. 6201 6201. This was how my thought was seen by spirits when I had been raised a little way above the level of the senses. But when my thought took place on the latter level no such wave-like motion was seen; instead something entirely material appeared there, not unlike an object seen with the physical eyes. This is called thinking on the sensory level; but when thought takes place on a more internal level it is referred to as being raised above the level of the senses. The ancients were well acquainted with the idea that a person can be raised above the sensory level, and therefore some of them also wrote about that condition. People whose thought takes place on the lower level are called sensory-minded, and spirits of a similar nature are attached to them. These spirits take hold of little more from a person than what enters his own awareness too; for they are more unrefined than all other spirits. I have also noticed that when a person is on the sensory level and has not been raised above it his thought is confined to what is of a bodily and worldly nature. He has no wish to know about things that belong to eternal life; indeed he refuses to listen to anything about it.

[2] To enable me to know the nature of all this I have been brought down frequently to that sensory level, when the things described have occurred instantly. At the same time spirits in that more unrefined sphere have poured in foul and offensive ideas. But as soon as I was raised above the sensory level such ideas were dispelled. The life of the majority of people who surrender themselves to physical pleasures is on that sensory level, and so is the life of those who have utterly refused to contemplate the existence of anything beyond what they can see and hear, in particular those who have refused to think about eternal life. For that reason people of this kind revile such higher things and are nauseated when they hear them mentioned. At the present day large numbers of spirits like this exist in the next life, for bands of them enter it from the world. Also when they flow into a person they prompt him to indulge his natural inclination to lead a selfish and worldly life, not a life for others except insofar as they countenance him and his selfish desires. To be raised up above these spirits a person must entertain thoughts of eternal life.

AC (Elliott) n. 6202 6202. I have also noticed another kind of influx which does not take place through the spirits present with a person but through others who are sent out from some community in hell to the sphere emanating from that person’s life. They talk among themselves about the kinds of things that are unacceptable to the person, which results generally in a flowing into him of what is in many different ways troublesome, unpleasant, dejecting, and worrying. Such spirits have often been present with me, when I have experienced in the province of my stomach those who poured in feelings of anxiety – not that I knew where the feelings came from. Yet on every occasion I found out who they were, and then I heard them talking to one another about the kinds of things that were unacceptable to my affections. Avaricious spirits in the same region have sometimes been visible, though in a slightly higher position; they have poured in the kind of anxiety that results from concern for the future. I have also been allowed to rebuke those spirits and to tell them that they correlate with undigested food in the stomach which produces bad breath and so is nauseating. I have also seen them being driven away; and once they were driven away, anxiety completely disappeared. I have had this experience a number of times so that I could be quite certain that those spirits were the source of the trouble.

[2] This is the kind of influx that takes place among those who for no good reason are anxious and depressed, and also among those who are undergoing spiritual temptation. During temptation however there is not only a general influx of such spirits but also a particular stirring up by spirits from hell of the evils the person has put into practice. Those spirits also pervert and put a wrong interpretation on the forms of good that the angels use to fight with in temptation. A state such as this is what the person who is being regenerated enters by being let down into what is wholly his own. And this happens when he immerses himself too much in worldly and bodily interests and needs to be raised towards spiritual ones.

AC (Elliott) n. 6203 6203. The influx of evil from hell arises in the following way: When a person plunges himself into some evil – first because he gives in to it, then because he deliberately intends it, and finally because he loves and delights in it – the hell where that kind of evil reigns is opened; for evils and all their variations give rise to each distinction that marks off one hell from all the others. After it has been opened an influx from that hell also takes place.* If a person embarks on evil in that way it clings to him, for the hell whose sphere now surrounds him finds in him the same delight as is their own when immersed in their own kind of evil. This being so, that hell does not give up but stubbornly persists in causing the person to think about that evil – first of all now and again, then as often as anything related comes along, till at length it becomes what governs him all the time. When this happens he looks around for ideas such as will support the notion that the thing is not an evil, until he becomes thoroughly convinced it is not. At this point he strives so far as he can to get rid of external restraints and to make it allowable and smart, and at length even attractive and honourable, to engage in adulterous practices, theft involving trickery and deceit, various forms of arrogance and boasting, contempt for others, insults, persecution carried on under a cloak of righteousness, and other things like these. They are like blatant thefts which a person cannot refrain from committing once he has deliberately engaged in two or three; for they cling constantly to his thinking.
* Reading fit (takes place) for sit (may be)

AC (Elliott) n. 6204 6204. In addition to this it should be recognized that evil entering a person’s thought does not do him harm; for spirits from hell are constantly pouring in evil, but angels are constantly driving it away. But when it enters the will it does do harm, for it leads on to actions as often as external restraints do not hinder it. Evil enters the will when it is retained in one’s thought, is approved of, and especially when it is acted upon and therefore delighted in.

AC (Elliott) n. 6205 6205. I have often noticed that evil spirits invest themselves in particular with a person’s false notions and evil desires, and that when they do they control him in a despotic way. For one who gets inside a person’s evil desires and false notions makes him subject to himself and turns him into his slave. But an influx coming through angels adjusts itself to the person’s affections, which they guide gently, turning those affections towards what is good without breaking them. The actual influx of them is silent, barely perceptible, for it is an influx into the person’s interiors, always operating through his freedom.

AC (Elliott) n. 6206 6206. To take the subject further, it should be recognized that all evil flows in from hell and all good from the Lord by way of heaven. The reason however why evil becomes a person’s own is that he believes and convinces himself that he thinks and practises it all by himself. In this way he makes it his own. But if he believed what is really so, it would not be evil but good from the Lord that became his own. For if he believed what is really so he would think, the instant evil flowed in, that it came from the evil spirits present with him; and since that was what he thought the angels could ward that evil off and repel it. For influx from angels takes place into what a person knows and believes, not what he does not know or believe; there is nowhere else for it to become firmly established than in something the person knows or believes.

[2] When a person in that way makes some evil his own he acquires the sphere that is a product of that evil. This sphere is what the spirits from hell who have a sphere of like evil around them associate themselves with, for like is linked to like. The spiritual sphere existing with man or spirit is an emanation from the life which belongs to his loves, from which his character is recognized from afar. Their spheres are what determine the ways in which all are joined to one another in the next life, and the ways in which communities are joined too. They also determine the separations that take place, for contrary spheres conflict with and repel one another. Consequently the spheres produced by the loves of what is evil are all in hell, while the spheres produced by the loves of what is good are all in heaven, that is, those dwelling in such spheres are there.

AC (Elliott) n. 6207 6207. The influx from angels takes place primarily into a person’s conscience, in which there is a base laid down for them to operate into. This base exists within the interior parts of the person. Conscience is twofold – interior and exterior. Interior conscience is a conscience concerned with what is spiritually good and true, exterior conscience with what is just and fair. The latter kind of conscience exists with many at the present day, but interior conscience with few. Even so, those endowed with exterior conscience are saved in the next life, since they are the kind of people who, if they act contrary to what is good and true or contrary to what is just and fair, feel distressed and tormented within. They feel this way not because of any consequent loss of position, gain, or reputation but because they have acted contrary to what is good and true or just and fair. But where neither kind of conscience exists there is something very inferior to them which on occasions simulates conscience. That is to say, a simulation of conscience exists when people are moved to practise what is true and good, fair and just, not by a love of it but for selfish reasons, for position and personal gain. These people too feel distressed and tormented when things unacceptable to them occur; but this kind of conscience is no conscience at all because it goes with self-love and love of the world and has nothing in it of the love of God and of one’s neighbour. Nor is it therefore to be seen in the next life.

[2] People like this are also able to serve in quite high-ranking offices, just as those endowed with genuine conscience do, for to outward appearance they do the same kinds of things; but they do them for the sake of their own position and reputation. Therefore the more they fear the loss of the latter, the better they discharge their public duties in favour of neighbour and country. But people who do not fear their loss are utterly dispensable members of the state. Those with this false conscience do not even know what conscience is, and when they hear from others what it is they laugh at the idea and think it is the product of simplicity or sickness of mind. These matters have been stated so that people may know the nature of this influx, that is to say, that conscience is the base that has been laid down for the angels to flow into – in particular into the affections there for what is good and true, and for what is just and fair – and thereby bind and hold the person, though without taking away his freedom.

AC (Elliott) n. 6208 6208. There are quite a number of people who are endowed by heredity with natural good, as a result of which they delight in doing good to others. But since they have not adopted from the Word, from the teaching of the Church, or from the religion they belong to, any principles about the doing of good on account of those teachings, they have also been unable to have any conscience conferred on them; for conscience is not the product of natural or hereditary good but of teaching regarding what is true and good and of a life based on that teaching. When people like these come into the next life they are amazed that they are not received into heaven. They say they have led a good life, but they are told that a good life which is the outcome of natural or hereditary disposition is not a good life; it comes instead out of teaching regarding what is good and true and out of a life based on that teaching. Through such teaching and life, they are told, people have principles stamped on their character regarding what is true and good and receive a conscience, which is the base laid down for heaven to flow into. So that those who are told these things may know they are true, they are sent to different communities, where they allow themselves to be misled into all kinds of evil solely through reasonings and consequent false persuasions that things which are evil are good, and those which are good are evil. They are thus swayed by those arguments wherever they go and are borne around like straws in the wind. For they have no principles, no base laid down into which the angels can operate and guide them away from the wicked.

AC (Elliott) n. 6209 6209. An influx from angels that takes place with a person is not discerned as an influx from spirits is, for what flows in from angels is not material but spiritual. It seems to be altogether like a stream of air, flowing from interior angels as something filled with light, and from angels even more interior as something flaming. More will be said about these matters in the Lord’s Divine mercy at the ends of chapters following this.

AC (Elliott) n. 6210 6210. On some occasions I have happened to be deep in thought about worldly matters and the kinds of things that concern most people – possessions, the acquisition of riches, pleasures, and the like. At these times I noticed that I was slipping back into sensory-mindedness, and that to the extent that my thought was immersed in those worldly interests I was more removed from companionship with the angels. This also proved to me that people who are deeply engrossed in such concerns cannot have any real contact with them in the next life. For when such thoughts occupy the whole mind they bear its lower part downwards, like weights pulling it down. When such worldly interests are a person’s final concern they remove him from heaven, to which he cannot be raised except by means of the good of love and faith. This has been made additionally clear to me by the following experience. I was once taken through the dwelling-places of heaven, at which time my ideas were spiritual ones. Then I suddenly slipped into thinking about worldly matters, and all those spiritual ideas were scattered and became as nothing.

AC (Elliott) n. 6211 6211. I have sometimes wondered why speech and action are not governed by means of particular spirits in the way thought and will are governed by means of them. But I have been told that speech follows from thought and action from the will, and that this flows from true order, thus through general influx. Nevertheless spirits are assigned to each part of the body associated with the power of speech, and to each part associated with action, though these spirits are not directly aware of it. General influx is the unceasing endeavour by the Lord, acting through the whole of heaven, to enter every detail of a person’s life.

AC (Elliott) n. 6212 6212. It is well known from the Word that the prophets received influx from the world of spirits and from heaven. It came to them partly through dreams, partly through visions, and partly through utterances. With some prophets it also entered into their own speech and gestures, thus things of the body; and when this happened neither their utterances nor their actions were their own but were those of the spirits who occupied their bodies at the time. Some behaved as though they were insane, as when Saul lay down naked,* some inflicted wounds on themselves,** and others wore horns;*** and there are many other examples of the same thing.

[2] Having the desire to know how spirits led them to do those things, I was shown through actual experience. So that I might know, I was possessed for a whole night by spirits who occupied my bodily powers so fully that I could not feel it was my own body except in a very vague way. When those spirits came they looked like tiny clouds massed together in varying shapes, for the most part pointed ones; the tiny clouds were black. In the morning I saw a carriage with a pair of horses, and a man riding in it; then I saw a horse with someone sitting on it, who was thrown from the horse backwards and lay on the ground while the horse kicked up its heels. After that I saw someone else sitting on the horse. The horses were well-bred.

[3] After all this the angels told me the meaning of the things I had seen. The carriage with a man in it meant the spiritual sense contained in the prophecies which they were uttering, and those they were representing by the things I had seen. The horse that threw off the person sitting on it and that kicked up its heels meant that the Jewish and Israelite people among whom the prophecies existed were interested solely in things of an external nature, so that genuine understanding threw them off its back and so to speak kicked up its heels to move them away. The second person sitting on the horse meant the understanding which those people have who are interested in the internal sense of the prophetical part of the Word.

[4] This state which lasted through the night until morning taught me the way the prophets through whom spirits spoke and acted were possessed. The spirits occupied the prophets’ bodies so thoroughly that the prophets were left with hardly anything more than an awareness of their existence. There were particular spirits assigned to this function who had no wish to obsess men, only to enter a person’s bodily affections, and having entered them they entered all things of his body. The spirits normally present with me said that I had not been with them while I remained in that state.

[5] The spirits who possessed my body, in the way the bodies of prophets had been possessed in former times, afterwards talked to me. They said, besides much else, that at the time they knew nothing else than that their life was as it had been in the body. They went on to say that the prophets were recipients of further kinds of influx, ones that involved the prophets in the use of their own power of decision and thought. Spirits then simply talked to them, mainly within them; it was not a flowing into their thought and will, only speech which entered their hearing.
* 1 Sam. 19:24
** e.g. 1 Kings 18:28; Jer. 16:6; 41:5
*** 1 Kings 22:11

AC (Elliott) n. 6213 6213. By means of its own spirits hell is constantly instilling evil and falsity as well as perverting and wiping out truths and forms of good, whereas the Lord by means of angels is constantly warding off, taking away, lessening, and moderating those influences. Many years of almost unceasing experience have made this so familiar to me that I cannot even think about doubting it. But if the angels are to be able to ward off influences coming from hell, the truths of faith, joined to the good of life, into which they can flow must exist with the person. Those truths must serve as a base laid down for angels to operate into. But if the person does not possess truths joined to good he is brought away from hell, and then by means of angels the Lord governs him externally through what are called external restraints. These restraints involve the person’s own prudence, which he exercises so that he may be seen, so far as outward appearances go, to be one who loves his neighbour and country, even though he is motivated by thoughts of his own position, his own gain, reputation on account of these, and by fear of legal penalties, including death. These are the external restraints that are used to govern a person when internal ones, which are those of conscience, do not exist. But those external restraints do nothing in the next life, for they are taken away from a person; and once they have been taken away, what he has been like internally is seen.

AC (Elliott) n. 6214 6214. How difficult it is for a person to believe that spirits know his thoughts has been proved to me by the following experience. Before I talked to spirits some spirit happened to address me briefly on the matters I was thinking about. I was dumbfounded by this, that a spirit could know my thoughts, for I had supposed that such thoughts lay hidden and were known to God alone. After that, when I began to talk to spirits, I was indignant that I could not have any thought at all which they did not know and that this was going to prove irksome to me. But then over several days I grew accustomed to it. At length I also came to know that spirits not only discern everything present in a person’s thought and will, but also far more than the person himself discerns; that the angels discern even more than that, namely his intentions and ends in view from the primary, through the intermediate, to the final ones; and that the Lord knows not only what the entire person is like now but also will be for evermore. This has proved to me that absolutely nothing is hidden, but that a person’s inward thought and designs are as plain to see in the next life as if in broad daylight.

AC (Elliott) n. 6215 6215. Influx and the interaction of soul and body is continued at the end of the next chapter.

48

GENESIS 48

1 And so it was after these things, that [someone] said to Joseph, Behold, your father is sick. And he took his two sons with him, Manasseh and Ephraim.

2 And [someone] told Jacob and said, Behold, your son Joseph has come to you; and Israel strengthened himself and sat on the bed.

3 And Jacob said to Joseph, God Shaddai showed Himself to me in Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me.

4 And He said to me, Behold, I am making you fruitful and will cause you to be multiplied, and I will make you into a congregation of peoples, and I will give this land to your seed after you as an everlasting possession.

5 And now your two sons born to you in the land of Egypt, prior to my coming to you, to Egypt, they are mine, Ephraim and Manasseh; as Reuben and Simeon will they be mine.

6 And your offspring* that you beget after them will be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.

7 And as for me, when I was coming from Paddan, Rachel died on me in the land of Canaan on the road when there was still a stretch of land to go to Ephrath; [and I buried her there on the road to Ephrath,] that is, Bethlehem.

8 And Israel saw Joseph’s sons and said, Whose are these?

9 And Joseph said to his father, My sons are they, whom God has given me here. And he said, Bring them now to me, and I will bless them.

10 And the eyes of Israel were weak** because of old age; he could not see. And [Joseph] made them draw near him, and [Israel] kissed them and
embraced them.

11 And Israel said to Joseph, I did not think to see your face, and behold, God has caused me to see your seed also.

12 And Joseph brought them away from his thighs and bowed down, his face to the earth.

13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand to Israel’s left, and Manasseh in his left to Israel’s right, and made them draw near him.

14 And Israel put out his right hand and placed it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head; crosswise he put out his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn.

15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, The God before whom my fathers walked, Abraham and Isaac, the God feeding me since then, even until this day,

16 The angel redeeming me from every evil, may he bless the boys, and in them will my name be called, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and may they increase into a multitude in the midst of the earth.

17 And Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, and it was wrong in his eyes; and he grasped his father’s hand to remove it from upon Ephraim’s head onto Manasseh’s head.

18 And Joseph said to his father, Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn; place your right hand on his head.

19 And his father refused, and said, I know, my son, I know; he too will be a people, and he too will become great; but truly his younger brother will become greater than he, and his seed will be the fullness of nations.***

20 And he blessed them on this day, saying, In you will Israel bless, saying, May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh. And he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

21 And Israel said to Joseph, Behold, I am dying; and God will be with you, and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.

22 And I give you one portion above your brothers, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.
* lit. generation
** lit. heavy
*** An expression describing populousness

AC (Elliott) n. 6216 6216. CONTENTS

This chapter deals in the internal sense with the Church’s understanding, which consists of truth, and with its will, which consists of good, the Church’s understanding being ‘Ephraim’ and the Church’s will ‘Manasseh’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6217 6217. In the Church the truth of faith, which exists in the understanding, seemingly occupies the first place, while the good of charity, which exists in the will, seemingly occupies the second place. This is meant by Israel’s putting out his right hand onto Ephraim’s head and his left onto Manasseh’s head.

AC (Elliott) n. 6218 6218. THE INTERNAL SENSE

Verses 1, 2 And so it was after these things, that [someone] said to Joseph, Behold, your father is sick. And he took his two sons with him, Manasseh and Ephraim. And [someone] told Jacob and said, Behold, your son Joseph has come to you; and Israel strengthened himself and sat on the bed.

‘And so it was after these things’ means what follows as a consequence of the affairs prior to this. ‘That [someone] said to Joseph’ means a preeminent perception. ‘Behold, your father is sick’ means the next stage towards regeneration. ‘And he took his two sons with him, Manasseh and Ephraim’ means the Church’s will and the Church’s understanding, born from the internal. ‘And [someone] told Jacob’ means a discernment by the truth of the natural. ‘And said, Behold, your son Joseph has come to you’ means regarding the presence of the internal. ‘And Israel strengthened himself’ means new powers received through spiritual good. ‘And sat on the bed’ means which was turned towards the natural.

AC (Elliott) n. 6219 6219. ‘And so it was after these things’ means what follows as a consequence of the affairs prior to this. This is clear from the meaning of ‘things’ as the affairs that have been dealt with prior to this, so that ‘after these things’ means what follows as a consequence of the affairs prior to this.

AC (Elliott) n. 6220 6220. ‘That [someone] said to Joseph’ means a pre-eminent discernment. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ as perception, dealt with in 1791, 1815, 1819, 1822, 1898, 1919, 2080, 2619, 2682, 3509, 5687. The reason a pre-eminent discernment is meant is that the subject in what follows is the Church’s understanding and will, thus its truth and good, which come from an inflowing through the celestial internal, which is ‘Joseph’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6221 6221. ‘Behold, your father is sick’ means the next stage towards regeneration. This is clear from the meaning of ‘dying’ as resurrection to life, and regeneration, dealt with in 3326, 3498, 3505, 4618, 4621, 6036; consequently ‘being sick’ prior to death means a movement towards regeneration, thus the next stage towards it. The meaning of ‘dying’ as regeneration and of ‘being sick’ as the next stage towards it is bound to seem too far-fetched to be believed; but the person who knows anything about the way angels think and speak will acknowledge the truth of it. Angels have no knowledge at all of death or of sickness and consequently form no mental image of them. Instead they form, when a person reads about sickness and death, an idea of the continuation of life, and an idea of resurrection. The reason they do this is that when a person dies he casts off solely what has served him for use in the world and enters into the life his spirit has led. This is the idea that comes to angels’ minds when a person reads about ‘dying’ and ‘being sick’. An idea of regeneration likewise comes to mind, since regeneration is resurrection to life. For at first the person was spiritually dead; but once he has been regenerated he is made alive and ‘a son of the resurrection.*

[2] The person who, while living in the body, is desirous of heaven thinks of death and of sickness previous to it as nothing else than resurrection to life. For when he thinks about heaven he detaches himself from thought of the body, especially when he is sick and approaching death. From this it is evident that a spiritual idea of death of the body is an idea of newness of life. When therefore those in heaven refer to resurrection or regeneration, and this comes down and is channelled into the kinds of things that belong to the world, it cannot fall into any other kinds of images than these. This is how it is with the Word. Every single detail has come down from the Lord, passing through heaven and into the world. On the way down it assumes forms suited to the understanding of those in the three heavens, and at length assumes a form suited to man’s understanding, which form is the literal sense.
* Luke 20:36

AC (Elliott) n. 6222 6222. ‘And he took his two sons with him, Manasseh and Ephraim’ means the Church’s will and the Church’s understanding, born from the internal. This is clear from the representation of ‘Manasseh’ as the new will in the natural and its essential nature, dealt with in 5354 (end); and from the representation of ‘Ephraim’ as the new understanding in the natural and its essential nature, dealt with in 5354. The birth of the two from the internal is meant by the fact that they were the sons of Joseph, who represents the internal celestial, 5869, 5877.

[2] What the Church’s understanding is and what its will is must be stated. The Church’s understanding consists in perceiving from the Word what the truth of faith is and what the good of charity is. As is well known, the literal sense of the Word is by nature such that a person can use that sense to support any opinion at all that he may adopt. The reason for this is that ideas appearing in the literal sense of the Word serve as general vessels to receive truths, though not until they have actually received truths does the real nature of those vessels reveal itself as if through transparency. Thus those ideas form merely a general impression which a person must gain first in order that he may aptly receive particular aspects and specific details. This fact – that the literal sense of the Word is by nature such that a person can use that sense to support any opinion at all that he may adopt – is clearly evident from the great number of heresies that have existed in the Church, and still exist in it. Adherents of each heresy find support for it in the literal sense of the Word, support which enables them to believe fully that it is the truth, which means that if they were to hear the actual truth from heaven they would receive nothing at all of it.

[3] The reason why they would not receive it is that they do not share in the understanding that the Church possesses; for that understanding exists when people read the Word, assiduously take one statement together with another, and by doing so see what they ought to believe and what they ought to do. Such understanding comes only to those who receive light from the Lord, whom the Christian world also calls ‘the enlightened’. That enlightenment does not come to any but the kind of people who have the desire to know truths, not for the sake of reputation and glory but for the sake of life and service. That same enlightenment is received by a person in his understanding, for the understanding is the receiver of light. This is clearly evident from the fact that people who have little understanding cannot by any means see such things from the Word but have faith in those who they think are the enlightened. Furthermore it should be recognized that those who have been regenerated receive from the Lord an understanding which is capable of being enlightened; and it is the light of heaven coming from the Lord that flows into the understanding and gives it light, for the understanding receives its light, its sight, and consequently its perception from no other source.

[4] But this understanding which is being called the Church’s understanding is more internal than an understanding based merely on factual knowledge, for it consists in a discernment that a thing is true not because factual evidence and philosophical deductions dictate it but because the Word in its spiritual sense does so. For example, people who possess the Church’s understanding can perceive clearly that in every single part the Word teaches that love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour are the essential qualities of the Church, that a person’s life continues after death, and that his life arises out of his loves. They can also perceive that faith separated from charity is not faith, that faith contributes nothing to eternal life except in the measure that the good of love to the Lord and the good of charity towards the neighbour are linked to it, and that faith and charity must therefore be joined together so that spiritual life may exist. People with an enlightened understanding can perceive quite clearly that these things are true; but those without it can by no means see that they are.

[5] It is thought that the people with an understanding in things of the Church are those who know how to substantiate extensively the opinions or teachings of their Church, to the point of convincing others that they are true, and who know how to refute numerous heresies in a masterly way. But this is not what is meant by the Church’s understanding, for substantiating opinions is not a characteristic of the understanding but of mental ability at a sensory level, which sometimes comes to exist in very wicked people; indeed those without any beliefs at all, also those who are steeped in actual falsities, can have that ability. Nothing comes more easily to both these kinds of people than to substantiate whatever idea they like, so thoroughly that they convince the simple. But before substantiating any opinion the Church’s understanding engages in seeing and perceiving whether it is true or not, and in substantiating it only after that.

[6] This understanding is what is represented by ‘Ephraim’. But the Church’s good, which is represented by ‘Manasseh’, is the good of charity, which the Lord instills into a member of the Church through the truths of faith. For these truths together with the good of charity are what flow into the understanding and give it light, and also enable the understanding and the will to constitute one mind. The truth that both these – the understanding and the will – are born from the internal may be seen from what was stated and shown previously; for the whole affection for goodness and truth, the affection through which enlightenment comes, flows in from no other origin, thus is born from no other origin than the internal; that is, it comes from the Lord through the internal.

AC (Elliott) n. 6223 6223. ‘And [someone] told Jacob’ means a discernment by the truth of the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘telling’ as discernment, dealt with in 3608, 5601; and from the representation of ‘Jacob’ as the truth of the natural, dealt with in 3305, 3509, 3525, 3546, 3599, 3775, 4009, 4234, 4520, 4538, 6001.

AC (Elliott) n. 6224 6224. ‘And said, Behold, your son Joseph has come to you’ means the presence of the internal. This is clear from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, 6177; and from the meaning of ‘coming to someone’ as presence, dealt with in 5934, 5941, 5947, 6063, 6089. ‘Joseph’ is the internal and in some other places the internal celestial, which one depending on the things with which it is connected in the natural below. The term ‘the internal’ is used when the connection is with the lower parts of the natural, which are represented by ‘Jacob’, and similarly when the connection is with Pharaoh. But the terms ‘the internal celestial’ and ‘internal good’ are used when the connection is with the interior parts of the natural, which are represented by ‘Israel’ and also by ‘his ten sons’ each connection existing because one flows into the other.

AC (Elliott) n. 6225 6225. ‘And Israel strengthened himself’ means new powers received through spiritual good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘strengthening oneself’ as receiving new powers; and from the representation of ‘Israel’ as spiritual good from the natural, dealt with in 4286, 4598, 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833. The reason the new powers come through spiritual good is that in what has just been said Jacob is called Jacob but now he is called Israel; for this is what is said,

[Someone] told Jacob and said, Behold, your son Joseph has come to you; and Israel strengthened himself.

For ‘Israel’ is spiritual good from the natural, whereas ‘Jacob’ is the truth of the natural, and the truth of the natural, which is the truth of faith there, receives its strength through spiritual good, which is the good of charity. Also, ‘Israel’ is the internal aspect of the Church and ‘Jacob’ its external aspect, 4286, 4292, 4570. The external aspect of the Church derives its strength and receives its powers from nowhere else than its internal. The internal aspect of the Church exists among those governed by the good of charity, which is the good of faith, also the good of truth, and spiritual good as well, which are ‘Israel’. But the external aspect of the Church exists among those governed by the truth of faith. They are not yet plainly governed by good; yet the truth they are governed by holds good within it, and this is ‘Jacob’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6226 6226. ‘And sat on the bed’ means which was turned towards the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the bed’ as the natural, dealt with in 6188. The reason why ‘Israel sat on the bed’ means that spiritual good was turned towards the natural is that in the last verse of the previous chapter, Chapter 47, ‘Israel bowed himself over the head of the bed’ meant that spiritual good turned itself towards things of the interior natural, see 6188, and therefore moving himself from the head and sitting on the bed means that spiritual good turned itself towards the natural. Nothing intelligible can be said to show what turning itself to the interior natural is, or to the exterior natural, because very few people know of the existence of the interior natural and the exterior natural, or that thought takes place at one time in the first, at another in the second. And people who do not know these things do not stop to reflect on them and consequently cannot have gained any knowledge of this particular matter by anything they have experienced. Yet this turning to one and then to the other goes on in everyone, though with variations; for at one time a person’s thought is raised to things on a higher level, and at another it comes down to those on a lower level, so that at one time his thought looks upwards, at another time downwards.

[2] Apart from all this anyone can see that ‘Israel bowed himself over the head of the bed’ and that after that ‘he sat on the bed’ are matters which would have been too trivial for mention in the most holy Word unless they had held some arcanum within them. That arcanum cannot be brought to light except by means of the internal sense, except therefore through a knowledge of what each individual word means in the spiritual sense, that is, the sense that angels understand. For angels thoughts are not based, as men’s are, on worldly, bodily, and earthly objects, but on heavenly ones. The nature of the difference between those two kinds of objects is particularly evident from correspondences, which are the subject at the ends of a number of chapters.

AC (Elliott) n. 6227 6227. Verses 3-7 And Jacob said to Joseph, God Shaddai showed Himself to me in Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. And He said to me, Behold, I am making you fruitful and will cause you to be multiplied, and I will make you into a congregation of peoples, and I will give this land to your seed after you as an everlasting possession. And now your two sons born to you in the land of Egypt, prior to my coming to you, to Egypt, they are mine, Ephraim and Manasseh; as Reuben and Simeon will they be mine. And your offspring* that you beget after them will be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. And as for me, when I was coming from Paddan, Rachel died on me in the land of Canaan on the road when there was still a stretch of land to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the road to Ephrath, that is, Bethlehem.

‘And Jacob said to Joseph’ means a communication of the truth of the natural with the internal. ‘God Shaddai showed Himself to me in Luz in the land of Canaan’ means the Divine appearing within the natural in a previous state. ‘And blessed me’ means a foretelling about a bestowal of life. ‘And he said to me, Behold, I am making you fruitful and will cause you to be multiplied’ means a bestowal of life through the good of charity and the truth of faith. ‘And I will make you into a congregation of peoples’ means an increase without limit. ‘And I will give [this] land to [your] seed after you as an everlasting possession’ means the Lord’s kingdom belonging to those who have that goodness and truth within them. ‘And now your two sons born to you in the land of Egypt’ means goodness and truth within the natural that come from the internal. ‘Prior to my coming to you, to Egypt’ means before the truth of the natural existed within factual knowledge there. ‘They are mine’ means that they are within me. ‘Ephraim and Manasseh’ means the Church’s understanding and will. ‘As Reuben and Simeon will they be mine’ means that they will be truth and the good of truth. ‘And your offspring that you beget after them’ means interior truths and forms of good which are begotten later on. ‘Will be yours’ means that they will be in the rational which is within the internal. ‘They will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance’ means that they will be of the same essential nature as that of the Church’s truths and forms of good, and will exist together among them. ‘And as for me, when I was coming from Paddan’ means from a state of cognitions. ‘Rachel died on me in the land of Canaan’ means the end of a former affection for interior truth. ‘On the road when there was still a stretch of land’ means what comes in between. ‘To go to Ephrath’ means the spiritual of the celestial in a former state. ‘And I buried her on the road to Ephrath’ means a casting away of that state. ‘That is, Bethlehem’ means replacing this, a state in which there is a new affection for truth and good.
* lit. generation

AC (Elliott) n. 6228 6228. ‘And Jacob said to Joseph’ means a communication of the truth of the natural with the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ as perception, dealt with above in 6220, and also communication, dealt with in 3060, 4131, for What is perceived by another is something communicated to him; from the representation of ‘Jacob’ as the truth of the natural, dealt with just above in 6223; and from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, also dealt with above, in 6224.

AC (Elliott) n. 6229 6229. ‘God Shaddai showed Himself to me in Luz in the land of Canaan’ means the Divine appearing within the natural in a previous state. This is clear from the meaning of ‘God Shaddai’ as the Divine, for He who was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was called Shaddai, 3667, 5628, and was Jehovah Himself or the Lord, thus the Divine, as may be seen from Gen. 28:13, 19; from the meaning of ‘showed Himself to me’ as the fact that He appeared; from the meaning of ‘Luz’ as the natural in a previous state, dealt with in 4556; and from the meaning of ‘the land of Canaan’ as the Church, dealt with before. From all this it is evident that ‘God Shaddai showed Himself to me in Luz in the land of Canaan’ means the Divine appearing within the natural where the spiritual Church’s truth existed.

AC (Elliott) n. 6230 6230. ‘And blessed me’ means a foretelling about a bestowal of life. This is clear from the meaning here of ‘blessing’ as a foretelling regarding a bestowal of life; for the blessing was that He would make him fruitful and multiply him, make him into a congregation of peoples, and give the land to his seed after him as an everlasting possession, which are all part of the foretelling about the bestowal of life. Not that Jacob’s descendants were to have life bestowed on them but those who have the truth of faith and the good of charity in them; for these are the ones who are meant in the internal sense by ‘Jacob and Israel’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6231 6231. ‘And he said to me, Behold, I am making you fruitful and will cause you to be multiplied’ means a bestowal of life through the good of charity and the truth of faith. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being made fruitful’ as that which has regard to the good of charity, and of ‘being multiplied’ as that which has regard to the truth of faith, dealt with in 43, 55, 913, 983, 2846, 2847. Since these are what bestow life on a person, the expression ‘a bestowal of life through them’ is used.

AC (Elliott) n. 6232 6232. And I will make you into a congregation of peoples’ means an increase without limit. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a congregation of peoples’ as truths from good without limit; for ‘peoples’ means truths, 1259, 1260, 3295, and ‘a congregation an abundance. Consequently ‘making into a congregation of peoples’ means causing truths to increase abundantly. That increase is without limit for the reason that all things in the spiritual world, which spring from the Infinite, as truths and forms of good do, are capable of unending multiplication and increase. The expression ‘without limit’ denotes that which cannot be described and comprehended numerically; yet that which is without limit is finite when compared with the Infinite, so that there is no way of measuring one against the other.

[2] The reason why truths and forms of good can increase without limit is that they derive from the Lord who is Infinite. One may see that this is what truths and forms of good are like from the consideration that truth and good reign throughout the whole of heaven and yet are never exactly the same with one person as with another; and this would still be so even if heaven were millions of times larger. It can likewise be seen from the consideration that angels are forever becoming more perfect, that is, they grow constantly in goodness and truth; yet they cannot possibly attain a full degree of perfection. Unlimited possibility for growth always remains; for truths have no numerical limit, each truth has unlimited facets, and so on.

[3] The same thing can be seen even better from those living in the natural world. Even if the human race increased without limit, still no one would have a face identical with another’s; no one would have an internal face, that is, a personality, identical with another’s, nor even an identical sound of voice. From this it is evident that variety without limit exists in all things and that one thing is never identical with another. Variety even more unlimited exists among the truths and forms of good that belong to the spiritual world; for one thing in the natural world corresponds to millions in the spiritual world. Therefore the more interior things are, the more they are without limit.

[4] The reason why such things without limit are a feature of everything in the spiritual world and also in the natural world is that they have their origin in the Infinite, as stated above; for if they did not have their origin there they could not possibly be without limit. Furthermore the things that are without limit in both worlds also make it quite evident that the Divine is Infinite.

AC (Elliott) n. 6233 6233. ‘And I will give [this] land to [your] seed after you as an everlasting possession’ means the Lord’s kingdom belonging to those who have that goodness and truth within them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘land’, in this case the land of Canaan, as the Lord’s kingdom, dealt with in 1607, 3078, 3481, 3705, 4240, 4447; from the meaning of ‘seed’ as the truth of faith and the good of charity, dealt with in 1025, 1447, 1610, 1940, 2848, 3038, 3310 – ‘the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’ being those who have forms of good and truths in themselves and are called ‘the sons of the kingdom’, 3373; and from the meaning of ‘an everlasting possession’ as having life that is the Lord’s, since those who have that life are ‘the sons of the kingdom’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6234 6234. ‘And now your two sons born to you in the land of Egypt’ means goodness and truth within the natural that come from the internal. This is clear from the representation of Manasseh and Ephraim, to whom ‘two sons’ refers here, as the Church’s will and the Church’s understanding within the natural, which are born from the internal, dealt with above in 6222 (and since good belongs to the will and truth to the understanding, the Church’s goodness and truth are meant by those same sons); from the meaning of ‘born to you’ – to Joseph – as that come from the internal; and from the meaning of ‘the land of Egypt’ as the natural mind where the Church’s factual knowledge resides, dealt with in 5176, 5178, 5280, 5288, 5301, and as the natural, 6147.

AC (Elliott) n. 6235 6235. ‘prior to my coming to you, to Egypt’ means before the truth of the natural existed within factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘prior to my coming to you’ as before it was present; from the representation of Jacob, who says this regarding himself, as the truth of the natural, dealt with above in 6223; and from the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as factual knowledge within the natural, dealt with in 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 4749, 4964, 4966, 5700, 6004. The coming of Jacob and his sons into Egypt represented the instillation of truths into the Church’s factual knowledge, as the two previous chapters have shown, see 6004.

AC (Elliott) n. 6236 6236. ‘They are mine’ means that they are within me. This is clear from the representation of ‘Jacob’, who says this regarding himself, as the truth of the natural, dealt with below; and from the representation of Manasseh and Ephraim, to whom he is referring, as the Church’s will and the Church’s understanding within the natural, dealt with in 5354, 6222. The reason ‘they are mine’ means within me is that in representing the truth of the natural ‘Jacob’ also represents the natural in relation to truth, and within the natural there exist an understanding part and a will part, which are represented by ‘Ephraim and Manasseh’. And as they exist in the natural ‘they are mine’ therefore means within me.

[2] ‘Jacob’ represents the natural – in the highest sense the Lord’s Divine Natural, see 3305, 3509, 3525, 3576, 4009, 4538, 4570, 6098, and in the relative sense truth in the natural, thus also the natural in relation to truth, 3509, 3525, 3546. And since ‘Jacob’ in general is truth in the natural, his ten sons are the Church’s truths there in particular, 5403, 5419, 5427, 5458, 5511; and so now are Joseph’s sons too. ‘Pharaoh’ likewise represents the natural, though not as regards truths but as regards factual knowledge, which is of a lower order than truths but is that into which they can be introduced and instilled, represented by the coming of Jacob and his sons to Egypt.

AC (Elliott) n. 6237 6237. ‘Ephraim and Manasseh’ means the Church’s understanding and will, see 5354, 6222.

AC (Elliott) n. 6238 6238. ‘As Reuben and Simeon will they be mine’ means that they will be truth and the good of truth. This is clear from the representation of ‘Reuben’ as faith in the understanding, and the truth of doctrine by means of which one is able to arrive at the good of life, dealt with in 3861, 3866, thus in general truth that belongs to the understanding; and from the representation of ‘Simeon’ as faith in the will, consequently truth realized in action, which is the good of faith or the good of truth, dealt with in 3869-3872, 4497, 4502, 4503, 5626, 5630, thus in general good which belongs to the new will. The things that Ephraim and Manasseh represent are clearly similar to all this.

[2] But since Reuben profaned what he represented, 4601, and Simeon polluted what he represented, 4497, 4501, 4507, on account of which they were cursed, see verses 3-7 of the next chapter, they lost their birthright and Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh were acknowledged as the firstborn in place of them, 1 Chron. 5:1. Nevertheless what Reuben and Simeon represented remained with them, for it makes no difference what the character of the person who serves to represent something is like, 665, l097 (end), 4281. That is to say, the representation of faith in the understanding remained with Reuben, and the representation of faith in the will with Simeon. But what resided with Ephraim was the representation of the Church’s understanding, and what resided with Manasseh was the representation of the Church’s will.

AC (Elliott) n. 6239 6239. ‘And your offspring that you beget after them’ means interior truths and forms of good which are begotten later on. This is clear from the meaning of ‘offspring’ or ‘generation’ as matters of faith and charity, dealt with in 613, 2020, 2584, thus truths and forms of good; and from the meaning of ‘after them’ as interior ones which are begotten later on. The reason interior ones are meant is that what is begotten from the internal at a later time is more interior. For in every consecutive stage all that has already been begotten serves the internal as the means by which what is begotten subsequently can be introduced into a more interior position, for the internal raises the natural by degrees up to itself. This is evident from the birth of all that constitutes the understanding in a person. At first he is on the level of his senses; later on he rises to more and more internal levels until he arrives at full use of his understanding. Similar to this is the new generation or birth which is effected by means of faith and charity. Thus it is that a person is perfected by degrees; see what has been stated in 6183 about the gradual raising up to more interior levels when a person is being regenerated.

[2] In the Word ‘generation’ means things which have to do with faith and charity, for the reason that no generation other than that of a spiritual kind is meant in the internal sense. That kind of generation is also meant in David,

They will fear greatly, for God is in the generation of the righteous. Ps. 14:5.

‘The generation of the righteous’ stands for truths that flow from good, for righteousness is an attribute of good. In Isaiah, 41:4.

They will not labour in vain, and they will not produce offspring* in terror; they will be the seed of the blessed of Jehovah. Isa. 65:23.

In the same prophet,

Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, Jehovah, am the first, and with the last I am the same. Isa. 41:4.

In Ezekiel,

Your tradings and your births’ are of the land of the Canaanite. Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. As for your births,** on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, and you were not washed with water for Me to see. Ezek. 16:3, 4.

In these verses, which refer to the abominations of Jerusalem, it is quite evident that ‘generations’ or ‘births’ means generations in a spiritual sense.

[3] In Isaiah,

Awake as in the days of eternity, in the generations of eternity.*** Isa. 51:9.

‘The days of eternity’ stands for the state and time of the Most Ancient Church. The expression ‘eternity’ is used in reference to that Church because the good of love to the Lord reigned in it, and that good, since it flows directly from the Lord, is called eternal. ‘The generations of eternity’ stands for the forms of good that spring from that good.

[4] Something similar to this appears in Moses,

Remember the days of eternity, understand the years of generation after generation. Deut. 32:7.

‘The days of eternity’ stands for the state and time of the Most Ancient Church which existed before the Flood and was a celestial Church. ‘The years of generation after generation’ stands for the state and time of the Ancient Church which existed after the Flood and was a spiritual Church. Those Churches are the subject at that point in Moses.

[5] In Joel,

Judah will abide into eternity, and Jerusalem into generation after generation. Joel 3:20.

‘Eternity’ is used in reference to Judah because ‘Judah’ represents the celestial Church, 3881, and ‘generation after generation’ is used in reference to Jerusalem because by ‘Jerusalem’ is meant the spiritual Church, 402.

[6] In Isaiah,

My righteousness will exist into eternity, and My salvation into each generation.**** Isa. 51:8.

Here ‘eternity’ has reference to the good of love, for the word ‘righteousness’ is used in connection with that good, 612, 2235, and ‘generation’ has reference to the good of faith.

[7] In David,

Your kingdom is a kingdom to all eternity,***** and Your dominion to every generation after generation. Ps. 145:13.

Here the meaning is similar, for unless ‘eternity’ had had reference to what was celestial, and ‘generation’ to what was spiritual, one expression alone would have been used. The use of two would be pointless repetition.

[8] Things that have to do with a state of faith are also meant in the laws which forbade one who was illegitimate, down to the tenth generation of his descendants, to come into the assembly of Jehovah, Deut. 23:2, or an Ammonite or Moabite, down to the tenth generation of his descendants, Deut. 23:3; and in the law which allowed the third generation of an Edomite or Egyptian to come into the assembly of Jehovah, Deut. 23:8. Things that have to do with a state of faith are meant similarly in the Ten Commandments, where it says that Jehovah God will visit the iniquity of the fathers on the sons, on the third and the fourth generation, inasmuch as they hate Him, Exod. 20:5.

[9] The reason why forms of faith and charity are meant by ‘generations’ is that in the spiritual sense no other kinds of offspring are meant than those associated with regeneration or one who has been regenerated. Similarly with references in the Word to birth, bearing. and conception; forms of faith and charity are meant, see 1145, 1255, 3860, 3863, 4668, 5160, 5598.
* lit. generate
** lit. generations
*** lit. eternities
**** lit. generation of generations
***** lit. of all eternities

AC (Elliott) n. 6240 6240. ‘Will be yours’ means that they will be in the rational which is within the internal. This is clear from the consideration that the internal celestial represented by ‘Joseph’ exists in the rational, 4286, 4963, and therefore ‘will be yours’ means that they will be in the rational, just as previously ‘they are mine’ meant within the natural, in which the truth of the natural represented by ‘Jacob’ exists, 6236.

Let a brief statement be made about what the rational is. The area of understanding within the internal man is called the rational, while the area of understanding in the external man is called the natural, so that the rational is internal and the natural is external; and the two are completely distinct and separate from each other. A truly rational person is none other than one who is called a celestial person; that person enjoys a perception of what is good, and from that good a perception of what is true. But a person who does not have such perception but merely an awareness that a thing is true, because he has been taught that it is, and has a conscience as a result of that awareness, is not truly a rational person but an interiorly natural one. He is what those who belong to the Lord’s spiritual Church are like. These two kinds of people are as
different from each other as the light of the moon is from the light of the sun; and that also is why the Lord is seen by spiritual angels as the moon but by celestial ones as the sun, 1521, 1529-1531, 4060, 4696. Very many in the world imagine that a rational person is one who can reason with skill on many subjects and link one piece of reasoning to another in such a way that the conclusion he draws seems to be the truth. But that ability occurs even in very wicked people who are expert reasoners and can make the deduction that evil things are good and false ideas are true, or that good things are evil and true ideas are false. But anyone who stops to reflect can that this is wicked imagination and not rationality. Rationality consists in seeing inwardly and perceiving that what is good is indeed good, and from this that what is true is indeed true; for such vision and perception of these things comes from heaven. The reason why those who belong to the Lord’s spiritual Church are interiorly natural people is that they acknowledge as true only what they have learned from parents and teachers and later on firmly established for themselves. There is nothing else from which they can see inwardly or perceive whether a thing is true except what they have thus firmly established for themselves – unlike those who are celestial; which is why the latter are rational people, whereas the former are interior natural ones. The internal celestial, which ‘Joseph’ represents, exists in the rational, but spiritual good, which ‘Israel’ represents, exists in the interior natural, 4286; for they are spiritual people who are represented by’ Israel’, and celestial ones who are represented by ‘Joseph’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6241 6241. ‘They will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance’ means that they will be of the same essential nature as that of the Church’s truths and forms of good, and will exist together among them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the name’ and ‘being called by the name’ as the essential nature, dealt with in 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 2724, 3006, 3421; from the representation of Ephraim and Manasseh, to whom ‘brothers’ refers here, as the Church’s understanding and will, 3969, 5354, 6212, thus its truth and good, 6234; and from the meaning of ‘in their inheritance’ as existing together among them.

AC (Elliott) n. 6242 6242. ‘And as for me, when I was coming from Paddan’ means from a state of cognitions. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Paddan Aram’ as cognitions of truth and good, dealt with in 3664, 3680, 4107, so that ‘Paddan’ is a state of cognitions.

AC (Elliott) n. 6243 6243. ‘Rachel died on me in the land of Canaan’ means the end of a former affection for interior truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘dying’ as ceasing to be such as it had been, dealt with in 494, and as the end of a former representation, 3253, 3259, 3276, 5975; and from the representation of ‘Rachel’ as the affection for interior truth, dealt with in 3758, 3782, 3793, 3819.

AC (Elliott) n. 6244 6244. ‘On the road when there was still a stretch of land’ means what comes in between. This becomes clear without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6245 6245. ‘To go to Ephrath’ means the spiritual of the celestial in a former state. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Ephrath’ as the spiritual of the celestial in a former state, dealt with in 4585, 4594.

AC (Elliott) n. 6246 6246. ‘And I buried her on the road to Ephrath’ means the casting away of that state. This is clear from the meaning of ‘burying’ as casting away, dealt with in 4564; and from the meaning of ‘Ephrath’ as the spiritual of the celestial in a former state, 6245.

AC (Elliott) n. 6247 6247. ‘That is, Bethlehem’ means replacing this, a state in which there is a new affection for truth and good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Bethlehem’ as the spiritual of the celestial in a new state, dealt with in 4594, thus a state in which there is a new affection for truth and good. For the spiritual of the celestial is the truth of good, thus an affection for truth derived from good. The situation so far as the contents of this verse in the internal sense are concerned must be stated. What the verse deals with is the casting away of a former affection for truth and the acceptance of a new one. The former affection for truth exists while a person is being regenerated, but a subsequent and new one exists once he has become regenerated. In the former state the person has an affection for truth because he is intent on becoming intelligent, but in the subsequent state on becoming wise; or what amounts to the same, in the former state he has an affection for truth out of concern for doctrine, but in the subsequent state out of concern for life. When it is a concern for doctrine he looks from truth towards good, but when it is a concern for life he looks from good towards truth, so that the subsequent state is a reversal of the former. For that reason the former state is cast away while a person is being regenerated, and the subsequent and new one is received. Also, compared with the subsequent new state the former one is impure, for when a person has an affection for truth out of concern for doctrine because he is intent on becoming intelligent, he is also moved at the same time by a desire for reputation and glory. This desire is inevitably present in that former state, and its presence is allowed so that it may lead on into the next, because that is what people are like. But when he has an affection for truth out of concern for life, he casts aside glory and reputation as his ends in view and instead embraces the good of life, that is, charity towards the neighbour.

AC (Elliott) n. 6248 6248. Verses 8, 9 And Israel saw Joseph’s sons and said, Whose are these? And Joseph said to his father, My sons are they, whom God has given me here. And he said, Bring them now to me, and I will bless them.

‘And Israel saw Joseph’s sons’ means a discernment regarding the Church’s understanding and will. ‘And said, Whose are these?’ means and regarding their origin. ‘And Joseph said to his father’ means a response coming from what exists more internally. ‘My sons are they, whom God has given me here’ means that they come from the internal in the natural. ‘And he said, Bring them now to me’ means so that they may draw near to spiritual good. ‘And I will bless them’ means a foretelling regarding goodness and truth.

AC (Elliott) n. 6249 6249. ‘And Israel saw Joseph’s sons’ means a discernment regarding the Church’s understanding and will. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seeing’ as discernment, dealt with in 2150, 3764, 4403-4421, 4567, 4723, 5400; and from the representation of Ephraim and Manasseh as the Church’s understanding and will, born from the internal, which is ‘Joseph’, dealt with in 5354, 6222.

AC (Elliott) n. 6250 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.

AC (Elliott) n. 6251 6251. ‘And Joseph said to his father’ means a response coming from what exists more internally. This becomes clear without explanation, since ‘Joseph’ means what is internal, 6177. For what happens when a person perceives something is that he asks himself what he knows about the matter and also responds to what he asks from what exists more internally in him. I have also noticed that when spirits have asked me what I knew about something they received a response by merely looking into my thought.

AC (Elliott) n. 6252 6252. ‘My sons are they, whom God has given me here’ means that they come from the internal in the natural. This is clear from the representation of Joseph, whose ‘sons’ they were, as the internal, dealt with in 6177, 6224; and from the meaning of the land of Egypt, to which ‘here’ refers, as the natural mind, dealt with in 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5301, thus the natural.

AC (Elliott) n. 6253 6253. ‘And he said, Bring them now to me’ means so that they may draw near to spiritual good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bringing them to him’ as so that they may draw near; and from the representation of Israel, to whom they were to draw near, as spiritual good, dealt with in 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833.

AC (Elliott) n. 6254 6254. ‘And I will bless them’ means a foretelling regarding goodness and truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘blessing’ as foretelling, as above in 6230, here a foretelling regarding goodness and truth, which are represented by ‘Manasseh and Ephraim’. Being a very common word ‘blessing’ has various meanings. Included among them is the foretelling both of good things that are going to happen and also of bad ones, as is evident in the next chapter in which Israel foretold to his sons what was going to happen to them – bad things to some, such as Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, good ones to others, such as Judah and Joseph. That foretelling is called a blessing in verse 28 of that chapter,

This is what their father spoke to them; and he blessed them, each according to his blessing he blessed them.

It is also clear from the words contained in the first verse of the chapter that ‘blessing’ means a foretelling,

Jacob called his sons, and said, Gather together, and I will tell you what will happen to you at the end of days.

AC (Elliott) n. 6255 6255. Verses 10-14 And the eyes of Israel were weak* because of old age; he could not see. And [Joseph] made them draw near him, and [Israel] kissed them and embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, I did not think to see your face, and behold, God has caused me to see your seed also. And Joseph brought them away from his thighs and bowed down, his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand to Israel’s left, and Manasseh in his left to Israel’s right, and made them draw near him. And Israel put out his right hand and placed it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head; crosswise he put out his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn.

‘And the eyes of Israel were weak’ means his obscurity of discernment. ‘Because of old age’ means because he was in the final phase of his representation. ‘He could not see means not noticing. ‘And [Joseph] made them draw near him’ means presence. ‘And [Israel] kissed them’ means a joining together resulting from an affection for truth. ‘And embraced them’ means a joining together resulting from an affection for good. ‘And Israel said to Joseph’ means a raising up to the internal. ‘I did not think to see your face’ means that he had not entertained any hope of an inflowing of his love. ‘And behold, God has caused me to see your seed also’ means that not only an inflow of love was discerned, but also the goodness and truth springing from it. ‘And Joseph brought them away from his thighs’ means that the good belonging to the will and the truth belonging to the understanding within the natural were brought away from an affection originating in love on the part of spiritual good. ‘And bowed down, his face to the earth’ means an expression of humility by them. ‘And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand to Israel’s left’ means truth belonging to the understanding, to occupy the second place. ‘And Manasseh in his left hand to Israel’s right’ means good belonging to the will, to occupy the first place. ‘And made them draw near him’ means a linking together. ‘And Israel put out his right hand and placed it on Ephraim’s head’ means that he considered truth to occupy the first place. ‘Who was the younger’ means though in fact it occupies the second place. ‘And his left hand on Manasseh’s head’ means that he considered good to occupy the second place. ‘Crosswise he put out his hands’ means thus out of keeping with true order. ‘For Manasseh was the firstborn’ means since good does indeed occupy the first place.
* lit. heavy

AC (Elliott) n. 6256 6256. ‘And the eyes of Israel were weak’ means his obscurity of discernment. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the eyes’ as the sight of the understanding, dealt with in 2701, 4087, 4379, 4403-4421, also meant by ‘seeing’, as above in 6249; from the representation of ‘Israel’ as spiritual good within the natural, dealt with above in 6253; and from the meaning of ‘being weak’, when used in reference to the eyes, as obscurity, thus obscurity of discernment. The reason Why Israel’s discernment had become obscure when he blessed Joseph’s sons was that he had reached the final phase of his representation, though a more general reason is that an obscurity of perception exists in the spiritual good which ‘Israel’ represents; for that good comes from the natural, in which inferior natural light predominates, not superior heavenly light in which spiritual and celestial good from the rational dwells. Such is the nature of the external man, also called the natural man. When the expression ‘spiritual good from the natural’ is used, people whose good is such are meant. They are those who belong to the Lord’s spiritual Church, which also is why ‘Israel’ represents that Church, 4286; and compared with celestial people, members of that Church, who are spiritual people, live in obscurity, see 2708, 2715, 2716, 2718, 2831, 2849, 2935, 2937, 3246, 4402. And since they live in obscurity they also put the truth of faith in the first place, even as Israel did here, in that he made Ephraim take precedence over Manasseh.

[2] The reason why spiritual people believe that the truth of faith takes precedence is that it is by means of truth that they are led on to good, 2954; and while they are being led to it they have no perception of good because good flows from within into an affection for truth, and so does not enter their discernment until they have been regenerated. This also explains why they call the good deeds of charity the fruits of faith, though little concern is shown for such fruits by those who suppose that faith alone without good works saves a person, even in the final hour when he dies, irrespective of the life he had led before that. This way of thinking is clearly an obscurity of discernment regarding goodness and truth. But be that as it may, those who make faith take precedence over charity on doctrinal grounds and yet lead a charitable life are people who belong to the Lord’s spiritual Church and are saved. For in life they make the good of charity take precedence, but in doctrine the truth of faith.

AC (Elliott) n. 6257 6257. ‘Because of old age’ means because he was in the final phase of his representation. This is clear from the meaning of ‘old age’ as a new state of representation, dealt with in 3254, thus the final phase of a former one.

AC (Elliott) n. 6258 6258. ‘He could not see’ means not noticing. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seeing’ as discerning, dealt with above in 6249, thus also noticing.

AC (Elliott) n. 6259 6259. ‘And [Joseph] made them draw near him’ means presence. This is clear from the meaning of making ‘draw near’ as causing to be present.

AC (Elliott) n. 6260 6260. ‘And [Israel] kissed them’ means a joining together resulting from an affection for truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘kissing’ as a joining together resulting from affection, dealt with in 3573, 3574, 4215, 4753, 5929. The reason it is the result of an affection for truth is that the words ’embraced them’ follow, by which a joining together resulting from an affection for good is meant. For ’embracing’ describes a more internal and consequently closer joining together* than ‘kissing’, even as an affection for good is more internal than an affection for truth.
* The Latin means affection, but a joining together is clearly intended.

AC (Elliott) n. 6261 6261. ‘And embraced them’ means a joining together resulting from an affection for good. This is clear from the meaning of ’embracing’ as a joining together brought about by love, dealt with in 4351, thus a joining together resulting from an affection for good, see immediately above in 6260. The fact that ’embracing’ means such an affection is very plain from the love an embrace bears witness to – an embrace is an action which flows from that love. For every spiritual affection has a corresponding gesture that a person performs with his body; and this gesture is representative of that affection. This is also true, as is well known, of ‘kissing’, dealt with just above.

AC (Elliott) n. 6262 6262. ‘And Israel said to Joseph’ means a raising up to the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ as perception and also an inflowing, dealt with before. The reason a raising up is meant is that this verse deals with an inflowing of love, and consequently of goodness and truth from the internal, an inflowing which is a raising up to the internal. The external cannot possess love for the internal except through an inflowing and a raising up by the internal. For the very love that is felt within the external belongs to the internal; and since every active force has that which is reactive, namely that which acts in response to it, in order that some effect may be realized, and as the active force is the cause and what reacts to it is a product of the cause, reaction belongs to the active force just as the product of a cause belongs to that cause. For every force within the product of a cause originates in the cause. This is true of reaction existing in every detail of the entire natural order.

AC (Elliott) n. 6263 6263. ‘I did not think to see your face’ means that he had not entertained any hope of an inflowing of his love. This is clear from the meaning of ‘face’ as the interiors, dealt with in 358, 2434, 3527, 3573, 4066, 4796, 4798, 5695, thus the affections since they shine primarily from the face, 4796, 5102 – ‘God’s face’ therefore is Divine love and accordingly mercy, 5585; and from the meaning of ‘I did not think’ as not entertaining any hope. As regards an inflowing of love, this is meant by ‘seeing the face’, as is also evident from what is stated in the narrative immediately before and after.

AC (Elliott) n. 6264 6264. ‘And behold, God has caused me to see your seed also’ means that not only an inflow of love was discerned, but also the goodness and truth springing from it. This is clear from the representation of Manasseh and Ephraim, to whom ‘seed’ refers here, as good belonging to the will and truth belonging to the understanding, dealt with in 5354, 6222, as well as from the meaning of ‘seed’ also as goodness and truth, 1610, 2848, 3310, 3373, 7671. And since the words used are ‘I did not think to see your face, and behold, God has caused me to see’, the meaning is that not only an inflow of love was discerned, but also the goodness and truth springing from it; for ‘seeing the face’ means an inflow of love, see immediately above in 6263.

AC (Elliott) n. 6265 6265. ‘And Joseph brought them away from his thighs’ means that the good belonging to the will and the truth belonging to the understanding were brought away from an affection originating in love on the part of spiritual good. This is clear from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal celestial, dealt with in 5869, 5877; from the representation of Manasseh and Ephraim, the ones here whom ‘Joseph brought away’, as the good belonging to the will and the truth belonging to the understanding, dealt with in 5354, 6222; from the meaning of ‘the thighs’ as an affection originating in love, dealt with in 3021, 4277, 4280, 4575, 5050-5062; and on the part of spiritual good is meant because they were brought away from Israel, who represents spiritual good, 6253. The words used here mean that the internal celestial took good belonging to the will and truth belonging to the understanding away from spiritual good, that is, away from the affection arising from its love; they have this meaning because ‘Israel’, who represents spiritual good, had made that goodness and truth draw near him. Besides this they had to be brought to him by Joseph, who represents the internal celestial; for that reason they were brought away and after that, as described in what follows, were brought to him again by Joseph.

[2] The explanation for all this is that the inflow of love came to that goodness and truth from the internal celestial by way of spiritual good – in keeping with true order. That external procedure had therefore to be strictly adhered to when they were going to be blessed; for they were being presented to the Lord, the Source of the foretelling meant here by the blessing, 6254. This now explains why Joseph brought his sons away from his father’s thighs, and why he himself after that brought them to him again.

AC (Elliott) n. 6266 6266. ‘And bowed down, his face to the earth’ means an expression of humility by them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bowing down, face to the earth’ as an expression of interior humility, dealt with in 5682. For that kind of bowing down is an action performed by the body corresponding to humility of mind; and it explains why people who worship God in their hearts bow down in that manner. It is said that Joseph ‘bowed down’ because he was acting in place of them; yet he did not bow down before Israel but before the Lord, from whom the blessing came through Israel.

[2] Joseph did it in place of them because of the situation in spiritual things. Good belonging to the will and truth belonging to the understanding within the natural possess no ability on their own to humble themselves before the Lord; they can possess it only if it flows in from the internal. In fact without an inflow through the internal into the natural, nothing at all of the powers of will and understanding are present there, nor indeed any life since the internal is the means through which life from the Lord comes to be there.

AC (Elliott) n. 6267 6267. ‘And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand to Israel’s left’ means truth belonging to the understanding, to occupy the second place, ‘and Manasseh in his left to Israel’s right’ means good belonging to the will, to occupy the first place. This is clear from the representation of ‘Ephraim’ as truth belonging to the understanding, and from the representation of ‘Manasseh’ as good belonging to the will, dealt with in 5354, 6222; and from the meaning of ‘the right’ as occupying the first place, and of ‘the left’ as occupying the second place, as is evident from what is the normal practice in life. The implications of all this will be discussed in what follows below.

AC (Elliott) n. 6268 6268. ‘And made them draw near him’ means a linking together. This is clear without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6269 6269. ‘And Israel put out his right hand and placed it on Ephraim’s head’ means that he considered truth to occupy the first place. This is clear from the meaning of ‘putting out his right hand’ as considering to occupy the first place – ‘right hand’ meaning in first place, as is self-evident; and from the representation of’ Ephraim’ as the understanding, and so the truth of faith since it dwells in the understanding part of a person s mind when sight provided by the light of heaven, thus spiritual sight, exists there, see 6222. The fact that Israel put his right hand on Ephraim’s head and his left on Manasseh’s is referred to in this verse and also in verses 17-19 below; and by that action is meant the fact that he considered the truth of faith to occupy first place and the good of charity second place. The reason he thought that way was that the spiritual man, represented by ‘Israel’, 4286, 6256, does not consider them, before he has been regenerated, any differently. For the spiritual man is directly conscious of what the truth of faith is; but he is not conscious of what the good of charity is since it comes to him by an interior route, whereas the truth of faith comes by an exterior one, just as factual knowledge does.

[2] But people who are not being regenerated say quite categorically that faith occupies the first place, that is, that it is the essential element of the Church, because they can then lead whatever kind of life they like and still say that they entertain the hope of salvation. This also is the reason why at the present day charity has disappeared so completely that scarcely anyone knows what it is, or even consequently what faith is since the one does not exist without the other. If charity occupied the first place and faith the second the whole appearance of the Church would be different, for in that case no others would be called Christians but those who led a life in keeping with the truth of faith, which is a charitable life. People would also know what charity was, and they would not on the basis of particular ideas about the truths of faith distinguish between and make many Churches out of different groups. Instead they would speak of one Church that included all leading a good life, and not only those within that part of the world where the Church exists but also those outside. If they spoke in this way the Church would have an enlightened view of such things as belong to the Lord’s kingdom; for charity is what brings light, and never faith without charity. And the mistaken ideas that faith separated from charity introduces would also be clearly recognizable.

[3] From this one may see how different the whole appearance of the Church would be if the good of charity were to occupy the first place, that is, if it were the essential element, and the truth of faith occupied the second place, that is, if it were the outward form that expressed it. The whole appearance of the Church would then be like that of the Ancient Church, which identified the Church with charity and had no other teachings of the Church than those concerned with charity, as a consequence of which they had wisdom from the Lord. The nature of that Church is described by these words in Moses,

Jehovah encompassed him, instructed him, and kept him as the pupil of His eye. As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreads out its wings, He took him, He carried him on His wing. Jehovah alone led him, nor was any foreign god with him. He caused him to ride on the heights of the land, and He fed [Him] from the produce of the fields; He caused him to suck honey out of the rock and oil out of the flinty rock – butter from the herd, and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs and of rams, the breed* of Bashan, and of goats, with the kidney-fat of wheat; and of the blood of the grape you drink unmixed wine. Deut. 32:10-14.

Those who belonged to that Church are consequently in heaven, enjoying complete happiness and glory there.
* lit. sons

AC (Elliott) n. 6270 6270. ‘Who was the younger means though in fact it occupies the second place. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the younger’, as occupying the second place.

AC (Elliott) n. 6271 6271. ‘And his left hand on Manasseh’s head’ means that he considered good to occupy the second place. This is clear from the meaning of ‘putting out his left hand’ as considering it to occupy the second place; and from the representation of ‘Manasseh’ as the will, and so also the good of charity. For what is implied here, see just above in 6269.

AC (Elliott) n. 6272 6272. ‘Crosswise he put out his hands’ means thus out of keeping with true order. This is clear from the meaning of ‘crosswise putting out one’s hands’ as not in keeping with true order; for by acting in that way Israel makes the younger the firstborn and the older the later-born, so that the truth of faith is made prior and higher and the good of charity posterior and lower. (For the birthright consists in holding the prior and higher position, 3325.) How much evil is introduced into the Church by that exchange of positions is perfectly plain, for by making the exchange people cast themselves into such obscurity that they do not know what good is, or thus what truth is. For good is like a flame and truth is like the light that shines from it. If you take away the flame the light perishes too; or if any light is visible it is like a false light which does not come from the flame. That exchange of positions also causes Churches to clash and quarrel with one another about what is true, one group declaring that this idea is true, another that it is false. Worse than that, once they make faith take precedence in a group of people forming the Church, they begin to separate faith from charity, to rate charity as nothing in comparison with faith, and so to have no concern about the life they lead – a way of thinking to which a person is by natural disposition also inclined. The Church as a consequence perishes, for the life he leads is what constitutes the Church in a person, not doctrine divorced from life. Nor thus does trust, which is a high degree of faith, constitute the Church; for genuine trust cannot exist except with those who have charity since a life filled with trust springs from charity. Besides, the good of charity is in reality the firstborn, that is, occupies the first place, while the truth of faith only appears to be, see 3324, 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603, 3701, 4243, 4244, 4247, 4337, 4925, 4926, 4928, 4930, 4977.

AC (Elliott) n. 6273 6273. ‘For Manasseh was the firstborn’ means since good does indeed occupy the first place. This is clear from the representation of ‘Manasseh’ as good belonging to the will, dealt with before; and from the meaning of ‘the birthright’ as the prior and higher position, dealt with in 3325, so that ‘the firstborn’ is the one who occupies the first place. Is anyone incapable of seeing from natural light alone, provided a superior light brightens it a little, that good occupies the first place, as also do the intentions in a person’s will, and that truth occupies the second, as also do the thoughts in his mind? Is anyone also incapable of seeing that the intentions in a person’s will cause him to think in one particular way and no other, consequently that the good he possesses causes him to think that this or that is true; so that truth occupies the second place and good the first? Think and reflect on whether truth that composes faith can take root anywhere else than in good, or whether faith other than that which has taken root there is faith. From this you will be able to decide which is the primary or essential element for the Church, that is, for the person in whom the Church exists.

AC (Elliott) n. 6274 6274. Verses 15, 16 And he blessed Joseph, and said, The God before whom my fathers walked, Abraham and Isaac, the God feeding me since then, even until this day, the angel redeeming me from every evil, may he bless the boys, and in them will my name be called, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and may they increase into a multitude in the midst of the earth.

‘And he blessed Joseph’ means a foretelling about the truth belonging to the understanding and the good belonging to the will, both of which possess life from the internal. ‘And said, The God before whom my fathers walked, Abraham and Isaac’ means the Divine from whom internal good and internal truth possessed their life. ‘The God feeding me’ means that same Divine bestowing life on the good of spiritual truth from the natural. ‘Since then, even until this day’ means constantly. ‘The angel redeeming me from every evil’ means the Lord’s Divine Human, the deliverer from hell. ‘May he bless the boys’ means, May he make it possible for them to have truth and goodness. ‘And in them will my name be called’ means that in them the essential nature of the good of spiritual truth from the natural will be present. ‘And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac’ means, and the essential nature of internal goodness and truth. ‘And may they increase into a multitude in the midst of the earth’ means an extension from the inmost part.

AC (Elliott) n. 6275 6275. ‘And he blessed Joseph’ means a foretelling about the truth belonging to the understanding and the good belonging to the will, both of which possess life from the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘blessing’ as a foretelling, dealt with in 6230, 6254; and from the representation of Ephraim and Manasseh, to whom the name ‘Joseph’ applies here, as truth belonging to the understanding and good belonging to the will within the natural, which are born from the internal, dealt with in 6234, 6249. The fact that the name ‘Joseph’ is used to mean his sons is evident from the actual blessing, which declares,

The angel redeeming me from every evil, may he bless the boys, and in them will my name be called.

And the reason why they are called ‘Joseph’ is that the goodness and truth within the natural, which are represented by ‘Manasseh and Ephraim’, exist there as the internal itself.

[2] Internal and external are, it is true, distinct and separate from each other; but within the natural, where they are both together, the internal resides as if within a form of its own, perfectly suited to it. That form does not at all act independently but under the direction of the internal within it, and so is merely an agent. It is like the efficient cause within an effect. The efficient cause and the effect are distinct and separate from each other; yet the efficient cause resides within the effect as if the effect were its own form, perfectly suited to it, and through that form it acts as the cause in the sphere where the effect is produced. Something similar to this goes on with goodness and truth in a person’s natural, which are born from the internal. The internal clothes itself with such things as belong to the natural, so that it can reside there and lead its life there. But the things with which it clothes itself are nothing else than coverings, which do not act independently.

AC (Elliott) n. 6276 6276. ‘And said, The God before whom my fathers walked, Abraham and Isaac’ means the Divine from whom internal good and internal truth possessed their life. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the God’ as the Divine; from the meaning of ‘walking’ as living or having life, dealt with in 519, 1794; and from the representation of ‘Abraham’ in the highest sense as the Lord’s Divine itself, and of ‘Isaac’ as His Divine Rational, thus His Internal Human since ‘Jacob’ is the Lord’s Divine Natural or His External Human, all three of which are dealt with in 2011, 3245, 3305 (end), 3439, 4615. But in the representative sense ‘Abraham’ is internal good and ‘Isaac’ internal truth, 3703, 6098, 6185. The reason ‘Abraham’ and ‘Isaac’ have these meanings in the representative sense is that the actual goodness and truth which are present in the Lord’s kingdom come forth from His Divine and His Divine Human. These are what cause the Lord Himself to be present there, so that He Himself is His kingdom.

AC (Elliott) n. 6277 6277. ‘The God feeding me’ means that same Divine bestowing life on the good of spiritual truth from the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘feeding’ as bestowing life on (‘feeding’ or ‘pasturing’ is instructing, see 6044, and ‘pasture’ is that which sustains a person’s spiritual life, 6078. But ‘feeding’ and ‘pasture’ dealt with in those paragraphs have reference to a flock, whereas ‘feeding’ here is used in reference to Jacob, to his being sustained with food and the necessities of life, by which much the same is meant in the internal sense since what sustains and revitalizes bodily life means in the internal sense that which sustains spiritual life and revitalizes it); and from the representation of Israel, [to whom ‘me’ refers here,] as spiritual good from the natural, dealt with in 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833. And as this good represented by ‘Israel’ is the good of truth, the expression ‘the good of spiritual truth’ is used here. In the genuine sense ‘Israel’ is the spiritual Church; and the good associated with that Church is the good of truth. For truth is used to teach its members what good is; and when they act in accordance with the truth they have been taught, that truth is called good. Such good is what is called the good of truth and is represented by ‘Israel’ .

AC (Elliott) n. 6278 6278. ‘Since then, even until this day’ means constantly. This is clear from the meaning of ‘today’ or ‘to this day’ as that which is perpetual and eternal, dealt with in 2838, 4304, 6165. Here therefore ‘since then, even until this day’ means constantly – constantly bestowing life, meant by ‘feeding’, 6277.

AC (Elliott) n. 6279 6279. ‘The angel redeeming me from every evil’ means the Lord’s Divine Human, the deliverer from hell. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the angel’ as the Lord’s Divine Human, dealt with below; from the meaning of ‘redeeming’ as delivering, also dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘evil’ as hell. The reason why ‘evil’ means hell is that hell itself is nothing but evil; for whether you say that all in hell are evil or that hell is evil, it amounts to the same thing. When the word ‘evil’ is used hell is meant in the spiritual sense; for whenever those who know the spiritual sense, as the angels in heaven do, think and express themselves, they do so without reference to any specific persons because they are concerned with the general and overall. This is why for them ‘evil’ means hell.

[2] The same applies to the word ‘sin’, when it is used to mean a dominant evil, as in Genesis 4,

Jehovah said to Cain, If you do not do well, sin is lying at the door. To you is his desire, and you will have dominion over him. Gen. 4:6, 7.

Here ‘sin’ stands for hell, which is at hand when a person does what is evil. Also the evil present in a person is itself nothing else than hell, for it flows into him from there, making him at this time a miniature hell, even as each of its inhabitants is one. It is like the contrary situation when the good present with a person is itself nothing else than heaven in him, for good flows into him from the Lord through heaven, making the person with whom good resides a miniature heaven, even as each inhabitant of heaven is one.

AC (Elliott) n. 6280 6280. As regards ‘the redeeming angel’ – that the Lord’s Divine Human is meant – this is clear from the consideration that by His assumption of the Human and making it Divine the Lord redeemed man, that is, delivered him from hell, on account of which, in respect of His Divine Human, the Lord is called the Redeemer. The reason why the Divine Human is called an angel is that the word ‘angel’ means one who has been sent, and the Lord’s Divine Human is called ‘the One who has been sent’, as is evident from quite a number of places in the Word, in the Gospels. Furthermore the Divine Human that existed before the Lord’s Coming into the world was Jehovah Himself flowing in by way of heaven when He was declaring His Word. Jehovah was above the heavens, but what passed from Him through the heavens was the Divine Human at that time; for by means of Jehovah’s flowing into heaven a human image was presented, and the Divine itself as present by this inflowing was the Divine Man. This is the Divine Human which has existed from eternity and is called the One who has been sent, by which is meant that which goes forth and which is one and the same as ‘the angel’ spoken of here.

[2] But because Jehovah was no longer able to reach men by flowing into them through that Divine Human of His, for the reason that they had distanced themselves so far away from that Divine, He took on a human form and made it Divine. Then by flowing in from this into heaven, He could reach right out to those members of the human race who would accept the good of charity and the truth of faith from His Divine Human, which had thus been made visible, and so could deliver them from hell – a deliverance which could not possibly have been accomplished in any other way. This deliverance is what is called Redemption, and the Divine Human itself effecting that deliverance or redemption is what is called ‘the redeeming angel’.

[3] But the Lord’s Divine Human, it should be recognized, is above heaven – as the Divine itself is – since the Lord is the Sun that gives heaven its light; thus heaven is far below Him. The Divine Human present in heaven is the Divine Truth going forth from Him, which is the light radiating from Him as from the sun. In Essence the Lord is not Divine Truth, for that Truth is what goes forth from Him like light from the sun; rather, His Essence is Divine Goodness itself, which is one with Jehovah.

[4] The Lord’s Divine Human is also called ‘the angel’ in other places in the Word, for example when He appeared to Moses in the bramble-bush, described as follows in Exodus,

When Moses came to the mountain of God, to Horeb, the angel of Jehovah appeared to him in a flame of fire from the middle of a bramble-bush. Jehovah saw that Moses turned aside to see, therefore God called to him from the middle of the bramble-bush. And He went on to say, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Exod. 3:1, 2, 4, 6.

It is the Lord’s Divine Human that is referred to here by the name ‘the angel of Jehovah’. He was really Jehovah, which he is also explicitly called. Jehovah’s presence there within His Divine Human may be recognized from the consideration that the Divine itself could not become visible except through the Divine Human, as the Lord’s words in John declare,

Nobody has ever seen God; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. John 1:18.

And in another place,

You have never heard the Father’s voice nor seen His shape. John 5:37.

[5] The Lord’s Divine Human is also called ‘an angel’ where the leading of the people into the land of Canaan is the subject, referred to in Exodus as follows,

Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way, and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. Take notice of his face; for he will not tolerate your transgression, since My name is within him. Exod. 23:20, 21, 23.

Here ‘an angel’ is the Divine Human. This is evident from the fact that it says ‘since My name is within him’, that is, Jehovah Himself is within him. ‘My name’ means Jehovah’s essential nature, present in the Divine Human. For more about the meaning of ‘the name of Jehovah’ as the Lord’s Divine Human, see 2628; and for more about the meaning of ‘the name of God’ as His essential nature, and so everything in its entirety by which God is worshipped, 1724, 3006.

[6] In Isaiah,

In all their affliction He suffered affliction, and the angel of His face delivered them; because of His love and His compassion He redeemed them, and took them and carried them all the days of eternity. Isa. 63:9.

‘The angel of Jehovah’s face’ is plainly the Lord’s Divine Human, for it says that ‘He redeemed them’. In Malachi,

Behold, suddenly there will come to His temple the Lord whom you seek, and the angel of the covenant in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming, says Jehovah Zebaoth. But who can endure the day of His Coming, and who will stand when He appears? Then the minchah of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to Jehovah, as in the days of eternity, and as in former years. Mal. 3:1, 2, 4

‘The angel of the covenant’ quite clearly means the Lord’s Divine Human, for the subject is the Lord’s Coming. ‘Then the minchah of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to Jehovah’ means that worship offered out of love and faith in Him will be acceptable then. It is perfectly plain that ‘Judah’ is not used in these verses to mean Judah, or ‘Jerusalem’ to mean Jerusalem, for neither at that time nor any later time was the minchah of Judah and Jerusalem acceptable. ‘The days of eternity’ are the states of the Most Ancient Church, which was a celestial Church, while ‘former years’ are the states of the Ancient Church, which was a spiritual one, see 6239. Furthermore ‘angel’ in the Word does not mean in the internal sense any angel but some Divine attribute within the Lord, 1925, 2319, 2821, 3039, 4085.

AC (Elliott) n. 6281 6281. As regards the verb ‘to redeem’, its proper meaning is to restore to oneself and to take to oneself what was previously one’s own; and it is used when slavery, death, or evil is involved. When it is slavery, people who have become slaves are meant, in the spiritual sense those enslaved to hell; when it is death, people in a state of damnation are meant; and when it is evil, as in the present context, people in hell are meant, since the evil from which the angel redeemed the speaker is hell, 6279. Because the Lord delivered mankind from those evils through having made the Human within Himself Divine, His Divine Human is the One in the Word who is called the Redeemer, as in Isaiah,

I am helping you, said Jehovah, and your Redeemer the Holy One of Israel. Isa. 41:14.

In the same prophet,

Thus said Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One. Isa. 49:7, 26.

In the same prophet,

Jehovah Zebaoth is His name, and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth He will be called, Isa. 54:5.

In these places a distinction is made between the Divine itself, called Jehovah, and the Divine Human, referred to as the Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

[2] Yet Jehovah Himself within His Divine Human is the Redeemer, as is clear from the following places: In Isaiah,

Thus said Jehovah the King of Israel, and his Redeemer Jehovah Zebaoth, I am the first and I am the last, and besides Me there is no God. Isa. 44:6.

In the same prophet,

Thus said Jehovah your Redeemer, I am Jehovah your God, who is teaching you. Isa. 48:17.

In the same prophet,

You are our Father, for Abraham does not know us and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O Jehovah, are our Father, our Redeemer; from of old is Your name. Isa. 63:16.

In David,

Jehovah who has redeemed your* life from the pit. Ps. 103:4.

[3] From these places too it is evident that no one else but the Lord is meant in the Word by ‘Jehovah’, 1743, 1736, 2921, 3035, 5667, and that ‘Jehovah the Redeemer’ is His Divine Human. Here also is the reason why those who have been redeemed are called ‘the Redeemed of Jehovah’ in Isaiah,

Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your salvation comes; behold, His reward is with Him, and the recompense of His work before Him. They will call them, The Holy People, the Redeemed Jehovah. Isa. 61:11, 12.

It is quite plain that the Lord is the reason why they are called ‘the Redeemed of Jehovah’, for the words ‘Behold, your salvation comes; behold, His reward is with Him’ have reference to the Lord’s Coming. See in addition Isa. 43:1; 52:2, 3; 63:4, 9; Hosea 13:14; Exod. 6:6; 15:13; Job 19:25, where it is evident that redemption has reference to slavery, death, and evil.
* The Latin means my but the Hebrew means your, which Sw. has in another place where he quotes this verse.

AC (Elliott) n. 6282 6282. ‘May he bless the boys’ means, May he make it possible for them to have truth and goodness. This is clear from the meaning of ‘blessing’ as endowing with truth and goodness, for in the spiritual sense ‘a blessing’ does not imply anything else, 1420, 1422, 4981; and from the representation of Ephraim and Manasseh, to whom ‘the boys’ refers here, as the Church’s understanding and the Church’s will, to which truth and good were to be imparted, truth to its understanding and good to its will.

AC (Elliott) n. 6283 6283. ‘And in them will my name be called’ means that in them the essential nature of the good of spiritual truth from the natural will be present. This is clear from the meaning of ‘one’s name being called in another’ as the essential nature of one in the other, dealt with in 1754, 1896, 2009, 3421; and from the representation of ‘Israel’ as the good of spiritual truth from the natural, dealt with above in 6277. And since they had within them Israel’s essential nature they were accepted among the rest of Jacob’s sons and became tribes, one the tribe of Manasseh, the other the tribe of Ephraim. Along with the rest – though excluding the tribe of Levi because it became the priesthood – they made up the twelve tribes when inheritances were allotted to them, as described in Joshua and also Ezekiel 48.

AC (Elliott) n. 6284 6284. ‘And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac’ means, and the essential nature of internal goodness and truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the name’ as the essential nature, as immediately above in 6283; and from the representation of ‘Abraham and Isaac’ as internal goodness and truth, dealt with above in 6276. Internal goodness and truth must be present within external goodness and truth if the latter are to be goodness and truth. For as stated above in 6275, the external is merely something that provides an outward form in which the internal can exist and lead a life in accord with what flows into it from the Lord. And the internal too is merely something providing an outward form when considered in relation to what is supreme, namely the Lord. He is the Source of all life, and things below Him are forms that are merely receivers of life, ranged by degrees in order down to the last and lowest, which is the body.

AC (Elliott) n. 6285 6285. ‘And may they increase into a multitude in the midst of the earth’ means an extension from the inmost part. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the midst’ as the inmost part, dealt with in 1940, 2973, 6068, 6084, 6103. Consequently an increase into a multitude means an extension; for truths, meant by ‘a multitude’, extend from the inmost part as the centre to parts round about it. For the further they extend from it, and the more they do so in conformity with heavenly order, the greater is their state of perfection. That state is what is meant by this part of the blessing – ‘that they may increase into a multitude in the midst of the earth’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6286 6286. Verses 17-20 And Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, and it was wrong in his eyes; and he grasped his father’s hand to remove it from upon Ephraim’s head onto Manasseh’s head. And Joseph said to his father, Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn; place your right hand on his head. And his father refused, and said, I know, my son, I know; he too will be a people, and he too will become great; but truly his younger brother will become greater than he, and his seed will be the fullness of nations.* And he blessed them on this day, saying, In you will Israel bless, saying, May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh. And he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

‘And Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head’ means a discernment that he considered truth to occupy the first place. ‘And it was wrong in his eyes’ means displeasure. ‘And he grasped his father’s hand’ means an influx into the power which his obscure discernment possessed. ‘To remove it from upon Ephraim’s head onto Manasseh’s head’ means to divert him from error. ‘And Joseph said to his father, Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn’ means a perceptible influx regarding good, that the first place belonged to this. ‘Place your right hand on his head’ means that good should accordingly occupy the first place. ‘And his father refused’ means non-compliance. ‘And said, I know, my son, I know’ means that though that is true the appearance is different. ‘He too will be a people, and he too will become great’ means that truth from good also, thus the celestial man, will be increased. ‘But truly his younger brother will become greater than he’ means that good from truth, thus the spiritual man, will receive even greater increase. ‘And his seed will be the fullness of nations’ means that truth – the truth of faith – will be predominant. ‘And he blessed them on this day’ means Foresight and Providence continuing for ever. ‘Saying, In you will Israel bless, saying, May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh’ means so that its own spiritual may reside in the truth of the understanding and the good of the will. ‘And he put Ephraim before Manasseh’ means that because he was spiritual he considered truth to occupy the first place.
* An expression describing populousness

AC (Elliott) n. 6287 6287. ‘And Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head’ means a discernment that he considered truth to occupy the first place. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seeing’ as understanding and discerning, dealt with in 2150, 2807, 3764, 4567, 4723, 5400; from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal celestial, dealt with in 5869, 5877, 6224; from the representation of Israel, to whom ‘father’ refers here, as spiritual good from the natural; from the meaning of ‘placing the right hand on the head’ as considering to occupy the first place, dealt with above in 6269; and from the representation of ‘Ephraim’ as truth present in the understanding part within the natural, dealt with above in 6234, 6238, 6267. From all this it is evident that ‘Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head’ means a discernment by the internal celestial that spiritual good from the natural considered truth to occupy the first place. See what has been stated and shown above on these matters in 6256, 6269, 6272, 6273.

AC (Elliott) n. 6288 6288. ‘And it was wrong in his eyes’ means displeasure. This is clear without explanation. The reason Joseph was displeased was that he represents the internal celestial, which is above the spiritual good that ‘Israel’ represents. What is higher can discern the nature of anything done in what is lower, and so can also discern whether or not any thought there is the truth. For what is higher can see whatever exists in lower parts because it does so in the light of heaven. Thus it was that the internal celestial, which is ‘Joseph’, could see that spiritual good from the natural, which is ‘Israel’, was making a mistake; therefore it displeased him.

AC (Elliott) n. 6289 6289. ‘And he grasped his father’s hand’ means an influx into the power which his obscure discernment possessed. This is clear from the meaning of ‘grasping the hand’ as an influx into the power of discernment. For when the internal flows into the external, wishing to make it think and will something, it grasps hold of it so to speak. Here it takes hold of its power of discernment, meant by ‘the hand’; for ‘the hand’ means power, see, 878, 3387, 4931-4977. The reason why that discernment is said to be obscure is that spiritual people, who are represented by ‘Israel’, dwell in obscurity compared with celestial ones, who are represented by ‘Joseph’. For more about spiritual people and their dwelling in obscurity compared with celestial ones, see 2708, 2715, 2716, 2718, 2831, 2849, 2935, 2937, 3873, 4401.

[2] The fact that spiritual people dwell in obscurity is plainly evident from the consideration that prior to regeneration they are altogether in the dark about what is true and good, and that when they are being regenerated it is truth such as that contained in the teaching of their Church that they acknowledge and in which they put their trust, irrespective of whether it is true or not. Even so it is this truth that becomes good with them when it becomes part of what they will and consequently of their life. It is that good which is called the good of truth, also the good of faith, as well as spiritual good or the spiritual Church’s good. Anyone who turns his mind to the matter can see what is the essential nature of this good deriving from such an origin. Nevertheless good derived from that kind of truth, even among gentiles, is acceptable to the Lord, when it has charity towards the neighbour as its chief concern and when that charity has innocence within it.

AC (Elliott) n. 6290 6290. ‘To remove it from upon Ephraim’s head onto Manasseh’s head’ means to divert him from error. This is clear from the meaning of ‘removing’ as diverting, and from the meaning of ‘from upon Ephraim’s head onto Manasseh’s head’ as from error, the error being that he considered truth to occupy the first place and good the second, as has been shown above.

AC (Elliott) n. 6291 6291. ‘And Joseph said to his father, Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn’ means a perceptible influx regarding good, that the first place belonged to this. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’, when used in reference to the internal celestial, which ‘Joseph’ represents here, as an influx, dealt with in 6152, in this case a perceptible inflow because he not only grasped his father’s hand but also said to him, Not so, my father, for only grasped his father’s this is the firstborn.

AC (Elliott) n. 6292 6292. ‘Place your right hand on his head’ means that good should accordingly occupy the first place. This is clear from the meaning of ‘placing the right hand on a head’ as considering to occupy the first place, as above in 6269, 6287. The placing of his hand by one on the head of another when he was going to bless belonged to a custom received from the ancients. For the head is where a person’s actual powers of understanding and will reside, whereas the body is where actions in response and in obedience to them are located. Thus ‘placing a hand on the head’ was a representative act, denoting that a blessing should be imparted to a person’s understanding and will, thus to his real self. That same custom originating in those ancient times remains even to this day and is followed at ordinations as well as in blessings.

AC (Elliott) n. 6293 6293. ‘And his father refused’ means non-compliance. This is clear without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6294 6294. ‘And said, I know, my son, I know’ means that though that is true the appearance is different. This is clear from the meaning of ‘knowing’, at this point as knowing that though something is true the appearance is different. The discernment of this now by spiritual good, which is ‘Israel’, resulted from the influx of the internal celestial, which is ‘Joseph’ – the influx dealt with above in 6289, 6291. When spiritual good has become enlightened as a result of such an influx it discerns the truth of the matter, which is that good belongs in the first place and truth in the second, and also that the appearance is different from this. Yet spiritual good goes on to make the matter of which one is the first rest in the fact that truth is going to rule over good, as described in what follows, and for that reason Israel keeps his right hand on the younger son’s head and his left on that of the firstborn.

AC (Elliott) n. 6295 6295. ‘He too will be a people, and he too will become great’ means that truth from good also, thus the celestial man, will be increased. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a people’ as truth, dealt with in 1259, 1260, 3581, 4619; from the meaning of ‘becoming great as being increased; and from the representation of Manasseh, about whom these things are said, as good that belongs to the will in the natural and is born from the internal, dealt with in 6234, 6238, 6267. The fact that truth from good is a mark of the celestial man is clear from what has often been stated and shown already about the celestial man. That is to say, it has been shown that the celestial man is one who, led by his will, has a concern for good, and from this for truth, and that he is different from the spiritual man, in that the latter, led by his understanding, has a concern for truth and from this for good. And since ‘Manasseh’ means good belonging to the will he represents the celestial man – the external celestial man or member of the external celestial Church, to be exact. For ‘Manasseh’ is good belonging to the will within the natural, thus within the external man, whereas ‘Joseph’ is the member of the internal celestial Church because he represents good belonging to the will within the rational, thus within the internal man.

[2] Let something also be said briefly about the truth of good, a mark of the celestial man. This truth is indeed called truth, but really it is good. Residing with the celestial man is the good of love to the Lord and the good of love towards the neighbour, the good of love to the Lord forming the internal part of him, the good of love towards the neighbour the external part. This being so, the members of the celestial Church in the internal part of that Church are those who are governed by love to the Lord, and those in the external part are those governed by love towards the neighbour. The good of the latter love – love towards the neighbour residing with the celestial man – is what is here being called the truth of good and is represented by ‘Manasseh’. For the celestial man is one who does not reason from truth, or even about truth, since he is able to perceive from good, that is, from the Lord through good, whether something is true or not true, 202, 377, 2715, 3146, 4448. Even so, the good of charity residing with him is what is called truth, but celestial truth.

AC (Elliott) n. 6296 6296. ‘But truly his younger brother will become greater than he’ means that good from truth, thus the spiritual man, will receive even greater increase. This is clear from the representation of Ephraim, to whom ‘younger brother’ refers here, as truth that belongs to the understanding within the natural and is born from the internal, dealt with in 6234, 6238, 6267, though ‘Ephraim’ at this point is good from truth, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘becoming greater than another’ as receiving even greater increase. The reason why here ‘Ephraim’ is good from truth is that he represents the member of the spiritual Church – the member of the external spiritual Church, to be exact – just as ‘Manasseh’ represents the member of the external celestial Church, 6295. What makes someone a member of the spiritual Church is good from truth – the internal part of that Church being what ‘Israel’ represents, the external what ‘Ephraim’ represents. A member of the spiritual Church differs from a member of the celestial in the fact that the spiritual member’s good has been implanted in the understanding part of his mind, whereas the celestial member’s has been implanted in the will part, see 863, 875, 895, 927, 928, 1023, 1043, 1044, 2256, 4328, 4493, 5117. This difference goes to explain why ‘Ephraim’ represents the spiritual man, and ‘Manasseh’ the celestial man.

[2] The reason why good from truth, or the spiritual man, will receive greater increase than good which gives rise to truth, which is the celestial man, is that the human will has been unceasingly corrupted, so corrupted that at length evil has taken complete possession of it, with the result that nothing sound has remained there. So that a person is not destroyed on account of this the Lord has seen to it that the understanding part of his mind may be regenerated and that he may thereby be saved. This now explains why there are few who still have any soundness in the will part of their mind, thus why there are few who can become celestial people but many who can become spiritual ones; and this in turn explains why those who are spiritual will receive greater increase than those who are celestial. This then is the meaning of ‘his younger brother will become greater than he’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6297 6297. ‘And his seed will be the fullness of nations’ means that truth – the truth of faith – will be predominant. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seed’ as faith and charity, dealt with in 1025, 1447, 1610, 1940, 2848, 3187, 3310, 3373, 3671, in this case faith since it refers to Ephraim; and from the meaning of ‘the fullness of nations’ as an abundance, thus that it will be predominant. ‘Fullness’ in the Word means the entire whole or, where it does not mean the entire whole, an abundant part; and it is used with reference both to truth and to good. For ‘a multitude’ is used with reference to truth, but ‘greatness’ to good, thus ‘fullness’ with reference to both, as in Jeremiah,

Behold, waters rising out of the north which will become like a deluging stream, and they will deluge the land and its fullness, the city and those who dwell in it. Jer. 47:2.

‘The land and its fullness’ stands for the entire whole, both of truth and of good, constituting the Church. ‘The city and those who dwell in it’ is therefore added, for ‘the city’ means truths, and ‘those who dwell in it’ forms of good, 2268, 2451, 2712.

[2] In Ezekiel,

They will eat their bread with anxiety, and drink their waters with astonishment, so that her land may be devastated of its fullness. Ezek. 12:19.

‘Land’ stands for the Church, and ‘fullness’ for the goodness and truth there. The fact that both are meant is evident from the words immediately before, which say that they will eat bread with anxiety and drink waters with astonishment. For ‘bread’ means the good of love, and ‘waters’ the truth of faith, which are referred to as ‘the fullness’ of the land.

[3] Similarly in Amos,

I hate the pride of Jacob and his palaces, therefore I will shut up the city and its fullness. Amos 6:8.

In David,

The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours. The world and the fullness of it You have founded. Ps. 89:11.

And elsewhere in the same author,

The earth is Jehovah’s and the fullness of it, the world and those who dwell in it. He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. Ps. 24:1, 2.

Here also ‘the fullness’ stands for truth and goodness. ‘The earth’ stands for the Church in a specific sense, ‘the world’ for the Church in an overall sense. Jehovah’s founding of the world upon the seas means basing it on things that contribute to knowledge, 28, and His establishing it upon the rivers means basing it on those that lead to intelligence, 3051. Is anyone unable to see that it is not Jehovah’s founding of the world on the seas or His establishing of it upon the rivers that is meant? For the world is not founded or established on them, and therefore anyone who thinks the matter over can see that something other than ‘the seas’ or ‘the rivers’ is meant and that this something other is a spiritual or internal facet of the Word.

AC (Elliott) n. 6298 6298. ‘And he blessed them on this day’ means Foresight and Providence continuing for ever. This is clear from the meaning of ‘blessing’ as a foretelling, dealt with in 6230, 6254, but in the highest sense the Lord’s Foresight (and as Foresight is meant, so also is Providence since the one does not exist without the other; for evil belongs to Foresight, but good to Providence, and evil that is foreseen is turned by Providence towards good. The reason why ‘blessing’ here means Foresight and Providence is that in the highest sense ‘Israel’, who gives the blessing, is the Lord, 4286); and from the meaning of ‘on this day’ or today as that which is eternal, dealt with in 2838, 7998, 4304, 6165.

AC (Elliott) n. 6299 6299. ‘Saying, In you will Israel bless, saying, May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh’ means so that its own spiritual may reside in the truth of the understanding and the good of the will. This is clear from the representation of ‘Israel’ as spiritual good, dealt with in 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5873; and from the representation of ‘Ephraim’ as truth belonging to the understanding, and of ‘Manasseh’ as good belonging to the will, both dealt with above. So that the spiritual, which is ‘Israel’, may reside in them is what the words ‘In you will he bless’ and ‘May God make you’ mean.

[2] What this really means – that the spiritual, represented by ‘Israel’, may exist within the truth of the understanding and the good of the will, which are ‘Ephraim and Manasseh’ – is that the spiritual good represented by ‘Israel’ is the spiritual part of the internal Church, whereas the truth and good represented by ‘Ephraim and Manasseh’ are part of the external Church, see above in 6296. So that what is internal may be the internal part of the Church it must of necessity reside in the external part of it, for the external serves as the foundation on which the internal must stand and is the receptacle into which the internal must flow. For this reason the natural, which is the external, must of necessity be regenerated, for if it is not, the internal has no foundation or receptacle; and if it has no foundation or receptacle it is completely destroyed. This then is what is meant by ‘its own spiritual may reside in the truth of the understanding and the good of the will’.

[3] Let the following example serve to shed light on this particular matter. The actual affection that charity arouses, that is to say, the calm and blissful feeling a person enjoys when he does good to his neighbour without thought of any reward, is the internal aspect of the Church. But willing it and doing it out of concern for truth, that is, because the Word prescribes it, are the external aspect of the Church. If the natural or the external is not in accord, that is, does not will or perform that action because it sees no reward and so nothing for itself in it – for such self-interest resides in the natural or external man through heredity and his own actions – the internal has no foundation or receptacle in harmony with it. Instead it has that which either turns aside, perverts, or smothers its inflow, and for that reason the internal is destroyed. That is to say, it is closed and blocked off, so that nothing from heaven can come through by way of the internal into the natural, apart from some ordinary degree of light through chinks all around which enables the person to think, will, and speak. But that ability acts in accord with what is in the natural, thus in favour of what is evil and false opposing what is good and true, to which end it makes that ordinary degree of spiritual light flowing in through the chinks all around subservient to itself.

AC (Elliott) n. 6300 6300. ‘And he put Ephraim before Manasseh’ means that because he was spiritual he considered truth to occupy the first place. This is made clear in the explanations given above at verses 13, 14, 17-19.

AC (Elliott) n. 6301 6301. Verses 21, 22 And Israel said to Joseph, Behold, I am dying; and God will be with you, and will bring you back to the land of your fathers. And I give you one portion above your brothers, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.

‘And Israel said to Joseph, Behold, I am dying’ means a perception which spiritual good received from the internal celestial regarding new life and regarding the end of the representation. ‘And God will be with you means the Lord’s Divine Providence. ‘And will bring you back to the land of your fathers’ means to the state of both Ancient Churches. ‘And I give you one portion above your brothers’ means that the truth belonging to the understanding and the good belonging to the will were to have more there. ‘Which I took out of the hand of the Amorite’ means because of the victory over evil. ‘With my sword’ means through truth engaged in conflict. ‘And my bow’ means from doctrine.

AC (Elliott) n. 6302 6302. ‘And Israel said to Joseph, Behold, I am dying’ means a perception which spiritual good received from the internal celestial regarding new life and regarding the end of the representation. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ as perception, dealt with above in 6220; from the representation of ‘Israel’ as spiritual good, also dealt with above, in 6225; from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal celestial, dealt with in 5869, 5877; and from the meaning of ‘dying’ as awakening to life, dealt with in 3498, 3505, 4618, 4621, 6036, 6221, and also as the end of the former representation, 3257, 3259, 3276. That end is also meant here by ‘dying’, for when one who has been representing some aspect of the Church dies another takes his place to continue the line of representation. Thus after Abraham died the line of representation was continued in Isaac, then in Jacob, and after him in his sons. It was similar when Moses died; the sequence of representation continued in Joshua, and then in the judges one after another down to the kings, and so on.

AC (Elliott) n. 6303 6303. ‘And God will be with you’ means the Lord’s Divine Providence. This is clear from the meaning of ‘God will be with you’ as the Lord’s Divine Providence; for when the Lord is with someone He leads him and makes provision so that all that happens, whether sad or joyful, may bring him what is good. This is Divine Providence. It is called the Lord’s Providence because the words ‘God will be with you’ are used and in the Word ‘God’ and ‘Jehovah’ mean the Lord since there is no other God apart from Him. For truly He is the Father and truly He is the Son, because they are one; the Father is in Him, and He is in the Father, as He Himself teaches in John 14:9-11, see 1743, 1736, 2921, 3035, 5663.

AC (Elliott) n. 6304 6304. ‘And will bring you back to the land of your fathers’ means to the state of both Ancient Churches. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the land’ as the Church, dealt with in 566, 661, 1066, 1067, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355, 4575, 4447, 5577; and from the meaning of ‘fathers’ as those who belonged to the Ancient Church and the Most Ancient Church, dealt with in 6075. To the state of both Ancient Churches is said to be meant because the sons of Israel and their descendants, like members of the Ancient Churches, were to represent in specific detail the Lord’s celestial and spiritual kingdom. That representation was actually established – among the Jewish nation a representation of the celestial kingdom, and among the Israelite people a representation of the spiritual kingdom. But with that generation nothing of the Church or of the Lord’s kingdom could be established, only what was a mere representation, for they wished to see and acknowledge in representatives only what was external, and nothing at all internal.

[2] However, so that the overall representation might be effected, and through it some communication with heaven might exist, and through heaven with the Lord, they were restricted to externals; and at that time the Lord saw to it that communication might take place through external representation alone devoid of any internal. This was the state to which Jacob’s descendants could be ‘brought back’. Yet inwardly, external representatives among those descendants concealed Divine matters, in the highest sense those which had regard to the Lord’s Divine Human, and in the relative sense those which had regard to the Lord’s kingdom in heaven and to the Church. This state of both Ancient Churches is what is meant by the promise that God will bring them back to the land of their fathers.

AC (Elliott) n. 6305 6305. ‘And I give you one portion above your brothers’ means that the truth belonging to the understanding and the good belonging to the will were to have more there. This is clear from the representation of Ephraim and Manasseh – who are meant here by Joseph, as they are above in 6275 – as the truth belonging to the understanding and the good belonging to the will, dealt with many times before; and from the meaning of ‘giving one portion above their brothers’ as having more there, that is to say, in the Church, meant by ‘the land’, 6304. The reason why the good belonging to the will and the truth belonging to the understanding were to have more there is that these two are the essential constituents of the Church. This also explains why the birthright passed to Joseph’s sons, 1 Chron. 5:1.

AC (Elliott) n. 6306 6306. ‘Which I took out of the hand of the Amorite’ means because of the victory over evil. This is clear from the representation of ‘the Amorite’ as evil, dealt with in 1857; and from the meaning of ‘taking out of the hand’ as acquiring through victory. As regards ‘the Amorites’, it should be recognized that they mean evil, just as ‘the Canaanites’ and all the other nations in the land that are mentioned in the Word mean various kinds of evil and also of falsity. Such things were represented by the nations when the children of Israel were taking possession of the land of Canaan. The reason for this was that whenever the children of Israel represented the things of heaven those nations represented the things of hell; thus the land of Canaan represented every state that exists in the next life. Also, because the nations represented the things of hell they were utterly destroyed; and entrance into any treaty with those who might remain was forbidden.

[2] The action of the children of Israel, of their taking possession of and dwelling in the land of those who represented the hells, was representative. It represented what happened around the time of the Lord’s Coming, when spirits from hell had possession of a large part of heaven but He, by coming into the world and making the human within Himself Divine, cast them out of there and down into hell, and thereby delivered heaven from them, which He then gave as an inheritance to those who belonged to His spiritual kingdom.

[3] The representation of the Amorite nation as evil in general is evident from the places where it is referred to, as in Ezekiel, Thus said the Lord Jehovih to Jerusalem,* Your tradings and your births are of the land of the Canaanite. Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. Ezek. 16:3, 45.

‘Father’ in the internal sense means the Church’s good, or in the contrary sense evil, and ‘mother’ means the Church’s truth, or in the contrary sense falsity; and this is why it is said, ‘Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite’.

[4] In Amos,

I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and whose strength was like the oaks. I led you in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. Amos 2:9, 10.

Here also ‘the Amorite’ stands for evil, for the evil of self-love is described by ‘the height of the cedars’ and ‘the strength of an oak’. The reason why ‘the Amorite’ means evil in general is that the entire land of Canaan was called ‘the land of the Amorite’; for it says, ‘I led you in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite’. In addition the second Book of Kings says,

Manasseh king of Judah did what was evil, greater than all the evil which the Amorites did, who were before him. 2 Kings 21:11.

[5] ‘With my sword’ means through truth engaged in conflict. This is clear from the meaning of ‘sword’ as truth engaged in conflict, dealt with in 2799, 4499.

‘And my bow’ means received from doctrine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bow’ as doctrine, dealt with in 2686, 2709.

[6] The words used here, ‘the portion which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow’ were, it is quite evident, uttered by Israel on account of the internal sense; for Jacob did not take that portion from the Amorite with sword or bow. He bought it from the sons of Hamor, as is evident from Genesis 33, where these words occur, Jacob came to Salem, the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, as he was coming from Paddan Aram; and he encamped towards the face of the city. And he bought the portion of the field where he had stretched his tent, from the hand of the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred kesitahs. Gen. 33:18, 19.

The fact that this field was the portion he gave to Joseph is clear in Joshua,

The bones of Joseph which the children of Israel caused to be brought up out of Egypt they buried in Shechem, in the part of the field which Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred kesitahs; and they had become an inheritance for the children of Joseph. Josh. 24:32.

From this it is evident that the portion had been bought, and that this is what was given to Joseph. Nor was the city of Shechem nearby meant, the city in which Simeon and Levi killed every male and which they took with the sword, Gen. 34. This is made clear by the fact that Jacob detested what they did and for that reason cursed Simeon and Levi, completely dissociating himself from the crime. He said,

Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of violence are their swords. Into their secret place let my soul not come; in their congregation let not my glory be united; for in their anger they killed a man, and in their pleasure they hamstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their wrath, for it was hard.** I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. Gen. 49:5-7.

From all this it may now be seen that the words ‘the portion which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow’ were uttered by him, when the spirit of prophecy rested on him, for the sake of the internal sense.
* The Latin means O Jerusalem but the Hebrew means to Jerusalem, which Sw. has in other places where he quotes this verse (and possibly in his rough draft here).
** i.e. cruel

AC (Elliott) n. 6307 6307. INFLUX AND THE INTERACTION OF SOUL AND BODY – continued

Experience extending over many years now has allowed me to know about the existence of influx from the spiritual world by way of angels and spirits into people’s affections and thoughts, to know it so plainly that nothing could be plainer. I have been made aware of it as an inflowing not merely into thoughts but also into affections. Whenever evil and falsity have flowed in I have been allowed to know which hells they came from, and whenever goodness and truth have flowed in to know which angels they came from. Experience has made me so familiar with all this that at last I have been able to know where every specific aspect of my thoughts and affections originated. Yet my thoughts have been just like those I had before.

AC (Elliott) n. 6308 6308. That influx is effected through spirits and angels; and the order in which they flow in is evil spirits first, then angels who dispel what those spirits bring. Not that a person is aware of the existence of such influx, because his thought is preserved in a state of freedom created through its being poised between those two kinds of influx and because he does not pay any attention to such things. Wicked people could not know them even if they did pay them any attention, because with them there is no counterpoise of evil and good; but people governed by good can know. They also know from the Word that something is present inside them which is at war with the evil and falsity in them, and that the spiritual man is at war with the natural man, thus that angels who are in the interior and spiritual parts of his being are at war with evil spirits who are in the exterior and natural parts. This also goes to explain why the Church is called the Church militant.

[2] But the evil that flows from evil spirits into a person’s thought does him no harm whatever if he does not accept it. If he does accept it however and transfers it from thought to will he makes it his own. When he does that he draws nearer the parts where hellish spirits are and away from the angels of heaven. This is the Lord’s teaching in Mark 7:14-27, where He says that the things going into a person do not render him unclean, only those coming out, because they come from his heart or will.

AC (Elliott) n. 6309 6309. I have talked to good spirits about the internal and external man. I have spoken about the amazing fact that few within the Church believe in the existence of an internal man distinct and separate from the external, even though they know about it from the Word. Yet they could know that the internal man exists by taking a brief look each day at their thought and will. That is to say, they could know it from the fact that their inward thoughts are often at variance with their outward ones, and that they express their outward thoughts in speech, face, and actions, but not their inward ones, which they keep deeply hidden, as dissemblers, hypocrites, and the deceitful habitually do. People governed by good may know of this from times when they think that they ought not to be doing what they are doing and reproach themselves for it. All this goes to prove the existence of a more internal man distinct and separate from the external.

[2] But the reason why people give no thought to the existence of the internal man or, if they do give it any thought, why they have no real conception of it, is that they consider the body to be the place where life resides. And since they flood their thought with what is bodily and worldly any insight into matters of that kind, or indeed even any belief in their existence, is destroyed. This too I have been allowed to know from experience. Whenever I have been considering some heavenly idea and have then lapsed into thoughts about worldly and earthly matters, heavenly things have faded so much from view that they could barely be recognized. The reason for this is that what belongs to the superior light of heaven turns into darkness when it sinks to the level of what belongs to the inferior light of the world; for the two are contrary to each other. To remove that contrariety however a person undergoes regeneration and is also raised above the level of the senses to more internal things; and to the extent he is raised above them he leaves behind evils and falsities. But he cannot be raised up unless the good of faith and life is present in him.

AC (Elliott) n. 6310 6310. A person’s interiors are divided into separate degrees through derivation from one another; and in keeping with those degrees they also differ in the level of light they possess. The light on the internal sensory level next to the bodily senses is the dullest, a light that much experience has enabled me to recognize. I have also noticed that every time I have descended to this degree of light falsities and evils of many a kind have presented themselves, indeed even slanders against what is heavenly and Divine, not to mention things of a foul and disgusting nature. The reason why is that this kind of light prevails in hell, and hell enters a person by means of this light especially.

[2] When this is the kind of light a person has, his thought possesses virtually the same kind of light as his external sight, and takes place almost on the level of the body. People who see in this kind of light must be called sensory-minded, for their thought does not rise beyond sensory impressions received by the body. Such people do not have any perception of or belief in things that lie beyond the senses; they believe only what they can see and touch. This is the light that people see by who have not devoted any attention whatever to more internal things; in life they have neglected or treated with contempt everything of a rational or spiritual nature. It is the light that avaricious persons and adulterers in particular see by, also those who have led lives of mere pleasure-seeking or lives that have been disgustingly lazy. The thoughts of such people are consequently foul, and they often entertain disgraceful attitudes towards the holy things of the Church.

AC (Elliott) n. 6311 6311. As has been stated, it is by that inferior light that hell sees, and it is by that light too that some people who are not so wicked see, that is to say, people who have not been avaricious, adulterers, or mere pleasure-seekers, but who have come to see by that light because they have not cultivated the rational degree of their mind. I have been allowed to see those spirits living in a kind of twilight. I saw them in a market-place, crowds of them, where they were bringing sacks containing raw materials; they were weighing them and carrying them away. Some sirens were not far away at that time, and I heard them saying that they wanted to be there because they could see people with their own eyes. For since sirens more than any others have been given to adultery and have also been opposed to everything celestial or spiritual, they are unable to see any other spirits except those who see by the inferior light of the senses. For the sirens themselves see by that kind of light.

AC (Elliott) n. 6312 6312. Because hell sees by this inferior light, a person inevitably perishes if he is not raised up above it; and he is raised up by means of the good of faith. There are also hells which inhabit a sphere involving greater craftiness; their inhabitants are those who have been malevolent inwardly and have worked out many artful ways of depriving other people of their goods, and have devised many kinds of tricks so that they could have control over them. But I have noticed that this sphere flows into the external sensory sphere; it comes from those parts in a person’s back where his involuntary powers are located. This is why a sensory sphere is so powerful.

AC (Elliott) n. 6313 6313. When a person is raised up to more internal levels he passes from the dull light on the level of the senses to a quite gentle light. At the same time he is removed from the inflow of what is disgraceful or foul and is brought closer to what is just and fair, because he is brought closer to the angels present with him, thus closer to the light of heaven. This raising up from the level of the senses was well-known to the ancients, and also to gentiles; and that is why the sages among them have said that when the mind is removed from the sensory level, it comes into inner light and at the same time into a state filled with peace and into a kind of heavenly bliss. From this they also made deductions about the immortality of the mind. A person can be raised to even more internal levels; and the further he goes, the clearer is the light that he comes into. At length he is raised up into the light of heaven, a light that is nothing else than wisdom and intelligence from the Lord. With the three heavens nothing else marks off one from another than the internal levels to which it is raised, and so also the degree of light that it possesses. Because it exists at the inmost levels the third heaven is in the greatest light, thus in wisdom far surpassing the wisdom of lower heavens.

AC (Elliott) n. 6314 6314. As it is with light, so it is with the heat that is vital to a person’s existence. In no way at all does that vital heat originate in the heat radiated by the sun in the world; rather, it originates in spiritual heat, which is love and radiates from the Lord. This heat is what angels have. Consequently the amount of vital heat a person has is determined by the amount of love he has. His body however is warmed by worldly heat, as is his sensory awareness within it; yet vital heat flows into that worldly heat and imparts life to it. Differences in the purity and intensity of this heat are akin to variations in the clarity of the light. This vital heat is what one should understand by the holy fires mentioned in the Word, and therefore heavenly loves are meant by those fires. But in a contrary sense that worldly heat is what one should understand by the fires of hell, and therefore hellish loves and the desires that go with them are meant when these fires are mentioned in the Word.

AC (Elliott) n. 6315 6315. The person whose life has been raised up from the level of the senses by means of the good of faith is by turns in light on the sensory level and in light on a more internal one. When worldly cares occupy his attention, or he is among groups of people in which external interests flourish, or he indulges in mere pleasures, he is living on the sensory level. In this state he avoids and also objects to talking and thinking about God and matters of faith. If he did talk or think about them in that state he would consider them to be worthless unless he were instantly raised by the Lord from that level to more internal things. But when that person is not taken up with worldly things but sees in light on a more internal level, what is right and fair is the basis of his thought; and if he sees in light on a still more internal level, what is spiritually true and good is the basis of it. The person who leads a good life is raised from light on one level to that on another; he is raised to a more internal level the instant he begins to have evil thoughts, for angels are close by him. I have been allowed to know these things through experiences I have had, for I have frequently been aware of being raised up, and at the same time of changes of state in both my affections and my thoughts.

AC (Elliott) n. 6316 6316. The majority of the learned, it will surprise you to learn, think on the level of the senses. The reason for this is that they have studied different branches of knowledge solely for the sake of renown. They have studied them so that they may be promoted to important positions and thereby earn material gain, not to the end that they may be made wise; for all branches of knowledge that exist in the world of learning are means that may serve to make a person wise or that may serve to make him insane. Once those learned people have been raised to important positions they live, more than those who are simple, on the level of the senses, and they then think it a sign of simplicity to attribute anything to the Divine instead of attributing it to prudence and natural instinct and all else to chance.

AC (Elliott) n. 6317 6317. Once there were present with me some spirits who had been called learned when they had been people living in the world. They were taken back to their state of thought when they had been in the body; and what they had thought then was communicated to me, in particular their thought about spirits. The nature of their thought was such that they could never have been led to believe that a spirit was endowed with any sensory power; and all else they had thought about spirits or souls after death was devoid of any real quality. The reason for this was that they had considered the body to be the place where life resides and by the use of factual evidence and philosophical arguments had set themselves firmly against any idea that their spirit or soul would have life after death. As a consequence they had closed the interior parts of their minds, to which they then could not possibly have been raised. If, after they had set themselves against ideas about what belongs to life after death, they had then been told absolute truths, they would in their response to those truths have been like blind people with no sight and deaf ones with no hearing. Some of those people are also scornful, increasingly so the more they think they are wiser than others. But uneducated people who have been governed by the good of faith are not like them, for they have not used factual evidence or philosophical arguments to set themselves firmly against things of the Church, and on account of that they enjoy broader and clearer perception. And because they have not closed the interior parts of their minds they have the ability to accept what is good and true.

AC (Elliott) n. 6318 6318. There are also people who think on a level lower than that of the senses, namely the level of the body; they are those who have set themselves most firmly against belief in the Divine and have ascribed everything to natural forces, and so have led lives that took no account, except to outward appearances, of what was right and fair. Since they are inwardly like animals, though outwardly they look like human beings, they think on a level lower than that of the senses, and look to themselves and to others in the next life like people with physical bodies. I have seen them in a frontal position, close to my right foot, rising up from a deep place; they looked extremely hairy, and tough and coarse so to speak. Once they had risen up there appeared what looked like a sword hanging over their head. I spoke to them and they said it appeared to them exactly as if they were in the body.

AC (Elliott) n. 6319 6319. As regards what flows into a person from the angels present with him, it is not of the same nature as the objects of his thought but is that which involves correspondences; for the angels think on a spiritual level, but the person perceives their thought on a natural one. Thus spiritual realities come down into images that correspond to them, consequently into images which represent them and are known to the person. When for example the person speaks about bread, sowing, harvest, fatness, and the like, the angels’ thought is about aspects of the good of love and charity, and so on. I once had a quite ordinary dream, and having woken up I related it all from start to finish. The angels said that it coincided exactly with what they had been discussing. Not that the contents of my dream were the same things but ones that corresponded to and represented what they discussed; this was true of every detail. I spoke to them after that about influx.

[2] Objects are not visible to the spirits present with a person in the same way as they are to the person seeing them with his eyes, nor are words apprehended in the same way as they are by a person hearing them with his ears; rather they see and apprehend things as they appear in his thought. Thought is altogether different from speech, as is clear from the fact that a person thinks more in a moment of time than he can express in half an hour, since his thought does not involve any use of spoken words. From this one may gain some idea of what the interaction between soul and body is like – that it resembles the influx of the spiritual world into the natural world, since a person’s soul or spirit is in the spiritual world, and his body is in the natural world. Thus influx takes place in accord with correspondences.

AC (Elliott) n. 6320 6320. When the angels flow in they link affections [to the ideas they bring in]; and those actual affections hold countless elements of affection. But of those countless elements only a few are received by the person – only as many as can be attached to what exists already in his memory. Everything else the angels bring in surrounds what is received by him and so to speak holds it in its bosom.

AC (Elliott) n. 6321 6321. I have been led to know, through experience, of the influx from angels and of a person’s inability to live without it. There are malevolent spirits who have worked out artful ways of impeding an influx from the angels, though they do so only partially. They have been allowed to do it to me also so that I might know from experience what it was like. While those spirits were impeding the influx my ability to think ebbed and flowed, till at length I felt like those sinking into unconsciousness. But I was revived in an instant, and those spirits were cast away into their own hell. They appeared on the left on a level with the top of my head, where at first they lay out of sight.

AC (Elliott) n. 6322 6322. To all outward appearance the external senses, such as sight and hearing, flow into thought and initiate mental images there. For the appearance is that external objects activate the senses, first the external senses, then the internal ones, and speech too. But no matter how convincing that appearance may be, it is nevertheless a misconception. For what is external, being gross and material, cannot flow in and activate what is internal, which is pure and spiritual; that would be contrary to the nature of things. It is the power of the inward senses, a power belonging to the spirit itself, that perceives things, and it does so by means of the power of the outward senses. It is also the power of the inward senses that disposes an outward sensory organ to receive impressions of objects at its bidding. So it is that outward sensory organs – such as that of sight, which is the eye – instantly adapt themselves to all the objects of the senses. Nothing of this could happen in sensory organs without the inflow they receive from within; for all the fibres and small appendages, which are very many around each sensory organ, are instantly attuned to the nature of the object. Indeed the organ itself is also immediately conditioned to conform.

[2] Discussion regarding this appearance has often taken place among spirits, and on every occasion angels have responded by saying that influx does not take place from external things into internal ones at all, only from internal ones into external. This, they have said, is in accordance with order, contrary to which no influx can take place. Two or three times I have seen spirits who have been separated from association with angels because they have been led by outward appearances to believe that such influx from external things into internal ones does exist, thus that influx is physical, not spiritual. The reason why they had been separated was that they might have come to the conclusion that the hells which concern themselves with external things could flow into the heavens which concern themselves with internal ones. They might also have concluded that life did not flow in from the Lord, when in fact He is the source of all inflowing life, because He exists at the inmost point and in relation to Him everything else is external.

AC (Elliott) n. 6323 6323. The good of love which flows in from the Lord through angels contains all truth, and truth would reveal itself spontaneously if the human being led a life of love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour. This is evident not only from things that obtain in heaven but also from those in the natural order beneath. Since the things in the natural order are observable, let some be brought forward to illustrate the matter.

[2] Animals are propelled by nothing else than the loves and accompanying affections into which they have been created and afterwards born; for every animal is carried in the direction its affection and love take it. That being so, animals also have all the knowledge that ever accompanies that love. For they know from a love resembling the love that belongs to marriage how they are to mate, cattle in one way, birds in another. Birds know how they must build nests, lay eggs and sit on them, how they must hatch chicks and feed them. They know these things without any instruction, solely from a love resembling that which belongs to marriage and from a love for offspring, which loves have all that knowledge implanted in them. Similarly they know which food they must eat and how they must look for it. More than that, bees know how to look for food in flowers of various kinds, and also to gather wax to make cells with, in which first they place their offspring and after that store food. They also know how to make provision for the winter, not to mention many other things. All this knowledge is included in their loves and resides in them right from the start. Creatures are born into that knowledge because they exist in the order which belongs to their true nature and into which they have been created; and as such they are driven by a general inflow from the spiritual world.

[3] If the human being were living in the order into which he was created – that is to say, in love towards the neighbour and in love to the Lord, for these loves are peculiar to the human being – he would be born, pre-eminently all animals, not only into knowledge but also into all spiritual truths over and all celestial forms of good, thus into all wisdom and intelligence. For the human being is able to think about the Lord and to be joined to Him through love, and so to be raised up to what is Divine and eternal, which animals cannot be. Thus if he were living in his true order he would be governed solely by general influx from the Lord through the spiritual world. But because he is not born into his true order but into one contrary to it, he is born totally without knowledge. This being so, provision has been made so that he can be born again and in that way enter into intelligence and wisdom, in the same measure as he embraces good in freedom, and truth through good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6324 6324. Spirits who spend much of their time reasoning in the next life have little perception as to what is true or good and therefore cannot be admitted into the more internal angelic communities, for no intelligence at all can be imparted to them there. They have also been given to reasoning among themselves about the idea that every thought or affection anyone has flows into him, saying that if this idea were true, then no one could be found guilty or pay the price for any offence. But they were told in reply that if a person were to believe as things really are, which is that everything good and true comes from the Lord and everything evil and false from hell, he could not have been found guilty of any offence or had evil ascribed to himself. But because he believes that it begins in himself he takes evil as his own; for his belief causes this to happen. Thus evil clings and cannot be separated from him. Indeed the person’s nature is such that he would be indignant if anyone told him that his thoughts and desires came from others and did not begin in himself.

AC (Elliott) n. 6325 6325. It is an eternal truth that the Lord rules over heaven and earth, also that no one apart from the Lord is self-existent, consequently that all life flows in – life filled with goodness flowing in from the Lord, life filled with evil flowing in from hell. This is what they believe in the heavens; and when a person shares their belief, which he is able to do when he is governed by good, evil cannot be attached to him or be accepted by him as his own because he knows that it does not originate in himself but in hell. When this is a person’s state peace can be granted to him, for he trusts solely in the Lord. Nor can peace be granted to anyone else but those who have that faith springing from charity; for others constantly plunge themselves into anxious cares and evil desires that give rise to feelings of unease. Spirits who wish to govern themselves imagine that that state would amount to a loss of their own will, thus of their freedom, consequently of all delight, thus of all life and its sweetness. They say and imagine this because they do not know the real truth of the matter, which is that one who is led by the Lord enjoys true freedom, and so true delight and bliss. Forms of good and truths are assigned to him as his own; an affection and desire to do good are imparted to him, in which case nothing gives him greater happiness than the performance of useful services; a perception of what is good is imparted to him, also a sensation of it; and intelligence and wisdom are imparted to him. And all these things that he is given feel as though they are his own. For when led by the Lord he is a recipient of the Lord’s life. It is well known in the world of learning that a principal cause and an instrumental cause act together as a single cause. Now since man is a form receptive of the Lord’s life, he is the instrumental cause, whereas the life from the Lord is the principal cause. This life is felt by the instrumental cause to be its own, when in fact it is not its own.

AC (Elliott) n. 6326 6326. There was a philosopher who had died several years earlier, one of the quite renowned and level-headed. I spoke to him about the degrees of life in human beings. I said that a person consists of nothing but forms which are made for receiving life, and that one form is more internal than another. I said that one has derived its existence from another and is kept in existence by it, and also that a higher or more internal form still has life even when the lower or more external one may have been released from it. All workings of the mind, I continued, are variations of form, and when these variations occur in the purer substances, they are so perfect that they defy description. The ideas constituting a person’s thought are nothing else than such variations, which take place as changes occur in the state of a person’s affections.

[2] How utterly perfect the variations in purer forms are, I pointed out, can be deduced from the lungs. The lungs curl in varying ways and effect varying forms to produce particular sounds uttered in speech, particular notes struck in singing, particular movements made by the body, and also particular states of thought and affection. What then of more internal things which, when compared with such an important organ as the lungs, exist in an utterly perfect state of perfection? The philosopher endorsed all this and swore that such matters had been well known to him when he had lived in the world. He added that the world ought to be using philosophical arguments for such purposes and ought not to be fixing its attention merely on stock phrases and disputes about them, and so sweating away in the dust.

AC (Elliott) n. 6327 6327. This subject is continued at the end of the next chapter.

49

GENESIS 49

1 And Jacob called his sons, and said, Gather together, and I will tell you what will happen to you at the end of days.

2 Assemble, and hear, O sons of Jacob, and hear* Israel your father.

3 Reuben my firstborn, you are my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in eminence and excelling in worth.

4 Light as water, may you not excel, because you went up to your father’s bed; at that time you profaned [it] – he went up to my couch.

5 Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of violence are their swords.

6 Into their secret place let my soul not come; in their congregation let not my glory be united; for in their anger they killed a man, and in their pleasure they hamstrung an ox.

7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is hard.** I will divide them in Jacob, and will scatter them in Israel.

8 Judah are you, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father’s sons will bow down to you.

9 A lion’s cub is Judah; from the plunder you have gone up, my son. He crouched, he lay down like a lion, and like an old lion; who will rouse him?

10 The sceptre will not be removed from Judah, or a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to him will be the obedience of the peoples.

11 He binds his young ass to the vine, and the foal of his she-ass to the outstanding vine; he washes his clothing in wine, and his garment in the blood of grapes.

12 His eyes are red from wine, and his teeth white from milk.

13 Zebulun will dwell at the haven of the seas, and he will be at the haven of ships; and his side will be over towards Sidon.

14 Issachar is a bony ass, lying down between burdens.

15 And he will see rest that it is good, and the land that it is pleasant; and he will bend his shoulder to bear a burden, and will be one serving for tribute.

16 Dan will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

17 Dan will be a serpent on the road, a darting serpent on the path, biting the horse’s heels; and its rider will fall backwards.

18 I wait for Your salvation, O Jehovah.

19 Gad – a troop will ravage him, and he will ravage the heel.

20 From Asher, fat will be his bread, and he will yield a king’s delights.

21 Naphtali is a hind let loose, making elegant utterances.

22 The son of a fertile one is Joseph, the son of a fertile one beside a spring; daughters, [each one] marches onto the wall.

23 And they exasperate him and shoot at him and hate him, do the archers.

24 And he will sit in the strength of his bow, and the arms of his hands are made strong by the hands of the powerful Jacob – from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel.

25 By the God of your father, who will help you, and together with Shaddai, who will bless you with the blessings of heaven from above, the blessings of the deep lying beneath, the blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

26 The blessings of your father will prevail over the blessings of my ancestors, even as far as the desire of the everlasting hills. They will be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of the Nazirite among his brothers.

27 Benjamin is a wolf; he will seize in the morning, he will devour the spoil, and at evening he will divide the plunder.

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them; and he blessed them, each according to his blessing he blessed them.

29 And he commanded them and said to them, I am being gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers, at the cave which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

30 In the cave which is in the field of Machpelah, which faces Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a grave.

31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.

32 The buying of the field and of the cave that was in it was from the sons of Heth.

33 And Jacob finished commanding his sons, and he gathered up his feet towards the bed, and expired, and was gathered to his peoples.
* lit. hear towards
** i.e. cruel

AC (Elliott) n. 6328 6328. CONTENTS

This chapter does not deal in the internal sense with the descendants of Jacob, with what is going to happen to them, but with the truths of faith and the forms of the good of love which the twelve tribes named after Jacob’s sons represent and mean.

AC (Elliott) n. 6329 6329. Dealt with first is faith separated from charity, which is totally rejected. That faith is Reuben, Simeon, and Levi.

AC (Elliott) n. 6330 6330. Dealt with after that is the celestial Church, which is the tribe of Judah, though the highest sense deals at this point with the Lord’s Divine Human.

AC (Elliott) n. 6331 6331. Then the rest of the tribes are dealt with in accordance with the state of the goodness and truth they represent.

AC (Elliott) n. 6332 6332. Dealt with finally is the celestial-spiritual Church, which is Joseph, though here also the highest sense deals with the Lord’s Divine Human.

AC (Elliott) n. 6333 6333. THE INTERNAL SENSE

The statements made in this chapter by Jacob show plainly that the Word has a meaning in it which is different from that seen in the letter. For in verse 1 Jacob, who by now is Israel, says that he will tell what will happen to his sons at the end of days; yet nothing of what he tells and foretells in fact happened to them. He says for example that the descendants of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, who are the subject in verses 3-7, will be cursed more than the rest, and that Simeon and Levi will be divided in Jacob and scattered in Israel. Yet the opposite happened to Levi – he was blessed, for the priesthood was invested in him.

[2] Nor did what is said about Judah happen to that tribe, apart from the fact [implied in verse 10] that the representative of the Church remained longer with it than with the rest. And in addition to that, things are stated about it, the nature of which no one can know except from the different meaning concealed inwardly, such as the statements in verses 9, 11, 12, that he crouched and lay down like a lion; bound his young ass to the vine, the foal of his she-ass to an outstanding vine; washed his clothing in wine, his garment in the blood of grapes; or the statement that his eyes were red from wine, and his teeth white from milk. All these statements are of such a nature that anyone may see that they hold something which is well known in heaven but cannot become plain to man except from heaven.

[3] The same applies to what Israel said about the rest of his sons, for example, regarding Zebulun, that he will dwell at the haven of the seas and of ships, with his side towards Sidon; regarding Issachar, that being a bony ass lying down between burdens he will bend his shoulder to bear burdens; regarding Dan, that he will be a serpent on the road, a darting serpent on the path, biting the horse’s heels, and its rider will fall backwards; and so on regarding the rest of his sons. All this, as has been stated, plainly demonstrates the existence of an internal sense. The Word is given so that it may unite heaven and earth, that is, angels with men, and for that reason it has been written in such a way that angels may understand it in a spiritual manner while a person understands it in a natural one. And this brings a holy influence by way of the angels that causes the two to be united.

[4] Such is the nature of the Word both in the historical sections and in the prophetical parts. Yet the internal sense is less apparent in the historical sections than the prophetical parts because the historical narratives have been written in a different style, though that style nevertheless employs meaningful signs. Those narratives have been provided so that children, younger or older, may be introduced through them into reading the Word, for they give children delight and stay in their minds. Through those narratives they are brought in contact with the heavens, a contact that is pleasing because children live in a state of innocence and charity for one another. This is the reason for the existence of the historical part of the Word. And the reason why there is a prophetical part is so that a person may have no more than a vague understanding of it when he reads it; yet when the kind of person alive today gleans a vague understanding, the angels have a clear perception. This I have been allowed to know from much experience, which in the Lord’s Divine mercy will be presented elsewhere.

AC (Elliott) n. 6334 6334. Verses 1, 2 And Jacob called his sons, and said, Gather together, and I will tell you what will happen to you at the end of days. Assemble, and hear, O sons of Jacob, and hear* Israel your father.

‘And Jacob called his sons’ means organizing the truths of faith and the forms of the good of love in the natural. ‘And said, Gather together’ means the existence together of all in general. ‘And I will tell you what will happen to you at the end of days’ means the nature of the Church’s state within the order in which they were arranged at that time. ‘Assemble’ means that they should arrange themselves into order. ‘And hear, O sons of Jacob’ means the truths and forms of good in the natural. ‘And hear Israel your father’ means a foretelling regarding them made by spiritual good, in the highest sense the Lord’s foresight.
* lit. hear towards

AC (Elliott) n. 6335 6335. ‘And Jacob called his sons’ means organizing the truths of faith and the forms of the good of love in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘calling’ as arranging into order, for the reason why they were called together was so that the truths of faith and the forms of the good of charity might be set forth in that organized arrangement; and from the representation of ‘Jacob’ and ‘his sons’ as the truths of faith and the forms of the good of love in the natural, ‘Jacob’ being those truths and forms of good in general, see 3509, 3525, 3546, 3659, 3669, 3677, 3775, 3829, 4234, 4273, 4777, 5506, 5533, 5535, 6001, 6236, and ‘his sons’, or the tribes named after them, those truths and forms of good in particular, 3858, 3926, 3939, 4060. With regard to this organization of the truths of faith and the forms of the good of love that is meant here and is set forth in the internal sense of this chapter, it should be recognized that the twelve tribes of Israel represented in general all truths and forms of good in their entirety, thus all the truths and forms of good which come forth from the Lord, therefore those which exist in heaven and from which heaven exists. And since all in general are represented, so is each one specifically; for classes in general include all members specifically, just as general wholes do their individual parts.

[2] Forms of good and the truths deriving from them are what determine the varying intensity of light in heaven; and that varying intensity of light is what determines the varying states of intelligence and wisdom. This was how it came about that light glittered and flashed through the Urim and Thummim, doing so in varying ways in keeping with the state of the matter about which questions were being asked. This took place because the twelve tribes, by whom all truths and forms of good in general were meant, were designated in the breastplate or Urim and Thummim; for each precious stone stood for one particular tribe. The reason why they were precious stones was that spiritual and celestial truths are meant by them, 114, 3720, and good is meant by the ‘gold’ into which they had been set,* 113, 1551, 1552, 5658. This arcanum is what was meant by the Urim and Thummim.

[3] The fact that the twelve tribes meant such things is evident from places in the Word where they are mentioned by name, in particular from the inheritances of the tribes in the land of Canaan, which are dealt with in Joshua, and from their inheritances in the Lord’s kingdom, which are dealt with in Ezekiel – in the final chapters, in which a new land, a new Jerusalem, and a new temple are described – and also in Revelation 7:4-8. That the twelve tribes meant such things is also evident from the order in which they were arranged when they pitched camp in the wilderness, an order which was such that it represented truths and forms of good in their right and proper order. This was the origin of the prophetic utterance made by Balaam,

When Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes, the Spirit of God came upon him and he delivered an utterance, and said, How good are your tabernacles, O Jacob; your dwelling-places, O Israel! Like valleys they are planted, like gardens beside a river, like aloes Jehovah has planted, like cedars beside the waters. Num. 24:2, 3, 5, 6.

See also what has been shown regarding the tribes and organized arrangements of them in 2129, 3858, 3862, 3926, 3979, 4060, 4603.
* Reading cui inclusi (into which they had been set) for cui insculpti (for which they had been engraved).

AC (Elliott) n. 6336 6336. ‘And said, Gather together’ means the existence together of all in general. This is clear from the meaning of ‘gathering together’ as a call to exist together, in this case a call to all the truths of faith and forms of the good of love that are meant by the twelve sons of Jacob, see immediately above in 6335.

AC (Elliott) n. 6337 6337. ‘And I will show you what will happen to you at the end of days’ means the nature of the Church’s state within the order in which they were arranged at that time. This is clear from the meaning of ‘showing what will happen’ as communicating and foretelling; and from the meaning of ‘the end of days’ as the final phase of the state in which they exist together – ‘days’ being states, 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850, and ‘the end’ the final phase, so that ‘the end of days’ is the final phase of a state, that is to say, of the state in which truths and forms of good in general exist together when arranged in their proper order. The reason why it is the Church’s state which is meant is that the truths and forms of good represented by ‘Jacob and his sons’ are what constitute the Church, on account of which ‘Jacob’ represents the Church, 4286, 4439, 4514, 4520, 4680, 4772, 5536, 5540, and so also ‘his sons’, 5403, 5419, 5427, 5458, 5512. And the reason why the nature of that state is meant is that the way the Church’s truths and forms of good are represented depends on the order in which Jacob’s sons or the tribes are mentioned in the Word, see 3862, 3926, 3939. For its nature is different if Reuben’s name comes first from what it is if Judah’s comes first. When Reuben is first the nature of the state is such that it starts with faith; but when Judah is first it is such that it starts with love; and the nature of it is different again when it starts with something other than faith or love. For variation in the nature of the state is also indicated by the order in which the rest are named after those two.

[2] The variations that are produced in this way are incalculable, indeed infinite, especially so when the truths and forms of good in general that are meant by ‘the twelve tribes’ also take on specific variations, countless ones for each – for then each truth and form of good in general assumes a different appearance – and even more especially so when those specific truths or forms of good take on countless individual variations, and so on. The infinite variations produced in this way may be illustrated by very many things that exist in the natural world. From all this one may now see that the twelve tribes have a different meaning when their names occur in the Word in one order from when they do so in another. Thus in this chapter they carry a meaning different from that seen elsewhere.

AC (Elliott) n. 6338 6338. ‘Assemble’ means that they should arrange themselves into order. This is clear from the meaning of ‘assembling’ as becoming arranged into order. ‘Assembling’ has no other meaning in the spiritual sense, for truths and forms of good cannot assemble without also becoming arranged into order. For the universal influence which emanates from the Lord causes this to happen, because that influence covers all specific things, including the most specific. All these taken together compose the universal influence by which all things in heaven are arranged into order. When that universal influence is at work forms of good and truths appear to arrange themselves into order, as though they moved into such order of their own accord. This is true of heaven taken as a whole; it is in a state of order and is constantly preserved in that state by the universal influence emanating from the Lord. It is also true of the communities of heaven in general, and it is true in addition of the communities there in particular. For as soon as angels or spirits assemble they instantly become arranged, seemingly all by themselves, into a state of order, and in so doing constitute a heavenly community that is an image of heaven. This would never happen if the universal influence emanating from the Lord did not cover the most specific things of all, and if all these were not in an utterly perfect state of order. If, as most people think, only some universal influence unconcerned with things of a specific nature came from God, and man, spirit, or angel controlled those things for himself, then instead of order everything would be in a state of confusion, and there would not be any heaven, or hell, or human race, or indeed any natural world.

[2] This may be illustrated from many things existing with a person. Unless for example his thoughts were arranged into order as a general whole, and at the same time in each specific part by the affections belonging to his love, those thoughts could never flow in a rational and analytical manner. Nor likewise could his actions. Also, unless there were universal and specific influences from the soul into the internal organs of the body, no order or control could be established in the body. But when there are specific influences and thus a universal one, all things are arranged into order seemingly by themselves. These matters have been stated so that people may know how to understand the idea that truths and forms of good should arrange themselves into order.

AC (Elliott) n. 6339 6339. ‘And hear, O sons of Jacob’ means the truths and forms of good in the natural. This is clear from the representation of ‘the sons of Jacob’ as the Church’s truths and forms of good in the natural, dealt with above in 6335.

AC (Elliott) n. 6340 6340. ‘And hear Israel your father’ means a foretelling regarding them made by spiritual good, in the highest sense the Lord’s foresight. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hearing’ – hearing what will happen at the end of days – as a foretelling; and from the representation of ‘Israel’ as spiritual good, as in 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833. And since a foretelling is meant in the internal sense by ‘hearing what will happen at the end of days’, the Lord’s foresight is meant in the highest sense; for the Lord’s foresight is the source of every foretelling that is made. When it says that the sons of Jacob should hear Israel, the meaning is that those who belong to the Church should hear the Lord, that is, hear Him in the Word. They should hear what He teaches there about the truths of faith and forms of the good of love, and what He foretells about those in possession of some truth or form of good meant by one or another son of Jacob. They should hear for example what He teaches and foretells about people with whom faith exists separated from charity, who are meant here by Reuben, Simeon, and Levi; about those with whom celestial good is present, who are meant by Judah; about those with whom spiritual good is present, who are meant by ‘Joseph’; and so also about those with whom whatever is meant by the rest of Jacob’s sons is present.

AC (Elliott) n. 6341 6341. Verses 3, 4 Reuben my firstborn, you are my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in eminence and excelling in worth. Light as water, may you not excel, because you went up to your father’s bed; at that time you profaned [it] – he went up to my couch.

‘Reuben my firstborn’ means faith which seemingly occupies the first place. ‘You are my might’ means that through that faith comes the power which good possesses. ‘And the beginning of my strength’ means that through that faith comes the initial power which truth possesses. ‘Excelling in eminence and excelling in worth’ means the resulting glory and powerfulness. ‘Light as water’ means that faith alone does not possess such qualities. ‘May you not excel’ means that neither does it have any glory or powerfulness. ‘Because you went up to your father’s bed’ means because when separated from the good of charity faith is involved in a foul liaison. ‘At that time you profaned [it]’ means that if it were joined to evil, profanity would exist. ‘He went up to my couch’ means because it would contaminate spiritual good in the natural.

AC (Elliott) n. 6342 6342. ‘Reuben my firstborn’ means faith which seemingly occupies the first place. This is clear from the representation of ‘Reuben’ as faith in the understanding, dealt with in 3861, 3866, and the Church’s confession of faith in general, 4731, 4734, 4761; and from the meaning of ‘firstborn’ as occupying the first place, dealt with in 3325. But faith does no more than seem to occupy the first place, see 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603, 3701, 4915, 4926, 4928, 4930, 4977, 6256, 6269, 6272, 6273.

AC (Elliott) n. 6343 6343. ‘You are my might’ means that through faith comes the power which good possesses. This is clear from the representation of Reuben, to whom ‘you’ refers here, as faith in the understanding, referred to immediately above in 6342; and from the meaning of ‘might’ as the power which good possesses. As regards power – the power to think and will, perceive, do what is good, believe, dispel falsities and evils – it comes wholly from good through truth, good being its primary source and truth merely the channel through which it comes, 3563, 4931, 5623. The reason the power that good possesses is meant is that ‘might’ means that power, whereas ‘strength’ means the power of truth. Thus it is that ‘the beginning of my strength’, which comes next, means the initial power that truth possesses; for the word used in the original language to express ‘strength’ has reference in the Word to truth, whereas the word used to express ‘might’ has reference to good.

[2] The fact that the Word is holy, extremely holy in its inner senses, is plainly evident from the consideration that the heavenly marriage, which is the marriage of goodness and truth, thus heaven itself, is present within every detail of the Word. In the inmost sense every detail embodies the marriage of the Lord’s Divine Human with His kingdom and Church; indeed the theme in the highest sense of all is the union of the Divine Itself and the Divine Human within the Lord. These extremely holy subjects contained in every detail of the Word are a plain indication that the Word has come down from the Divine. The truth of all this may be recognized from the consideration that where good is spoken of, so too is truth, and where what is internal is spoken of, so too is what is external. Also, there are expressions which always mean good, those which always mean truth, and those which mean both – both good and truth. Or if they do not mean them directly, they are nevertheless used with reference to them or else imply them. And such reference of those expressions to good and truth or their meaning them directly shows that every detail, as has been stated, embodies the marriage of goodness and truth, which is the heavenly marriage, and that the inmost and highest sense holds the Divine marriage which exists in the Lord, thus holds the Lord Himself, within it.

[3] All this reveals itself in every part of the Word, yet not plainly except in those places where the repetition of some matter occurs that is no more than a change of words, as in the present chapter, where Reuben is dealt with,

You are my might, and the beginning of my strength.

Also,

Excelling in eminence and excelling in worth.

Here ‘might’ is used in reference to good, and ‘strength’ to truth; ‘excelling in eminence’ is used in reference to truth, and ‘excelling in worth’ to good. Likewise in the next verse regarding Reuben,

You went up to your father’s bed; at that time you profaned it – he went up to my couch.

Similarly further on, where Simeon and Levi are dealt with,

Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is hard. I will divide them in Jacob, and will scatter them in Israel. Verse 7.

Here ‘anger’ means a turning away from good and ‘wrath’ a turning away from truth. ‘Jacob’ is the external aspect of the Church and ‘Israel’ the internal aspect of it. Then where Judah is dealt with,

Your brothers will praise you; your father’s sons will bow down to you. Verse 8.

Further on,

He binds his young ass to the vine, and the foal of his she-ass to the outstanding vine; he washes his clothing in wine, and his garment in the blood of grapes. Verse 11.

Where Zebulun is dealt with,

He will dwell at the haven of the seas, and he will be at the haven of ships. Verse 13.

Where Dan is dealt with,

He will be a serpent on the road, a darting serpent on the path. Verse 17.

[4] Similar examples occur frequently in the Psalms and among the Prophets, as in Isaiah,

Babel will not be dwelt in ever again, it will not be lived in even from generation to generation. Its time is near and about to come, and its days will not be prolonged. Isa. 13:20, 22.

In the same prophet,

Search from above in the Book of Jehovah, and read: None of these will be missing, not one will not be left longing for its mate;* for He has commanded with His mouth, and His Spirit has gathered them. The Same has cast the lot for them, and His hand has distributed to them by means of a measuring rod. Even for ever they will possess it, from generation to generation they will dwell in it. Isa. 34:16, 17.

More examples may be found in a thousand other places. Anyone who does not know that expressions are used in the Word to mean spiritual and celestial realities, and that some are used to refer to good but others to truth, will inevitably think that such usages are no more than repetitions that serve solely as fillers and so are in themselves meaningless. Thus it is that people who think ill of the Word also add this to the arguments they use in vilifying it. Yet utterly Divine things are concealed within those repetitions; that is to say, the heavenly marriage, which is heaven itself, and the Divine Marriage, which is the Lord Himself, are concealed in them. This [highest] sense is ‘the glory’ in which the Lord is present, while the literal sense is ‘the cloud’ in which that glory is present, Matt. 24:30; Luke 21:27. See Preface to Genesis 18, and also 5922.
* lit. not one will be desiring the other

AC (Elliott) n. 6344 6344. ‘And the beginning of my strength’ means that through that faith comes the initial power which truth possesses. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the beginning of strength’ as initial power; and since ‘strength’ is used with reference to truth, the initial power that truth possesses is what is meant. A similar usage occurs in Isaiah,

Jehovah imparts might to the weary, and to him who has no strength He gives greater power. Isa. 40:29.

Here ‘might’ is used with reference to good and ‘strength’ to truth, ‘power’ with reference to both.

A brief statement will be made about how one should understand the explanation that through faith comes the power which good possesses, and the initial power which truth possesses, meant by ‘Reuben my firstborn, you are my might and the beginning of my strength’. In the spiritual world all power comes from good through truth; without good truth has no power at all. For truth is so to speak the body, and good so to speak the soul of that body, and to accomplish anything the soul must act through the body. From this it is evident that truth without good has no power at all, even as the body without the soul has none at all. A body without its soul is a corpse; so too is truth without good.

[2] As soon as good effects the birth of faith that is composed of truth, power reveals itself in truth. This power is what is called the initial power that truth possesses through faith and is what is meant by ‘the beginning of strength’, as in other places in the Word where the condition of the firstborn is referred to, for example in David,

He smote all the firstborn in Egypt, the beginning of strength in the tents of Ham. Ps. 78:51.

And in another place,

He smote all the firstborn in their land, the beginning of all their strength. Ps. 105:36.

Also in Deuteronomy,

He must acknowledge the firstborn son of her that is hated, to give him two parts of all that will be found for him, in that he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the first born is his. Deut. 21:17.

[3] The genuine meaning of ‘the firstborn’ is the good of charity, though the apparent meaning is the truth of faith, 3325, 4925, 4926, 4928, 4930. And because both that good and this truth are the fundamental qualities of the Church, the ancients spoke of the firstborn as his ‘father’s might and the beginning of his strength’. The fact that those fundamental qualities were meant by ‘the firstborn’ is quite evident from the considerations that everything which was a firstborn was Jehovah’s or the Lord’s and that the tribe of Levi was taken instead of all the firstborn and became the priesthood.

[4] Scarcely anyone in the world can know what the power possessed by truth coming from good is; but it is known to those in the next life, and so can be known through revelation from there. People in possession of truth that comes from good, that is, of faith derived from charity, possess power that comes through truth from good. All angels possess that power, which also is why in the Word angels are called ‘powers’. For they have the power to restrain evil spirits; even one angel can restrain a thousand together. Their power they use most especially among men; sometimes they protect a person from numerous hells, in thousands of ways.

[5] This power that angels possess comes to them through the truth of faith derived from the good of charity. But because the faith they have comes from the Lord, the Lord alone is the power that resides with them. This power which comes from the Lord through faith is meant by the Lord’s words to Peter,

On this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Matt. 16:18, 19.

These words were addressed to Peter because he represented faith, see Preface to Genesis 22, as well as 3750, 4738, 6000, 6073 (end). Also wherever ‘rock’,* as Peter is called here, occurs in the Word, faith is meant in its internal sense, and the Lord in respect of faith in its highest sense.
* Reading petram (rock), which Sw. has in his rough draft, for Petrum (Peter).

AC (Elliott) n. 6345 6345. ‘Excelling in eminence and excelling in worth’ means the resulting glory and powerfulness. This is clear from the meaning of ‘excelling in eminence’ as glory, for a person who is eminent possesses glory; and from the meaning of ‘excelling in worth’ as powerfulness, since one who has worth is endued with powerfulness. Here glory has reference to the truth of faith, 5922, powerfulness to the good of charity, which is why the phrase ‘the resulting glory and powerfulness’ is used – resulting from the truth of faith and the good of charity, both spoken of immediately above.

AC (Elliott) n. 6346 6346. ‘Light as water’ means that faith alone does not possess such qualities, neither glory nor powerfulness. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being light as water’ as having no weight or worth. The fact that faith alone is meant, that is, faith separated from charity, is evident from the things mentioned in what follows that involve Reuben, and that involve Simeon and Levi. Those men – Reuben, Simeon, and Levi – are used here also to refer to faith alone or faith separated from charity.

AC (Elliott) n. 6347 6347. ‘May you not excel’ means that neither does it have any glory or powerfulness. This is clear from the meaning of ‘not excelling’ – not excelling in eminence or worth, as in the phrase used just above, to which these words refer back – as the fact that such faith does not have any glory or powerfulness.

AC (Elliott) n. 6348 6348. ‘because you went up to your father’s bed’ means because when separated from the good of charity faith is involved in a foul liaison. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going up to his father’s bed’ as being involved in a foul liaison; that is to say, faith separated from charity is involved in it. For if faith in doctrine or the understanding, which ‘Reuben’ represents here, is not introduced to good and joined to it, it is either dissipated or ceases to be anything, or else it is introduced to evil and falsity and joined to them, which is the foul liaison that is meant. For then profanity comes about. The truth of this may be recognized from the fact that faith cannot have a dwelling-place anywhere else than within good; and if it does not have a dwelling-place there, then inevitably it ceases to be anything or is joined to evil. This is plainly evident from those people in the next life who have adhered to faith alone and not at all to charity. Their faith is dissipated in that life; or if it has been joined to evil, a lot among profaners awaits them.

[2] In the internal sense of the Word instances of adultery mean adulterations of good, while instances of whoredom mean falsifications of truth, 2466, 3399. But foul liaisons – which are called the forbidden degrees [of sexual relations], dealt with in Lev. 18:6-24 – mean various kinds of profanation. Profanation is obviously meant here also since the words used are, ‘You went up to your father’s bed; at that time you profaned [it] – he went up to my couch’. Regarding the meaning of these words as the profanation of good by separated faith, see 4601, where that unspeakable deed performed by Reuben is dealt with.

[3] The nature of faith alone or faith separated from charity is such that if it is joined to evil – as happens when a person first believes the truth of faith, and especially when initially he leads a life in accordance with it but after that renounces it and leads a life contrary to it – profanity takes place. For the truth of faith and the good of charity first become rooted through doctrine and life in the person’s interiors, after which they are called forth from there and are joined to evil. The lot that awaits the person in whom this happens is the worst of all in the next life; for with someone like that, good is incapable of being separated from evil, though they are nevertheless separated in the next life. Nor does someone like that have any remnants of good stored away in him interiorly because they have perished altogether in evil. Their hell is located on the left out in front, a considerable distance away; and those who are there look to the angels like skeletons, possessing scarcely any life. Therefore to avoid the occurrence of the profanation of goodness and truth, the person who – the Lord foresees – is the kind that will not allow himself to be regenerated is held back from faith and charity and is allowed to immerse himself in evil and consequently in falsity. For in this condition he cannot profane anything. See what has been stated and shown already about profanation in 301-303, 571, 582, 593, 1001, 1008, 1010, 1059, 1327, 1328, 2051, 2426, 3398, 3399, 3402, 3489, 3898, 4289, 4601.

AC (Elliott) n. 6349 6349. ‘At that time you profaned [it]’ means that if it were joined to evil, profanity existed. This is clear from what has been stated immediately above in 6348.

AC (Elliott) n. 6350 6350. ‘He went up to my couch’ means that it would contaminate spiritual good in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going up to the couch’ as contaminating by rendering profane, dealt with just above in 6348; and from the representation of Israel, whose couch it was to which he went up, as spiritual good in the natural, dealt with in 6340.

AC (Elliott) n. 6351 6351. Verses 5-7 Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of violence are their swords. Into their secret place let my soul not come; in their congregation let not my glory be united; for in their anger they killed a man, and in their pleasure they hamstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is hard.* I will divide them in Jacob, and will scatter them in Israel. ‘Simeon and Levi are brothers’ means faith in the will and charity, but here the opposite since faith separated from charity is meant. ‘Instruments of violence are their swords’ means that religious teachings serve to destroy charitable deeds, thus charity itself. ‘Into their secret place let my soul not come means that spiritual good has no wish to know the evil intentions of their will. ‘In their congregation let not my glory be united’ means that neither does the truth of spiritual good have any wish to know the resulting false ideas constituting their thought. ‘For in their anger they killed a man’ means that they felt utterly averse, and having that feeling they annihilated faith. ‘And in their pleasure they hamstrung an ox’ means that motivated by a wicked will they crippled completely the external good of charity. ‘Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce’ means an utter aversion to good and consequent damnation. ‘And their wrath, for it is hard’ means an aversion to the truth that is derived from good – a firm and determined aversion. ‘I will divide them in Jacob’ means that they are to be banished from the natural man. ‘And will scatter them in Israel’ means that they are to be banished from the spiritual man.
* i.e. cruel

AC (Elliott) n. 6352 6352. ‘Simeon and Levi are brothers’ means faith in the will and charity, but here the opposite since faith separated from charity is meant. This is clear from the representation of ‘Simeon’ as faith in the will, dealt with in 3869-3872, 4497, 4502, 4503, 5482, 5626, 5630; and from the representation of ‘Levi’ as charity, dealt with in 3875, 3877, but here the opposite of it since faith separated from charity is meant. For when such faith is represented by ‘Reuben’ as is evident from the explanations at verse 4, it follows that no faith present in the will, nor thus any charity, are what ‘Simeon and Levi’ represent; for these deficiencies follow in a chain of effects resulting from their initial cause. ‘Simeon’ therefore represents falsity in the will, and ‘Levi’ evil put into practice, for these are the opposites of faith in the will and charity. The fact that Simeon and Levi are cursed proves that those opposites are meant here.

AC (Elliott) n. 6353 6353. ‘Instruments of violence are their swords (machaera)’ means that religious teachings serve to destroy charitable deeds, thus charity itself. This is clear from the meaning of ‘instruments of violence’ as things that serve to destroy charity (the fact that ‘instruments’ are things that serve is self-evident, while the fact that ‘violence’ means the destruction of charity will be seen shortly below); and from the meaning of ‘swords as religious teachings. For ‘swords’ (gladius) are the truths of faith that are employed to fight against falsities and evils, 2799; thus swords’ (machaera)* are religious teachings, here teachings employed to fight against truth and goodness and to annihilate them, for they are employed by those who champion faith alone, or faith separated from charity, and with whom the opposite of charity resides.

[2] The religious teachings employed by those who champion faith alone to dispense with charitable works are principally these:

A person is saved by faith alone without the works of charity.

Those works are unnecessary, and a person can be saved by faith alone even in his final hour when he dies, irrespective of how he has lived throughout the whole course of his life.

Thus those who have performed nothing else than cruel deeds, robberies, acts of adultery, or unholy deeds can be saved.

Consequently salvation is merely a letting into heaven, which means that none are let in except those who have received that grace at the end of their lives, and which also means that some by God’s mercy have been chosen and others by the lack of it have been damned.

The truth of the matter however is that the Lord does not deny heaven to anyone. The life people have led and the communication of that life, which is perceived in heaven in the way an odour is on earth by its recipients, make it completely impossible for them to be there; for they are tormented in heaven by the wicked life they led more than they are in the deepest hell.

[3] ‘A sword’ means falsity fighting and killing. This is evident in John,

There went out another horse, fiery red; and it was granted to the one sitting on it to take away peace from the earth, so that people would kill one another, for which reason there was given him a great sword. Rev. 6:4.

In the same author,

If anyone kills with the sword, he must be killed with the sword. Rev. 13:10, 14.

[4] ‘Violence’ is the use of force against charity. This is plain from many places in the Word, as in Isaiah,

The violent one will cease to be and the scornful one will be destroyed. All ripeners of iniquity** will be cut off, those who cause a person to sin by a word, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and cause him who is just to turn aside to something empty. Isa. 59:20, 21.

Here a different expression is used in the original language for ‘the violent one’; but it carries a similar spiritual meaning. The fact that ‘the violent one’ is someone who uses force against charity is meant when it says that ‘they cause a person to sin by a word’ and ’cause him who is just to turn aside’.

[5] In the same prophet,

Their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood. Isa. 59:6, 7.

Here ‘violence’ stands for force used against charity, a force that is also meant by ‘shedding blood’, see 774, 1005. In the same prophet,

No longer will there be violence in your land, a laying waste and ruin within your borders. Isa. 60:18.

‘Violence’ stands for the destruction of charity, for the outcome is a laying waste and ruin in the land, that is, in the Church.

[6] In Jeremiah,

I proclaim violence and a laying waste, for the word of Jehovah was made to me a reproach and ignominy the whole day. Jer. 20:8.

Here also ‘violence’ stands for violence in spiritual things, thus for the destruction of charity, and also of faith. In Ezekiel,

The land is full of the judgement of blood,*** and the city is full of violence. Ezek. 7:23.

‘The judgement of blood’ stands for the destruction of faith, ‘violence’ for the destruction of charity.

[7] In the same prophet,

If he begets a violent son, a shedder of blood, who does any one of these things; if he eats on the mountains, or defiles his companion’s wife, oppresses the wretched and needy, engages in plunderings, does not restore the pledge, or lifts his eyes to idols, commits abomination, lends at interest and takes usury, will he live? He will not live; he will surely die. Ezek. 18:10-13.

In this description of what ‘a violent son and a shedder of blood’ is, the wrong-doings that are listed are all the charitable works he destroys; thus ‘a violent son and a shedder of blood’ is one who destroys charity and faith.

[8] In David,

Deliver me, O Jehovah, from the evil person; from the man of violent actions preserve me. Those who think evil things in their heart gather together all the day for war, they make their tongue sharp, like a serpent; the poison of an asp is under their lips. Keep me, O Jehovah, from the hands of the wicked; from the man of violent actions preserve me. Do not let a slanderer**** be established in the land; as for the violent man, evil hunts him down, to overthrow him. Ps. 140:1-4, 11.

‘The man of violent actions’ stands for those who destroy the truths of faith and forms of the good of charity. Their fight against these is meant by ‘they gather together all the day for war, they make their tongue sharp, like a serpent’, ‘the poison of an asp is under their lips’, and ‘evil hunts him down, to overthrow him’. ‘Violence’ is referred to in other places besides these, such as Ezek. 12:19; Joel 3:19; Mal. 2:16, 17; Zeph. 3:4; Ps. 18:48; 55:9-11; 58:2-5; Deut. 19:16.
* The Hebrew word m’kerah, which Sw. renders machaera here in Gen. 49:7, does not occur again in OT. But machaera, a Greek word for a sword, is generally retained by Sw. in quotations from NT.
** The Latin means judgement but the Hebrew means iniquity.
*** lit. bloods
**** lit. a man of tongue

AC (Elliott) n. 6354 6354. ‘Into their secret place let my soul not come’ means that spiritual good has no wish to know the evil intentions of their will. This is clear from the representation of Israel, who says this about himself, as spiritual good, dealt with in 6340; and from the meaning of ‘into their secret place let there not come as having no wish to know – to know the evil intentions of their will, which are meant by ‘Simeon and Levi’, 6352. The expression ‘my soul’ is used because here ‘soul’ means the life of good that spiritual good possesses; the life of truth that it possesses is meant by ‘glory’, referred to immediately below.

AC (Elliott) n. 6355 6355. ‘In their congregation let not my glory be united’ means that neither does the truth of spiritual good have any wish to know the resulting false ideas constituting their thought. This is clear from the representation of Israel as spiritual good, dealt with in 6340; from the meaning of ‘in their congregation let it not be united’ as having no wish to be joined to the false ideas constituting their thought or thus to know them (false ideas constituting a person’s thought are meant by ‘congregation’, for ‘a congregation’, like ‘a multitude’, is used with reference to truths, and in the contrary sense to falsities); and from the meaning of ‘glory’, which is used with reference to truth, dealt with in 4809, 5922, for to those who cherish spiritual good truth is glory.

AC (Elliott) n. 6356 6356. ‘For in their anger they killed a man’ means that they felt utterly averse, and having that feeling they annihilated faith. This is clear from the meaning of ‘anger’ as a departure from charity and an aversion, dealt with in 357, 5034, 5798; from the meaning of ‘killing’ as annihilating; and from the meaning of ‘a man’ as the truth of faith, dealt with in 3134, 3309, 3459, 4823.

AC (Elliott) n. 6357 6357. ‘And in their pleasure they hamstrung an ox’ means that motivated by a wicked will they crippled completely the external good of charity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘good pleasure’ as the will, here a wicked will; from the meaning of ‘hamstringing’ as crippling; and from the meaning of ‘an ox’ as the natural or external good of charity, dealt with in 2180, 2566, 2781. The reason why ‘an ox’ is spoken of here, and ‘a man’ immediately before, is that ‘a man’ means the truth of faith and ‘an ox’ the good of charity; and they are both spoken of so that when good is the subject, truth too is dealt with, on account of the heavenly marriage present in every detail of the Word, 6343.

AC (Elliott) n. 6358 6358. ‘Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce’ means an utter aversion to good and consequent damnation. This is clear from the meaning of ‘cursed’ as damnation, for one who has been cursed has been damned; and from the meaning of ‘anger’ as an aversion to good, dealt with in 357, 5034, 5798, 6356, so that ‘fierce anger’ is an utter aversion.

AC (Elliott) n. 6359 6359. ‘And their wrath, for it is hard’ means an aversion to the truth that is derived from good – a firm and determined aversion. This is clear from the meaning of ‘wrath’ as an aversion to truth – ‘wrath’ is used in reference to truth and ‘anger’ to good, see 3614; and from the meaning of ‘hard’ as firm and determined. For when a false idea has been accepted so firmly that a person is convinced it is right it is then hard and fast. I have been allowed from experience to know of such hardness, for among spirits and angels truth from good looks like and presents itself as something soft, whereas falsity from evil does so as something hard, becoming ever harder as such falsity from evil becomes more firmly accepted. Once firm proof based on much evidence has led to utter conviction that it is right, that hardness among them seems to be like the hardness of a bone. Such hardness is also like the hardness of an object in the world, in that rays of light rebound from it. In the same way when the light of heaven flowing from the Lord falls on the hardness that falsity from evil produces, it rebounds; but when on the other hand the light of heaven flowing from the Lord falls on the softness that truth from good produces, it is taken in.

AC (Elliott) n. 6360 6360. ‘I will divide them in Jacob’ means that they are to be banished from the natural man. This is clear from the meaning of ‘dividing’ or cutting off as separation and removal from truth and good, dealt with in 4424, thus a banishment; and from the representation of ‘Jacob’ as the natural or external man, dealt with in 3305, 3576, 4286, 4292, 4570, 6236.

AC (Elliott) n. 6361 6361. ‘And will scatter them in Israel’ means that they are to be banished from the spiritual man. This is clear from the meaning of ‘scattering’ too as a banishment; but ‘scattering’ is distinguished from ‘dividing’ by the fact that the latter is used in reference to the external man and to truth, whereas the former is used in reference to the internal man and to good – ‘Jacob’ represents the natural or external man, and ‘Israel’ the spiritual or internal man, see 4286, 4291, 4570.

These things that Israel stated regarding Simeon and Levi, and also those regarding Reuben, do not mean such things as would happen, as verse 1 says, to their descendants at the end of days. This can be recognized from the fact that those descended from Simeon and from Levi were not cursed; nor were they divided in Jacob and scattered in Israel. The tribe of Simeon existed among the rest of the tribes as one of their number, while the tribe of Levi became the priesthood and so was blessed rather than cursed. Nor likewise was the tribe of Reuben inferior to any other tribe. From this it is quite evident that the things stated in this chapter about what would happen to the sons of Jacob at the end of days refer to what would happen not to those actual descendants but to people who are meant by them in the internal sense. At this point what would happen to those with faith separated from charity is meant, for they are the ones who are meant at this point in the internal sense by Reuben, Simeon, and Levi. From this it becomes perfectly clear that the internal sense of the Word is not that which shows itself in the letter; nor can that sense be seen by anyone unless he has a knowledge of the correspondences of natural things with spiritual ones. Indeed it is not seen at all by anyone who does not know what the spiritual is or what the celestial is.

AC (Elliott) n. 6362 6362. Verses 8-12 Judah are you, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father’s sons will bow down to you. A lion’s cub is Judah; from the plunder you have gone up, my son. He crouched, he lay down like a lion, and like an old lion; who will rouse him? The sceptre will not be removed from Judah, or a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to him will be the obedience of the peoples. He binds his young ass to the vine, and the foal of his she-ass to the outstanding vine; he washes his clothing in wine, and his garment in the blood of grapes. His eyes are red from wine, and his teeth white from milk.

‘Judah are you’ means the celestial Church, in the highest sense the Lord’s Divine celestial. ‘Your brothers will praise you’ means that this Church is superior to all the rest. ‘Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies’ means that the hellish and devilish crew will flee from its presence. ‘Your father’s sons will bow down to you’ means that truths will submit themselves of their own accord. ‘A lion’s cub is Judah’ means innocence with innate strength. ‘From the plunder you have gone up, my son’ means that through the celestial the Lord accomplishes the deliverance of many from hell. ‘He crouched, he lay down like a lion, and like an old lion’ means the good of love and the truth from that good in their power. ‘Who will rouse him?’ means that he is safe when among all those in the hells. ‘The sceptre will not be removed from Judah’ means that power and control will not depart from the celestial kingdom. ‘Or a lawgiver from between his feet’ means truths from that kingdom in lower things. ‘Until Shiloh comes’ means the Lord’s Coming, and the peaceful tranquillity at that time. ‘And to him will be the obedience of the peoples’ means that from His Divine Human truths would go forth that were able to be received.* ‘He binds his young ass to the vine’ means truth in the natural for the external Church. ‘And the foal of his she-ass to the outstanding vine’ means truth from the rational for the internal Church. ‘He washes his clothing in wine’ means that His Natural consists in Divine Truth from His Divine Good. ‘And his garment in the blood of grapes’ means that His Intellect consists in Divine Good from His Divine Love. ‘His eyes are red from wine’ means that His Intellect or Internal Human is nothing else than good. ‘And his teeth white from milk’ means that the Divine Natural is nothing else than the good of truth.
* The three Latin words rendered here that were able to be received do not appear in the Latin edition, only in Sw.’s rough draft, where however they are possibly deleted. But cp 6374.

AC (Elliott) n. 6363 6363. ‘Judah are you’ means the celestial Church. in the highest sense the Lord’s Divine celestial. This is clear from the representation of ‘Judah’ in the highest sense as the Lord’s Divine love, which is His Divine celestial; but in the relative sense the Lord’s celestial kingdom, thus the celestial Church, is meant, dealt with in 3881. What the celestial kingdom is, or the celestial Church, and what the celestial is, see 640, 641, 765, 895, 2048, 2088, 2669, 2708, 2715, 2718, 2896, 3275, 3246, 3774, 3886, 3887, 4448, 4497, 5113, 5921, 6295.

AC (Elliott) n. 6364 6364. ‘Your brothers will praise you’ means that this Church is superior to all the rest. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being praised’ as being superior; from the representation of Judah, to whom ‘you’ refers here, as the celestial Church, dealt with immediately above in 6363; and from the meaning of ‘brothers’ as the truths which that Church possesses, thus also the Churches which are governed by those truths and are represented by ‘Judah’s brothers’; for truths and forms of good are what constitute a Church. The truths which the celestial Church possesses are meant by ‘your brothers’, that is, Judah’s brothers, whereas the truths that the spiritual Church possesses are meant by ‘his father’s sons’ below in 6366.

AC (Elliott) n. 6365 6365. ‘Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies’ means that the hellish and devilish crew will flee from its presence. This is clear from the meaning of ‘enemies’ as the hellish and devilish crew, for they are the enemies that are meant in the spiritual sense; and from the meaning of ‘hand on their neck’ as the pursuit of those who have taken to flight; for when an enemy flees the victor’s hand is on his neck. The phrase ‘will flee from its presence’ is used because whenever a member of the hellish crew approaches an angel from the Lord’s celestial kingdom he flees from his presence. He cannot stand it, because he cannot stand the sphere of celestial love, which is one of love to the Lord. To him that sphere is like a scorching and torturing fire. Furthermore no celestial angel ever engages in battle; still less does he have his hand on the neck of his enemies, indeed for his part he has no enemy. Nevertheless it says his hand will be on their neck because that is the way things go on in the world; but the meaning is that those from hell, who for their part are enemies, flee from his presence.

AC (Elliott) n. 6366 6366. ‘Your father’s sons will bow down to you’ means that truths will submit themselves of their own accord. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bowing down’ as submitting oneself, and from the meaning of ‘father’s sons’ as truths that spring from spiritual good; for ‘the sons of Israel’ are spiritual truths, 5414, 5879, 5951, and ‘Israel’ is spiritual good, 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833. The reason why those truths submit themselves of their own accord is that when celestial love, represented by ‘Judah’, flows into spiritual truths, represented by ‘the sons of Israel’, it rearranges them into order and submits them in that condition to the Lord. For by flowing into spiritual things what is celestial has the capacity to produce that effect; that is, good has that capacity by flowing into truth. This also explains why the Lord’s celestial kingdom is the inmost or third heaven, thus is the one closest to the Lord, while His spiritual kingdom is the middle or second heaven, and so is further away from the Lord. It is because they are arranged in this order that the Lord flows indirectly into the spiritual kingdom by way of the celestial kingdom, as well as directly. The nature of His inflow is such that the spiritual kingdom is maintained in order by means of the celestial and in that condition made submissive to the Lord. The inflow takes place from the celestial kingdom through love towards the neighbour, since that love is the exterior of the celestial kingdom and the interior of the spiritual kingdom and causes the two to be joined together, see 5922.

AC (Elliott) n. 6367 6367. ‘A lion’s cub is Judah’ means innocence with innate strength. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a lion’ as the good of love and the truth from that good in their power, dealt with below, so that ‘a lion’s cub’ is innocence with strength. The reason why with innate strength is meant is that here ‘Judah’ represents the celestial element of love, and the celestial element of love resides in the will part of the mind, 895, 917, 4493, 5117, and thus possesses innate strength. For a person is born into things that belong to the will part. That being so, members of the Most Ancient Church, which was celestial, were born into the good of love, in the measure that good was present in their will. This then is why the strength is said to be innate. The reason ‘a lion’s cub’ means innocence is that ‘a lion’ is the good of celestial love, and ‘a cub’, being so to speak its young child, accordingly means innocence.

[2] ‘A lion’ means the good of celestial love and the truth from that love in their power, and also in the contrary sense the evil of self-love in its power, as is clear from places in the Word where ‘a lion’ is mentioned. The good of celestial love is meant in John,

Behold, the Lion which is from the Tribe of Judah, the root of David, has prevailed to open the book and to loose its seven seals. Rev. 5:5.

Here the Lord is called ‘the Lion’ by virtue of the almighty power which His Divine Love and Divine Truth from that Love possess. There are also other places in the Word where Jehovah or the Lord is compared to a lion, as in Hosea,

They will go after Jehovah; He will roar like a lion, for He will roar, and respectfully [His] sons from the west* will draw near. Hosea 11:10.

[3] Also in Isaiah,

Thus said Jehovah to me, As a lion roars, and a young lion over its prey, when there come up against him a full number of shepherds, by whose voice he is not dismayed, and by whose tumult he is not distressed, so Jehovah Zebaoth will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill. Isa. 31:4.

Here the almighty power of Divine Good is compared to ‘a lion’, and the almighty power of Divine Truth from that Good is compared to ‘a young lion’. For it says that ‘Jehovah Zebaoth will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill’, and ‘Mount Zion’ means the Good of Divine Love and ‘its hill’ the Divine Truth from that Good, 795, 796, 1430, 4210.

[4] For the same reason the four living creatures in Ezekiel and in John, meaning cherubs, had the faces of a human being, lion, ox, and eagle: In Ezekiel,

The likeness of the faces of the four living creatures – [each of] the four had the face of a human being, and the face of a lion on the right side, and [each of] the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and [each of] the four had the face of an eagle. Ezek. 1:10; 10:14.

And in John,

Around** the throne were four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. And the first living creature was like a lion; the second living creature was like a calf; the third living creature had a face like a human being; the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. Rev. 4:6, 7.

The fact that the living creatures were cherubs is stated in Ezekiel to, which fact is also evident from the description of them in John, in which he says that they had ‘eyes in front and behind’. The Lord’s foresight and providence are meant by ‘the cherubs’, 308; and they had the face of a lion by virtue of the almighty power belonging to providence that Divine Truth from Divine Good possesses. So also with the cherubs around the new temple in Ezekiel 41:19.

[5] Celestial people in possession of the power supplied by the good and the truth from good which come from the Lord are meant by ‘lions’, as is evident in David,

There is no want to those fearing Jehovah. The young lions will lack and suffer hunger, but those seeking Jehovah will not lack any good thing. Ps. 34:9, 10.

In the same author,

The [young] lions are roaring for plunder, and to seek from God their food. The sun rises, they are gathered together, and lie down in their dwelling-places. Ps. 104:21, 22.

In Balaam’s prophetic utterance,

At that time it will be said to Jacob and to Israel, What has God been doing? See, a people will rise up like an old lion, and like a young lion will lift itself up. He will not rest until he has devoured the prey. Num. 23:23, 24.

[6] And further on,

When Balaam saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes, he said, He crouches, he lies down like a lion, and like an old lion; who will rouse him? Num. 24:2, 9.

The celestial is what is described here because celestial order is what the tribes represented by their encampments and was what Balaam saw in the spirit when he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes, 6335. That order originates in Divine Good coming through Divine Truth from the Lord; and within that order resides all power, meant here by a crouching and recumbent lion.

[7] In Micah,

The remnant of Jacob will be with the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, who, if he passes through, will tread down and tear in pieces,*** and there is no deliverer. Your hand will be lifted up over your enemies, and all your adversaries will be cut off. Micah 5:8, 9.

Here ‘a lion’ and a young lion stand for celestial good and celestial truth, which are ‘the remnant of Jacob’. They also stand for that good and truth in Isaiah 21:8; Jer. 25:38; Ezek. 38:13; Zech. 11:3. And that same good and truth were also represented by the lions at Solomon’s ivory throne, two next to the armrests**** and twelve on the six steps, 1 Kings 10:18-20, and by the lions on the panels of the ten pedestals made of bronze, 1 Kings 7:29, 36.

[8] In the contrary sense ‘a lion’ means the evil of self-love in its power, as is evident from the following places: In Isaiah,

There will not be any lion there, and the savage of the wild animals will not go up on it; it will not be found there. But they will go free; thus the redeemed of Jehovah will return, and will come to Zion with song. Isa. 35:9, 10.

In Jeremiah,

Why has Israel become plunder? The young lions roar at him, they sound their voice; they turn his land into a waste. Jer. 2:14, 15.

In the same prophet,

A lion has risen up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations has set out; he has come from his place to turn the land into a waste. Jer. 4:7.

In the same prophet,

They did not know the way of Jehovah, the judgement of their God, therefore a lion from the forest has struck them down, and a wolf of the plains will devastate them. Jer. 5:4, 6.

In Nahum,

Where is the dwelling-place of lions, and the feeding-place***** of the young lions, where the lion walked, the old lion, the lion’s cub, and there is no one making them afraid? The lion tears in pieces enough for the cubs, and strangles for his old lionesses, and fills his caves with plunder, and his dwelling places with what he has pounced on. Behold, I am against you, said Jehovah Zebaoth, and I will burn her chariot in the smoke; but the sword will devour your young lions, and I will cut off your plunder from the earth. Nahum 2:11-17.

This refers to Nineveh.

In all these places ‘a lion’ stands for the power that the evil of self-love possesses, when it destroys and lays waste. ‘A lion’ has a like meaning in Jer. 12:8; 49:19; 50:17, 44; 51:38; Ezek. 19:2-9; 32:2; Joel 1:6; Zeph. 3:3; Ps. 57:4; 58:6; 91:13; Rev. 13:2.
* lit. sons from the sea
** The Latin means Before but the Greek means Around, which Sw. has in other places where he quotes this verse.
*** Reading discerpet (will tear to pieces), which Sw. has in his rough draft, for disperget (will scatter)
**** lit. the hands of the throne
***** lit. pasture or grazing ground

AC (Elliott) n. 6368 6368. ‘From the plunder you have gone up, my son means that through the celestial the Lord accomplishes the deliverance of many from hell. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going up from the plunder’ as deliverance from hell, dealt with below; and from the representation of Judah, to whom ‘my son’ refers here, as the Divine celestial, dealt with in 6363. The reason ‘going up from the plunder’ means deliverance from hell is that left to himself a person is in hell, for his will and thought, when they spring wholly from himself, are nothing but evil and derivative falsity, which tie him so firmly to hell that he cannot be torn away except by force. This tearing away and deliverance is what is called ‘the plunder’; and because that is effected by the power of the Lord’s Divine Good, it is said that through the celestial the Lord accomplishes the deliverance of many from hell.

[2] But it should be recognized that no one can be torn away and delivered from hell unless during his lifetime spiritual good, that is, charity that comes through faith, has existed in him; for unless that good coming through faith has been present in him, there is nothing that can receive the good which flows in from the Lord. Instead that good from Him flows straight through, without being able to become fixed anywhere. Consequently those lacking spiritual good cannot be torn away and delivered from hell. For all the states that a person has attained during his lifetime remain with him in the next life and are developed more fully. Good states with the good remain and are filled out with good, and by means of them those people are raised into heaven; and evil states with the evil remain and are filled with evil, and by means of them these people sink down into hell. This is what is meant by the saying that as a person dies, so he remains. From this it is evident who those people are who can be delivered from hell by the Lord through the Divine celestial.

AC (Elliott) n. 6369 6369. ‘He crouched, he lay down like a lion, and like an old lion’ means the good of love and the truth from that good in their power. This is clear from the meaning of ‘crouching’ as summoning up one’s power, for when a lion crouches he stiffens his sinews and makes himself powerful, as happens when he sees his prey; from the meaning of ‘lying down’ as lying in safety and without any fear; and from the meaning of ‘a lion’ and ‘an old lion’ as the good of love and the truth from that good in their power, dealt with just above in 6367. ‘A young lion’ is one whose power comes through truth from good, and ‘an old lion’ one whose power comes through good. For those with whom celestial good exists do not ever engage in fighting but are kept safe by means of good. For the moment they arrive the evil flee since the evil cannot stand the presence of them, see 6365. They are the ones who are meant by ‘an old lion’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6370 6370. ‘Who will rouse him?’ means that he is safe when among all those in the hells. This is clear from the meaning of ‘who will rouse?’ as being safe. The reason why among all those in the hells is meant is that he is safe when among all kinds of evil, even when in the midst of the hells. Love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour hold such safety, for the reason that people governed by that love are those who are joined most closely to the Lord; and they abide in the Lord because they abide in what is Divine going forth from Him. That is why no evil can touch them. It should be recognized that the countless hells are distinct and separate from one another, in keeping with the genera of all the evils and derivative falsities that exist, and with the species making up those genera, and with the individual members making up those species. Also, in each hell order exists, and that order is preserved both directly by the Lord and indirectly through celestial angels. Sometimes angels are also sent into the hells to restore to order things which have got out of order; and while they are there they are quite safe. This is what is meant when it is said that one with whom what is celestial exists is safe when among all those in the hells.

AC (Elliott) n. 6371 6371. ‘The sceptre will not be removed from Judah’ means that power and control will not depart from the celestial kingdom. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being removed’ as departing; from the meaning of ‘the sceptre’ as power and control, in particular the power and control of truth from good, dealt with in 4876 (end), for the sceptre is an emblem of royal power and control, and truth is meant by royal power, 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 6148; and from the representation of’ Judah’ as the celestial kingdom, dealt with above in 6763. From all this it is evident that ‘the sceptre will not be removed from Judah’ means that power and control will not depart from the celestial kingdom.

[2] Viewed from the sense of the letter the contents of this verse will be seen to mean that the kingdom was not going to be removed from the Jewish people before the Lord came. That understanding of the verse is quite correct; but even so, this historical consideration, like every other, has an inner meaning. For the removal of the kingdom from the Jewish people when the Lord came is a worldly matter; but the spiritual content that belongs to the inner meaning is evident when one understands power and control by ‘the sceptre’ and the celestial kingdom by ‘Judah’. Yet the notion that power and control would depart from the celestial kingdom when the Lord came is an arcanum that no one can know unless it is revealed to him. And what that arcanum entails is this: Prior to the Lord’s Coming into the world there was among men and among spirits an influx of life from Jehovah or the Lord which came by way of the celestial kingdom, that is, through the angels who were in that kingdom. This was the source of their power at that time. But when the Lord came into the world, and by so doing made the Human within Himself Divine, He took to Himself what had rested with angels of the celestial kingdom, namely that power and control. For what flowed from God and passed through that heaven had until then been the Divine human.* That influx was also the Divine Person who presented Himself, when Jehovah revealed Himself in this way. But this Divine human came to an end when the Lord made the Human within Himself Divine. From this one may now see what this arcanum entails. Angels of that kingdom do, it is true, still exercise great power and control, but only in the measure that the Lord’s Divine Human resides in them through their love for Him. See what has been stated and shown already on these matters in 1990, 2803, 3061, 4180, 4687, 5110, 6280.
* See 2814.

AC (Elliott) n. 6372 6372. ‘Or a lawgiver from between his feet’ means truths from that kingdom in Lower things. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a lawgiver’ as truths, dealt with below, and from the meaning of ‘feet’ as natural things, dealt with in 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952, 5327, 5328, thus lower ones; for natural things are beneath, and the celestial ones, spoken of just before now, are above. The expression ‘a lawgiver from between his feet’ is used to mean the spiritual of the celestial, or truth that is derived from good; for at that time there was no spiritual kingdom distinct and separate from the celestial kingdom, like that after the Lord’s Coming; rather, it made one with the celestial kingdom, except that it formed the external part of it. For this reason the words ‘from between his feet’ are also used to mean truth that is derived from good, for the part in between the feet, from its communication with the loins, means that truth. Referring to this truth it is also said that it would be removed ‘when Shiloh comes’; that is to say, its power and control, like the power and control of the celestial spoken of immediately above in 6371, would be removed.

[2] The celestial kingdom exercised its power and control in those times through that truth, which explains why this truth is called ‘a lawgiver’. The same truth is also meant in the internal sense by ‘lawgiver’ in Isaiah,

Jehovah is our judge, Jehovah is our lawgiver, Jehovah is our king. Isa. 33:12.

‘Judge’ stands for Him when He acts from good, ‘legislator’ when He acts from truth deriving from that good, and ‘king’ when He acts from truth – sources of action which also follow one another in that order. In David,

Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine, and Ephraim is the strength of My head, Judah is My lawgiver. Ps. 60:7, 108:8.

‘Judah the lawgiver’ stands for celestial good and accompanying celestial truth. In Moses,

The well* which the princes dug, which the chiefs of the people dug out, as directed by the lawgiver, with their staves. Num. 21:18.

And in the same author,

Gad chose the best** for himself, for there was the portion of the hidden lawgiver; from there came the heads of the people, he administered Jehovah’s righteousness, and His judgements with Israel. Deut. 33:21.

Here also ‘lawgiver’ stands for truth from good.
* lit. spring
** lit. saw the first fruits

AC (Elliott) n. 6373 6373. ‘Until Shiloh comes’ means the Lord’s Coming, and the peaceful tranquillity at that time. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Shiloh’ as the Lord, who is called Shiloh because He brought peace to all things and gave them tranquillity; for in the original language Shiloh is derived from a word meaning tranquil. Why the Lord is called Shiloh here is evident from what has been stated immediately above in 6371, 6372, regarding the celestial kingdom and its power and control. For when the Divine presented Himself by means of that kingdom there was no tranquillity, since things in heaven and those in hell could not be brought by means of that kingdom into a state of order. This was because the Divine, as it passed through that kingdom, could not remain pure since heaven is not pure;* so neither was that kingdom strong enough to serve as the means by which all things could be preserved in a state of order. And what is more, as a consequence hellish and devilish spirits were at that time breaking out of hell and having dominion over souls who were coming from the world, as a result of which a situation was coming about in which none but the celestial ones could be saved. At length scarcely these could have been saved if the Lord had not taken on the Human and made that Human within Himself Divine. [2] By doing this the Lord brought all things into a state of order, first those in heaven, then those in hell; and this gave rise to peaceful tranquillity.

Spiritual people, that is, those who belonged to the spiritual Church, were saved through the Lord’s Coming, see 2661, 2716, 2833, 2834.

When He was in the world the Lord brought all things into a state of order, 1810, 4286, 4187.

Divine Truth from Jehovah or the Lord flowed through heaven to the human race. But because this was insufficient when mankind departed from good, the Lord came into the world and made the Human within Himself Divine, so that the Lord’s Divine Human would then be the source from which Divine Truth went forth and thereby saved a person who received good by means of truth, 4180, 6280.
* Job 15:15

AC (Elliott) n. 6374 6374. ‘And to him will be the obedience of the peoples’ means that from His Divine Human truths would go forth that were able to be received. This is clear from the meaning of ‘obedience’ as the reception of truths which go forth from the Lord; and from the meaning of ‘peoples’ as those governed by truths – thus also truths themselves, dealt with in 1259, 1260, 3581 – and therefore as those who belong to the spiritual Church, 2928.

AC (Elliott) n. 6375 6375. ‘He binds his young ass to the vine’ means truth in the natural for the external Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘binding’ as being joined to; from the meaning of ‘the vine’ as the spiritual Church, dealt with in 1069, 5113, here the external spiritual Church since the description ‘the outstanding vine’ immediately after means the internal church; and from the meaning of ‘an ass’ as truth in the natural, dealt with in 2781. From this it is evident that ‘he binds his ass to the vine’ means a joining through truth in the natural to the external Church.

AC (Elliott) n. 6376 6376. ‘And the foal of his she-ass to the outstanding vine’ means truth from the rational for the internal Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the vine’ as the spiritual Church, dealt with in 1069, 5113, so that ‘the outstanding vine’ means the internal Church (for the internal part of the Church is more outstanding than the external part of it); and from the meaning of ‘the foal of a she-ass’ as rational truth, dealt with in 2781. The external part of the Church is distinct and separate from the internal, in that it is located in the natural, thus in the external man, whereas the internal part is located in the rational, thus in the internal man. Members of the external Church are governed by truth, those of the internal Church by good. The former are motivated not so much by the good of charity as they are by the truth of faith, whereas the latter are motivated by the good of charity and from this by the truth of faith. Members of the internal Church are the ones meant by ‘the outstanding vine’, but members of the external Church are the ones meant by ‘the vine’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6377 6377. ‘He washes his clothing in wine’ means that His Natural consists in Divine Truth from His Divine Good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘washing’ as purifying, dealt with in 3147; from the meaning of ‘wine’ as the good of love towards the neighbour and the good of faith, and in the highest sense as Divine Truth from the Lord’s Divine Good, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘clothing’ as the exterior which covers the interior, dealt with in 5248, thus the natural since this is exterior and covers the rational, which is interior. Therefore ‘clothing’ also means truth since this is exterior and covers good, which is interior, 2576, 4545, 4763, 5319, 5954.

[2] The fact that ‘wine’ means love towards the neighbour and the good of faith may be recognized from what has been shown regarding the bread and wine in the Holy Supper, in 2165, 2177, 3464, 4581, 5915. These paragraphs show that ‘bread’ is the good of celestial love, and that ‘wine’ is the good of spiritual love. The same may also be recognized from the minchah and the drink-offering in sacrifices. The minchah in them meant the good of love, and the drink-offering the good of faith. The minchah consisted of the kinds of things that meant the good of love, while the drink-offering consisted of wine that meant the good of faith. The sacrifices themselves were also called ‘bread’, 2165. For the use in sacrifices of a drink-offering consisting of wine, see Exod. 29:40; Lev. 23:12, 13, 18, 19; Num.15:2-15; 28:6, 7, 18-end; 29:1-7 and following verses.

[3] The meaning that ‘wine’ has of love towards the neighbour and the good of faith is also evident in Isaiah,

Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! And come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Isa. 55:1.

No one can fail to see that they did not have to buy wine and milk, but that they were to acquire what is meant by ‘wine and milk’, which is love towards the neighbour and faith. These gifts come from the Lord ‘without money and without price’.

[4] In Hosea,

Threshing-floor and winepress will not feed them, and new wine will be deceptive to her.* Ephraim will return to Egypt, and in Assyria they will eat what is unclean. They will not pour libations of wine to Jehovah, their sacrifices will not be pleasing to Him. Hosea 9:1-4.

Here also in the internal sense reference is made to the good of love and the good of faith, to the demise of them. The good of love is meant by ‘threshing-floor’ by virtue of the grain there and the bread made from it, while the good of faith is meant by ‘winepress’, ‘new wine’, and ‘libation of wine’. ‘Ephraim will return to Egypt’ stands for the fact that the understanding would resort to factual knowledge for advice concerning the arcana of faith; ‘in Assyria they will eat what is unclean’ stands for that which is the outcome of consequent false reasoning – ‘Ephraim’ being the area of understanding in the Church, see 5754, 6112, 6238, 6267; ‘Egypt’ the area of factual knowledge, 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 5702; and ‘Assyria’ that of reasoning, 1186. The line of thought in this passage also shows that the words used here contain something more than what one sees in the letter. For everything hangs together in the internal sense, but not so in the external sense, for example when it says that ‘threshing-floor and winepress will not feed them, and new wine will be deceptive to her’, immediately followed by ‘Ephraim will return to Egypt, and in Assyria they will eat what is unclean’. Moreover, without the internal sense what meaning would Ephraim’s return to Egypt and their eating in Assyria what is unclean have?

[5] ‘Winepress’ and ‘wine’ are also used in Jeremiah to describe the demise of mutual love and the good of faith,

He who lays waste has fallen on your vintage, therefore joy and gladness have been plucked from Carmel, and from the land of Moab, for I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; none will tread the headed.** Jer. 48:32, 33.

[6] The fact that ‘wine’ means the good of mutual love and of faith is also evident in John,

I heard a voice from the midst of the four living creatures, saying, Do no harm to oil and wine. Rev. 6:6.

[7] ‘Oil’ stands for the good of celestial love, and ‘wine’ for the good of spiritual love.

‘Oil’ and ‘wine’ have a similar meaning in the Lord’s parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke,

A certain Samaritan was journeying, and seeing him who had been wounded by the robbers was moved with compassion for him; going therefore to him, he bandaged his wounds, and poured on oil and wine. Luke 10:33, 34.

‘He poured on oil and wine’ means that he performed the works of love and charity, ‘oil’ being the good of love, see 886, 3728. A like meaning was involved in the practice of the ancients, who poured oil and wine onto a pillar when they consecrated it, Gen. 35:14 – 4581, 4582.

[8] The fact that ‘wine’ means the good of love and faith is evident from the words the Lord used when He instituted the Holy Supper. He said then regarding the wine,

I tell you that I shall not drink from now on of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom. Matt.26:29; Luke 22:17, 18.

Anyone can see that He was not about to drink wine in that kingdom, but that the good of love and faith is meant, which He was about to impart to those who belonged to His kingdom. Much the same is meant by ‘wine’ in Isaiah 24:9, 11; Lam. 2:11, 12; Hosea 14:7; Amos 9:13, 14; Zech. 9:15, 16; Luke 5:37-39.

[9] Since ‘wine’ means the good of love and faith, Divine Truth from the Lord’s Divine Good is therefore meant in the highest sense, for that Truth, when it flows into a person and is accepted by him, brings him the good of love and faith.

[10] Since most things in the Word also have a contrary meaning, so too does ‘wine’, the contrary meaning of which is falsity from evil, as in Isaiah,

Woe to those who rise in the morning around dawn, and then follow strong drink, who continue into dusk, so that wine may inflame them! Woe to heroes at drinking wine, and to valiant men in mixing strong drink! Isa. 5:11, 22

In the same prophet,

Also these err through wine, and go astray through strong drink. The priest and the prophet err through strong drink. They are swallowed up by wine, they go astray through strong drink. They err among the seers, they are tottery in judgement. Isa. 28:7.

In the same prophet,

The shepherds know no understanding, they all look to their own way. Come, I will get wine, and we will be drunken from strong drink; and let there be tomorrow, as there is this day, great abundance. Isa. 56:11, 12.

In addition to these places ‘wine’ is used with the contrary meaning in Jer. 13:12; Hosea 4:11; 7:5; Amos 2:8; Micah 2:11; Ps. 75:8; Deut. 32:33.

Falsity from evil is also meant by the cup of the wine of wrath in Jer. 25:15, 16; Rev. 14:8, 10; 16:19; the winepress of the wrath of God’s anger, Rev. 19:15; and the wine of whoredom, Rev. 17:2; 18:3.
* The Latin means them but the Hebrew means her, which Sw. has in other places where he quotes this verse, as well as possibly here in his rough draft.

AC (Elliott) n. 6378 6378. ‘And his garment in the blood of grapes’ means that His Intellect consists in Divine Good from His Divine Love. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the blood of grapes’ as the good of love, and in the highest sense the Lord’s Divine Good flowing from His Divine Love, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘garment’ as the intellect, for the intellect is a receiver, and what is a receiver, being a container, is like a garment. The reason why ‘garment’ means the intellect and why ‘clothing’, dealt with immediately above in 6377, means the natural is that the external was the subject there, whereas the internal is the subject here. For owing to the heavenly marriage in the Word, when the external is referred to, so also is the internal; and when truth is referred to, so also is good, see 6343. This sometimes seems to outward appearance to amount to a repetition of the same thing, as for example here where it says ‘He washes his clothing in wine, and his garment in the blood of grapes .’Wine’ and ‘the blood of grapes’ seem to describe the same thing, and so do ‘clothing’ and ‘garment’; but they do not because what is external and what is internal are expressed in that way.

[2] The fact that ‘the blood of grapes’ is Divine Good from the Lord’s Divine Love is evident from the meaning of ‘blood’ as Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord’s Divine Good, referred to in 4735; and by ‘grapes’ in the highest sense is meant the Lord’s Divine Good present with those in His spiritual kingdom, and consequently in the relative sense the good of charity, 5117. ‘The blood of the grape’ also has a similar meaning in the Song of Moses,

Butter from the cattle, and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs and rams, the breed* of Bashan, and of goats, with the kidney-fat of wheat, and of the blood of the grape you drink unmixed, wine. Deut. 31:14.
* lit. sons

AC (Elliott) n. 6379 6379. ‘His eyes are red from wine’ means that His Intellect or Internal Human is nothing else than good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘red’ as the good of love – a meaning that is derived from ‘fire’ and ‘blood’, which are red, dealt with in 3300 – so that ‘red from wine’ means that it is nothing else than good; and from the meaning of ‘eyes’ as the intellect or understanding, dealt with in 2701, 3820, 4403-4421, 4523-4534. And Since the Lord is the subject here, His Internal Human is what is meant here by His Intellect; for His External Human is meant, as now follows, by the words ‘teeth white from milk’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6380 6380. ‘And his teeth white from milk’ means that the Divine Natural is nothing else than the good of truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘white’ as that which is used with reference to truth, dealt with in 3301, 3993, 4007, 5319; from the meaning of ‘teeth’ in the genuine sense as the natural, for the hard parts of a person’s body, such as his teeth, bones, and cartilages, correspond to the truths and forms of good that belong to the lowest parts of the natural; and from the meaning of ‘milk’ as the celestial-spiritual, or what amounts to the same, the good of truth, dealt with in 2184. The Lord’s Divine Natural is said to be the good of truth when it is considered in relation to people who believe in and love the Lord; for members of the external Church are unable to go any higher in their thinking than the Lord’s Divine Natural, whereas the thinking of members of the internal Church goes above the natural to the Internal. For the idea of the Lord formed by anyone who believes in Him is conditioned by how far he can rise in his thinking. Those who are aware of what the internal is can have an idea of the internal; but those who are not aware of what the internal is have an idea of the external. This is why the Lord’s Divine Natural is said to be the good of truth, when in fact His entire Human is the Divine Good of Divine Love.

AC (Elliott) n. 6381 6381. From what has now been said about Judah it is clearly evident that the Word has an internal sense and that unless a person knows what that sense holds within it, he cannot possibly know what is meant by the things said about him here. He cannot know what is meant by the statement that he is a lion’s cub who went up from the plunder, crouched, and lay down like a lion, and like an old lion. He cannot know what is meant by ‘the lawgiver from between his feet’, by ‘Shiloh’, by ‘binding his young ass to the vine, and the foal of his she-ass to the outstanding vine’, by ‘washing his clothing in wine, and his garment in the blood of grapes’, or by ‘his eyes are red from wine, and his teeth white from milk’. What all these things really mean would remain completely hidden from sight unless the sense that lies more deeply within were used to uncover them.

AC (Elliott) n. 6382 6382. Verse 13 Zebulun will dwell at the haven of the seas, and he will be at the haven of ships; and his side will be over towards Sidon. ‘Zebulun’ means the dwelling together of goodness and truth. ‘Will dwell at the haven of the seas’ means a life in which truth inferred from known facts is present. ‘And he will be at the haven of ships’ means in which teachings drawn from the Word are present. ‘And his side will be over towards Sidon’ means the extension on one side into the cognitions of good and truth.

AC (Elliott) n. 6383 6383. ‘Zebulun’ means the dwelling together of goodness and truth. This is clear from the representation of ‘Zebulun’ as the heavenly marriage, dealt with in 3960, 3961, thus goodness and truth joined together, since that conjunction is the heavenly marriage. The words ‘the dwelling together of goodness and truth’ are used because in the original language ‘Zebulun’ means a dwelling together. Here ‘Zebulun’ has reference to those within the Church who use the facts they know to draw inferences about spiritual truths and thereby strengthen their grasp of those truths. But it should be recognized that ‘Zebulun’ does not mean those people who do not believe something unless they are shown factual and sensory evidence to prove it and who until then have a negative attitude of mind. Such people do not ever come to believe it because that negative attitude of mind reigns in all their thinking; and when it reigns in all their thinking, facts which contradict, not those that corroborate, enter in and are gathered up by those people. They cast aside facts that may serve to corroborate, or else interpret them in such a way that they lend support to other factual evidence that contradicts the truth. Thus the negative attitude becomes all the stronger.

[2] But ‘Zebulun’ is used here to mean people who believe teachings drawn from the Word and accordingly have something of an affirmative attitude in all their thinking. Yet their faith does not exist in truths but in factual knowledge, for they bring such knowledge to bear on those teachings and by doing this strengthen their affirmative attitude. The ones who are meant by ‘Zebulun’ do not therefore go above factual knowledge; rather, when they hear or contemplate any truth of faith they instantly fall back on the facts they know. Many in the world are like this; and the Lord even makes provision so that factual knowledge and sensory evidence may serve them to that end.

AC (Elliott) n. 6384 6384. ‘Will dwell at the haven of the seas’ means a life in which truth inferred from known facts is present. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the haven’ as the place where factual knowledge ends and begins, in this case the place where truth inferred from factual knowledge is present, since ‘Zebulun’ here refers to those with whom the truths of faith reside in that knowledge; from the meaning of ‘the seas’ as known facts in their entirety, dealt with in 28; and from the meaning of ‘dwelling’ as life, dealt with in 1293, 3384, 3613, 4451, 6051. From this it is evident that by ‘will dwell at the haven of the seas’ is meant a Life in which truth inferred from known facts is present. As regards that life, see what has been stated immediately above in 6383. But this also should be known about it, that that life resides in the external or natural man, with some people in the lowest part of the natural, which is the level of the senses; for with them the truths of faith have been tied to factual knowledge in such a way that they cannot be raised above it. This also explains why they are in greater obscurity than anyone else in the spiritual Church; for they receive little light from their understanding, since it is preoccupied with factual knowledge and sensory impressions. It is different with those who have had an affirmative attitude of mind and have used factual knowledge to corroborate the truths of faith, but in such a way that they can be raised above factual knowledge, that is, above the natural, where that knowledge resides. These people have an enlightened understanding and so enjoy some perception of spiritual truth, which is served by factual knowledge beneath. That knowledge acts as a mirror in which the truths of faith and charity are seen and recognized, even as affections are seen in the face.

AC (Elliott) n. 6385 6385. ‘And he will be at the haven of ships’ means in which teachings drawn from the Word are present. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the haven’ as the resting-place, as immediately above in 6384, thus the place where those teachings are present; and from the meaning of ‘ships’ as teachings drawn from the Word. The reason Why they are meant by ‘ships’ is that ships sail across seas and along rivers, carrying commodities used to support life. For ‘seas’ and ‘rivers’ mean different kinds of knowledge; the commodities used to support life which the ships carry are teachings as well as actual truths drawn from the Word. The fact that such teachings and truths are meant by ‘ships’ is evident from the following places: In Isaiah,

The islands will put their trust in Me, and the ships of Tarshish at their head, to bring your sons from afar, their silver and their gold with them. Isa. 60:9.

‘The ships of Tarshish’ stands for teachings and truths drawn from the Word. This is why it says that they would bring their sons, their silver and gold; for ‘sons’ means those in possession of truths, ‘silver’ truth itself, and ‘gold’ good. Anyone can see that the ships of Tarshish are not really meant here, and that sons, silver, and gold are not really meant either.

[2] In Ezekiel,

In the heart of the sea are your borders, your architects have perfected your beauty. Of fir trees from Senir they built for you all the boards; they took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you. Of oaks from Bashan they made oars; your plank they made of ivory, a daughter of steps* from the isles of Kittim. Fine linen with embroidered work from Egypt was your sail, that it might be to you an ensign; violet and purple from the islands of Elishah was your covering. The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers; your wise men, O Tyre, who were in you were your pilots. Elders of Gebal and its wisemen were in you, remedying your cracks. All the ships of the sea and their sailors were in you, to conduct your trade. Ezek. 17:4-9.

This refers to Tyre, which means cognitions of good and truth, 1201. Those cognitions are described by means of the aspects of a ship – its boards, mast, oars, plank, sail, covering, rowers, pilots, and sailors. Who can fail to see that one must not take all these things literally? But when the cognitions of truth and good, which are ‘Tyre’, together with teachings drawn from the Word, are understood by ‘ships’, all things go beautifully together.

[3] In David,

How many are your works, O Jehovah! In wisdom You have made them all. This sea, great and wide on both hands** – there the ships sail, the sea monster whom you have formed to play in it. Ps. 104:24-26.

In the same author,

Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of confession, and declare Jehovah’s works in a triumphant shout. Those who go down to the sea with ships, doing work in many waters – these saw the works of Jehovah, and His marvels in the deep. Ps. 107:21-24.

Here also ‘ships’ stands for cognitions and religious teachings, ‘the sea monster’ for the general sources of known facts, 42. And since ‘ships’ are cognitions and those teachings, the words ‘those who go down to the sea with ships – these saw the works of Jehovah, and His marvels in the deep’ are used; for those who know those cognitions and teachings drawn from the Word see those works and marvels.

[4] In John,

The second angel sounded, and so to speak a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. And a third part of the sea became blood, with the result that a third part of creatures died who had their being*** in the sea. And a third part of the ships was destroyed. Rev. 8:8, 9.

‘A great mountain burning with fire’ stands for self-love, 1691; ‘the sea stands for the natural where factual knowledge resides, 28; ‘blood’ stands for violence done to charity, 374, 1005; ‘the creatures who had their being in the sea’ stands for truths contained in factual knowledge, together with forms of good; ‘a third part’ stands for something not yet complete, 2788 (end). They ‘died’ stands for the fact that they had no spiritual life, 6119, and therefore ‘a third part of the ships was destroyed’ stands for the fact that the truths and forms of good presented in teachings drawn from the Word were falsified. From all this one may see what is meant by this prophetic description.

[5] But in the contrary sense ‘ships’ means cognitions and teachings that present falsity and evil, as in Daniel,

At the time of the end the king of the south will clash with him; therefore the king of the north will rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he will enter into countries, and will overflow and penetrate. Dan. 11:40.

‘The king of the south’ stands for truths that spring from good, ‘the king of the north’ for falsities that spring from evil, ‘chariots with horsemen and with ships’ for teachings that present falsity. ‘Countries’ stands for Churches, which – it is foretold – falsities springing from evils will overflow and penetrate ‘at the time of the end’.

[6] In John,

Every shipmaster, and everyone on board ships, and sailors, and all who trade on the sea, stood at a distance and were crying out as they saw the smoke of Babylon’s burning, saying, What [city] is like the great city? Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who have ships on the sea have been made rich by her wealth.**** Rev. 18:17-19.

Here it may be seen that ‘ships’ are cognitions and teachings that present falsity and evil because ‘Babylon’ describes worship which to outward appearance is holy but inwardly is profane. Once again no one can fail to see that ‘ships’ means something other than ships. The same is so in Isaiah,

Thus says Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, For your sake I have sent to Babel, so that I may break down all the bars, and the Chaldeans in whose ships there is shouting Isa. 43:14.

In addition to these places falsities springing from evil are also meant by ‘ships’ in Isaiah 2:16; 23:1, 14; Ps. 48:7.
* a daughter of steps describes part of a ship, though exactly which part is not clear to the translator.
** lit. wide with spaces
*** lit. their souls
**** lit. preciousness

AC (Elliott) n. 6386 6386. ‘And his side will be towards Sidon’ means the extension on one side into cognitions of good and truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘side’ as the extension on one side; and from the meaning of ‘Sidon’ as exterior cognitions of good and truth, dealt with in 1201.

In this section dealing with Zebulun reference is made to cognitions, religious teachings, and factual knowledge. And the phrases ‘the extension on one side into cognitions of good and truth’ and also ‘truth inferred from known facts in which teachings drawn from the Word are present’ are used, so let it be said what differences are being drawn here between these terms. Teachings consist in what is derived from the Word, cognitions in what is derived from those teachings on one side and factual knowledge on the other, while factual knowledge consists in what is derived from one’s own and other people’s experience.

AC (Elliott) n. 6387 6387. Verses 14, 15 Issachar is a bony ass, lying down between burdens. And he will see rest that it is good, and the land that it is pleasant; and he will bend his shoulder to bear a burden, and will be one serving for tribute.

‘Issachar’ means recompense gained from works. ‘Is a bony ass’ means lowest- ranking service. ‘Lying down between burdens’ means life among works. ‘And he will see rest that it is good’ means that works of goodness done without thought of recompense are filled with happiness. ‘And the land that it is pleasant’ means that those in the Lord’s kingdom enjoy that happiness. ‘And he will bend his shoulder to bear a burden’ means that nevertheless he makes every effort. ‘And will be one serving for tribute’ means so that he may earn merit.

AC (Elliott) n. 6388 6388. ‘Issachar’ means recompense gained from works. This is clear from the representation of ‘Issachar’ as mutual love which is earned as a reward or recompense, dealt with in 3956, 3957. Here recompense gained from works is meant, as is evident in the internal sense from every detail mentioned in this prophetic utterance concerning Issachar, in addition to which Issachar in the original language means reward. The reason why ‘Issachar’ here means recompense gained from works, whereas previously he meant mutual love, is that here one has to understand by Issachar people with whom some kind and appearance of mutual love, that is, of charity towards the neighbour, is present. But they wish to receive recompense for the good deeds they do; thus genuine mutual love or charity is not merely tainted by them but actually perverted. For people with whom genuine mutual love resides enter into the delight and blessedness that is theirs when they. perform good deeds to their neighbour; there is nothing they desire more. That delight and blessedness is what is meant in the Word by ‘reward’, for delight or blessedness is the reward, and in the next life it becomes the joy and happiness that is experienced in heaven, and so becomes for those people heaven itself. For when those in heaven with whom that love resides perform useful services and good deeds for others, they feel so full of joy and happiness that they seem to themselves to be in heaven for the first time then. This feeling is granted them by the Lord; and He grants it to each one according to the nature of the service he performs.

[2] But that happiness departs the moment they think of recompense, for thought of recompense, even though they already have the true recompense, renders that love impure and corrupts it. The reason for this is that they are now thinking about themselves, not about their neighbour, that is, how they themselves can be made happy, not how others can be unless they themselves benefit from it. Thus they turn love towards the neighbour into love towards themselves; and to the extent that they do so they prevent joy and happiness from being communicated to them out of heaven, since they channel the flow of happiness from heaven into themselves and do not pass it on to others. They are like objects which do not reflect rays of light but absorb them. Objects that do reflect them are lit up and shining, whereas those that absorb them are dull and not at all shining. People who are like this are therefore separated from angelic society, like those who have nothing in common with heaven; and these are the ones who are described here by ‘Issachar’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6389 6389. ‘Is a bony ass’ means lowest-ranking service. This is clear from the meaning of ‘an ass’ as service, dealt with in 5958, 5959; and from the meaning of ‘bone’ as that which possesses little spiritual life, dealt with in 5560, 5561. Thus ‘a bony ass’ is the lowest-ranking service, for people who do good for the sake of recompense do, it is true, perform useful services and act as servants; nevertheless they belong among those in the Lord’s kingdom who occupy the lowest position. For the good that is communicated to them they pass on to none but those who can repay them. They overlook all others who may be in the greatest need; or if they do help them out it is to the end that the Lord may recompense them. They look on what they do as that which earns them merit and so on the Lord’s mercy as their due. Thus they depart from a state of humility, and to the extent that they depart from it they depart from a state in which blessing and happiness are received from the Lord through heaven. From all this it may be seen that in the next life such people are, it is true, engaged in the performance of useful services; but they are the lowest ranking servants.

AC (Elliott) n. 6390 6390. ‘Lying down between burdens’ means life among works. This is clear from the meaning of ‘lying down’ as life, but life with little light; and from the meaning of ‘burdens’ as works. The reason why such works are meant by ‘burdens’ is that the people described here are not motivated, when they perform good deeds, by an affection that goes with love towards the neighbour but by an affection that goes with love towards themselves. Works motivated by the second affection are like the burdens carried by lowly asses, for such people are among the most menial servants. All servitude arises out of an affection that goes with self-love and love of the world, and all freedom arises out of an affection that goes with love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour. The reason for this is that the first affection enters in from hell, which is violently domineering, whereas the second comes from the Lord, who is not domineering but one who leads. This again shows that those who do good for the sake of recompense are the lowest-ranking servants, and that their works are ‘burdens’. ‘Burdens’ has a similar meaning in the Book of Judges,

Princes in Issachar were with Deborah; and as was Issachar, so was Barak; in the valley he will be sent under his feet* – in the divisions of Reuben, great as to decrees of the heart. Why should you sit between burdens, to hear the hissings of the flocks? Judg. 5:15, 16.

Here also ‘Issachar’ stands for those who wish to receive recompense for their works. ‘In the valley being sent under his feet’ stands for serving in the lowest ways. ‘The divisions of Reuben’ stands for those who have a knowledge of matters that constitute the truth of faith, among whom – yet placed beneath whom – there are those represented by ‘Issachar’. ‘Hearing the hissings of the flock’ stands for contempt on the part of those with whom the good of charity is present, who are meant by ‘the flocks’. ‘Sitting between burdens’ stands for among merit-seeking works.
* i.e. under his command

AC (Elliott) n. 6391 6391. ‘And he will see rest that it is good’ means that works of goodness done without thought of recompense are filled with happiness. This is clear from the meaning of ‘rest’ as the things which are of heaven, thus those who* have the good of charity in them, that is, who perform works of goodness without thought of recompense, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘that it is good’ as the fact that they are filled with happiness. The reason ‘rest’ means works of goodness done without thought of recompense is that ‘rest’ or peace in the highest sense means the Lord, and in the relative sense heaven and thus good which comes from the Lord, see 3780, 4681, 5662. And since the things meant by ‘rest’ or peace reside with none but those who have the good of charity in them and so perform works of goodness without thought of recompense, these works are meant by ‘rest’; for this meaning is what follows from the train of thought in the internal sense.

[2] The fact of the matter is that people who perform good deeds with no other end in view than recompense cannot possibly know that the performance of good deeds without thought of recompense holds happiness so great that it is the happiness of heaven. The reason why they cannot know is that happiness is seen by them to reside in the delight of self-love; and insofar as a person sees delight within this love he sees no delight within heavenly love, since the two are opposites. The delight which comes out of self-love entirely destroys that which comes out of heavenly love. It destroys it so completely that there is plainly no knowledge of what heavenly delight may be; or if mention is made of what it is like, this is met with unbelief and even rejection.

[3] I have been allowed to know about this from evil spirits in the next life who, when they lived in the world, performed no good deed for others or for their country except for selfish reasons. They do not believe that any delight can exist in the performance of good deeds without recompense as the end in view; for they imagine that without recompense as the end in view all delight ceases to exist. And if they are told nevertheless that when that delight ceases to exist heavenly delight starts to do so, they are dumbfounded on hearing it. And especially when they hear that that heavenly delight flows into a person by way of his inmost being and fills him interiorly with indescribable happiness, they are all the more dumbfounded, saying they cannot take it in. Indeed they say they do not want that delight, for they think that if they lose the delight of self-love their condition is utterly wretched because all the joy of life is in that case missing; and they also call those people naive whose state is different from one of self-love. Not unlike them are those whose works are performed with a view to recompense, for they do good works for their own benefit and not that of others, that is, they regard themselves in those works, not their neighbour, nor their country, nor heaven, nor the Lord, except as those who have a duty to be of benefit to them. These are the kinds of matters that this verse dealing with Issachar describes in the internal sense.
* Reading qui (who), which Sw. has in his rough draft, for quae (which)

AC (Elliott) n. 6392 6392. ‘And the land that it is pleasant’ means that those in the Lord’s kingdom enjoy that happiness. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the land’ as the Church, thus also the Lord’s kingdom, dealt with in 662, 1066, 1067, 1413, 1607, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 4447 (the reason why ‘the land’ has this meaning is that the land of Canaan, to which ‘the land’ refers in the Word, represented the Lord’s kingdom; and it had this representation because the Church had existed there since the most ancient times, 3038, 3481, 3686, 3705, 4447, 4454, 4516, 4517, 5136); and from the meaning of ‘that it is pleasant’ as the happiness which works of goodness without thought of recompense entail. The reason why it says ‘he will see rest that it is good, and the land that it is pleasant’, by both of which statements is meant the happiness that exists in the Lord’s kingdom, is that ‘seeing rest that it is good’ has reference to what is celestial or to good, while ‘seeing the land that it is pleasant ‘has reference to what is spiritual or to truth, both of which are mentioned on account of the marriage of goodness and truth, spoken of in 6343.

[2] To take further this matter of the happiness that exists in the works of goodness without thought of recompense, it should be recognized that very few at the present day know that performing good deeds without thought of recompense is that in which heavenly happiness consists. For people know of no other happiness than that gained from being raised to important positions, being served by others, having an abundance of riches, and leading a life of pleasure. They are profoundly ignorant of the existence above all these things of a happiness that fills a person’s inner being, thus of the existence of a heavenly happiness, or of the fact that this happiness is the happiness that genuine charity possesses. Ask the wise at the present day whether they know that this is heavenly happiness. This also explains why many disallow good works, in the belief that it is impossible for anyone to perform them without the intention to earn merit through them. For they do not know that those who are led by the Lord have no greater desire than to perform good works, and that nothing is further from their thought than the earning of merit through them. The new will which the Lord confers on those who are being regenerated brings this attitude of mind with it; for this new will is the Lord’s residing with a person.

AC (Elliott) n. 6393 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.

[2] With regard to those who desire a reward for the works they accomplish, it should also be recognized that they are never satisfied but become annoyed if their reward is not greater than that which everyone else receives; or if they see that others are more richly blessed than themselves, they are sad and complaining. Real blessedness is not considered by them to reside in inward things but in outward ones, that is to say, in their being pre-eminent, having dominion, and being served by angels, thus in their being superior to angels and so being the chief and great ones in heaven. But in actual fact heavenly blessedness does not consist in wishing to have dominion and to be served by others but in wishing to serve others and to be the least, as the Lord teaches,

James and John, the sons of Zebedee drew near, saying, Grant us to sit in Your glory, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left. Jesus said to them, You do not know what you ask. To sit at My right hand and at My left is not Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared. You know that those who are reckoned to rule the gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones have authority over them. It must not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your minister, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be ministered to but to minister. Mark 10:35-45.

[3] And He teaches that heaven belongs to those who do good without recompense as their end in view, in Luke,

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted. When you give a dinner or a supper, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbours, lest perhaps also they invite you back in return, and you are repaid. But when you give a feast invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, for they have nothing with which to repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. Luke 14:11-14.

‘Repayment at the resurrection of the just’ is the inner happiness that comes from doing good without thought of recompense, which people receive from the Lord when they perform useful services. And the more that those who love to serve without thought of repayment love to do good, the nobler are the services committed to their charge. Also, they are in actual fact greater and more powerful than others.

[4] Those who perform good works with a view to repayment also say, because of what they know from the Word, that they wish to be the least in heaven. But they think that by saying this they may become great, so that they still have the same end in view. But those who do good without thought of repayment really do not think about pre-eminence, only about being of service.

[5] See what has been stated and shown already about earning merit through works,

In the next life those who are merit-seekers appear to be splitting wood and cutting grass, 1110, 1111, 4943.

How those people are represented, 1774, 2027.

Those who have done good for selfish and worldly reasons receive no payment in the next life for that good, 1835.

Those who place merit in works interpret the Word literally to their own advantage and laugh with scorn at its inner content, 1774, 1877.

True charity is devoid of all merit-seeking, 2340, 2373, 2400, 3816.

Those who separate faith from charity consider the works they have done to be worthy of merit, 2373 (end).

Those who come into heaven throw off what is their own and any merit of their own, 4007 (end).

Most people believe, when they start to be reformed, that the good they do originates in themselves, and that through this good they are worthy of merit; but they throw off that belief as they undergo regeneration, 4174.

AC (Elliott) n. 6394 6394. ‘And will be one serving for tribute’ means so that he may earn merit. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being one serving for tribute’ as being subject to and serving. And since those who wish to earn merit through works are spoken of as bony asses lying down between burdens and as those who bend their shoulder to bear a burden, ‘one serving for tribute’ too means those who wish to earn merit through works; for they are lowest-ranking servants, see above in 6389. The fact that ‘one serving for tribute’ means being subject to and serving is clear in Moses,

When you draw near a city to fight against it you shall proclaim peace to them.* But it shall be, if it responds to you in favour of peace and opens up to you – it shall be, that all the people who are found in it will become tribute to you and serve you. Deut. 20:10, 11.

In Jeremiah,

How lonely dwells the city [that was] great with people! She has become like a widow, [she who was] great among the nations; she who had dominion over provinces has become a payer of tribute. Lam. 1:1.

In these places it is self-evident that ‘becoming a tribute’ and ‘becoming a payer of tribute’ mean serving. In Matthew,

Jesus said, How does it seem to you, Simon? The kings of the earth, from whom do they receive tribute or tax, from their own sons or from strangers? Peter said to Him, From strangers. Jesus said to him, Then the sons are free; but so that we may not offend them, set off for the sea and cast a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. Open its mouth and you will find a stater;** take it and give it for Me and for you. Matt. 17:25-27.

Here also ‘giving tribute moneys or taxation’ means those who serve, and therefore it says that strangers were to give it but the sons would be free; for strangers were servants, 1097. Peter’s taking a fish from the sea and his finding in its mouth a stater which he was to give represented the fact that the lowest part of the natural, which is a servant, would accomplish it; for that part of the natural is meant by ‘fish’.
* lit. you shall invite them to peace
** A Greek coin

AC (Elliott) n. 6395 6395. Verses 16-18 Dan will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan will be a serpent on the road, a darting serpent on the path, biting the horse’s heels; and its rider will fall backwards. I wait for Your salvation, O Jehovah.

‘Dan’ means those who are guided by truth but not as yet by good. ‘Will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel’ means that it is one of the truths in general which the tribes of Israel represent. ‘Dan will be a serpent on the road’ means their reasoning regarding truth, since good does not as yet lead them. ‘A darting serpent on the path’ means reasoning from truth regarding good. ‘Biting the horse’s heels’ means false notions received from the lowest natural level. ‘And its rider will fall backwards’ means a receding from [truth]. ‘I wait for Your salvation, O Jehovah’ means unless the Lord brings them aid.

AC (Elliott) n. 6396 6396. ‘Dan’ means those who are guided by truth but not as yet by good. This is clear from the representation of ‘Dan’ as the good of life, dealt with in 3921, 3923, but here those who have some goodness of life, which is engendered by truth but not as yet by good. For the situation with a person who is being regenerated by the Lord is that at first truth resides with him but no goodness of life engendered by that truth. Then such goodness of life engendered by truth, though not as yet by good, does reside with him; and after that, once he has been regenerated, goodness of life engendered by good comes to reside with him, at which stage he discerns truth from the vantage point of good and multiplies that truth residing with him. These are the degrees of regeneration, and ‘Dan’ is used to mean those with whom goodness of life resides which is engendered by truth but not as yet by good. The good that resides with them still lies deeply concealed within that truth; yet it provides them with an affection for truth and impels them to lead a life in accordance with the truth. Such people are in the Lord’s kingdom, but because they are led to do good not by good but by truth, that is, not by anything of a new will but by the understanding – thus not by love but by obedience because they are commanded so to act – they are among those in the Lord’s kingdom who inhabit the first or lowest heaven. These are the people whom ‘Dan’ represents, for in the internal sense of the prophetic declarations made here by Israel his twelve sons serve to describe in general the essential natures of all who are in the Lord’s kingdom.

[2] The habitation by those meant by ‘Dan’ of the lowest heaven or lowest level of the Lord’s kingdom because they are guided by truth but not as yet by good was represented by the falling of the lot last for Dan when the land of Canaan was shared out as an inheritance among the tribes, Josh. 19:40-48, and by the allotment at that time of an inheritance to them in the remotest part of the land, Judges 18. For the lot was cast before Jehovah, Josh. 18:6, and therefore fell for each tribe in accordance with its representation. The land of Canaan represented the Lord’s kingdom, see 1607, 3038, 3481, 3705, 3686, 4447, 4454, and all its boundaries were therefore representative, 1607, 1866, 4116, so that the outermost parts of that land represented the lowest parts of the Lord’s kingdom, 4240. ‘Dan’ consequently represented the inhabitants of those lowest parts, for before truth has become joined to good it resides on the lowest level of that kingdom. But if truth has become entirely separated from good it does not reside within any boundary of the Lord’s kingdom but is outside it.

[3] The fact that Dan’s inheritance was the outermost part of the land of Canaan is clear from the fact that whenever the full extent of that land was described the expression from Beersheba even to Dan was used, 2 Sam. 3:10; 17:11; 24:15; 1 Kings 4:25. In this expression Beersheba means the inmost part of the land, for the reason that it was the place where Abraham and Isaac lived, that is, before Jerusalem and Zion had become the inmost parts of the land.

[4] The essential nature of those guided by truth but not as yet by good was also represented by the Danites who were to spy out the land in which they were to live, Judges 18. It was represented by their removal of the Levite from Micah’s house and their making off with the ephod, teraphim, and carved image, by which objects is meant the worship of those guided by truth but not as yet by good. For those people venerate things of an external nature but have no interest in those of an internal nature; for things of an internal nature are discerned by none but those who are guided by good. This is what the Danites under consideration here represented, as becomes clear from the consideration that all the historical incidents in the Word, both those in the Books of Moses and those in the Books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, are representative of the celestial and spiritual realities of the Lord’s kingdom, including therefore this incident in the Book of Judges involving the Danites. As regards anything further concerning the essential nature of those guided by truth but not as yet by good, this is described in the internal sense of the things said about Dan that come next.

AC (Elliott) n. 6397 6397. ‘Will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel’ means that it is one of the truths in general which the tribes of Israel represent. This is clear from the meaning of ‘judging’ as truth exercising its proper function, dealt with below; from the meaning of ‘people’ as those governed by truth, dealt with in 1259, 1260, 2928, 3295, 3581, 4619, at this point those guided by truth but not as yet by good, since they are Dan, that is, the people of Dan, 6396; and from the representation of ‘the tribes of Israel’ as all truths and forms of good in general, dealt with in 3858, 3926, 3939, 4060, 6335. Consequently ‘will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel’ means that the truth which ‘Dan’ represents is one of the general truths that ‘the tribes of Israel’ represent. The reason why ‘judging his people’ means truth exercising its proper function is that all truths in general are represented by ‘the tribes of Israel’, as may become clear from the paragraphs referred to above; and since truths are what act as judges, ‘judging his people’ means truth exercising its proper function.

[2] In the Word one reads the description that the twenty-four elders will sit on thrones and judge nations and peoples, and that the twelve apostles will similarly sit on thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. A person with no knowledge of the internal sense of the Word will think that precisely that is going to happen. But how those descriptions should be understood becomes clear when one knows from the internal sense what ‘the twenty-four elders’, ‘the twelve apostles’, and also ‘thrones’ mean, namely all truths in their entirety, in accordance with which judgement is effected. The same goes for one’s understanding here of ‘judging his people as one of the tribes of Israel’. The meaning is not that these or any other elders among them will act as judges, but that the actual truths meant by them, therefore the Lord alone since every truth comes forth from Him, will do so. The reference to the twenty-four elders who will sit on thrones and act as judges occurs in John as follows,

Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders seated, clad in white garments, who had crowns of gold on their heads. Rev. 4:4; 11:16.

In the same book,

I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgement was given to them. Rev. 20:4.

The reference to the twelve apostles occurs in Matthew,

Jesus said, You who have followed Me, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Matt. 19:28.

And in Luke,

I bestow on you, just as My father bestowed on Me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Luke 21:29, 30.

Here neither the twenty-four elders nor the twelve apostles are what are really meant but all truths and forms of good in general, as may be recognized from the consideration that nobody, not even any angel, can judge anyone; for no one except the Lord alone can know what a person is or ever will be like interiorly. With regard to the twelve apostles, that they had a similar meaning to the twelve tribes, which was all truths and forms of good in their entirety, see 2129, 2553, 3488, 3858 (end). From all this it is now evident that ‘Dan will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel’ means that the truth represented by ‘Dan’ is one of the general truths by means of which judgement is effected.

AC (Elliott) n. 6398 6398. ‘Dan will be a serpent on the road’ means their reasoning regarding truth, since good does not as yet lead them. This is clear from the representation of ‘Dan’ as those guided by truth but not as yet by good, dealt with above in 6396; from the meaning of ‘a serpent’ as reasoning based on sensory evidence, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘the road’ as truth, dealt with in 627, 2733. Thus ‘Dan is a serpent on the road’ means their reasoning regarding truth, since good does not as yet lead them. The nature of that reasoning and the nature of the truth resulting from it will be stated below.

[2] The reason why ‘a serpent’ means reasoning based on sensory evidence is that the interiors of a person are represented in heaven by living creatures of various kinds, and therefore in the Word similar things are meant by those same creatures. A person’s sensory powers have come to be represented by serpents because they are the lowest of his mental powers. Compared with other mental powers those of the senses are on the ground so to speak, crawling around there, as may also be recognized from the forms that sensory impressions adopt when they enter in, which will in the Lord’s Divine mercy be dealt with elsewhere. This explains why those sensory powers have come to be represented by ‘serpents’, so much so that the Lord’s Divine sensory perception was represented by the bronze serpent in the wilderness, 4211 (end).

[3] True shrewdness and circumspection – qualities that reveal themselves in external affairs – were also meant by ‘serpents’, in Matthew,

Be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. Matt. 10:16.

But in the case of a person who is governed by his senses and is far removed from what is internal – as those people are who are guided by truth but not as yet by good – and who speaks as his senses tell him, ‘a serpent’ means false reasoning. This therefore is why here, where Dan is the subject, reasoning regarding truth because good does not as yet lead him is meant. In other contexts ill-will, deceitfulness, and trickery are also meant by ‘serpents’, though in those places they are poisonous serpents – such as vipers and the like – whose reasoning is their poison.

‘A serpent’ is reasoning based on sensory evidence, see 195-197.

‘A serpent’ is all evil in general, and evils are distinguished from one another by different kinds of serpents, 251, 254, 257.

AC (Elliott) n. 6399 6399. ‘A darting serpent on the path’ means reasoning from truth regarding good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a darting serpent’ as reasoning regarding good, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘the path’ as truth, dealt with in 627, 2333, 3477. The reason why ‘a darting serpent on the path’ means reasoning from truth regarding good is that ‘a serpent’ means reasoning, so that ‘a darting serpent’ means reasoning that pushes itself forward – from truth towards good, since truth residing with those represented by ‘Dan’ is below, while good is above.

AC (Elliott) n. 6400 6400. ‘Biting the horse’s heels’ means false notions received from the lowest natural level. This is clear from the meaning of ‘biting’ as clinging to and thereby causing harm, and from the meaning of ‘the horse’s heels’ as false notions received from the lowest natural level; for ‘the heel’ is the lowest and bodily part of the natural, 259, 4938-4952. While ‘horse’ is the understanding part of the mind, 2761, 2762, 3217, 5321, 6125. ‘Horse’ here means false notions because the lowest natural level of the understanding, which is that of the senses, is meant. People who are guided by truth but not as yet by good are subject to false notions received from that lowest natural level. This may be recognized from the consideration that truth is not in any light unless good resides with it or exists within it. For good is like a flame radiating light, and when that good meets some truth it not only throws light on it but also draws it into that radiating light, towards itself. People therefore who are guided by truth but not as yet by good are in a kind of gloom and darkness, because truth possesses no light at all of its own, and the light which those people receive from good is as feeble as light which fades away. When such people therefore think and engage in reasoning about truth, and from truth about good, they are like those who see apparitions in the darkness and believe them to be real bodies. Or they are like people who in the gloom see streaks on a wall and whose imagination leads them to make some shape out of them, either of a human being or of some other living creature. But when daylight comes it is seen that they are merely streaks without any such shape. It is much the same with the truths residing with them; for they see as truths what are not truths, which ought rather to be likened to apparitions or streaks on the wall. What is more, people of this kind – those who have been guided by some truth from the Word but not by any good – have been the source of all the heresies that have arisen within the Church; for heretical belief has been seen by them to be altogether the truth. So too with falsities within the Church. Those who have disseminated them have not been guided by good, as may be recognized from the consideration that they cast the good of charity far behind the truth of faith and as a consequence have for the most part invented ideas which are in no way compatible with the good of charity.

[2] Since it is said that those who are guided by truth but not as yet by good use false notions received from the lowest natural level to reason about truth and about good, let something also be said about what false notions are. Take for example a person’s life after death. People subject to false notions received from lowest nature, such as those who are guided by truth but not as yet by good, do not believe that any part of a person except his body has life, or that a person can possibly rise again when he dies unless he gets back his body. If these people are told that the interior man is the one who has life within the body and who is raised up by the Lord when the body dies, and that this interior man has a body like those that spirits or angels have, and that like a person in the world he can see, hear, talk, mix with others, and seem to himself to be altogether a person, they cannot grasp any of it. False notions received from the lowest natural level cause them to believe that such things cannot be true.

[3] The chief reason why they do not believe them to be true is that they cannot see those things with their physical eyes. When such people think about the spirit or soul, the only idea they can have of it is that it is like things the eye cannot see in the natural world. Consequently they consider it to be either something breath-like, or else something air-like, ether-like, or flame-like, or – according to some – something purely thought-like, which possesses scarcely any vitality until it is joined again to the body. These people think the way they do because to them everything of an interior nature is gloom and darkness and only those of an external nature are in light. This shows how easily such people can fall into error; for if they limit their thought to the body and how it will be reassembled, to the destruction of the world and the fact that it has been awaited in vain for so many centuries, to animals and the fact that they have life not unlike man’s life, or to the fact that no dead persons reappear and declare their state of life, they easily recede – when they think of these and other such things – from belief in resurrection, as they do from many other matters of belief. The reason they recede from that belief is that they are not guided by good and do not through good see in the light. Such being their condition it also says, ‘And its rider will fall backwards; I wait for Your salvation, O Jehovah’, meaning a receding from [the truth] unless the Lord comes to their aid.

AC (Elliott) n. 6401 6401. ‘And its rider will fall backwards’ means a receding from [truth]. This is clear from the meaning of ‘falling backwards’ as a receding from – a receding from truth; and from the meaning of ‘rider’ as those subject to false notions received from lowest nature. ‘Horse’ means those false notions, see immediately above in 6400, and therefore ‘rider’ means those subject to them, the nature of which meanings has been discussed immediately above. Since ‘Dan’ means those within the Church who are the kind of people described just above in 6396 and who are accordingly among the lowest in the Lord’s kingdom, ‘Dan’ also means those who hatch false teachings out of false notions and disseminate them. These people’s false teachings are also called ‘horses’, and their reasonings about truth and good are called ‘serpents’, in Jeremiah,

From Dan the snorting of his horses was heard; at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones the whole earth quaked. And they came and devoured the land and the fullness of it, the city and those dwelling in it. For behold, I send into you poisonous serpents which do not respond to charming; and they will bite you. Jer. 8:16, 17.

AC (Elliott) n. 6402 6402. ‘I Wait for Your salvation, O Jehovah’ means unless the Lord brings them aid. This is clear from the meaning here of ‘waiting for salvation’ as bringing aid, ‘Jehovah’ being the Lord, see 1343, 1736, 2156, 2329, 2447, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5663, 6303. As regards the aid that the Lord brings to those who are guided by truth but not as yet by good when they recede from truth – meant by ‘the rider will fall backwards; I wait for Your salvation, O Jehovah’ – it should be recognized that they are people who look downwards and outwards since they are not as yet guided by good. But those who are guided by good, as those who have been regenerated are, are ones who look upwards and inwards; for when a person is being regenerated order is turned around in the process.

[2] Since those who are guided by truth but not as yet by good look downwards and outwards they are also some of those who in the Grand Man belong to the province of the outward skin; for the outward skin looks outwards, away from the internal parts of the body, and the sense of touch is aroused by things on the outside of it. No such feeling is aroused from the inside. From this it is evident that these people are in the Lord’s kingdom, since they are in the Grand Man, though in its last and outermost parts. Regarding those who constitute the skin, see 5552-5559.

AC (Elliott) n. 6403 6403. Verse 19 Gad – a troop will ravage him, and he will ravage the heel.

‘Gad’ means works motivated by truth but not as yet by good. ‘A troop will ravage him’ means that works performed without judgement will dislodge him from a state of truth. ‘And he will ravage the heel’ means consequent disorder in the natural.

AC (Elliott) n. 6404 6404. ‘Gad’ means works motivated by truth but not as yet by good. This is clear from the representation of ‘Gad’ as works, dealt with in 3934, 3935, here works that are motivated by truth but not as yet by good. This meaning is evident from the description of the man in the internal sense; it is also what follows in the overall line of thought, for ‘Dan’ immediately above represents those who are guided by truth but not as yet by good, 6396, and now here ‘Gad’ represents those who perform works that are motivated by truth but not as yet by good. The essential nature of those works will be stated in what follows immediately below.

AC (Elliott) n. 6405 6405. ‘A troop will ravage him’ means that works performed without judgement will dislodge him from a state of truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a troop’ as works, dealt with in 3934, here works performed without judgement, for those who perform works that are motivated by truth but not as yet by good have a darkened understanding, whereas those whose works are motivated by good have an enlightened understanding because that good gives it light (the light of truth from the Lord flows by way of good into the understanding part of the mind, then on into truth, but not directly into truth, much as sunlight flows by means of heat into members of the vegetable kingdom – such as trees, young plants, and flowers – and causes them to grow and blossom; the direct inflow of sunlight does not cause them to do so, for when light flows in without heat, as in wintertime, nothing grows or blossoms); and from the meaning of ‘ravaging him’ as dislodging him from a state of truth.

[2] But one must state who exactly those people are who are meant here by ‘Gad’. They are those who suffer delusions regarding what is true and yet are led by their deluded view of it to perform works, so that these are not works of truth, much less of good. Through those works they are dislodged from a state of truth, for as soon as the person guided by truth but not as yet by good is moved on religious grounds to put some idea into practice, he then defends that idea as though it were the absolute truth. He sticks to it and does not allow it to be altered except insofar as he moves on into good. For by putting the idea into practice he becomes engrossed in it and enamoured with it. In this way works dislodge him from a state of truth. But quite apart from all this, he believes things to be true which are not so; for these people too, like those meant by ‘Dan’, judge a thing from their senses, thus without judgement. Let some examples shed light on the matter. Take a person who has the idea that one person is his neighbour in exactly the same way as any other and who for that reason does what is good in exactly the same way to the evil as to the good, and by doing good to the evil, he does harm to others. After he has put the idea into practice several times he then defends it, saying that everyone is his neighbour, and that he is not concerned with what a person is like, only with doing good to him. Thus his works are performed without judgement, and he also acts in ways contrary to the real truth, for the real truth is that all are one’s neighbour but each is so in a different degree, and that those governed by good are pre-eminently one’s neighbour, 2417, 3419, 3820, 5025.

[3] ‘Gad’ also means those who think that the whole of salvation rests in works alone, like the Pharisee to whom the Lord referred in His parable,

The Pharisee stood and prayed these words to himself, God, I thank You that I am not like all other people – extortioners, unjust ones, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice in a week; I give tithes of all that I possess. Luke 18:11, 12.

Thus he thought that absolute truths consisted in external actions. People such as he are also in the Lord’s kingdom, though only on the edge of it, which is why the Lord says,

I tell you, the tax collector went down to his house [more] justified than the other. Luke 18:14.

In saying this He implied that the Pharisee too went down justified, since he had performed works because of the command to do them. In short, ‘Gad’ represents those who declare that to be true which is not in fact so and who are motivated to perform works by what is not in fact the truth. Consequently their works and truths are alike, for works are nothing else than will and understanding expressed in action. What saves those people is their intention to do what is good and the presence of a measure of innocence within their ignorance.

[4] People motivated to perform works of an external nature by what they believe to be true but which is not in fact so are also meant by ‘Gad’ in Isaiah,

You who forsake Jehovah, who forget My holy mountain, who set a table for Gad, and who fill a drink-offering for Meni. Isa. 65:11.
.
‘Setting a table for Gad’ stands for an interest solely in works. And in Jeremiah,

Against the sons of Ammon. Thus said Jehovah, Israel, has he no heir? Why then does his king inherit God, and his people dwell in his cities? Jer. 49:1.

‘Inheriting Gad’ stands for leading a life in which works are motivated by what are not truths. ‘The sons of Ammon’ are people who falsify truths and lead lives in accordance with those falsified truths, 2468, and these things said about Gad in this prophet apply to them.

AC (Elliott) n. 6406 6406. ‘And he will ravage the heel’ means consequent disorder in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘ravaging’ as dislodging him from a state of truth, as immediately above in 6405, thus upsetting order or creating disorder; and from the meaning of ‘the heel’ as the lowest part of the natural, dealt with in 259, 4938-4952. From this it is evident that ‘he will ravage the heel’ means disorder in the natural. people performing works motivated by truth but not as yet by good inevitably introduce disorder into their natural, since works have an effect on the natural; and as a consequence they cannot help closing their interiors to the extent that they perform such works, since the natural forms the base on which the interiors rest. But if there is disorder in the natural, the things that flow in from the interiors become disordered too; and these things that disordered lack light and are in gloom. This being so, those people cannot see what the truth is, but in that gloom and lack of light they seize on as the truth what is not in fact the truth, and this is what then motivates them in their performance of works. Furthermore works are absolutely vital, for they are charity and faith when put into effect and expressed in life. Who fails to see that without works charity does not exist? Works are nothing else than actual goodness and truth expressed in an outward form; for when good which exists in the will and truth which exists in the understanding are put into action they are called works. From this it is evident that the nature of the goodness and truth determines that of the works.

AC (Elliott) n. 6407 6407. Verse 20 From Asher, fat will be his bread, and he will yield a king’s delights.

‘From Asher’ means the blessedness that the affections possess. ‘Fat will be his bread’ means the enjoyment that goodness gives. ‘And he will yield a king’s delights’ means the pleasure that truth provides.

AC (Elliott) n. 6408 6408. ‘From Asher’ means the blessedness that the affections possess, that is to say, heavenly affections, which are those of love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour. This is clear from the representation of ‘Asher’ as the happiness of eternal life and the blessedness that the affections possess, dealt with in 3938, 3939, in addition to which he was called Asher from a word meaning blessedness. As regards that blessedness, it is not easy to describe it, for the reason that it is an inner blessedness, which rarely reveals itself physically in a person and so is rarely perceptible. For while a person lives in the body he is distinctly aware of what presents itself in his body, but he is only very dimly aware of what presents itself in his spirit; for while a person is living in his body worldly concerns impede his awareness of it. The blessedness that the affections possess cannot flow into his perception in the body where those concerns are centred unless what exists on the natural and sensory levels has been brought into agreement with what exists on interior levels; and even then it is only a dim awareness, no more than a calm feeling brought about by his contented state of mind. But after he has died that blessedness makes itself plain and is felt to be blessing and happiness, which affect him both interiorly and exteriorly. In short the blessedness that heavenly affections possess is that which his soul or spirit possesses, flowing in by an interior route and reaching through to the body, where it is received to the extent that the delights springing from the loves that belong to the natural and the senses do not stand in the way.

[2] This blessedness does not exist in any way at all with those whose delight is that of self-love and love of the world; for these loves are quite the opposite of it. People ruled by these loves therefore are not at all able to understand how any blessedness can exist apart from that of being promoted to important positions, being venerated as if they were gods, having an abundance of riches, and possessing more wealth than others. And if these people are told that the delight that springs from those loves is external and perishes along with the body, and that what remains of it in the mind is turned after death into a miserable and hideous delight, such as exists with those in hell, but that an internal kind of delight exists, and that this is a blissful and happy one such as exists with those in heaven, they do not comprehend these things at all, for the reason that with them the external holds sway and the internal is closed. From all this one may see how to understand ‘the blessedness that the affections possess’, a blessedness meant by ‘Asher’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6409 6409. ‘Fat will be his bread’ means the enjoyment that goodness gives. This is clear from the meaning of ‘fat’ as enjoyment, for ‘fatness’ means what is celestial or the good of love, see 353, 5943. But When the word ‘fat’ is used in association with ‘bread’, which means the good of love, ‘fat’ means the enjoyment that goes with that love. For the meaning of ‘bread’ as the good of love, see 276, 680, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3478, 3735, 3813, 4111, 4217, 4735, 4976, 5915.

AC (Elliott) n. 6410 6410. ‘And he will yield a king’s delights’ means the pleasure that truth provides. This is clear from the meaning of ‘delights’ as pleasure, and from the meaning of ‘a king’ as truth, dealt with in 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 6148, so that ‘yielding a king’s delights’ is the pleasure that truth provides. Reference is made to both – to the enjoyment that good gives and the pleasure that truth provides – on account of the heavenly marriage present in every detail of the Word, 6343. The enjoyment that good gives and the pleasure that truth provides, which constitute the blessedness known in heaven, do not consist in having nothing to do but in being active. For the enjoyment and pleasure that consist in having nothing to do turn into the absence of enjoyment or pleasure, whereas the enjoyment and pleasure that consist in being active are lasting, constantly uplifting, and creative of blessedness. The activity engaged in by those in heaven consists in performing useful services – which for them is the enjoyment that good gives – and in gaining, with those services in view, a wise understanding of truths, which for them is the pleasure that truth provides.

AC (Elliott) n. 6411 6411. Verse 21 Naphtali is a hind let loose, making elegant utterances.

‘Naphtali’ means the state following temptations. ‘Is a hind let loose’ means the freedom that natural affection possesses. ‘Making elegant utterances’ means gladness of mind.

AC (Elliott) n. 6412 6412. ‘Naphtali’ means the state following temptations. This is clear from the representation of ‘Naphtali’ as temptation and also the state following temptations, dealt with in 3927, 3928; besides which he was given the name Naphtali by derivation from ‘wrestlings’, which in the spiritual sense are temptations.

AC (Elliott) n. 6413 6413. ‘Is a hind let loose’ means the freedom that natural affection possesses. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a hind’ as natural affection, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘let loose’ as freedom, for when a hind that has been captured is let loose it has freedom. Freedom from a state of temptations is compared to ‘a hind let loose’ because a hind is a woodland creature that loves more than all others to be free. The natural too is like this, for it loves to engage in what delights its affections and therefore to feel free; for freedom is the hallmark of affection. The reason ‘a hind’ means natural affection is that it is one of the beasts that serve to mean the affections, all of which beasts can be used as food and are useful creatures, such as lambs, sheep, she-goats, kids, he-goats, as well as bulls, young bulls, and also cows. Yet these beasts also serve to mean spiritual affections because burnt offerings and sacrifices were made of them, whereas ‘hinds’, because they were not put to that use, served to mean natural affections. For ‘beasts’ and their meaning affections, see 45, 46, 142, 143, 246, 714, 715, 719, 776, 1823, 2179, 2180, 3519, 5198; and the fact that their meaning affections has its origin in representatives in the world of spirits, 3218, 5850.

[2] Natural affections are also meant by ‘hinds’ in David,

Jehovah makes my feet like those of hinds, and sets me on my high places. Ps. 18:33.

And in Habakkuk,

Jehovih the Lord is my strength, who places my feet like those of hinds, and causes me to walk on my high places. Hab. 3:19.

‘Placing feet like those of hinds’ stands for the natural when its affections are in freedom, ‘feet’ being the natural, see 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952, 5327, 5328. This meaning of ‘placing feet like those of hinds may be seen from the fact there is nothing spiritual about making a person’s feet like those of hinds, nimble and fit to run with. Yet the idea does have a spiritual implication, as is evident from the references that immediately follow to being set by Jehovah on high places and caused to walk on them, meaning spiritual affection on a level above natural affection. The same applies to the following words in Isaiah,

The lame man will leap like a hart. Isa. 35:6.

‘The lame man’ means a person who is governed by good, though not as yet by genuine good, 4302.

[3] In David,

As the hart cries out for the water brooks,* so does my soul cry out for You. Ps. 42:1.

Here ‘the hart’ stands for the affection for truth, ‘crying out for the water brooks’ for desiring truths, ‘waters’ being truths, see 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976, 5668.

[4] In Jeremiah,

There has gone out from the daughter of Zion all her majesty; her princes have become like harts, they have not found pasture. Lam. 1:6.

‘The daughter of Zion’ stands for the affection for good, the affection the celestial Church has, 2362. ‘Princes stands for the first and foremost truths of that Church, 1482, 2089, 5044, which truths are compared to ‘harts’, by which affections for natural truth are meant. And by harts that ‘have not found pasture’ are meant natural affections devoid of truths and forms of good that go with them, ‘pasture’ being truth and the good of truth that sustain a person’s spiritual life, see 6078, 6277.

[5] ‘Hinds’ is used in a similar way in Jeremiah,

The land was broken up in pieces because no rain had come to be on the land; the farmers were put to shame, they covered their heads, because even the hind in the field calved but left because there was no grass. Jer. 14:4, 5.

‘The hind’ stands for an affection for natural good, ‘calved in the field’ for joining natural affections to spiritual ones which exist in the Church. Yet because those affections were devoid of truths and forms of good, it says that she left the field because there was no grass. Anyone can see that these things said about the hind have an inner meaning, for without it what point would there be in saying that the hind in the field calved but left because there was no grass?

[6] The same is so with what is said in David,

The voice of Jehovah causes the hinds to calve, and strips the forests bare; but in His temple everyone says, Glory. Ps. 29:9.

The existence of an inner meaning, which is the spiritual sense, within the statement that ‘the voice of Jehovah causes the hinds to calve’ is perfectly clear from the fact that immediately afterwards it says, ‘but in His temple everyone says, Glory’. Without the spiritual sense these words do not hang together with the statement before them about hinds and forests.
* lit. over the brooks of waters

AC (Elliott) n. 6414 6414. ‘Making elegant utterances’ means gladness of mind. This is clear from the meaning of ‘elegant utterances’ as gladness of mind. For all utterances come forth from the mind, and when the mind is glad and cheerful its talk is ‘elegant’. The fact that temptations are followed by
gladness and joyfulness, see 1992, 3696, 4572, 5628.

AC (Elliott) n. 6415 6415. From the things stated by Israel in these prophetic utterances concerning Dan, Gad, Asher, and Naphtali the existence of an internal sense is plainly evident, as is the fact that without that sense one can scarcely understand anything or know what is really meant. How does one understand for example the statements ‘Dan will be a serpent on the road, a darting serpent on the path, biting the horse’s heels; and its rider will fall backwards’, ‘a troop will ravage Gad, and he will ravage the heel’, ‘fat will be Asher’s bread, and he will yield a king’s delights’, or ‘Naphtali is a hind let loose, making elegant utterances’? Who can know what these statements mean without the key provided by the internal sense? They are not really things said about the sons of Jacob, or about the tribes, as becomes clear from the fact that nothing like those things happened to them ‘at the end of days’, even though Israel says in verse 1 that he will tell them what is going to happen to them at that time. And since what he said was not really about them it follows that he spoke about things such as were represented by them. The nature of those things has been explained above in what has gone before.

AC (Elliott) n. 6416 6416. Verses 22-26 The son of a fertile one is Joseph, the son of a fertile one beside a spring; daughters, [each one] marches onto the wall. And they exasperate him and shoot at him and hate him, do the archers. And he will sit in the strength of his bow, and the arms of his hands are made strong by the hands of the powerful Jacob – from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel – by the God of your father, who will help you, and together with Shaddai, who will bless you with the blessings of heaven from above, the blessings of the deep lying beneath, the blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father will prevail over the blessings of my ancestors, even as far as the desire of the everlasting hills. They will be on the head of Joseph and on the crown of the head of the Nazirite among his brothers.

‘The son of a fertile one is Joseph’ means the spiritual Church, in the highest sense the Lord’s Divine spiritual. ‘The son of a fertile one beside a spring’ means the fruitfulness of truth from the Word. ‘Daughters, [each one] marches onto the wall’ means going out to fight against falsities. ‘And they exasperate him’ means resistance offered by falsities. ‘And shoot at him’ means that they use those falsities to fight with. ‘And hate him, do the archers’ means with utter hostility. ‘And he will sit in the strength of his bow’ means that he is protected by the militancy of the truth of doctrine. ‘And the arms of his hands are made strong’ means the power that the forces involved in fighting possess. ‘By the hands of the powerful Jacob’ means received from the almighty power of the Lord’s Divine Human. ‘From there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel’ means that from this springs all the goodness and truth which the spiritual kingdom possesses. ‘By the God of your father, who will help you’ means that He was the God of the Ancient Church. ‘And together with Shaddai’ means the Lord, bringer of benefits after temptations. ‘Who will bless you with the blessings of heaven from above’ means blessing with goodness and truth from a source within. ‘The blessings of the deep lying beneath’ means with factual knowledge which belongs in the natural. ‘The blessings of the breasts’ means with affections for goodness and truth. ‘And of the womb’ means these two joined together. ‘The blessings of your father will prevail over the blessings of my ancestors’ means that this Church will have spiritual good from the natural, but not from the rational. ‘Even as far as the desire of the everlasting hills’ means as far as celestial mutual love. ‘They will be on the head of Joseph’ means those things with respect to the interiors. ‘And on the crown of the head of the Nazirite among his brothers’ means with respect to the exteriors.

AC (Elliott) n. 6417 6417. ‘The son of a fertile one is Joseph’ means the spiritual Church, in the highest sense the Lord’s Divine spiritual. This is clear from the representation of ‘Joseph’ in the highest sense as the Lord’s Divine spiritual, in the internal sense as the spiritual kingdom and the good of faith, and in the external sense as fruitfulness and multiplication, dealt with in 3969, 3971; and since ‘Joseph’ is the fruitfulness of good and the multiplication of truth, he is called ‘the son of a fertile one’. ‘Joseph’ is used here to refer to the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, while above ‘Judah’ is used to refer to His celestial kingdom; for there are two kingdoms constituting heaven, the celestial and the spiritual. The celestial kingdom constitutes the inmost or third heaven, the spiritual kingdom the middle or second heaven; and the Lord is seen by the spiritual kingdom as the moon, but by the celestial kingdom as the sun, 1053, 1521, 1529-1531, 4060. When one says that ‘Joseph’ in the highest sense represents the Lord’s Divine Spiritual, the following is involved: The Lord is nothing else than Divine Good. What goes forth from His Divine Good and flows into heaven is in His celestial kingdom called the Divine celestial, but in His spiritual kingdom the Divine spiritual, so that one uses the expression Divine spiritual or Divine celestial with reference to receptivity.

AC (Elliott) n. 6418 6418. ‘The son of a fertile one beside a spring’ means the fruitfulness of truth from the Word. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the son’ as truth, dealt with in 489, 491, 533, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3773, 3704; from the meaning of ‘a fertile one’ as the fruitfulness of truth, for fertility, like bearing and birth, applies in the spiritual sense to truth and good, 1145, 1255, 3860, 3868, 4070, 4668, 5598; and from the meaning of ‘a spring’ as the Word, dealt with in 2702, 3424, 4861. From this it is evident that ‘the son of a fertile one beside a spring’ means the fruitfulness of truth from the Word. Those who belong to the Lord’s spiritual Church, the Church represented here by ‘Joseph’, come to know what good is from truth received from the Word, and so are introduced into good by means of truth. Then follows the fruitfulness meant by ‘a fertile one’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6419 6419. ‘Daughters, [each one] marches onto the wall’ means going out to fight against falsity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a daughter’ as the Church, dealt with in 2362, 3963, here the spiritual Church since that Church is the subject; and from the meaning of ‘marching onto the wall’ as going out to fight against falsity, as is evident from the words that immediately follow – ‘they exasperate him and shoot at him and hate him, do the archers; and he will sit in the strength of his bow’, meaning the fight put up by falsity against truth.

[2] The expression ‘marches onto the wall’ is used because the subject in the internal sense is the attack made by falsities on truth and the protection of truth against falsity; for the spiritual Church represented by ‘Joseph’ is constantly under attack, but the Lord is constantly protecting it. This explains why in the Word all that makes up that Church is compared to a city with a wall, rampart, gates, and bars; and attacks made on the city describe attacks made on truth by falsities. Hence it also is that ‘a city’ means matters of doctrine, 402, 2268, 2449, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493, and ‘a wall’ the truths of faith that serve to defend, or in the contrary sense falsities that serve to destroy. The first meaning – the truths of faith that serve to defend – may be seen in Isaiah,

Ours is a strong city; He will establish salvation for walls and rampart. Open the gates, so that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in. Isa. 26:1, 2.

In the same prophet,

You will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. Isa. 60:18.

In the same prophet,

Behold, I have engraved you upon [My] hands, your walls are continually before Me. Isa. 49:16

‘Walls’ stands for the truths of faith. In the same prophet,

Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have placed watchmen, all day and night they will not be silent, calling Jehovah to mind. Isa. 62:6.

Here the meaning is similar. In Jeremiah,

Thus said Jehovah, the God of Israel,* I will convert the weapons of war with which you are fighting with the king of Babel, besieging you outside the wall; I Myself will fight with you with an outstretched hand. Jer. 21:4, 5.

In the same prophet,

Jehovah thought to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion, He caused rampart and wall to mourn; they will languish together. Her gates have sunk into the earth, He has destroyed and broken in pieces her bars. Lam. 2:8, 9.

In Ezekiel,

The sons of Arvad, and your army, were on your walls round about, and the Gammadim were in your towers; they hung their shields on your walls round about and they made perfect your beauty. Ezek. 27:11.

This refers to Tyre, which means cognitions of good and truth.

[3] The fact that such things are meant by a city and its walls becomes perfectly clear from the description of the holy Jerusalem coming down out of heaven, as seen by John. From every detail of the description it is evident that a new Church is meant by that city; and by its wall is meant Divine Truth going forth from the Lord. The city is depicted in John as follows,

The holy Jerusalem coming down from heaven, having a wall great and high, having twelve gates – the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. He who talked to me measured the city and its gates, and its wall. Its wall was a hundred and forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The structure of the wall was jasper, and the city pure gold, like pure glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every precious stone. Rev. 21:10, 12, 14, 15, 17-19.

[4] The fact that ‘the wall’ means Divine Truth going forth from the Lord, and from this means the truth of faith coming out of the good of charity, is evident from the details regarding the wall that are mentioned in that description, such as the detail that the wall had twelve foundations, and in them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb; for ‘twelve means all, 3272, 3858, 3913, and ‘the wall and its foundations’ the truths of faith – much the same as is meant by ‘the twelve apostles’, 3488, 3858 (end), 6397. Then there is the detail that the wall was a hundred and forty-four cubits high, much the same being meant by that number as by twelve, which is all, since it is the product of twelve multiplied by twelve. And since that number used in reference to the wall means all truths and goods of faith, the expression ‘which is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel’ is added. Other details that are given are that the structure of the wall was jasper, and that its foundations were adorned with every precious stone; for ‘jasper’ and ‘precious stones’ mean the truths of faith, 114.

[5] The meaning of ‘wall’ in the contrary sense – falsities that serve to destroy – is evident from the following places: In Isaiah,

A day of tumult in the valley of vision. The Lord Jehovih Zebaoth has destroyed the wall, so that there is a shout towards the mountain. For Elam bore the quiver with chariots of men (homo), [and] horsemen. The horsemen surely positioned themselves right at the gate. Isa. 22:5-7.

In the same prophet,

The defence-work of your walls providing refuge** He will pull down, cast down, lay flat on the ground,*** right down into the dust. Isa. 25:12.

In Jeremiah,

Go up onto its walls and throw down. Jer. 5:10.

In the same prophet,

I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, which will consume the palaces of Benhadad. Jer. 49:27.

In the same prophet,

Raise a standard against the walls of Babel, keep watch, post watchmen. Jer. 51:12.

In Ezekiel,

They will overturn the walls of Tyre, and destroy her towers, and I will scrape her dust from her and make her a bare rock. Ezek. 16:4, 8, 9, 11.
* The Latin means Jehovah Zebaoth but the Hebrew means Jehovah, the God of Israel.
** lit. The fortification of refuge of your walls
*** lit. earth or land

AC (Elliott) n. 6420 6420. ‘And they exasperate him’ means resistance offered by falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘exasperating’ as resistance, for the amount of resistance offered determines how much exasperation takes place when conflict, to which reference is made here, arises. The fact that resistance is offered by falsities is evident from what follows below.

AC (Elliott) n. 6421 6421. ‘And shoot at him’ means that they use those falsities to fight with. This is clear from the meaning of ‘shooting at’ as using falsities to fight with; for ‘a bow’ means doctrine, and ‘arrows’ or ‘darts’ points of doctrine, thus truths belonging to doctrine among those led by truths, and falsities belonging to doctrine among those led by falsities, see 2686, 2709. The reason ‘shooting at’ here means using falsities to fight with is that people led by falsities are the subject here.

AC (Elliott) n. 6422 6422. ‘And hate him, do the archers’ means with utter hostility. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hatred’ as utter hostility, for one who hates another treats him, so far as he can, with utter hostility; and from the meaning of ‘the archers’ here as those who are opposed to members of the spiritual Church. For one who shoots with the bow or an archer is the spiritual man, for the reason that ‘a bow’ means matters of doctrine which the spiritual Church possesses, 2686, 2709, and therefore in the contrary sense one who shoots with the bow or an archer is he who as an enemy fights against the spiritual man. For the meaning of one who shoots with the bow or an archer as the spiritual man, see 2686, 2709. From this it is evident that ‘hate him, do the archers’ means that those led by falsities treat with utter hostility the member of the spiritual Church.

AC (Elliott) n. 6423 6423. ‘And he will sit in the strength of his bow’ means that he is protected by the militancy of the truth of doctrine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘sitting’ as being protected, for one who ‘sits in the strength of his bow’ is protected; and from the meaning of ‘bow’ as doctrine, dealt with in 2686, 2709. The strength that doctrine possesses resides in truth, for doctrine without truth in it has no strength. Regarding truth, that it possesses power and strength, see 878 (end), 3091, 4931, 4934, 4977, 6344. The reason why truth has ‘strength’ is that good acts by means of truth; for the nature of good is such that nothing at all evil or false can draw near it. Nor thus can any member of the hellish crew do so; that crew flees far away when good draws near, or when an angel governed by good does so. However, in order to fight that crew from hell present with a person and to protect him in every way, and in order also to protect spirits recently arrived from the world, as well as those on the lower earth, good acts by means of truth; for in that way it can draw near.

[2] How much power is contained in truth has been made clear to me from things I have been allowed to see in the next life. A certain person governed by natural truth, because he had been concerned for what was right when he had lived in the world, passed through many hells, from which he talked to me and described them. Such power and strength were present in him that hellish spirits were not at all able to molest him, so that he was protected as he passed from one hell to another, which is something people who are not guided by truth cannot possibly do. From all this one may see that ‘he will sit in the strength of his bow’ means that he is protected by the truth of doctrine. The fact that the militancy of truth provides such protection follows from what has gone before, where it says that the archers shoot at him and hate him.

AC (Elliott) n. 6424 6424. ‘And the arms of his hands are made strong’ means the power that the forces involved in fighting possess. This is clear from the meaning of ‘arms’ and ‘hands’ as powers, dealt with in 878, 3091, 3387, 4931-4937, 5327, 5328, 5544. It is plain that the power of the forces involved in fighting is meant since conflict is the subject.

AC (Elliott) n. 6425 6425. ‘By the hands of the powerful Jacob’ means received from the almighty power of the Lord’s Divine Human. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the hands’ as power, dealt with immediately above in 6424, and in the highest sense, in which the Lord is the subject, as almighty power, 878, 3387, 4592, 4933 (end); and from the meaning of ‘the powerful Jacob’ as the Lord’s Divine Natural, thus His Divine Human, 1893, 3305, 3576, 3599, 4286, 4538, 6098, 6185, 6276. That the Lord is the One who is meant by ‘the powerful Jacob’ is also evident in David,

He who swore to Jehovah made a vow to the powerful Jacob, If I enter the tent of my house . . . until I find a place for Jehovah, the dwelling-places of the powerful Jacob. Ps. 132:2, 3, 5.

And in Isaiah,

That all flesh may know that I Jehovah am your Saviour and your Redeemer, the powerful Jacob. Isa. 49:26.

In the same prophet,

Hear, O Jacob my servant, and Israel whom I have chosen. I will pour out My spirit upon your seed, and My blessing upon your sons. This one will say, I am Jehovah’s, and that one will call himself by the name of Jacob, and another will write with his hand, Jehovah’s, and surname himself by the name of Israel. Isa. 44:1-3, 5.

In the highest sense ‘Israel’ too means the Lord, in Hosea,

When Israel was a boy I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. Hosea 11:1.

The fact that it is the Lord who is meant here by ‘Israel’ is clear in Matthew,

Joseph went with the boy into Egypt, so that what had been said by the prophet might be fulfilled, Out of Egypt have I called My son. Matt. 2:14, 15.

AC (Elliott) n. 6426 6426. ‘From there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel’ means that from this springs all the goodness and truth which the spiritual kingdom possesses. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the shepherd’ as one who leads to the good of charity by means of the truth of faith, dealt with in 343, 3795, 6044 (here in the highest sense, since it has reference to the Lord, goodness and truth themselves are meant); from the meaning of ‘the stone’ as truth, dealt with in 1298, 3720, 3769, 3771, 3773, 3789, 3798; and from the representation of ‘Israel’ as the spiritual Church, dealt with in 3305, 4286, for ‘Israel’ is spiritual good or the good of truth, 4286, 4598, 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833. And since the good of truth is the essential element of the spiritual Church, ‘Israel’ means the spiritual Church, and in the highest sense the Lord’s spiritual kingdom. From all this it is evident that ‘from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel’ means that from this springs all the goodness and truth which the Lord’s spiritual kingdom possesses.

[2] The reason why in the highest sense ‘the stone of Israel’ means the Lord with respect to the truth that His spiritual kingdom possesses is that in general ‘the stone’ means the temple, and specifically the foundation on which it stands. ‘The temple’ in turn means the Lord’s Divine Human, as is clear in John 2:19, 21, and so does its ‘foundation’ in Matthew 21:42, 44, and in Isaiah 28:16. This meaning of ‘the stone’ in the highest sense – the Lord in respect to Divine Truth which His spiritual kingdom possesses – is evident in David,

The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. This has been done by Jehovah; it is marvellous in our eyes. Ps. 118:22, 23.

‘The stone’ here is the Lord, as is made clear in Luke,

It is written, The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. Whoever falls onto that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder. Luke 20:17, 18.

These things are spoken by the Lord regarding Himself. In Isaiah,

He is your fear, and He is your dread; for He will be a sanctuary, though He will be a stone to strike against and a rock to stumble over* for both houses of Israel. Many among them will trip, and fall, and be broken to pieces. Isa. 8:13-15.

Here the Lord is referred to. In the same prophet,

The Lord Jehovih said, Behold I [am He who] will lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tested stone, a precious corner-stone, surely founded. He who believes will not be hasty. Isa. 28:16.

In Zechariah,

Jehovah Zebaoth will visit His flock, the house of Judah, and will place them as His glorious horse** in battle. From Him comes the corner-stone, from Him the tent-peg, from Him the battle-bow. Zech. 10:3, 4.

[3] In Daniel,

You were watching, until a stone was cut out, not by means of hands, and it struck the statue on its feet, which were iron and clay, and smashed them to pieces. The stone that struck the statue became a great rock and filled the whole earth. The God of heaven will cause a kingdom to arise that will never be destroyed, and His kingdom will not be left to other people; it will crush and consume all those kingdoms, but will itself stand for ever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the rock, not by means of hands, and it smashed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold . . . Dan. 2:34, 35, 44, 45.

Here ‘the stone’ is used in the highest sense to mean the Lord, and in the relative sense to mean His spiritual kingdom. When it says that ‘the stone was cut out of the rock’ the meaning is that it came out of the truth of faith, for the truth of faith is meant in the Word by ‘rock’. And because the truth of faith is meant by ‘the stone’ and ‘the rock’, the Lord’s spiritual kingdom is also what is meant, since the truth of faith and good ensuing from this truth prevail in that kingdom. Something similar is also meant by ‘the stone’ on which Jacob slept and which he afterwards set up as a pillar, described as follows,

Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, Surely Jehovah is in this place and I did not know it. And he was afraid and said, How awesome is this place! This is nothing other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And in the morning Jacob rose up early, and took the stone which he had placed as his headrest, and placed it as a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He said, This stone which I have placed as a pillar will be God’s house. Gen. 28:16-18, 22.

The fact that by ‘the stone’ the ancients understood the Lord in the highest sense and His spiritual kingdom in the relative sense is also plain to see in Joshua,

Joshua erected the stone under the oak which was in Jehovah’s sanctuary. And Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone will be a witness to us, for it has heard all the sayings of Jehovah which He spoke to us. And it shall be a witness against you, lest you deny your God. Josh. 24:26, 17.
* lit. a stone of striking and a rock of stumbling
** lit. the horse of His glory

AC (Elliott) n. 6427 6427. What these three* verses contain in the internal sense is evident from the explanations that have been given. But even so, they inevitably remain obscure unless one knows what the spiritual kingdom is like. This kingdom consists of those who, possessing the truth of faith, make this truth part of their life and thus convert it into good. When a person leads a life in accordance with the truth of faith it is made into good and is called the good of truth; yet essentially it is truth in action. The truth of faith in the Lord’s spiritual Church is varying, for in one Church that is said to be the truth which in another is said not to be the truth, the doctrine taught by each Church being what leads to such variation. And in this way particular teachings come to be called truths. These truths are the ones that become linked to good and constitute good in the spiritual Church. Consequently the quality of its good comes to be that of its truth, for truths give good the quality it possesses.

[2] From this one may see that the good of the spiritual Church is impure and that as it is impure spiritual people cannot be admitted into heaven except by Divine means. The most important Divine means consisted in the Lord’s coming into the world and making the Human within Himself Divine. By that means spiritual people have been saved; yet because with them good is impure they are inevitably under attack from evils and falsities and so are engaged in conflict. But the Lord sees to it that through those conflicts what is impure with them is gradually made purer; for the Lord fights for them. These considerations are what are meant by ‘a daughter marches onto the wall’ and by ‘they exasperate him and shoot at him and hate him, do the archers; and he will sit in the strength of his bow, and the arms of his hands are made strong by the hands of the powerful Jacob; from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel’.

[3] See what has been stated already about those who belong to the spiritual Church:

They live in obscurity so far as truth and the good resulting from truth are concerned, 2708, 2715, 2718, 2831, 2935, 2937, 3241, 3246, 3833, 6289.

Light is brought to that obscurity from the Lord’s Divine Human, 2716. Before the Lord’s Coming the spiritual kingdom was not the same as it was after His Coming, 6372.

The Lord came into the world to save those who are spiritual; and they are saved by means of the Lord’s Divine Human, 2661, 2716, 2833, 2834, 3969. From these places it is also evident that ‘the arms of his hands are made strong by the hands of the powerful Jacob; from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel’ means the power that the forces involved in fighting possess, received from the almighty power of the Lord’s Divine Human, from which springs all the goodness and truth that the spiritual kingdom possesses, 6424-6426.
* The Latin says two.

AC (Elliott) n. 6428 6428. ‘By the God of your father, who will help you’ means that He was the God of the Ancient Church. This is clear from the representation of Jacob, to whom ‘father’ refers here, as the Ancient Church, dealt with in 4439, 4514, 4680, 4772. This Church was the spiritual Church, in which they worshipped the Lord, who is meant here by the God of the Ancient Church, the source of help in the conflicts spoken of immediately above.

AC (Elliott) n. 6429 6429. ‘And together with Shaddai’ means the Lord, bringer of benefits after temptations. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Shaddai’ as the name the Lord was given with respect to temptations and to the benefits following them, dealt with in 1992, 3667, 4572, 5628.

AC (Elliott) n. 6430 6430. ‘Who will bless you with the blessings of heaven from above’ means blessing with goodness and truth from a source within. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the blessings’ as the multiplication of truth and fruitfulness of good, for nothing else is meant in the spiritual sense by ‘a blessing’; and from the meaning of ‘heaven from above’ as from a source within, for a person’s heaven exists in him interiorly. Indeed a person who leads a good life is as to his interiors living in company with angels, thus in heaven, while as to his exteriors he is living in company with men, thus in the world. When therefore a person accepts goodness and truth which flow in from a source within, coming from the Lord by way of heaven, ‘he is blessed with the blessings of heaven from above’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6431 6431. ‘The blessings of the deep lying beneath’ means with factual knowledge which belongs in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being blessed with blessings’ as being endowed with the kinds of things that derive from the spiritual world; and from the meaning of ‘the deep lying beneath’ as factual knowledge in the natural. The natural is called ‘the deep lying beneath’ when considered in relation to the interiors constituting the heaven spoken of above in 6430. And since the natural is meant by ‘the deep lying beneath’, so too is factual knowledge meant, for factual knowledge and its delights belong in the natural and compose its life. This is especially true of the spiritual man, for he is led through factual knowledge to truths, and through truths to good. From all this it is evident that ‘being blessed with the blessings of the deep lying beneath’ means being endowed in the natural with factual knowledge and so with truths. Factual knowledge that holds truths in it and that belongs in the natural is also meant by ‘the deep’ in the blessing of Joseph recorded in Moses,

Blessed by Jehovah is his land, in regard to the precious things of heaven, to the dew, to the deep also lying beneath. Deut. 33:13.

AC (Elliott) n. 6432 6432. ‘The blessings of the breasts’ means with affections for goodness and truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the breasts’ as affections for goodness and truth. ‘The breasts’ means those affections because the breasts communicate with the generative organs, and for that reason they too belong to the province of conjugial love (regarding that province see 5050-5062). Now conjugial love corresponds to the heavenly marriage, which is a marriage of goodness and truth (for conjugial love comes down from that marriage, see 2618, 2728, 2729, 2803, 3132, 4434, 4835, 6179), and therefore ‘the breasts’ means affections for goodness and truth. In addition they derive that meaning from the fact that the breasts are what feed infants and so mean, through the affection that goes with breast-feeding, conjugial love when joined to the love of offspring.

[2] The same affections are also meant by ‘the breasts’ in Isaiah,

You will suck the milk of nations, and the breasts of kings you will suck. Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron silver. Isa. 60:16, 17.

‘Sucking the breasts of kings’ stands for good obtained from truth, for by ‘kings’ truths are meant, 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 3670, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068, 6148. ‘The milk of nations’ and ‘the breasts of kings’ plainly mean some profoundly spiritual matter, for those words would otherwise be meaningless. The fact that goodness and truth are meant is clear from the words that follow, which are ‘Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron silver’; for ‘bronze’ is natural good, 425, 1551, and ‘gold’ celestial good, 113, 1551, 1552, 5658; ‘iron’ is natural truth, 425, 426, and ‘silver’ spiritual truth, 1551, 2954, 5658, 6112.

[3] In Ezekiel,

As regards increase, I gave you to be like the seed of the field, out of which you grew up and matured and reached full beauty; your breasts were formed and your hair had grown. Ezek. 16:7.

This refers to Jerusalem, which here means the Ancient spiritual Church. ‘Breasts that were formed’ stands for interior affections for goodness and truth, ‘your hair had grown for exterior affections belonging to the natural – ‘hair’ being the natural as regards truth, see 3301, 5247, 5569-5573. These words plainly contain a spiritual sense which is not visible in the letter, for without that sense why would it say of Jerusalem that its breasts were formed and its hair had grown?

[4] In the same prophet,

Two women, the daughters of one mother, committed whoredom in Egypt. In their youth they committed whoredom; there their breasts were squeezed, and there they contemplated their virgin busts. Ezek. 23:2, 3, 8, 21.

This passage in Ezekiel states that the two women are Jerusalem and Samaria, by whom Churches are meant in the internal sense. The statement that in their youth they committed whoredom with Egypt means that they falsified the truths of the Church by their use of factual knowledge – ‘committing whoredom’ is falsifying truths, see 2466, 4865, and ‘Egypt’ is factual knowledge, 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 5700, 5702. Consequently ‘their breasts were squeezed’ stands for affections for goodness and truth that became perverted through falsifications. The fact that the women’s whoredom and the squeezing of their breasts mean such things can be seen by those who are prepared to look into what is meant in the description of those women.

[5] In Hosea,

Contend with your mother, let her remove her whoredoms from her sight,* and her adulteries from between her breasts, lest perhaps I strip her naked, and make her like a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst. Hosea 2:1, 3.

‘Mother’ here stands for the Church, 289, 2691, 2717, 3703, 4257, 5581, whoredoms’ for falsifications of truth, 2466, 4865, ‘adulteries’ for adulterations of good, 2466, 2729, 3399. Consequently ‘adulteries from between her breasts’ stands for adulterated affections for goodness and truth, ‘stripping naked’ for depriving of all truth, 1073, 4958, 5437, ‘making like a wilderness, setting like a dry land, and slaying with thirst’ for the annihilation of all truth.

[6] In the same prophet,

Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. Hosea 9:14.

‘Dry breasts’ stands for affections for neither truth nor good. In Isaiah,

O women without anxiety, stand still, hear My voice; O confident daughters, perceive My speech with your ears. Strip and make yourself bare, and gird [sackcloth] around your waist** – people beating themselves on their breasts for the fields of unmixed wine, and the fruitful vine. Isa. 32:9, 11, 12.

‘Daughters’ stands for affections, 2362, 3024, 3963, ‘being stripped bare’ for being deprived of truth, 1073, 4958, 5433, ‘girding [sackcloth] around one’s waist’ for suffering grief over good that has been lost, ‘beating on breasts’ for suffering grief over the good of truth that has been lost. Since these things are meant, it also says ‘for the fields of unmixed wine, and the fruitful vine’; for ‘the field’ is the Church in respect of good, thus the Church’s good, 2971, 3196, 3310, 3766, and ‘vine’ is the spiritual Church, and therefore the good of truth, 5113, 6375, 6376.

[7] In the Book of Revelation,

I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe, and surrounded by a golden girdle around the breasts. Rev. 1:12, 13.

‘Golden lampstands’ are truths of good, ‘the Son of Man’ is Divine Truth, ‘surrounded by a golden girdle around the breasts’ the good of love. Anyone may deduce from the holiness of the Word that the things John saw concealed within themselves realities such as belong to the Lord’s kingdom and His Church; for what holiness would there be in making predictions about kingdoms in the world? From this one may recognize that they are heavenly things that are meant by ‘lampstands’ and by ‘the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe, and surrounded by a golden girdle around the breasts’.

[8] In Luke,

A certain woman lifted up her voice out of the crowd;*** she said about Jesus, Blessed is the womb that carried You, and the breasts that You sucked. But Jesus said, Rather than that, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it. Luke 11:27, 28.

The Lord’s reply shows what ‘blessed is the womb’ and what ‘the breasts’ mean – ‘those who hear the Word of God and keep it’, thus affections for truth which exist with those who hear the Word or God, and affections for good which exist with those who keep it, that is, put it into practice.
* lit. faces
** lit. upon your loins
*** lit. the people

AC (Elliott) n. 6433 6433. ‘And of the womb’ means these two – goodness and truth – joined together. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the womb’ as the inmost centre of conjugial love; and since conjugial love receives its being from the heavenly marriage, which is goodness and truth joined together, ‘the womb’ means these two joined together. For the meaning of ‘the womb’ as the inmost centre of conjugial love, see 4918; and for the origin of conjugial love in the heavenly marriage, which is goodness and truth joined together in heaven, 2618, 2728, 2729, 2803, 3132, 4434, 4835, 6179.

AC (Elliott) n. 6434 6434. ‘The blessings of your father will prevail over the blessings of my ancestors means that this Church will have spiritual good from the natural, but nor from the rational. This is clear from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6417; from the representation of Israel, to whom ‘father’ refers here, as spiritual good from the natural, dealt with in 5801, 5807, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833; from the representation in the highest sense of Isaac and Abraham, to whom ‘ancestors’ refers here, as the Lord’s Divine Internal, ‘Isaac’ representing the Lord’s Internal Divine Human or Divine Rational, 1893, 2066, 2072, 2083, 2630, 3012, 3194, 3210, and ‘Abraham’ the Lord’s Divine itself, toll, 3251, 3439, 4615 (though in the relative sense Abraham and Isaac represent the internal aspect of the Lord’s kingdom and Church, 6098, 6185, 6276). From all this one may in some measure see the meaning of ‘the blessings of your father will prevail over the blessings of my ancestors’, which is that the spiritual Church will have good from the natural or external man but not from the rational or internal man; for the good of the member of the spiritual Church exists in the natural and does not go beyond it, whereas the good [of the member] of the celestial Church exists in the rational. No one can possibly know this meaning unless he knows what ‘Israel’ and what ‘Isaac and Abraham’ represent, also where the spiritual Church’s good exists and from where it originates.

AC (Elliott) n. 6435 6435. ‘Even as far as the desire of the everlasting hills’ means as far as celestial mutual love. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the everlasting hills’ as aspects of mutual love, dealt with below; for the vision that the spiritual Church may arrive at that love is meant by ‘even as far as the desire of the everlasting hills’. Before other places in the Word are introduced to show that mutual love is meant by ‘the everlasting hills’ something must be said first about what one means by mutual love, a goal which the member of the spiritual Church represented by ‘Joseph’ has more than enough to do to reach. What has often been stated and shown already shows that there are two kingdoms constituting heaven – the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom. The difference between those two kingdoms is that the internal good of the celestial kingdom is the good of love to the Lord, while its external good is the good of mutual love. Members of that kingdom are governed by the good of love, not by truth that is called the truth of faith; for such truth is so integrated into the good of that kingdom that it cannot be seen in isolation from good. This being so, members of that kingdom cannot even utter the word faith, 202, 103, 4448; for with them the good of mutual love stands in place of the truth of faith. But in the spiritual kingdom the good of charity towards the neighbour constitutes the internal aspect of it and the truth of faith the external aspect.

[2] From all this one may see what the difference is between the two kingdoms, and also that they meet each other, in that the external aspect of the celestial kingdom coincides with the internal of the spiritual kingdom through an intermediary called the celestial of the spiritual. For as stated above, the external of the celestial kingdom is the good of mutual love, and the internal of the spiritual kingdom is the good of charity towards the neighbour. But the good of mutual love is more internal than the good of charity towards the neighbour, because the former springs from the rational, the latter from the natural. But although the good of mutual love, which is the external of the celestial Church, is more internal, while the good of charity towards the neighbour is more external, the Lord nevertheless joins the two kinds of good together through, as has just been stated, an intermediary, and in that way joins the two kingdoms together.

[3] To distinguish between the external good of the celestial Church and the internal good of the spiritual Church, let the former kind of good be called in what follows below the good of mutual love and let the latter kind be called the good of charity towards the neighbour – a difference that has not been observed in previous sections. Once these things are known, what is meant by ‘even as far as the desire of the everlasting hills’, one of Israel’s blessings regarding this spiritual Church, can be stated, which is the vision that the spiritual kingdom may rise above the good of charity and reach even as far as the good of mutual love which belongs to the celestial kingdom, and thus the two kingdoms may be joined together at a very deep level. These are the things that are meant by those words.

[4] Very many places in the prophetical part of the Word mention mountains and hills, by which forms of the good of love are meant in the internal sense. ‘Mountains’ means the good of love to the Lord, which is the internal of the celestial kingdom, while ‘hills’ means the good of mutual love, which is the external of the same kingdom. But when the spiritual kingdom is the subject ‘mountains’ means the good of charity towards the neighbour, which is the internal of that kingdom, while ‘hills’ means the truth of faith, which is its external. It should be recognized that every one of the Lord’s Churches is internal and external; and so too are both His kingdoms.

[5] This meaning of ‘hills’ becomes clear from the following places: In Isaiah,

In the latter days it will be, that the mountain of Jehovah will be on the top of the mountains, and raised above the hills. Isa. 2:2; Micah 4:1.

‘The mountain of Jehovah’, which is Zion, stands for the Lord’s celestial kingdom, thus for the good of that kingdom, which is the good of love to the Lord, and so in the highest sense is the Lord Himself since all love and all good in the celestial kingdom are the Lord’s.

[6] ‘Mount Zion’ has the same meaning in other places in the Word; and by ‘its hill’ is meant the good of mutual love, as in Isaiah,

Jehovah Zebaoth will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill. Isa. 31:4.

Here ‘hill’ stands for the good of mutual love; and since ‘hill’ means the good of mutual love, and ‘mountain’ the good of celestial love, which is that of love to the Lord, it says ‘Jehovah will come down to fight on that mountain’. Jehovah does not fight actually on Mount Zion and its hill; rather, where the good of love exists, that is what the Lord, meant here by Jehovah, fights for, that is, He fights for those with whom that good exists. If He ever did fight for Zion and Jerusalem, it was because they represented the celestial Church. This also explains why Mount Zion was called holy, and so also why Jerusalem was termed holy, when in fact it was unclean, as is evident in the Prophets where its abominations are referred to.

[7] In David,

The mountains will bring peace, and the hills, in righteousness. Ps. 72:3.

In the same author,

Praise Jehovah, mountains and all hills. Ps. 148:9.

In the same author,

The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.* Ps. 104:4, 6.

In the same author,

A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; a mountain of hills is the mountain of Bashan. Why do you leap up, O mountains, hills of mountains? God desires to inhabit it; yes, Jehovah will inhabit it perpetually. Ps. 68:15, 16.

In these places ‘mountains’ stands for celestial love, and ‘hills’ for spiritual love. Mountains are obviously not what is meant, nor hills, nor even those who were on mountains and hills.

[8] In Isaiah,

It will be that on every high mountain, and on every lofty hill, there will be brooks, streams of water. Isa. 30:25.

‘Streams of water’ stands for cognitions of good and truth, which are said to be ‘on every high mountain, and on every lofty hill’, for those cognitions flow from forms of the good of celestial and spiritual love.

[9] In Habakkuk,

Jehovah stood and measured the earth; He looked and scattered the nations, because the eternal mountains were dissolved, the everlasting hills sank down. Hab. 3:6.

‘The eternal mountains’ stands for the good of love that existed with the Most Ancient Church, which was celestial, and ‘the everlasting hills’ for the good of mutual love that existed with that Church – the former good being its internal, the latter its external. When that Church is what is meant in the Word, there is frequently added, because it was the Most Ancient Church, the word ‘eternal’, as in the expression ‘the eternal mountains’ used here, and in the expression ‘eternal days’ or ‘days of eternity’ used elsewhere, 6239. Also added was the word ‘everlasting’, as in the expression ‘the everlasting hills’ used here, as well as ‘as far as the desire of the everlasting hills’ appearing in Israel’s prophetic utterances. From this one may see that ‘the everlasting hills’ means forms of the good of mutual love belonging to the celestial Church or the Lord’s celestial kingdom.

[10] Something similar occurs in Moses’ prophetic utterance concerning Joseph,

. . . in regard to the first fruits of the mountains of the east, and to the precious things of the eternal hills . . . Let them come upon the head of Joseph. Deut. 33:15, 16.

In Isaiah,

The mountains and the hills will resound with song, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isa. 55:12.

In Joel,

On that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk, and all the streams of Judah will flow with water. Joel 3:18; Amos 9:13.

In Ezekiel,

My sheep wander in all the mountains and on every high hill, and over all the face of the earth they were dispersed. I will give them and the places around My hill a blessing, and I will send down the rain in its season. Ezek. 34:6, 26.

In Jeremiah,

On all the hills in the wilderness those who cause devastation have come, for the sword of Jehovah is devouring. Jer. 11:12.

In these places forms of the good of celestial love are meant by ‘the mountains’, and much the same, but in a lower degree, by ‘the hills’.

[11] Because mountains and hills were signs that meant things such as these, Divine worship as well took place in the Ancient Church on mountains and hills. And later still the Hebrew nation set up altars on mountains and hills, offering sacrifice and incense there; or where there were no hills they built high places. But that worship became idolatrous, owing to the fact that they considered the actual mountains and hills to be holy and gave no thought at all to the holy things that they were signs of; and because that worship had become idolatrous the Israelite and Jewish people were forbidden to practise it, for those people were extremely prone, more than all others, to engage in idolatrous worship. But so as to retain that representative feature of mountains and hills which had existed in ancient times, Mount Zion was selected, which in the highest sense represented the Divine Good of the Lord’s Divine Love, and in the relative sense the Divine Celestial and Divine Spiritual in His kingdom.

[12] Since mountains and hills were signs meaning such things, Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son on one of the mountains in the land of Moriah. it was also on a mountain that the Lord appeared to Moses, and from upon a mountain that the Law was proclaimed; for He appeared to Moses on Mount Horeb, and the Law was proclaimed on Mount Sinai. And in addition the temple in Jerusalem was built on a mountain.

[13] The fact that it was an age-old religious practice that led those people to celebrate sacred worship on mountains and hills, and that subsequently led the gentiles, also idolatrous Israelites and Jews, to offer sacrifice and incense on them, is evident in Jeremiah,

Your adulterous acts and your neighings, the wickedness of your whoredom committed on the hills, in the field – I have seen your abominations. Jer. 13:27.

This refers to Jerusalem. In Ezekiel,

When their slain will be in the midst of their idols, around their altars on every high hill, on all the mountain tops, and under every green tree, and under every entangled oak. Ezek. 6:13.

In Jeremiah,

On every high hill, and under every green tree, you are a sinful prostitute. Jer. 2:20; 3:6.

And there are other places besides these – 1 Kings 14:23; 2 Kings 16:4; 17:10.

[14] Because idolatrous worship was performed on mountains and hills, the evils of self-love are meant by them in the contrary sense, as in Jeremiah,

[I saw] the mountains; and behold, they are shaken, and all the hills are overturned. I looked, and behold, there was no man, and every bird of the air had flown away. Jer. 4:24-25.

In Isaiah,

Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low. Isa. 40:4.

In the same prophet,

Behold, I have made you into a new threshing-sledge** provided with sharp points. You are to thresh the mountains and crush them, and you are to make the hills like chaff. Isa. 41:15.

In the same prophet,

I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up every plant on them. Isa. 42:15.

In Micah,

Hear now what Jehovah is saying, Arise, contend with the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. Micah 6:1.

In Jeremiah,

Lost sheep have My people been, their shepherds have led them astray, O rebellious mountains. They have gone from mountain onto hill, they have forgotten their resting-place.*** Jer. 50:6.

And there are other places besides these, such as Jer. 16:16; Nahum 1:5, 6.

[15] The reason why ‘mountains and hills meant forms of the good of celestial and spiritual love was that they were places that rose up above the earth, and places that rose up high meant things belonging to heaven, and in the highest sense those belonging to the Lord. For ‘the land of Canaan’ meant the Lord’s heavenly kingdom, 1607, 3038, 3481, 3705, 4240, 4447; consequently everything in that land had a spiritual meaning, its mountains and hills meaning the kinds of things that are ‘high’. For when the most ancient people, who belonged to the celestial Church, went up a mountain, the idea of height came to mind, and from height the idea of what was holy, for the reason that Jehovah or the Lord was said to live in the most high places, and also for the reason that ‘height’ in the spiritual sense was the good of love, 650.
* lit. sons of the flock
** lit. threshing-sledge of a recent threshing-sledge
*** lit. bed

AC (Elliott) n. 6436 6436. ‘They will be on the head of Joseph’ means those things with respect to the interiors. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the head’ as the interiors, for it is there that everything in the human being exists first and foremost. A further reason why the interiors are what are meant by ‘the head’ lies in correspondence. From correspondence ‘the neck’ means what is intermediate, ‘the body’ the exteriors, and ‘the feet and soles of the feet’ the most external parts. This correspondence has its origin in heaven’s presentation of itself as the Grand Man. The inmost heaven where the Lord’s celestial kingdom is situated presents itself as the head there; the middle or second heaven where His spiritual kingdom is located presents itself as the body; and the lowest or first heaven as the feet, see 4938, 4939, 5318, 6291.

AC (Elliott) n. 6437 6437. ‘And on the crown of the head of the Nazirite among his brothers’ means with respect to the exteriors. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the crown of the head of the Nazirite’ as the exteriors, dealt with below; and from the representation of the sons of Israel, to whom Joseph’s ‘brothers’ refers here, as spiritual truths in the natural, dealt with in 5414, 5879, 5951. Which are also exterior ones when considered in relation to other truths. For the good that resides with the member of the spiritual Church is the good of truth, and this good is an interior one because it resides in the interior part of the natural. The reason why ‘the Nazirite’ means the exteriors is that Nazirites represented the Lord’s Divine Natural, which is the External Divine Human. That this is what Nazirites represented is clear from the fact that naziriteship is identified with the hair, and the holiness of that state lay in the hair. It did so for the sake of the representation already mentioned; for ‘the hair’ corresponds to and consequently means the natural, see 3301, 5247, 5569-5573. This is also evident from those who took the nazirite vow. They were forbidden to shave their hair during the time of the vow, Num. 6:5; but afterwards, when the period of their naziriteship had been completed, they had to shave their head at the door of the tent of meeting and cast their hair into the fire under the eucharistic sacrifice, Num. 6:13, 18. The same thing is further evident from Samson, who was a Nazirite. His strength lay in his hair, Judg. 13:3, 5; 16:1-end, see 330. This is why it says in Jeremiah,

Cut off the hair of your naziriteship and throw it away, and take up a lamentation on the hills. Jer. 7:29.

From all this it is clear that ‘the crown of the head of the Nazirite’ means the exteriors, for the crown of the Nazirite’s head is where his hair is. So much for the arcanum meant in the Word by ‘the Nazirites’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6438 6438. From these things foretold by Israel regarding Joseph it may again be seen that every detail contains an inner meaning and that without that meaning scarcely anything is intelligible. The person who fixes his attention solely on the literal meaning may think that these things which were stated regarding Joseph were going to happen to his descendants from Manasseh and Ephraim, because in verse 1 Israel says that he was going to tell them what would happen to them at the end of days. But in the historical accounts concerning those descendants in the Books of Moses, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, or Kings, one does not find anything of the sort happening to them. They were no more greatly blessed than any other tribe; rather, like all the others they were taken away into captivity and scattered among the nations. From all this it is evident that the real meaning is not what presents itself in the sense of the letter but something else contained in the internal sense. Furthermore without the internal sense one cannot begin to know what all the things said about Joseph imply, namely these:

The son of a fertile one is Joseph, of a fertile one beside a spring; daughters, each one of whom marches onto the wall.

They exasperate him and shoot at him and hate him, do the archers.

He will sit in the strength of his bow, and the arms of his hands will be made strong by the hands of the powerful Jacob; from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel.

The blessings of his father will prevail over the blessings of his ancestors, even as far as the desire of the everlasting hills.

They will be on the head of Joseph and on the crown of the head of the Nazirite among his brothers.

Every single one of these statements is of such a nature that no one can ever know what it really means except from the internal sense.

AC (Elliott) n. 6439 6439. Verse 27 Benjamin is a wolf; he will seize in the morning, he will devour the spoil, and at evening he will divide the plunder. ‘Benjamin’ means the truth of good present in the spiritual Church, which is ‘Joseph’. ‘Is a wolf’ means an eagerness to rescue and deliver the good. ‘He will seize in the morning, he will devour the spoil’ means that the deliverance takes place when the Lord is present. ‘And at evening he will divide the plunder’ means their possession in the Lord’s kingdom, while they are still in obscurity.

AC (Elliott) n. 6440 6440. ‘Benjamin’ means the truth of good present in the spiritual Church, which is ‘Joseph’. This is clear from the representation of ‘Benjamin’ as the spiritual of the celestial, dealt with in 4592. Which – the spiritual of the celestial – is the truth of good. In this instance the truth of the good present in the spiritual Church, which is represented by ‘Joseph’ in this prophetic utterance made by Israel, is meant; for since ‘Joseph’ represents the spiritual Church, 6417, he also represents the good present in that Church (a Church is a Church by virtue of good). And the truth of that good is ‘Benjamin’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6441 6441. ‘Is a wolf’ means an eagerness to rescue and deliver the good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a wolf’ as one who seizes and scatters; and since natural desires are meant in the Word by ‘beasts’, ‘a wolf’ means an eagerness to seize, as is also clear from places in the Word where ‘a wolf’ is mentioned, as in Matthew,

Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. Matt. 7:15.

In John,

The hireling who is not the shepherd, whose sheep are not his own, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf seizes them, and scatters them. John 10:12.

Similar references to the wolf occur in other places, such as Luke 10:3; Jer. 5:6; Ezek. 22:27; Zeph. 3:3. From all these places it is evident that ‘a wolf’ means those who seize, but here one who rescues from hell those who have been seized. How it is with the meaning of the wolf is much the same as it is with that of the lion, which is also a rapacious creature. The lion too is said to seize the prey, collect the spoil, and gather the plunder, as the wolf here is said to do; but in the good sense ‘lion’ means truth when empowered by good, see 6367. Something similar applies also to other ravenous creatures, such as leopards or eagles.

AC (Elliott) n. 6442 6442. ‘He will seize in the morning, he will devour the spoil’ means that the deliverance takes place when the Lord is present. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the morning’ in the highest sense as the Lord, dealt with in 2405, 2780 – therefore ‘he will seize in the morning’ means that the rescue and deliverance of the good takes place when the Lord is present; and from the meaning of ‘devouring the spoil’ as taking to Himself those He rescued and delivered. For the meaning of ‘devouring’ as taking and joining to oneself, see 3168, 3513 (end), 3596, 5643; and as for the meaning of ‘the spoil’ as those who have been rescued and delivered, this is self-evident. Because the Lord is spoken of in the Word as One who rescues and delivers the good, the expressions to seize, prey, spoil, and plunder are also used in reference to Him. This is clear from what was stated above in verse 9 about Judah, ‘A lion’s cub is Judah; from the plunder you have gone up, my son’, meaning that from the Lord through the celestial comes deliverance from hell, see 6368. It is also clear from other places in the Word, as in Isaiah,

Jehovah’s roaring is like that of a lion, He roars like young lions, and growls, and lays hold of the plunder so that no one rescues it. Isa. 5:29.

In the same prophet,

As a lion roars, and a young lion over his prey, so Jehovah Zebaoth will come down to fight on Mount Zion. Isa. 31:4.

In Jeremiah,

I will rescue you on that day, I will surely rescue you; but let your life* be as spoil to you, for the reason that you have put your trust in Me. Jer. 39:17, 18.

In Zephaniah,

Wait for Me, said Jehovah, until the day I rise up to the plunder. Zeph. 3:8.

In Isaiah,

I will divide for Him among many, so that He may divide the spoil with the strong. Isa. 53:12.

The whole chapter in which this verse appears refers to the Lord.

[2] The meaning of ‘devouring the prey (or spoil)’ as taking to oneself good things that have been seized by the evil is clear in Balaam’s prophetic utterance in Moses,

See, a people will rise up like an old lion, and like a young lion will lift itself up. He will not rest until he has devoured the prey. Num. 23:24.

From all these quotations it is evident that ‘prey’, ‘spoil’, and ‘plunder mean the rescue and deliverance of the good by the Lord. The truth that ‘Benjamin’ represents is said to be what rescues and delivers, because power is an attribute of truth, 3091, 4931, though it derives such power from good, 6344, 6423.
* lit. soul

AC (Elliott) n. 6443 6443. ‘And at evening he will divide the plunder’ means their possession in the Lord’s kingdom, while they are still in obscurity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘evening’ as obscurity, dealt with in 3056, 3833, and from the meaning of ‘dividing the plunder’ as granting a possession in the heavenly kingdom. For ‘the plunder’ means those who have been rescued and delivered by the Lord, and therefore ‘dividing the plunder means a distribution, a distribution made to them among those who are in heaven, which is the same as a possession granted them in the Lord’s kingdom. The reason why this is said to happen ‘in the evening’ is that people raised into heaven are at first in obscurity, for they cannot enter clear light until they have come to be in heaven and have learned from the Lord about truths through the angels into whose community they are sent. For a period of time is needed for the purpose of dispelling the obscurity brought on by falsities.

AC (Elliott) n. 6444 6444. These are the things that are meant by ‘Benjamin’; but can anyone without the internal sense state what is implied by the things said about him – that he ‘is a wolf’, ‘will seize in the morning’, ‘will devour the spoil’, and ‘at evening will divide the plunder’? The meaning of these details would lie completely hidden unless the internal sense revealed it. Very much of what is contained in the Prophets is like this; little of it is intelligible if considered literally, but all of it is intelligible if considered from the internal sense.

From all that has been said it may now be seen perfectly clearly that Jacob’s sons and the tribes named after them mean the kinds of things that constitute the Lord’s Church and kingdom.

AC (Elliott) n. 6445 6445. Verse 28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them; and he blessed them, each according to his blessing he blessed them.

‘All these are the twelve tribes of Israel’ means all truths and forms of good in their entirety. ‘And this is what their father spoke to them’ means communication effected through an influx from spiritual good. ‘And he blessed them, each according to his blessing he blessed them’ means foretellings about what was going to happen to each one’s spiritual life when they entered that state.

AC (Elliott) n. 6446 6446. ‘All these are the twelve tribes of Israel’ means all truths and forms of good in their entirety. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the twelve tribes of Israel’ as all truths and forms of good in their entirety, dealt with in 3858, 3926, 3939, 4060, 6335, 6397. The fact that such things are meant by ‘the tribes’ is evident not only from what has been stated about the tribes in those places just listed but also from what is said regarding them in the present chapter.

AC (Elliott) n. 6447 6447. ‘And this is what their father spoke to them’ means communication effected through an influx from spiritual good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘speaking as flowing in, dealt with in 2951, 5481, 5743, 5797, at this point communication effected through an influx; and from the representation of Israel, to whom ‘their father’ refers here, as spiritual good, dealt with in 4598, 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833.

AC (Elliott) n. 6448 6448. ‘And he blessed them, each according to his blessing he blessed them’ means foretellings about what was going to happen to each one’s spiritual life when they entered that state. This is clear from the meaning of ‘blessing’ as foretelling, dealt with in 6230, 6254; and from the meaning of ‘each according to his blessing he blessed them’ as what was going to happen to each one. The fact that what is foretold has to do with each one’s spiritual life when they entered that state is evident from all that has been stated in the present chapter regarding Israel’s sons or the tribes named after them; for they are used to describe all states of the Church so far as forms of good and truth are concerned, thus so far as the spiritual life of everyone in the Church is concerned.

AC (Elliott) n. 6449 6449. Verses 29-33 And he commanded them and said to them, I am being gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers, at the cave which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave which is in the field of Machpelah, which faces Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a grave. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah. The buying of the field and of the cave that was in it was from the sons of Heth. And Jacob finished commanding his sons, and he gathered up his feet towards the bed, and expired, and was gathered to his peoples.

‘And he commanded them and said to them’ means an introduction. ‘I am being gathered to my people’ means that [spiritual good] will come to exist within the forms of good and the truths of the natural which spring from that good. ‘Bury me with my fathers’ means that interior things and what is inmost will exist there too. ‘At the cave’ means where obscurity exists. ‘Which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite’ means which however can be made into clear light. ‘In the cave which is in the field of Machpelah’ means in that obscurity. ‘Which faces Mamre’ means the extent and nature of it. ‘In the land of Canaan’ means where the Church is. ‘Which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite’ means redemption. ‘As a possession for a grave’ means regeneration. ‘There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah’ means that all the interior things are present in order within good and truth in the natural. ‘The buying of the field and of the cave that was in it was from the sons of Heth’ means the redemption of those who receive truth, and through truth receive good. ‘And Jacob finished commanding his sons’ means the accomplishment of the introduction. ‘And he gathered up his feet towards the bed’ means that [spiritual good] turned itself – its lower things in which interior ones are present – towards the good and truth of the lower natural. ‘And expired’ means new life there. ‘And was gathered to his peoples’ means that [spiritual good] was within the forms of good and the truths of the natural that sprang from itself.

AC (Elliott) n. 6450 6450. ‘And he commanded them and said to them’ means an introduction. This is clear from what follows in which Israel speaks to his sons about burying him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, where Abraham and Isaac had been buried, by all of which is meant life present in the truths and forms of good of the natural, where interior things and what is inmost exist. And since these things form the subject in what immediately follows, ‘commanding his sons and saying to them’ means an introduction into them. ‘Commanding’ means an influx, see 5486, 5732, thus an introduction.

AC (Elliott) n. 6451 6451. ‘I am being gathered to my people’ means that [spiritual good] will come to exist within the forms of good and the truths of the natural which spring from that good. This is clear from the representation of the sons of Israel and of the tribes named after them, to which ‘his people’ refers here, as forms of good and truths in the natural – dealt with in 3858, 3926, 3939, 5414, 5879, 5951, 6335, 6337 – which, it is self-evident, sprang from him; and from the meaning of ‘being gathered to that people’ as existing within those forms of good and truths. Since the subject here and in what follows is the gathering of spiritual good, which is ‘Israel’, that is, its coming to exist within the forms of good and the truths of the natural, which are ‘his sons’ or the tribes named after them, something must be said about how one is to understand all this.

[2] Within a person there is what is inmost; there are interior things beneath what is inmost; and there are exterior things. All these are utterly distinct and separate. They follow one after another in consecutive order, thus from what is inmost to what is outermost; and in accordance with that consecutive order there is also a flow from one into another. This being so, life flows in by way of what is inmost into the interior things, and by way of the interior things into the exterior ones, in accordance with the order in which they follow one another, and it does not come to rest except in what is last and lowest, where it is brought to a halt. And since interior things flow in accordance with order right through to what is last and lowest and are there brought to a halt, it is evident that interior things exist together within what is last and lowest. But they do so there in the following order: What is inmost and has flowed in occupies the central area; interior things, which are beneath what is inmost, encircle the central area; and exterior things are on the edge all the way round. This applies not merely in what is general and overall but also in every specific thing. The first kind of order is called consecutive order, whereas the second is called simultaneous order. The second arises from the first since everything simultaneous arises from what is consecutive, and then exists as it was when first brought into being.

[3] Because the interior things are also present all together in what is last and lowest, the appearance is that life exists in what is last and lowest, which is the body. The reality however is that it exists in interior things, yet not in them but in what is highest, which is the Lord, the Source of all life. This also explains why the life in the exterior things is obscure when compared with the life in the interior ones, for in exterior things the life is wholly general, the product of many, indeed countless elements that flow in from interior things, yet are seen all together as a general, single whole. All this now shows to some extent how one is to understand the idea that spiritual good, which is ‘Israel’, will come to exist within the forms of good and the truths of the natural, which are ‘his sons’ or ‘the tribes’. For spiritual good, which is ‘Israel’, exists in the interior part of the natural, while the forms of good and the truths, which are ‘his sons’, exist in the exterior part of it. The idea that spiritual good will come to exist in them is meant by ‘I am being gathered to my people’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6452 6452. ‘Bury me with my fathers’ means that interior things and what is inmost will exist there too. This is clear from the representation of Abraham and Isaac, to whom his ‘fathers’ refers here, as the interior things and what is inmost, ‘Abraham’ representing what is inmost and ‘Isaac’ what is interior beneath what is inmost, dealt with in 3245, 6098, 6185, 6276, 6434. Regarding the existence of what is inmost and of interior things together within exterior ones, thus within the forms of good and the truths in the natural, which are ‘the sons and tribes of Israel’, see immediately above in 6451.

AC (Elliott) n. 6453 6453. ‘At the cave’ means where obscurity exists. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the cave’ as obscurity, dealt with in 2935. Regarding the existence of obscurity as well in the exterior natural, where the truths and forms of good represented by ‘the sons and tribes of Israel’ are, because things exist there only as a general, single whole, see just above in 6451 (end).

AC (Elliott) n. 6454 6454. ‘Which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite’ means which however can be made into clear light. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the field’ as the Church, dealt with in 1971, 3766; and from the representation of ‘Ephron the Hittite’ as those with whom the ability exists to receive what is true and good, dealt with in 2933, 2940, 2969, thus with whom obscurity of faith can be made into clear light. The situation in all this is that whatever is present in the natural, especially in the exterior natural, is obscure when compared with things in the interior natural, and even more so when compared with things in the rational, 6451, 6453. But that obscurity can be made into clear light in two ways: 1 If exterior things are made subservient to interior ones and are thereby brought into agreement with them, and 2 If the person can be raised from exterior things to interior ones and so can see exterior things from an interior standpoint. The second way is for those who are in the internal part of the Church, the first for those who are in the external part of it; but neither one way nor the other can be used unless they are being regenerated by the Lord. From all this one may see what is meant when it is said that obscurity can be made into clear light.

AC (Elliott) n. 6455 6455. ‘In the cave which is in the field of Machpelah’ means in that obscurity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the cave’, and also of ‘Machpelah’, as obscurity. For the meaning of ‘the cave’ as obscurity, see 2975, 6453, and of ‘Machpelah’, 2935, though ‘Machpelah’ means the essential nature of the obscurity.

AC (Elliott) n. 6456 6456. ‘Which faces Mamre’ means the extent and nature of it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Mamre’ as the extent and nature of that with which it is combined, dealt with in 2970, 4613.

AC (Elliott) n. 6457 6457. ‘In the land of Canaan’ means where the Church is. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the land of Canaan’ as the Church, dealt with in 3705, 3686, 4447, 5136.

AC (Elliott) n. 6458 6458. ‘Which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite’ means redemption. This is clear from the meaning of ‘buying’ as making one’s own, dealt with in 5374, 5397, 5410, 5426, thus also redeeming, since what one redeems one makes one’s own; from the representation of ‘Abraham’ in the highest sense as the Lord, dealt with in 1965, 1989, 2011, 3245, 3251, 3305, 3703, 4615, 6098, 6185, 6276; from the meaning of ‘the field’ as the Church, dealt with in 2971, 3766; and from the representation of ‘Ephron the Hittite’ as those with whom the ability exists to receive what is good and true, dealt with in 2933, 2940, 2969. From all this one may see what the meaning of these words is – the redemption by the Lord of those in the Church with whom the ability exists to receive what is good and true.

AC (Elliott) n. 6459 6459. ‘As a possession for a grave’ means regeneration. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a grave’ as regeneration, dealt with in 2916, 2917, 5551.

AC (Elliott) n. 6460 6460. ‘There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah’ means that all the interior things are present in order within good and truth in the natural. This is clear from the explanations above in 6451, 6452.

AC (Elliott) n. 6461 6461. ‘The buying of the field and of the cave that was in it was from the sons of Heth’ means the redemption of those who receive truth, and through truth receive good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘buying’ as redemption, dealt with above in 6458; from the meaning of ‘the field’ as the Church, dealt with in 2971, 3766, thus the member of the Church since he is the Church; from the meaning of ‘the cave’ as obscurity, dealt with in 2935, 6453; and from the representation of ‘the sons of Heth’ as a spiritual Church from the Ancient Church, dealt with in 2913, 2986. And because ‘the sons of Heth’ are a spiritual Church from the Ancient Church, they are those who receive truth, and through truth receive good; for a spiritual Church arises in this way. From all this it is evident that ‘the buying of the field and of the cave that was in it was from the sons of Heth’ means the redemption of those who are in the Church but are still in obscurity, and who receive truth and through truth receive good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6462 6462. ‘And Jacob finished commanding his sons’ means the accomplishment of the introduction. This is clear from the meaning of ‘commanding his sons and saying to them’ as an introduction, dealt with above in 6450, so that ‘to finish commanding them’ means the accomplishment of the introduction.

AC (Elliott) n. 6463 6463. ‘And he gathered up his feet towards the bed’ means that [spiritual good] turned itself – its lower things in which interior ones are present – towards the good and truth of the lower natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘gathering up the feet’ as turning oneself towards lower things (when ‘the feet’ means lower things, ‘gathering up’ clearly means turning oneself towards; for ‘the feet’ are the things which compose the natural, see 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952, thus which are lower ones, 6436. The fact that lower things in which interior ones are present are meant is evident from what was stated above in 6451); and from the meaning of ‘the bed’ as the natural, dealt with in 6188, 6226, thus the good and truth of the natural since these make up a person’s natural. The reason why the good and truth of the lower natural are meant is that this part of the natural, in accordance with the explanations given in 6451, 6452, is what interior things turn themselves towards. For the natural has a lower part and a higher one, or an interior part and an exterior one, see 3293, 3294, 5118, 5126, 5497, 5649.

[2] Since ‘Israel’ represents spiritual good from the natural, and ‘Jacob’ spiritual truth in the natural, while ‘his sons’ represent forms of good and truths in the natural, divided into separate groups, the word bed is therefore used; for the natural is meant by it, 6188, 6226, as for example when it says here that, after he had finished speaking to his sons, he gathered up his feet towards the bed. Other examples of the usage occur where it says that, when Joseph came to him, Israel strengthened himself and sat on the bed, 6226, and also where it says that, after he had spoken to Joseph about burying him in the grave of his fathers, Israel bowed himself over the head of the bed, 6188. This also accounts for the following remarkable occurrence: When one thinks of Jacob a bed with a man lying on it is seen in the world of spirits. It is seen some distance away overhead, in front over on the right. The reason for its appearance is that an idea of Jacob in the mind is converted in heaven into an idea of the natural; for in heaven they do not perceive anything of Jacob but perceive that which is represented by him, namely the natural, which is also meant by ‘the bed’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6464 6464. ‘And expired’ means new life there, that is to say, in the forms of good and the truths of the lower natural, which ‘his sons’ and ‘the tribes’ represent. This is clear from the meaning of ‘expiring’ or dying as new life, dealt with in 3498, 3505, 4618, 4621, 6036.

AC (Elliott) n. 6465 6465. ‘And was gathered to his peoples’ means that [spiritual good] was within the forms of good and the truths of the natural which sprang from itself. This is clear from what is said above in 6451, where similar words occur; see what has been brought forward there about the rise and the life of spiritual good, which is ‘Israel’, within the forms of good and the truths of the lower natural, which are ‘his sons’ and ‘the twelve tribes’. To take further the idea of the rise of interior things within exterior ones, it should be recognized that all things, not only those with the human being but also those in the entire natural order, come into existence through a series of formations, so that posterior things are brought into existence by means of formations from prior things. Consequently each formation comes into existence as that which is separate from any other; yet the posterior is dependent on what is prior to it, so dependent that it cannot remain in existence without what is prior. For what is posterior is held in connection with and has its form preserved by what is prior. From this it may also be seen that what is posterior contains within itself all things that are prior to it in their proper order. It is like modes* and the forces proceeding from those modes as underlying substances. This is how it is with a person’s interiors and exteriors, and also how it is with the things that make up the life he has.

[2] Unless one conceives interior things and exterior things in a person as entities formed in the way just described, one cannot begin to have any idea of the external man and the internal man or of the flowing of the one into the other, let alone of the rise and the life of the interior man or the spirit, and of what that man is like when the external, the bodily part, is separated through death. If a person conceives exterior things and interior ones as a continuous progression into what is purer and purer, so that through that continuity they are inseparable, and are not therefore made distinct through a series of formations of posterior things from prior ones, that person cannot help supposing that when the external dies the internal dies too. For he thinks that they are inseparable, and because they are inseparable, continuing one into the other, that when one dies, so does the other; for one takes the other with it. These matters have been mentioned so that people may know that the internal and the external are distinct and separate from each other, and that interior things and exterior ones follow one another in consecutive order, also that all interior things exist together within exterior ones, or what amounts to the same, that all prior things exist within posterior ones, which is the subject in the internal sense of the verses under consideration here.
* A philosophical term meaning the particular way in which an underlying substance manifests itself.

AC (Elliott) n. 6466 6466. INFLUX AND THE INTERACTION OF SOUL AND BODY – continued

It was shown at the ends of the previous chapters that both kinds of life residing with a person – the life of his thought and the life of his will – flow in from heaven, and that they do so through the angels and spirits present with him. But when it is said that they flow in from heaven, this should be taken to mean that they flow in from the Lord by way of heaven. For every trace of life residing with the angels is received from the Lord, as they themselves with one accord confess, for they see with perception that it is so. And since every trace of life residing with the angels is received from the Lord, so is every trace of life residing with man received from Him; for man is governed by the Lord through angels and spirits in particular, and through heaven in general.

AC (Elliott) n. 6467 6467. From this it is evident that no one’s life is ever intrinsically his own, so that no one left to himself can have any thought or will; for a person’s life consists in the exercise of thought and will. There is only one kind of life – the Lord’s – a life that flows into all people, but is received in varying ways. Indeed the way it is received is determined by the character a person has stamped on his soul through the life he leads in the world. This being so, forms of good and truths are turned among the wicked into evils and falsities, but among good people forms of good are received as forms of good and truths as truths. This may be compared to light flowing from the sun into objects. In them it undergoes all kinds of modification and variation in differing ways, as determined by the forms their constituent parts take, and it is thereby converted either into dismal or into cheerful colours, thus as determined by the character of the recipients. In much the same way, while he lives in the world a person stamps on the purest substances composing his interiors a character that determines the way in which the Lord’s life is received. It should be recognized that the life received from the Lord is the life of love towards the entire human race.

AC (Elliott) n. 6468 6468. Before spirits recently arrived from the world are taught by angels they believe nothing other than this, that every trace of life exists essentially in a person himself and that there is nothing flowing into him. The reason for such belief is that people know nothing in particular about heaven, nor thus about influx from there. Spirits who are not good have no wish to be taught anything about these matters, for they want life to be intrinsically their own. I have often talked to them on this subject, and they have said that I have no life because they have heard me saying that my life did not originate with me and that I knew it from unceasing experience. But they had no wish to stop and think about this. Then I have been led to say that the life everyone has depends on the form his interiors take, the form he has acquired through willing and acting, thinking and speaking.

[2] After that I have talked to good spirits about the influx of life from the Lord. I have said that it flows into everyone, and that this is evident from heaven, in that heaven resembles a human being and is therefore called the Grand Man, which – together with the correspondence of everything in the human being with it – has been the subject at the ends of a number of chapters. I have said that none of this would be possible if life from the Lord did not flow into heaven in general and into each of its inhabitants in particular.

[3] That influx of life is also evident from the fact that the whole of heaven relates back to the Lord and that the Lord is the focal point there of everyone’s gaze. Those in heaven look up, towards Him, whereas those in hell look downwards, away from Him; for the Lord is seen by those in heaven as the Sun, up above them there. I have said in addition that the receipt from the Lord of every trace of life is also evident from the ability of the human soul in the womb to form the body in so wondrous a fashion, to form its complex members and organs in such proper connection with one another, and its interiors in the image of heaven. The soul could not possibly do this unless all life came from the Lord and unless heaven was such as has been described.

AC (Elliott) n. 6469 6469. I have also been allowed through influx to experience the sweetness of the angels, which is the feeling they gain from thinking and willing not from themselves but from the Lord – a feeling which brings them tranquillity, peace, and happiness. And when the angels flowed into my own feelings I sensed clearly the presence of the Lord, which is a sign of the Lord’s life in them. This I have been allowed to know from a considerable amount of experience. In addition there was one occasion when I was thinking about the influx of life from the Lord and was turning over in my mind certain doubts. There flowed in from heaven the idea that no attention should be paid to the thousands of objections and reasonings that are based on false notions.

AC (Elliott) n. 6470 6470. The truth that all life comes from the Lord I have also been allowed to know from the consideration that no spirit’s thought or speech originates in himself but comes from others, and that these others derive theirs from others again, and so on. This truth has often been demonstrated to those who believed that life was intrinsic, not something which flowed in. From this demonstration of it they were led to conclude that since nobody’s thought or speech begins in himself but comes from others, everyone’s comes ultimately from a single source, thus from the Lord. And unless everyone’s had come from a single source it would have been quite impossible to introduce order into the lives of those in heaven. Such order does however exist there, involving clear-cut divisions into communities on the basis of their good. The situation would be altogether different if everyone’s actions sprang from life that was his own.

AC (Elliott) n. 6471 6471. There was a certain spirit, not an evil spirit but one of those who imagined that they had greater knowledge than others about matters of faith, and who instructed many others, even in the knowledge that everything good and true comes from the Lord and that man cannot by himself think or will anything good. This spirit was brought into the state in which he had no thought or will that began in himself; for in the next life people can be brought into states such as this. While in that state he said that he was unable to live in that condition and that for him life was oppressive. He was told at this point that this showed that he did not like living in obedience to the truth he had taught, that this state was the one angels lived in, and that they were filled with happiness when they lived that their life did not begin in themselves. But what he was told made no difference to him. This proved how difficult it is to lead the life of faith unless the good of charity plays its part in that life.

AC (Elliott) n. 6472 6472. The nature of the influx of both kinds of life – the life of thought and the life of the will coming from the Lord – has been made known to me through revelation. That is to say, I have been shown that the Lord flows in in two ways – indirectly by way of heaven, and from Himself directly – and that the influx from Himself is both into the rational levels of a person’s mind, which are his interior ones, and into the natural levels of it, which are his exterior ones. What flows in from the Lord is the good of love and the truth of faith, for what goes forth from the Lord is Divine Truth holding Divine Good within it. But the way a person receives them varies, that is to say, his particular character determines how they are received.

[2] The Lord does not compel a person to accept what flows in from Himself but leads him in freedom; and so far as the person allows He leads him by means of freedom to good. Thus the Lord leads a person in accordance with his delights. He also leads him in accordance with his illusions and resulting false assumptions; but from these He gradually leads him away, though it seems to the person as though he leads himself away. Thus the Lord does not shatter those assumptions, for that would violate the person’s freedom, which must of necessity exist if a person is to be reformed, 1937, 1947, 2875, 2876, 2881, 3145, 3146, 3158, 4031. The fact that the Lord flows into a person in this way – not only indirectly by way of heaven, but also from Himself directly, both into the interior levels of a person’s mind and into the exterior ones – is an arcanum that has remained unknown up to now.

AC (Elliott) n. 6473 6473. The truth that the Lord governs what is last and lowest in a person just as much as what comes first may be recognized from the consideration that order begins in the Lord and proceeds in consecutive stages from what comes first to what is last and lowest. Genuine order has nothing else than what is Divine within it, which being so, the Lord is inevitably present in what is last and lowest just as much as in what comes first; for one follows the other in an orderly sequence.

AC (Elliott) n. 6474 6474. An experience which lasted for an hour showed me how all a person’s thoughts are governed by the Lord. An influx took place, like the flow of a very gentle, almost indiscernible stream, whose current is invisible but nevertheless guides and drives whatever is in it. What was flowing in from the Lord was in a similar way guiding me towards conclusions in all my lines of thought, doing so gently yet forcefully. I was being led so forcefully that I could not by any means wander away into other thoughts. I was even allowed to try, but all to no avail.

AC (Elliott) n. 6475 6475. I once heard what was told to certain evil spirits who were in the world of spirits and whose thoughts were constantly ones of opposition to the Lord. (What spirits from hell are like when they are in the world of spirits, see 5852). They were told to produce someone speaking truthfully about any angel in heaven – or if they could, to point out anyone in heaven – who did not acknowledge the Lord, anyone who did not acknowledge that He was the life in all people and that they derived all they possessed from Him. But those evil spirits remained silent because they could not do it. Some of them who believed that heavens also existed in which the Lord was not acknowledged went around in search of such; but they came back, having failed in the attempt.

[2] Those spirits were told in addition that the thoughts of all in hell are ones of opposition to the Lord, and that those in hell attribute nothing superhuman whatever to Him, even though most of them say they acknowledge the Supreme Being, by whom they mean the Father. But they nevertheless lead lives of hatred and revenge, and wish to exalt themselves constantly above others and be venerated as gods; and in this way they make a hell for themselves. It is altogether different with those who acknowledge the Lord and at heart believe in Him. From this it is also clear that the Lord flows into all, both in a general manner by means of heaven and also in specific ways, as well as in a universal manner, directly from Himself. It is also clear that where the good of charity exists, He is present; and He is also present where the opposite exists, but only in a way that allows Him to give them life, and as far as possible to lead them away from evil.

AC (Elliott) n. 6476 6476. As often as I have recited the Lord’s Prayer I have had the plain feeling of being raised towards the Lord, as though I was being hauled up. At these times my ideas were open and communication with some communities in heaven was consequently established. I have also noticed that the Lord flowed into each detail of the Prayer and so into every specific idea in my thought gained from the meaning of the things stated in the Prayer. This influx has been indescribably varying, that is to say, it has not been the same on one occasion as on another. This also proved how boundless were the things contained in each detail of the Prayer, and that the Lord was present in each of those details.

AC (Elliott) n. 6477 6477. For many years I have noticed around me the general sphere produced by the things flowing in. The sphere has consisted of an unceasing endeavour from the hells on one hand to do evil, and a constant endeavour from the Lord on the other to do good. By means of these kinds of endeavour that are the opposite of each other I have been kept all the time in a state of equilibrium. Those kinds of endeavour and the state of equilibrium they produce exist with everyone; from them people have the freedom that enables them to turn whichever way they like. Yet that state of equilibrium varies according to the evil or good reigning with a person. This too has gone to prove to me that the Lord flows in in a universal manner, and when in a universal manner, in specific ways too. I have also been told that the contrary endeavour from hell is nothing else than a perversion into evil of good going forth from the Lord.

AC (Elliott) n. 6478 6478. When an angel does good to somebody else he also communicates to that person the goodness, blessedness, and bliss he himself has received; and he does this in a spirit of wishing to give the other everything and hold nothing back. When that spirit of communication is present in him, he receives far more goodness flowing in with blessedness and bliss than he imparts; and this goes on unceasingly with increasing returns. But as soon as any thought enters in of wishing to communicate what he has to the end that he may gain that influx of blessedness and bliss into himself, the influx is nullified, especially if some thought occurs to him of repayment from the one to whom he communicates the goodness he himself has received. This I have been led to know about from a considerable amount of experience. From this too it may be seen that the Lord is present in specific details; for the Lord’s nature is such that He wishes to give Himself to all, and in that way to increase the blessedness and bliss existing with those who are images and likenesses of Himself.

AC (Elliott) n. 6479 6479. Some not so upright spirits who were once with me for quite a time were constantly introducing doubts that were based on the illusions of the senses and went against the idea that all things can flow in from a single source, and so from the Lord. But I told them that so many doubts could not be removed in a short space of time, on account of the illusions of the senses which had to be dispelled first and on account of their lack of knowledge of countless things which they needed to know first. Indeed I told them that with people who have a negative frame of mind, that is, who are ruled through and through by a negative attitude, doubts cannot by any means be removed; for with these people one small difficulty has more validity than a thousand proofs. With them one small difficulty is like a grain of sand placed right in front of the pupil of the eye, and although it is only a single grain and very tiny it nevertheless blocks one’s entire field of vision. But people who have an affirmative frame of mind, that is, who are ruled through and through by an affirmative attitude, turn away small difficulties which are based on the illusions of the senses and go against truths; and any things they cannot grasp they cast aside, saying that they do not yet understand them, and in so doing hold fast to their belief in the truth. But the spirits mentioned above paid little attention to what they were told because of their negative frame of mind.

AC (Elliott) n. 6480 6480. As the subject here is the influx of the Lord indirectly by way of heaven and from Himself directly, and as this activity is more appropriately called Providence – for the Lord does not flow merely into a person’s will and thought but also at the same time into the multitude of things that happen to him – let such activity be called Providence in what now follows below.

AC (Elliott) n. 6481 6481. Spirits entering the next life bring with them the opinion that Divine Providence acts in an overall manner but not in specific ways. The reason they were of this opinion [in the world] was that they saw wicked people being promoted to important positions and made rich, and meeting with success, which they attributed to such people’s own prudence. Those spirits did not know that Divine Providence has as its end in view a person’s eternal salvation, thus not his great happiness in the world, not – that is to say – wealthiness and eminence which people during their lifetime think real happiness consists in. But such thinking is not correct, for eminence gives rise for the most part to self-love, and wealthiness to love of the world, thus to what are the opposites of love to God and charity towards the neighbour. Thus it is that things such as eminence and wealthiness are granted to the wicked, and to the good too provided that those things are not disadvantageous to them and lead them away from heaven.

[2] What is more, the Lord employs the wicked as much as the good to accomplish His ends; for the Lord spurs the wicked by means of their own actual loves to do good to neighbour, country, and Church. For the wicked wish to be eminent, wish to profit, and therefore wish to be seen as upright and zealous; and more forcefully than the upright they are aroused by that desire, as if by fire, to perform such deeds. The wicked are also allowed to think that everything can be attributed to their own prudence, and that Divine Providence has no existence or else operates only in an overall manner; for they have no wish to perceive anything different from this. And so that they may perform the kinds of deeds that are beneficial to society, successes in the things they think to do are granted them, successes which arouse them all the more since they attribute them to themselves.

AC (Elliott) n. 6482 6482. I have spoken to spirits about the Lord’s exercise of government in an overall manner, saying that what is overall can never exist without specific aspects, and that but for these the overall is nothing; for the reason why the expression ‘overall’ is used is that this is what the specific aspects considered all together are called, just as particular parts taken all together are referred to as the general whole. To speak therefore of Providence acting in an overall manner but not in specific ways amounts to saying nothing at all. If anyone takes Providence acting in an overall manner to mean the general preservation of the whole natural world in line with the order stamped on it when it was first created, he does not take into account the consideration that nothing can remain in being unless it is constantly being brought into being; for as is well known in the learned world, remaining in being is a constant coming into being, and preservation is accordingly constant creation. Consequently Providence is present all the time in specific situations. Some people find confirmation of the idea that what is overall can exist without specific aspects in the role of a king, who exercises overall control of his kingdom but does not take charge of the details. But these people give no thought to the idea that royal power rests not only with the king himself but also with his ministers who, acting on his behalf, discharge the kinds of duties which he himself cannot possibly attend to. Thus the overall rule of the king exists within specific acts of government. But with the Lord there is no need of anything like this; for whatever exists in Him is infinite because it is Divine. Angels do serve as His ministers, so that they may have an active life, and from this derive happiness; nevertheless the duties they perform as His ministers are not initiated by themselves but by influx from the Lord, as the angels also confess with one accord.

AC (Elliott) n. 6483 6483. From what has now been stated it may also be seen that what is overall is conditioned entirely by its specific aspects. The less precise these are, the more inferior also is the quality of the overall; but the more precise they are, the more superior therefore is the quality of the overall. For the specific aspects are what constitute the overall and enable it to be spoken of as the overall. From this one may recognize what the Divine overall is like – that it is composed of specific aspects of the most precise nature; for being Divine and infinite the quality of it is very much superior to all else.

AC (Elliott) n. 6484 6484. There was a certain spirit who had become quite convinced that nothing was the work of Divine Providence, but that every single thing was attributable to prudence, and also to fortune and chance. He asserted the existence of fortune yet did not know what it was. He was one of the evil spirits who are crafty, for he had spent more time in thinking than in talking to and mixing with others. When he entered the next life he continued there the life he had led previously, as everyone usually does. He enquired after and also learned about everything – including magical devices – which he thought might be of service to him, in looking out for his own happiness. I talked to him and he said that he was in his heaven when things were thus, and that no other heaven could possibly exist than that which he created for himself. But I was led to reply that his kind of heaven is turned into hell as soon as heaven as it really is flows into it. (That spirit was at this time in the world of spirits, and when people are there they experience the joys associated with the loves that ruled them when they were in the world, 5852). It so happened that at that point heaven flowed into that spirit’s joy, and suddenly he had the feeling of hell. Horrified by it he said that he would never have believed it. Some good spirits told me that he was more wicked than all the rest, for what flowed from him had more craftiness in it than what flowed from others.

[2] After this the same spirit was taken back into the state of his early childhood. The Lord showed the angels what that state had been like, and also what his future life was foreseen to be like. It was shown that every specific detail of his life had been subject to the Lord’s guidance, and that if it had not been he would have thrown himself headlong into an utterly horrible hell, that is, if there had been the smallest lapse in the constant watch kept by the Lord’s Providence, as can be demonstrated to the angels in a visual manner. The spirit was also asked whether he ever thought about eternal life. He said that he had no belief in it and cast aside everything of the kind, for the reason that he saw so much confusion, the suffering of the righteous and boasting of the wicked, and the like. He also saw, he said, that animals have senses similar to men’s, and similar life, as well as powers of observation and prudence. So his belief was that when he died he would be like them. He went on to say that he was utterly amazed when he realized that he was alive after death.

AC (Elliott) n. 6485 6485. I have talked to good spirits about Divine Providence and about a person’s own prudence. They demonstrated what they had to say on the subject by means of a representation that is a familiar one among them, dust thinly distributed in the air. They have said that one’s own prudence compared with Divine Providence is like that dust and the whole atmosphere. In comparison the dust is nothing; and it also falls to the ground. The good spirits added that people who attribute everything to their own prudence are like those who wander in dark forests and do not know the way out; and if they find it they attribute their success either to their own prudence or to fortune. Those spirits went on to say that all things which happen by chance are the work of Providence and that Providence acts silently and secretly, for very many reasons. If it acted openly, they said, a person could not possibly be reformed.

AC (Elliott) n. 6486 6486. I have listened to angels talking to one another about the Lord’s Providence, but although I did indeed understand what they said, little of it can be described because, tied up constantly with their conversations, there were heavenly representations, which for the most part are indescribable. They spoke with wisdom, saying that the Lord’s Providence is present in the most specific details of all that takes place, though He does not act according to any plan such as man sets before himself, because He both foresees and makes provision for things to come. It is, the angels said, like someone who builds a palace. He first amasses materials of every kind and piles them in heaps, where they lie in no order at all; and what the palace made from them is to be like exists solely in the mind of the architect.

AC (Elliott) n. 6487 6487. When I was talking to angels about the Lord’s Divine Providence, spirits were also present who had convinced themselves of some idea about fate or absolute necessity. They imagined that such necessity determined how the Lord acted since He can proceed only with due regard for things that are utterly essential, that is, only by observing the requirements of utterly perfect order. But those spirits were shown that a person possesses freedom, and that if he possesses freedom what happens does not arise out of necessity. A house that is going to be built was used to illustrate the point. The bricks, clay, sand, and stones serving as plinths and columns, also planks and beams, and many more such materials, are not gathered together in the order in which the house is constructed but in whatever way one pleases, the Lord alone knowing what the house will be like that is built from them. All the things one receives from the Lord are utterly essential; yet they do not follow one another in any necessary order but with special reference to the person’s freedom.

AC (Elliott) n. 6488 6488. A discussion about predestination once took place and many of the spirits, owing to the chief ideas they had adopted in the world, were of the opinion that some people have been predestined to heaven and others to hell. But I heard a response to this from heaven, which was that no one has ever been predestined to hell, but that all have been predestined to eternal life.

AC (Elliott) n. 6489 6489. The nature of the Lord’s Providence is such that it is linked together with Foresight; the one does not exist without the other. For evil things are foreseen, but good ones are provided; and the evils things that are foreseen are constantly being turned towards what is good by means of the Lord’s provident arrangement, since the Divine end, which has good in view, governs everything. Nothing is therefore allowed to happen except to the end that something good may come out of it. But because a person possesses freedom that enables him to be reformed, he is turned from evil towards good so far as he freely allows himself to be turned. He is constantly being turned from an utterly dreadful hell, which he makes every effort to cast himself into, to one that is not so bad, if he cannot be led to heaven.

AC (Elliott) n. 6490 6490. Unless the Lord’s Providence were present in the most specific details, a person could not possibly be saved or even have life, since life comes from the Lord and every moment of life holds a chain of consequences stretching into eternity. Once I was allowed to have a clear perception of the sphere emanating from ultimate purposes, a sphere produced by Providence originating in the Lord.

AC (Elliott) n. 6491 6491. The truth that the Lord’s Providence is infinite and has what is eternal in view may be seen from the formation of embryos in the womb. The rudiments of things that have yet to exist are constantly being laid down there, so that one thing is always a basis for the next, faultlessly so, until the embryo is fully formed. Afterwards too, once birth has taken place, each thing in succession is prepared with a view to the next and for the benefit of the next, so that a perfectly formed person may develop and at length be such as can receive heaven. If every detail is taken care of in this way when a person is conceived, born, and grows to maturity, what then of a person’s spiritual life?

AC (Elliott) n. 6492 6492. My father once appeared to me in a dream, and I spoke to him, saying that after he has become responsible for himself a son ought not to acknowledge his father as his father, as he did previously. For the reason why he should acknowledge him when he is being brought up is that at that time his father stands in place of the Lord; and during that time he does not know, except as his father leads him, how he should act. But when he becomes responsible for himself and can think for himself, and it seems to him that he can control his life for himself, the Lord must be his Father, in whose place his natural father had previously functioned. I spoke these things in my dream, and when I woke up there seemed to come down from heaven a long scroll attached to rods and tied round by means of very beautiful pieces of fabric of a bright blue colour. Their beauty was beyond description. I was told that angels often make such gifts to one another.

AC (Elliott) n. 6493 6493. I have often talked to spirits about fortune, which seems to people in the world like haphazard chance since they do not know its origin; and some, because they do not know its origin, deny its existence. Whenever something happened to me that seemed haphazard, the angels told me that it happened because evil spirits were present, and when I suffered some mishap, they said that the sphere of that kind of spirits was prevailing. Evil spirits also discovered how, by the use of the tricks they knew, to produce a sphere from which misfortunes resulted that looked plainly like the products of mere chance. The angels went on to say that all things, in fact the smallest of all things, and even the smallest of the smallest, are directed by the Lord’s Providence, down to the very steps taken by the feet. And when the kind of thing prevails that is contrary to Providence, misfortunes occur. They also substantiated the assertion that there is no such thing as mere chance and that what seems to be haphazard, or fortune, is Providence at work in the last and lowest degree of order, in which all things are subject to comparative inconstancy.

AC (Elliott) n. 6494 6494. For many years I watched carefully to see whether there was any such thing as fortune. I discovered that there was, and that prudence was not in that case of any avail. Furthermore all who have reflected on the matter for a long time know and confess this to be true, though they do not know why it is so. Scarcely anyone knows that fortune has its origin in the spiritual world; yet that is where it does indeed originate. In a social gathering I once played a commonly known game of chance in which dice are used, while the spirits present with me spoke to me about fortune in games. They said that good fortune was represented to them by means of a bright cloud, and ill fortune by means of a sombre one, and that when a sombre cloud was seen near me I could never win. Seeing that sign they were also foretelling to me the changes of fortune that took place in the game. From this I wished to know that what people attribute to fortune, even in games, has its origin in the spiritual world; this is even more true with regard to the changing fortunes that befall a person during the course of his life. What is called fortune results from the entry of Providence into the last and lowest degrees of order, in which it manifests itself as fortune. Thus it is that Providence is at work in the most specific aspects of everything, as accords with the Lord’s words that not even a hair falls from one’s head unless God wills it.

AC (Elliott) n. 6495 6495. From what has been mentioned so far it may be seen that influx from the Lord comes directly from Him and also indirectly by Way of heaven. But what flows in from the Lord is the good of heavenly love, thus of love towards the neighbour. Within this love the Lord is present, for He loves the entire human race and wishes to save each one for ever. And because the good of that love originates in Him, He Himself is within it and so is present with a person who has the good of that love within him. But when a person places himself in the state in which he accepts the inflow of hell, the life of self-love and love of the world feels delightful to him, and the life of love of the neighbour, unless there is something in it for himself, feels undelightful now because a person whose state is such has none but evil desires, and none but false ideas about spiritual life, to prevent him from acting in the same way as he desires and from speaking as he thinks, he is kept in check by means of his own loves, which he fears to lose. Thus he is restrained by means of his fears that he may lose position, gain, reputation, and life. The Lord flows into these restraints, which provide him with a field of activity on the last and lowest level, and He uses them to govern that person. The outcome of this is that the person appears in his actions to be well behaved and public-spirited, sometimes seeming to be like an angel. He does no harm to society or his neighbour; and should he do harm, there are civil laws to punish him. But that field of activity does not exist in the next life. A person there is in the spiritual world, consequently in the sphere where his interiors reside. That is to say, he is the same kind of person there as he had previously been inwardly, not as he had appeared to be outwardly. For outward forms and appearances are taken away from him; and once these have been taken away, it can be seen whether in the world he had been like a devil or like an angel.

AC (Elliott) n. 6496 6496. This subject is continued at the end of the next chapter.

50

GENESIS 50

1 And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept on him, and kissed him.

2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father; and the physicians embalmed Israel.

3 And forty days were completed for him, for thus are completed the days of embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.

4 And the days of weeping for him passed, and Joseph spoke to Pharaoh’s house, saying, If now I have found favour in your eyes, speak, I beg you, in Pharaoh’s ears, saying,

5 My father made me swear on oath, saying, Behold, I am dying; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you are to bury me. And now let me go up, I beg you, and bury my father, and I will return.

6 And Pharaoh said, Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear on oath.

7 And Joseph went up to bury his father, and there went up with him all Pharaoh’s servants, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,

8 And the whole house of Joseph, and his brothers, and his father’s house; only their young children, and their flocks, and their herds they left behind in the land of Goshen.

9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and it was an extremely large army.*

10 And they came to the threshing-floor of Atad, which is at the crossing of the Jordan, and wailed there with great and extremely loud** wailing; and he made a mourning for his father seven days.

11 And the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing-floor of Atad, and they said, This is an intense mourning for the Egyptians; therefore they called the name of it Abel Mizraim, which is at the crossing of the Jordan.

12 And his sons did for him thus, as he had commanded them.

13 And his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the had bought with the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham had brought with the field, as a possession for a grave, from Ephron the Hittite – facing Mamre.

14 And Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.

15 And Joseph’s brothers saw that their father had died, and they said, Perhaps Joseph will hate us and will fully return to us all the evil with which we repaid him.

16 And they gave a command to Joseph, saying, Your father commanded before he died, saying,

17 Thus you are to say to Joseph, I beg you, forgive – I beg you – the transgression of your brothers, and their sin, for the evil with which they repaid you; and now forgive, I beg you, the transgression of the servants of your father’s God. And Joseph wept as they spoke to him.

18 And his brothers also went and fell down before him, and said, Behold, we are your slaves.

19 And Joseph said to them, Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?

20 And you thought evil against me; God thought [to turn] it into good, in order to do what is in accord with this day, to bestow life on a great people.

21 And now, do not be afraid; I will sustain you and your young children. And he consoled them and spoke to their heart.

22 And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father’s house; and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years.

23 And Joseph saw Ephraim’s sons of the third generation; also the sons of Machir, Manasseh’s son, were born on Joseph’s knees.

24 And Joseph said to his brothers, I am dying; and God will certainly visit you and cause you to go up out of this land to the land which He swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

25 And Joseph made the children of Israel swear, saying, God will certainly visit you, and you shall cause my bones to go up from here.

26 And Joseph died, a hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in an ark in Egypt.
* i.e. a very large number
** lit. heavy

AC (Elliott) n. 6497 6497. CONTENTS

Now that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who in the highest sense represent the Lord, have been dealt with, this final chapter deals in the internal sense with the Church, with the establishment by the Lord of the spiritual Church after the celestial Church had perished. The beginning and the progressive stages of that spiritual Church are described in the internal sense; and at the end of the chapter the end of that Church, when solely a representative of the Church was established among Jacob’s descendants, is described.

AC (Elliott) n. 6498 6498. THE INTERNAL SENSE

Verses 1-3 And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept on him, and kissed him. And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father; and the physicians embalmed Israel. And forty days were completed for him; for thus are completed the days of embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.

‘And Joseph fell upon his father’s face’ means an influx of the internal into the affection for good. ‘And wept on him’ means sorrow. ‘And kissed him’ means an initial joining together. ‘And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians’ means preservation from evils which would hinder it. ‘To embalm his father’ means to prevent it from being ruined by any corruption. ‘And the physicians embalmed Israel’ means the action taken to preserve good springing from truth. ‘And forty days were completed for him’ means states of preparation through temptations. ‘For thus are completed the days of embalming’ means that they are states of preservation. ‘And the Egyptians wept for him’ means sadness on the part of the Church’s factual knowledge. ‘Seventy days’ means a complete state.

AC (Elliott) n. 6499 6499. ‘And Joseph fell upon his father’s face’ means an influx of the internal into the affection for good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘falling upon someone’s face’ as an influx; from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, dealt with in 5805, 5826, 5827, 5869, 5877, 6177, 6224; from the meaning of ‘face’ as affection, dealt with in 4796, 4797, 5102; and from the representation of Israel, to whom ‘father’ refers here, as spiritual good or the good of truth, dealt with in 3654, 4598, 5801, 5807, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833. From all this it is evident that ‘Joseph fell upon his father’s face’ means an influx of the internal into the affection for spiritual good.

[2] The reason why an influx of the internal into the affection for spiritual good is meant is that here the internal sense deals with the spiritual Church that the Lord established. For ‘Israel’ means the good of truth or spiritual good; but since this good constitutes the spiritual Church, ‘Israel’ also means that Church, 4286, 6426. For that good to come into existence an influx from the internal celestial represented by ‘Joseph’ is necessary; for without the influx from it that good is not good, because there is no affection attached to it.

The internal sense of what comes after this continues to deal with the establishment of that Church, 6497. The reason why that Church is described by ‘Israel’ who has now died and is soon to be buried is that in the internal sense death is not meant by ‘death’, nor burial by ‘burial’. Rather, new life is meant by ‘death’, 3498, 3505, 4618, 4621, 6036, and regeneration by ‘burial’, 2916, 2917, 5551.

AC (Elliott) n. 6500 6500. ‘And wept on him’ means sorrow. This is clear without explanation. The sorrow meant in the internal sense here by ‘weeping’ is not because of death, as the external sense implies, but sorrow because the good of the spiritual Church is not able to be raised above the natural. For the Lord, who is flowing in constantly by way of the internal, wishes to make that good more perfect and draw it closer to Himself; but in spite of this that good cannot be raised to the prime degree of good, which is that of the celestial Church, 3833. This is because the member of sorrow the spiritual Church dwells in obscurity, compared with one who belongs to the celestial Church. He engages in reasoning about truths to establish whether they are truths; or he goes about substantiating what is called doctrine, an activity he engages in without any perception of whether what he substantiates is true or not. And once he has substantiated something for himself he fully believes it to be true, even though it may be false. For nothing is incapable of being substantiated, since that kind of activity is the work of cleverness, not of intelligence, let alone wisdom. Falsity can be substantiated more readily than truth, because it encourages evil desires and accords with the illusions of the senses. Since the member of the spiritual Church is like this he cannot possibly be raised above the natural. This then is the reason for the sorrow meant by ‘Joseph wept on him’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6501 6501. ‘And kissed him’ means an initial joining together. This is clear from the meaning of ‘kissing’ as a joining together resulting from affection, dealt with in 3573, 3574, 4215, 4357, 5929, 6260, here an initial joining together since in what follows a closer joining together is the subject.

AC (Elliott) n. 6502 6502. ‘And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians’ means preservation from evils which would hinder it, that is to say, the joining together. This is clear from the meaning of ‘commanding’ as flowing into, dealt with in 5732; from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, dealt with just above in 6499; and from the meaning of ‘the physicians’ as preservation from evils (for it is apparent from the train of thought here that the preservation is from evils which would hinder the joining together referred to immediately above in 6501). From all this it is evident that ‘Joseph commanded his servants the physicians’ means an influx from the internal regarding preservation from evils which would hinder the joining together. The reason why ‘the physicians’ means preservation from evils is that in the spiritual world ‘sicknesses’ are evils and falsities. Spiritual diseases are nothing else, for evils and falsities rob the internal man of good health; they introduce mental disorders and at length states of depression. Nothing else is meant in the Word by ‘sicknesses’.

[2] In the Word ‘physicians’, ‘medicine’, and ‘medicaments’ mean forms of preservation from evils and falsities. This is clear from places where they are mentioned, as in Moses,

If you obediently hear the voice of your God, and do what is good in His eyes, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will not put on you any sickness that I put on the Egyptians; for I, Jehovah, am your Physician. Exod. 15:26.

‘Jehovah the Physician’ stands for the preserver from evils; for these evils are meant by ‘sicknesses on the Egyptians’. The fact that ‘sicknesses on the Egyptians’ means evils and falsities that arise when people reason about the arcana of faith on the basis of factual knowledge and false notions will in the Lord’s Divine mercy be shown where those sicknesses are dealt with. But spiritual ones are meant, as is evident from its being said that if they heard the voice of God, did what was good, gave ear to His precepts, and kept His statutes, none of those sicknesses would be put on them.

[3] In addition the Lord calls Himself ‘a Physician’ in the same sense in Luke,

Those who are healthy have no need of a physician but those who are ill. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Luke 5:31, 72.

Here also ‘a physician’ stands for a preserver from evils; for ‘those who are healthy’ is used to mean the righteous, and ‘those who are ill’ sinners. In Jeremiah,

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no recovery for the health of the daughter of My people?* Jer. 8:22.

‘A physician’ stands for preservation from falsities in the Church, for ‘the health of the daughter of My people’ is the truth of doctrine there.

[4] In the Word healing, cures, remedies, and medicaments are spoken of not in a natural but in a spiritual sense, as is evident in Jeremiah,

Why have You stricken us so that there is no remedy for us? Await peace, but no good comes; a time of healing, but behold, terror. Jer. 14:19; 8:15.

In the same prophet,

I will bring health and curing to it,** and I will heal them, and reveal to them the crown of peace, and truth. Jer. 33:6.

In the same prophet,

There is none judging your judgement for healthiness; you have no restorative medicaments. Jer. 30:13.

In the same prophet,

Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt! In vain you have multiplied medicaments; there is no healing for you. Jer. 46:11.

[5] In Ezekiel,

Beside the river there is rising up upon its bank, on this side and on that, every tree for food, whose leaf does not fall and whose fruit does not fail; it is reborn monthly, for its waters are flowing out from the sanctuary, wherefore its fruit is for food, and its leaf for a medicament. Ezek. 47:12.

Here the prophet is describing a new house of God or a new temple, by which a new Church is meant, and in a more internal sense the Lord’s spiritual kingdom. Therefore by ‘the river upon whose bank there is rising up every tree for food’ is meant things that belong to intelligence and wisdom, 108, 109, 2702, 3051 – ‘trees’ are perceptions and recognition of what is good and true, 103, 2163, 2682, 2722, 2972, 4552; ‘food’ is forms of good and truths themselves, 680, 4459, 5147, 5293, 5576, 5915; ‘waters going out from the sanctuary’ are truths that compose intelligence, 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976, 5668; ‘the sanctuary’ is celestial love, and in the highest sense the Lord’s Divine Human, which is the source of that love; ‘fruits which are for food’ means forms of the good of love, 917, 983, 2846, 2847, 3146; and ‘leaf which is for a medicament’ means the truth of faith, 885. From this it is evident what ‘a medicament’ means, namely that which preserves from falsities and from evils; for the truth of faith, when it leads to goodness of life because it leads away from evil, acts as a preserver.
* lit. Why then has there not gone up the health of the daughter of My people?
** lit. I will cause health and curing to go up to it.

AC (Elliott) n. 6503 6503. ‘To embalm his father’ means to prevent it from being ruined by any corruption. This is clear from the meaning of ’embalming’ as a means of preservation from corruption; and from the representation of Israel, as the good of the spiritual Church, dealt with above in 6499. From this it is evident that ‘to embalm his father’ means a means of preservation to prevent the good of the spiritual Church from being ruined by any corruption. The reason why ’embalming’ means a means of preservation from corruption is that embalmings took place so that the body might be preserved from putrefaction. Reference is also made in what follows immediately below to the means by which spiritual good is preserved from corruption.

AC (Elliott) n. 6504 6504. ‘And the physicians embalmed Israel’ means the action taken to preserve good springing from truth. This is clear from the meaning of ’embalming’ as a means of preservation from corruption, dealt with of immediately above in 6503, here the carrying out of such preservation since it states that they did embalm him; from the meaning of ‘the physicians’ as preservation from evils, dealt with above in 6502; and from the representation of ‘Israel’ as spiritual good, which is the same as good that springs from truth, also dealt with above, in 6499.

AC (Elliott) n. 6505 6505. ‘And forty days were completed for him’ means states of preparation through temptations. This is clear from the meaning of the number ‘forty’ as temptations, dealt with in 730, 862, 2272, 2273; and from the meaning of ‘days’ as states, dealt with in 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850. The fact that they are states of preparation is meant by the words ‘days were completed for him’; for the completion of that number of days allowed preparation to be made so that bodies might be preserved from putrefaction, by which in the spiritual sense is meant the preparation that is made so that souls may be preserved from the corruption of evil. For more about the removal of evils and falsities by means of temptations, and a person’s preparation through temptations to receive truths and forms of good, see 868, 1692, 1717, 1740, 2272, 3318, 4341, 4572, 5036, 5356, 6144.

AC (Elliott) n. 6506 6506. ‘For thus are completed the days of embalming’ means that they are states of preservation. This is clear from the meaning of ‘days’ as states, dealt with immediately above in 6505; and from the meaning of ‘being embalmed’ as a means of preservation, also dealt with above, in 6503.

AC (Elliott) n. 6507 6507. ‘And the Egyptians wept for him’ means sadness on the part of the Church’s factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘weeping’ as the highest degree of sadness, and an action representing internal grief, dealt with in 3801, 4786; and from the representation of ‘the Egyptians’ as the Church’s factual knowledge, dealt with in 4749, 4964, 4966. The sadness on the part of the Church’s factual knowledge which is described by ‘the Egyptians wept for Israel’ does not mean sadness because of his death; that is the meaning in the literal sense. Rather the sadness meant here is sadness because the Church’s good, represented by’ Israel’, had departed from the factual knowledge that forms the external level of the Church when it rose up from there to an internal level, the level of the good of truth. For it does not now see that knowledge present with itself, as it did before, but beneath itself. For when the truth of the spiritual Church becomes good, a reversal takes place, in that the person no longer sees truths from the point of view of truths but of good. This reversal has been discussed several times before. From this comes the sadness, which also arises from the fact that a different order is introduced at that time within the factual knowledge; and that is not accomplished without pain.

AC (Elliott) n. 6508 6508. ‘Seventy days’ means a complete state. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seventy’; for this number implies much the same as ‘seven’, and ‘seven’ means a whole period from start to finish, thus a complete state, 728, 2044, 3845. Numbers in the Word express spiritual realities, see 1963, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 4495, 4670, 5265, 6175; and compound numbers have a similar meaning to the simple ones of which they are the product, 5291, 5335, 5708, so that seventy is similar in meaning to seven.

[2] The fact that ‘seventy’ means a whole period, thus a complete state, is further evident from the following places: In Isaiah,

It will happen on that day, that Tyre will pass into oblivion for seventy years, like the days of one king. At the end of seventy years it will happen to Tyre [according to] the song of the harlot. For it will happen at the end of seventy years, that Jehovah will visit Tyre. Isa. 23:15, 17.

‘Tyre’ stands for the cognitions of what is good and true that are known to the Church, 1201, which ‘will Pass into oblivion’. ‘Seventy years’ stands for a whole period from start to finish. ‘Like the days of one king’ stands for a state of truth within the Church, for ‘days’ are states, 6505, and ‘king’ is truth, 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 5044, 5068, 6148. Anyone who gives the matter careful consideration can see that ‘Tyre’ is not used here to mean Tyre, and that without the internal sense one cannot understand what is meant by ‘Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years’ and that this will be ‘like the days of one king’, or by the rest of what is said.

[3] In Jeremiah,

The whole land will be a desolation, a devastation, and these nations will serve the king of Babel seventy years; and it will happen, when the seventy years are fulfilled, that I will visit the king of Babel and this nation for their iniquity. Jer. 25:11, 21; 29:10.

‘Seventy years’ stands for a complete state in which there is desolation and devastation. This is what was meant by the seventy years of captivity that the Jewish people underwent.

[4] In Daniel,

Seventy weeks have been decreed concerning your people and your holy city to bring transgression to a close and to seal up sins and to atone for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting justice, and to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. Dan. 9:24.

‘Seventy’ plainly stands for a complete state, thus for a whole period prior to the Lord’s Coming, which explains why it is said that He came ‘in the fullness of time’. The fact that ‘seventy weeks’ means a complete state is evident from the details of this verse – that so many weeks have been decreed ‘to bring transgression to a close’, also ‘to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting justice, to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the Most Holy Place’. These details imply fullness; and something similar is also meant in further details coming immediately after them,

Know therefore and perceive that from the going forth of the Word to restore and build Jerusalem until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks. Dan. 9:15.

Here ‘seven’ stands for a complete state; for as may be seen just above, ‘seven’ means a complete state in the same way as ‘seventy’ does. Here ‘Jerusalem’ plainly stands for a new Church, for at the time the Messiah came Jerusalem was not built but destroyed.

AC (Elliott) n. 6509 6509. Verses 4-6 And the days of weeping for him passed, and Joseph spoke to Pharaoh’s house, saying, If now I have found favour in your eyes, speak, I beg you, in Pharaoh’s ears, saying, My father made me swear on oath, saying, Behold, I am dying; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you are to bury me. And now let me go up, I beg you, and bury my father, and I will return. And Pharaoh said, Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear on oath.

‘And the days of weeping for him passed’ means that the states of sorrow were completed. ‘And Joseph spoke to Pharaoh’s house’ means an influx of the internal into the natural mind. ‘Saying, If now I have found favour in your eyes’ means so that it may be well received. ‘Speak, I beg you, in Pharaoh’s ears, saying’ means an anxious plea that it should consent to it. ‘My father made me swear on oath’ means that he has the Church at heart. ‘Saying, Behold, I am dying’ means that it has come to an end. ‘In my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you are to bury me’ means that it was to be restored to life where the previous one had existed. ‘And now let me go up, I beg you, and bury my father’ means a restoration to life of the Church there by the internal. ‘And I will return’ means presence in the natural mind. ‘And Pharaoh said, Go up and bury your father’ means an affirmation that the Church is to be restored to life. ‘As he made you swear on oath’ means because he had it at heart.

AC (Elliott) n. 6510 6510. ‘And the days of weeping for him passed’ means that the states of sorrow were completed. This is clear from the meaning of ‘they passed’ as that which was completed; and from the meaning of ‘the days of weeping’ as states of sorrow, dealt with above in 6500, ‘days’ being states, 6505.

AC (Elliott) n. 6511 6511. ‘And Joseph spoke to Pharaoh’s house’ means an influx of the internal into the natural mind. This is clear from the meaning of ‘speaking as an influx, dealt with in 2951, 5481, 5743, 5797; from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, dealt with above in 6499; from the meaning of ‘house’ as the mind, dealt with in 4973, 5023; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as the natural, dealt with in 5160, 5799, 6015. From all this it is evident that ‘Joseph spoke to Pharaoh’s house’ means an influx of the internal into the natural mind.

AC (Elliott) n. 6512 6512. ‘Saying, If now I have found favour in your eyes’ means so that it may be well received. This is clear from the meaning of ‘finding favour in the eyes’ as a stock phrase for ingratiating oneself, thus as a wish to be well received, see 4975, 6178.

AC (Elliott) n. 6513 6513. ‘Speak, I beg you, in Pharaoh’s ears, saying’ means an anxious plea that it should consent to it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘speak, I beg you’ as an anxious plea; and from the meaning of ‘ears’ as obedience, dealt with in 2542, 3869, 4551, 4652-4660, in this instance consent since the plea is addressed to the king. Obedience too is consent; but the word obedience is used in reference to inferiors, consent in reference to superiors.

AC (Elliott) n. 6514 6514. ‘My father made me swear on oath’ means that he has the Church at heart. This is clear from the representation of Israel, to whom ‘father’ refers here, as the spiritual Church, dealt with in 4286, 6426; and from the meaning of ‘making to swear on oath’ as placing under an inner obligation, here as having at heart. For one who is under an inner obligation and so is bound by conscience does a thing because he has it at heart. This therefore is what is meant here by ‘making to swear on oath’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6515 6515. ‘Saying, Behold, I am dying’ means that it – the Church – has come to an end. This is clear from the meaning of ‘dying’ as existing no more, dealt with in 494, and as the final period of the Church when it breathes its last, 2908, 2917, 2923.

AC (Elliott) n. 6516 6516. ‘In my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you are to bury me’ means that it – the Church – was to be restored to life where the previous one had existed. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a grave’ and ‘burying’ as restoring to life, dealt with in 5551; and from the meaning of ‘the land of Canaan’ as the Lord’s kingdom and the Church, dealt with in 1413, 1437, 1607, 1866, 3038, 3481, 3705, 4240, 4447. The reason Jacob wished to be buried in the land of Canaan, where Abraham and Isaac had been buried, and not in any other place was that his descendants were going to possess that land, and so he would be lying among his own people. But in the internal sense not this but something else is meant, namely regeneration and resurrection, because these are what the Church resides in. For ‘burial’ means in the internal sense regeneration and resurrection, 2916, 1917, 4621, 5551. While ‘the land of Canaan’ means the Church, as is evident from the places referred to above in the present paragraph, and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob represent the Lord as regards the Divine itself and the Divine Human, and in the relative sense the Lord’s kingdom as regards the internal aspect and the external aspect of it, 1965, 1989, 2011, 3245, 3305 (end), 4615, 6098, 6185, 6276. This then is what is meant in the internal sense by the burial of them in that land; and it explains why among Jews who believe in resurrection the conviction continues to exist that even though they have been buried in some other place they will nevertheless rise again in the land of Canaan.

[2] The reason why it is said that the Church was to be restored to life in the place where the previous one had existed is that the Lord’s Church had existed in that land since most ancient times, see 3686, 4447, 4454, 4516, 4517, 5136. It also explains why Abraham was told to go there and why the descendants of Jacob were led into it. And the reason for all this was not that the land was holier than all others but that since most ancient times all the locations there, both provinces and cities as well as mountains and rivers, had been representative of such things as belonged to the Lord’s kingdom; and the actual names conferred on those locations implied such things. For every particular name supplied from heaven to a place or person implies some celestial or spiritual reality; and when the name has been supplied from heaven, that reality is perceived by them there. The Most Ancient Church too, which was celestial and was in contact with heaven, was one that used to confer names. The reason therefore why the Church was to exist again in that land was that a Word was going to be given in which every detail would be representative of and would mean some spiritual or celestial reality, and that Word would accordingly be understood in heaven no less than on earth. But this could not possibly have been accomplished unless also the names of places and persons had had spiritual meanings. This is the reason why the descendants of Jacob were led into that land, why prophets were raised up there through whom the Word was written, and therefore why a representative of the Church was established among Jacob’s descendants. From all this one may see the reason for the statement that the Church was to be restored to life where the previous one had existed.

[3] The fact that names in the Word mean spiritual things may be seen in 1224, 1264, 1876, 1888, 4442, 5225, as well as in the multitude of places where explanations are given of what their meanings are. But the fact that in heaven they perceive what the meanings are of names used in the Word, and that they do this without prior instruction, is an arcanum unknown as yet to anyone and must therefore be described. When the Word is read the Lord comes in and teaches; also – and this is one of the marvels in the spiritual world – writings exist, which I have frequently seen and been able to read yet not understand. But good spirits and angels understand them perfectly well because those writings accord with the universal language they speak. I have been led to know that individual words used there, even individual letters, hold within themselves the kinds of things that belong to that world, thus spiritual things, and that these are perceived there from the breath that is used, and from the affection resulting from the uttering of those words, thus from the varying smooth or rough delivery of them. But it is probable that hardly anyone will believe this. This arcanum has been disclosed so that people may know that those in heaven perceive instantly what the meanings are of names used in the Word, because those names are registered in heaven.

AC (Elliott) n. 6517 6517. ‘And now let me go up, [I beg you,] and bury my father’ means a restoration to life of the Church there by the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘burying’ as a restoration to life, dealt with immediately above in 6516; from the representation of Israel, to whom ‘father’ refers here, as the Church, also dealt with above, in 6514; and from the representation of Joseph, the one who says this of himself, as the internal, dealt with in 6499.

AC (Elliott) n. 6518 6518. ‘And I will return’ means presence in the natural mind. This is clear from the meaning of ‘returning’ as presence, for in the internal sense ‘setting out and going’ means leading a life, 3335, 4882, 5493, 5605, and therefore coming back or ‘returning’ means the presence of this life in the place where that journey begins; for the mind is always present there. The reason why the natural mind is the location of the presence is that the land of Egypt to which he would return means the natural mind, 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5701.

AC (Elliott) n. 6519 6519. ‘And Pharaoh said, Go up and bury your father’ means an affirmation that the Church is to be restored to life. This is clear from what has been stated just above in 6517, where similar words occur. The fact that it is an affirmation is self-evident.

AC (Elliott) n. 6520 6520. ‘As he made you swear on oath’ means because he had it at heart. This is clear from the meaning of ‘making to swear on oath’ as having at heart, dealt with above in 6514.

AC (Elliott) n. 6521 6521. Verses 7-9 And Joseph went up to bury his father, and there went up with him all Pharaoh’s servants, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, and the whole house of Joseph, and his brothers, and his father’s house; only their young children, and their flocks, and their herds they left behind in the land of Goshen. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and it was an extremely large army.*

‘And Joseph went up to bury his father’ means the steps taken by the internal to re-establish the Church. ‘And there went up with him all Pharaoh’s servants’ means that it had attached to itself the factual knowledge belonging to the natural. ‘The elders of his house’ means the things that would accord with good. ‘And all the elders of the land of Egypt’ means the things that would accord with truth. ‘And the whole house of Joseph’ means aspects of the celestial of the spiritual. ‘And his brothers’ means the truths coming forth from this. ‘And his father’s house’ means spiritual good. ‘Only their young children’ means innocence. ‘And their flocks’ means charity. ‘And their herds’ means the exercising of charity. ‘They left behind in the land of Goshen’ means that those things were in the inmost part of the Church’s factual knowledge. ‘And there went up with him both chariots’ means matters of doctrine. ‘And horsemen’ means intellectual concepts. ‘And it was an extremely large army’ means truths and forms of good banded together.
* i.e. a very large number

AC (Elliott) n. 6522 6522. ‘And Joseph went up to bury his father’ means the steps taken by the internal to re-establish the Church. This is clear from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, dealt with above in 6499; from the meaning of ‘burying’ as restoration to life, dealt with in 6516, thus a re-establishment, since it is used to refer to the Church; and from the representation of Israel, to whom ‘father’ refers here, as the Church, dealt within 4286, 6426.

AC (Elliott) n. 6523 6523. ‘And there went up with him all Pharaoh’s servants’ means that it had attached to itself the factual knowledge belonging to the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going up with him’ as attaching to itself, for since it was by command that they went up, he attached them to himself; and from the meaning of ‘Pharaoh’s servants’ as factual knowledge belonging to the natural. For ‘Pharaoh’ represents the natural as a general whole, 5160, 5799, 6015 (end); and since within the natural factual knowledge is present, that knowledge is what is meant by ‘his servants’ as well as by ‘the Egyptians’, 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 4749, 4964, 4966, 5700, 5702, 6004.

AC (Elliott) n. 6524 6524. ‘The elders of his house’ means the things that would accord with good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the elders’ as the chief characteristics of wisdom, thus things that accord with good, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘house’ as good, dealt with in 2559, 3652, 3720, 4982. The reason why ‘elders’ means the chief characteristics of wisdom is that in the Word ‘old people’ means those who are wise, and – in a sense detached from persons – wisdom. Since ‘the twelve tribes of Israel’ meant all truths and forms of good in their entirety, they had princes and also elders set over them. ‘Princes’ meant the leading truths constituting intelligence, and ‘elders’ the chief characteristics of wisdom, thus those of good.

[2] For the meaning of ‘princes’ as the leading truths constituting intelligence, see 1482, 2089, 5044. But as regards the meaning of ‘elders’ as the chief characteristics of wisdom, and of ‘old people’ as wisdom, this is evident from the following places: In David,

They will extol Jehovah in the congregation of the people, and in the assembly of the old they will praise Him. Ps. 107:32.

‘The congregation of the people’ stands for those who are ruled by truths constituting intelligence, since ‘congregation’ is used with reference to truths, 6355, as also is ‘people’, 1259, 1260, 2928, 3295, 3581; ‘the assembly of the old’ stands for those who are ruled by good, which belongs to wisdom since wisdom is concerned with life, thus with what is good, whereas intelligence is concerned with knowing, thus with what is true, 1555. In the same author,

I am wiser than the old, because I have kept Your commands. Ps. 119:100.

‘The old’ plainly stands for one who is wise. Likewise in Job,

In the old there is wisdom, in length of days intelligence. Job 12:12.

In Moses,

You shall rise before grey hair and respect the face of an old person. Lev. 19:32.

This command was given because ‘old people’ represented wisdom.

[3] In John,

On the thrones I saw twenty-four elders seated, clad in white garments, who had on their heads crowns of gold. Rev. 4:4.

‘Elders’ stands for aspects of wisdom, thus of good. That these are meant by the elders is evident from the description of the elders – they sat on thrones, were clad in white garments, and had crowns of gold on their heads. ‘Thrones’ are truths constituting intelligence which are derived from good belonging to wisdom, 5313. ‘White garments’ has a similar meaning, ‘garments’ being truths, 1073, 4545, 4763, 5248, 5954, and ‘white’ that which has reference to truth, 3301, 5319. ‘Crowns of gold on their heads’ are forms of the good of wisdom; for ‘gold’ is the good of love, 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, and ‘head’ is the celestial, the seat of wisdom, 4938, 4939, 5328, 6436. Those who are in the third or inmost heaven, thus who are nearest the Lord, are called the wise, whereas those in the middle or second heaven, thus who are not as near the Lord, are called intelligent.

[4] In the same book,

All the angels stood around the throne, and the elders, and the four living creatures. Rev. 7:11.

Again ‘the elders’ stands for aspects of wisdom, as it does in the following places: In Isaiah,

The boy will uplift himself against the old man, and the despised against the honourable. Isa. 7:5.

In the same prophet,

Jehovah Zebaoth will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders, glory. Isa. 24:23.

In Jeremiah,

My priests and my elders breathed their last in the city, for they sought food for themselves, with which they would renew their soul. Lam. 1:19.

In the same prophet,

Her king and her princes are among the nations; the law is no more. The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground, they become silent. Lam. 2:9, 10.

In the same prophet,

They have ravished women in Zion, virgins in the cities of Judah. Princes have been hung up by their hands, the faces of the old men have not been honoured, the elders have ceased from the gate. Lam. 5:11, 12, 14.

In Ezekiel,

Misery will come upon misery, and rumour will be upon rumour. Therefore they will seek a vision from the prophet, but the law has perished from the priest, and counsel from the elders. The king will mourn, and the prince will be wrapped in stupidity. Ezek. 7:26, 27.

In Zechariah,

Old men and women will again dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and each one with his staff in his hand because of great age.* Zech. 8:4.

So that ‘the elders’ might represent things that constitute wisdom, some of Moses’ spirit was taken and imparted to them, by which they prophesied, Num. 11:16 and following verses.

In the contrary sense ‘elders’ stands for the things that are the opposites of the aspects of wisdom, Ezek. 8:11, 12.
* lit. for multitude of days

AC (Elliott) n. 6525 6525. ‘And all the elders of the land of Egypt’ means the things that would accord with truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the elders’ as the chief characteristics of wisdom, thus things that accord with good, dealt with directly above in 6524, here those that accord with truth, for those that accord with good also accord with truth; and from the meaning of ‘the land of Egypt’ as the natural mind where known facts reside, dealt with in 5276, 5278, 5280, 5188, 5301, thus also where truths reside, since known facts are truths existing in the natural mind; and being truths they are called factual truths.

AC (Elliott) n. 6526 6526. ‘And the whole house of Joseph’ means aspects of the celestial of the spiritual. This is clear from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the celestial of the spiritual, dealt with in 4286, 4592, 4963, 5307, 5331, 5332; consequently aspects of the celestial of the spiritual are meant by ‘the house of Joseph’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6527 6527. ‘And his brothers’ means the truths coming forth from this. This is clear from the representation of the sons of Israel, to whom ‘Joseph’s brothers’ refers here, as spiritual truths, dealt with in 5414, 5879, 5951, which truths also come forth from the celestial internal, which is ‘Joseph’, though by way of spiritual good, which is ‘Israel’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6528 6528. ‘And his father’s house’ means spiritual good. This is clear from the representation of Israel, to whom ‘father’ refers here, as spiritual good, dealt with in 3654, 4598, 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833. Consequently ‘his house’ means all the characteristic features in their entirety of that good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6529 6529. ‘Only their young children’ means innocence. This is clear from the meaning of ‘young children’ as innocence, dealt with in 430, 3183, 5608.

AC (Elliott) n. 6530 6530. ‘And their flocks’ means charity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘flocks’ as the interior good of charity, dealt with in 5913, 6048.

AC (Elliott) n. 6531 6531. ‘And their herds’ means the exercising of charity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘herds’ as exterior forms of the good of charity, dealt with in 2566, 5913, 6048, thus the exercising of charity, since these are the exterior forms that the good of charity takes.

AC (Elliott) n. 6532 6532. ‘They left behind in the land of Goshen’ means that those things were in the inmost part of [the Church’s] factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the land of Goshen’ as the middle or inmost part within the natural, where the Church’s factual knowledge resides, dealt with in 5910, 6028, 6031, 6068. The existence of the interior and the exterior forms of the good of innocence and charity, 6529-6531, in that inmost part is meant when it says that they left behind the young children, flocks and herds in the land of Goshen; for in whatever place things are left, that is where they are. Thus ‘they left behind’ here does not in the internal sense mean leaving behind but being there, that is to say, in the inmost part of the Church’s factual knowledge, which is ‘the land of Goshen’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6533 6533. ‘And there went up with him both chariots’ means matters of doctrine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘chariots’ as matters of doctrine, dealt with in 5321, 5945.

AC (Elliott) n. 6534 6534. ‘And horsemen’ means intellectual concepts. This is clear from the meaning of ‘horsemen’ as things connected with the understanding; for ‘a horse’ means the power of understanding, 2760-2761, 3217, 5321, 6125. The meaning of ‘horsemen’ as things connected with the understanding becomes clear in addition from the following places: In Moses,

Jehovah alone led him; He caused him to ride over the heights of the land. Deut. 32:12, 17.

This refers to the Ancient Church. ‘Causing to ride over the heights of the land’ stands for endowing with superior understanding.

[2] In David,

In your majesty* climb into [your chariot], and ride on the word of truth and meekness and righteousness, and your right arm will teach you marvellous things. Ps. 45:4.

This refers to the Lord. ‘Riding on the word of truth’ stands for having a genuine understanding of truth. In the same author,

Sing to God, praise His name; exalt Him who rides on the clouds by His name Jah. Ps. 68:4.

This too refers to the Lord. ‘The clouds’ stands for the literal sense of the Word, preface to Genesis 18, and 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343 (end); ‘riding on them’ stands for being in command of the internal sense, in which truth resides with all the intelligence and wisdom it can bring.

[3] In Zechariah,

On that day I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness; and on the house of Judah I will open My eye. But every horse of the peoples I will strike with blindness. Zech. 12:4.

‘Horse’ stands for the power of understanding, and ‘rider’ or ‘horseman’ for the intellect. Does anyone not see that ‘horse’ here does not mean a horse, or that ‘rider’ does not mean rider, but that something else such as can be struck with panic and madness, and also with blindness, is meant? That something else, it is evident, is the understanding or intellect.

[4] By ‘horses and horsemen’ intellectual concepts are meant, and in the contrary sense reasonings and consequent falsities, as may be seen in John,

I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; to him a crown was given; he went out conquering. Then there came out another horse, fiery-red; and it was granted to him who sat on it that he should take peace away from the earth, and that men should slay one another. Therefore to him was given a great sword. I saw, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it held a balance in his hand. I saw therefore, and behold, a pale horse and he who sat on it, whose name was death. Rev. 6:2, 4, 5, 8.

Here, as is evident from the details of the description, the horses and those seated on them mean things connected with an understanding consisting of truth, and in the contrary sense an understanding consisting of falsity. ‘The white horse and he who sat on it’ stands for an understanding consisting of truth gained from the Word; the one seated on the white horse is, as explicitly stated in Rev. 19:11, 13, 16, the Lord as to the Word. ‘The fiery-red horse and he who sat on it’ stands for reasonings resulting from desires for evil, which do violence to truths from the Word. ‘The black horse and he who sat on it’ stands for a destroyed ability to understand the truth, while ‘the pale horse and he who sat on it’ stands for damnation resulting from such destruction.

[5] ‘Horses and horsemen’ in the contrary sense stands for a perverted understanding and the falsities it produces, in Ezekiel also,

Oholah committed whoredom under Me and doted on her lovers – governors and leaders, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. Her sister Oholibah was in love with the sons of Asshur – governors and leaders, her neighbours, clothed in perfect adornment, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. Ezek. 23:5, 6, 12.

‘Oholah’ stands for the perverted spiritual Church, which is Samaria, and ‘Oholibah’ for the perverted celestial Church, which is Jerusalem; for the Israelites who belonged to Samaria represented the spiritual Church, but the Jews who belonged to Jerusalem represented the celestial Church. ‘The Assyrians’ and ‘the sons of Asshur’ stand for reasoning against the truths of faith, 1186, ‘horsemen riding on horses’ for a perverted understanding, from which falsities are produced.

[6] In Habakkuk,

I am rousing the Chaldeans, a bitter and headstrong nation, marching into the breadth of the earth, to inherit habitations that are not its own Its horses are swifter than leopards, sharper than the evening wolves, so that its horsemen spread out, and therefore its horsemen come from afar. Hab. 1:6, 8.

‘The Chaldeans’ stands for those governed by falsities, though to outward appearances they are governed by truths; thus ‘the Chaldeans’ stands for the profanation of truth, whereas ‘Babel’ stands for the profanation of good, 1182, 1368. ‘Marching into the breadth of the earth’ stands for destroying truths – ‘the breadth of the earth’ meaning truth, see 3433, 3434, 4482. From this it is evident that ‘the horsemen who spread out and who arrive from afar’ are things connected with a perverted understanding, which are therefore falsities.
* lit. honour

AC (Elliott) n. 6535 6535. ‘And it was an extremely large army’ means truths and forms of good banded together. This is clear from the meaning of ‘an army’ as truths and forms of good, dealt with in 7448; and since here the truths and forms of good – meant not only by ‘the elders of Pharaoh’s house’ and ‘the elders of the land of Egypt’ but also ‘Joseph’s house’ and ‘his brothers’, as well as by ‘his father’s house’ – were all together, ‘an extremely large army’ here means truths and forms of good banded together.

AC (Elliott) n. 6536 6536. Verses 10, 11 And they came to the threshing-floor of Atad, which is at the crossing of the Jordan, and wailed there with great and extremely loud* wailing; and he made a mourning for his father seven days. And the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing-floor of Atad, and they said, This is an intense mourning for the Egyptians; therefore they called the name of it Abel Mizraim, which is at the crossing of the Jordan.

‘And they came to the threshing-floor of Atad’ means the initial state. ‘Which is at the crossing of the Jordan’ means which is one of introduction into cognitions of good and truth. ‘And wailed there with great and extremely loud wailing’ means grief. ‘And he made a mourning for his father seven days’ means the end of the grief. ‘And the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing-floor of Atad’ means a discernment of the grief by the good of the Church. ‘And they said, This is an intense mourning for the Egyptians’ means that the grief existed with factual knowledge prior to the introduction of it into the truths of the Church. ‘Therefore they called the name of it Abel Mizraim’ means the essential nature of the grief.
* lit. heavy

AC (Elliott) n. 6537 6537. ‘And they came to the threshing-floor of Atad’ means the initial state. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the threshing-floor’ as the place where the good of truth exists, for what lies on a threshing-floor is grain, and by ‘grain’ is meant good which is derived from truth, 5295, 5410, and also the truth of good, 5959; and from the meaning of ‘Atad’ as the essential nature of that state, just like place-names in other parts of the Word. The reason why ‘the threshing-floor of Atad’ means that state – the state leading to goodness and truth existing within the Church – is that it was at the crossing of the Jordan, and by that crossing is meant introduction into cognitions of good and truth, dealt with in the next paragraph. For the Jordan served as the frontier leading into the land of Canaan; and since ‘the land of Canaan’ means the Church, ‘the Jordan’ accordingly means the initial things of the Church, that is, those through which lies entrance into the Church.

[2] Thus it is that ‘the threshing-floor of Atad’ means the initial state. And because the initial state was meant, the mourning took place next to a threshing-floor; for this was situated on the nearer side of the Jordan, from which position one had a view of the land of Canaan, which means the Church. The fact that ‘a threshing-floor’ means a place where the good of truth and the truth of good exist, thus where things of the Church exist, is clear in Joel,

Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in Jehovah your God. The threshing-floors are full of grain, and the presses overflow with new wine and oil. Joel 2:23, 24.

‘The children of Zion’ stands for truths deriving from good, ‘threshing-floors full of grain’ for the fact that there is an abundance of truth and good.

[3] In Hosea,

Do not rejoice, O Israel, for you have committed whoredom under your God; you have taken delight in a harlot’s reward on every threshing-floor. Threshing-poor and wine-press will not feed them, and new wine will be deceptive to her. Hosea 9:1, 2.

‘Committing whoredom’ and ‘taking delight in a harlot’s reward’ stands for falsifying truths and loving falsified truths; ‘threshing-floors’ stands for truths of good that have been falsified.

[4] Since ‘a threshing-floor’ meant good and also truth, they used to celebrate the feast of tabernacles at the time when they gathered in from the threshing-floor. Regarding that feast it says in Moses,

You shall celebrate the feast of tabernacles seven days, when you gather in from your threshing-floor, and from your wine-press. Deut. 16:13.

The feast of tabernacles meant holy worship, thus worship springing from what was good and true, 3312, 4391.

AC (Elliott) n. 6538 6538. ‘Which is at the crossing of the Jordan’ means which is one of introduction into cognitions of good and truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the Jordan’ as introduction into cognitions of good and truth, thus the first sector of the Lord’s kingdom and the Church as one goes in, and the last as one comes out, dealt with in 4255. The rivers where the land of Canaan came to an end were representative of the outermost things within the Lord’s kingdom, see 1585, 4116, 4240. This is why ‘the crossing of the Jordan’ means introduction into cognitions of good and truth, for cognitions of good and truth are what come first and serve to introduce a person into the things that constitute the Church.

AC (Elliott) n. 6539 6539. ‘And wailed there with great and extremely loud wailing means grief. This is clear from the meaning of ‘wailing’ as grief. The grief that is meant here is a grief that goes with the introduction referred to just above in 6537; for before the cognitions of good and truth which come at the initial stage can be implanted in good and so become part of the Church’s good, grief exists; for a different state must be brought about in the natural, and the known facts must be rearranged into a different order there. Thus what a person has loved formerly must be destroyed, which means that he will also have to undergo temptations. This is what gives rise to the grief that is represented by ‘the loud wailing with which they wailed’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6540 6540. ‘And he made a mourning for his father seven days’ means the end of the grief. This is clear from the meaning of ‘mourning’ as the grief that is felt before cognitions of good and truth have been implanted, dealt with immediately above in 6539; and from the meaning of ‘seven days’ as an entire period from beginning to end, dealt with in 728, 1044, 3845, 6508, here therefore the end, because once that period of days had passed they crossed the Jordan.

AC (Elliott) n. 6541 6541. ‘And the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing-floor of Atad’ means a discernment of the grief by the good of the Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seeing as discerning, dealt with in 2150, 3764, 4727, 5400; from the meaning of ‘inhabitant’ as good, dealt with in 2268, 2451, 2712, 3613; from the meaning of ‘the land’, here the land of Canaan in which the Canaanites were inhabitants, as the Church, dealt with in 1413, 1437, 1607, 1866, 3038, 3481, 3705; from the meaning of ‘the mourning’ as grief, dealt with immediately above in 6539, 6540; and from the meaning of ‘the threshing-floor of Atad’ as the initial state, which is one of introduction, dealt with in 6537, 6538. From all this it is evident that ‘the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing-floor of Atad’ means a discernment of the grief by the good of the Church.

AC (Elliott) n. 6542 6542. ‘And they said, This is an intense mourning for the Egyptians means that the grief existed with factual knowledge prior to the introduction of it into the truths of the Church. This is clear from what has been stated above in 6579, where these matters are explained.

AC (Elliott) n. 6543 6543. ‘Therefore they called the name of it Abel Mizraim’ means the essential nature of the grief. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the name’ and ‘calling the name’ as the essential nature, dealt with in 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 2724, 3006, 3421; and since in ancient times names were conferred which had real things and states as their meaning, the essential nature is accordingly meant, 1946, 3422, 4298. The essential nature of the grief is therefore meant by ‘Abel Mizraim’, a name which means in the original language The Mourning of the Egyptians.

AC (Elliott) n. 6544 6544. Verses 12, 13 And his sons did for him thus, as he had commanded them. And his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought with the field as a possession for a grave, from Ephron the Hittite – facing Mamre.

‘And his sons did for him thus, as he had commanded them’ means action taken in compliance with influx. ‘And his sons carried him to the land of Canaan’ means that the Church was transferred to that place. ‘And buried him’ means restoration to life there. ‘In the cave of the field of Machpelah’ means the beginning of regeneration. ‘Which Abraham had bought with the field’ means those whom the Lord had redeemed. ‘As a possession for a grave, from Ephron the Hittite’ means those who receive the truth and good of faith and allow themselves to be regenerated. ‘Facing Mamre’ means nature and extent.

AC (Elliott) n. 6545 6545. ‘And his sons did for him thus, as he had commanded them means action taken in compliance with influx. This is clear from the meaning of ‘did’ as action taken; and from the meaning of ‘commanding’ as influx, dealt with in 5486, 5732.

AC (Elliott) n. 6546 6546. ‘And his sons carried him to the land of Canaan’ means that the Church was transferred to that place. This is clear from the meaning of ‘carried’ as its – the Church’s – being transferred; for the Church is meant by ‘the land of Canaan’, 1413, 1437, 1607, 1866, 3038, 3481, 3705. Why the Church was transferred there, see above in 6516.

AC (Elliott) n. 6547 6547. ‘And buried him’ means restoration to life there. This is clear from the meaning of ‘burying’ as restoration to life, dealt with in 5551, 6516.

AC (Elliott) n. 6548 6548. ‘In the cave of the field of Machpelah’ means the beginning of regeneration. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the cave of the field of Machpelah’ as faith enveloped in obscurity, dealt with in 1935, and of ‘Machpelah’ as regeneration, 2970. Thus the beginning of regeneration is meant, for this is a time when faith is enveloped in obscurity.

AC (Elliott) n. 6549 6549. ‘Which Abraham had bought with the field’ means those whom the Lord had redeemed. This is clear from the meaning of ‘buying’ as redemption, dealt with in 6458, 6461; from the representation of ‘Abraham’ as the Lord, dealt with in 1965, 1989, 2011, 2172, 2198, 3245, 3305 (end), 3439; 3703, 4615, 6098, 6185, 6276; and from the meaning of ‘the field’ as the Church, dealt with in 2971, 3766. From all this it is evident that ‘which Abraham had bought with the field’ means those belonging to the Church, whom the Lord had redeemed.

AC (Elliott) n. 6550 6550. ‘As a possession for a grave, from Ephron the Hittite’ means those who receive the truth and good of faith and allow themselves to be regenerated. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a grave’ as regeneration, dealt with in 2916, 2917, 5551, 6459; and from the representation of ‘Ephron the Hittite’ as those with whom the ability exists to receive goodness and truth, dealt with in 6458.

AC (Elliott) n. 6551 6551. ‘Facing Mamre’ means nature and extent. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Mamre’ as the nature and extent of what it is used in connection with, dealt with in 2970, 4613, 6456. Something special is meant when it is said that Abraham had bought the cave of the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, from Ephron the Hittite, as may be recognized from the fact that these details are repeated so often, as in Genesis 23,

The field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah – which was before Mamre – was made over. . . Verse 17.

In addition to this,

After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife at the cave of the field of Machpelah facing Mamre. Verse 19.

And yet again,

The field and the cave which was in it were made over to Abraham as a possession for a grave, from the sons of Heth. Verse 20.

Also in Genesis 25,

They buried Abraham at the cave of Machpelah, at the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which faced Mamre. The field which Abraham bought from the sons of Heth . . . Verses 9, 10.

In Genesis 49,

Bury me in the cave which is in the field of Machpelah, which faces Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a grave. The buying of the field and the cave that was in it was from the sons of Heth. Verses 30-32.

And in the present chapter,

They buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought with the field, as a possession for a grave, from Ephron the Hittite – facing Mamre. Something special is meant by this frequent repetition involving practically the same words, for the following reason: ‘Abraham’, ‘Isaac’, and ‘Jacob’ represent the Lord; ‘the burial of them’ represents resurrection and restoration to life, ‘the field of the cave of Machpelah’ the beginning of regeneration, ‘Ephron the Hittite’ those who receive the good of faith and allow themselves to be regenerated, and ‘the sons of Heth’ a spiritual Church. Thus because these words in a brief way mean the establishment of a spiritual Church, the same details are repeated so many times.

AC (Elliott) n. 6552 6552. Verse 14 And Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.

‘And Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers’ means the life of the internal celestial, and of the truths of faith present within factual knowledge. ‘And all who went up with him to bury his father’ means all that contributes to regeneration. ‘After he had buried his father’ means to restore the Church to life.

AC (Elliott) n. 6553 6553. ‘And Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers’ means the life of the internal celestial, and of the truths of faith present within factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘returning’ as living, dealt with in 5614, 6518; from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal celestial, dealt with in 5869, 5877, 6177; from the representation of the sons of Israel, to whom ‘his brothers’ refers here, as the truths of faith in their entirety, dealt with in 5414, 5879, 5951; and from the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as factual knowledge, dealt with in 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 4749, 4964, 4966. The life of the internal celestial, and of the truths of faith present within factual knowledge, was the subject in the chapters which describe Joseph’s becoming lord of the land of Egypt and the one in charge of Pharaoh’s house, and after that the journey of Jacob’s sons to Joseph, and their arrival together with their father Jacob in Egypt, events that are dealt with in 6004, 6023, 6052, 6071, 6077.

AC (Elliott) n. 6554 6554. ‘And all who went up with him to bury his father’ means all that contributes to regeneration. This is clear from the meaning of ‘burying’ as regeneration and resurrection, dealt with in 2916, 2917, 4621, 6516, and as the restoration to life and establishment of the Church, 5551, 6516. All that contributes to it is meant by ‘all who went up with him’, for they consisted of the whole house of Joseph, also his father’s house, as well as the elders of Pharaoh’s house and the elders of the land of Egypt. ‘Joseph’s house’ means things constituting the celestial of the spiritual, 6526; ‘his father’s house’ all the things that belong to spiritual good, 6528; ‘the elders of Pharaoh’s house’ those that accord with good, 6524; and ‘the elders of the land of Egypt’ those that accord with truth, 6525. From all this it is evident that ‘all who went up with him to bury’ means all that contributes to regeneration. The reason why ‘burying’ means regeneration as well as resurrection, and also the restoration to life and establishment of the Church, is that these operations which are meant are similar to one another in what they entail; for regeneration is resurrection, in that when a person is being regenerated he is being turned from one who is dead into one who is alive, thus is rising again. Similarly with the restoration to life and establishment of the Church with a person, for this is effected through regeneration, thus through resurrection from death to life.

AC (Elliott) n. 6555 6555. ‘After he had buried his father’ means to restore the Church to life. This is clear from the meaning of ‘burying’ as the restoration of the Church to life, dealt with immediately above in 6554; and from the representation of ‘Israel’ as the spiritual Church, dealt with in 4286, 6426, 6514, 6517, 6522.

AC (Elliott) n. 6556 6556. Verses 15-21 And Joseph’s brothers saw that their father had died, and they said, Perhaps Joseph will hate us and will fully return to us all the evil with which we repaid him. And they gave a command to Joseph, saying, Your father commanded before he died, saying, Thus you are to say to Joseph, I beg you, forgive – I beg you – the transgression of your brothers, and their sin, for the evil with which they repaid you; and now forgive, I beg you, the transgression of the servants of your father’s God. And Joseph wept as they spoke to him. And his brothers also went and fell down before him, and said, Behold, we are your slaves. And Joseph said to them, Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? And you thought evil against me; God thought [to turn] it into good, in order to do what is in accord with this day, to bestow life on a great people. And now, do not be afraid; I will sustain you and your young children. And he consoled them and spoke to their heart.

‘And Joseph’s brothers saw that their father had died’ means the things which had become alienated from truth and good, and a discernment that the Church had been restored to life. ‘And they said, Perhaps Joseph will hate us’ means that they rejected the internal. ‘And will fully return to us all the evil with which we repaid him’ means that a punishment as merited is therefore impending. ‘And they gave a command to Joseph, saying’ means influx from the internal and the consequent perception. ‘Your father commanded before he died, saying’ means that it is by the command of the Church. ‘Thus you are to say to Joseph’ means perception from the internal about what was to be done. ‘I beg you, forgive – I beg you – the transgression of your brothers, and their sin’ means supplication and repentance. ‘For the evil with which they repaid you means that they had become turned away from inflowing goodness and truth. ‘And now forgive, I beg you, the transgression of the servants of your father’s God’ means repentance, and an acknowledgement of the Divine things of the Church. ‘And Joseph wept as they spoke to him’ means reception brought about by love. ‘And his brothers also went and fell down before him’ means the submission of the things in the natural to the internal. ‘And said, Behold, we are your slaves’ means that they will not be their own master. ‘And Joseph said to them, Do not be afraid’ means renewal by the internal. ‘For am I in the place of God?’ means that God will provide. ‘And you thought evil against me’ means that the things which have become alienated intend nothing but evil. ‘God thought [to turn] it into good’ means that the Divine turns it into good. ‘In order to do what is in accord with this day’ means that this is in accord with order from eternity. ‘To bestow life on a great people’ means that life is thereby imparted to those governed by the truths of good ‘And now, do not be afraid’ means that they should not be anxious. ‘I will sustain you and your young children’ means that they will have life from the Divine by way of the internal, through truth which is of the understanding and good which is of the will. ‘And he consoled them’ means hope. ‘And spoke to their heart’ means trust.

AC (Elliott) n. 6557 6557. ‘And Joseph’s brothers saw that their father had died’ means the things which had become alienated from truth and good, and a discernment that the Church had been restored to life. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seeing’ as understanding and discerning, dealt with in 2150, 2325, 2807, 3764, 3863, 4403-4421, 4567, 4723, 5400; from the representation of the sons of Jacob, to whom ‘Joseph’s brothers’ refers here, as the things which had become alienated from truth and good (for when they wanted to kill Joseph but sold him, they represented things alienated from truth and good; and the fact that this state is meant here is evident from the words they now use, ‘They said, perhaps Joseph will hate us and will fully return to us all the evil with which we repaid him’, so that they had a contrary representation at that point); from the meaning of ‘having died’ as having been restored to life – referring in this instance to the Church – dealt with in 3326, 3498, 3505, 4618, 4621, 6036, 6221; and from the representation of Israel, to whom ‘father’ refers here, as the Church, dealt with in 4286, 6426. From all this it is evident that ‘Joseph’s brothers saw that their father had died’ means a discernment by the things which had become alienated from truth and good that the Church had been restored to life.

AC (Elliott) n. 6558 6558. ‘And they said, Perhaps Joseph will hate us’ means that they rejected the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hating’ as turning away from and rejecting; and from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, dealt with in 6177, 6224. Not that Joseph engaged in rejection, but that they rejected Joseph. The attribution to the internal, which is ‘Joseph’, of what belongs to the external, which is ‘his brothers’, is due to appearances, just as hatred and revenge are attributed to Jehovah, when in fact they reside with man.

AC (Elliott) n. 6559 6559. ‘And will fully return to us all the evil with which we repaid him’ means that a punishment as merited is therefore impending. This is clear from the meaning of ‘returning the evil with which they repaid him’ as a punishment as merited; for the return of evil that is done to someone is the punishment that is duly merited. What the returning of evil is, or what the nature of punishments in the spiritual world is, must be stated because it will show what the internal sense is of the words under consideration here. If in the world of spirits evil spirits do anything evil that exceeds the evil they assimilated by the life they led in the world, those who administer punishment become present in an instant and chastise those spirits in exact accord with the degree of their transgression. For the rule in the next life is that no one should become more evil than he had been in the world. Those who suffer punishment have no knowledge at all of how the ones who administer such punishment know that the evil they do exceeds what they assimilated in the world. But they are told that the nature of order in the next life is such that evil itself carries its own punishment, so that the evil that is committed is completely bound up with the evil inflicted as punishment, that is, within the evil itself lies its own punishment. It is therefore in keeping with order that those who repay with punishment should be instantly present.

[2] This is what happens when evil spirits in the world of spirits perform evil. But in their own hell one spirit chastises another in accord with the evil they assimilated by their actions in the world; for they take that evil with them into the next life. From all this it may now be seen how one is to understand the statement that a punishment as merited is therefore impending, meant by ‘will fully return to us all the evil with which we repaid him’.

But as for good spirits, if by chance they utter what is evil or do what is evil, they are not punished but are pardoned and also freed from blame; for it is not their intention to utter what is evil or to do what is evil. And they know that such evil words and deeds were aroused in them by hell and for that reason were not their own fault. This fact can also be recognized from their action against that evil and subsequent grief.

AC (Elliott) n. 6560 6560. ‘And they gave a command to Joseph, saying’ means influx from the internal and the consequent perception. This is clear from the meaning of ‘giving a command’ as influx, dealt with in 5486, 5772; from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, dealt with in 6177, 6224; and from the meaning of ‘saying’ as perception, dealt with often. Consequently ‘they gave a command to Joseph, saying’ means influx from the internal and the consequent perception. The reason why ‘they gave command to Joseph’ means an influx from the internal into the external, and not from the external into the internal, is that all influx comes from what is more internal; none ever comes from what is more external, see 6322.

AC (Elliott) n. 6561 6561. ‘Your father commanded before he died, saying’ means that it is by the command of the Church. This is clear from the representation of Israel, to whom ‘father’ refers here, as the Church, dealt with in 4286, 6426; from the meaning of ‘commanding’ as influx, dealt with immediately above in 6560, here a command which, being that of the Church, accordingly comes from the Divine; and from the meaning of ‘before he died’ as when the Church was still in existence. The fact that it is by the command of the Church that one should forgive one’s brother or the neighbour is clear from the Lord’s words in Matthew,

Peter said to Jesus, Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me and I ought to forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, I do not say this, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Matt. 18:21, 22.

But the idea was ingrained in the Jewish nation that they should never forgive anyone at all who had harmed them in any way but retain him as their enemy. They thought they were allowed to hate him, treat him in whatever way they liked, and kill him. The reason they thought this was that external things alone and nothing internal concerned that nation; thus they were not subject to any command of the internal Church. This was why Joseph’s brothers were so afraid that Joseph would hate them and repay them with evil.

AC (Elliott) n. 6562 6562. ‘Thus you are to say to Joseph’ means perception from the internal about what was to be done. This is clear from ‘saying’ in the historical narratives of the Word as perception, dealt with in 1791, 1815, 1819, 1822, 1898, 1919, 2080, 2619, 2862, 3509, 5687, 5743; and from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, dealt with in 6177, 6124, 6560. Perception about what was to be done is meant by ‘thus you are to say’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6563 6563. ‘I beg you, forgive – I beg you – the transgression of your brothers, and their sin’ means supplication and repentance. This is clear from the meaning of ‘I beg you, forgive, I beg you’ as supplication; and the fact that repentance too is meant is evident from the confession that they had transgressed and sinned, and also from what follows, in their offer of themselves as slaves to Joseph. The expressions ‘transgression’ and also ‘sin’ are used because of the marriage of truth and goodness in every detail of the Word; for ‘transgression’ means evil opposed to truth, which is the lesser, and ‘sin’ evil opposed to good, which is the greater. This is the reason why both expressions are used, as they are in other places, such as Genesis 31,

Jacob said to Laban, What is my transgression, what is my sin, that you have hotly pursued after me? Gen. 31:36.

In Isaiah,

I will blot out, like a cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Isa. 44:22.

In Ezekiel,

In his transgression that he has committed,* and in his sin that he has committed,** in them he will die. Ezek. 18:24.

In the same prophet,

When your transgressions are revealed, so that your sins in all your works appear. . . Ezek. 21:24.

In David,

Blessed is he whose transgression has been forgiven, whose sin has been covered. Ps. 32:1.
* lit. transgressed
** lit. sinned

AC (Elliott) n. 6564 6564. ‘For the evil with which they repaid you’ means that they had become turned away from inflowing goodness and truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the evil’ as a turning away, dealt with in 5746. The fact that inflowing goodness and truth were what was turned away is meant by ‘they repaid you’; for ‘Joseph’ is the celestial, or internal good, 5805, 5826, 5817, 5869, 5877, the channel through which goodness and truth flow in from the Lord. What influx by way of the internal entails is this: The Lord flows in constantly with goodness and truth through a person’s internal. The goodness brings life and the heat to sustain it, which is the heat of love, while the truth brings a state of enlightenment and the light that maintains it, which is the light of faith. But with the evil, when that influx passes on into a person’s exteriors, it is resisted and rejected, or perverted, or smothered. And to the extent that it is rejected, perverted, or smothered, the way to his interiors is blocked; only here and there does access to them lie open, as if through chinks round about. The ability to think and will therefore remains with the person, though only in opposition to what is true and good. That blockage to his interiors spreads further and further into his exteriors, the more wickedly he lives and the more convinced of falsity he consequently becomes. It spreads right down to the level of the senses, which then becomes the level on which he thinks. When this happens the desires and appetites of the senses remove all else. This is what the state of those in hell is like; for the evil who enter the next life are deprived of any ability to see what is honest and good for the sake of earning monetary gains, important positions, and reputation; then the senses are the level on which they function.

AC (Elliott) n. 6565 6565. ‘And now forgive, I beg you, the transgression of the servants of your father’s God’ means repentance, and an acknowledgement of the Divine things of the Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘forgive, I beg you, the transgression’ as a confession that they had transgressed, and repentance; from the meaning of ‘the servants of your father’s God’ as an acknowledgement of the Divine things of the Church; for by saying that they are the servants of his father’s God, they acknowledge that they serve the Church’s God, and in so doing they acknowledge the Divine things there. For Israel, to whom ‘father’ refers here, means the Church, 4286, 6426.

AC (Elliott) n. 6566 6566. ‘And Joseph wept as they spoke to him’ means reception brought about by love. This is clear from the meaning of ‘weeping’ as a sign indicative both of sadness and of love, dealt with in 3801, 5480, 5873, 5927, 5930; from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal celestial, dealt with in 5805, 5826, 5827, 5869, 5877, 6177, 6224; and from the meaning of ‘speaking’ as influx and consequent reception, dealt with in 5797, for the influx comes from the internal celestial, which is ‘Joseph’, and the reception is by the truths in the natural, which are ‘his brothers’. From all this it is evident that ‘Joseph wept as they spoke to him’ means reception brought about by love.

AC (Elliott) n. 6567 6567. ‘And his brothers also went and fell down before him’ means the submission of the things in the natural [to the internal]. This is clear from the representation of the sons of Israel, to whom ‘brothers’ refers here, as spiritual truths in the natural, dealt with in 5414, 5879, 5951; from the meaning of ‘fell down before him’ as submission; and from the representation of Joseph as the internal, dealt with in 6499. From this it is evident that ‘his brothers went and fell down before him’ means the submission of the things in the natural to the internal. The subject in this chapter is the establishing of a spiritual Church, and at this point the submission of the things that are in the natural to the internal. In considering this submission it should be recognized that a spiritual Church cannot possibly be established with anyone unless the things that belong to the natural or external man have been made submissive to the spiritual or internal man. As long as solely the truth of faith holds sway with a person, and not the good of charity, the natural or external man has not been made submissive to the spiritual or internal man; but as soon as good reigns, the natural or external man submits, and then that person becomes a spiritual Church.

[2] One recognizes the truth of this from the fact that such a person does from affection what truth teaches, and does not act contrary to that affection, no matter how much the natural desires it. That affection and the power of reason arising from it is what reigns in him, bringing under its control in the natural the delights of self-love and love of the world as well as the false notions that have permeated the factual knowledge there. At length that control is so complete that it becomes a matter of pleasure to the person. The natural now grows quiet, and after that comes into agreement with the internal; and when it is in agreement it shares the internal’s feeling of pleasure. From all this one may see how to understand the submission of the things in the natural to the internal, meant by ‘his brothers went and fell down before him, and said, Behold, we are your slaves’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6568 6568. ‘And said, Behold, we are your slaves’ means that they will not be their own master. This is clear from the meaning of ‘slaves’ as being without freedom of one’s own, thus not being one’s own lord and master, dealt with in 5760, 5763.

AC (Elliott) n. 6569 6569. ‘And Joseph said to them, Do not be afraid’ means renewal by the internal. This is clear from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, dealt with above in 6499; and from the meaning of ‘do not be afraid’ as that they should not be anxious. And because in what now follows Joseph removes their anxiety by comforting them and ‘speaking to their heart’, ‘do not be afraid’ here means renewal.

AC (Elliott) n. 6570 6570. ‘For am I in the place of God?’ means that God will provide. This is clear from the meaning of ‘am I in the place of God’ as that he is not God, but that God will provide.

AC (Elliott) n. 6571 6571. ‘And you thought evil against me’ means that the things which have become alienated intend nothing but evil. This is clear from the representation of the sons of Jacob, to whom ‘you refers here, as the things which have become alienated from truth and good, dealt with above in 6557, for when the brothers contemplated evil against Joseph they represented things which have become alienated; and from the meaning of ‘thinking evil against me’ as intending evil, for evil that is contemplated against someone is evil that is intended. And since things which have become alienated cannot intend what is good, it is therefore said that they intend nothing but evil. What is implied when it is said that the things which have become alienated from truth and good intend nothing but evil is this: A person who has become alienated from good and truth intends nothing but evil, since he cannot intend good; and what he intends reigns in him and is therefore present in all his thoughts, and in every smallest part of his being. For that which is a person’s intention or end in view constitutes his actual life, that end in view being his love, and that love his life. What is more, a person’s essential character is exactly like the end he holds in view; and the image of him seen in the light of heaven is also exactly like it. And what will perhaps astonish you, as is the image that he presents overall, so is the image presented in every smallest feature of his will. This means that a person is wholly and completely identifiable with his end in view.

[2] From this it may be seen that a person who is in himself an evil end cannot possibly be among those who are good ends, that is, one who is in hell cannot possibly be in heaven; for these ends conflict with each other, though the good ends triumph because they are from the Divine. From this it may also be seen that those people do not think correctly who believe that anyone at all can be admitted into heaven solely through an act of mercy. If one who is in himself an evil end comes into heaven, he finds it difficult to stay alive, like one in mortal agony, and is grievously tormented, quite apart from the fact that he looks like a devil there in the light of heaven. From this it is evident that those who have become alienated from truth and good cannot help contemplating what is evil. This is so in the smallest details of their thought and will, as is plainly evident from the sphere that emanates from people like this when a long way off. For one detects from that sphere what they are like; that sphere is so to speak a spiritual vapour appearing out of every detail of their life.

AC (Elliott) n. 6572 6572. ‘God thought [to turn] it into good’ means that the Divine turns it into good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘thinking into good’ as intending, dealt with immediately above in 6571; but because the expression is used with reference to God, actually turning something into good is meant. For what God intends, that He does.

AC (Elliott) n. 6573 6573. ‘In order to do what is in accord with this day’ means that this is in accord with order from eternity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘doing’, when used in reference to the Divine, as order (for whatever the Divine does is order); and from the meaning of ‘in accord with this day’ as from eternity, dealt with in 2838, 3998, 4304, 6165, 6298.

AC (Elliott) n. 6574 6574. ‘To bestow life on a great people’ means that life is thereby imparted to those governed by the truths of good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bestowing life’ as spiritual life, dealt with in 5890, 6032; and from the meaning of ‘people’ as truth, dealt with in 1259, 1260, 3295, 3581, 4619, here the truth of good since the expression ‘a great people’ is used; for truth that is derived from good is greater than truth giving rise to good. The former kind of truth – that which is derived from good – is in essence good because it is formed from good, and so is good in its own form.

[2] The words which Joseph spoke now to his brothers – You thought evil against me; God thought [to turn] it into good, in order to do what is in accord with this day, to bestow life on a great people – are words that contain an arcanum of heaven. The arcanum they contain is this: The Lord allows the hells in the next life to lead the good into temptation, consequently to introduce falsities and evils. They also put all they have into doing this, for when they are doing it, they are in their element and are enjoying it. But at that time the Lord Himself is present directly – and by means of angels indirectly – with those undergoing temptation and is offering resistance by refuting the falsities of the spirits from hell and dispersing their evil. From this come renewal, hope, and victory. In this way the truths of faith and forms of the good of charity present with those who are governed by the truths of good are implanted more deeply and strengthened more firmly.

[3] From this one may see what is meant in the internal sense by the words in this verse, namely this: Those who have become alienated from truth and good, as the spirits who bring about temptations have, intend nothing but evil. But the Divine turns that evil into good, in accord with order existing from eternity; and life is thereby imparted to those governed by the truths of good. For it should be recognized that the spirits from hell who are allowed to attack the good in that way intend nothing but evil. They wish with all their might to drag them down from heaven and cast them into hell; for to destroy anyone’s soul, thus to destroy him forever, is the sheer delight of their life. But they are not allowed by the Lord to do anything at all except for the sake of the end that good may come out of it, that is to say, so that truth and good may be made firmer and stronger with those who undergo temptation. In the entire spiritual world there reigns the end in view, emanating from the Lord, that nothing whatever should take place, not even the smallest thing, except in order that good may come out of it. This is why the Lord’s kingdom is called a kingdom of ends and useful purposes.

AC (Elliott) n. 6575 6575. ‘And now, do not be afraid’ means that they should not be anxious. This is clear without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6576 6576. ‘I will sustain you and your young children’ means that they will have life from the Divine by way of the internal, through truth which is of the understanding and good which is of the will. This is clear from the meaning of ‘sustaining’ as an influx of goodness and truth, dealt with in 6106, thus life conveyed through truth and good; and from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, dealt with in 6499. But since spiritual life does not originate in the internal but in the Lord, though it comes by way of the internal, the expression ‘from the Divine by way of the internal’ is used. ‘You and your young children’ means spiritual truths within the natural and the innocence within those truths, which will have life from the Divine by way of the internal through truth and good. The reason why ‘sustaining’ means life conveyed through truth and good is that spiritual food consists in knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom, thus in truth and good, see 56-58, 681, 4791, 5293, 5740, 5741, 5576, 5579. The expressions ‘truth which is of the understanding’ and ‘good which is of the will’ are used because all truth belongs to the understanding, and good to the will; for the understanding is the receptacle of truth, and the will is the receptacle of good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6577 6577. ‘And he consoled them’ means hope. This is clear from the meaning of ‘consoling’ as calming a turbulence of mind with hope, dealt with in 3610.

AC (Elliott) n. 6578 6578. ‘And spoke to their heart’ means trust. This is clear from the meaning of ‘speaking to the heart’ as imparting trust, that is to say, that nothing evil would happen to them; for ‘speaking’ means an influx, 1951, 5481, 5797, and ‘the heart’ means the will, 2930, 3888, so that ‘speaking to the heart’ means an influx into the will and trust engendered by it. From this it is also evident that the marriage of truth which is of the understanding and good which is of the will exists in every detail of the Word; for ‘consoling’ has reference to the understanding, and ‘speaking to the heart’ to the will. For the same reason ‘he consoled them’ means hope, since it is an attribute of the understanding received through truth, while ‘he spoke to their heart’ means trust, since it is an attribute of the will received through good. Genuine trust cannot be imparted to any but those with whom the good of charity exists, and genuine hope to none but those with whom the good of faith is present.

AC (Elliott) n. 6579 6579. Verses 22, 23 And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his [father’s] house; and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years. And Joseph saw Ephraim’s sons of the third generation; also the sons of Machir, Manasseh’s son, were born on Joseph’s knees.

‘And Joseph dwelt in Egypt’ means the life of the Church’s factual knowledge from the internal. ‘He and his [father’s] house’ means from the internal and the good of the internal. ‘And Joseph lived a hundred and ten years’ means its state and essential nature. ‘And Joseph saw Ephraim’s sons of the third generation’ means the establishment of the Church so far as its understanding and the derivatives from this were concerned. ‘Also the sons of Machir, Manasseh’s son’ means and so far as its will and the derivatives from that were concerned. ‘Were born on Joseph’s knees’ means that they were from good joined to truth from the internal.

AC (Elliott) n. 6580 6580. ‘And Joseph dwelt in Egypt’ means the life of the Church’s factual knowledge from the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘dwelling’ as the life, dealt with in 1293, 3384, 3613, 4451, 6051; from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, dealt with above in 6499; and from the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as the Church’s factual knowledge, dealt with in 4749, 4964, 4966, 6004. The subject in the previous parts of this chapter is the spiritual Church that is to be established; but now, after the external or natural has become totally submissive to the internal or spiritual, which is meant by the action of Joseph’s brothers when they fell down before him and offered to be his slaves, the subject is that Church once it has been established. It is described in these verses by the statement that Joseph dwelt in Egypt and by the reference to the birth of sons descended from Ephraim and from Machir, Manasseh’s son. With the person who is a spiritual Church life from the internal exists within the Church’s factual knowledge; for the factual knowledge residing with him has been made subordinate and brought into a state of order which is such that it may receive an influx of goodness and truth, thus may be a receptacle of an influx from the internal. It is different with those who are not a Church. With them factual knowledge has been organized in such a way that facts which affirm what is true and good have been banished to the peripheries, and so are far removed from the light of heaven, and as a consequence the ones that remain are recipients of falsity and evil.

AC (Elliott) n. 6581 6581. ‘He and his [father’s] house’ means from the internal and the good of the internal. This is clear from the representation of Joseph, to whom ‘he’ refers here, as the internal, dealt with in 6499, and from the meaning of ‘house’ as good, dealt with in 2048, 3720, 4982.

AC (Elliott) n. 6582 6582. ‘Joseph lived a hundred and ten years’ means its state and essential nature. This is clear from the meaning of numbers in the Word as real things, dealt with in 575, 1963, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 5265, 6175; in particular the state and essential nature of a real thing is meant, 4670. Thus it is also with the number one hundred and ten, which contains the idea of the state and essential nature of the life of factual knowledge from the internal.

AC (Elliott) n. 6583 6583. ‘And Joseph saw Ephraim’s sons of the third generation’ means the establishment of the Church so far as its understanding and the derivatives from this were concerned. This is clear from the representation of ‘Ephraim’ as the area of understanding in the Church, dealt with in 3969, 5354, 6222, 6274, 6238, 6267; and from the meaning of ‘sons of the third generation’ as derivatives, for being the descendants of their parent, ‘sons and ‘sons of sons’ mean the thing represented by that parent. The establishment of the Church from the internal, that is, from the Lord through the internal, is meant by ‘Joseph saw’. What the Church’s understanding is which ‘Ephraim’ represents, see 6222.

AC (Elliott) n. 6584 6584. ‘Also the sons of Machir, Manasseh’s son’ means and so far as its will and the derivatives from that were concerned. This is clear from the representation of ‘Manasseh’ as the area of will in the Church, dealt with in 5351, 5357, 5754, 6222, 6238, 6267, 6296; and from the meaning of his sons and his sons’ sons, to whom ‘the sons of Machir’ refers here, as derivatives, as above in 6583. The derivatives of the Church’s will, which are meant by ‘the sons of Machir’, are aspects of good joined to truths, thus truths from good, for truths that have been derived from good are forms of good. As regards ‘the sons of Machir’, that they are aspects of good joined to truths, this is meant by their being born on Joseph’s knees, as stated in what immediately follows; and as regards their being truths from good, this may be seen in the Book of Judges,

Out of Machir lawgivers will come down. Judg. 5:14.

‘Lawgivers’ stands for truths from good, 6372.

AC (Elliott) n. 6585 6585. ‘Were born on Joseph’s knees’ means that they were from good joined to truth from the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bearing on the knees’ as goodness and truth joined together, dealt with in 3915; and from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, dealt with in 6499. The statement that the sons of Machir were born on Joseph’s knees implies that Joseph recognized them as his own; for when that expression is used the meaning is that they are adopted as one’s own, as may be seen from the sons born from Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant. Referring to those sons Rachel says,

Behold, my maidservant Bilhah; go [in] to her, and let her bear [a child] upon my knees, and I too shall be built up from her. Gen. 30:3.

The reason why the sons were recognized by Joseph as his own is that ‘Manasseh’ represents the Church’s area of will, thus its good; and the internal, which ‘Joseph’ represents, flows into it with good, but not with truth except through good. This is why they are spoken of as ones who
‘were born on Joseph’s knees’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6586 6586. Verses 24-26 And Joseph said to his brothers, I am dying; and God will certainly visit you and cause you to go up out of this land to the land which He swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And Joseph made the children of Israel swear, saying, God will certainly visit you, and you shall cause my bones to go up from here. And Joseph died, a hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in an ark in Egypt.

‘And Joseph said to his brothers, I am dying’ means a foretelling that the internal of the Church is about to come to an end. ‘And God will certainly visit you’ means that the final period is about to come. ‘And cause you to go up out of this land to the land which He swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’ means that they are about to come into the state of the Church that the ancients lived in. ‘And Joseph made the children of Israel swear, saying’ means an obligation. ‘God will certainly visit you’ means since that final period of the Church is about to come. ‘And you shall cause my bones to go up from here’ means that there will be a representative of the Church but not a representative Church which also exists on an internal level. ‘And Joseph died’ means that the internal of the Church ceased to exist. ‘A hundred and ten years old’ means the state at that time. ‘And they embalmed him’ means preservation still. ‘And he was put in an ark in Egypt’ means a concealment within the Church’s factual knowledge.

AC (Elliott) n. 6587 6587. ‘And Joseph said to his brothers, I am dying’ means a foretelling that the internal of the Church is about to come to an end. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, dealt with in 6499, here the internal of the Church since the establishment of the Church by the internal, that is, by the Lord through the internal, has been the subject in what has gone before; and from the meaning of ‘dying’ as ceasing to be such, dealt with in 494, thus coming to an end. ‘Dying’ also means the final period of the Church, 2908, 2912, 2917, 2923; and a foretelling regarding that final period is meant by ‘Joseph said to his brothers’, for in what follows from here to the end of the chapter the subject is a further state of the Church. From all this it is evident that ‘Joseph said to his brothers, I am dying’ means that the internal of the Church is about to come to an end.

[2] The situation is that for the Church to exist it must be internal and external; for there are those who are in the internal domain of the Church and there are those who are in its external domain, the former being few, but the latter very many. Even so, those with whom the internal Church exists must have the external Church with them also, for the internal of the Church is inseparable from its external; and those with whom the external Church exists must have the internal Church with them also, though with them the internal Church exists in obscurity.

[3] The internal of the Church consists in willing good from the heart and being stirred by an affection for good, while the external of that internal consists in performing such good and doing so in accordance with the truth of faith, the knowledge of which springs from good. But the external of the Church consists in the sacred performance of religious observances and the practice of charitable works as instructed by the Church. From all this it is clear that the internal of the Church is the good of charity in the will. Therefore when this comes to an end the Church itself also comes to an end, for the good of charity is the essential constituent of the Church. After that external worship does, it is true, remain as it was before; yet now it is not worship but ceremony which is preserved because it is the established custom. But such ceremony, which seems to be worship, is like the shell without the nut; for it is the external that remains but does not have anything internal within it. When the Church is like this it is at its end.

AC (Elliott) n. 6588 6588. ‘And God will certainly visit you’ means that the final period is about to come. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being visited’ as the final period, here that of the oppression of the children of Israel in Egypt, which in the internal sense is the final period of the old Church and the first of the new. In the Word this final period is called ‘visitation’, and this is used in reference both to the Church collectively and to those within the Church individually. It is used in reference to a new Church that is being born and an old one that is breathing its last, and to the individual member of the Church who is being saved, as well as to one who is damned.

[2] The fact that these things are meant in the Word by ‘visitation’ and ‘the day of visitation’ may be seen from the following places: In Luke,

Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and brought deliverance to His people, through the heart* of mercy of our God, by which the risen sun from on high has visited us, to appear to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death. Luke 1:68, 78, 79.

In this prophecy of Zechariah regarding the Lord, telling what would happen after He had been born, ‘being visited’ stands for the raising up from death of a new Church and the enlightenment at that time of those who had no knowledge of the truth and good of faith, thus the deliverance of them. It is for this reason that the words ‘He has visited and brought deliverance to His people, . . . has visited [us], to appear to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death’ are used.

[3] In Moses,

Jehovah said to Moses, Gather the elders of Israel and say to them, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, has appeared to me, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, I will certainly visit you and what has been done to you in Egypt. Exod. 3:16.

And in the same author,

The people believed and heard that Jehovah had visited the children of Israel. Exod. 4:31.

‘Being visited’ here stands for the final period when the Church has gone out of existence and for the first period when it comes into existence – for the final period among the Egyptians, and for the first among the children of Israel, and so for the deliverance of them too.

[4] In Jeremiah,

They will be carried away to Babel, and there they will be until the day [ visit them. Then I will cause the vessels of the house of God to come up, and I will bring them back to this place. Jer. 27:22.

In the same prophet,

When seventy years have been completed at Babel I will visit you and fulfill My promise** to you and bring you back to this place. Jer. 29:10.

‘Visiting’ stands for delivering, in general for the final period of captivity and desolation.

[5] ‘Visitation’ and ‘the day of visitation’ stand for the final period of the Church in Isaiah,

What will you do on the day of visitation and devastation? It will come from afar. To whom will you flee for help? Isa. 10:3.

In the same prophet,

Behold, the day of Jehovah comes, cruel, and one of indignation and wrath and anger, to make the earth a waste. I will visit the world for evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. Isa. 13:9, 11.

In Jeremiah,

They will fall among those who fall, and in the time of their visitation they will stumble. Jer. 8:12.

In Hosea,

The days of visitation have come, the days of recompense have come. Hosea 9:7.

In Moses,

Jehovah said to Moses, All the same, go, lead this people to [the place] of which I have spoken to you; behold, My angel will go before you. But on the day of My visiting, I will visit them for their sin. Exod. 32:34.

In Luke,

Jesus said regarding Jerusalem, They will not leave in you stone upon stone, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation. Luke 19:44.

‘The day of visitation’ stands for the Lord’s Coming, and enlightenment at that time. But in reference to the Jewish nation – seeing that it did not recognize His Coming – ‘the day of visitation’ stands for the final period of the representative acts of the Church among them. For once Jerusalem was destroyed sacrifices came to an end and that nation was scattered abroad.

[6] In Ezekiel,

A loud voice called out in my ears, saying, The visitations of the city have drawn near, and each man has his weapon of destruction in his hand. Ezek. 9:1.

Here the meaning is similar. In Isaiah,

The Rephaim will not rise. To that end You have visited them, You have wiped them out. Isa. 16:14.

‘The Rephaim’ stands for descendants of the Most Ancient Church which existed before the Flood. They are also called the Nephilim and the Anakim, regarding whom see 567, 581, 1673. ‘You have visited and wiped out the Rephaim’ stands for the final period of that Church; it also stands for the casting of them into hell, regarding which see 1265-1272. ‘Visitation’ stands for retribution, thus for damnation, in Jeremiah,

Shall I not visit them on account of this? Or will not My soul be avenged on a nation which is like this? Jer. 5:9.

In the same prophet,

I will bring the disaster of Esau upon him, at the time I visit him. Jer. 49:8.

In Hosea,

I will visit upon him his ways, and requite his works. Hosea 4:9.
* lit. viscera or bowels
** lit. establish upon you My good word

AC (Elliott) n. 6589 6589. ‘And cause you to go up out of this land to the land which He swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’ means that they are about to come into the state of the Church that the ancients lived in. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the land of Egypt’, from which they were to go up, as the Church when it has been laid waste – the Church laid waste was represented by the Egyptians through their oppression of the children of Israel, and the perishing of it through their drowning in the Sea Suph; and from the meaning of ‘the land of Canaan’, to which the children of Israel were about to go up, as the Lord’s kingdom and the Church, dealt within 1607, 3038, 3481, 3705, 4447, 4517.

[2] The Ancient Church, or the state of the Church in which the ancients lived, is what is meant by God’s having sworn to give that land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These three are used to mean in the highest sense the Lord, and in the representative sense His kingdom in heaven and His kingdom on earth, which is the Church, 1965, 1989, 2011, 3245, 3305 (end), 6098, 6185, 6276; therefore ‘swearing the land to them’ means confirming that they are about to come into the state of the Church that the ancients lived in. Not that the descendants of Jacob were about to do so, for they were incapable of coming into the state of that Church; they came into no more than the external aspect of that Church, that is to say, its representative acts, yet barely into these. The promise that is made refers instead to those who are meant spiritually by ‘the children of Israel’, that is, who are all members of the spiritual Church – both those who lived in it at that time and those who were about to come into it.

[3] ‘Swearing’ means confirmation from the Divine, see 1842, 3375.

The land of Canaan was promised and given to the descendants of Jacob so that they might represent the Church; and the reason for this was that the Church had existed in that land since ancient times, during which all the places there received their names and became representative, see 3686, 4447, 4516, 4517, 5136, 6516.

AC (Elliott) n. 6590 6590. ‘And Joseph made the children of Israel swear, saying’ means an obligation. This is clear without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6591 6591. ‘God will certainly visit you’ means since that final period of the Church is about to come. This is clear from the meaning of ‘visiting’ as the final period of the Church, dealt with just above in 6588.

AC (Elliott) n. 6592 6592. ‘And you shall cause my bones to go up from here’ means that there will be a representative of the Church but not a Church which also exists on an internal level. This is clear from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal of the Church, dealt with above in 6587; and since he represents the internal of the Church, that which is the most external or the outermost area of the Church, thus that which forms the representative part of it, is meant by his ‘bones’. For the representative acts which existed in the Ancient Church and which were also established among the descendants of Jacob constituted outermost forms within the Church; but the things those acts meant and represented were the inner realities of the Church. These – the inner realities – are meant by ‘the flesh’ which holds the spirit within it; but the outer forms are meant by ‘the bones’. From this one may see what the Church is like when it is concerned solely with outer forms, without their inner realities, namely like the bones forming the framework of a person’s body without the flesh. As regards the fact that no Church, only a representative of the Church existed among the Israelite and Jewish people, see 4281, 4288, 4307, 4500, 4680, 4844, 4847, 4903, 6704; and a representative of the Church was not established among them until they had been completely vastated internally, or else they would have rendered holy things profane, 4289.

AC (Elliott) n. 6593 6593. ‘And Joseph died’ means that the internal ceased to exist. This is clear from the meaning of ‘dying’ as ceasing to be such, dealt with in 494, 6587; and from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal, dealt with in 6499. Regarding what the Church is like when the internal has ceased to exist, see above in 6587, 6592.

AC (Elliott) n. 6594 6594. ‘A hundred and ten years old’ means the state at that time. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a hundred and ten years’ as the state and essential nature of the life of factual knowledge from the internal, dealt with in 6582 – ‘years’ being states, see 487, 488, 497.

AC (Elliott) n. 6595 6595. ‘And they embalmed him’ means preservation still. This is clear from the meaning of ’embalming’ as preservation from the corruption of evil, dealt with in 6503, 6504. Since the subject here is the end of the Church, let what is meant by preservation still be stated. When the Church comes to an end, which happens when its internal ceases to exist with a person, 6587, 6592, the external still remains. Yet that external is such that it still has an internal within it. This internal however does not exist at this time with that person because he does not have it in mind; and if he did think about it, he would not feel any affection for it. But it exists with the angels who are present with the person. And because the member of the Church which has undergone vastation has nothing of the internal in mind and feels no affection for it, and for the most part is unaware of its existence, the person cannot do the internal any harm. For a person can do harm to something when he has come to know, and especially once he has come to believe it, but not to what he either has no knowledge of or does not believe to exist. In this way the internal of the Church is preserved from contamination by any evil, and in the same way the inner realities of the Church were preserved among the descendants of Jacob. For they were so concerned with outer forms without their inner meaning that they did not even want to know about anything internal. Therefore the inner realities of the Church were not revealed to them.

Inner realities were not disclosed to the descendants of Jacob, lest they should do harm to them by profaning them, see 3398, 3480.

People who have no belief in the inner realities of the Church, and especially those who do not know about them, are unable to profane them, 593, 1008, 1059, 2051, 3398, 3401, 3898, 4289, 4601.

The more internal things of the Church are not revealed until the Church has undergone vastation, because once it has undergone it there is no longer any belief in them, and so they cannot be profaned, 3398, 3399.

These are the things that are meant by preservation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6596 6596. ‘And he was put in an ark in Egypt’ means a concealment within the Church’s factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘an ark’ as that in which something is stored or concealed; and from the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as the Church’s factual knowledge, dealt with in 4749, 4964, 4966. The Church’s factual knowledge was at that time a cognizance of the representative forms and the meaningful signs that had existed in the Ancient Church, a concealment of the internal within that knowledge being meant by the words under consideration here. Regarding the concealment of the Church’s internal and the preservation of it from harm by means of that concealment, see immediately above in 6595. The fact that ‘an ark’ is that in which something is stored or concealed may be recognized from the Ark of the Covenant, in that it was called an ark for the reason that it had the covenant or law stored in it.

AC (Elliott) n. 6597 6597. The internal sense of things in the Book of Genesis has now been dealt with; but since that book consists entirely of historical narratives, apart from Chapters 48 and 49, in which prophetical declarations also occur, it can hardly be apparent that what has been expounded really is the internal sense. For historical narratives confine the mind to the literal sense and so move it away from the internal sense, especially as the internal sense is entirely different from the literal since the internal sense deals with spiritual and celestial things, the literal sense with worldly and earthly ones. But the fact that the nature of the internal sense is as has been expounded is evident from every detail that has been explained, and above all from the consideration that it has been declared to me from heaven.

AC (Elliott) n. 6598 6598. INFLUX AND THE INTERACTION OF SOUL AND BODY – continued

It is well known that one person is endowed with a greater ability than another to understand and perceive what it is to behave honourably in private life, to be upright in public life, and to seek what is good in one’s spiritual life. The reason why he has that greater ability lies in the fact that his thought has been raised towards the things of heaven and is consequently drawn away from the level of the external senses. For people whose thought does not rise above the level of the senses cannot begin to see what is honourable, upright, or good. They therefore rely on what others think, and base most of what they say on matters stored in the memory, and in doing this seem to themselves to be wiser than others. But those who can think on a level above the senses possess, if the contents of their memory are all in order, a greater ability than others to understand and perceive. Their ability depends on the height of the interior standpoint from which they look at things.

AC (Elliott) n. 6599 6599. The situation with those who think on the level of the senses and with those who think on a level that of above the senses may now be described from experience, as may the nature of the influx into both kinds of people. But before that one should know that a person’s thought consists of distinct and separate ideas and that one idea follows another just as one word follows another in speech. But the ideas constituting thought follow one another with such speed that thought seems to a person while he is in the body to be continuous, and therefore without any separate divisions. In the next life however it is plain to see that thought is distinguished into separate ideas, for there they talk to one another by means of ideas, 2470, 2478, 2479. Now the nature of the situation with thought and its constituent ideas must be stated: A person’s thought spreads out into the communities of spirits and angels round about him, and his ability to understand and perceive is determined by its extension into them, that is, by the influx from them. As a consequence of this, one idea that goes to make up thought contains countless facets, and more especially so one thought composed of ideas.

AC (Elliott) n. 6600 6600. I have been shown quite plainly that a person’s thought, also that of spirits, and of angels too, radiates into numerous communities in the spiritual world, but that the thought of one person does so in a different manner from that of another. So that I might have sure knowledge of this I have been allowed to talk to some of the communities to which my own thought has penetrated. And from this I have been able to know what was flowing into my thought and which community it came from as well as the location and the essential nature of that community, and to know all this in such a way that I could not be mistaken. The extension of the thoughts and affections of man, spirit, or angel into different communities is what determines how much ability he has to understand and perceive.

[2] How amply the thoughts and affections of a person in whom the good of charity and of faith are present extend into the communities of heaven depends on the degree to which those forms of good, and also genuine good resides with him; for all these kinds of good are in harmony with heaven and therefore flow spontaneously far and wide into it. There are nevertheless some communities into which an affection for truth, and others into which an affection for good reaches. An affection for truth reaches communities consisting of spiritual angels, and an affection for good reaches communities consisting of celestial angels. But on the other hand the thought and affection of those who are under the influence of evil and falsity extend into hellish communities; how far they extend likewise depends on the degree to which evil and falsity reside with them.

[3] It has been stated that the thought and affection of man, spirit, and angel radiate into communities round about, and that understanding and perception arise from this. But it should be recognized that this was a statement only of what seems to happen, since no inflow of thoughts and affections takes place into those communities, only from them, and indeed by Way of the angels and spirits present with a person. For as has been shown at the ends of previous chapters, all influx takes place from what is more internal; thus among the good it is an influx from heaven, that is, from the Lord by way of heaven, and among the evil it is an influx from hell.

AC (Elliott) n. 6601 6601. One morning I was shown plainly that any one idea or small affection had countless facets, and also that such ideas and affections reached into those communities round about me. I was kept for some time in some affection or other and in the thought that arose from it, during which time I was shown how many communities were in agreement with that affection and thought. There were five communities that revealed themselves by means of actual speech. They stated what they were thinking and also that they recognized that I had the same thoughts. In addition they said that they knew about things to which I myself paid no attention – the causes behind the matters we were thinking about, and also the ends in view. The rest of the communities, which were very many, to which my thought spread were not so plainly revealed; they were also more distant.

[2] The way thought extends from its objects – the things a person is thinking about – is like the situation regarding the objects of sight. From the latter rays disseminate themselves all around, reaching a considerable way out. Those rays enter a person’s sight, and can do so at a longer or shorter distance, as the shine and glow of the object determine. For if it has a glow it can be seen from much further away than if it is dull and dark. Similar to this is inner sight, which belongs to thought, and what radiates from the objects of that sight. Its objects are not material like objects in the world, but are spiritual and therefore disseminate rays to such things as belong to the spiritual world – to truths and forms of good there, consequently to the communities which are imbued with those truths and forms of good. And just as a glow in the world radiates a very long way, so does good and the affection for it in the spiritual world; for a glowing flame corresponds to an affection for good. From all this it becomes clear that the character of a person’s life matches exactly the communities into which his thought and affection extend as well as matching the nature and amount of that extension.

AC (Elliott) n. 6602 6602. The spheres emanating from thoughts and affections spread themselves all around into the spheres emanating from the communities which are far away from them, as has also been made evident to me by this: When I have been thinking with affection about the kinds of matters that a community afar off was specifically moved by, they have at that time spoken to me about the very matter that was in my mind, describing how they felt. This has happened several times. One community was on the right, quite a long way off on a level with the lower part of the chest, while another was also on the right but nearer, and on a level with the knees. The distance that is discerned has its origin in the state of affection for truth and good; the extent to which the state of one community is different from the state of another is the same as the distance that is seen to set the communities apart from each other.

AC (Elliott) n. 6603 6603. But it should be recognized that the thoughts and affections which reach communities round about do not specifically move the communities there to think and will in the same way as the man, spirit, or angel from whom the thoughts and affections come forth. Rather, they enter the overall sphere of affection and accompanying thought that belong to those communities. Consequently the communities know nothing about the matter; for that sphere is a spiritual one which includes all the communities, yet varies with each, and when those thoughts and affections enter that sphere the communities remain unaffected. All thoughts and affections enter the spheres emanating from the communities with which they are in agreement. Thus it is that they extend freely in all directions, like rays from objects in the world, which pass freely in all directions into the sight of everyone who is standing around, yet in varying ways according to whether a person’s sight is clear or impaired, and also whether the air is bright or gloomy. What corresponds in the spiritual world to the air when it is bright is an affection for knowing truth and good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6604 6604. On several occasions an angel has appeared to me, with a clearly visible face that was constantly changing as different affections manifested themselves in him one after another in order, thus ranging from one limit of affection to the other. Yet the overall ruling affection remained, from which one could tell that it was the same angel. I was informed that the changes in his face were derived from the communities with which he was in contact and that these changes took place as that contact varied. First he would come in closer contact with one community than another and so on through all the communities in order. For the extension of thoughts and affections has its limits; in the remotest communities it disappears and trails off like sight lost in space. Within the limits of that general sphere thoughts and affections can vary. They are closer at one time to one community, at another time to another community, and when they are in among one community, all the other communities are off to the sides; and so on with every variation within those limits.

AC (Elliott) n. 6605 6605. It is worthy of note that just as heaven as a whole presents itself as one entire human being, which is therefore called the Grand Man, the subject at the ends of quite a number of chapters, so each community in a similar way presents an image of a human being. For the image of heaven as a whole imprints itself on communities and makes them similar to itself, and not only on communities but also on the individual persons within a community. This is where the individuals get their human form from, for each person in an angelic community is heaven in the smallest form it takes. Variations in their human form are determined by the kind of good and truth with them, which explains why each spirit and angel is seen in a form exactly matching his thoughts and affections that he communicates to communities round about. This being so, the more that spirits and angels are governed by goodness and truth, the more beautiful is their human form. But if the communication of thoughts and affections does not spread into the communities round about in accordance with heavenly order, then the form is to that extent lacking in beauty; and if the communication is with communities in hell, then the form is ugly, like that of the devil. Those who are utterly opposed to what is good and true, because they are opposed to the form heaven takes, which is the human form, are seen in the light of heaven not as human beings but as monsters. This is true of the whole of hell, of each community there, and of the individual members of those communities; and their appearance too involves variations, which are determined by the degree to which evil opposes good, and falsity from that evil opposes truth.

AC (Elliott) n. 6606 6606. I have noticed when talking to angelic spirits that affections and thoughts appeared like a surrounding stream, with the object of thought in the middle, encircled by the stream, which spread out from there in every direction. This too made it plain that thoughts and affections spread themselves out to communities in all directions.

AC (Elliott) n. 6607 6607. I have been shown that when thoughts accompanied by affections distribute themselves they circulate in a pattern very much like that assumed by the enfoldings of the grey matter in the human brain. For a long time I watched the ways in which they were flowing round. They were winding round, bending, weaving in, and coming out, as the grey matter referred to above does. But the patterns produced by heaven are even more wonderful, transcending the grasp even of the angels. A pattern like this is assumed by the angelic communities in the heavens, and it is into such a pattern that angels’ thoughts flow. And they flow great distances almost instantaneously, because they follow a pattern that is infinitely perfect.

AC (Elliott) n. 6608 6608. The light of understanding has been given to me, taken away, lessened, and moderated when I have been thinking, speaking, and writing. This has happened frequently, and I have been allowed to perceive the variations and differences. The actual light I perceived as illumination that shone on the substances of my inward sight just as the sun gives light to the physical organs of sight. This general illumination made matters of thought visible just as earthly objects become visible when the eye is supplied with light. I was told that those variations in the light of understanding arose from different kinds of contact with heavenly communities.

AC (Elliott) n. 6609 6609. The thoughts and utterances within which my own thought has been present has been represented to me a number of times by means of clouds coming up and going down in the sky. The shapes, colours, and thinness or thickness of the clouds enabled me to recognize what was flowing in. Truths were represented by blue mingled with a beautiful white, indescribably brilliant. Appearances of truth were represented by dull whiteness, and falsities by black clouds. From this too I could know of the inflow of thoughts and affections.

AC (Elliott) n. 6610 6610. As long as a person lives the ideas constituting his thought. Undergo variation; that is to say, they multiply and divide, and by doing this they spread to different kinds of communities and to new ones. In the case of people who are under the influence of evil those ideas spread to communities in hell, as the ideas likewise do in the case of those subject to persuasive arguments upholding what is false. In the case however of those subject to persuasive arguments upholding what is true, which is persuasive faith. the ideas constituting thought are exceedingly restricted. But in the case of those who are being regenerated the thoughts and affections are constantly being introduced into new heavenly communities, and the spread of them increases. Also the thoughts and affections which already exist divide, and when they have divided they become linked to ideas which are again communicated to new communities. In particular general truths are filled in with particular aspects, and these with specific details, thus with new truths which provide increasing enlightenment.

AC (Elliott) n. 6611 6611. I have talked to spirits about the changes of state that a person’s life undergoes, saying that it does not remain constant but that it involves ups and downs, that is to say, being taken up to heaven and down to hell. But people who allow themselves to be regenerated are being carried ever upwards, thus into heavenly communities that are always more internal. The Lord enables the sphere of those who are being regenerated to extend into those communities primarily by means of temptations, in which evils and falsities are being withstood. For during temptations the Lord fights by means of angels against evils and falsities, and in this way a person is led into the more internal communities of these angels. Once he has been led into them he remains there; and this also gives him a broader and loftier ability to perceive.

AC (Elliott) n. 6612 6612. From all this it is also evident that the more external a person’s thinking is, the less distance it spreads; and the more internal it is, the greater distance it spreads. For people whose thought is more external, that is, takes place on a sensory level, are in contact solely with the more obtuse spirits; but those whose thought is more internal, that is, springs from a rational level, are in contact with angels. The nature of the difference can be recognized from the closeness of the atmosphere in which sensory-minded spirits live and the freshness of the atmosphere in which the angels of heaven live. The difference between the two is like the difference between the transmission of sound and the transmission of light, a difference that students of natural phenomena are well acquainted with.

AC (Elliott) n. 6613 6613. As for the truth that one idea that goes to make up thought contains countless facets, and more especially so one thought composed of ideas, I have been led to know of this from a considerable amount of experience, some of which I am allowed to bring forward here.

AC (Elliott) n. 6614 6614. I have been shown by actual experience how angelic ideas flow into the ideas of the spirits who are beneath them, therefore into ideas that are grosser. An abundance of ideas from the angelic heaven presented themselves visually as a shining white cloud that could be distinguished into separate little tufts; and each little tuft, which consisted of countless strands, presented a spirit with one simple idea. After that I was shown that such an idea contained thousands and thousands of strands, which were also represented by means of a cloud composed of the spirits’ speech. After this I spoke to the spirits on these matters, saying that the objects of sight can be used by way of illustration. When an object which looks like a simple whole is examined with an optical device thousands of unseen details present themselves to view, as when tiny grubs which look like one dark blob are examined with a microscope; not only the multiplicity of them is seen but also the shape of each one. If even greater magnification is used to examine them, their organs, members, viscera, and vessels and fibres too can be seen. So also with the ideas constituting thought. Each one has thousands and thousands of strands to it; yet a number of ideas together from which a thought is formed are seen merely as a simple whole. Even so, the ideas that constitute one thought can contain more than the ideas constituting another. How much it contains is determined by its spread into communities round about.

AC (Elliott) n. 6615 6615. When angels’ thought passes down onto lower levels it is seen, as stated immediately above, as a shining white cloud. But when the thought of angels who are in the higher heavens passes down it appears as a fiery light which emits flashes of brilliance. The shining white cloud and the fiery light are nothing else than the countless details contained within their thought. When those details enter the thought of the spirits below them they present themselves there merely as a single unit. The light and brilliance pass into the spirits’ thought, and the fieriness into the affection which springs from their love and which leads and draws together their ideas. But the fiery light that was emitted and the flashes of brilliance are not seen by those spirits. They have been made visible to myself however so that I might know that higher things pass into lower ones, and that there are countless details which are perceived as a single unit.

AC (Elliott) n. 6616 6616. The fact that one idea holds so many details within itself has also been proved to me from the experience that whenever I have listened to spirits talking to me I have been able to detect solely from the sound of their voice whether pretence, honesty, friendliness, or goodness flowing from love lay behind their speaking. This is something a person can see in the expression on another’s face and can also hear to some extent in his speech. For when a person sees a face expressing gladness to him and hears words expressing agreement, he can tell whether such things contain pretence, or deceit, or cheerfulness owing to natural disposition or else to particular circumstance, or modesty, or friendliness, or madness, and so on. All this is likewise a sign that any idea holds countless details within it. When I have spoken to spirits about these matters some of them were unable to believe them. They were therefore taken to a higher region, from which they spoke to me, saying that they could see countless details within any one idea belonging to my thought. So they believed what I had told them.

AC (Elliott) n. 6617 6617. The fact that one idea holds countless details within itself has also been proved to me by the consideration that angels perceive in an instant the life led by a spirit or a man; they perceive it when they merely listen to him speaking or when they examine his thought. This is something the angels of a lower heaven are able to see; and the angels of a higher heaven can see still more. Some good spirit was taken up to the first heaven and spoke to me from there. He said that he saw an infinite number of things in what I was reading in the Word at that time; yet to me my thought on the subject lacked any such complexity. After this he was taken up to a more internal heaven, from which he said that he now saw still more, so much more that in comparison with it what he had seen previously seemed gross to him. After this he was therefore taken up to a yet more internal heaven, where the celestial angels are, and from there he said that what he had seen previously was hardly anything compared with what he saw now. While all this lasted, various things flowed in, and the various ones which were from there stirred me with affection.

AC (Elliott) n. 6618 6618. Some spirits once boasted that they knew all things; in the Grand Man these spirits correlate with the memory. But they were told that there is a limitless number of things that they do not know, indeed that one idea can be filled out with limitless details, in spite of which it would still be seen by them as one simple idea. Those spirits were also told that even if those ideas went on being filled out every day forever with further details they could not know even all their general aspects, from which fact they would be able to deduce how much there was that they did not know. The truth of this was thoroughly demonstrated to them, so that they would acknowledge it. An angel spoke to them by means of changes of state, but they could not understand what he conveyed to them. At this point they were told that each change of state contained limitless aspects, the existence of which however they were not even aware of; for apart from the fact that they did not understand what the angel conveyed to them, they were not stirred by any affection
for it.

AC (Elliott) n. 6619 6619. The fact that the ideas constituting a person’s thought contain countless details, and that the details they contain are held in order from interior sources, has also been evident to me when morning and evening I have recited the Lord’s Prayer. As often as I recited it the ideas constituting my thought were opened towards heaven and countless concepts flowed in. This happened so that I might discern clearly that the ideas belonging to my thought which I had gained from the contents of that Prayer were filled out with details from heaven. I was also able to tell that concepts poured in such as I cannot express in words, as well as ones that I was unable to understand. I did no more than feel the overall affection resulting from them. And what has been amazing, the things flowing in have varied every day. From all this I have been allowed to know that the contents of that Prayer hold more within them than the whole of heaven is capable of understanding; also that a person finds more in it, the more his thought is opened towards heaven, and conversely he finds less in it, the more his thought is closed. For with people whose thought is closed nothing more is seen in the Prayer than the literal meaning or that nearest the actual words.

AC (Elliott) n. 6620 6620. From all this one may now know that every item in the Word also holds infinite details within it, for the Word has come down from the Lord by way of heaven. Yet to those whose ideas are closed it seems to be utterly simple, without complexity. I once talked about this matter to spirits who refused to accept that anything lies concealed inwardly in the Word. I said that things infinite and indescribable were present within it that are indiscernible by those who possess ideas that are closed. As a consequence, I said, such people accept nothing else than the literal sense, which they interpret to suit their own pre-conceived ideas and own desires, and in so doing they block off access to what lies concealed within the Word; and as for any ideas they do have, they either rid themselves of them or lock them away. What an idea looks like when it is closed, and what it looks like when open, was also demonstrated at this time; for this is easy to demonstrate in the light of heaven. A closed idea appeared looking like a black spot in which nothing else could be seen; but an open idea looked like an area of light in which there was so to speak a fiery glow towards which every particular thing there was directed. The fiery glow represented the Lord, and the things looking towards it represented heaven. It was said that every idea received from the Lord contains an image of the entire heaven, because it comes from Him who is heaven.

AC (Elliott) n. 6621 6621. As for those who when they read the Word during their lifetime concentrated on employing the art of criticism, having little concern for the real meaning, their thoughts have been represented as threads that were entwined and incapable of being undone, and as fabric made from them. When some spirits like this have been present with me, everything I thought and wrote down became confused. My thought was so to speak detained in prison, for it was limited to words by the withdrawal of my mind from meaning, so much so that those spirits thoroughly wore me out. Yet they thought they were wiser than others.

AC (Elliott) n. 6622 6622. In talking to spirits about what flows into ideas constituting thought I have said that men cannot by any means believe how countless the details are that an idea holds within it, for men have no conception of thought except as something simple and singular. Thus their judgement of the matter is based on quite external evidence. The spirits to whom I was talking at that time subscribed to the belief that ideas did not have anything inwardly present in them, a belief of which they had become convinced during their lifetime. But to enable them to understand that they perceived countless things as a single whole, I was led to tell them that the movements of millions of motor fibres combine to produce a single action. At the same time all things in the body work together and adjust themselves both collectively and individually to produce that action. Yet for all this that small action is seen as one that is simple and singular, as though it possessed no such complexity. It is similar with the countless things which combine to produce a single spoken word, such as the bending of the lips, and of all the muscles and fibres there; also the movements of the tongue, throat, larynx, trachea, lungs, and diaphragm, together with all their muscles collectively and individually. Since a person discerns the single utterance they make merely as a simple sound without anything more to it, one may see how crude is perception that relies on the senses. What then of perception that relies on sensory evidence regarding ideas constituting thought which exist in a purer world and are accordingly quite remote from the sensory level?

AC (Elliott) n. 6623 6623. Since details so countless are present within the ideas that go to make up thought, the angels can know solely from a single spoken word produced by thought what a spirit or else man is really like. This too has been proved to me by means of an experience. When simply the word truth was uttered, which was done by quite a number of spirits one after another, I heard instantly whether it was hard, rough, soft, childlike, dear, innocent, full or empty, stained with falsity, pretentious, closed, or open, and in what degree these things were present within it. In short, I heard the actual character of the idea, yet only its general character. So what do angels hear who perceive the specific details of the idea?

AC (Elliott) n. 6624 6624. Since man thinks on the level of the senses such things are obscure to him, so obscure indeed that he does not know what an idea is, in particular that thought is distinguished into separate ideas as speech is into words. For to man thought seems to be continuous, without separate parts; but in actual fact ideas constituting thought are the words that spirits use, and ideas constituting more internal thought are the words that angels use. And because ideas are the words they use to speak with, they are audible among spirits and angels. This explains why man’s silent thought can be heard by spirits and angels, when it pleases the Lord that it should be. How perfect the ideas constituting thought are in comparison with the words composing speech may be recognized from the fact that a person can think more in a minute than he can speak or write in an hour. I have also recognized it from conversations with spirits and angels; for at such times I have in a single moment filled in the broad outlines of a subject with specific details, while my affection was engaged. The angels and spirits grasped every distinct detail, and many more that manifested themselves around that subject like a cloud.

AC (Elliott) n. 6625 6625. From all this one may now see what kind of ideas those people have who lead a wicked life and as a consequence think in wicked ways – that present within their ideas there are different kinds of hatred, revenge, envy, deceit, adultery, pride, outwardly correct behaviour that is a pretence of honourableness, chastity for the sake of appearances, friendliness for the sake of position and material gain which does not in fact involve any friendliness, besides what is foul and disgusting, and is unmentionable. In addition to all this those people’s ideas include certain doctrinal teachings regarding faith that give support to evil desires, and aside from these they harbour attitudes of disbelief and also ridicule. These types of wickedness and their like are present in the ideas of those who lead a wicked life and as a consequence think in wicked ways. Since such things are present in their ideas, when people like this enter the next life they are inevitably separated and removed far away from heaven, where those types of wickedness rouse feelings of horror.

AC (Elliott) n. 6626 6626. Let me recount some marvels. The Lord alone is Man, and it is owing to Him that angels, spirits, and inhabitants of the world are called men. By His own flowing into heaven He causes the whole of heaven to represent and resemble one human being; and through an influx both by way of heaven and directly from Himself into each individual there He causes all to be seen as men, and angels to be seen in a form more beautiful and dazzling than anyone can possibly describe. He does the same for people on earth by flowing into their spirits. Indeed with an angel, spirit, or man who leads a life of charity towards the neighbour and love to the Lord the smallest aspects of all that belong to his thought resemble a human being, for the reason that that charity and that love originate in the Lord, and whatever originates in the Lord resembles a human being. Those qualities are also what constitute a human being. But the contrary applies in hell, because those who are there are fired by the opposites of charity and heavenly love. They do, it is true, look like human beings when seen in their own inferior light, but in the superior light of heaven they look like horrible monsters, in some of whom scarcely anything of the human form is recognizable. The reason for this is that the inflow of the Lord by way of heaven is not accepted but is turned away, or smothered, or perverted, which therefore causes them to be seen as such monsters. And the smallest aspects of their thought, that is, their ideas, similarly possess forms such as these; for what anyone is like as a whole, so he is in part, since the whole and the part are the same in type and nature. The form in which those people are seen is also the form of the hell in which they exist. For every hell has its own form, which in the light of heaven resembles a monster; and when one sees any of those who are from it one recognizes from their form which hell they are from. I have seen them in the gates that lie open into the world of spirits, where they looked like many different kinds of monsters. Regarding the gates of hell, that they lie open into the world of spirits, see 5852.

AC (Elliott) n. 6627 6627. THE BOOK OF EXODUS
1

In preliminary sections to chapters of the Book of Exodus doctrinal teachings are to be presented, TEACHINGS ABOUT CHARITY first, and teachings about faith after that. This is being done in order that the points that have been dealt with in the explanatory sections but are scattered about may be set forth in connection with one another, and so in order that people may see, when it is properly set out, what the teaching of the Church is like or ought to be like if it is to accord with what is good and true in heaven.

AC (Elliott) n. 6628 6628. It has been shown in various places in the explanations given already that teachings about charity were the teachings in the Ancient Churches, and that these teachings linked all the Churches together and in so doing made one Church out of many. For they recognized as members of the Church all those people who led a good and charitable life, and they called them their brothers, no matter how much otherwise they differed from them in truths, which at the present day are called matters of faith. People informed one another about those truths, and this was one of their charitable works. Neither were they annoyed if one person did not go along with the opinion of another; they knew that everyone accepts the truth insofar as he is governed by good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6629 6629. Since this is what the people of the Ancient Churches were like, they lived on a more internal level; and since they lived on that level they had greater wisdom. For those who are governed by the good of love and charity are in heaven so far as their internal man is concerned and are in an angelic community there that is governed by a good similar to their own. Their minds have therefore been raised to things on a more internal level, and as a consequence wisdom is theirs. Wisdom can come from no other source than heaven, that is, from the Lord by way of heaven; and wisdom resides in heaven because those who are there are governed by good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6630 6630. But in the course of time that ancient wisdom diminished; for to the extent that the human race departed from the good of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbour, so also did it depart from wisdom, since it departed from heaven to the same extent. Thus it is that from living on an internal level mankind has gradually come to live on an external one.

AC (Elliott) n. 6631 6631. And since mankind has come to live on an external level it has also come to live on worldly and bodily levels; and having become like this it no longer cares at all about the things of heaven. Such things have become so remote that people do not believe that they exist; for at the present time people are completely taken up with the delights that belong to earthly types of love, along with all the evils that delight a person because they spring from those types of love. When anyone is like this, then whatever he hears about life after death, heaven, or hell is like a straw in the wind that flies away the moment one sees it.

AC (Elliott) n. 6632 6632. Thus it is also that teachings about charity, which were so precious to the ancients, are part of those things that at the present day have become lost. Does anyone at the present day know what charity is in the true sense of the word, or what is meant by neighbour in the true sense of that word? Yet those teachings figure prominently in so many and such important arcana that not a thousandth part of them can be described. The whole of Sacred Scripture is nothing else than teachings about love and charity, as the Lord also teaches when He says,

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the Law and the Prophets. Matt. 22:37-40.

‘The Law and the Prophets’ is the Word, every single detail of it.

AC (Elliott) n. 6633 6633. Since teachings about charity are at the present day part of the things that have been lost and teachings about faith are as a consequence far removed from the truth, let teachings about charity in the Lord’s Divine mercy be presented in the preliminary sections to chapters of the Book of Exodus and so be restored to the Church.

EXODUS 1

1 And these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob – a man and his household they came:

2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;

3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;

4 Dan and Naphtali, Cad and Asher.

5 And every soul, those who came out of Jacob’s thigh, were seventy souls; and Joseph was in Egypt.

6 And Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation.

7 And the children of Israel were fruitful and productive, and multiplied and became very very numerous; and the land was filled with them.

8 And a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

9 And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are many and numerous, more than ourselves.

10 Come, let us use prudence with them; perhaps they will multiply, and it will be when wars occur, that they also will join themselves to our enemies and fight against us, and go up out of the land.

11 And they set princes of tributes’ over them, to afflict them with burdens. And they built cities of store-houses for Pharaoh – Pithom and Raamses.

12 And according as they afflicted them, so they multiplied and so they grew; and they were filled with loathing because of the children of Israel.

13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigour.

14 And they made their life bitter with hard service, in clay and bricks, and in all [manner of] service in the field, with all their [other] service in which they made them serve with rigour.

15 And the king of Egypt said to the midwives of the Hebrew women, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah-
16 He said, When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son you shall kill him; and if it is a daughter, let her live.

17 And the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt spoke to them; and they kept the boys alive.

18 And the king of Egypt called the midwives, and said to them, Why do you act like that and keep the boys alive?

19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are full of life; before the midwife comes to them they have given birth.

20 And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very numerous.

21 And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He made them houses.

22 And Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, Every son who is born you shall throw into the river, and every daughter you shall keep alive.
* i.e. taskmasters

AC (Elliott) n. 6634 6634. CONTENTS

This first chapter deals in the internal sense with the state of the Church which has been established, a state in which good plays the leading part and is made fruitful through the multiplication of the truths of faith.

AC (Elliott) n. 6635 6635. Then the molestation of those truths by falsities and evils in the natural is dealt with and the fact that through that molestation good was made even more fruitful by means of truths. The subject through to the end of the chapter is that molestation and the stages it passes through as
it increases, as well as the resulting instillation and consolidation of truth from good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6636 6636. THE INTERNAL SENSE

Verses 1-5 And these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob – a man and his household they came: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. And every soul, those who came out of Jacob’s thigh, were seventy souls; and Joseph was in Egypt.

‘These are the names of the sons of Israel’ means the essential nature of the Church. ‘Who came to Egypt with Jacob’ means after truths have been introduced into factual knowledge.’ A man and his household they came’ means in regard to truth and in regard to good. ‘Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher’ means the whole process from start to finish. ‘And every soul, those who came out of Jacob’s thigh’ means everything that springs from general truth. ‘Were seventy souls’ means that which was complete. ‘And Joseph was in Egypt’ means that the internal celestial was within the natural.

AC (Elliott) n. 6637 6637. ‘These are the names of the children of Israel’ means the essential nature of the Church. This is clear from the meaning of’ the name as the essential nature, dealt with in 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 2628, 2724, 3006, 3421; from the representation of ‘the sons of Israel’ as spiritual truths, dealt with in 5414, 5879, 5951; and from the representation of ‘Israel’ as the good of truth, which is spiritual good, dealt with in 3654, 4598, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833. Since Israel’ represents the good of truth or spiritual good and ‘his sons’ represent spiritual truths in the natural, ‘the sons of Israel’ also represent the Church, for what makes it the Church is spiritual good and the truths that spring from that good. A person without spiritual good, that is, the good of charity, and without spiritual truths, that is, the truths of faith, does not belong to the Church in spite of having been born within the Church. The whole of the Lord’s heavenly kingdom possesses the good of love and faith, and unless the Church possesses good like that it cannot be the Church since it is not joined to heaven; for the Church is the Lord’s kingdom on earth.

[2] The term ‘Church’ is not used because it is the place where the Word is and teachings drawn from it, or because it is where the Lord is known and the sacraments are celebrated. Rather it is the Church because it lives in accordance with the Word or with teachings drawn from the Word, and seeks to make those teachings its rule of life. People who do not live like this do not belong to the Church but are outside it; and those who lead wicked lives, thus lives contrary to that teaching, are further away outside the Church than gentiles who know nothing whatever about the Word, the Lord, or the sacraments. For since those people are acquainted with the forms of good that the Church fosters and with the truths it teaches they annihilate the Church within themselves, something gentiles cannot do because they are unacquainted with those things. It should also be realized that everyone who leads a good life, in charity and faith, is a Church, and is a kingdom of the Lord. He is for that reason also called a temple, and a house of God too. Those who are Churches individually, no matter how remote from one another they may be, constitute one Church collectively. This then is the Church meant by the expression ‘the children of Israel’ here and in what follows.

AC (Elliott) n. 6638 6638. ‘Who came to Egypt with Jacob’ means after truths have been introduced into factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as factual knowledge, dealt with in 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 4749, 4964, 4966, 5700, 5702, 6004, 6015, 6125; from the representation of ‘Jacob’ as truth, and also good, in the natural, or the natural as regards truth and good, dealt with in 3305, 3509, 3525, 3546, 3576, 3599, 3659, 3669, 3677, 3775, 3829, 4009, 4134, 4286, 4337, 4538, 5506, 5533, 5535, 6001, 6236. The fact that ‘coming to Egypt’ means being introduced into factual knowledge may be recognized from the explanations of the contents in those chapters where the journeying of the sons of Jacob to Egypt to buy grain is dealt with, and after that their arrival there together with Jacob. For what the situation is when truths known to the Church are introduced into factual knowledge, see 6004, 6023, 6052, 6071, 6077. From all this it is evident that by ‘the sons of Israel who came to Egypt’ are meant truths that have been introduced into factual knowledge.

AC (Elliott) n. 6639 6639. ‘A man and his household they came’ means in regard to truth and in regard to good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a man’ as truth, dealt with in 3134, 3459; and from the meaning of ‘household’ or ‘house’ as good, dealt with in 3720, 4982. Since the subject in those chapters in Genesis that deal with the coming of Jacob’s sons, and of Israel himself, into Egypt to Joseph was the introduction of the Church’s truths into factual knowledge, and since the Church was not established until after that introduction had taken place, the subject now – keeping to the train of thought in the internal sense – is the Church which has been established and the way in which it is constantly molested by factual knowledge and falsities. For no matter how far truths have been introduced and the Church has been established with a person, factual knowledge and falsities are nevertheless constantly rising up and attacking the things of the Church that are present with him. These are the considerations that are represented by the fact that Pharaoh and the Egyptians afflicted the children of Israel and wished to kill their baby boys.

[2] Anyone unacquainted with the situation in which the Church’s truth is under attack from factual knowledge and falsities among those in the next life who belong to the Church cannot possibly believe that such a thing is true. A member of the Church who enters the next life has to be purified from the kinds of things that molest truths and forms of good, otherwise he cannot be raised into heaven and live among a community of people there who have been purified from the same kind of things. If he were raised into heaven before such purification had taken place he would be like fog surrounded by clear air or like a patch or darkness amid bright light. In order therefore that a member of the Church recently arrived from the world may undergo purification, he is kept in a state in which he may receive attacks from factual knowledge that does not agree with truths, and also from falsities; and he remains in this state until that factual knowledge becomes worthless to him and is removed. This rarely happens to a person during his lifetime, but in the next life it is exactly what happens to those who are to be raised into heaven, though there is considerable variation to the process. I have been allowed to know that all this is true from much experience, which would fill quite a number of pages if all of it were recounted.

[3] There are the matters that are described in the internal sense by the oppression of the children of Israel by the Egyptians, after that by their deliverance from them, and finally by their introduction – after various states in the wilderness – into the land of Canaan. The truth of all this cannot possibly be grasped by those who believe that salvation is simply being admitted into heaven through an act of mercy, and that anyone can be admitted who thinks – on the basis of seeming trust, called faith – that he can be saved, regardless of the life he has led, because the Lord has suffered on his behalf. For if salvation involved simply being admitted into heaven through an act of mercy, then everyone in the whole world would be saved, since the Lord, who is Mercy itself, desires the salvation of all and the death or damnation of none.

AC (Elliott) n. 6640 6640. ‘Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali, Cad and Asher’ means the whole process from start to finish, that is to say, of the establishment of the Church, which is the subject in what follows next. For the twelve sons of Jacob, and the tribes named after them too, mean all aspects of goodness and truth, that is, all aspects of love and faith in their entirety, see 3858, 3926, 3939, 4060, 6335. Yet these meanings vary according to the order in which the names are mentioned, 3862, 3926, 3939, 4603 and following paragraphs. The variations are therefore countless and involve every single thing that constitutes the Church and the Lord’s kingdom, 6737. But what the specific meaning is when the names occur in the present or any other order nobody knows but the Lord alone. Nor does anyone in heaven know unless the Lord makes it known; in heaven the truths and forms of good that are meant are presented visually by means of lights, together with a perception of what the lights mean.

[2] The twelve tribes represented the Lord’s kingdom and everything there, and therefore in order that those lights might also be represented, and thereby all the Church’s truths and forms of good, twelve precious stones were set* in gold in their proper order, one stone for each tribe. This was called the breastplate and was attached to Aaron’s ephod; and they received answers from it by means of the varying flashes of light, which were accompanied either by audible words or by inner perception. From this too it may be recognized that the twelve tribes of Israel mean all the truths and forms of good, in their entirety, of the Lord’s kingdom and the Church, and that the meanings vary, depending on the order in which they are mentioned. Here they are mentioned in a different order from that in which they were born, as is evident from the fact that Issachar and Zebulun are mentioned before Dan and Naphtali, though the latter were born before the former. Benjamin too is mentioned before Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher, and yet he was born last; and Gad and Asher are mentioned last of all. Something similar is evident in other places in the Word where the names occur in further variations of order.
* Reading inclusi (had been set) for insculpti (had been engraved)

AC (Elliott) n. 6641 6641. ‘And every soul, those who came out of Jacob’s thigh’ means everything that springs from general truth. This is clear from the meaning of soul’ in an ordinary sense as a person, here a member of the spiritual Church, though in the internal sense truth and goodness are meant by ‘soul’ because these are what make a person human, 6605, 6626; from the meaning of ‘thigh’ as conjugial love, dealt with in 3021, 4277, 4280, 5050-5062, and – since ‘thigh’ means conjugial love – as all love, both celestial and spiritual, 3021, 4277, 4280, 4575, so that ‘coming out of the thigh’ means truth and goodness springing from the heavenly marriage, and consequently the Church’s truth and good (for these when they are genuine are born from the heavenly marriage, which is a marriage of goodness and truth); and from the representation of ‘Jacob’ as truth and also good in the natural, but truth and good as a general whole since his sons are separate truths and forms of good within that general whole, dealt with in 6637. The reason why ‘Jacob’ here represents truths as a general whole is that the subject is the spiritual Church. For this Church begins in truths as a general whole, and by means of them is led into its good. With a member of the spiritual Church there is no knowledge of what spiritual good is, nor thus any acceptance of it, except through truth; for he does not have from good any perception of truth such as a member of the celestial Church has.

AC (Elliott) n. 6642 6642. ‘Were seventy souls’ means that which was complete. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seventy’ as that which is complete, dealt with in 6508.

AC (Elliott) n. 6643 6643. ‘And Joseph was in Egypt’ means that the internal celestial was within the natural. This is clear from the representation of ‘Joseph’ as the internal celestial, dealt with in 5869, 5877, 6224, and from the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as the natural, dealt with in 6147, 6252. The presence of the internal celestial within the natural, where factual knowledge resided, and its control of everything there was represented by Joseph’s having been made lord over the whole land of Egypt and by his having been put in charge of Pharaoh’s house. That presence of the internal celestial was represented because the internal sense had to do with the establishment of the spiritual Church and because the natural could not become the Church unless the internal celestial were there, accomplishing everything. But see what has been stated already about these matters in 6275, 6284, 6299, 6451, 6587.

AC (Elliott) n. 6644 6644. Verses 6, 7 And Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation. And the children of Israel were fruitful and productive, and multiplied and became very very numerous; and the land was filled with them.

‘And Joseph died’ means that the situation with the internal part of the Church had now altered. ‘ And all his brothers, and all that generation’ means also with the external part of it in particular and in general. ‘And the children of Israel were fruitful and productive’ means that the Church’s truths increased in goodness. ‘And multiplied and became very very numerous’ means that they increased enormously in truths from good. ‘And the land was filled with them’ means even to the point at which the Church became complete.

AC (Elliott) n. 6645 6645. ‘And Joseph died’ means that the situation with the internal part of the Church had now altered. This is clear from the meaning of ‘dying’ as the end of the former state and the beginning of the new one, thus the fact that the state of the Church had now altered (for ‘dying’ means ceasing to be what it has been, see 494, 6587, 6593, as well as meaning the end of the former representation, 3253, 3259, 7276, 6302); and from the representation of Joseph’ as the internal part, dealt with in 6177, 6224. The nature of the state that the internal part of the Church passes through now is described in the internal sense of what follows, and so too is the state the external part of it passes through, which is meant by ‘his brothers died, and all that generation’.

[2] The Church as it exists with a person goes from time to time through states that are new; for as the person’s hold on the truth of faith and the good of charity grows stronger, so he is led into different states. A former state then serves as the foundation for the state that follows it, and so on unceasingly. In this way a person who is a Church, or one who is being regenerated, is being led all the time into things more internal, thus further into heaven. The reason why all this happens is that in His love, which is infinite because it is Divine, the Lord wishes to draw a person all the way to Himself and by doing this to bless him in every way with glory and happiness, as is also plainly evident from the Lord’s words in John,

I pray that they may all be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You, that they also may be one in Us. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them that they may be one even as We are one, I in them and You in Me. Father, I desire that those whom You gave Me may also be with Me where I am, that they may see My glory which You have given Me. For I made known to them Your name, and I will make it known, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them. John 17:20-26.

[3] These words, it is plainly evident, are those of Divine love going out towards all who receive it. The idea becomes additionally clear from the fact that the Lord is seen in the next life as the Sun, from which He fills the whole of heaven with warmth and light. The flame of that Sun is nothing else than Divine love, and the light from it is the holiness radiated by love, which is Divine Truth. This shows how great the Lord’s love is. This then is why those who belong to the Church are led by consecutive stages into new states, thus all the time further into heaven, consequently closer to the Lord.

AC (Elliott) n. 6646 6646. ‘And all his brothers, and all that generation’ means also with the external part of it in particular and in general. This is clear from the representation of the sons of Jacob, to whom ‘brothers’ refers here, as the Church’s truths in the natural, dealt with in 5403, 5419, 5427, 5458, 5512, thus the external part of it; and from the meaning of ‘that generation’ as the external part of the Church in general, for ‘generation’ here implies the same thing as Joseph’s ‘brothers’, but in a general sense when used in relation to the latter.

AC (Elliott) n. 6647 6647. ‘And the children of Israel were fruitful and productive’ means that the Church’s truths increased in goodness. This is clear from the representation of ‘the children of Israel’ as spiritual truths, dealt with in 5414, 5879, and as the Church, 6637; from the meaning of ‘being fruitful’ as increasing in goodness, dealt with in 43, 55, 917, 983, 2846, 2847, 3146; and from the meaning of ‘being productive’ as further branching out; for once the Church has been established with a person, good increases constantly and branches out both within the internal and also towards the external, and within it. It has often been shown already that among those who belong to the spiritual Church good is increased by means of truths; for a member of the spiritual Church does not have perception as a member of the celestial Church has, and therefore he has no knowledge of what the Church’s good – that is, spiritual good – is except through truths. This being so, when a member of that Church is being regenerated, the Lord uses the angels present with that person to bring truths to his awareness, and from those truths he is led on to good. But when that person has been regenerated, He brings both truth and good together to his awareness, and thereby leads him. But the character of the good with a member of the spiritual Church is determined by that of the truth, and so therefore is the character of his conscience, which serves him in place of perception, as a guide to the way he lives.

AC (Elliott) n. 6648 6648. ‘And multiplied and became very very numerous’ means that they increased enormously in truths from good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘multiplying’ as increasing in truths, dealt with in 43, 55, 913, 983, 2846, 2847; and from the meaning of ‘became numerous’ as further branching out, thus a constant increase in truth. The reason why it is an increase in truth from good is that the subject now is the Church when it has been established. For so far as the establishment of the Church with a person is concerned, it happens as follows: While it is being established the person is governed by truths, and through them good increases. But once the Church has been established with him he is governed by good, and from good by truths, which are then constantly increasing. Little increase takes place while he lives in the world, because in the world concerns about food and clothing and about other matters prevent it. But in the next life the increase is vast, and goes on for evermore; for there is no end to wisdom from the Divine. In this way the angels are constantly being made more perfect, and in that same way all entering the next life are made into angels; for every aspect of wisdom is capable of infinite expansion and the aspects of wisdom are infinite in number. From this it may be seen that wisdom can go on increasing for evermore and still not reach very far beyond the first degree, the reason for this being that the Divine is the Infinite, and what has its origin in the Infinite is inevitably like that.

AC (Elliott) n. 6649 6649. ‘And the land was filled with them’ means even to the point at which the Church was complete. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being filled’ as that which is complete; and from the meaning of ‘the land’ as the Church, dealt with in 82, 662, 1066, 1067, 1262, 1411, 1413, 1607, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118 (end), 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577. ‘The land of Goshen’ where the children of Israel now were means the Church. The fact that this was where the Church was before the children of Israel entered the land of Canaan is clear from what follows – from the absence there of the plagues which occurred elsewhere in Egypt, and also from the presence of light there while darkness reigned elsewhere, Exod. 10:21-23, making that territory entirely separate from all other territories in Egypt. The same fact is also clear from the consideration that ‘the land of Goshen’ means the middle or inmost part of the natural, 5910, 6028, 6031, 6068, and so means the Church since the spiritual Church exists in the inmost part of the natural.

AC (Elliott) n. 6650 6650. Verses 8-14 And a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are many and numerous, more than ourselves. Come, let us use prudence with them; perhaps they will multiply, and it will be when wars occur, that they also will join themselves to our enemies and fight against us, and go up out of the land. And they set princes of tributes* over them, to afflict them with burdens. And they built cities of store-houses for Pharaoh – Pithom and Raamses. And according as they afflicted them, so they multiplied and so they grew; and they were filled with loathing because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigour. And they made their life bitter with hard service, in clay and in bricks, and in all [manner of] service in
the field, with all their [other] service in which they made them serve with rigour.

‘And a new king arose over Egypt’ means separated factual knowledge, which is opposed to the Church’s truths. ‘Who did not know Joseph’ means which is completely alienated from the internal. ‘And he said to his people’ means subordinated factual knowledge. ‘Behold, the people of the children of Israel are many and numerous, more than ourselves’ means that the Church’s truths are prevailing over alienated factual knowledge. ‘Come, let us use prudence with them’ means guile. ‘Perhaps they will multiply, and it will be when wars occur’ means superior strength if they increase. ‘That they also will join themselves to our enemies and fight against us’ means that in that way allied forces who inflict harm will be made stronger. ‘And go up out of the land’ means that the Church will have thereby been established. ‘ And they set princes of tributes over them’ means falsities which would compel them to serve. ‘To afflict them with burdens’ means increasing distress caused by forms of hard service. ‘And they built cities of store-houses for Pharaoh’ means teachings composed of falsified truths in the natural where alienated factual knowledge resides. ‘Pithom and Raamses’ means the essential nature of those teachings. ‘And according as they afflicted them, so they multiplied’ means that in the measure that there were molestations, so the truths increased. ‘And so they grew’ means that they became strong. ‘And they were filled with loathing because of the children of Israel’ means greater aversion. ‘And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve’ means the aim to bring them under their control. ‘With rigour means without showing any mercy. ‘And they made their life bitter with hard service’ means to such an extent that the aim to bring them under their control became vexatious. ‘In clay and in bricks’ means on account of the evils which they devised and the falsities which they fabricated. ‘And in all [manner of] service in the field’ means the aim to bring things of the Church under their control. ‘With all their [other] service in which they made them serve with rigour’ means the aim to bring them under their control by the use of many methods, without showing them any mercy.
* i.e. taskmasters

AC (Elliott) n. 6651 6651. ‘And a new king arose over Egypt’ means separated factual knowledge, which is opposed to the Church’s truths. This is clear from the representation of Pharaoh, to whom ‘king’ refers here, as factual knowledge in general, dealt with in 6015. The word ‘king’ is used because in the genuine sense ‘king’ means truth, 1672, 2015, 2069, 3670, 4581, 4966, 5044, 6148, and in the contrary sense falsity; and since ‘king’ refers here to Pharaoh, false factual knowledge is meant, that is, factual knowledge that is opposed to the Church’s truths. This also explains why the expression ‘new king’ is used, for the one who lived in Joseph’s time represented factual knowledge that accorded with the Church’s truths. For the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as factual knowledge, here that knowledge in particular, see above in 6638.

AC (Elliott) n. 6652 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.

AC (Elliott) n. 6653 6653. ‘And he said to his people’ means subordinated factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘people’ as truths, and in the contrary sense as falsities, dealt with in 1259, 1260, 7295, 7581, here factual knowledge separated from truth since it is the people of Egypt. ‘Egypt’ means factual knowledge, see 6638; but the reason why subordinated factual knowledge is meant here is that the words ‘the king said to his people’ are used. ‘People’ means truths because in the Word the term ‘people’ is used of those who are subject to a king, and ‘a king’ means truth, 6651. But though ‘people’ means truths, one understands those in possession of truths. The reason however why truths are spoken of in isolation from anything else is that this is how spirits and angels think and speak of them. For by doing that they gain a complete overall view of a subject, and at the same time see specific details belonging to that subject. They do not contemplate any people in particular who are in possession of truths; for any such contemplation would divert their minds from seeing the complete overall picture, thus from seeing the lull extent of the subject, and so from gaining wisdom. For a concentration of the mind on any people in particular, or on any person in particular, narrows and restricts their ideas, and deprives them of a perception of the full range of the subject from one edge of it to the other. What applies to ‘people’ applies in a similar way to other terms, in that in the internal sense they mean entities unlimited by anything else, as is the case with nation (meaning good), king (meaning truth), prince (meaning a leading truth), priest (meaning good), son, daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother, sister, father, mother, and very many others.

AC (Elliott) n. 6654 6654. ‘Behold, the people of the children of Israel are many and numerous, more than ourselves’ means that the Church’s truths are prevailing over alienated factual knowledge. This is clear from the representation of ‘the children of Israel’ as the Church’s truths and forms of good, dealt with above in 6647; from the meaning of ‘many and numerous’ as prevailing, for ‘multiplying’, or becoming many, and ‘numerous’ are used in reference to truth, see also above, in 6648; and from the representation of the king of Egypt and his people, whom one should understand here by ‘more than ourselves’, as alienated factual knowledge, as above in 6652. From all this it is evident that ‘Behold, the people of [the children of] Israel are many and numerous, more than ourselves’ means that truths are prevailing over alienated factual knowledge.

AC (Elliott) n. 6655 6655. ‘Come, let us use prudence with them’ means guile. This is clear from the meaning of ‘prudence’ – when that word is used by the evil who are alienated from truth and goodness – as guile, for the evil speak of what they accomplish by the use of guile, and also of deceit, as prudence. Let something about the guile meant by ‘prudence’ be mentioned here. All who are under the influence of evil speak of guile as prudence and do not consider intelligence and wisdom to consist in anything else. People who are like this in the world become worse in the next life, where by the use of guile they constantly act in opposition to whatever is good and true. And those among them are thought of as the intelligent and wise who are able, as they themselves see it, to employ falsities to break down and demolish truths, behaving in any artful or malicious way they can to accomplish this. From this one can see what people within the Church are like when they identify prudence with guile; one can see that such people are in touch with the hells. But those who are true members of the Church are so far removed from guile that they utterly abhor it; and those among them who are like angels are willing, if at all possible, to have their minds laid open so that anyone may see plainly what they are thinking. For they intend nothing but good towards their neighbour; and if they notice anything bad in someone they make allowances for it. It is different with those who are governed by evil. They are afraid of having anything they think or will brought to light, for they intend nothing but ill for their neighbour, or if they do intend good it is for their own benefit. If they actually perform anything good, it is merely an outward appearance of good, done so that others may see them, for the sake of their own monetary gain and high position. For they know that whatever is good and true, just and fair, and also honourable, has a strong and hidden power within it to attract people’s minds, even those of the wicked.

AC (Elliott) n. 6656 6656. ‘Perhaps they will multiply, and it will be when wars occur’ means superior strength if they increase. This is clear from the meaning of ‘multiplying’ as increasing in regard to truths, dealt with in 43, 55, 913, 983, 2846, 2847; and from the meaning of ‘wars’ as conflicts involving truths and falsities, which are spiritual conflicts, dealt with in 1664, 2686. And since the words that follow are ‘they also will join themselves to our enemies’, superior strength in those conflicts is meant.

AC (Elliott) n. 6657 6657. ‘That they also will join themselves to our enemies and fight against us’ means that in that way allied forces who inflict harm will be made stronger. This is clear from the meaning of ‘joining themselves to’ as being made stronger, for when enemies are joined by a very large number they are made stronger; from the meaning of ‘enemies’ as allied forces who fight alongside one another; and from the meaning of ‘fighting against us’ as inflicting harm, for when a battle is fought against someone, harm is done to him to the extent that he cannot counteract it. The implications of all this are that surrounding every person in the world and also surrounding every good spirit there is a general sphere of endeavours from hell and a general sphere of endeavours from heaven. The sphere from hell is a sphere of endeavours to do harm and destroy, that from heaven is a sphere of endeavours to do good and to save, see 6477. These spheres are general ones, and there are likewise particular spheres surrounding every person, for there are spirits from hell present with him and there are angels from heaven, who are dealt with in 5846-5866, 5976-5993. By these spheres a person is kept in a state of equilibrium and has the freedom to think and will what is evil or to think and will what is good.

[2] When therefore a member of the Church enters into temptation, which happens when he is let into his own evil, conflict takes place around him between the spirits from hell and the angels from heaven, 3927, 4249, 5036; and the conflict lasts for as long as the person is kept in his own evil. Sometimes in that conflict it seems to the spirits from hell that they are going to win, in which case they surge up. At other times it seems to them that they are going to be beaten, in which case they fall back, fearing that more angels from heaven will join up against them and so they themselves will be cast down into hell, never to emerge again, which is exactly what happens when they have been beaten. These are the things that are meant by superior strength if they increase and by the statement that allied forces who inflict harm will be made stronger.

[3] Spirits from hell, when they fight against angels, are in the world of spirits, where they are in a state of freedom, 5852. From all this one may now see what is meant in the internal sense when it says that the children of Israel were molested and oppressed in such ways by the Egyptians, but that the more they were molested, the more they multiplied, and that Jehovah, who is the Lord, fought for them, kept the Egyptians in check by means of plagues, and at length drowned all the Egyptians in the Sea Suph.

AC (Elliott) n. 6658 6658. ‘And go up out of the land’ means that the Church will have thereby been established. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going up’ as being raised up, raised up towards more internal aspects of the Church, dealt with in 3084, 4539, 4969, 5406, 5817, 6007; and from the meaning of ‘the land’, the land of Goshen in this instance, as the Church, dealt with above in 6649. Being raised up towards more internal aspects of the Church, meant by going up out of the land and coming into the land of Canaan, is what ‘the Church will have been established’ implies. The Church has, it is true, been established with a person when he is motivated by affection to do good, yet it has not been fully established until after he has fought against evils and falsities, thus after he has undergone temptations. Only after that does he become truly a Church, at which point he is brought into heaven, represented by the bringing of the children of Israel into the land of Canaan.

AC (Elliott) n. 6659 6659. ‘And they set princes of tributes over them’ means falsities which would compel them to serve. This is clear from the meaning of ‘princes’ as primary truths, dealt with in 1482, 2089, 5044, or in the contrary sense, in which the word is used here, as primary falsities; and from the meaning of ‘tributes’, to which they were compelled by the princes set over them, as hard service, dealt with in 6394.

AC (Elliott) n. 6660 6660. ‘To afflict them with burdens’ means increasing distress caused by forms of hard service. This is clear from the meaning of ‘afflicting’ as increasing distress; and from the meaning of ‘burdens’, which were the tributes, as forms of hard service.

AC (Elliott) n. 6661 6661. ‘And they built cities of store-houses for Pharaoh’ means teachings composed of falsified truths in the natural where alienated factual knowledge resides. This is clear from the meaning of ‘cities’ as teachings in both [the genuine and the contrary] senses, dealt with in 402, 2449, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4497; from the meaning of ‘store-houses’ as falsified truths, dealt with below; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as the natural, dealt with in 5160, 5799, 6015 (end), the natural being where alienated factual knowledge resides, see above in 6651, 6652. The reason why ‘the cities of store-houses’ which the people of Israel built for Pharaoh means teachings composed of falsified truths is that those preoccupied with factual knowledge alienated from the truth, who are meant here by Pharaoh and the Egyptians, pervert and falsify all of the Church’s truths and formulate teachings for themselves out of those perverted, falsified truths.

[2] The word used in the original language for store-houses may also mean armouries, and treasuries too, which have virtually the same meaning in the internal sense. For store-houses are places where corn is collected, and ‘corn’ means truth, 5276, 5280, 5292, 5402, or in the contrary sense falsity. Armouries however are places where one stores weapons of war, by which are meant the kinds of things that truth uses in fighting against falsities, or in the contrary sense those that falsity uses in fighting against truths, 1788, 1686. Treasuries are places where wealth is deposited, and by wealth and riches are meant cognitions of goodness and truth, 4508, in the contrary sense cognitions of evil and falsity. In general therefore cities of store-houses, armouries, or treasuries mean teachings composed of falsified truths.

AC (Elliott) n. 6662 6662. ‘Pithom and Raamses’ means the essential nature of them, that is to say, of the teachings composed of falsified truths. This is clear from names in the Word, that they mean the essential nature and the state of the matter under discussion.

AC (Elliott) n. 6663 6663. ‘And according as they afflicted them, so they multiplied’ means that in the measure that there were molestations, so the truths increased. This is clear from the meaning of ‘afflicting’ as molestation, and from the meaning of ‘multiplying’ as increasing in truths, dealt with above in 6656. Since people at the present day cannot, without experience of what goes on in the next life, know what such molestations are like, something must be said about them. The majority of spirits who come from the world and have led a life in keeping with the Lord’s commandments are subjected to molestation before they can be raised to heaven and become attached to communities there. The molestation is caused by the evils and falsities residing with them and takes place for the purpose of removing those evils and falsities, see 6639; for they are impurities which those spirits acquired during their lifetime and are wholly out of keeping with heaven. The molestations come about by engulfing those spirits in their own evils and falsities. While they are engulfed in them other spirits steeped in similar evils and falsities are present, and these others strive in every way to lead them away from what is true and good. Yet they are not engulfed too deeply in their evils and falsities for the Lord’s influence coming by way of the angels to prevail. What happens is controlled precisely, as if weighed in a balance, to the end that the one who suffers molestation may appear to himself to be in freedom and so to be fighting on his own against the evils and falsities, yet acknowledging – if not at the time, then subsequently – that all power to resist has come from the Lord, see 1937, 1947, 2881, 5660. While all this is going on, not only are previously implanted truths and forms of good made stronger but also more are introduced. This is how it is with all spiritual conflict in which the one involved becomes the victor.

[2] The truth of this is also evident from everyday experience, for anyone who defends his opinion against others attacking it becomes all the more convinced of his opinion and also at the same time discovers further ideas which he has not previously taken note of that strengthen it, as well as many that refute opposing ideas. He thus becomes more firmly established in his opinion and also illuminates it with further ideas. The same applies but in a far more perfect way to spiritual conflicts, because that kind of conflict takes place in the spirit and has to do with forms of good and with truths, and especially because – since the conflict is over eternal life and salvation – the Lord is present and leads by means of angels. As a general rule in such conflicts the Lord turns all evils intended by the hells into good, and therefore the hells are not allowed to evoke evils in excess of or different from those which can be turned into good appropriate for the person involved in the conflict. The reason why things happen in this way is that the Lord’s kingdom is a kingdom of usefulness, and therefore nothing can take place there unless good can come out of it. From all this one may now see how to understand the idea that truths increase in the measure that there are molestations, meant by ‘according as they afflicted them, so they multiplied’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6664 6664. ‘And so they grew’ means that they – the truths – became strong. This is clear from the meaning of growing’, used in reference to truths that have multiplied through molestations caused by evils and falsities, as becoming strong, for no other truths remain than those which become strong, and therefore as more and more truths become strong, so they grow. The fact that truths are made strong by means of molestations, see immediately above in 6663.

AC (Elliott) n. 6665 6665. ‘And they were filled with loathing because of the children of Israel’ means greater aversion. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being filled with loathing’ as aversion, in this instance greater aversion since they multiplied and grew all the more through afflictions.

AC (Elliott) n. 6666 6666. ‘And the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve’ means the aim to bring them under their control. This is clear from the meaning of ‘making them serve’ as bringing under their control, here the aim to do so because although they endeavour constantly to bring others under their control they never get the upper hand over those who are good; from the meaning of ‘the Egyptians’ as separated factual knowledge that is opposed to the Church’s truths, dealt with in 6651; and from the meaning of ‘the children of Israel’ as the Church, dealt with in 6637. From these meanings it is evident that ‘the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve’ means the aim held by those who favour separated factual knowledge opposed to the Church’s truths, to bring them [the Church] under their control.

[2] As regards the aim to bring others under one’s own control, I have also been allowed to know what that aim is like among the evil belonging to hell. The nature of their endeavour and aim to bring under their control those who accept what is good and true defies description. For they employ every kind of malice, every kind of guile and deceit, every kind of trickery, and every kind of cruelty, the extent and nature of which are such that if merely a part were mentioned scarcely anyone in the world could believe it, so full of guile and artfulness are the methods they use, and so unspeakable too. In short those methods are such that no one at all, not even any angel, only the Lord, can stand up to them. The reason why such an endeavour and aim is present in them is that the whole delight of their life, thus their very life, consists in the doing of evil, on account of which nothing else occupies their minds, and consequently nothing else is intended by them. They cannot do anything good at all because it repels them; or if they do do anything good, it is for selfish reasons, thus only for themselves.

[3] Hells made up of people like this are growing immensely larger at the present day; and what is astounding, such people come mainly from among those within the Church on account of all the guile, trickery, hatred, revenge, and adultery that flourish there more than anywhere else. For in the Church of today guile is reckoned to be cleverness, and adultery to be honourable behaviour; and those who think anything different are laughed at. Since this is the situation at the present day within the Church, it is a sign that its last days are at hand, for according to the Lord’s words recorded in Matthew 24:22, unless it came to an end ‘no flesh would be saved’. Indeed all evil is infectious and like rottenness contaminates the whole, thus everyone in the end.

AC (Elliott) n. 6667 6667. ‘With rigour’ means without showing any mercy. This becomes clear without explanation, for those spoken of immediately above in 6666 have no mercy because they have no love of the neighbour, only self-love. Love of the neighbour which seems to be present among them is nothing else than self-love. For as long as another is favourably disposed towards them, that is, is on their side, they love him; but as long as he is not favourably disposed towards them or not on their side they reject him, and if previously their friend they hate him. Attitudes such as this lie concealed in self-love, though they do not reveal themselves in the world, only in the next life, where they burst out into the open. The reason why they burst out there is that there outward appearances are taken away; and when they are taken away, one sees what a person has been like inwardly.

AC (Elliott) n. 6668 6668. ‘And they made their life bitter with hard service’ means to such an extent that the aim to bring them under their control became vexatious. This is clear from the meaning of ‘life being made bitter’ as becoming vexatious; and from the meaning of ‘hard service’ as control over, at this point the intention to gain control over, as above in 6666.

AC (Elliott) n. 6669 6669. ‘In clay and in bricks’ means on account of the evils which they devised and the falsities which they fabricated. This is clear from the meaning of ‘clay’ as good, and in the contrary sense as evil, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘bricks’ as falsities that people fabricate, dealt with in 1296. As regards the evils and falsities which those in hell devise and fabricate, see just above in 6666.

The fact that ‘clay’ means evil from which falsity is produced is evident from the following places in the Word: In Isaiah,

The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest; its waters throw out mud and clay. Isa. 57:20.

‘Mud’ stands for falsity from which evil is derived, and ‘clay’ for evil from which falsity is produced.

[2] In Jeremiah,

Your feet have sunk into the clay, [your close friends] have turned away backwards. Jer. 38:22.

‘Feet sunk into the clay’ stands for the natural sunken in evil. In Nahum,

Draw yourself water for the siege, strengthen your fortifications; go into the mud and tread the clay; renew the brick-kiln. There the fire will devour you, and the sword cut you off. Nahum 3:14, 15.

‘Treading the clay’ stands for being prompted by evil to think what is false. In Habakkuk,

He will say, Woe to him who multiplies what is not his – how long? And to him who loads clay onto himself, Will there not rise up suddenly those who will bite you? Hab. 2:6, 7.

‘Loading clay onto himself’ stands for taking up evil.

[3] In David,

Jehovah caused me to come up out of the pit of devastation, out of the muddy clay, and He set my feet upon a rock. Ps. 49:2.

In the same author,

I sank in deep clay, and there was no standing; I came into the depths of the waters, and a wave overwhelmed me. Snatch me out of the clay lest I sink, and out of the depths of the waters; and do not let the depth swallow me up. Ps. 69:2, 14, 15.

‘Clay’ stands for evil from which falsity is produced. In Isaiah,

He will come against prelates as though against clay, as a potter treads mud.* Isa. 41:15.

[4] But in the following places ‘clay’ stands for good: In Isaiah,

Now, O Jehovah, You are our Father, we are the clay, and You are our potter; and we are all the work of Your hands. Isa. 64:8.

‘The clay’ stands for the member of the Church who is being formed, thus for the good of faith by means of which that person is formed, that is, reformed.

[5] Similarly in Jeremiah,

Jehovah said to Jeremiah, Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words. I went down therefore to the potter’s house, and behold, he made a work on the table. But the vessel that he was making was marred, like clay in the potter’s hand. And he returned and made it into another vessel, as was right in the eyes of the potter to make it. Then the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Like this potter can I not do to you, O house of Israel? Said Jehovah. Behold, like the clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. Jer. 18:1-6.

‘The house of Israel’ stands for the Church that is to be formed. And it is because the good of charity and the truth of faith are used in the forming of it, and because such good and truth are meant by ‘the clay’ and ‘the potter’s vessel’, that the prophet was commanded to go to the potter’s
house. This would not have happened if ‘the clay’ and ‘the potter’s vessel’ had not had those meanings.

[6] There are other places too in which Jehovah or the Lord is called ‘the potter’ and the person who is being reformed ‘the clay’, namely Isa. 29:15, 16; 45:9; Job 10:9; 33:6. The incident in which the Lord made clay with His saliva and anointed the eyes of the man born blind and then commanded him to wash in the pool of Siloam, with the result that the blind man was made to see, John 9:6, 7, 11, took place because it represented the reformation of man, who is born without any knowledge of truth. And that reformation is effected by means of the good of faith, meant by ‘the clay’.
* The Latin seems to say Prelates will come as clay, and as a potter treads mud.

AC (Elliott) n. 6670 6670. ‘And in all [manner of] service in the field’ means the aim to bring things of the Church under their control. This is clear from the meaning of ‘service’ as the aim to bring under their control, dealt with above in 6666; and from the meaning of ‘the field’ as the Church, dealt within 2971, 3766.

AC (Elliott) n. 6671 6671. ‘With all their [other] service in which they made them serve with rigour’ means the aim to bring them under their control by the use of many methods, without showing them any mercy. This is clear from the meaning of ‘service’ as the aim to bring under their control, as above in 6666, 6668, 6670, and in many ways, since the words ‘all their service’ are used; and from the meaning of ‘rigour’ as without mercy, dealt with in 6667.

AC (Elliott) n. 6672 6672. Verses 15-21 And the king of Egypt said to the midwives of the Hebrew women, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah – he said, When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son you shall kill him; and if it is a daughter, let her live. And the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt spoke to them; and they kept the boys alive. And the king of Egypt called the midwives, and said to them, Why do you act like that and keep the boys alive? And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are full of life; before the midwife comes to them they have given birth. And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very numerous. And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He made them houses.

‘And the king of Egypt said to the midwives of the Hebrew women means an influx from separated factual knowledge into the natural where the Church’s true factual knowledge resided. ‘Of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah’ means the nature and state of the natural where that factual knowledge resided. ‘He said, When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstools’ means a discernment of the truth and good flowing from the internal into that factual knowledge. ‘If it is a son you shall kill him’ means that if it was a form of truth, they were to destroy it in whatever way they could. ‘And if it is a daughter, let her live’ means that they were not to destroy it if it was a form of good. ‘ And the midwives feared God’ means that true factual knowledge was kept safe because it was kept so by the Divine. ‘And did not do as the king of Egypt spoke to them’ means that the intention of those under the influence of falsities was not carried out. ‘And they kept the boys alive’ means that the truths, being the truths of good, were preserved. ‘And the king of Egypt called the midwives means that those under the influence of falsities planned a course of action against those who had true factual knowledge in the natural. ‘And said to them, Why do you act like that and keep the boys alive?’ means anger that the truths were not destroyed. ‘And the midwives said to Pharaoh’ means a discernment regarding that true factual knowledge in the natural. ‘Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women’ means that the Church’s factual knowledge is not like the factual knowledge which is at odds with it. ‘For they are full of life’ means that it has spiritual life within it. ‘Before the midwife comes to them they have given birth’ means that the natural knows nothing until life is imparted to it. ‘And God dealt well with the midwives’ means that the natural was blessed by the Divine. ‘And the people multiplied and became very numerous’ means that within the natural, truths were constantly emerging and so increasing. ‘And so it was, because the midwives feared God’ means because true factual knowledge was being kept safe by the Divine. ‘That He made them houses’ means that they were arranged into a heavenly form.

AC (Elliott) n. 6673 6673. ‘And the king of Egypt said to the midwives of the Hebrew women. means an influx from separated factual knowledge into the natural where the Church’s true factual knowledge resided. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ as an influx, dealt with in 5743, 6291; from the meaning of ‘the king of Egypt’ as separated factual knowledge which is opposed to the Church’s truths, dealt with in 6651; from the meaning of ‘the midwives’ as the natural, dealt with in 4588, 4921; and from the meaning of ‘the Hebrew women as things belonging to the Church, dealt with in 5136, 5236, and so also as the Church’s true factual knowledge. The reason why the natural is meant by ‘the midwives’ is that the natural receives what flows in from the internal and in so doing acts like a midwife.

AC (Elliott) n. 6674 6674. ‘Of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah’ means the nature and state of the natural where that factual knowledge resided. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the name’ as the essential nature, dealt with in 144, 145, 1896, 2009, and also the state, 1946, 2643, 3422, 4298. For the names contained in the Word all serve to mean different realities, each name embodying in a nutshell all the characteristics, thus the nature and state of that reality to which it refers. Here therefore the names Shiphrah and Puah mean the nature and state of the natural where true factual knowledge resides since this is the reality to which those names refer, as is evident from what appears immediately before this in 6673. A person who is unaware of the fact that a name serves to mean the nature and state of the reality to which it refers can only think that no more than the name is meant when that name is mentioned.

[2] Thus he can only think that when the Lord speaks of His name no more than this is meant, when in fact what is meant is the essential nature of the worship of Him, that is to say, every aspect of faith and charity through which He is to be worshipped, as in Matthew,

Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them. Matt. 18:20.

Not the name is meant here, but worship flowing from faith and charity. In John,

As many as received Him, to them He gave power to be sons of God, to those believing in His name. John 1:12.

Here also ‘name’ is used to mean faith and charity from which the Lord is worshipped. In the same gospel,

These things have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. John 20:31.

Here the meaning is similar.

[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 ask anything in My name, I will do it. This matter is made even clearer by the fact that the Lord is meant by Jehovah’s ‘name’, when mentioned as follows in Moses,

I send an angel before you to guard you on the way. Take notice of His face, and hearken to His voice, and do not provoke Him, since My name is in the midst of Him. Exod. 23:20, 21.

[4] In John,

Father, glorify Your name. A voice came from heaven, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. John 12:28.

In the same gospel,

I have manifested Your name to the men (homo) whom You gave to Me out of the world. I made known to them Your name, and I will make it known, that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them. John 17:6, 26.

From these quotations it is evident that the Lord’s Divine Human is Jehovah’s name or whole essential nature. Consequently all Divine worship begins in the Divine Human; and the Divine Human is what one is to worship, for by worshipping this one worships the Divine Himself, no thought of whom can otherwise be formed. And if no such thought can be formed, there can be no communion with Him either.

[5] The truth that the Lord’s ‘name’ is everything constituting the faith and love through which He is to be worshipped is still further evident from the following places: In Matthew,

You will be hated by everyone for My name’s sake. Matt. 10:22.

In the same gospel,

He who receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. Matt. 18:5.

In the same gospel,

Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields, for My name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold. Matt. 19:29.

In the same gospel,

They shouted, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Matt. 21:9.

In Luke,

Truly I tell you; for you will not see Me until [the time] comes so that you say, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Luke 13:35.

In Mark,

Whoever gives you drink from a cup of water in My name because you are Christ’s, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward. Mark 9:41.

In Luke,

The seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are obedient to us in Your name. Jesus said to them, Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are obedient to you, but rejoice rather that your names have been written in heaven. Luke 10:17, 20.

‘Names written in heaven’ are not those people’s their faith and charity.

[6] Much the same is meant by ‘names written in the Apocalypse,

You have a few names also in Sardis, who have not soiled their garments. He who conquers will be clad in white garments and I will not blot his name out of the book of life; and I will confess his name before the Father and before His angels. Rev. 3:4, 5.

Like wise in John,

The one entering by the door is the shepherd of the sheep; he calls his own sheep by name. John 10:2, 3.

In Exodus,

Jehovah said to Moses, I know you by name. Exod. 33:12, 17.

In John,

Many believed in His name, seeing His signs which He did. John 2:13.

[7] In the same gospel,

He who believes in Him is not judged: but he who does not believe is judged already because he has not be lifted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18.

In Isaiah,

They will fear the name of Jehovah from the west. Isa. 59:19.

In Micah,

All the peoples walk in the name of their God and we will walk in the name of our God. Micah 4:5.

In Moses it says they were to worship Jehovah God in the place which He would choose and in which He would put His name. Deut. 12:5, 11, 14. Similar phrases occur in Isaiah 18:7 and Jeremiah 7:12, and in many other places besides these, such as Isa. 26:8, 13; 41:25; 43:7; 49:1; 50:10; 52:5; 26:16; Ezek. 20:14, 44; 36:21-23; Micah 5:4; Mal. 1:11; Deut. 10:8; Rev. 2:17; 3:12; 13:8; 14:11; 15:2; 17:8; 19:12, 13, 16; 22:3, 4.

[8] The fact that Jehovah’s name means everything involved in the worship of Him, thus in the highest sense everything that goes out from the Lord, is clear in the Blessing,

Jehovah bless you and keep you;
Jehovah make His face shine upon you and be merciful to you;
Jehovah lift up His face upon you and give you peace.
So shall they put My name upon the sons of Israel. Num. 6:23-27.

From all this one may now see what is meant by the following commandment in the Decalogue,

You shall not take the name of your God in vain, for Jehovah will not hold him innocent who has taken His name in vain. Exod. 20:7.

One may likewise see what is meant in the Lord’s Prayer by hallowed be Your name, Matt. 6:9.

AC (Elliott) n. 6675 6675. ‘He said, When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstools’ means a discernment of the truth and good flowing from the internal into the Church’s factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘acting as a midwife’ as the reception of goodness and truth flowing from the internal into the natural, for inasmuch as the natural receives influx it is ‘a midwife’, see 4588, 6673; from the meaning of ‘the Hebrew women as things that belong to the Church, dealt with in 5136, 5236; from the meaning of ‘seeing’ as a discernment, dealt with in 2150, 3764, 4567, 4723, 5400; and from the meaning of ‘the birthstools’ as things in the natural that receive the forms of good and the truths flowing from the internal, thus true factual knowledge, since that knowledge is what receives them. From this it is evident that ‘when you act as midwives to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstools’ means a discernment of the truth and good flowing from the internal into the Church’s factual knowledge, which resides in the natural.

AC (Elliott) n. 6676 6676. ‘If it is a son you shall kill him’ means that if it was a form of truth, they were to destroy it in whatever way they could. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a son’ as a form of truth, dealt with in 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373; and from the meaning of ‘killing’ as destroying, for the word is used in reference to truth. But they were to destroy it by whatever method they could; for the evil are unable among the good to destroy truths.

AC (Elliott) n. 6677 6677. ‘And if it is a daughter, let her live’ means that they were not to destroy it if it was a form of good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a daughter’ as a form of good, dealt with in 489, 491, 2362; and from the meaning of ‘[allowing] to live’ as that it should not be destroyed. The reason why the king of Egypt said that a son should be killed but not a daughter is evident from the internal sense, which is that they could attempt to destroy truth but not good. For when those from hell molest anyone they are allowed to set upon truths but not upon forms of good, the reason being that truths are what can be made to suffer attack, not forms of good. The latter are protected by the Lord, and when those from hell do try to set upon forms of good they are cast far down into hell. They cannot stand the presence of good, since the Lord is present in every form of good. This explains why the angels, being governed by good, have so much power and control over hellish spirits that just one of them can subdue thousands of those from hell. It should be recognized that good holds life within it, for good springs from love, and love is the life in a person. If evil that springs from selfish and worldly love and seems to be good to those governed by evil attacks good which springs from heavenly love, the life of the one fights against the life of the other. And since the life belonging to the good that comes with heavenly love originates in the Divine, the life belonging to selfish and worldly love starts to be annihilated if it comes into conflict with that life from the Divine. For it is stifled and so those involved suffer torment like those in the threes of death. Because of this they hurl themselves into hell, where they recover
the life that is theirs, see 3938, 4225, 4226, 5057, 5058. This is another reason why evil genii and spirits are unable to attack good and so do not dare to destroy it. It is different with truth. This has no life within it, other than what it receives from good, that is, from the Lord through good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6678 6678. ‘And the midwives feared God’ means that true factual knowledge was kept safe because it was kept so by the Divine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘fearing God’ as keeping what the Divine has commanded, for people who fear God keep His commandments, though – since all holy fear, and consequently obedience to and keeping of commandments, have a Divine and not at all human origin – a keeping by the Divine is what is meant by ‘feared God’; and from the meaning of ‘the midwives’ as the natural where true factual knowledge resides, dealt within 4588, 6673, 6675.

AC (Elliott) n. 6679 6679. ‘And did not do as the king of Egypt spoke to them’ means that the intention of those under the influence of falsities was not carried out. This is clear from the meaning of ‘did not do as he spoke’ as the fact that their intention was not carried out, that is, they were unable to destroy
the truths meant by ‘the boys’, even though their intention was to destroy them by whatever method they could, 6676; and from the meaning of ‘the king of Egypt’ as separated factual knowledge that is opposed to the Church’s truth, dealt with in 6651, thus falsity since that factual knowledge is false.

AC (Elliott) n. 6680 6680. ‘And they kept the boys alive’ means that the truths, being the truths of good, were preserved. This is clear from the meaning of ‘keeping alive’ as preserving; and from the meaning of the sons, who are called ‘the boys’ here, as truths, dealt with above in 6676. The sons are called ‘the boys’ here because the good of innocence is meant by ‘boys’, 430, 2782, 5236, and therefore ‘the boys’ here are truths which are the truths of good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6681 6681. ‘And the king of Egypt called the midwives’ means that those under the influence of falsities planned a course of action against those who had true factual knowledge in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘calling’ here as planning a course of action, for the purpose of the calling was the destruction of truths, but the planned course of action was made to fail because the truths were kept safe by the Divine, meant by ‘the midwives feared God’, 6678 (the evil in the next life who molest the good likewise plot with one another, as I have been allowed to know from experience); from the meaning of ‘the king of Egypt’ as those under the influence of falsities, dealt with just above in 6679; and from the meaning of ‘the midwives as the natural where true factual knowledge resides, dealt with in 4588, 6673, 6675, 6678. From all this it is evident that ‘the king of Egypt called the midwives’ means that those under the influence of falsities planned a course of action against those who had true factual knowledge in the natural.

AC (Elliott) n. 6682 6682. ‘And he said to them, Why do you act like that and keep the boys alive?’ means anger that the truths were not destroyed. This is clear from the meaning of ‘why do you act like that?’ as words of reproach, and so of anger; from the meaning of ‘keeping alive’ as not destroying, as above in 6677, 6680; and from the meaning of ‘the boys’ as truths that are the truths of good, dealt with in 6680.

AC (Elliott) n. 6683 6683. ‘And the midwives said to Pharaoh’ means a discernment regarding that true factual knowledge in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ in the historical narratives of the Word as a discernment, dealt with often; from the meaning of ‘the midwives’ as true factual knowledge in the natural, dealt with just above in 6681; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as false factual knowledge in general, also dealt with above, in 6679, 6681.

AC (Elliott) n. 6684 6684. ‘Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women’ means that the Church’s factual knowledge is not like the factual knowledge which is at odds with it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the Hebrew women’ as things that belong to the Church, dealt with in 5136, 5236, 6673, 6675; and from the meaning of ‘the Egyptian women’ as such things as are at odds with things belonging to the Church. These things are known facts, as is evident from what has gone before and also from the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as factual knowledge, 6638, here facts at odds with the Church’s true factual knowledge. For the meaning of ‘women’ as things belonging to the Church, see 252, 253.

AC (Elliott) n. 6685 6685. ‘For they are full of life’ means that it has spiritual life within it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘having life’ as spiritual life, dealt with in 5890, in this instance spiritual life within things belonging to the Church, which are meant by ‘the Hebrew women’. What spiritual life is has been stated a number of times already; but since few at the present day know what the spiritual is, let a further brief explanation be given of what this is. In its first origin the spiritual is Divine Truth emanating from the Lord’s Divine Human. That Truth has Divine Good within it, because Divine Truth comes from the Lord’s Divine Human, which is Divine Good. This Divine Truth which has Divine Good within it is the spiritual itself in origin, and is the actual life that fills heaven, indeed that fills all creation. Where there is a subject,* there it flows in; yet it is different within each subject, depending on the form the subject takes. Within subjects in harmony with good it establishes spiritual life, but within subjects out of harmony with good it establishes the opposite of spiritual life, which in the Word is called ‘death’. From this one may now see what spiritual life is, namely being in possession of truths rooted in good which come from the Lord.
* Subject is used here to mean something which really exists yet depends for its existence on something else prior to itself.

AC (Elliott) n. 6686 6686. ‘Before the midwife comes to them they have given birth’ means that the natural knows nothing until life is imparted to it – to true factual knowledge which the Church possesses. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the midwife’ as the natural where the Church’s true factual knowledge resides, dealt with above in 6681; and from the meaning of ‘giving birth’ as expressions of faith and charity, dealt with in 3860, 3868, 3905, 3915, thus manifestations of spiritual life. The fact that the natural knows nothing is meant by the words ‘before the midwife comes to them’. The implications of this – that the natural knows nothing until life is imparted to true factual knowledge – are these: All the life present in true factual knowledge in the natural is received from good flowing in through the internal. While that good is flowing in, the natural knows nothing whatever, because the natural is virtually in the dark. And it is in virtual darkness because it exists in the light of the world and consequently at the same time among worldly things; and when the light of heaven flows into these, it produces just a dim awareness. A further reason for that virtual darkness lies in the fact that within the natural there are general outlines in which it is impossible to see specific details; for the more general anything is, the less one can detect any details, and the less therefore one can detect the things that are going on with oneself. Furthermore within the natural there are no actual forms of goodness or truth, only things that represent them. So it is that the natural knows nothing while life is being imparted to true factual knowledge, consequently while it is being regenerated. Nor does it know how it is being regenerated, according to the Lord’s words in John,

The spirit blows where it wishes, and you hear its voice; but you do not know where it comes from, and where it goes away to. So it is with everyone who is born from the spirit. John 3:8.

By the natural is meant the external man, also called the natural man.

AC (Elliott) n. 6687 6687. ‘And God dealt well with the midwives’ means that the natural was blessed by the Divine. This is clear from the meaning of the words ‘dealing well with’, when used in reference to God, as blessing; and from the meaning of ‘the midwives’ as the natural where facts that hold truths within them are, dealt with above in 4588, 6673, 6675, 6678.

AC (Elliott) n. 6688 6688. ‘And the people multiplied and became very numerous’ means that within the natural, truths were constantly emerging and so increasing. This is clear from what has been stated above in 6648, where similar words occur. ‘The people’ is used in reference to truths, see 1259, 1260, 3295, 3581.

AC (Elliott) n. 6689 6689. ‘And so it was, because the midwives feared God’ means because true factual knowledge was being kept safe by the Divine. This is clear from what has been stated above in 6678, where similar words occur.

AC (Elliott) n. 6690 6690. ‘That He made them houses’ means that it – true factual knowledge in the natural – was arranged into a heavenly pattern. This is clear from the meaning of ‘house’ as the natural mind, dealt with in 4973, 5023, thus the things that compose the natural mind. But because what is said here refers to the midwives, those things are true factual knowledge in the natural, 6687. ‘Making them houses’ therefore means arranging that knowledge into order, and it is arranged into order when arranged into a heavenly pattern. It is not at all easy to see that these things are meant by ‘making them houses’ unless one knows the situation with true factual knowledge that belongs to the natural mind. Something must therefore be said briefly about this. Known facts in the natural are arranged into continuous series, one series tying in with another, so that they all hang together according to the varying relationships and close associations they have with one another. They are not unlike families and their generations; for one is born from another, and in that manner they are brought into existence. This explains why things of the mind, which are forms of good and truth, were spoken of by the ancients as ‘houses’, the form of good that ruled there being called the father, the truth linked to it the mother, and the derivations from them the sons, daughters, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, and so on. But the way in which true factual knowledge in the natural is arranged varies from person to person, since the pattern it assumes is imposed on it by the ruling love. That love is at the centre and arranges each fact into position around it. It positions nearest to itself the facts most compatible with it, and the rest are arranged according to their degrees of compatibility. And in this way factual knowledge is given a pattern. If heavenly love rules, then the Lord arranges them all into a heavenly pattern, a pattern like that assumed by heaven itself, thus the pattern assumed by the good of love itself. Such is the pattern into which truths are arranged; and once arranged into it they act in unison with good. At this point when the one is stimulated by the Lord, so is the other; that is to say, when items of belief are stimulated, so are charitable desires, and vice versa. This kind of arrangement is what is meant by the statement that God made the midwives houses.

AC (Elliott) n. 6691 6691. Verse 22 And Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, Every son who is born you shall throw into the river, and every daughter you shall keep alive.

‘And Pharaoh commanded all his people’ means a general influx into factual knowledge opposed to the Church’s truths. ‘Saying, Every son who is born you are to throw into the river’ means that all truths that appeared should be drowned in falsities. ‘And every daughter you shall keep alive’ means that they should not attack good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6692 6692. ‘And Pharaoh commanded all his people’ means a general influx into factual knowledge opposed to the Church’s truths. This is clear from the meaning of ‘commanding’ as an influx, dealt with in 5486, 5732, here a general influx since the command came from Pharaoh, who represents factual knowledge in general, 6015; and from the meaning of ‘his people’ as factual knowledge opposed to the Church’s truths. The meaning of the Egyptians, to whom ‘people’ refers here, as factual knowledge has been demonstrated often, see 6638. The reason why factual knowledge opposed to the Church’s truths is meant by ‘the Egyptians’ is that the representative forms and meaningful signs of the Ancient Church, a Church which had existed also among them, had been turned there into magic. For through the Church’s representative forms and meaningful signs there was contact at that time with heaven. This contact existed among those who led lives filled with the good of charity, and among many it was open contact. Among those however who did not lead a good charitable life but acted in ways contrary to it, open contact sometimes existed with evil spirits who perverted all the Church’s truths, and along with them destroyed all that was good, from which magic arose. This may also be recognized from the hieroglyphics among the Egyptians, who also used them in their sacred rituals. They used them as signs of spiritual things, and they used them to pervert Divine order.

[2] Magic is nothing else than the perversion of order; in particular it is the misuse of correspondences. If true order is to exist, goodness and truth as they emanate from the Lord must find acceptance in a person. When they do, true order is present in every particular aspect of the person’s intentions and thoughts. But when they do not find acceptance in him as true order originating in the Lord requires and he instead believes that everything is a purposeless stream of events, or if anything does have purpose, that it is attributable to his own prudence, he perverts true order. For he makes use of what belongs to order solely for his own interests and not those of his neighbour, except insofar as his neighbour is favourably disposed towards him. This accounts for the astonishing fact that all who have become firmly convinced that everything is attributable to their own prudence and nothing at all to Divine providence are very much inclined towards magic in the next life, and also involve themselves in it as much as they can. This is especially so with those who, trusting in themselves and ascribing everything to their own prudence, have worked out many sly and cunning ways of gaining superiority over others. Once people like this have undergone judgement in the next life they are sent off to the hells of those who work magic. These hells are on the right on a level with the soles of the feet, a little way out in front and extending to a considerable distance; and the Egyptians are in the deepest ones. Here then is why ‘Pharaoh’, ‘the Egyptians’, and ‘Egypt’ mean factual knowledge opposed to the Church’s truths.

[3] To prevent therefore any further perversion of the Church’s representative forms and meaningful signs into forms of magic, the Israelite people were selected, and among them the Church’s representative forms and meaningful signs were to be re-established. The nature of this people was such that it could not create magic out of them, for they were interested solely in external things and had no belief in anything internal, let alone anything spiritual. Among people like this no magic can arise such as existed among the Egyptians.

AC (Elliott) n. 6693 6693. ‘Saying, Every son who is born you are to throw into the river’ means that all truths that appeared should be drowned in falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘son’ as truth, dealt with in 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373; from the meaning of ‘being born’ as appearing; and from the meaning of ‘the river’ as those things that constitute intelligence, dealt with in 108, 109, 2702, 3051, here in the contrary sense as those things which are the opposite, namely falsities. The fact that ‘throwing into’ means drowning in is self-evident.

[2] The meaning of ‘the river of Egypt’ as the opposite of intelligence, which is falsity, is also clear in Isaiah,

The rivers will recede, the streams of Egypt will diminish and dry up. The papyrus plants next to the river, next to the mouth of the river, and everything sown in the river will wither, be driven away, and be no more. Therefore the fishermen will mourn, and all who cast a hook into the river will be sad, and those who spread nets over the face of the waters will anguish. Isa. 19:6-8.

Here one should not understand a river by ‘the river of Egypt’ or fishermen by ‘the fishermen’ but other things which are not apparent unless one knows how ‘Egypt’, ‘the river’ there, and ‘the fishermen’ are to be understood. If one does know, then the meaning of these verses is apparent. The fact that ‘the river of Egypt’ means falsity is evident from every detail mentioned in them.

[3] In Jeremiah,

Who is this coming up like a river, whose waters are tossed about like the rivers? Egypt comes up like the river, and like the rivers his waters are tossed about. For he said, I will go up, I will cover the earth, I will destroy the city and those who dwell in it. Jer. 46:7, 8.

Here also ‘the river of Egypt’ stands for falsities. ‘Going up and covering the earth’ stands for overwhelming the Church, ‘destroying the city’ stands for destroying the teachings of the Church, ‘and those who dwell in it’ for doing so to forms of good that come from those teachings. For the meaning of ‘the earth’ as the Church, see 6649; ‘the city’ as the teachings of the Church, 402, 2449, 3216, 4492, 4493; and ‘those who dwell in it’ as forms of good there, 2268, 2451, 2712.

[4] In Ezekiel,

Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster that lies* in the midst of his rivers, who has said, The river is mine and I have made myself. Therefore I will put hooks in your jaws, and cause the fish of your rivers to stick to your scales, and I will cause you to come up out of the midst of your rivers, in order that** all the fish of your rivers may stick in your scales. I will leave in the wilderness you and all the fish of your rivers. Ezek. 29:3-5, 9, 10.

Without the internal sense no one can know what this passage means either. Thus, though it is evident that it is not the country Egypt which is meant, the meaning of the passage remains unknown unless one knows what ‘Pharaoh’, ‘river’, ‘monster’, ‘fish’, and ‘scales’, all mean. ‘Pharaoh’ is the natural where factual knowledge resides, see 5160, 5799, 6015; ‘monsters’ are general bodies of facts that reside in the natural, 42; ‘fish’ are the facts subordinate to a general body of them, 40, 991; ‘scales’ are ideas of a thoroughly external nature, thus sensory impressions, to which factual knowledge that is false clings. When one knows all these meanings one can see what ‘the river of Egypt’ is used to mean in this passage, namely, falsity.

[5] In the same prophet,

On the day on which Pharaoh goes down into hell I will make him mourn, I will cover the deep over him, and I will restrain its streams, and the great waters will be stayed. Ezek. 31:15.

In Amos,

Is not the land to be shaken on account of this, and everyone to mourn that inhabits it? Yes, the whole of it comes up like a river, and is cast out, and is drowned as if in the river of Egypt. On that day I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the land in broad daylight. Amos 8:8, 9; 9:5.

‘The land which will be shaken’ stands for the Church, 6649, while ‘being drowned as if in the river of Egypt’ stands for being destroyed by falsities. And since falsities are meant it says that the sun will go down at noon, and the earth will be darkened in broad daylight. ‘The going down of the sun at noon’ means that the good of heavenly love will depart, and ‘the darkening of the land in broad daylight’ that falsities will take possession of the Church. For the meaning of ‘the sun’ as the good of heavenly love, see 1529, 1530, 2441, 2495, 3636, 3643, 4060, 4696; for ‘darkness’ as falsities, 1839, 1860, 4418, 4531; and for ‘the earth’ as the Church, 82, 662, 1066, 1067, 1262, 1411, 1413, 1607, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118 (end), 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577. Anyone can see that things other than those which appear in the literal sense here – such as that the land will be shaken and every inhabitant will mourn, or that the sun will go down at noon and the land will be darkened in broad daylight – are really meant. Unless one takes ‘the land’ to mean the Church, ‘the river’ to mean falsity, and ‘the sun’ to mean heavenly love, one does not find any other explicable meaning there.

[6] It is because ‘the river of Egypt’ means falsity that Moses was commanded to strike the waters of that river with his rod, after which they were turned into blood, all fish in the river died, and the river stank, Exod. 7:17, 18, 20, 21. For the same reason Aaron had to stretch out his hand and rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the pools, from which frogs rose up over the land of Egypt, Exod. 8:5, 6.*** For the meaning of ‘the waters’ in the contrary sense as falsities, see 790; and since the waters make up the river, ‘the river’ in relation to them means falsity in general.
* Reading cubat (he lies) for cubas (you lie)
** Reading ut (in order that) for et (and)
*** Exod. 8:1, 2, in this translation of the Arcana Caelestia

AC (Elliott) n. 6694 6694. ‘And every daughter you shall keep alive’ means that they should not attack good. This is clear from what has been stated above in 6677, where similar instructions occur.

AC (Elliott) n. 6695 6695. THE INHABITANTS OF OTHER PLANETS

In the Lord’s Divine mercy the interior parts of my being, those of my spirit, have been opened, and this has made it possible for me to talk to those who are in the next life, not only to those from our own planet but also to those from other planets. Therefore, because I have had the desire to know about the inhabitants of other planets and the things I have been enabled to know deserve to be recorded, let me relate those things in sections at the ends of the chapters that follow. I have not talked to actual inhabitants of those planets, only to spirits and angels who had formerly inhabited them. I have done so not just for a day or a week but for a number of months, with the help of plain teaching from heaven as to where those spirits and angels were from. The fact that there is a large number of planets with people on them and that spirits and angels come from them is very well known in the next life; for anyone who wishes is allowed to talk to them.

AC (Elliott) n. 6696 6696. There are spirits who in the Grand Man correlate with the memory; they come from the planet Mercury. These spirits are allowed to wander around acquiring items of knowledge about things in the universe; they are even allowed to go outside our own solar system into others. They have said that there are planets with people on them not only in our solar system but also throughout the universe in vast numbers.

AC (Elliott) n. 6697 6697. I have talked to spirits several times on this subject, when it was stated that anyone gifted with understanding may know from many considerations that a large number of planets exist and with people on them. For on rational grounds one may conclude that such large masses as the known planets, some of which are larger than Earth, are not empty masses, created merely to drift around the sun and shine for the benefit of one terrestrial world, but that they must have a function more note-worthy than any such as that. The person who believes, as everyone ought to believe, that the Divine created the universe with no other end in view than that the human race may come into being, and consequently heaven since the inhabitants of heaven come from among the human race, inevitably believes that there are people wherever any planet exists. The fact that the planets visible to our eyes because they are within the bounds of our solar system are other terrestrial worlds may be plainly recognized from the consideration that they are bodies consisting of earth-like material, since they reflect the light of the sun. Also those planets, just like ours, are propelled around the sun, producing – as they go – years and seasons of the year, which are spring, summer, autumn, and winter, together with variations created by climatic differences. Each, just like our world, also rotates on its axis, producing – as it spins round – days and times of day, which are morning, midday, evening, and night. In addition some of them have moons, which are called satellites and make regular circuits around their own globes, just as the moon does around ours. And because the planet Saturn is a very long way from the sun it also has a large lunar belt which provides that world with much light, even though it is reflected light. How can anyone who knows these things and thinks rationally ever speak of the planets as vacant masses?

AC (Elliott) n. 6698 6698. I have in addition talked to spirits about how a person may come to believe that the universe contains more than one terrestrial world from the fact that the visible universe is lit by such a countless number of stars and is so vast, and yet is solely a means serving the ultimate end of creation, that end in view being the heavenly kingdom in which the Divine can dwell. For the visible universe exists as the means for planets to come into being and have people on them from whom the heavenly kingdom may be formed. How can anyone ever think that so vast a means has been created for an end so small and limited as it would be if only one planet were inhabited and heaven were formed from this alone? What use would this be to the Divine, who is Infinite, to whom thousands, indeed tens of thousands of planets, and all of them full of inhabitants, would be little and scarcely anything? Furthermore the angelic heaven is so vast that it has correspondence with every detail in the human being; tens of thousands correspond to any one of the members, organs, or viscera. I have also been allowed to know that heaven cannot possibly exist complete with all its correspondences unless it draws on inhabitants from a large number of planets.

AC (Elliott) n. 6699 6699. On several occasions I have seen what seemed to be a large unending stream, quite a distance away on the right, on a level with the soles of the feet. Angels have told me that this route is taken by all who are arriving from various worlds and that they look like a stream on account of their great numbers. From the size and force of the stream I was able to judge that some tens of thousands arrive every day. This enabled me to know also that there were a large number of planets.

AC (Elliott) n. 6700 6700. As regards the worship of God which the inhabitants of other worlds offer Him, all there who are not idolaters acknowledge the Lord as the one and only God. None but a very few, it is true, know that the Lord assumed the Human on our planet and made that Human Divine. Yet they adore God not as a Deity who is altogether unknowable but as One who can be known through a human form. For when the Divine shows Himself to them He does so within that form, as He also did in former times to Abraham and to others on our planet. And since they adore the Divine under a human form they adore the Lord. They also know that no one can be joined to the Divine in faith and love unless He is present in a form that people can have some conception of. If He did not present Himself in such a form their conception of Him would be lost, like sight looking at outer space. When they have been told by spirits from our planet that the Lord assumed the Human on our planet, they have pondered on it a little and soon said that this happened for the sake of the salvation of the human race. They have also said that the Divine whom they adore and offer the holiest worship to shines in heaven as the Sun and, when He appears, presents Himself in visible Human form. Regarding the Lord’s appearance in the next life as the Sun and the fact that all the light of heaven is derived from Him, see 1053, 1521, 1529-1531, 3636, 3643, 4060, 4321 (end), 5097. But more on these matters in particular is to be mentioned in later sections.

AC (Elliott) n. 6701 6701. Spirits and angels from other planets have all been separated from one another according to those planets; they are not visible in the same place all together. The reason for this is that the inhabitants of one planet are altogether different in character from those of another. Nor do
they enter into association with one another in the heavens except in the inmost or third heaven. Those who reach that level come together from every planet; they constitute that inmost heaven, living in perfect harmony with one another.

AC (Elliott) n. 6702 6702. At the end of the next chapter spirits belonging to the planet Mercury will be spoken about.

AC (Elliott) n. 6703 6703. 2

TEACHINGS ABOUT CHARITY

Having decided to present teachings about charity in sections preceding the chapters of the Book of Exodus, one must begin by saying what is meant by ‘the neighbour’ since it is the neighbour towards whom charity should be exercised. For unless people have a right understanding of who ‘the neighbour is, charity will be exercised uniformly and indiscriminately, equally towards the evil as towards the good, as a result of which charity ceases to be charity. For with the benefits conferred on them the wicked harm the neighbour whereas the good benefit him.

AC (Elliott) n. 6704 6704. The general belief at the present day is that all are equally the neighbour and that benefits should be conferred on whoever is in need. But Christian prudence requires one to examine carefully the kind of life a person leads and to exercise charity in whatever way that life demands. When someone belonging to the internal Church does this he uses discretion and so acts intelligently, whereas someone belonging to the external Church does it without discretion because he is less able to tell one thing from another.

AC (Elliott) n. 6705 6705. The ancients divided the neighbour into different categories, giving each category one of the names that describe those in the world who are plainly in the greatest need of help. They also taught how charity should be exercised towards those belonging to one category and towards those belonging to another. In this way they organized their teachings; and they regulated their lives in accordance with those teachings. Consequently the teachings of their Church contained rules for life, and from those teachings they saw what kind of person this or that member of the Church was. They called each of these their brother, though the word had different inner meanings according to the way that person exercised charity – whether he was directed by the genuine teachings of the Church or by such teachings after he had altered them. For since everyone wishes to appear above reproach, he strives to justify the way he lives and for that reason brings the laws embodied in religious teaching to support himself, either by the way he construes them or by changing them.

AC (Elliott) n. 6706 6706. The different kinds of neighbour – which a member of the Church ought to be thoroughly acquainted with if he is to know the true nature of charity – are determined by the good present in each individual. And since all good comes from the Lord, the Lord is in the highest sense and a supereminent degree the Neighbour and origin of the neighbour. From this it follows that a person is the neighbour in the measure Lord resides with him, since nobody receives the Lord, that is, the good which comes from Him, in the same way as another, no one person is therefore the neighbour in the same way as another. For all without exception in heaven and all without exception on earth differ from one another in good. Good is never exactly one and the same with any two people; variation is essential, in order that each kind of good may continue to exist by itself. But no one, not even an angel, can know all those variations, thus all the distinctions of the neighbour that are determined by the way the Lord is received, that is, the good coming from Him. One can know them in only an overall way, that is, know the general kinds of variation and some of the specific kinds of these. Nor does the Lord demand anything more of a member of the Church than that he should lead a life in keeping with what he knows.

AC (Elliott) n. 6707 6707. From all this it is now plain that the degree in which each individual person is the neighbour is determined by the character of his Christian good. For since that good is the Lord’s He is present in it, and the degree of His presence is decided by the character of it. And because the origin of the neighbour ought to be traced back to the Lord, it is also plain that distinctions of the neighbour are determined by the different degrees of the Lord’s presence in good, thus by the character of that good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6708 6708. The fact that the character of such good determines the identity of the neighbour is evident from the Lord’s parable in Luke 10:29-37 about the man who fell among robbers. Although the man was half-dead the priest passed by on the other side, and so did the Levite. But the Samaritan bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, and he carried him on his own animal, taking him to an inn, where he had him cared for. Since he exercised the good of charity he is called a neighbour. From this parable one may see that those governed by good are ‘the neighbour’. Those governed by evil are, it is true, the neighbour too; but they are so in a completely different respect, and therefore benefits should be conferred on them in other ways. But these matters are, in the Lord’s Divine mercy, to be discussed later on.

AC (Elliott) n. 6709 6709. Since the character of people’s good determines the different ways in which each person is the neighbour, love is the determining factor in those differences. For no form of good is possible which is not the good of some love; every form of good springs from love and derives its character from it.

AC (Elliott) n. 6710 6710. Evidence that love is what makes a person the neighbour and that the character of a person’s love determines what kind of neighbour he is, may be seen quite plainly in anyone who is governed by self-love. He recognizes as his neighbour those who love him most, that is, he does so to the extent that they are his own, thus are in his pocket. These he embraces, kisses, confers benefits on, and calls his brothers; indeed on account of his wickedness he says that these more than others are the neighbour. The rest he regards as the neighbour only inasmuch as he loves himself. Thus the kind and amount of love they feel for him determines the way he regards them. Such a person makes the origin of the neighbour reside in himself because love is what determines it.

AC (Elliott) n. 6711 6711. But those who do not love themselves more than others – which is true of everyone belonging to the Lord’s kingdom – will make the origin of the neighbour reside in Him whom they ought to love above all else, that is, in the Lord. And they will see the neighbour in all others according to the nature of their love for Him. People therefore who love others as themselves, and especially those who, like the angels, love others more than themselves, all make the origin of the neighbour reside in the Lord; for good has the Lord Himself within it since it emanates from Him. From this too it may be seen that what the love is like determines who the neighbour is. The truth that the Lord is present within good is what the Lord Himself teaches in Matthew 25:34-40, for He says to those who were governed by good that they had given Him food, given Him drink, taken Him in, clothed Him, visited Him, and come to Him in prison, and then that insofar as they had done so to one of the least of His brothers they had done so to Him.

AC (Elliott) n. 6712 6712. From all this one may now see what anyone belonging to the Church should make the origin of the neighbour reside in, and that the closer a person is to the Lord the more he is the neighbour. One may also see that because the Lord is present within the good of charity, a person is the neighbour according to the nature of the good and so of the charity in him.

EXODUS 2

1 And a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi .
2 And the woman conceived and bore a son; and she saw that he was good,* and hid him three months.

3 And she could not hide him any longer; and she took for him a box made of rush, and coated it with bitumen and pitch, and put the child in it, and put [him] in the weed at the bank of the river.

4 And his sister stood at a distance, to know what would happen to him.

5 And the daughter of Pharaoh went down to wash at the river; and her maidservants were going along the side of the river. And she saw the box in the middle of the weed, and sent her servant-girl; and she took it.

6 And she opened it, and saw him, the child; and behold, the boy was crying. And she took pity on him, and said, This is one of the children of the Hebrews.

7 And his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call you a woman, a wet nurse, from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?

8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the girl went and called the child’s mother.

9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Take to yourself this child and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages. And the woman took the child and nursed him.

10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he was a son to her. And she called his name Moses, and said, Because I drew him out of the water.

11 And it happened in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brothers, and saw their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, one of his brothers.

12 And he looked this way and that, and saw that there was no man; and he struck the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

13 And he went out the second day, and behold, two Hebrew men were quarrelling; and he said to the one in the wrong, Why are you striking your companion?

14 And he said, Who set you up as a man-prince and a judge over us? Do you intend** to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian? And Moses was afraid, and said, Surely the matter is known!

15 And Pharaoh heard of this matter and sought to kill Moses. And Moses fled from before Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he dwelt next to a well.

16 And the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.

17 And the shepherds came and drove them away; and Moses rose up and helped them, and watered their flock.

18 And they came to Reuel their father, and he said, Why have you hastened to come today?

19 And they said, An Egyptian man delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds; and he even drew water for us, and watered the flock.

20 And he said to his daughters, And where is he? Why is it that you left the man? Call him, and let him eat bread.

21 And Moses was willing to dwell with the man; and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses.

22 And she bore a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, I am a stranger in a foreign land.

23 And it happened in [the course of] these many days, that the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed because of their hard service, and cried out; and their cry came up to God because of their hard service.

24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

25 And God saw the children of Israel, and God knew [them].
* i.e. a beautiful child
** lit. say

AC (Elliott) n. 6713 6713. CONTENTS

This chapter deals in the internal sense with God’s truth – with its beginnings and its succeeding states with a member of the Church.

AC (Elliott) n. 6714 6714. The highest sense deals with the Lord, with the way in which His Human became the law of God. Moses represents the Lord so far as the law of God, which is the Word, is concerned, though in the relative sense He represents God’s truth with a member of the Church.

AC (Elliott) n. 6715 6715. THE INTERNAL SENSE

Verses 1-4 And a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived and bore a son; and she saw that he was good,* and hid him three months. And she could not hide him any longer; and she took for him a box made of rush, and coated it with bitumen and pitch, and put the child in it, and put [him] in the weed at the bank of the river. And his sister stood at a distance, to know what would happen to him.

‘A man from the house of Levi went’ means truth which has its origin in good. ‘And married a daughter of Levi’ means its being joined to good. ‘And the woman conceived’ means the very beginnings. ‘And bore a son means the law of God at its earliest stages. ‘She saw that he was good’ means the discernment that it came by way of heaven. ‘And hid him three months’ means a complete period of time in which it was not seen. ‘And she could not hide him any longer’ means the time when it had to be seen. ‘And she took for him a box made of rush’ means a container which, though crude, was nevertheless derived from truth. ‘And coated it with bitumen and pitch’ means good mingled with evils and falsities. ‘And put the child in it’ means that inmostly present in it was the law of God at its earliest stages. ‘And put him in the weed at the bank of the river’ means that at first it was among false factual knowledge. ‘And his sister stood at a distance, to know what would happen to him’ means the Church’s truth far away from there, and observation.
* i.e. a beautiful child

AC (Elliott) n. 6716 6716. ‘A man from the house of Levi went’ means truth which has its origin in good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a man as truth, dealt with in 3134; from the meaning of being ‘from the house’ as the origin; and from the representation of ‘Levi’ as good. In the highest sense ‘Levi’ represents Divine Love, dealt with in 3875, and in the internal sense spiritual love, 3875, 4497, 4502, 4503; and since he represents love, he represents good, because all good comes from love. As regards truth which has its origin in good, meant here by ‘a man from the house of Levi’, it should be recognized that the verses which follow deal in the highest sense with the Lord, with the way in which His Human became the law of God, that is, real Truth. It is well known that the Lord was born like anyone else and that when He was a young child he learned to talk like any other young child, after which He grew in knowledge, and also in intelligence and wisdom.

[2] From this it is evident that His Human was not Divine when He was born but that He made it Divine by His own power. He made it Divine by His own power because He had been conceived from Jehovah, as a result of which the inmost core of His life was Jehovah Himself. For the inmost core of anyone’s life, called the soul, is derived from the father, whereas that which clothes what is inmost, called the body, is derived from the mother. The inmost core of life derived from the father is constantly flowing into and having an effect on the external derived from the mother, endeavouring even in the womb to make it similar to itself. This may be recognized in the fact that children are born with their father’s disposition, and sometimes grandchildren and great grandchildren with their grandfather’s and great grandfather’s disposition. The reason for this is that the soul, which is derived from the father, constantly wishes to make the external derived from the mother similar to itself and an image of itself.

[3] Seeing that this is what goes on with man, one may recognize that it was what went on especially with the Lord. The inmost part of Him was the Divine Itself because it was Jehovah Himself, for He was Jehovah’s only-begotten Son. And since that inmost part was the Divine Itself, how, more so than with any man, could the Divine fail to make the external derived from the mother an image of itself, that is, similar to itself, so that the Human – the external, derived from the mother – would be made Divine? This He accomplished by His own power because the Divine, which was the Inmost by which He had an effect on His Human, was His in the same way as a person’s soul, which is the inmost part of him, belongs to that person. And because the progress which the Lord made conformed to Divine order, He made His Human, while He was in the world, to be Divine Truth; but after that, when He was fully glorified, He made it to be Divine Good, and so one with Jehovah.

[4] How this was accomplished is what is described in the highest sense of the present chapter. But since the contents of the highest sense, which all have to do with the Lord, surpass human understanding, let what follows be an explanation of the things contained in the internal sense of the chapter. These have to do with the beginnings and the succeeding states of God’s truth with a member of the Church, that is, with a person who is being regenerated, 6713, 6714. The reason why these are the things contained in the internal sense is that human regeneration is an image of the glorification of the Lord’s Human, see 3138, 3212, 3245, 3246, 3296, 3490, 4402, 5688.

AC (Elliott) n. 6717 6717. ‘And married a daughter of Levi’ means its being joined to good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘marrying a daughter’ as a joining together; and from the representation of ‘Levi’ as good, dealt with immediately above in 6716. How to understand the idea that truth which had its origin in good was joined to good must be stated. The truth that is instilled by the Lord into a person who is being regenerated traces its origin back to good. Initially good does not reveal itself because it is in the internal man; but truth does reveal itself because it is in the external and because the internal acts on the external, and not vice versa, 6322. Good is that which acts on truth and makes it its own, since nothing else than good acknowledges and receives truth. This becomes apparent in the affection for truth that is present with a person who is being regenerated. The affection derives from the good, for an affection that is a mark of love cannot come from any other source. But this truth that is received at this initial stage, that is, before regeneration, is not the genuine truth of good; rather, it is the truth of doctrine. For at this stage a person does not ponder on whether it is the truth but accepts it because it is part of the teaching of the Church. And as long as he does not ponder on whether it is the truth and then accept it, it is neither his own nor thereby comes to be his own. This state is the first for a person who is being regenerated.

[2] But once he has been regenerated the good reveals itself, in particular through the fact that he loves to lead his life in accordance with the truth which of his own accord he acknowledges to be the truth. At this point because he wills and acts on the truth he accepts, it comes to be his own. The reason for this is that it is not merely in his understanding, as it was previously, but is also in his will; and what is in the will has come to be his own. And since the understanding now makes one with the will – for the understanding accepts and the will puts into practice – there is a joining together of the two, that is to say, of good and truth. Once the joining together has been effected, then as if from a marriage offspring are born repeatedly, such offspring being truths and forms of good, and all the blessing and delight that accompanies them. These two states are what are meant by truth that has its origin in good and by truth joined to good.

[3] But the truth that is joined to good, meant here by ‘a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi’, is not the kind of truth that a person receives in the first state; for what he receives then is the truth of doctrine taught by the Church in which he was born. Rather, it is truth itself, for the subject in the highest sense is the way in which the Lord as to His Human became the law of God, the truth embodied in this law being what is meant by truth itself. The reason why the origin of such truth is good is that it was the Divine – what was the Lord’s inmost Self and the Being (Esse) of His life – that gave rise to that truth in His Human. This was how that truth came to be joined to good, for the Divine is nothing other than good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6718 6718. ‘And the woman conceived’ means the very beginnings, that is to say, of the law of God in the Lord’s Human. This is clear from the meaning of ‘conceiving’ as the very beginnings. The same thing is meant here by ‘the woman’ as by ‘a daughter of Levi’ immediately above, whom a man from the house of Levi married, namely truth joined to good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6719 6719. ‘And bore a son’ means the law of God at its earliest stages. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bearing’ as manifestation, dealt with in 2621, 2629, and so the earliest stages; and from the meaning of ‘a son’ as truth, dealt with in 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373, here the law of God because by ‘a son’ one understands Moses, who represented the Lord in respect of the law of God, which is the Word, as will be shown in what follows.

AC (Elliott) n. 6720 6720. ‘She saw that he was good’ means the discernment that it came by way of heaven. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seeing’ as a discernment, dealt with in 2150, 3764, 4567, 4723, 5400; and from the meaning of ‘good’ here, since it is used in reference to the law of God in the Lord, as coming by way of heaven. But as for the meaning here of ‘good’ as coming by way of heaven, this is an arcanum which none can know unless it is brought to light. When the Lord made His Human Divine, He did so by means of a transmission from the Divine through heaven. Heaven contributed nothing of itself to what was transmitted; but in order that the Divine itself might flow into the Human it passed through heaven. This transmission was the Divine Human before the Lord’s Coming; it was Jehovah Himself in the heavens, who was the Lord. The Divine which passed through heaven was Divine Truth or Divine Law, which Moses represented; and the Divine which passes through heaven is good. From this one may see why it is that ‘she saw that he (her son) was good’ means the discernment that it came by way of heaven.

AC (Elliott) n. 6721 6721. ‘And hid him three months’ means a complete period of time in which it was not seen. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being hidden’ as not being seen; and from the meaning of ‘three months’ as a complete period of time and a complete state. For the meaning of ‘three’ as what is complete, or an entire period from start to finish, see 2788, 4495. ‘A month’, like ‘a day’ or ‘a year’, means a period of time and a state, 2788; consequently a new state is meant by ‘three months’, 4901.

AC (Elliott) n. 6722 6722. ‘And she could not hide him any longer’ means the time when it had to be seen. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being hidden’ as not being seen, dealt with immediately above in 6721, so that ‘not being hidden any longer’ means being seen. The reason why the time when it had to be seen is meant is that ‘the three months’ in which he remained hidden meant a complete period of time from start to finish, see immediately above in 6721.

AC (Elliott) n. 6723 6723. ‘And she took [for him] a box made of rush’ means a container which, though crude, was nevertheless derived from truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a box’ or little ark as that which is a container or in which something is enclosed, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘rush’ as that which is crude but nevertheless is derived from truth. The fact that ‘rush’ refers to something crude is self-evident; and the reason why it refers to something derived from truth is that ‘rush’ has that meaning, as is plain in Isaiah,

Woe to the land overshadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Cush, which sends ambassadors to the sea, and in vessels made of rush on the face of the waters! Isa. 18:1, 2.

‘The land overshadowing with wings’ stands for the Church which brings darkness to itself through the use of reasonings based on factual knowledge. ‘Beyond the rivers of Cush’ stands for turning to cognitions that are used to confirm false assumptions, 1164. ‘Sending ambassadors to the sea’ stands for resorting to factual knowledge, 28. ‘In vessels made of rush over the face of the waters’ stands for very crude receptacles of truth.

[2] The expression is used in the contrary sense in the same prophet,

The dry place will become a pond and the thirsty ground wellsprings of water; [there will be] grass instead of reed and rush. Isa. 35:7.

‘Grass instead of reed and rush’ stands for the fact that there will be factual knowledge containing truth instead of such things as hold no truth within them. The meaning of ‘grass’ as factual knowledge containing truth is evident from places in the Word in which the expression appears.

[3] Since it had been preordained that Moses should represent the Lord in respect of the law of God or the Word, in particular the historical part of the Word, the incident therefore took place in which, when he was an infant, he was put in a box or little ark, though a crude one because that law was in its very earliest beginnings and because there was merely a representative of it lying there in the ark. But later on the real law of God, after it had flashed from Mount Sinai, was put in an ark, called the Ark of the Testimony. For the fact that the law of God was put inside the ark, see Exod. 40:20; 1 Kings 8:9, also the Books of Moses [placed to the side of it], Deut. 31:24-26.

[4] The ark was therefore most holy because it represented the Lord’s Divine Human in respect of the Divine Law; for from the Lord’s Divine Human radiates the Divine Law or Divine Truth, which is the same as the Word spoken of in John,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father. John 1:1, 14.

And since the ark represented something so very holy, the mercy seat with the cherubim was placed over the ark, and next to the veil concealing it there was the lampstand with lamps and the table of gold with leaves, both of which were signs of the Divine Love. This then is the reason why Moses, because he represented the law of God, was put in a little ark when he was an infant.

AC (Elliott) n. 6724 6724. ‘And coated it with bitumen and pitch’ means good mingled with evils and falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bitumen’ as good mingled with evils; and from the meaning of ‘pitch’ as good mingled with falsities. ‘Bitumen and ‘pitch’ have these meanings because they are inflammable, and in the Word that which is inflammable means good, or in the contrary sense evil. But because they have brimstone or sulphur in them and are also black they mean evil and falsity, as in Isaiah,

The day of Jehovah’s vengeance – her streams will be turned into pitch, and her dust into brimstone, and her land will become burning pitch. Isa. 34:8, 9.

‘Pitch’ and ‘brimstone’ stand for falsities and evils. This then is why ‘she coated it with bitumen and pitch’ means good mingled with evils and falsities.

[2] As regards the actual matter under consideration here, which is that encircling God’s truth there was good mingled with evils and falsities, no one can have any understanding unless he knows what goes on during the reformation of a person. While he is being reformed he is, so far as his internal is concerned, preserved by the Lord in a state of goodness and truth; but so far as his external is concerned he is let into his evils and falsities. He is as a consequence among spirits from hell who are governed by such evils and falsities. These spirits flit around him, trying in every way to destroy him. But the goodness and truth that flow into him through his internal give him such protection that the spirits from hell cannot harm him in the slightest, the reason for this being that what acts at a more internal level is immensely superior in strength to that which acts at a more external level. For being purer what is more internal acts on every individual detail of what is more external, and in so doing it adjusts the external to answer its beck and call. But there must in that case be goodness and truth in the external in which influx from the internal can be firmly established. Good can then be among evils and falsities and yet remain safe from harm. Everyone who is being reformed is brought into this state, so that the evil desires and false ideas that govern him are removed and good desires and true ideas are implanted instead.

[3] Without knowledge of this arcanum no one can begin to know why Divine Truth residing with a person has around it forms of good mingled with evils and falsities, meant by the bitumen and pitch with which the little ark in which the infant had been put was coated. It should in addition be recognized that good can be mingled with evils and falsities, but they are not on that account joined together, since one shies away from the other and in keeping with a law of order they separate themselves from one another. For good belongs to heaven and evil and falsity to hell, and therefore just as heaven and hell have been separated, so also does every single thing from them separate itself.

AC (Elliott) n. 6725 6725. ‘And put the child in it’ means that inmostly present in it was the law of God at its earliest stages. This is clear from the meaning of ‘putting in it’ as inmostly present in it, because he was in the little ark; and from the representation of Moses as the law of God, dealt with further on, here the law of God at its earliest stages because he was an infant.

AC (Elliott) n. 6726 6726. ‘And put him in the weed at the bank of the river’ means that at first it was among false factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the weed’ as factual knowledge, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘the river of Egypt’ as falsity, dealt with in 6697. For what this really means, that those who are introduced into God’s truth are at first put among falsities, see just above in 6724. The reason why ‘the weed’ means factual knowledge is that every small plant mentioned in the Word means some type of factual knowledge. ‘The weed’ which grows at the bank of a river is inferior factual knowledge, as also in Isaiah,

The rivers will recede, and the streams of Egypt will dry up; reed and weed will wither. Isa. 19:6.

‘The rivers’ stands for matters of intelligence, 2702, 3051; ‘the streams of Egypt will dry up’ stands for matters of knowledge; ‘reed and weed’ stands for the lowest forms of factual knowledge, which are sensory impressions. ‘The weed’ stands for false factual knowledge in Jonah,

The waters surrounded me, even to my soul, the deep closed around me, weed was wrapped about my head. Jonah 2:5.

This prophecy describes a state of temptations. The waters which surrounded him, even to his soul, are falsities, ‘deluges of water’ being temptations and desolations, see 705, 739, 790, 5725. The deep which closed around him is the evil of falsity. The weed that was wrapped about his head stands for false factual knowledge that beset truth and goodness. This is how it is in a state of desolations.

AC (Elliott) n. 6727 6727. ‘And his sister stood at a distance, to know what would happen to him’ means the Church’s truth far away from there, and observation. This is clear from the meaning of ‘sister’ as rational truth, dealt with in 1495, 2508, 2524, 2556, 3160, 3386, thus the Church’s truth, for this is rational truth; and from the meaning of ‘to know what would happen’ as observation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6728 6728. Verses 5-9 And the daughter of Pharaoh went down to wash at the river; and her maidservants were going along the side of the river. And she saw the box in the middle of the weed, and sent her servant-girl; and she took it. And she opened it, and saw him, the child; and behold, the boy was crying. And she took pity on him, and said, This is one of the children of the Hebrews. And his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call you a woman, a wet nurse, from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you? And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Take to yourself this child and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages. And the woman took the child and nursed him.

‘And the daughter of Pharaoh went down’ means the kind of religion practised there. ‘To wash at the river’ means worship involving the use of falsity. ‘And her maidservants were going along the side of the river’ means things which minister to this kind of religion involving the use of falsity. ‘And she saw the box in the middle of the weed’ means a discernment of the crude form of truth among false factual knowledge. ‘And sent her servant-girl’ means that which was of service. ‘And she took it’ means an eagerness to know. ‘And she opened it, and saw him, the child’ means an investigation to find out what it was like, and the discernment that it was truth originating in the Divine. ‘And behold, the boy was crying’ means sadness. ‘And she took pity on him’ means being alerted by the Divine. ‘And said, This is one of the children of the Hebrews’ means that it belonged to the true Church. ‘And his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter’ means the Church’s truth alongside the kind of religion there. ‘Shall I go and call you a woman, a wet nurse, from the Hebrew women?’ means a perception that good from the true Church should be instilled into it. ‘And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go’ means consent given by the kind of religion there. ‘And the girl went and called the child’s mother’ means that the Church’s truth of good linked things of the Church to it. ‘And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her’ means consent given by the kind of religion there. ‘Take to yourself this child’ means that she should link him to herself. ‘And nurse him for me’ means that she should instill into him good compatible with that kind of religion. ‘And I will give you your wages’ means the reward. ‘And the woman took the child and nursed him’ means that good from the Church was instilled into him.

AC (Elliott) n. 6729 6729. ‘And the daughter of Pharaoh went down’ means the kind of religion practised there. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the daughter’ as an affection for truth and good, and from this as the Church, dealt with in 2362, 3963, and in the contrary sense as an affection for falsity and evil, and from this as the kind of religion that springs from them, 3024. Here the kind of religion that springs from false factual knowledge is meant because the daughter is Pharaoh’s; for ‘Pharaoh’ here represents false factual knowledge, 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692. In the Word Churches are meant by ‘daughters’, as may be recognized from the very many places in which the Church is called the daughter of Zion, and the daughter of Jerusalem. The false religions of quite a number of nations are also meant by ‘daughters’, as is evident from the places where those religions are called daughters, for example, the daughter of Tyre, Ps. 45:12; the daughter of Edom, Lam. 4:22; the daughter of the Chaldeans and of Babel, Isa. 47:1, 5; Jer. 50:41, 42; 51:73; Zech. 2:7, Ps. 137:8; the daughter of the Philistines, Ezek. 16:27, 57; the daughter of Tarshish, Isa. 23:10. ‘The daughter of Egypt’ is spoken of in Jeremiah,

Go up to Gilead and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt! Make for yourself vessels of migration, O inhabitant daughter of Egypt! The daughter of Egypt has been put to shame; she has been delivered into the hand of the people from the north. Jer. 46:11, 19, 24.

‘The daughter of Egypt’ stands for an affection for reasoning that relies, since a negative attitude of mind reigns, on factual knowledge – reasoning whether the truths of faith are indeed true. Thus she stands for the kind of religion which springs from that reasoning, a religion in which there is no belief in anything except what is false.

AC (Elliott) n. 6730 6730. ‘To wash at the river’ means worship involving the use of falsity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘washing’ as purification from what is understood spiritually by filth, dealt with in 3147, worship consequently being meant since worship takes place for the sake of purification; and from the meaning of ‘the river’, in this case the river of Egypt, as falsity, dealt with in 6693.

AC (Elliott) n. 6731 6731. ‘And her maidservants were going along the side of the river means things which minister to this kind of religion involving the use of falsity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘maidservants’ as things which minister, for when ‘the daughter of Pharaoh’ means a kind of religion, things which minister to that religion are meant by ‘her maidservants’; and from the meaning of ‘the river’ as falsity, as immediately above in 6730. Thus it is things which minister to a kind of religion involving the use of falsity that are meant by ‘the maidservants going along the side of the river’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6732 6732. ‘And she saw the box in the middle of the weed’ means a discernment of the crude form of truth among false factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seeing as discernment, dealt with in 2150, 3764, 4567, 4723, 5400; from the meaning of ‘a box made of rush’ as that which is crude but nevertheless is derived from truth, dealt with in 6723, thus a crude form of truth; and from the meaning of ‘the weed’ as false factual knowledge, dealt with in 6726, so that ‘in the middle of the weed’ means among that factual knowledge. Explanations of these meanings have been given above.

AC (Elliott) n. 6733 6733. ‘And sent her servant-girl’ means that which was of service. This is clear without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6734 6734. ‘And she took it’ means an eagerness to know. This becomes clear from the meaning of ‘taking it (the box)’ – since she discerned that it was some crude form of truth among the factual knowledge, 6732 – as an eagerness to know, to know what that truth was like.

AC (Elliott) n. 6735 6735. ‘And she opened it, and saw him, the child’ means an investigation to find out what it was like, and the discernment that it was truth originating in the Divine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘opening as investigating to find out what it was like, for one who opens something to see what it is and what it is like is investigating it; from the meaning of ‘seeing’ as discernment, dealt with just above in 6732; and from the representation of Moses, to whom ‘the child’ refers here, as the law of God or God’s truth, dealt with below, thus truth originating in the Divine.

AC (Elliott) n. 6736 6736. ‘And behold, the boy was crying’ means sadness. This is clear without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6737 6737. ‘And she took pity on him’ means being alerted by the Divine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘taking pity’ as an influx of charity from the Lord, for when anyone looks with charity on someone in distress, as Pharaoh’s daughter does here on the child crying in the box made of rush, a feeling of compassion is aroused. And since the feeling is stirred by the Lord, it is an alerting by Him. Indeed when people who are perceptive have feelings of compassion they know that they are being alerted by the Lord to offer help.

AC (Elliott) n. 6738 6738. ‘And said, This is one of the children of the Hebrews’ means that it belonged to the true Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the Hebrews’ as the things that constitute the Church, dealt with in 6675, 6684, so that ‘the children of the Hebrews’ means those who belong to the true Church. The reason why ‘the Hebrews’ means the things that constitute the Church is that when the Ancient Church came to an end, the Hebrew Church began, which was the second Ancient Church. This Church retained a large number of the representative forms and meaningful signs of the Ancient Church; and it also acknowledged Jehovah. Here is why ‘the Hebrews’ means the Church. Regarding the Hebrew Church, see 1238, 1241, 1743, 4516, 4517, 4874, 5136, 6739,

AC (Elliott) n. 6739 6739. ‘And his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter’ means the Church’s truth alongside the kind of religion there. This is clear from the meaning of ‘sister’ as the Church’s truth, dealt with above in 6727; and from the meaning of ‘Pharaoh’s daughter’ as a kind of religion, also dealt with above, in 6729. Alongside is meant because the child’s sister was present when Pharaoh’s daughter opened the box.

AC (Elliott) n. 6740 6740. ‘Shall I go and call you a woman, a wet nurse, from the Hebrew women?’ means a perception that good from the true Church should be instilled into it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a woman, a wet nurse as the instillation of good, dealt with in 4563, for ‘the milk’ instilled by a wet nurse means the good of truth or, what amounts to the same thing, the celestial-spiritual, 2184, and from the meaning of ‘the Hebrew women’ as things that constitute the Church, dealt with in 6675, 6684. A perception that good from the true Church should be instilled is meant by ‘[his sister] said, Shall I go and call?’ because in the internal sense the truth of good which has perception is meant by her, whereas in the sense of the letter the girl herself who had no such perception is meant. The fact that ‘a nurse’ means the instillation of good is also evident in Isaiah,

They will bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters will be carried on their shoulder. And kings will be your foster fathers (nutricius) and their queens your nurses (nutrix). Isa. 49:22, 23.

‘Kings who are foster fathers’ stands for the instillation of truth that belongs to intelligence, ‘queens who are nurses’ for the instillation of good that belongs to wisdom. In the same prophet,

Lift up your eyes round about and see; they all gather together, they come to you. Your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried at the side by nurses. Isa. 60:4.

‘Sons who come from afar’ stands for truths among gentiles, who are said ‘to come from afar’ because they are remote from the Church’s truth. ‘Daughters who are carried at the side by nurses’ stands for forms of good which are constantly being instilled, ‘daughters’ being forms of good and ‘nurses’ those who instill.

AC (Elliott) n. 6741 6741. ‘And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go’ means consent given by that kind of religion. This is clear from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’s daughter’ as a kind of religion, dealt with above in 6729. The fact that consent is meant is evident without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6742 6742. ‘And the girl went and called the child’s mother’ means that the Church’s truth of good linked things of the Church to it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the girl’ as the Church’s truth of good, dealt with below; from the meaning of ‘calling’ as linking, for the reason why she called the mother was in order to link her; and from the meaning of ‘the mother’ as the Church, dealt with in 289, 2691, 2717, 5581, and so also as things of the Church. In the Word the expression ‘virgin’ is used; so also is ‘girl’, though the word rendered ‘girl’ here rarely occurs in the original language. ‘Virgin’ means the good that the celestial Church possesses, whereas ‘girl’ means the truth of good that the spiritual Church possesses, as in David,

They have seen Your goings, O God, the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary. The singers went before, players [of stringed instruments] after, in the midst of the girls playing timbrels. Ps. 68:24, 25.

The words in these verses all have reference to the truths of good that the spiritual Church possesses. The expression ‘God’ is used when truth is the subject, see 2769, 2807, 2822, 4402; ‘king’ means truth, 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068, 6148; ‘singers’ has reference to truths that the spiritual Church possesses, 418-420, and ‘timbrel players’ has reference to spiritual good, 4138. From this one may see that ‘the girls’ are the truths of good which the spiritual Church possesses.

AC (Elliott) n. 6743 6743. ‘And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her’ means consent given by the kind of religion there. This is self-evident, for she had given the child to his mother to nurse him, consent given by that kind of religion being meant here as above in 6741, where similar words occur.

AC (Elliott) n. 6744 6744. ‘Take to yourself this child’ means that she should link him to herself. This is clear from the meaning of ‘taking to’ as linking; from the meaning of the mother, to whom ‘to yourself’ refers here, as the Church, dealt with just above in 6742; and from the representation of Moses, to whom ‘child’ refers here, as the law of God in its earliest stages. In the highest sense, which describes what went on with the Lord, those were the stages that occurred when He was working to make His Human the law of God; and in the relative sense, which describes what goes on with a person who is being regenerated, they are the stages that occur when he is being introduced into God’s truth, see above in 6716.

AC (Elliott) n. 6745 6745. ‘And nurse him for me’ means that she should instill into him good compatible with that kind of religion. This is clear from the meaning of ‘nursing’ as instilling good, dealt with below; and from the representation of’ Pharaoh’s daughter’ as a kind of religion, dealt with in 6729. And since Pharaoh’s daughter says that the woman should nurse him for her, the meaning is that she should instill good compatible with that kind of religion.

[2] The fact that ‘nursing’ means instilling good is evident from the meaning of ‘a wet nurse’ as the instillation of good, dealt with above in 6740. In addition to the places there which are quoted from the Word there are also the following: In Moses,

They will call peoples to the mountain; there they will offer sacrifices of righteousness, because they will suck the plentifulness of the sea, and the hidden treasures of the secrets of the sand. Deut. 33:19.

This is a prophetic utterance made by Moses concerning Zebulun and Issachar. ‘Calling peoples to the mountain, there offering sacrifices of righteousness’ means worship arising out of love. ‘Sucking the plentifulness of the sea’ means that they will at that time take in a large amount of true factual knowledge, that is, such knowledge will be instilled into them. For ‘sucking’ here is the same expression as ‘being nursed’, as it also is in the places commented on below.

[3] In Isaiah,

I will make you an eternal magnificence, a joy of generation after generation; and you will suck the milk of the nations, indeed the breasts of kings will you suck. Isa. 60:15, 16.

This refers to Zion and Jerusalem, which are the celestial Church, ‘Zion’ being the internal part of it and ‘Jerusalem’ the external. ‘Sucking the milk of the nations’ stands for the instillation of celestial good, ‘sucking the breasts of kings’ for the instillation of celestial truth. Anyone can see that these words conceal a meaning that is not apparent in the letter and that since it is the Divine Word there is a holiness concealed within that meaning. If this were not so what would ‘sucking the milk of the nations’ or ‘sucking the breasts of kings’ be? The holy meaning concealed there is not at all evident unless one knows what is meant by ‘sucking’, ‘milk’, ‘the nations’, ‘breasts’, and ‘kings’. ‘Milk’ is the celestial-spiritual or the truth of good, see 2184;’the nations’ are forms of good contained in worship, 1259, 1260, 1416, 1849, 6005; ‘breasts’ are affections for goodness and truth, 6432; ‘kings’ are truths, 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068, 6148; and ‘sucking’ is the instillation of good.

[4] From all this one may now know what the meaning of these words is when they apply to the celestial Church, which is Zion and Jerusalem. When Zion and Jerusalem are mentioned together, they mean the celestial Church, ‘Zion’ the internal part of it and ‘Jerusalem’ the external, as stated above. But when Jerusalem is mentioned without Zion it in most cases means the spiritual Church.

[5] In the same prophet,

That you may suck and be satisfied with the breast of Jerusalem’s consolations, and that you may press out and be delighted by the splendour of her glory. Behold, I spread peace over her like a stream, and the glory of the gentiles like an inundating torrent, in order that you may suck; you will be lifted onto her side and find pleasure on her knees. Isa. 66:11, 12.

Here also ‘sucking’ stands for the instillation of good.

[6] In Jeremiah,

Even the sea monsters present the breast, they nurse their young; the daughter of My people is cruel, the tongue of the nursling has cleaved to the roof of its mouth because of thirst. Lam. 4:3, 4.

‘The daughter of My people’ stands for the spiritual Church, here for that Church when it has been laid waste. Its failure, unlike even the sea monsters, to nurse its young stands for no instillation of truth. ‘The tongue of the nursling has cleaved to the roof of its mouth because of thirst’ stands for the want of such truth, so that every trace of innocence perishes, ‘nursling’ being innocence and ‘thirst’ the want of truth.

AC (Elliott) n. 6746 6746. ‘And I will give you your wages’ means the reward. This is clear without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6747 6747. ‘And the woman took the child and nursed him’ means that good from the Church was instilled into him. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the woman’ as the Church, dealt with in 252, 257; and from the meaning of ‘nursing’ as the instillation of good, dealt with just above in 6745. A second state is what is being described here. The first state is a state in which people are let into their evils and falsities, 6724; this second state is a state in which the Church’s good is instilled into them.

AC (Elliott) n. 6748 6748. Verse to And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he was a son to her. And she called his name Moses, and said, Because I drew him out of the water.

‘And the child grew’ means that an increase was brought about by good. ‘And she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter’ means an affection for factual knowledge. ‘And he was a son to her’ means that then first truths were attached to that affection. ‘And she called his name Moses’ means the essential nature of the state then. ‘And said, Because I drew him out of the water’ means a deliverance from falsities.

AC (Elliott) n. 6749 6749. ‘And the child grew’ means that an increase was brought about by good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘growing’ as an increase. The reason why the increase is brought about by good is that the child grew through being nursed, and ‘being nursed by a Hebrew woman’ means
the instilling of the Church’s good, 6745.

AC (Elliott) n. 6750 6750. ‘And she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter’ means an affection for factual knowledge. This is clear from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’s daughter’ as a kind of religion, dealt with in 6729, but here as an affection for factual knowledge. For a third state is what this verse describes, and at this point ‘daughter’ means an affection, 2362, 3963, while ‘Pharaoh’ means factual knowledge in general, 6015, so that ‘Pharaoh’s daughter’ means an affection for factual knowledge. This is also evident from the train of thought in the internal sense, for since Moses represents the Lord in respect of the law of God, he could not have been brought to Pharaoh’s daughter and been a son to her if she meant the kind of religion that was practised, as she had done previously. Furthermore factual knowledge is what those who are being regenerated must learn first, for that knowledge is the groundwork for things that compose the understanding, and the understanding is what receives the truth of faith, 6125, and the truth of faith what receives the good of charity. From this it may be seen that factual knowledge constitutes the first level to be laid down when a person is being regenerated.

[2] Factual knowledge also constituted the first level to be laid down in the Lord when He made His Human Divine Truth or the Divine Law. This is what is meant by the Lord’s being taken to Egypt when He was a young child, Matt. 2:13, 14, and so by the prophecy in Hosea,

Out of Egypt have I called My Son. Hosea 11:1; Matt. 1:15.

It has been shown quite a number of times that ‘Egypt’ means factual knowledge. By factual knowledge however one should understand not secular knowledge but knowledge that the Church possesses, regarding which see 4749, 4964-4966, 6004. The latter kind of knowledge is also what is meant by ‘Egypt’ in the genuine sense. As regards its providing the level to be laid down first, see 5901.

AC (Elliott) n. 6751 6751. ‘And he was a son to her’ means that then first truths were attached to that affection. This is clear from the representation of Pharaoh’s daughter, to whom ‘to her’ refers here, as an affection for factual knowledge, dealt with immediately above in 6750; and from the meaning of ‘son’ as truth, dealt with in 489, 491, 533, 2623, 3373, here first truth since ‘being a son to her’ is possessing first truths acquired through factual knowledge. For first truths are born from factual knowledge and so are like sons born from their mother, who is the affection for factual knowledge. And factual knowledge is the groundwork for truths composing the understanding and faith, see above in 6750. When a person is being regenerated matters of faith develop in him in almost the same way as things that are not matters of faith develop while he is growing up. While he is growing up sensory impressions compose the first level to be laid down, then known facts another level; and after that, grounded on these levels, the power of judgement grows, more fully with one person, less fully with another. While a person is being regenerated the general aspects of faith or the basic elements of the Church’s teachings compose the level that is laid down first, then come particular aspects of that teaching and faith, and after that in successive stages things that are more and more internal. These are levels which the light of heaven shines on; and from this comes the power of understanding, and the ability to perceive the truth of faith and the good of charity.

AC (Elliott) n. 6752 6752. ‘And she called his name Moses’ means the essential nature of the state then. This is clear from the meaning of ‘name’ and ‘calling the name as the essential nature, dealt with in 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 2714, 3006, 3421, 6674, at this point the essential nature of a state because when someone’s name is mentioned, that particular name used then means the state, 1946, 2643, 3422, 4298. This essential nature of a state that is meant is the nature of the state of the law of God as it was in the beginning with the Lord, and the nature of the state of God’s truth as it is in the beginning with a person who is being regenerated. There are two people primarily who represent the Lord with respect to the Word, namely Moses and Elijah. Moses represents the Lord with respect to the historical books, Elijah with respect to the Prophets. In addition to those two there is Elisha, and lastly John the Baptist, who is therefore the one who is meant by ‘the Elijah who is to come’, Matt. 17:10-13; Luke 1:17. But before one can show that Moses represents the law of God, one must say what the law of God is. In a broad sense God’s law means the whole Word; in a narrower sense it means the historical section of the Word; in a restricted sense it means what was written through Moses; and in a very restricted sense it means the Ten Commandments written upon Mount Sinai on tablets of stone. Moses represents the law in the narrower sense as well as in the restricted sense and also in the very restricted.

[2] In a broad sense the Law is the whole Word, both the historical section and the prophetical part. This is clear in John,

We have heard from the Law that the Christ (the Messiah) remains forever. John 12:34.

The fact that ‘the Law’ here is used to mean the prophetical part as well is self-evident, for this is a reference to what is written in Isaiah 9:6, 7; in David, Ps. 110:4; and in Daniel 7:13, 14. In the same gospel,

In order that the Word written in the Law might be fulfilled, They hated Me without a cause. John 15:25.

Much the same applies here, for it is a reference to what is written in David, Ps. 35:19. In Matthew,

Truly I say to you, Even until heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one small part of a letter will not pass from the Law till all things are done. Matt. 5:18.

Here ‘the Law’ in a broad sense stands for the whole Word.

[3] The Law in a narrower sense is the historical section of the Word. This is clear in Matthew,

All things whatever you wish people to do to you, do also to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets. Matt. 7:12.

Here the Word is divided into ‘the Law’ and ‘the Prophets’; and as the Word has been divided into the historical section and the prophetical part, it follows that ‘the Law’ is used to mean the historical section of the Word, and ‘the Prophets’ to mean the prophetical part. A similar example occurs in the same gospel,

On these two commandments hang the Law and the Prophets. Matt. 22:40.

And in Luke,

The Law and the Prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God is proclaimed. Luke 16:16; Matt. 11:13.

[4] In a restricted sense the Law is the Word that was written through Moses. This is clear in Moses,

When Moses had finished writing the words of this Law in a book, even until he had completed them, Moses commanded the Levites carrying the ark of Jehovah, saying, Take the book of this Law, and put it at the side of the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God. Deut. 31:14-26.

‘The book of the Law’ stands for the Books of Moses. In the same book,

If you do not take care to do all the words of this Law which are written in this book, Jehovah will send* upon you every sickness and every plague that is not written in the book of this Law, until you are destroyed. Deut. 28:58, 61.

The meaning is similar here. In David,

In the Law of Jehovah is his delight, and in His Law he meditates day and night. Ps. 1:2.

‘The Law of Jehovah’ stands for the Books of Moses, for the prophetical books had not yet been written; nor had the historical books apart from the Book of Joshua and the Book of Judges. In addition this restricted meaning of ‘the Law’ occurs in places containing the expression ‘the Law of Moses’, which are dealt with immediately below.

[5] In a very restricted sense the Law is the Ten Commandments written upon Mount Sinai on the tablets of stone, as is well known, see Josh. 8:32. This Law is also called the Testimony, Exod. 25:16, 21.

[6] Moses represents the Law in the narrower sense, which is the historical section of the Word, also the Law in the restricted sense, and in the very restricted sense too. This is clear from those places in the Word in which the name Moses is used instead of the Law, and those in which the Law is called the Law of Moses, as 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 rises from the dead. Luke 16:29, 31.

Here ‘Moses and the Prophets’ has the same meaning as ‘the Law and the Prophets’, which is the historical section and the prophetical part of the Word. From this it is evident that ‘Moses’ is the Law or historical section of the Word. In the same gospel,

Jesus beginning at Moses and all the prophets explained in all the scriptures the things that concerned Himself. Luke 24:27.

In the same chapter,

All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me. Luke 24:44.

In John,

Philip said, We have found him of whom Moses wrote in the Law – Jesus. John 1:45.

In the same gospel,

In the Law Moses commanded us. John 8:5.

In Daniel,

The curse and the oath which was written in the Law of Moses the servant of God has come down onto us, because we have sinned against Him. As it is written in the Law of Moses, All this evil has come upon us. Dan. 9:11, 13.

In Joshua,

Joshua wrote on the stone of the altar a copy of the Law of Moses. Josh. 8:32.

[7] The expression ‘the Law of Moses’ is used because Moses represents the Lord with respect to the Law, that is, the Word, and in a narrower sense the historical section of the Word. This explains why what is the Lord’s is ascribed to Moses, as in John,

Moses gave you the Law, Moses gave you circumcision. If a man (homo) receives circumcision on the sabbath, so that the Law of Moses may not be broken… John 7:19, 22, 23.

In Mark,

Moses said, Honour your father and your mother. Mark 7:10.

In the same gospel,

Jesus answering said to them, What did Moses command you? They said, Moses permitted him to write a certificate of divorce, and to put her away. Mark 10:3, 4.

And because what is the Lord’s is ascribed to Moses on account of his representation, both ‘the Law of Moses’ and ‘the Law of the Lord’ are used in Luke,

When the days of their purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it has been written in the Law of the Lord, that every male opening the womb is to be called holy to the Lord) and to offer a sacrifice according to what has been stated in the Law of the Lord, A pair of turtle doves and two young pigeons. Luke 2:22-24, 39.

[8] Because Moses represented the Law he was allowed to go in to the Lord on Mount Sinai, not only to receive there the tablets containing the Law but also to hear the statutes and judgements belonging to the Law, and to enjoin these commands on the people. It is also said that the people should therefore believe in Moses forever,

Jehovah said to Moses, Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak to you, and also may believe in you forever. Exod. 19:9.

The expression ‘in a thick cloud’ is used because ‘cloud’ means the letter of the Word. Here also is the reason why it says, when Moses went in to the Lord on Mount Sinai, that he went ‘into the cloud’, Exod. 20:21; 14:2, 18; 34:2-5. For the meaning of ‘the cloud’ as the literal sense of the Word, see the Preface to Genesis 18, and also 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343 (end).

[9] And since Moses represented the Law or the Word, it also says that when he came down from Mount Sinai the skin on his face shone whenever he spoke, and so he would put a veil over his face, Exod. 34:28-end. ‘The shining of his face’ meant the inner spirit of the Law, for this dwells in the light of heaven and is therefore called the glory, 5922. While ‘the veil’ meant the outward form of the Law. The reason why he veiled his face whenever he spoke to the people was that the inner spirit was concealed from them, and had become so obscure to that people that they could not bear any light from it. For the meaning of ‘the face’ as that which is internal, see 1999, 2434, 3527, 7577, 4066, 4796-4805, 5102, 5695. Since ‘Moses’ represented the Lord with respect to the historical section of the Word and ‘Elijah’ represented the Lord with respect to the prophetical part, Moses and Elijah were therefore seen talking to the Lord at His transfiguration, Matt. 17:3. No others except those who represented the Word could have talked to the Lord when He manifested His Divinity in the world; for talking to the Lord is done through the Word. Regarding Elijah’s representation of the Lord with respect to the Word, see 1762, 5247 (end).

[10] And since these two together, both Moses and Elijah, represented the whole Word, both are mentioned in Malachi where the sending of Elijah before the Lord is referred to,

Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel – the statutes and judgements. Lo, I am sending you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrifying day of Jehovah comes. Mal. 4:4-6.

These words imply that one was to go before who was to announce the [Lord’s] Coming, in accordance with the Word.
* Following the Latin version of Sebastian Schmidt Sw. adds a word meaning secretly, which does not represent any word in the Hebrew.

AC (Elliott) n. 6753 6753. ‘And said, Because I drew him out of the water’ means a deliverance from falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the water’, here the water of the river of Egypt, as falsities, dealt with in 6693; and from the meaning of ‘drawing out’ as a deliverance. These words contain the essential nature of the state meant by Moses’ name; and the meaning in the highest sense is this: The nature of the state was such that, in order to make His Human the law of God the Lord delivered it from all falsity that clung to the Human He received from His mother. He continued doing this until He became the Divine Law, which is Divine Truth itself, and after that, having been glorified, became Divine Goodness, which is the Essential Being (Esse) of Divine Truth, that is, Jehovah.

AC (Elliott) n. 6754 6754. Verses 11-14 And it happened in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brothers, and saw their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, one of his brothers. And he looked this way and that, and saw that there was no man; and he struck the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. And he went out the second day, and behold, two Hebrew men were quarrelling; and he said to the one in the wrong, Why are you striking your companion? And he said, Who set you up as a man-prince and a judge over us? Do you intend* to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian? And Moses was afraid, and said, Surely the matter is known!

‘And it happened in those days, when Moses had grown up means while those states lasted, and an increase in factual knowledge holding truths within it. ‘That he went out to his brothers’ means a joining to the Church’s truths. ‘And saw their burdens’ means a discernment that they were being molested by falsities. ‘And he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man’ means alienated factual knowledge trying to destroy the Church’s truth. ‘One of his brothers’ means the truths to which he was to be joined. ‘And he looked this way and that, and saw that there was no man’ means care taken to see whether it was safe. ‘And he struck the Egyptian’ means that he destroyed alienated factual knowledge. ‘And hid him in the sand’ means that he banished it to where falsities were. ‘And he went out the second day’ means a joining once again to the Church. ‘And behold, two Hebrew men were quarrelling’ means a discernment that within the Church people were in conflict with one another. ‘And he said to the one in the wrong, Why are you striking your companion?’ means a rebuke, deploring that one person should wish to destroy another’s faith. ‘And he said, Who set you up as a man-prince and a judge over us?’ means a perception that he was not yet so advanced into the truths of the Church that he could settle disagreements within the Church. ‘Do you intend to kill me . . . ‘ means, Do you wish to destroy my faith…’As you killed the Egyptian?’ means, As you destroyed falsity? ‘And Moses was afraid, and said, Surely the matter is known!’ means that he was among alienated factual knowledge and not yet so strong in truths as to be safe from harm.
* lit. say

AC (Elliott) n. 6755 6755. ‘And it happened in those days, when Moses had grown up means while those states lasted, and an increase in factual knowledge holding truths within it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘days’ as states, dealt with in 27, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850, so that ‘it happened in those days’ is while those states lasted; and from the meaning of ‘growing’ as an increase, as above in 6749. The fact that it is an increase in factual knowledge holding truths within it is evident from the explanation just above in 6751.

AC (Elliott) n. 6756 6756. ‘That he went out to his brothers’ means a joining to the Church’s truths. This is clear from the meaning of ‘brothers’ as the truths of the Church, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘going out to them’ as being joined to them. As regards ‘brothers’, sometimes the expression means the forms of good, at other times the truths of the Church. Forms of good are meant when the celestial Church is the subject, truths when the spiritual Church is the subject. The reason for this is that the celestial Church is governed by good, but the spiritual Church by truth; and in ancient times all who belonged to the Church called one another brothers. Those who belonged to the spiritual Church did indeed call one another brothers on the basis of good, 3803; yet there were differences in the ways that members of the internal Church did so. Those differences depended on the nature of the good, and so on truths since good derives its specific nature from truths. Later on when the Church fell away from good, and consequently from truth also, people ceased any more to call one another brothers as a result of spiritual connections and relationships, which are those of charity and faith, but solely as a result of natural connections and relationships, or else as a result of friendship. They also began to consider it beneath them to call someone brother who ranked less highly than themselves. The reason for this was that they attached little or no importance to close ties that sprang from a spiritual origin, but great and supreme importance to close ties that had a natural or social origin. The Church’s truths are clearly called ‘brothers’, because the sons of Jacob represented the truths of the Church in their entirety, 5407, 5419, 5427, 5458, 5512.

[2] The reason why in ancient times people were called ‘brothers’ as a result of spiritual relationships is that the new birth or regeneration established family connections and relationships on a level superior to that of those established by natural birth. A further reason is that those connections and relationships trace their origin back to the same Father, who is the Lord. This goes to explain why people who enter heaven after death no longer acknowledge any brother, or even their mother or father, if the relationship is not founded on goodness and truth. It is in accordance with these that new brotherly relationships are formed there. This then is why those who belonged to the Church in former times called one another brothers.

[3] The fact that the children of Israel referred to all who were descended from Jacob as brothers, but everyone else as companions, is evident from the following places: In Isaiah,

I will embroil Egypt with Egypt, in order that a man may fight against brother, and a man against his companion. Isa. 19:2.

In the same prophet,

A man helps his companion and says to his brother, Be firm. Isa. 41:6.

In Jeremiah,

Take heed, a man of his companion, and put no trust in any brother, for every brother supplants wholly, and every companion utters slanders. Jer 9:4.

[4] The fact that all who were descended from Jacob called themselves brothers may be seen in Isaiah,

Then they will bring all your brothers from all nations as an offering to Jehovah, on horses, in chariots, and in covered waggons. Isa. 66:20.

In Moses,

You shall indeed set a king over you* whom Jehovah your God will choose, from among your brothers shall you set a king over you;* you may not place over you* a foreigner, who is not your* brother. Deut. 17:15.

Even the children of Esau, because they were descended from Jacob, were called brothers by them, in Moses,

We passed through, away from our brothers the children of Esau dwelling in Seir. Deut. 2:8.

[5] The reason why in ancient times those who belonged to the Church called one another brothers was, as stated above, that they acknowledged the Lord as their one and only Father and received a new soul and life from Him, on account of which the Lord says,

Refuse to be called Rabbi, for one is your Master, Christ; but all you are brothers. Matt. 23:8.

Since spiritual brotherhood has its origin in love, that is, one person is another’s, and those who are governed by good abide in the Lord, and He abides in them, John 14:20, the Lord calls them brothers, in Matthew,

Jesus stretching out His hand over His disciples said, Behold My mother and My brothers; for whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven is My brother, and sister, and mother. Matt. 12:49, 50.

In the same gospel,

Insofar as you did it to one of the least of My brothers you did it to Me. Matt. 25:40.

He again calls the disciples brothers in Matt. 28:10; John 20:17. ‘Disciples’ is used in the representative sense to mean all who are guided by the truths of faith and governed by the good of charity.
* The Latin means them and their but the Hebrew means you and your, which Sw. has in another place where he quotes this verse.

AC (Elliott) n. 6757 6757. ‘And saw their burdens’ means a discernment that they were being molested by falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seeing’ as a discernment, dealt with above in 6772; and from the meaning of ‘burdens’ as molestations by falsities, for in the spiritual sense the burdens laid by Pharaoh on the children of Israel are nothing else. ‘Pharaoh’ is false factual knowledge, 6651, 6679, 6683; and molestations by falsities are nothing other than ‘burdens’ to those who are guided by truths. As for the nature of molestations by falsities, which are ‘burdens’ to those guided by truths, that cannot be known by anyone while he lives in the world, for he does not suffer that kind of molestation then. While he is in the world his mind either clings to falsities or dispels them, without any conscious feeling of molestation. But in the next life when those guided by truths suffer molestation by falsities they are held by evil spirits in the grip of those falsities like people in bonds. But the Lord holds the interior parts of their minds in truths, which are used to dispel the falsities. A state of molestation by falsities such as is experienced in the next life is what is meant here in the internal sense, as are many other things; for the Word has been written not only for man but also for spirits and angels.

AC (Elliott) n. 6758 6758. ‘And he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man’ means alienated factual knowledge trying to destroy the Church’s truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘an Egyptian man’ as factual knowledge alienated from truth, dealt with in 6692; from the meaning of ‘striking’ as destroying, here trying to destroy, since falsities are unable to destroy truths; and from the meaning of ‘a Hebrew man’ as the Church’s truth, ‘a man’ meaning truth, 3134, and ‘Hebrew’ the Church, 6675, 6684.

AC (Elliott) n. 6759 6759. ‘One of his brothers’ means the truths to which he was to be joined. This is clear from the meaning of ‘brothers’ as the Church’s truths, dealt with above in 6756. Since he was himself guided by these truths, and the Church’s truths, meant by ‘brothers’, were what he was to be joined to, that joining together is meant here because of the train of thought in the internal sense.

AC (Elliott) n. 6760 6760. ‘And he looked this way and that, and saw that there was no man’ means care taken to see whether it was safe. This becomes clear without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6761 6761. ‘And he struck the Egyptian’ means that he destroyed alienated factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘striking’ as destroying, as above in 6758; and from the meaning of ‘the Egyptian’ as factual knowledge alienated from truth, dealt with in 6692.

AC (Elliott) n. 6762 6762. ‘And hid him in the sand’ means that he banished it to where falsities were. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hiding’ as banishing; and from the meaning of ‘the sand’ as true factual knowledge, or in the contrary sense false factual knowledge. The reason why these are meant by ‘the sand’ is that ‘stone’, from which the sand is formed, has both those meanings, 1298, 7720, 3769, 3771, 3773, 3789, 3798, 6426. Truth is meant by ‘the sand’ in Moses, Zebulun and Issachar will call peoples to the mountain; there they will offer sacrifices of righteousness, because they will suck the plentifulness of the sea, and the hidden treasures of the secrets of the sand. Deut. 33:18, 19.

‘Calling peoples to the mountain’ stands for acting so that truths may become forms of good, or faith become charity; for ‘peoples’ are the truths of faith, and ‘the mountain’ is the good of charity. ‘Offering sacrifices of righteousness’ stands for worship that springs from charity, ‘sucking the plentifulness of the sea’ for abounding in true factual knowledge, and ‘the hidden treasures of the secrets of the sand’ for the arcana concealed within true factual knowledge. Now since ‘the sand’ means true factual knowledge, it also means in the contrary sense false factual knowledge; for the majority of things in the Word also have a contrary meaning, and what that contrary meaning is like may be recognized from the genuine one. With regard to the explanation here, a banishment among falsities – which are meant by ‘he hid him in the sand’ – the situation is this: When hellish spirits who are steeped in falsities have been in the world of spirits, trying to destroy the truths present with those undergoing temptation, they are after that relegated to hells from which they cannot ever again come out. Very many experiences have allowed me to know of this. An operation such as this is what is meant by a relegation to a place among falsities.

AC (Elliott) n. 6763 6763. ‘And he went out the second day’ means a joining once again to the Church. This is clear from what has been stated above in 6756, where a similar expression occurs.

AC (Elliott) n. 6764 6764. ‘And behold, two Hebrew men were quarrelling’ means a discernment that within the Church people were in conflict with one another. This is clear from the meaning of ‘behold’ or seeing, as a discernment, dealt with in 2150, 3764, 4567, 4723, 5400; from the meaning of Hebrew men’ as people belonging to the Church, dealt with above in 6758 (end); and from the meaning of quarrelling’ as being in conflict.

AC (Elliott) n. 6765 6765. ‘And he said to the one in the wrong, Why are you striking your companion?’ means a rebuke, deploring that one person should wish to destroy another’s faith. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the one in the wrong’ as a person who does not uphold the truth of faith and yet is within the Church (for within the Church there are those who uphold the truth of faith and there are those who do not, as the existence of various heresies goes to prove; and those who subscribe to heresy, that is, who do not uphold the truth of faith, are meant here by ‘the one in the wrong’); from the meaning of ‘striking’ as destroying, as above in 6758; and from the meaning of ‘companion’ as a person who upholds the truth of faith. For when ‘the one in the wrong’ means a person who does not uphold the truth of faith, ‘companion’ means one who does uphold it. The word ‘companion’ is used, not ‘brother’, even though both of them were Hebrews, because they were hostile to each other. The fact that this is a rebuke is self-evident. What all this implies is that when a person is being regenerated he is sent into battles against falsities. During these the Lord maintains him in truth, but in what he has convinced himself to be the truth; and this is what is used in the battles against falsity. Even that which is not the real truth can be used, provided that it is such as can in some way be joined to good. And it is joined to good through innocence, for innocence is the means which enables that conjunction to be effected. This explains why people within the Church who have accepted any teaching whatever can be regenerated, though those who are in possession of real truths are in a better position than others.

AC (Elliott) n. 6766 6766. ‘And he said, Who set you up as a man-prince and a judge over us?’ means a perception that he was not yet so advanced into the truths of the Church* that he could settle disagreements within the Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘he said’ as a perception, dealt with often; from the meaning of ‘a man-prince’ as one who has a command of primary truths, thus who is more enlightened than others in teachings about the truth (for that is what was meant in the representative Church by ‘a prince’) and therefore ‘who set you up as a man-prince?’ means that he was not yet so advanced into the truths of the Church (for the meaning of ‘prince’ as those who have a command of primary truths, see 5044); and from the meaning of ‘a judge’ as one who settles disputes or disagreements. Here they are disagreements within the Church because it is a quarrel between ‘two Hebrew men’, by whom those belonging to the Church are meant.

[2] In the highest sense the subject has been the beginnings of the law of God within the Lord’s Human; and now it is the development of that law. But in the internal sense the subject here is the development of Divine Truth as it exists with the person who is being regenerated. Its development is such that at first the person can distinguish falsity from truth, for the truth he has enables him to see falsity since it is the opposite of the truth. But he cannot at that early stage settle between one truth of faith and another within the Church. To be able to do this he must make further advances; for a person’s enlightenment increases gradually. This is clearly recognizable from those who are in adolescent years and at the start of manhood. They think that the teachings of their Church are the absolute truth, and these they use to distinguish falsities. But they are not yet able to reconcile matters of faith within the Church when these disagree with one another; that ability comes in a sequence of stages. This being so, the person to whom that ability can be given must also be someone who is rather more mature in years, someone in whom the more internal levels of the understanding have been enlightened.
* The Latin means the truths of faith; but cp what appears a few lines below and also in 6754.

AC (Elliott) n. 6767 6767. ‘Do you intend to kill me . . .’ means, Do you wish to destroy my faith … This is clear from the meaning of ‘killing’ as destroying, dealt with below; and from the meaning of a Hebrew man, to whom ‘me’ refers here, as one who belongs to the Church. Faith too is accordingly meant, for faith goes together with the Church, and the two are so bound up with each other that a person who destroys the faith present with someone destroys the Church with him. This is also ‘to kill him’, for by taking faith away he takes spiritual life away, the life that remains being a life that is called death. From this it is evident that ‘Do you intend to kill me?’ means, Do you wish to destroy my faith?

[2] The fact that ‘killing’ is taking away spiritual life is evident from many places in the Word, as in Jeremiah,

Drag them away like sheep for the slaughter, and destine them to the day of killing. How long will the land mourn and the plant of every field wither, on account of the wickedness of those who dwell in it? The beasts and the birds will be devoured. Jer. 12:3, 4.

‘The day of killing’ stands for the time that the Church is laid waste, when there is no longer any faith because there is no charity. ‘The land which will mourn’ stands for the Church; ‘the plant of every field’ stands for all the facts known to the Church that hold truth within them; ‘the beasts and the birds will be devoured’ stands for the fact that forms of good and truths will be destroyed. For the meaning of ‘the land’ as the Church, see 566, 662, 1067, 1262, 1413, 1607, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118 (end), 2928, 3755, 4447, 4535, 5577. The meaning of ‘the plant’ as factual knowledge holding truth within it is clear from places in the Word where plant is mentioned. And for the meaning of ‘the field’ as that which is of the Church, see 2971, 3710, 3766, of ‘the beasts’ as affections for good, thus forms of good, 45, 46, 142, 143, 246, 714, 715, 719, 1823, 2179, 2180, 3218, 3519, 5198, and of ‘the birds’ as affections for truth, 5149. From all this one may recognize what the meaning of these words is, and also that the spiritual sense is present in every detail there. Anyone can see that without the inner meaning there could be no understanding of what ‘the day of killing’ is, or of what is described by the details ‘will the land mourn’, ‘the plant of every field wither, on account of the wickedness of those who dwell in it’, and ‘the beasts and the birds will be devoured’.

[3] In Zechariah,

Thus said Jehovah my God, Feed the sheep for killing, whose owners kill them. Zech. 11:4, 5.

‘The sheep for killing’ plainly stands for people whose faith is destroyed by those who are their owners. In Ezekiel,

You have desecrated Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for crusts of bread, to kill souls that ought not to die, and to keep alive souls that ought not to live. Ezek. 13:19.

Here also ‘killing’ plainly stands for destroying spiritual life, that is, charity and faith. In Isaiah,

What will you do on the day of visitation and vastation? They will fall beneath the bound and beneath the killed. Isa. 10:3, 4.

Here ‘the killed’ stands for those who are in hell, thus for those immersed in evils and falsities.

[4] In the same prophet,

You are cast out from your sepulchre like an abominable branch, [like] a garment of the killed, [like] those pierced with the sword. You will not be united with them in the sepulchre, for you have destroyed your land, you have killed your people. Isa. 14:19, 20.

‘The killed’ stands for those who have been deprived of spiritual life; ‘you have killed your people’ stands for his destruction of forms of the truth and good of faith. In John,

The thief does not come except in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that they may have life. John 10:10.

‘Killing’ stands for destroying the life of faith, and therefore it says, ‘I have come in order that they may have life’. In Mark,

Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his children, and the children will rise up against parents and kill them. Mark 13:12.

This refers to the last days of the Church when there is no longer any charity and therefore no faith either. ‘Brother’, ‘children’, and ‘parents’ in the internal sense are the Church’s forms of good and its truths; and ‘killing’ is destroying them.

[5] Because one who had been ‘killed’ meant a person who had been deprived of spiritual life, and ‘the field’ meant the Church, it had therefore been decreed in the representative church that if anyone on the surface of the field touched somebody who had been pierced with the sword, or who had been killed, he would be unclean for seven days, Num. 19:16. ‘Slain with the sword’ means truth wiped out by falsity, see 4507; for ‘the sword’ is falsity that wipes out truth, 2799, 4499, 653. It was likewise decreed that if anyone was found killed in the land which was their inheritance, lying on the field, and it was not known who had killed him, the elders and judges were to measure the distances to the cities which were round about. Having found out by doing this which was the nearest city, they were to take a heifer and break its neck at a fast-flowing river, and to do many other things, Deut. 21:1-10.

AC (Elliott) n. 6768 6768. ‘As you killed the Egyptian?’ means, As you destroyed falsity? This is clear from the meaning of ‘killing’ as destroying, dealt with immediately above in 6767; and from the meaning of ‘the Egyptian’ as factual knowledge alienated from truth, which is falsity, dealt with in 6691, 6758, 6761.

AC (Elliott) n. 6769 6769. ‘And Moses was afraid, and said, Surely the matter is known!’ means that he was among alienated factual knowledge and not yet so strong in truths as to be safe from harm. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being afraid’ as not being safe from harm; for when a person feels unsafe he feels afraid. He is unsafe because he is not strong in truths; for people who are strong in truths are kept safe from harm wherever they go, even if they are in the midst of hell. The reason why people who are not yet strong in truths are not safe from harm is that untruths link them up with evil spirits. These considerations are meant by the words, ‘Moses was afraid, and said, Surely the matter is known’, that is, known to the Egyptians whom he was among; and they are also evident from what immediately follows, where it says that when Pharaoh heard of this matter he sought to kill Moses.

AC (Elliott) n. 6770 6770. Verses 15-19 And Pharaoh heard of this matter and sought to kill Moses. And Moses fled from before Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he dwelt next to a well. And the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away; and Moses rose up and helped them, and watered their flock. And they came to Reuel their father, and he said, Why have you hastened to come today? And they said, An Egyptian man delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds; and he even drew water for us, and watered the flock.

‘And Pharaoh heard of this matter and sought to kill Moses’ means that having discerned this matter false factual knowledge wished to destroy the truth which the law from God possessed. ‘And Moses fled from before Pharaoh’ means that it was separated from falsities. ‘And dwelt in the land of Midian’ means a life led in the Church among those in whom simple good was present. ‘And he dwelt next to a well’ means an eagerness there for the Word. ‘And the priest of Midian had seven daughters’ means holy things belonging to that Church. ‘And they came and drew water’ means that they received instruction in truths from the Word. ‘And filled the troughs’ means that from there they enriched teachings about charity. ‘To water their flock’ means to the end that those governed by good might receive instruction from there. ‘And the shepherds came and drove them away’ means that teachers steeped in evils set themselves against them. ‘And Moses rose up and helped them’ means aid brought by truths which the law from God possesses. ‘And watered their flock’ means that those governed by good received instruction from it. ‘And they came to Reuel their father’ means a joining to the actual good of that Church. ‘And he said, Why have you hastened to come today?’ means a perception that now it was a certain joining together. ‘And they said, An Egyptian man delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds’ means because true factual knowledge that was [attached] to the Church prevailed over the power of the teachings that presented falsity arising from evil. ‘And he even drew water for us’ means that the instruction it gave came from the Word. ‘And watered the flock’ means those who belonged to the Church there.

AC (Elliott) n. 6771 6771. ‘And Pharaoh heard of this matter and sought to kill Moses means that having discerned this matter false factual knowledge wished to destroy the truth which the law from God possessed. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hearing’ as discerning, dealt with in 5017; from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as factual knowledge which is opposed to the Church’s truths, and so is false, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6687; from the meaning of ‘killing’ as destroying, dealt with in 6767, so that ‘seeking to kill’ is wishing to destroy; and from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the law of God and God’s truth, dealt with in 6752, and so the truth which the law of God possessed. The expression ‘the truth which the law of God possessed’, and not simply ‘the law of God’, is used because the subject is still the development of the law of God within the Lord’s Human. From all this it is clear that ‘Pharaoh heard of this matter and sought to kill Moses’ means that having discerned this matter false factual knowledge wished to destroy the truth that the law of God possessed.

AC (Elliott) n. 6772 6772. ‘And Moses fled from before Pharaoh’ means that it was separated from falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘fleeing as being separated; from the representation of ‘Moses as the truth which the law from God possessed, dealt with immediately above in 6771; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as falsity, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683, 6771. There now begins here the fifth state in the development of the law of God within the Lord’s Human, and in the relative sense in the development of God’s truth with a person who is being regenerated. It is a state of being separated from falsities and being linked to the truths that go with simple good. After that follows the sixth state, which is that of being linked to good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6773 6773. ‘And dwelt in the land of Midian’ means a life led among those in whom simple good was present. This is clear from the meaning of ‘dwelling’ as leading a life, dealt with in 1193, 3384, 3613, 4451, 6051; and from the meaning of Midian’ as those who are guided by the truths that go with simple good, dealt with in 3242, 4756, 4788. The expression ‘the land’ is used because the Church where those people are is what is meant. For the meaning of ‘the land’ as the Church, see the middle of 6767.

AC (Elliott) n. 6774 6774. ‘And he dwelt next to a well’ means an eagerness there for the Word. This is clear from the meaning of ‘dwelling’ as leading a life, dealt with immediately above in 6773, here an eagerness belonging to that life; and from the meaning of ‘a well’ as the Word, dealt with in 2702, 3424. The Word is sometimes called ‘a well’, at other times ‘a spring’. When it is called ‘a well’ the Word as to its literal sense is meant, but when it is called ‘a spring’ the Word as to its internal sense is meant, 3765. Here Moses is said to dwell ‘next to a well’ because the Word as to its literal sense is what is meant. For that sense is the first that those people have who are being regenerated and making progress towards God’s truth – the people who are the subject here in the internal sense. Furthermore people who are guided by the truths that go with simple good, who are meant here by ‘Midian’, are not interested in any sense other than the literal.

AC (Elliott) n. 6775 6775. ‘And the priest of Midian had seven daughters’ means holy things belonging to that Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a priest’s daughters’ as things that belong to the Church, for ‘a daughter’ means a Church, see 2362, 3963, 6729, and ‘a priest’ the good of love, 1728, 3670, 6148, so that ‘a priest’s daughters’ means a Church so far as its good is concerned; from the meaning of ‘Midian’ as people who are guided by the truths that go with simple good, dealt with just above in 6773; and from the meaning of ‘seven’ as that which is holy, dealt with in 395, 433, 716, 881, 5265, 5268. Thus ‘the priest of Midian had seven daughters’ means holy things belonging to the Church among those who are guided by the truths that go with simple good. The people said to be governed by simple good are those who keep up the external practices of the Church and who in simplicity take the Word literally, each one believing it according to his own understanding. They also lead lives that accord with what they believe, and so are governed by good, depending on the nature of that good, which is determined by the truths that guide them. That good brings an internal dimension of the Church to these people, but because they are not guided by truths of a more internal kind, the good entering in becomes something general and accordingly vague, since spiritual light is unable to fall on particular aspects and thereby illuminate things distinctly. The kind of people spoken of here have heaven granted to them in the next life as determined by the nature of their good, which depends on their truths. People such as these are meant here by ‘Midian’; but properly speaking they are those outside the Church who lead a good life in keeping with their type of religion.

AC (Elliott) n. 6776 6776. ‘And they came and drew water’ means that they received instruction in truths from the Word. This is clear from the meaning of ‘drawing’ as receiving instruction in the truths of faith and becoming enlightened, dealt with in 3058, 3071. The Word as the origin of them is meant by ‘the well’ from which they drew water – for the meaning of ‘the well’ as the Word, see above in 6774.

AC (Elliott) n. 6777 6777. ‘And filled the troughs’ means that from there they enriched teachings about charity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘filling from the well’ as enriching from there, that is, from the Word; and from the meaning of ‘the trough’ as teachings about charity. The reason why ‘the trough’ or water-holder means teachings about charity is that it is a runnel made of wood into which water from a well is drawn to water flocks; for in the internal sense that which is made of wood means the good of charity, 3720,’drawing’ means gaining instruction, 3058, 3071, ‘the water’ that is drawn means the truth of faith, 2702, 3058, 4976, 5668, ‘the well’ from which it is drawn means the Word, 2702, 3424, 6774, and ‘watering flocks’ means giving instruction in good from the Word, 3772. All this shows that ‘the trough’ is the teaching about charity.

AC (Elliott) n. 6778 6778. ‘To water their father’s flock’ means to the end that those governed by good might receive instruction from there. This is clear from the meaning of ‘watering’ as giving instruction, dealt with in 3772; from the meaning of ‘the flock’ as those who learn about and are led to the good of charity, dealt with in 343, 3772, 5913, 6048; and from the representation of Reuel, to whom ‘father’ refers here, and who was a priest, as the good of that Church, a Church where those people are who are guided by the truth that goes with simple good, people dealt with above in 6773, 6775.

AC (Elliott) n. 6779 6779. ‘And the shepherds came and drove them away’ means that teachers steeped in evils set themselves against them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the shepherds’ as those who teach and lead to the good of charity, dealt with in 343, 3795, 6044, here those who teach but, being steeped in evils, do not lead to the good of charity, dealt with below; from the meaning of ‘driving away’ as setting themselves against; and from the meaning of the daughters, the ones whom they drove away, as things belonging to the Church, dealt with above in 6775. Here ‘shepherds’ does indeed mean those who teach, but they are those who do not lead to the good of charity because they are steeped in evils. For those steeped in evils never acknowledge that charity and its works contribute to salvation, because they are incapable of acknowledging things contrary to the life they lead. To do so would be to go against themselves. Being steeped in evils they are not even aware of what charity is, or thus of what the works of charity are. Faith is what they teach, saying that faith is what makes people righteous and what holds the promise of heaven. These are the ones who set themselves against the teachings about charity drawn from the Word, and therefore against people guided by the truth that goes with simple good – the people meant by the daughters of the priest of Midian who, after they had drawn water and filled the troughs to water the flock, were driven away by the shepherds from the well.

AC (Elliott) n. 6780 6780. ‘And Moses rose up and helped them’ means aid brought by truths which the law from God possesses. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ as truth which the law from God possesses, dealt with above in 6771; and from the meaning of ‘helping’ as bringing aid.

AC (Elliott) n. 6781 6781. ‘And watered their flock’ means that those governed by good received instruction from it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘watering’, or giving a drink, as giving instruction, dealt with in 3069, 3092, 3772; and from the meaning of ‘the flock’ as those who learn about and are led to the good of charity, dealt with in 343, 3772, 5913, 6048, thus those who are governed by good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6782 6782. ‘And they came to Reuel their father’ means a joining to the actual good of that Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘coming to someone’ as being joined together; and from the representation of ‘Reuel’, since he was a priest, as good. For the meaning of ‘a priest’ as the good of love, see 1728, 7670, 6148. The joining together meant here is a joining of the Church’s truths to its good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6783 6783. ‘And he said, Why have you hastened to come today?’ means a perception that now it was a certain joining together. This is clear from the meaning of ‘said’, in the historical narratives of the Word, as perception, dealt with often; and from the meaning of ‘hastening to come’ as a certain joining together. For the meaning of ‘hastening’ as certainty, see 5284, and for ‘coming’ as a joining together, immediately above in 6782. What is meant here is not a certain joining together that was effected through the daughters’ hastening to come to their father but one that was effected through truth that the law from God possessed, represented by ‘Moses’. This is what was perceived.

AC (Elliott) n. 6784 6784. ‘And they said, An Egyptian man delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds’ means because true factual knowledge that was attached to the Church prevailed over the power of the teachings that presented falsity arising from evil. This is clear from the meaning of ‘an Egyptian man’ as true factual knowledge, for ‘a man’ means truth, 3134, and ‘an Egyptian’ factual knowledge, 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 4749, 4964, 4966, 4967, 5700, 6004, 6692 (the reason why Moses is called ‘an Egyptian man’ here is that at this point ‘Moses’ represents the kind of truth which those guided by the truth that goes with simple good possess, which is meant by ‘the daughters of the priest of Midian’; and they are guided by that kind of truth because they are members of the external Church, 6775, which also accounts for the description ‘true factual knowledge that was attached to the Church’); and from the meaning of ‘delivering out of the hand of the shepherds’ as its prevailing over the power of falsity from evil. ‘Delivering’ is prevailing over because he who delivers someone from the hand of others prevails over them. ‘Hand’ means power, 878, 3387, 4931-4937, 5327, 5328, 5544, and ‘shepherds’ those who teach, here those who teach falsity arising from evil, 6779; and since teachers are meant their kind of teaching is meant also.

[2] The reason why true factual knowledge prevails over the power of the teaching of falsity from evil is that the Divine is present in all truth that springs from good. But in falsity springing from evil the opposite is present, and what is the opposite of the Divine is totally unable to prevail. In the next life therefore a thousand under the influence of falsity springing from evil are totally unable to prevail against a single one governed by truth springing from good. At the presence of this single one the thousand flee; or if they do not flee they suffer pain and torment. The expression falsity from evil is used because that kind of falsity really is falsity, whereas falsity that does not spring from evil but from ignorance of the truth is not really such. Evil is what stands opposed to heaven, not falsity due to ignorance. Indeed if this ignorance has some measure of innocence within it, that falsity is accepted by the Lord as if it were truth, for those subject to that kind of falsity accept the truth.

AC (Elliott) n. 6785 6785. ‘And he even drew water for us’ means that the instruction it gave came from the Word. This is clear from the meaning of ‘drawing’ as giving instruction in the truths of faith and bringing enlightenment, dealt with in 3058, 3071. Its coming from the Word is meant by ‘the well’ from which they drew water. For the meaning of ‘the well’ as the Word, see 6774.

AC (Elliott) n. 6786 6786. ‘And watered the flock’ means those who belonged to the Church there. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the flock’ as those who are governed by good and who allow themselves to be instructed, dealt with in 343, 3772, 5913, 6048, here those who belonged to the Church there, namely those who are guided by the truth that goes with simple good and are meant by ‘Midian’, as shown above. ‘The flock’ means both good and the Church, that is, those who are governed by good and belong to the Church, for the two things are so bound up together that one is inseparable from the other. One who is governed by the good of faith has the Church in him; and one who has the Church in him is governed by the good of faith.

AC (Elliott) n. 6787 6787. Verses 20-22 And he said to his daughters, And where is he? Why is it that you left the man? Call him, and let him eat bread. And Moses was willing to dwell with the man; and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses. And she bore a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, I am a stranger in a foreign land.

‘And he said to his daughters means thought about the holy things belonging to the Church. ‘And where is he? Why is it that you left the man?’ means, In what way without that truth could they be joined to the good of the Church? ‘Call him’ means that it was to be joined. ‘And let him eat bread’ means being made stronger in good. ‘And Moses was willing to dwell with the man’ means that they were in agreement. ‘And he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses’ means that he linked the good of his Church to it. ‘And she bore a son’ means the truths from that union. ‘And he called his name Gershom’ means the essential nature of them. ‘For he said, I am a stranger in a foreign land’ means that he received instruction in truths in a Church that was not his own.

AC (Elliott) n. 6788 6788. ‘And he said to his daughters’ means thought about the holy things belonging to the Church. This is clear from the meaning of saying’ as thought, dealt with in 3395; and from the meaning of ‘daughters’ as holy things belonging to the Church, dealt with above in 6775. The holy things meant here by ‘daughters’ are truths. In the Word these are called holy because the truths which become the truths of faith with a person have their origin in good, and also because what emanates from the Lord’s Divine Human is Divine Truth originating in Divine Good. That being so, the Holy Spirit is a holy influence emanating from the Lord; the actual Spirit does not emanate from Him but the holy utterances made by the Spirit, as anyone may see who gives thought to the matter. The fact that the Holy Spirit, also referred to as the Paraclete, is Divine Truth emanating from the Lord’s Divine Human, and the fact that the word ‘holy’ is used in reference to Divine Truth, is clear from the Lord’s words in John,

I will ask the Father to give you another Paraclete, to remain with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. The Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and remind you of all that I said to you. John 14:16, 17, 26.

In the same gospel,

When the Paraclete comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes forth from the Father, He will bear witness to Me. John 15:26.

And in the same gospel,

When He the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak from Himself, but whatever He hears He will speak. He will glorify Me, for He will receive from what is Mine and declare It to you; all things whatever that the Father has are Mine, therefore I said that He will receive from what is Mine and declare it to you. John 16:13-15.

If one compares these places with very many others one may understand that the Holy Spirit is a holy emanation from the Lord’s Divine Human, for the Lord says, ‘Whom the Father will send in My name’, also ‘Whom I shall send to you from the Father’, as well as ‘He will receive from what is Mine and declare it to you; all things whatever that the Father has are Mine, therefore I said that He will receive from what is Mine and declare it to you’. It is also evident that the word ‘holy’ is used in reference to truth because the Paraclete is called ‘the Spirit of truth’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6789 6789. ‘And where is he? Why is it that you left the man?’ means, In what way without that truth could they be joined to the good of the Church? This is clear from the meaning of an Egyptian man, to whom ‘the man they left’ refers here, as true factual knowledge, dealt with above in 6784; and from the meaning of ‘Why is it that you left the man?’ as, In what way without that truth could they be joined to good? For ‘leaving the man’ here is not being able to be joined.

[2] But the nature of all this needs to be explained. True factual knowledge, represented here by ‘Moses’, is truth as the external Church knows it. This truth depends for its existence on the truth which the law from God possesses, which too ‘Moses’ represents, 6771, 6780; and the truth that the law from God possesses is truth as the internal Church knows it. Unless external truth springs from internal truth it cannot be joined to good. Let the Word serve to illustrate this. But for the influence of the inner spirit of the Word received by those who read the Word and yet confine themselves to the literal sense, truth from the Word does not become joined to good. The inner spirit of the Word influences a person and becomes joined to good when he considers the Word to be holy; and he considers it to be holy when he is governed by good.

[3] Let the Holy Supper also serve to illustrate the matter. Scarcely any know that the bread there means the Lord’s love towards the entire human race and man’s reciprocation of that love, and that the wine means charity. Even so, those who receive the bread and wine in a holy manner are joined by means of them to heaven and the Lord; and through the angels – who do not think at that time about bread and wine, only about love and charity, 3464, 3735, 5915 – different forms of the good of love and charity flow in. From this one may see that when a person is governed by good external truth is joined to internal truth, without his knowing it.

AC (Elliott) n. 6790 6790. ‘Call him’ means that it was to be joined. This is clear from the meaning of ‘calling’ as being joined together, dealt with in 6047.

AC (Elliott) n. 6791 6791. ‘And let him eat bread’ means being made stronger in good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bread’ as the good of love, dealt with in 2165, 2177, 3478, 3735, 3813, 4211, 4217, 4735. The reason why eating bread’ is being made stronger in good is that ‘eating’ is used here to mean a banquet which in the Word is called a feast. Banquets or feasts were held among the ancients within the Church for the sake of joining people together and making them stronger in good, see 3596, 3832, 5161.

AC (Elliott) n. 6792 6792. ‘And Moses was willing to dwell with the man’ means that they were in agreement. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ here as true factual knowledge, dealt with above in 6784; from the meaning of ‘dwelling’ as living, dealt with in 1293, 3384, 3613, and ‘dwelling with someone’ as living together, 4451, and therefore being in agreement; and from the meaning of ‘the man’ as the truth that went with the good of that Church. For the meaning of ‘the man’ as truth, see 3134,

AC (Elliott) n. 6793 6793. ‘And he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses’ means that he linked the good of his Church to it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘giving’ – that is, giving in marriage – as linking to; from the meaning of ‘daughter’ as good, dealt with in 489-491, and also as a Church, 2362, 3963, 6729 (‘Zipporah’ means the essential nature of the good of that Church); and from the representation of ‘Moses’ as true factual knowledge, dealt with in 6784.

AC (Elliott) n. 6794 6794. ‘And she bore a son’ means the truths from that union. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bearing’, which is used in reference to the things belonging to the Church, that is, faith and charity (these births are products of the heavenly marriage, which is the marriage of goodness and truth and is represented by marriages on earth); and from the meaning of ‘a son’ as truth, dealt with in 489, 491, 533, 2623, 3373.

AC (Elliott) n. 6795 6795. ‘And he called his name Gershom’ means the essential nature of them, of those truths. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the name’ and ‘calling the name’ as the essential nature, dealt with in 144, 145, 1754, 2009, 2724, 3006, 3421, 6674, ‘Gershom’ implies the essential nature of those truths, which is that they are the truths in which he received instruction in a Church that was not his own – the meaning in what immediately follows.

AC (Elliott) n. 6796 6796. ‘For he said, I am a stranger in a foreign land’ means that he received instruction in truths in a Church that was not his own. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being a stranger’ as one who receives instruction in things which are those of the Church; and from the meaning of ‘land’ as the Church, dealt with in 662, 1067, 1262, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118 (end), 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577, so that ‘a foreign land’ is a Church that is not one’s own.

AC (Elliott) n. 6797 6797. Verses 23-25 And it happened in [the course of] these many days, that the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed because of their hard service, and cried out; and their cry came up to God because of their hard service. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God saw the children of Israel, and God knew [them].

‘And it happened in [the course of] these many days’ means after quite a number of changes of state. ‘That the king of Egypt died’ means the end of the falsity that had reigned previously. ‘And the children of Israel sighed because of their hard service’ means grief on account of the endeavour to subdue the truth of the Church. ‘And cried out’ means a calling for help. ‘And their cry came up to God because of their hard service’ means that they were heard. ‘And God heard their groaning’ means help. ‘And God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob’ means on account of being joined to the Church through the Lord’s Divine Human. ‘And God saw the children of Israel’ means that He endowed the Church with faith. ‘And God knew them means that [He endowed it] with charity.

AC (Elliott) n. 6798 6798. ‘And it happened in [the course of] these many days’ means after quite a number of changes of state. This is clear from the meaning of ‘days’ as states, dealt with in 23, 487, 488, 4893, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850, so that ‘it happened in many days’ means after quite a number of states or after quite a number of changes of state.

AC (Elliott) n. 6799 6799. ‘That the king of Egypt died’ means the end of the falsity that had reigned previously. This is clear from the meaning of ‘dying’ as ceasing to exist, dealt with in 494, 6587, 6593, thus the end; and from the representation of Pharaoh or ‘the king of Egypt’ as false factual knowledge, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692.

AC (Elliott) n. 6800 6800. ‘And the children of Israel sighed because of their hard service’ means grief on account of the endeavour to subdue the truth of the Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘sighing’ as grief; from the representation of ‘the children (or sons) of Israel’ as the truths of the Church, dealt with in 5414, 5879, 5951; and from the meaning of ‘hard service’ as the endeavour to subdue, dealt with in 6666, 6670, 6671.

AC (Elliott) n. 6801 6801. ‘And cried out’ means a calling for help. This is clear without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6802 6802. ‘And their cry came up to God because of their hard service’ means that they were heard. This too becomes clear without explanation, for it is followed by the statement that ‘God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6803 6803. ‘And God heard their groaning’ means help. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hearing’ as obeying, dealt with in 2542, 3869, 4652-4660, 5017, though when used of the Lord the word means making provision and bringing help, for the Lord brings help to the one He hears; and from the meaning of ‘groaning’ as grief on account of the endeavour by falsities to subdue them.

AC (Elliott) n. 6804 6804. ‘And God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob’ means on account of being joined to the Church through the Lord’s Divine Human. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the covenant’ as a joining together, dealt with below; and from the representation of ‘Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’, with whom a covenant had been made, as the Lord’s Divine Human. ‘Abraham’ represents the Lord in respect of the Divine itself, ‘Isaac’ in respect of the Divine Rational, and ‘Jacob’ in respect of the Divine Natural, see 1893, 2011, 2066, 2072, 2083, 2630, 3194, 3210, 3245, 3251, 3305 (end), 3439, 4538, 4570, 4615, 6098, 6185, 6276, 6425. When Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are mentioned in the Word those patriarchs are not meant in the spiritual sense, as may be recognized from the consideration that names never pass through into heaven. Only what is really meant by the people who are referred to – real things, the essential nature of real things, and the states of real things, that is to say, aspects of the Church, of the Lord’s kingdom, and of the Lord Himself – passes through.

[2] But in addition to this the angels in heaven never fix their thoughts on specific persons; that would restrict their thoughts and remove them from that all-inclusive perception of real things that lies behind angelic speech. This explains why the things that the angels in heaven say are indescribable, far surpassing human thought, whose range does not extend to seeing things in their totality but is restricted to particular aspects. When one reads therefore in Matt. 8:11 that many will come from the east and the west and recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, the angels perceive the Lord’s presence and the way people make the truth and goodness emanating from His Divine Human their own. Also when one reads in Luke 16:22 that Lazarus was carried into Abraham’s bosom, the angels perceive that he was carried into heaven, where the Lord is present. This too goes to show that ‘a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’ means in the internal sense being joined through the Lord’s Divine Human.

[3] The fact that the Divine Human is ‘a covenant’, that is, the actual joining together, may be seen from many places in the Word, as in Isaiah,

I will give You as a covenant of the people’, a light of the nations. Isa. 42:6.

In the same prophet,

I have given You as a covenant of the people,* to restore the land, to share out the devastated inheritances. Isa. 49:8.

In the same prophet,

Incline your ear and come to Me; hear, and let your soul live. So will I make with you an eternal covenant, even the sure mercies of David. Lo, I have given Him as a witness to the peoples, a prince and lawgiver to the peoples.** Isa. 55:3, 4.

In Malachi,

Suddenly there comes to His temple the Lord whom you seek, and the angel of the covenant in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming. Mal. 3:1

In the second Book of Samuel,

He has established an eternal covenant for Me, to be set in order for all and to be kept safe. 2 Sam. 23:5.

[4] These places plainly refer to the Lord and to the joining of the human race to the Lord’s Divine Being itself through His Divine Human. In respect of His Divine Human the Lord is the Mediator, and no one can come to the Divine Being itself within the Lord, called the Father, except through the Son, that is, the Divine Human, as is well known in the Church. Thus the Lord in respect of His Divine Human is the actual joining together. Can anyone in his thought begin to comprehend the Divine Being itself? And if he cannot do this in thought how can he be joined to the Divine itself in love? But the Divine Human anyone can comprehend in thought and be joined to in love.

[5] The meaning of ‘a covenant’ as a joining together may be seen in the fact that covenants between countries join them together. They are bargains made by both parties which must be kept if their alliance is to remain intact. These bargains or agreements are also called a covenant. On man’s side the bargains or agreements that are called ‘a covenant’ in the Word are in a restricted sense the ten commandments or the Decalogue. In a wider sense they are all the statutes, orders, laws, testimonies, and commandments that the Lord decreed from Mount Sinai through Moses; and in an even wider sense they are the Books of Moses. The contents of these books were what the children of Israel were required on their side to carry out. On the Lord’s side it is mercy and election.

[6] The ten commandments or the Decalogue are a covenant.

This is clear from the following places: In Moses,

Jehovah declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the ten words which He wrote on two tablets of stone. Deut. 4 :13, 23.

And since the two tablets of stone on which the ten commandments had been written were placed in the ark, Exod. 25:16, 21, 22; 31:18; 32:15, 16, 19; 40:20, the ark was called the ark of the covenant, Deut. 31:9, 24-26; Josh. 3:3, 6, 14; 4:7; Judg. 20:27; 2 Sam. 15:24; 1 Kings 8:21. In the last of these references Solomon says,

I have made a place there for the ark, where there is the covenant of Jehovah which He made with our fathers.

And in John,

The temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. Rev. 11:19.

[7] All the judgements and statutes which the Lord commanded the people of Israel through Moses are called a covenant; so too are the actual Books of Moses. In Moses,

According to the tenor*** of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel. Exod. 34:27.

What are called a covenant here were many regulations regarding sacrifices, feasts, and unleavened bread. In the same author,

Moses took the book of the covenant, and read it in the ears of the people, who said, All that Jehovah has spoken we will do and hear. Exod. 24:7, 8.

In the second Book of Kings,

Josiah the king of Judah read before them all in the house of Jehovah the words of the book of the covenant which had been found in the house of Jehovah. And he made a covenant before Jehovah, to establish the words of the covenant that were written in that book. And all the people took a stand on the covenant. The king commanded all the people to keep the Passover to Jehovah their God, in accordance with what was written in the book of the covenant. 2 Kings 23:2, 3, 21.

In David,

If your sons keep My covenant and My testimony which I have taught them, their sons also will sit even forever on your throne. Ps. 132:12.

[8] A covenant is a joining together through love and faith.

In Jeremiah,

Behold, the days are coming, said Jehovah, in which I will make with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers, for they made My covenant invalid. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days: I will put My law in the midst of them, and will write it on their heart, and I will be their God, and they will be My people. Jer. 31:31-33.

‘Putting the law in their midst, and writing it on their heart’ is endowing with faith and charity, faith and charity being the means by which the joining together described by ‘I will be their God, and they will be My people’ is effected. In the same prophet,

I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not any more turn away from them, and I will do good to them. But I will put My fear into their heart so that they do not depart from Me. Jer. 32:40.

A joining together through love, which is a covenant, is meant by ‘I will put My fear into their heart so that they do not depart from Me’.

[9] In Ezekiel,

I will make with them a covenant of peace; it will be an eternal covenant with them. And I will bless**** them and will multiply them, and I will set a sanctuary in their midst, and it will be My dwelling-place among them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. Ezek. 37:26, 27.

Here a joining together through love and faith, which are a covenant, is described by ‘a sanctuary in their midst’ and ‘dwelling-place among them’, and by ‘I will be their God, and they will be My people’. In the same prophet,

When I passed by you and saw you, behold, it was your time, the time of love;***** and I entered into a covenant with you, so that you would be Mine. Ezek. 16:8.

This refers to Jerusalem, by which the Ancient Church is meant, ‘entering into a covenant, so that you would be Mine’ plainly being a marriage or spiritual joining together. Since ‘a covenant’ means a joining together a wife is also called in Mal. 2:14 the wife of a covenant, while a joining together that exists among brothers is called in Amos 1:9 a covenant of brothers. ‘A covenant’ is also used in David to mean a joining together,

I have made a covenant with My chosen one, I have sworn to David My servant. Ps. 89:3.

[10] The agreement in a covenant on the Lord’s side is mercy and election. This is clear in David,

All the ways of Jehovah are mercy and truth to those keeping His covenant and His testimonies. Ps. 25:10.

In Isaiah,

The mountains will depart and the hills be removed, but My mercy will not depart from you, nor the covenant of My peace be removed, said Jehovah, who has mercy on you. Isa. 54:10.

In Moses,

Jehovah your God, He is God, the faithful God keeping covenant and mercy with those who love Him and keep His commandments, to the thousandth generation. Deut. 7:9, 11.

In the same author,

If you keep My covenant, you will be to Me a peculiar treasure from among all peoples. Exod. 19:5.

In the same author,

I will have regard for you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and confirm My covenant with you. Lev. 26:9.

‘Having regard for them’ is viewing with mercy. ‘Making them fruitful and multiplying them’ is endowing with charity and faith, and those endowed with them are called ‘the elect’. Thus the words used here have to do with election and so do those which say that they will be ‘a peculiar
treasure’.

[11] In the representative Church they also had signs of the covenant. These served to remind people of the joining together. Circumcision was one such sign, Gen. 17:11; for circumcision was a sign meaning purification from filthy loves. After these loves are removed, heavenly love is introduced, through which a joining together is effected. The sabbath too is called an eternal covenant, Exod. 31:16; and of the leaves of the presence it is said that to the children of Israel they should be for an eternal covenant, Lev. 24:8, 9. Blood in particular was a sign, as is clear in Moses,

Moses took the book of the covenant, and read it in the ears of the people, who said, All that Jehovah has spoken we will do and hear. Then Moses took the blood of the sacrifice of a peace-offering and sprinkled it over the people, and said, Behold, the blood of the covenant which Jehovah has made with you, upon all these words. Exod. 24:7, 8.

In Zechariah,

Through the blood of your covenant I will let out the bound ones from the pit in which there is no water. Zech. 9:11.

‘The blood’ was the covenant or sign of the covenant because it meant a joining together through spiritual love, that is, through charity towards the neighbour. This was why, when the Lord instituted the Holy Supper, He called His blood ‘the blood of the new covenant’, Matt. 26:28. From all this one may now see what ‘the covenant’ is used to mean in the internal sense of the Word.
* The Latin means for the people but the Hebrew means of the people, which Sw. has in some other places where he quotes this verse.
** The Latin means nations but the Hebrew means peoples, which Sw. has in other places where he quotes this verse.
*** lit. Upon the mouth
**** lit. give
***** lit. loves

AC (Elliott) n. 6805 6805. ‘And God saw the children of Israel’ means that He endowed the Church with faith. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seeing’ as having faith, dealt with in 897, 2325, 2807, 3863, 3869, 4403-4421, 5400, so that ‘God saw’ is endowing with faith (for faith comes from God); and from the meaning of ‘the children of Israel’ as the Church, dealt with in 6637.

AC (Elliott) n. 6806 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.

AC (Elliott) n. 6807 6807. SPIRITS BELONGING TO THE PLANET MERCURY

It has been shown at the ends of quite a number of chapters that heaven as a whole resembles a human being, called the Grand Man, and that every single detail both of the outward and of the inward aspects of a human being correspond to that Man, which is heaven. But those who come from our planet into the next life, being relatively few in numbers, are not sufficient to compose this Grand Man. People from many other planets are needed; and as soon as the correspondence is anywhere deficient in quantity or in quality the Lord sees to it that people are immediately summoned from one planet or another to fill the gap, so that the right balance is achieved and heaven is accordingly made stable.

AC (Elliott) n. 6808 6808. What the spirits from the planet Mercury correlate with in the Grand Man has also been revealed to me from heaven. They correlate with the memory, but the memory of things devoid of any earthly or merely material associations. But since I have been allowed to talk to those spirits, doing so for quite a number of weeks, to discover what kind of people they are, and to find out what the situation is with the inhabitants of that planet, I would like to describe my actual experiences.

AC (Elliott) n. 6809 6809. On one occasion they came to me and investigated the contents of my memory. Spirits can do this with the greatest skill, for when they come to a person they see in his memory every item of what he knows. When therefore those spirits belonging to Mercury investigated its various contents, which included cities and other places where I had been, I noticed that they had no wish to know about churches, palaces, houses, or streets, only about the deeds I had heard of that had been performed in those places, also about anything that had to do with their form of government, or that had to do with the character and customs of the people there, and anything similar. For in a person’s memory things like these are associated with places, and therefore when these places are called to mind those things present themselves as well. I was amazed that those spirits were of such a disposition and I therefore asked them why they ignored the magnificent sights in such places and investigated only the conduct of affairs and the deeds performed there. They said that they gained no delight out of looking at material, bodily, or earthly objects, only at things of real importance. This experience was what first made it evident to me that spirits belonging to that planet correlate in the Grand Man with the memory of things devoid of material and earthly associations.

AC (Elliott) n. 6810 6810. I was told that the people on the planet they belong to lead that kind of life. That is to say, they have no interest at all in earthly or bodily objects, only in the laws, religious and secular, of the nations there, and in their forms of government, as well as the things of heaven, which are countless. I was told in addition that quite a number of people on that planet talk to spirits and consequently acquire from them items of knowledge about spiritual realities and about states of life after death and also consequently acquire a disdain for bodily and earthly interests. For people who have a definite knowledge of and belief in life after death are interested in heavenly things because they are eternal and bring happiness, and not in worldly ones beyond the necessities of life required by them.

AC (Elliott) n. 6811 6811. How eagerly they investigate and absorb items of knowledge – the kinds of things on the level of memory above the perceptions of the physical senses – was made clear to me by the fact that when they looked at what I knew about heavenly things they ran quickly through it all, saying repeatedly, That is so, that is so. For when spirits come to a person they enter into possession of his entire memory and call forth from it the things suited to them; indeed, as I have often observed, they gather those things from it like information from a book. The spirits belonging to Mercury did this very skillfully and quickly, for they did not pay attention to the kinds of things that slow one down and that restrict and consequently hamper one’s inner vision, as all earthly and bodily interests do when they have become one’s end in view, that is, when one loves them to the exclusion of all else. The spirits fixed their attention on the things of real importance, for things that have nothing earthly attached to them carry the mind upwards and so into a wide field of vision, whereas wholly material things carry it downwards and so into a narrow one. Their eagerness to acquire knowledge was also made plain to me by the following experience. I was once writing about things to come. Being a long way off, those spirits could not inspect the things in my memory; and because I did not wish to read those things aloud in their presence they were extremely annoyed and wished uncharacteristically to rail against me, saying that I was a very wicked man, and other such things. To show their feeling of anger they created in the right side of my head down to my ear a kind of tightening, and pain with it; but such treatment caused me no harm. Yet because they were acting badly they went further and further away from me, though they kept on halting, wishing to know what I had written about things to come. Such is their desire for knowledge.

AC (Elliott) n. 6812 6812. Spirits belonging to Mercury possess more knowledge about real things than all other spirits possess – things both within our solar system and also outside it in starry space. Once they have acquired such knowledge they commit it to memory and also recall it as often as anything similar comes their way. This plainly shows too that spirits’ memory is far more perfect than men’s, and also that spirits commit to memory what they hear, see, and discern, most especially the kinds of things that give them delight, like those spirits from Mercury who are delighted with knowledge about real things. For what gives delight and is loved flows into the mind of its own accord so to speak and remains; nothing else goes in, but merely touches the surface and slips away.

AC (Elliott) n. 6813 6813. When spirits belonging to Mercury go to other communities they seek to discover the things they know, and having discovered them they depart. Besides there exists among spirits a spirit of sharing which is such that if they are in a community in which they feel accepted and loved they share everything they know. And they do it not by the use of any kind of speaking but by influx. Because of all the knowledge they have acquired the spirits belonging to Mercury are extraordinarily proud of themselves, on account of which I have told them that although they know countless numbers of things there is nevertheless an infinite number they do not know, and that even if the number of things they know were to go on increasing for evermore they still could not attain an acquaintance with even the broadest outlines of things. I have gone on to tell them that they have pride and a high opinion of themselves, and that these are unbecoming. But they have replied that it is not pride but merely exultation because of the power of memory they possess; and in this way they are able to excuse their faults.

AC (Elliott) n. 6814 6814. Because it is material they avoid the use of verbal speech, and therefore I have been unable to talk to them except by means of a kind of active thinking. Since their memory consists of real things, not of merely material images, it is more readily equipped to supply thought with objects; for thought on a level above that which calls on material images needs for its objects real things that are devoid of material associations. But in spite of this, the spirits belonging to Mercury are endowed with little power of judgement. They take no delight in matters of judgement or in conclusions formed from items of knowledge; for items of knowledge pure and simple are what delight them.

AC (Elliott) n. 6815 6815. I have been allowed to introduce into their minds the question of whether or not they wished to make any use of all the knowledge they possessed. For it is not sufficient to take delight simply in knowing, because knowledge looks towards useful services, and such services must be the end in view. I have intimated to them that knowledge by itself is not useful to them but will be useful to others with whom they may be willing to share it. It is not at all suitable for a person who wishes to be wise to stop at simply possessing knowledge, for knowledge is merely the means to an end; it should serve as the means to discover the services that ought to be performed by people in their lives. But those spirits have said in reply that they take delight in knowledge and that knowledge by itself is useful to them.

AC (Elliott) n. 6816 6816. The spirits belonging to Mercury are altogether different from those who belong to our planet, for spirits belonging to our planet are not so interested in real things but in material, worldly, bodily, and earthly matters. This being so, spirits belonging to Mercury cannot stay together with spirits belonging to our planet; and therefore whenever they meet them they run away. For the spiritual spheres that emanate from both kinds are virtual opposites. Spirits belonging to Mercury openly declare that they like what can be extracted from material things but that they have no wish to look at the outer casing, only at real things stripped of their casing, that is, what lies within.

AC (Elliott) n. 6817 6817. ‘Spirits belonging to the planet Mercury’ is continued at the end of the next chapter.

AC (Elliott) n. 6818 6818. 3

TEACHINGS ABOUT CHARITY

More needs to be stated regarding the neighbour, for unless one is aware of what is meant by the neighbour one cannot know how charity should be exercised. In the preliminary section to the previous chapter it was stated that each individual person is the neighbour, yet no one person in the same way as another, and that one governed by good is pre-eminently the neighbour, which means that the good present with a person is what one should love. For when one loves good one loves the Lord since the Lord is the One from whom Good comes, who is present within Good, and who is Good itself.

AC (Elliott) n. 6819 6819. Not only is an individual person one’s neighbour but also a group of people; for the community whether small or large is one’s neighbour, as is one’s country, the Church, the Lord’s kingdom, and above all others the Lord. All these are meant by the neighbour whom one should be moved by charity to benefit. They are also ascending degrees of the neighbour, for a community composed of a group of people is the neighbour in a higher degree than an individual person, one’s country in a still higher degree than the community, the Church in a still higher degree than this, and the Lord’s kingdom in a still higher degree than that. But the Lord is the neighbour in the highest degree. These ascending degrees are like a flight of stairs which have the Lord at the top.

AC (Elliott) n. 6820 6820. The community is the neighbour over the individual person because it consists of a group of people; therefore the same charity ought to be exercised towards it as towards the individual person, that is to say, in keeping with the kind of good that resides there. Thus it should be exercised towards a community of upright people in a way altogether different from that in which it should be towards a community of people who are not upright.

AC (Elliott) n. 6821 6821. One’s country is the neighbour over the community because it is like a parent, for being the place where the person is born, it nurtures him and protects him from all harm. One ought out of love for one’s country to do good to it according to its needs, which have regard primarily to its sustenance, its public life, and its spiritual life. Anyone who loves his country and out of goodwill does good to it will in the next life love the Lord’s kingdom, for there the Lord’s kingdom becomes his country. And anyone who loves the Lord’s kingdom loves the Lord since the Lord is the All in all of His kingdom, for strictly speaking the Lord’s kingdom is the goodness and truth which reside with the inhabitants of that kingdom, and which they receive from the Lord.

AC (Elliott) n. 6822 6822. The Church is the neighbour over one’s country, for one who cares for the Church does so by caring for the souls and the eternal life of people living in his country; the Church is cared for when a person is led by him to good. If he does it out of charity he loves the neighbour since he desires and intends that heaven and the happiness of the life that lasts forever should be the other’s. Good can be inculcated in another by any citizen, but truth only by those who are ministers that teach it. If others teach it, heresies arise, and the Church becomes confused and is torn apart. Charity is exercised when a truth that the Church possesses is used to lead the neighbour to good; and if in the Church something is said to be true and yet it leads away from good, it should not be repeated, for it is not the truth. Everyone must first obtain truth from the teachings of the Church, then after that from the Word of the Lord; and this must serve him as the truth composing his faith.

AC (Elliott) n. 6823 6823. The Lord’s kingdom is the neighbour in a higher degree than the Church in which anyone is born, for the Lord’s kingdom is made up of all those who are governed by good both on earth and in heaven. This means that the Lord’s kingdom consists in good, which includes all kinds of good in their entirety. When this good is loved so are individual persons who are governed by good. Thus the whole, that is, all good in its entirety, constitutes the neighbour in the first degree. It constitutes the Grand Man, which was the subject at the ends of quite a number of chapters, the Man who is an image representative of the Lord Himself. This Man, which is the Lord’s kingdom, is loved when from deepest affection good is done to those who are by means of that Man made truly human by the Lord, thus those among whom the Lord’s kingdom is established.

AC (Elliott) n. 6824 6824. Such are the degrees of the neighbour, and it is in accordance with them that charity ought to increase in scale. But these degrees are those of consecutive order, in which a prior or higher degree always takes precedence over a posterior or lower one; and since the Lord occupies the highest degree and one should look to him in each specific degree as the End to which they all rise, He must be loved above all people and all things.

EXODUS 3

1 And Moses was feeding the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb.

2 And the angel of Jehovah appeared to him in a flame of fire from the middle of a bramble bush; and he saw, and behold, the bramble bush was burning with fire, and the bramble bush was not at all being consumed.

3 And Moses said, I will turn aside therefore, and see this great sight, why the bramble bush is not burnt.

4 And Jehovah saw that he turned aside to see, and God called to him from the middle of the bramble bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here I am.

5 And He said, Do not draw near here; take off your shoes from upon Your feet, for the place which you are standing on is holy ground.

6 And He said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

7 And Jehovah said, I have indeed seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry from before their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows.

8 And I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians, and to cause them to come up out of that land to a land good and broad, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite, and the Amorite and the Perizzite, and the Hivite and the Jebusite.

9 And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me; and also I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.

10 And now, go, and I will send you to Pharaoh; and lead My people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

11 And Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?

12 And He said, Because I will be with you; and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you lead the people out of Egypt you shall worship God beside this mountain.

13 And Moses said to God, Behold, I am coming to the children of Israel and saying to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they may say to me, What is His name? What am I to say to them?

14 And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM. And He said, Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.

15 And God said further still to Moses, Thus you are to say to the children of Israel Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you; this is My name forever,* and this is My memorial from one generation to another.**

16 Go and gather the elders of Israel, and you are to say to them, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, has appeared to me – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – saying, I have certainly visited you and [seen] what has been done to you in Egypt.

17 And I say, I will cause you to come up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite, and the Amorite and the Perizzite, and the Hivite and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.

18 And they will hear your voice, and you and the elders of Israel are to go in to the king of Egypt, and you are to say to him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has come to meet us; and now let us go, we beg you, a way of three days*** into the wilderness, and let us sacrifice to Jehovah our God.

19 And I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go, not even**** by a strong hand.

20 And I will stretch out***** My hand, and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in the midst of it; and after that he will send you away.

21 And I will give this people favour****** in the eyes of the Egyptians; and so it will be when you go, that you will not go empty-handed.

22 And let a woman ask of her female neighbour, and of the female guest in her house, vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and clothes; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. And you shall plunder the Egyptians.
* lit. into eternity
** lit. into a generation, a generation
*** i.e. a three days’ journey
**** lit. and not
***** lit. send
****** lit. grace

AC (Elliott) n. 6825 6825. CONTENTS

In the first chapter the subject in the internal sense was the molestation of those belonging to the Church by falsities and evils; and in the second chapter it was the first beginnings and the succeeding states of God’s truth among them. The present chapter deals in the internal sense with their deliverance. First they are taught who God their Deliverer is, namely the Lord, and that He will bring them into heaven after they have been endowed with a large amount of truth and good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6826 6826. THE INTERNAL SENSE

Verses 1-3 And Moses was feeding the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb. And the angel of Jehovah appeared to him in a flame of fire from the middle of a bramble bush; and he saw, and behold, the bramble bush was burning with fire, and the bramble bush was not at all being consumed. And Moses said, I will turn aside therefore, and see this great sight, why the bramble bush is not burnt.

‘And Moses was feeding the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian’ means that the law from God instructed those who were guided by the truth that went with simple good, ‘the priest of Midian’ being the good of the Church where those people were. ‘And he led the flock to the back of the wilderness’ means after the temptations they had undergone. ‘And came to the mountain of God’ means that after them the good of God’s love appeared. ‘To Horeb’ means the essential nature of it. ‘And the angel of Jehovah appeared to him’ means the Lord’s Divine Human. ‘In a flame of fire from the middle of a bramble bush’ means God’s love present in true factual knowledge. ‘And he saw, and behold, the bramble bush was burning with fire’ means a recognition that true factual knowledge was full of the good of God’s love. ‘And the bramble bush was not at all being consumed’ means Divine Truth united to Divine Good in the natural. ‘And Moses said’ means a perception coming from the law from God. ‘I will turn aside therefore, and see this great sight’ means reflection on this revelation. ‘Why the bramble bush is not burnt’ means that such a union exists.

AC (Elliott) n. 6827 6827. ‘And Moses was feeding the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian’ means that the law from God instructed those who were guided by the truth that went with simple good, ‘the priest of Midian’ being the good of the Church where those people were. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Lord in respect of the law of God, dealt with in 6752 (initially ‘Moses’ represented the Lord in respect of the truth that the law from God possessed, 6771, but here he represents Him in respect of that law itself – one is allowed to speak in this way of stages of development that took place in the Lord before He became the law of God itself in respect of His Human. The whole of the Word deals in its inmost or highest sense solely with the Lord and the glorification of His Human; but since that inmost or highest sense goes far beyond human understanding, let it be the internal sense of the Word that is explained here, the sense in which the subject is the Lord’s kingdom, the Church and the establishment of it, and also the regeneration by the Lord of members of the Church. These are the subject in the internal sense because human regeneration is an image representative of the Lord’s glorification, see 3138, 3212, 3245, 3246, 3296, 3490, 4402, 5688);

[2] from the meaning of ‘feeding’ as instructing, dealt with in 3795, 5201; from the meaning of ‘the flock’ as one who learns and is led by means of truth to the good of charity, dealt with in 343, so that in a general sense ‘the flock’ is the Church, 3767, 3768, here the Church where those people are who are guided by the truth that goes with simple good, who are meant by ‘Midian’, 3242, 4756; from the meaning of ‘father-in-law’ as the good from which, as from a father, sprang the good that was joined to truth, here the truth that the law from God possessed, which ‘Moses’ represents, see 6793 (‘Jethro’ being the essential nature of that good); and from the meaning of’ the priest of Midian’ as the good of the Church where those who were guided by the truth that went with simple good were, dealt with in 6775. From all this it is evident that ‘Moses was feeding the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian’ means that the law from God instructed those who were guided by the truth that went with simple good, and that ‘the priest of Midian’ is the good of the Church where those people were.

AC (Elliott) n. 6828 6828. ‘And he led the flock to the back of the wilderness’ means after the temptations they – those guided by the truth that went with simple good – had undergone. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the flock’ as the Church where those who were guided by the truth that went with simple good were, dealt with immediately above in 6827; and from the meaning of ‘the wilderness’ as a state of temptation. ‘A wilderness’ can mean that which is sparsely inhabited and cultivated or else that which is totally uninhabited and uncultivated, and so in the spiritual sense means a person who has experienced vastation as regards good and desolation as regards truth. It therefore means a person undergoing temptation, for a person undergoing temptation experiences vastation and desolation. The falsity and evil present in him come out into the open, blotting out and virtually removing the influx of truth and good from the Lord. And the truth that does flow in does not seem to that person to possess the kind of life that can dispel falsities and evils. Furthermore evil spirits are present at this time, injecting a feeling of distress and making him despair of salvation. The fact that ‘a wilderness’ means a state such as this is clear from very many places in the Word, see 2708; and since ‘the wilderness’ meant a state of temptation, and the number ‘forty’ meant its duration, of whatever length, 730, 862, 2272, 1273, the children of Israel were for that reason in the wilderness forty years, and the Lord was for the same reason in the wilderness forty days when He was tempted, Matt. 4:2; Mark 1:13.

AC (Elliott) n. 6829 6829. ‘And came to the mountain of God’ means that after them the good of God’s love appeared. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the mountain of God’ as the good of God’s love, ‘mountain’ being the good of love, see 795, 796, 2722, 4210, 6435. The appearance of that good after they had undergone temptations is what is meant by his coming to that mountain at the back of the wilderness. The situation is that when a person undergoes temptation he is besieged all round by falsities and evils which block the flow of light from the Divine, that is, of truth and good; and that person is so to speak in darkness. Darkness in the next life is nothing other than being besieged by falsities, for these take away the light and so take away from the one undergoing temptation any sense of consolation gained from truths. But when the person comes out of temptation light appears together with the spiritual heat that goes with it, that is, truth together with the good that goes with it. This brings the person cheerfulness after his distress; and that cheerfulness is the morning that follows night in the next life. The reason why good is perceived then and truth appears is that after temptation truth and good penetrate more deeply within and become firmly rooted. For while a person undergoes temptation he so to speak hungers for good and thirsts for truth, and therefore when he comes out of temptation he takes in good like one hungry for food and receives truth like one thirsting for drink. And in addition to this, when the light from the Divine appears falsities and evils are removed; and once they have been removed there is a means of access for truth and good to penetrate more deeply within. These are the reasons why after temptations the good of love appears together with the light from the Lord that goes with it. It is well known to everyone in the next life that brightness and cheerfulness appear after the gloom and distress of temptations, because this is a common happening there.

AC (Elliott) n. 6830 6830. ‘To Horeb’ means the essential nature of it – of the good of God’s love that appeared. This is clear from the consideration that when names are added they imply the essential nature of the thing that is being referred to. The essential nature of the thing implied by ‘Horeb’ is evident from what was seen there – a flame of fire from the middle of a bramble bush; that is, its essential nature is the Divine Good of Love shining through the truth that the law of God possessed.

AC (Elliott) n. 6831 6831. ‘And the angel of Jehovah appeared to him’ means the Lord’s Divine Human. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the angel of Jehovah’ as the Lord’s Divine Human, dealt with in 6280. The reason why the Divine Human is called ‘the angel of Jehovah’ is that before the Lord’s Coming,
whenever Jehovah passed through heaven He appeared in human form, as an angel; for heaven as a whole resembles one entire human being, called the Grand Man, which has been the subject at the ends of quite a number of chapters. When therefore the Divine Himself passed through heaven He appeared in human form, as an angel, before the eyes of those to whom He spoke. This was Jehovah’s Divine Human before the Lord’s Coming. And the Lord’s Human, having been made Divine, is also Jehovah’s Divine Human, for the Lord is Jehovah Himself in the Divine Human. The fact that the Lord’s Divine Human is called ‘the angel’, may be seen in 6280. It is also clear from a number of places in the New Testament where the Lord says that He is The sent from the Father; ‘being sent’ means going forth, and in the Hebrew language ‘the sent’ is used to mean an angel. For places where the Lord says He is ‘the sent’, see Matt. 10:40; 15:24; Mark 9:37; Luke 4:43; 9:48; 10:16; John 3:17, 34; 4:34; 5:23, 24, 36-38; 6:29, 39, 40, 44, 57; 7:16, 18, 28, 29; 8:16, 18, 29, 42; 9:4; 10:36; 11:41, 42; 12:44, 45, 49; 13:20; 14:24; 16:5, 7; 17:3, 8, 18, 21, 23, 25.

AC (Elliott) n. 6832 6832. ‘In a flame of fire from the middle of a bramble bush’ means God’s love present in true factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a flame of fire’ as God’s love, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘a bramble bush’ as true factual knowledge. The reason why ‘a bramble bush’ means true factual knowledge is that all shrubs of every kind mean factual knowledge, whereas actual plantations of trees, being larger, mean cognitions and perceptions. Because it produces flower and berries ‘a bramble bush’ means true factual knowledge. True factual knowledge that the Church possesses consists in nothing else than the Word as it exists in the sense of the letter and also every one of the Church’s representative forms and meaningful signs that existed among the descendants of Jacob. These in the external form they take are called true factual knowledge; but in their internal form they are spiritual truths. But truths in their internal or spiritual form could not be made visible to those descended from Jacob, for the reason that they were interested solely in things of an external nature and had no wish whatever to know about anything internal. Therefore the Lord appeared in a bramble bush (when the Lord appears to people He does so in a way suited to the kind of people they are, for a person cannot receive the Divine in any way other than that which is a way suited to the kind of person he is); and therefore also, when the Lord appeared on Mount Sinai He appeared to the people’ as a fire burning even to the heart of heaven, and as darkness, cloud, and pitch darkness’, Deut. 4:11; 5:22-25; also Exod. 19:18. He would have appeared in an altogether different way if the people below the mountain who beheld Him had not been the kind of people they were. And because those people were interested solely in things of an external nature, when Moses went in to the Lord on Mount Sinai, it is said that he went into the cloud, Exod. 20:21; 24:2, 18; 34:2-5, ‘the cloud’ being the external aspect of the Word, see Preface to Genesis 18, and 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343 (end), and also consequently representatives in the Church which are seen in outward form.

[2] The truth that the Lord appears to each individual person in a way suited to the kind of person he is may be recognized from the consideration that the Lord appears to those in the inmost or third heaven as the Sun from which light beyond description radiates, the reason being that those there are governed by the good of love to the Lord. He appears to those in the middle or second heaven as the Moon, the reason being that there they are governed by love to the Lord in a more remote and obscure way; for they are governed by love towards the neighbour. But the Lord does not appear to those in the lowest or first heaven either as the Sun or the Moon, only as Light, a light far more brilliant than light in the world. And since the Lord appears to each in a way suited to the kind of person he is, He cannot appear to those in hell as anything other than dark cloud and pitch darkness. For as soon as the light of heaven which comes from the Lord shines into any hell, darkness and thick darkness are produced there. From all this one may now recognize that the Lord appears to each individual person in a way suited to the kind of person he is, for this is suited to the way he receives the Lord. And since the descendants of Jacob were interested solely in things of an external nature, the Lord appeared to Moses in a bramble bush, and also in a cloud when Moses went in to the Lord on Mount Sinai.

[3] The reason why ‘a flame’ is God’s love is that love in its earliest origin is nothing other than fire or flame from the Lord as the Sun. The fire or flame of this sun is what supplies each individual person with the being (esse) of his life; it is that life-giving fire which fills a person’s interiors with warmth, as one may recognize from what happens with love. To the extent that love increases in a person he warms up; but to the extent that it diminishes he cools off. This explain s why, when the Lord appeared in a vision, He appeared as fire and flame, as in Ezekiel,

The appearance of the four living creatures (who were cherubs) was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of lamps. It was moving between the living creatures as a bright fire, and out of the fire went forth lightning. Above the firmament that was over their heads, in appearance like a sapphire stone, there was the likeness of a throne, and over the likeness of a throne there was a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it, above. And I saw the shape of burning coals, as the shape of fire, within it round about, from the appearance of His loins and upwards. But from the appearance of His loins and downwards I saw as it were the appearance of fire, whose brightness was round about it. Ezek. 1:13, 26-28.

[4] Nobody can deny that all the several details of this vision are signs that represent aspects of the Divine; but unless one knows what is meant by ‘the cherubs’, ‘the burning coals of fire, like the appearance of lamps’, ‘a throne’, ‘the appearance of a man upon it’, ‘his loins from which fire emanated upwards and downwards, and the brightness radiating from the fire’, one can have no knowledge of the real holiness hidden within all those several details. ‘The cherubs’ are the Lord’s Providence, see 308; ‘the throne’ is heaven, or – to be exact – Divine Truth that emanates from the Lord to form heaven, 5313; ‘the appearance of a man upon the throne above’ is plainly the Lord’s Divine Human; and ‘loins’ are conjugial love and all heavenly love that derives from it, 3021, 4277, 4280, 4575, 5050, 5062. This love was represented by ‘the shape of burning coal, as the shape of fire, whose brightness was round about it’.

[5] In Daniel,

I saw, until thrones had been placed, and the Ancient of Days was seated. His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was a flame of fire; His wheels were burning fire. A river of five issued and came forth from before Him. Dan 7:9, 10.

The Divine Good of the Lord’s Divine Love was seen in this vision too as a flame of fire. In John,

He who sat on the white horse, His eyes were like aflame of fire. Rev. 19:11, 12.

‘He who sat on the white horse’ is the Lord in respect of the Word, as is explicitly stated in verses 13, 16, of that chapter. Thus ‘the flame of fire’ is Divine Truth contained in the Word, which radiates from the Lord’s Divine Goodness. In the same book,

In the midst of the seven lampstands one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe. His head and hair were white, like white wool, like snow; but His eyes were like a flame of fire. Rev. 1:13, 14.

Here also ‘eyes like a flame of fire’ is Divine Truth emanating from the Lord’s Divine Goodness.

[6] The meaning of ‘a flame of fire’ as Divine Truth emanating from the Lord is also evident in David,

The voice of Jehovah falls like a flame of fire. Ps. 29:7.

‘The voice of Jehovah’ stands for Divine Truth. In order that Divine Truth emanating from the Lord’s Divine Good might be represented, the people were commanded to make a lampstand of pure gold with seven lamps and to place it in the tent of meeting by the table where the leaves of the presence were, and to keep the lamps burning unceasingly before Jehovah, Exod. 25:31-end; 37:17-24; 40:24, 25; Lev. 24:4; Num. 8:2; Zech. 4:2. The lampstand with its seven lamps served to represent Divine Truth emanating from the Lord’s Divine Good.

[7] In order also that Divine Good itself might be represented they were commanded to have perpetual fire on the altar,

Fire shall burn on the altar and not be put out; the priest shall kindle pieces of wood on it at every dawn. Fire shall burn unceasingly on the altar and not be put out. Lev. 6:12, 13.

The fact that the ancients were very well acquainted with the use of fire to represent Divine Love may be recognized from the spread of that representative from the Ancient Church even to nations far away whose worship was idolatrous and who, as is well known, established an everlasting sacred fire and placed in charge of it virgins, who were called the vestal virgins.

[8] In the contrary sense ‘fire’ and ‘flame’ mean filthy kinds of love, such as those of vengeance, cruelty, hatred, and adultery, and in general the cravings that spring from self-love and love of the world. This too is clear from very many places in the Word, of which let just the following be quoted: In Isaiah,

Behold, they have become as stubble, the fire has burned them; they do not save themselves from the power of the flame.* There will be no coal to be warmed by [nor] fire to sit in front of. Isa. 47:14.

In Ezekiel,

Behold, I will kindle in you a five, which will devour in you every green tree and every dry tree. The blazing flame** will not be put out, and all faces from south to north will be scorched by it. Ezek. 20:47.

Here ‘fire’ and ‘flame’ mean desires for what is evil and false which annihilate everything good and true in the Church, and thereby lay it waste.

[9] In Luke,

The rich man said to Abraham, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. Luke 16:24.

People who do not know that a person’s vital heat has a different origin from that which is the source of elemental fire cannot possibly do anything else but think that by hell fire is meant fire like that found in the world. In the Word however this latter kind of fire is not meant but the fire of love, thus the fire of a person’s life, emanating from the Lord as a Sun. And when this fire comes among those engrossed in pursuits contrary to it, it is turned into the fire of evil desires which, as stated above, belong to vengeance, hatred, and cruelty, and which well up from self-love and love of the world. This is the fire that torments those who are in hell, for when the restraint placed on their evil desires is relaxed, one sets upon another and they torment one another in dreadful and indescribable ways. For each has the wish for supremacy and wants to take from the other the things he has by hidden or open devices. When one or two have such desires hatreds consequently develop within the group, and these lead to the savage deeds that are performed, especially by the use of devices involving magic and the use of figments of the imagination, devices which are countless and totally unknown in the world.

[10] People who do not believe in the existence of spiritual things, especially those who worship nature, cannot at all be led to believe that the warmth present in living persons, which constitutes the actual life within them, has a different origin from that which is the source of worldly heat. For they are not even aware, let alone able to acknowledge, that there is a heavenly fire radiating from the Lord as a Sun, and that this Fire is pure love. Consequently they are unaware of countless instances in the Word in which no other kind of fire is meant; nor are they aware of countless manifestations of it in the human being, who is an organ made to receive that fire.
* lit. save their soul from the hand of the flame
** lit. heavy flame of flame

AC (Elliott) n. 6833 6833. ‘And he saw, and behold, the bramble bush was burning with fire’ means a recognition that true factual knowledge was full of the good of God’s love. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seeing’ as recognizing, dealt with in 2150, 3764, 4567, 4723, 5400; from the meaning of ‘a bramble bush’ as true factual knowledge, dealt with immediately above in 6832; and from the meaning of ‘fire’ as God’s love, dealt with in 934 (end), 4906, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, so that ‘burning with fire’ means to be full of the good of God’s love.

AC (Elliott) n. 6834 6834. ‘And the bramble bush was not at all being consumed’ means Divine Truth united to Divine Good in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the bramble bush’ as true factual knowledge, dealt with above in 6831, 6833, but in this instance as Divine Truth in the natural, since the description has reference to the Lord (the natural is meant because there truth takes the form of factual knowledge); and from the meaning of ‘not being consumed by the fire’ as not being reduced to nothing by the good of Divine Love, ‘fire’ being the good of Divine Love, see just above in 6832. Thus the fact that it was united to it, that is to say, Divine Truth was united to Divine Good in the natural, is what is meant by the words used here. It is their meaning in the highest sense, in which the Lord is the subject. The implications of this are as follows: The Divine Good of Divine Love is the actual fire of the sun in the next life. That fire is so hot that if its heat were to fall on someone, even on an angel of the inmost heaven, without a shield to moderate it, he would be deprived of all conscious feeling and would be destroyed. This is how hot God’s love is in the Lord. But when the Lord was in the world and united the Human Essence to the Divine Essence, He received in His Human the fire of that love and there united it to truth when He made Himself the law of God. This then is what one should understand by the statement that Divine Truth was united to Divine Good within the natural.

AC (Elliott) n. 6835 6835. ‘And Moses said’ means a perception coming from the law from God. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ in the historical narratives of the Word as perception, dealt with often; and from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the law from God, dealt with above in 6827.

AC (Elliott) n. 6836 6836. ‘I will turn aside therefore, and see this great sight’ means reflection on this revelation. This is clear from the meaning of ‘turning aside and seeing’ as reflecting, for in the spiritual sense ‘turning aside’ is turning away from the thought at present in one’s mind, while ‘seeing’ is perceiving, so that the two together is reflecting; and from the meaning of ‘sight’ as a revelation, dealt with in 6000.* The expression ‘great sight’ is used because in the highest sense ‘the flame in the bramble bush’ means Divine Truth united to Divine Good within the Lord’s Human, 6834.
* The Latin word rendered sight here in Exodus 3:3 is the same as that translated vision in 6000.

AC (Elliott) n. 6837 6837. ‘Why the bramble bush is not burnt’ means that such a union exists. This is clear from what has been stated above in 6834.

AC (Elliott) n. 6838 6838. Verses 4-6 And Jehovah saw that he turned aside to see, and God called to him from the middle of the bramble bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here I am. And He said, Do not draw near here; take off your shoes from upon your feet, for the place which you are standing on is holy ground. And He said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

‘And Jehovah saw that he turned aside to see’ means reflection brought about by the Lord. ‘And Jehovah’ called to him’ means an influx from the Divine. ‘From the middle of the bramble bush’ means out of true factual knowledge. ‘And said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here I am’ means a warning from within, and a heeding. ‘And He said, Do not draw near here’ means that in thinking about the Divine he should not do so as yet with the powers of the senses. ‘Take off your shoes from upon your feet’ means that the powers of the senses, which form the external levels of the natural, should be removed. ‘For the place which you are standing on is holy ground’ means that otherwise the Divine cannot come in. ‘And He said, I am the God of your father’ means Him who was the God of the Ancient Church. ‘The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ means the Divine itself and the Divine Human, thus the Lord. ‘And Moses hid his face’ means that interior things were protected. ‘For he was afraid to look at God’ means for fear that they should suffer harm from the presence of the Divine itself.

AC (Elliott) n. 6839 6839. ‘And Jehovah saw that he turned aside to see’ means reflection brought about by the Lord. This is clear from the meaning of ‘turning aside to see’ as reflection, dealt with above in 6836; and ‘Jehovah’ is the Lord, see 1343, 1736, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5667, 6303. What the sense of the letter of the Word is like is also evident here. It says that Jehovah saw that he turned aside to see, as though He had not known beforehand what Moses would do, and as though He had not put it into Moses’ mind and made him turn aside to see. This way of describing what happened was adopted however because it accorded with outward appearances. But the internal sense shows what ought in fact to be understood, which is that the Lord flowed into his thought in such a way that he would reflect on what he beheld. From this one can see what the relationship is of the sense of the letter of the Word to its internal sense. One can see that descriptions in the sense of the letter are of a kind suited to the understanding of simple people who believe only what agrees with appearances. They do not believe what does not agree with appearances because they have no ability to look into things at a deeper level. That being so, unless the Word had been such as it is in the letter it would not have been accepted. A person whose thought is limited to what he apprehends with his senses and who is preoccupied with worldly interests cannot understand things at a deeper level. He wishes to see with his own eyes the things he is required to believe; and those he does not see are so to speak foreign. He casts them aside as things he refuses to believe, or at best holds in doubt, when he relies on his own ideas to think about them.

AC (Elliott) n. 6840 6840. ‘And Jehovah* called to him’ means an influx from the Divine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘calling’ as an influx; for what is meant in the internal sense is not a calling effected by spoken language, as in the external sense written as history, but a calling effected by influx into the will, which is an inner calling. For Jehovah or the Lord flows into the will, and in so doing impels a person to do what He pleases. When this inner experience comes to be portrayed by events on a historical level, a level on which everything is of an external nature, it comes to be expressed by the verbs ‘command’, ‘call’, or ‘speak to’, or others like them.
* Why the name Jehovah, not God, appears here is unclear.

AC (Elliott) n. 6841 6841. ‘From the middle of the bramble bush’ means out of true factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the bramble bush’ as true factual knowledge, dealt with in 6832, 6833.

AC (Elliott) n. 6842 6842. ‘And said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here I am’ means a warning from within, and a heeding. This is clear from the meaning in the historical narratives of the Word of ‘being called by Jehovah’ as an influx from the Divine, 6840. The actual calling is contained in the words, ‘And Jehovah said, Moses, Moses’; and because these words imply all those that follow, the first of which are that he should not draw near there but take off his shoes from upon his feet, a warning is meant by them, and a heeding by Moses’ reply, ‘Here I am’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6843 6843. ‘And He said, Do not draw near here’ means that in thinking about the Divine he should not do so as yet with the powers of the senses. This is clear from the meaning of ‘drawing near Jehovah’ as thinking about the Divine. The reason why the expression ‘drawing near’ when used of a person’s approach to the Lord means thought about the Divine is that a person cannot draw near the Divine physically in the way one person draws near another, only mentally, that is, in thought and will. No other kind of approach can be made to the Divine, for the Divine is above the things that belong to space and time and is present in those things with a person which are called states, that is to say, states of love and states of faith, thus states of both powers of the mind – will and thought. It is by means of these that a person can draw near the Divine. This explains why here ‘Do not draw near here’ means that in thinking about the Divine he should not do so with his outward sensory powers, meant by his shoes which he had first to take off. The expression ‘as yet’ is used because the outward sensory powers of the natural are regenerated last and so are the last to receive influx from the Divine. And the state which is the subject here was not yet such that the sensory powers could receive the things that flowed in. Regarding the powers of the senses see what is said immediately below.

AC (Elliott) n. 6844 6844. Take off your shoes from upon your feet’ means that the powers of the senses, which form the external levels of the natural, should be removed. This is clear from the meaning of ‘shoes’ as the powers of the senses forming the external levels of the natural, dealt with in 1748; and from the meaning of ‘feet’ as the natural, dealt with in 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952. ‘Taking off’ plainly means removing since one is talking about the powers of the senses. Particular expressions have to be used in application to the actual matter to which they refer; thus ‘being taken off’ is applied to shoes, and ‘being removed’ to the powers of the senses. The implications of all this need to be stated. Anyone can see that here ‘shoes’ represent something that does not accord with Him who is holy and Divine, so that ‘taking off one’s shoes’ was representative of the removal of things like that. Without this representation what would it matter to the Divine whether a person drew near in shoes or in bare feet, provided that inwardly he is the kind of person who can draw near the Divine in faith and love? Therefore the powers of the senses are meant by ‘shoes’, and those powers, which form the external levels of the natural, are by nature such that they cannot remain when one thinks with reverence about the Divine. Consequently because it was a time when representatives had to be observed, Moses was not allowed to draw near with his shoes on.

[2] The reason why the powers of the senses that form the external levels of the natural are by nature such that they cannot receive the Divine is that they are steeped in ideas of worldly, bodily, and also earthly things because they are the first to receive them. Therefore sensory impressions contained in the memory as a result of the activity of the senses draw their nature from the light and heat of the world, and hardly at all from the light and heat of heaven. As a consequence they are the last things that can be regenerated, that is, receive something of the light of heaven. This explains why, when a person is ruled by his senses and sensory impressions control his thinking, he inevitably thinks of the Divine as he does of earthly things. If also he is ruled by evil those impressions make him think in ways altogether contrary to the Divine. When therefore a person thinks about the kinds of things that have to do with faith and love to God he is raised, if he is governed by good, from the powers of the senses which form the external levels of the natural to more internal levels, consequently from earthly and worldly things nearer to celestial and spiritual ones.

[3] This is something people do not know about, the reason being that they do not know that internal levels distinct and separate from external ones are present within them, or that thought exists on increasingly internal levels as well as on more external ones. And unaware of these things a person cannot reflect on them. But see what has been stated already about thought ruled by sensory impressions:

People whose thought is ruled by sensory impressions have little wisdom, 5084, 5089, 5094, 6201, 6310-6312, 6314, 6316, 6318, 6598, 6612, 6614, 6622, 6624.

A person may be raised above the level of the senses, and when he is raised he comes into a quite gentle light; and this happens especially to those who are being regenerated, 6183, 6313, 6315.

All this now shows what is meant by ‘taking off one’s shoes from upon one’s feet’. A person’s natural divides into the external, the middle, and the internal, see 4570, 5118, 5126, 5497, 5649. The internal natural is meant by ‘the feet’, the middle natural by ‘the soles’, and the external by ‘the shoes’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6845 6845. ‘For the place which you are standing on is holy ground’ means that otherwise the Divine cannot come in. This is clear from the meaning of ‘place’ as a state, dealt with in 2625, 2837, 3356, 3387, 4321, 4882, 5605, and therefore ‘the place which you are standing on’ is the state in which he is up to this point; and from the meaning of ‘holy ground’ as the holiness which goes forth from the Lord. Thus a state of the holy influence from the Lord’s Divine Human is what these words are used to mean. This meaning – that otherwise the Divine cannot come in – follows from what is said immediately before, namely that if a person were not removed from the powers of the senses, which form the external levels of the natural, that is, if he were not raised from them to more internal levels, the Divine could not flow in. The reason why the Divine cannot flow in as long as the person’s thought remains on the level of the senses is that influx from the Divine extends right through to things that are last in order, thus right through to the powers of the senses which form the external levels of a person’s natural. If those levels consist solely of bodily and earthly interests the Divine influences coming in are reduced to nothing since they are incompatible with what is there. Consequently when a person is about to receive the Divine, that is, matters of faith and love, he is raised from the powers of the senses; and once he has been raised from them, the Divine no longer flows in there, into the external level of the senses, but into the more internal level to which the person has been raised. I have been allowed to know from a considerable amount of experience that this is so.

AC (Elliott) n. 6846 6846. ‘And He said, I am the God of your father’ means Him who was the God of the Ancient Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘father’ as the Ancient Church, dealt with in 6075. The reason why the Ancient Church is called ‘father’ is that from it the Churches that came after it were born – the Hebrew Church, and later on the Church among the descendants of Jacob. For the religious practices and the statutes decreed through Moses for Jacob’s descendants were not new but had existed previously in the ancient Churches and were merely re-established among the children of Jacob. They were re-established because among other nations they had become idolatrous practices, and in Egypt and Babel they had been converted into magical ones. The fact that the same things had existed in ancient Churches becomes clear from a large number of places in the Word. So it is then that the Ancient Church is meant by ‘father’, and also that it is called ‘father’ in the Word where the subject is the Church. The God whom people worshipped in the Ancient Church was the Lord in respect of His Divine Human; and it was well known to those people that the Lord was the One who was represented in each particular religious observance of their Church. A large number of them also knew that the Lord was going to come into the world, when He would make the Human within Himself Divine. Nor did the people of that Church take Jehovah to mean anyone else, for whenever He appeared to them He did so as a Divine Man, and was called Jehovah, 1343, 5663, as He also appeared at a later time to Abraham, Gen. 18:2 and following verses; to Joshua, Josh. 5:13-15; to Gideon, Judg. 6:11 and following verses; and to Manoah and his wife, Judg. 13:3 and following verses. He was acknowledged as God overall, and as the one and only God whom they were to adore. From all this one may now see that ‘the God of your father’ is used to mean in the internal sense Him who was the God of the Ancient Church, namely the Lord. But in the external sense written as history ‘father’ is used to mean Abraham, also Isaac, and Jacob too.

AC (Elliott) n. 6847 6847. ‘The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ means the Divine itself and the Divine Human, thus the Lord. This is clear from the representation of ‘Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’ as the Lord’s Divine itself and His Divine Human. For the fact that ‘Abraham’ represents the Lord’s Divine itself, ‘Isaac’ His Divine Rational, and ‘Jacob’ His Divine Natural, see 1893, 2011, 2066, 2072, 2083, 2630, 3194, 3210, 3245, 3251, 3305 (end), 3439, 3704, 4180, 4286, 4538, 6425, 6804. By ‘God’ is meant that which is Divine, and by those three names that which is representative; therefore those attributes within the Lord are what ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ is used to mean.

AC (Elliott) n. 6848 6848. ‘And Moses hid his face’ means that interior things were protected. This is clear from the meaning of ‘face’ as interior things, dealt with in 1999, 2434, 3527, 4066, 4796, 4797, 5102. The fact that ‘hiding’ means protecting follows from the train of thought in the internal sense, for it says that ‘he hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God’, meaning for fear that internal things should suffer harm from the presence of the Divine itself. The implications of this will be stated in what follows immediately below.

AC (Elliott) n. 6849 6849. ‘For he was afraid to look at God’ means for fear that they should suffer harm from the presence of the Divine itself. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being afraid’ as for fear that they, interior things, should suffer harm (for this was the reason for his fear); and from the meaning of ‘looking at God’ as the presence of the Divine itself. For the only way in which the Lord can make Himself present before a person is through the persons inner seeing, through seeing Him with the eye of faith that belongs to charity. If the Lord does manifest Himself in an outward visible form to someone, it is still the inner levels of mind that are affected, for the Divine reaches into the deepest parts of him. With regard to the meaning here, that interior things should not suffer harm from the presence of the Divine itself, and that therefore they were to be protected, the situation is this: The Divine itself is pure love, and pure love is like a fire hotter than the fire of the sun in this world. Consequently if Divine Love in its purity were to flow into any angel, spirit, or man, he would be completely destroyed, which is why so many times in the Word Jehovah or the Lord is called a consuming fire. To ensure therefore that the angels in heaven suffer no harm from the flow of heat from the Lord as the sun, each of them is veiled with a kind of thin cloud suited to the individual, which moderates the heat flowing in from that sun.

[2] The truth that without this form of preservation everyone would be destroyed by the presence of the Divine had been well known to the ancients, which was why they were afraid of seeing God, as is clear in the Book of Judges,

Gideon saw that he was the angel of Jehovah, therefore Gideon said, O Lord Jehovah! Inasmuch as I have seen the angel of Jehovah face to face. And Jehovah said to him, Peace be to you; do not fear, for you will not die. Judg. 6:12, 23.

In the same book,

Manoah said to his wife, We shall surely die, for we have seen God. Judg. 17:22.

And in the Book of Exodus,

Jehovah said to Moses, You cannot see My face, for no man will see My face and live. Exod. 33:20.

[3] When therefore Moses was allowed to see God, he was placed in a cleft of the rock, Exod. 33:22, which represented the dimness of his faith, and the clouds that hid and protected him. How dangerous it can be for angels to be beheld by the Divine without being covered by a cloud is made very clear by the fact that when angels look at any spirit who is governed by evil he seems to change into something resembling a lifeless object, as I have often been allowed to see. The reason why this happens is that when the angels look at someone there is cast in his direction the light and heat of heaven, and the truth of faith and the good of love with them, which – when these penetrate – virtually deprive the evil of life.

[4] If this is what happens when angels look at them, what would happen if the Lord did so? This explains why the hells are utterly remote from heaven, and why those who are there wish to be remote, for if they are not they suffer dreadful torment. This makes plain the meaning of the following words, They will say to the mountains and rocks, Rush down on us and hide us from the face of Him who is seated on the throne. Rev. 6:16; Luke 23:30; Hosea 10:8.

[5] Thus the presence of the Divine itself is such that no angel can bear it unless he is protected by a cloud which tempers and moderates the rays of light and the heat from that sun. From this one may recognize plainly that the Lord’s Human is Divine, for if it were not Divine it could never have become so united to the Divine itself, called the Father, that they are one, according to the Lord’s words in John 14:10 and following verses, and elsewhere. For that which is to receive the Divine in this way must be wholly Divine; what was not Divine from such a union would be plainly reduced to nothing. Let me use a comparison. Can anything be thrown into the fire of the sun and not be destroyed, unless it is similar in nature to the sun? So, can anyone enter the intense heat of infinite love unless he has in him the heat of the same kind of love, consequently unless he is none other than the Lord? The truth that the Father is within Him and that the Father does not show Himself except within His Divine Human is clear from the Lord’s words in John,

Nobody has ever seen God; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. John 1:18.

And elsewhere in the same gospel,

You have never heard His voice nor seen His shape. John 5:37.

AC (Elliott) n. 6850 6850. Verses 7, 8 And Jehovah said, I have indeed seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry from before their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows. And I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians, and to cause them to come up out of that land to a land good and broad, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite, and the Amorite and the Perizzite, and the Hivite and the Jebusite.

‘And Jehovah said, I have indeed seen the affliction of My people’ means the mercy shown towards those who belonged to the spiritual Church after molestations by falsities. ‘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. ‘For I know their sorrows’ means foresight of how deeply they would be plunged into falsities. ‘And I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians’ means that He would stoop down to them to release them from the power of false factual knowledge, which tries to destroy the truths of the Church. ‘And to cause them to come up out of that land’ means that they would be raised up. ‘To a land good and broad’ means to heaven where the good of charity and the truth of faith are. ‘Flowing with milk and honey’ means which are a source of pleasure and delight. ‘To the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite’ means the region occupied by evils that arise from falsities. ‘And the Amorite and Perizzite’ means occupied by evils and the falsities that arise from them. ‘And the Hivite and the Jebusite’ means occupied by what is idolatrous but has some kind of goodness and truth in it.

AC (Elliott) n. 6851 6851. ‘And Jehovah said, I have indeed seen the affliction of My people means the mercy shown towards those who belonged to the spiritual Church after molestations by falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ in the historical narratives of the Word as perception, dealt with often, though when used in reference to Jehovah or the Lord ‘saying’ does not mean perception but omniscience, since the Lord has from eternity a perception and knowledge of every single thing; from the meaning of ‘indeed seeing’, when used in reference to Jehovah or the Lord, as mercy, for when the Lord sees someone in distress or suffering affliction He has compassion on him (the Lord, it is true, sees everyone and so has compassion on everyone; yet it cannot really be said of any apart from those who accept His mercy, namely those governed by good, that He has compassion on them); from the meaning of ‘affliction’ as molestation, 6663, here by falsities since the affliction came from the Egyptians, by whom false factual knowledge is meant, 6651, 6679, 6683; and from the meaning of ‘people’ as those who belong to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 2928 (those who belong to the celestial Church are referred to in the Word as ‘a nation’).

AC (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. The fact that ‘a taskmaster’ is one who compels another to serve is evident in Isaiah,

The peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and they will have dominion over their taskmasters. It will happen on the day on which Jehovah will give you rest, both from your turmoil and from your hard service in which you were made to serve, that you will declare this parable about the king of Babel, How the task master has ceased! Isa. 14:2-4.

And in Zechariah,

I will pitch camp by My house with an army because of him who is leaving and returning, so that the taskmaster passes over them no more. Zech. 9:8.

‘Taskmasters’ is used in 2 Kings 23:35; Deut. 15:3, to describe those who demanded tribute. They are also those who compelled people to do work required by the imposition of tributes; in Exod. 1:11 they are called ‘princes of tributes’. And for the fact that they are those who compel
people to serve, see 6659.

AC (Elliott) n. 6853 6853. ‘For I know their sorrows’ means foresight of how deeply they would be plunged into falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘knowing’, when used in reference to the Lord, as foresight (the reason why ‘knowing’ is foresight is that the Lord has known from eternity about every single thing); and from the meaning of ‘sorrows’ as being plunged into falsities. For when people who are governed by good are plunged into falsities they experience feelings of anguish and anxiety. They suffer torment, for they love truths and loathe falsities, and are thinking all the time about salvation and about how unhappy they will be if those falsities get the better of them. But those who are not governed by good are completely unconcerned about whether falsities or truths reign in them; for they do not think at all about salvation and unhappiness since they do not believe there are any such things. The delights of self-love and love of the world take away any firm belief regarding life after death. These people are immersed all the time in falsities. Being plunged into falsities is presented in the next life as waves engulfing a person and rising ever higher as the falsities grow more profuse, until the waves rise over his head; and they appear tenuous or solid according to the nature of the falsities. The experience of being plunged into falsities which the wicked undergo looks like a mistiness or cloudiness, more or less murky, which surrounds them and cuts them off completely from the brightness of the light of heaven.

AC (Elliott) n. 6854 6854. ‘And I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians’ means that He would stoop down to them to release them from the power of false factual knowledge, which tries to destroy the truths of the Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘coming down’ as stooping down, dealt with below; from the meaning of ‘to deliver’ as to release, for one who releases people from falsities delivers or sets them free; from the meaning of ‘the hand’ as the power, dealt with in 878, 3387, 3563, 4931-4937, 5544; and from the meaning of ‘the Egyptians’ as false factual knowledge, which is opposed to the Church’s truths, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683, and so which tries to destroy them. As regards the Lord’s coming down, the situation is that the Lord is said to come or stoop down when He comes to judgement, 1311, and also when He comes down to lower things, in this instance to those belonging to the spiritual Church, who are meant by ‘the children of Israel’. For the subject in the internal sense is the way in which those people are molested by falsities, at which time they undergo temptations, and the way in which after that they are set free in order that they may be led into heaven.

[2] But the contents of the internal sense of this verse and of those that follow hold an even deeper mystery which the Church does not yet know about and which must therefore be disclosed. Those who are termed spiritual are people for whom only the understanding part of their mind, not the will part, can be regenerated. In the understanding part of their mind the Lord therefore implants a new will, a will which conforms to the teachings that compose the faith of their Church. These people, that is to say, spiritual ones such as these, were saved solely by the Lord’s Coming into the world. The reason why is that the Divine passing through heaven, which was the Divine Human before the Lord’s Coming, could not reach them; for to be sure the teachings of their Church were for the most part not truths, and consequently the good in their will was not good either, 6427. Since those people could be saved solely by the Lord’s Coming, they could not be raised into heaven before then. They were therefore kept in the meantime on the lower earth, in places there which in the Word are called ‘pits’. This lower earth was besieged on every side by the hells where there were falsities, by which they were molested greatly during that time. In spite of this however the Lord protected them. But after the Lord came into the world and made the Human within Himself Divine, He set free those who were in the pits there and raised them to heaven. From these He also formed the spiritual heaven which is the second heaven. This is what is meant by the Lord’s descent into the lower parts* and by His deliverance of those who had been bound.

[3] This is the even deeper mystery that is described in the internal sense of this verse and of those that follow. See what has been shown already regarding those who are spiritual,

The spiritual are in obscurity so far as the truth and good of faith are concerned, 2708, 2715, 2718, 2831, 2849, 2935, 2937, 3241, 3833, 6289.

Their obscurity is lightened by the Lord’s Divine Human, 2716, 4402.

Because they are in obscurity so far as the truth and good of faith are concerned they are under strong attack from the hells; but the Lord is constantly protecting them, 6419.

Those who are spiritual cannot have the will part of their mind regenerated, only the understanding part; and there the Lord forms a new will, 863, 875, 895, 927, 918, 1023, 1043, 1044, 2156, 4328, 4493, 5113.

The spiritual were saved by the Lord’s Coming into the world, 2833, 2834, 3969.

[4] Various places in the prophetical part of the Word mention ‘the bound’ or ‘the bound in the pit’ and the fact that the Lord delivered them. The bound’ should be taken to mean specifically those spoken of just above, as in Isaiah,

I Jehovah have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand, because I will guard you, and give you to be a covenant of the people,** a light of the nations, to open the blind eyes, to bring the bound out of prison, out of the dungeon-house those who sit in darkness. Isa. 42:6, 7.

In the same prophet,

I have guarded you, and I have given you as covenant of the people – to restore the land; to share out the devastated inheritances; to say to the bound, Go out; to those who are in darkness, Reveal yourselves. They will feed along the ways, and on all slopes will their pasture be. Isa. 49:8, 9.

This plainly refers to the Lord. ‘The bound’ stands in particular for those who were held back on the lower earth until the Lord’s Coming, when they were raised up to heaven, and in general for all who are governed by good, yet are held back as though bound by falsities, from which however they wish to break away.

[5] In Zechariah,

Through the blood of your covenant I will let out your bound ones from the pit. Zech. 9:11.

In Isaiah,

They will surely be gathered together, the bound ones in the pit, and they will be shut up in the dungeon; after a multitude of days they will be visited. Isa. 24:21.

‘The bound ones in the pit’ stands for the same people. And in addition to these places the same meaning can be seen from the following words in Isaiah,

Jehovah has anointed Me to bring good tidings to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the broken in heart; to preach liberty to captives, to those who are bound, to him who is blind; to proclaim the year of Jehovah’s good pleasure. Isa. 61:1, 2.

And elsewhere,

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; those dwelling in the land of the shadow of death, upon them has the light shone out. Isa. 9:2.
* i.e. hell
** ‘The Latin means for the people but the Hebrew means of the people, which Sw. has in some other places where he quotes this verse.

AC (Elliott) n. 6855 6855. ‘And to cause them to come up out of that land’ means that they would be raised up, that is to say, out of the place and the state in which they are molested by falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘causing to come up’ as being raised up; and from the meaning of ‘land’, in this instance the land of Egypt, as the place and the state in which they are molested by falsities. it has been shown already that ‘Egypt’ is false factual knowledge that molests; and ‘the land of Egypt’ too has similar meaning.

AC (Elliott) n. 6856 6856. ‘To a land good and broad’ means to heaven where the good of charity and the truth of faith are. This is clear from the meaning of ‘land’, in this instance the land of Canaan, as the Lord’s kingdom, and so heaven, dealt with in 1607, 3038, 3481, 3705, 4447; from the meaning of ‘a good land’ as the presence of the good of charity there; and from the meaning of ‘a broad land’ as the presence of the truth of faith there. For the meaning of ‘broad’ as truth which is the truth of faith, see 3433, 3434, 4482.

AC (Elliott) n. 6857 6857. ‘Flowing with milk and honey’ means which are a source of pleasure and delight. This is clear from the meaning of ‘milk’ as the celestial-spiritual or the truth of good, dealt with in 2184, and being the truth of good it is also the pleasure that goes with it, for the two are joined together; and from the meaning of ‘honey’ as delight, dealt with in 5620. From what was shown above in 6854 one may see what ‘causing to go up out of that land to a land good and broad, flowing with milk and honey’ is used to mean – that those who were held back on the lower earth, in pits there, until the Lord’s Coming would be raised up to heaven, where the good of charity and the truth of faith are, which are a source of pleasure and delight. These things are what are meant in particular by those words; but in general they mean that all belonging to the spiritual Church undergo temptation and are delivered from it.

AC (Elliott) n. 6858 6858. ‘To the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite’ means the region occupied by evils that arise from falsities. This is clear from the representation of ‘the Canaanites’ as evils that arise from the falsities of evil, dealt with in 4818; and from the representation of ‘the Hittites’ as falsities from which evils arise, dealt with in 2913. By the nations in the land of Canaan that are listed here as well as in other places, such as Gen. 15:18, 19; Exod. 23:23, 28; 33:2; 34:11; Deut. 7:1; 20:17; Josh. 3:10; 24:11; Judg. 3:5, are meant all kinds of evil and falsity. What one should understand by a region occupied by evils that arise from falsities, and also by all the other kinds of evil and falsity, must be stated. Before the Lord’s Coming into the world evil genii and spirits occupied the entire region of heaven to which those who were spiritual were subsequently raised. For before the Lord’s Coming a large part of those kinds of beings were freely prowling about and molesting the good, especially spiritual people who were on the lower earth. But after the Lord’s Coming they were all thrust down into their own hells, and that region was liberated and given as an inheritance to those who belonged to the spiritual Church. I have often noticed that as soon any place is abandoned by good spirits it is occupied by evil ones, but that the evil spirits are driven out of it; and that once they have been driven out it is handed over again to those who are governed by good. The reason for this is that those from hell have a constant burning desire to destroy the things of heaven, in particular those things that are their opposites. Consequently when some place is abandoned, then because it is unprotected it is instantly occupied by the evil. This, as has been stated, is what one should understand specifically by a region occupied by evils and falsities, which is meant by the place inhabited by the nations who were to be driven out. This together with the things mentioned above in 6854 is a deep mystery which cannot be known about without revelation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6859 6859. ‘And the Amorite and the Perizzite’ means occupied by evils and the falsities that arise from them. This is clear from the representation of ‘the Amorite’ as evil, dealt with in 1857, 6306; and from the representation of ‘the Perizzite’ as falsity, dealt with in 1573, 1574. There are two sources of evil, and there are also two sources of falsity. One source of evil lies in false teaching or else false religion, the other in desires belonging to self-love and love of the world. Falsity from the first source springs, as stated, from false teaching or else false religion, while falsity from the second source springs from the evil which the desires belonging to self-love and love of the world crave after. Those evils are what ‘the Canaanite’ and ‘the Amorite’ mean, and the falsities what ‘the Hittite’ and ‘the Perizzite’ mean.

AC (Elliott) n. 6860 6860. ‘And the Hivite and the Jebusite’ means occupied by what is idolatrous but has some kind of goodness and truth in it. This is clear from the representation of ‘the Hivite’ as that which is idolatrous but has some kind of goodness in it; and from the representation of ‘the Jebusite’ as that which is idolatrous but has some kind of truth in it. The fact that those nations mean such things may be recognized from the permission granted to Joshua and the elders to make a treaty with the Gibeonites, Josh. 9:3 and following verses, and from the fact that they became hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of God, Josh. 9:23, 27. (These people were Hivites, see Josh. 9:7; 11:19.) And the fact that ‘the Jebusites’ represent those who practise that which is idolatrous yet has some kind of truth in it may be recognized from the Jebusites who were allowed to remain for a long time in Jerusalem and were not driven out from there, Josh. 15:63; 18:16, 18; 2 Sam. 5:6-10.

AC (Elliott) n. 6861 6861. Verses 9-12 And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me; and also I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. And now, go, and I will send you to Pharaoh; and lead My people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should lead the children of Israel out of Egypt? And He said, Because I will be with you; and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you lead the people out of Egypt you shall worship God beside this mountain.

‘And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me’ means compassion on those belonging to the spiritual Church. ‘And also I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them’ means because of the endeavour by those steeped in falsities to bring them into subjection. ‘And now, go, I will send you to Pharaoh’ means the Holy influence going forth from the Lord’s Human, by which molesting falsities would be dispelled. ‘And lead My people the children of Israel out of Egypt’ means the consequent deliverance of those belonging to the spiritual Church from molesting falsities. ‘And Moses said to God’ means perception received from the Divine, and a state of humility. ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?’ means that he had not yet arrived at the kind of state in which it seemed to him that he was able to face molesting falsities and remove them from himself. ‘And that I should lead the children of Israel out’ means and so deliver those belonging to the spiritual Church. ‘And He said, Because I will be with you’ means that the Divine would be within the Human. ‘And this will be the sign to you that I have sent you’ means the recognition that the Divine would go forth from Him. ‘When you lead the people out of Egypt’ means when those who were spiritual had been delivered from molestation by falsities. ‘You shall worship God beside this mountain’ means a perception and acknowledgement of the Divine springing from love.

AC (Elliott) n. 6862 6862. ‘And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me’ means compassion on those belonging to the spiritual Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the cry’ as a calling for help, dealt with in 6801, and consequently when it says that the cry came to Jehovah or the Lord, much the same is implied by it as by ‘hearing’ (‘hearing’ means bringing the help of His mercy, or having compassion, see 6852); and from the meaning of ‘the children of Israel’ as those belonging to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6637.

AC (Elliott) n. 6863 6863. ‘And also I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them’ means because of the endeavour by those steeped in falsities to bring them into subjection. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the oppression with which they oppress them’ as the endeavour to bring into subjection (the reason why it is only an endeavour, not an actual bringing into subjection, is that those who belong to the Lord’s spiritual Church cannot be brought into subjection by those steeped in falsities because the Lord takes care of them); and from the meaning of ‘the Egyptians’ as falsities, dealt with in 6692.

AC (Elliott) n. 6864 6864. ‘And now, go, I will send you to Pharaoh’ means the Holy influence going forth from the Lord’s Human, by which molesting falsities would be dispelled. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’, who was to go and who was being sent, as the Lord in respect of the law of God, dealt with in 6713, 6752, 6771, 6827, and so in respect of the Human (for when the Lord was in the world He first made His Human Divine Truth, which is the same as the law of God, then after that He completely glorified His Human and made it Divine Good, the difference between Divine Truth and Divine Good being like that between the light radiated from the sun and the fire within the sun); from the meaning of ‘being sent’ as going forth, dealt with in 2797, 4710, 6831, in this instance holy truth (regarding the use of the word ‘holy’ in reference to truth, see 6788); and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as falsity, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692. The reason for the addition of the statement that the molesting falsities would be dispelled – dispelled, that is, by the Holy influence going forth from the Lord’s Human – is that what follows deals with the children of Israel, meaning those belonging to the Lord’s spiritual Church, and their deliverance from falsities, from which they cannot be delivered at all except by the Holy influence that goes forth from the Lord. For that Holy influence going forth from the Lord not only dispels molesting falsities but also arranges all things into Divine order, both those in the heavens and those in the hells. The effect of that influence is such that it makes the heavens completely distinct and separate from one another, as determined by their forms of good and consequent truths, and also makes the hells completely distinct and separate, as determined by their evils and consequent falsities. It also places these kinds of evil opposite those kinds of good, and falsities opposite truths, in order that equilibrium may be established spiritual level and nothing excluded from a state of freedom.

AC (Elliott) n. 6865 6865. ‘And lead My people the children of Israel out of Egypt’ means the consequent deliverance of those belonging to the spiritual Church from molesting falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘leading out’ as deliverance; from the meaning of ‘the children of Israel’ as those belonging to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6637; and from the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as false factual knowledge that is opposed to the Church’s truths, thus falsity that molests, dealt with in 6692.

[2] Falsity within factual knowledge is what most of all molests those who belong to the spiritual Church. The reason for this is that they do not have a perception of truth that springs from good, only a knowledge of truth derived from religious teaching. People like these are subject very much to molestation from factual knowledge, for known facts serve as very general vessels, and until truths have been introduced into them to make them translucent, so that one no longer notices them, they may sometimes appear to be contrary to truths. Furthermore factual knowledge is full of the illusions of the senses which cannot be dispelled by those who have only a knowledge of things derived from religious teaching and no perception of truth that springs from good. The main reason for this is that the light of the world holds sway with these people, a light which seems to be clear light as long as the light of heaven does not flow into it but which turns from light into obscurity the moment that the light of heaven penetrates it. This explains why these people are enlightened and clever in worldly matters but dull and obtuse in heavenly ones.

[3] These people think that they are the enlightened when they have substantiated the teachings of their Church for themselves. But it is the inferior light of the senses, derived from the light of the world, that deceives them when they think so. For all religious teachings, no matter what kind they are, are capable of being substantiated. Jews are able to substantiate their own teachings, Enthusiasts* theirs, Socinians theirs, and all kinds of heretics theirs. And once these teachings have been substantiated the light of the senses makes them appear to those people to be actual truths. But those who see by the light of heaven receive their enlightenment from the Lord; and before substantiating anything they view the factual knowledge below, arranged into order there, to discern whether or not a truth can be substantiated by it. From this it is evident that the latter kind of people see things from a more internal position which is above factual knowledge and so is distinct and separate from it, whereas the former’s viewpoint, being lower, is situated within factual knowledge and so tangled up in it, 2831.
* i.e. those who believed they were recipients of special revelation from the Holy Spirit dwelling within them.

AC (Elliott) n. 6866 6866. ‘And Moses said to God’ means perception received from the Divine, and a state of humility. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ as perception, dealt with often; from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Lord in respect of the law of God, dealt with in 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, the Divine being meant by ‘God’. These words also imply a state of humility, as is evident from what follows, for he says, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should lead the children of Israel out?’ Since ‘Moses’ represents the Lord and mention is made here of humility, something must be said about the Lord’s state of humility when He was in the world. To the extent that the Human which had not yet been made Divine came to the forefront in the Lord He was in a state of humility; but to the extent that His Human which had been made Divine came to the forefront He could not be in a state of humility, for to that extent He was God and was Jehovah. The reason why He was in a state of humility when the Human which had not yet been made Divine came to the forefront was that the human which He derived from His mother was evil by heredity, and this could not draw near the Divine except in a state of humility. For when real humility is present in a person he surrenders all power to think or do anything by himself and abandons himself completely to the Divine, and in this condition draws near to the Divine. The Divine was, it is true, within the Lord, since He had been conceived from Jehovah; but the more the inheritance from His mother came to the forefront in His Human the more remote the Divine seemed to be. For in spiritual and celestial things dissimilarity of state is what lies behind remoteness and absence, while similarity of state is what lies behind nearness and presence; and what lies behind similarity and dissimilarity is love. From this one may now recognize the source of the state of humility that existed with the Lord when He was in the world. but later on, when He had cast off all the human derived from His mother, so completely that He was no longer her son, and had clothed Himself with the Divine, the state of humility came to an end; for then He was one with Jehovah.

AC (Elliott) n. 6867 6867. ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?’ means that he had not yet arrived at the kind of state in which it seemed to him that he was able to face molesting falsities and remove them from himself. This is clear from the meaning of ‘who am I?’ as not yet having arrived at the kind of state; and from the meaning of ‘going to Pharaoh’ as facing molesting falsities, for ‘Pharaoh’ means falsity that molests, 6651, 6679, 6687. The removing of them is also meant because the Holy influence going forth from the Lord’s Human, dealt with above in 6864, removes falsities and evils; for falsities and evils cannot at all withstand His presence. Since it was a state of humility in which Moses’ words were spoken, it is said that it seemed to him that he was not able to do it.

AC (Elliott) n. 6868 6868. ‘And that I should lead the children of Israel out’ means and so deliver those who belonged to the spiritual Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘leading out’ as delivering, as above in 6865; and from the representation of ‘the children of Israel’ as those belonging to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6637, 6862, 6865.

AC (Elliott) n. 6869 6869. ‘And He said, Because I will be with you’ means that the Divine would be within the Human. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Lord in respect of the law of God, dealt with in 6727, 6752, 6771, 6827, thus in respect of the Human, for as has been shown above, when He was in the world the Lord made His Human the law of God, that is, Divine Truth; and from the meaning of ‘I will be with you’ as the Divine, for Jehovah is the speaker.

AC (Elliott) n. 6870 6870. ‘And this will be the sign to you that I have sent you’ means the recognition that the Divine would go forth from Him. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the sign’ as the corroboration of truth and consequent recognition that it is indeed so; and from the meaning of ‘being sent’ as going forth, dealt with in 2397, 4710, 6831, so that ‘being sent by God’ is going forth from the Divine. It is also the Divine going forth from Him, for one who comes forth from the Divine is receptive of the Divine and extends its influence further.

AC (Elliott) n. 6871 6871. ‘When you lead the people out of Egypt’ means when those who were spiritual had been delivered from molestation by falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘leading out’ as delivering, as above in 6865, 6868; from the meaning of the children of Israel, to whom ‘the people refers here, as those who are spiritual, that is, belong to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6637, 6862, 6865; and from the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as false factual knowledge that molests, dealt with in 6692.

AC (Elliott) n. 6872 6872. ‘You shall worship God beside this mountain’ means perception and acknowledgement of the Divine springing from love. This is clear from the meaning of ‘worshipping God’ as adoration of the Divine, but when the expression is used in reference to the Lord the perception and acknowledgement of the Divine in the Human is meant; and from the meaning of ‘mountain’ as the good of God’s love, dealt with in 795, 796, 2722, 4210, 6435, 6829. From these meanings it is evident that the words ‘you shall worship God beside this mountain’, when used in reference to the Lord, mean a perception and acknowledgement of the Divine springing from love.

[2] What is meant by a perception and acknowledgement of the Divine springing from love must be stated. Everyone’s character is recognized from his love. For the inner being (esse) of anyone’s life is love; his very life emanates from it. Therefore the kind of love that reigns with a person determines the person’s character. If self-love and a love of the world reign, and as a consequence the love of vengeance, hatred, cruelty, adultery, and the like, then that person is a devil so far as his spirit or interior man which lives after death is concerned, no matter what he may seem to be to outward appearance. But if a love of God and a love of the neighbour are what reign with a person, and consequently a love of what is good and true, and also of what is just and honourable, then he is an angel so far as his spirit which lives after death is concerned, no matter what he may seem to be to outward appearance. But when God’s love reigns with someone – as it has done only in the Lord – that one is God. Thus the Lord’s Human was made Divine when He received in His Human His Father’s love, which was the inner Being (Esse) of His life. From all this one may see what is meant by a perception and acknowledgement of the Divine that springs from love.

[3] It is an unalterable truth that a person is entirely the same in character as his love. This is evident from angels in the next life who, when they are seen, look like forms of love. Love itself not only shines but also breathes out of them, so that you may say that they are in every respect embodiments of love. The reason for this is that all the interiors of an angel, like those of a person in this world, are nothing other than forms that receive life. And being forms that receive life they are forms that receive different kinds of love; for these constitute a person’s life. Since therefore the love that flows in and the form that receives it are compatible with each other it follows that the character of an angel or a person in this world is determined by his love. This applies not only to the primary organic substances in the brain but also to the whole body, since the body is nothing other than an organism formed from its primary substances.

[4] From all this it becomes clear that a person is made completely new when he is being regenerated; for at that time every single part of him is being made fit to receive heavenly kinds of love. With man however the earlier forms are not destroyed but removed, whereas with the Lord the earlier forms which came from His mother were completely destroyed and rooted out, and Divine forms were received and replaced them. For God’s love is incompatible with any form other than a Divine one; it casts all the rest totally aside. As a consequence of this the Lord was no longer Mary’s son once He was glorified.

AC (Elliott) n. 6873 6873. Verses 13-15 And Moses said to God, Behold, I am coming to the children of Israel and saying to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to your and they may say to me, What is His name? What am I to say to them? And God said to Moses, I Am Who I Am. And He said, Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: I Am has sent me to you. And God said further still to Moses, Thus you are to say to the children of Israel: Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham. the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you; this is My name forever,* and this is My memorial from one generation to another.**

‘And Moses said to God’ means perception from the Divine. ‘Behold, I am coming to the children of Israel’ means regarding those belonging to the spiritual Church. ‘And saying to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you’ means that He who was the God of the Ancient Church will be with those belonging to the spiritual Church. ‘And they may say to me, What is His name?’ means, What is His essential nature? ‘What am I to say to them?’ means, What is the reply to be? ‘And God said to Moses’ means the instruction that is provided first. ‘I Am Who I Am’ means the Being and the Coming-into-Being of all things throughout creation. ‘And He said, Thus shall you say to the children of Israel’ means the instruction that is provided second. ‘I Am has sent me to you’ means that the Divine Coming-into-Being will be in that Church. ‘And God said further still to Moses, Thus you are to say to the children of Israel’ means the instruction that is provided third. ‘The God of your fathers’ means Him who was the God of the Ancient Church. ‘The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ means the Divine itself and the Divine Human, thus the Lord. ‘Has sent me to you’ means that He will be in their Church. ‘This is My name forever’ means that the Divine Human has the essential nature of the Divine itself. ‘And this is My memorial from one generation to another’ means that It is to be worshipped perpetually.
* lit. into eternity
** lit. into a generation, a generation

AC (Elliott) n. 6874 6874. ‘And Moses said to God’ means perception from the Divine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ in the historical narratives of the Word as perception; and the fact that ‘God’ means the Divine is self-evident. The expression ‘perception from the Divine’ is used because all perception originates there.

AC (Elliott) n. 6875 6875. ‘Behold, I am coming to the children of Israel’ means regarding those belonging to the spiritual Church. This is clear from the representation of ‘the children of Israel’ as those belonging to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6637, 6862, 6865.

AC (Elliott) n. 6876 6876. ‘And saying to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you’ means that He who was the God of the Ancient Church will be with those belonging to the spiritual Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the God of your fathers’ as Him who was the God of the Ancient Church, ‘fathers’ being those who belonged to the Ancient Church, see 6050, 6075, 6846; from the representation of the children of Israel, to whom ‘you’ refers here, as those who belong to the spiritual Church, dealt with immediately above in 6875; and from the meaning of ‘being sent’ as going forth, dealt with in 2397, 4710, 6831, here as the promise that He will be with them, for it is talking about Him who was the God of the Ancient Church, promising that He will be in the spiritual Church, which is represented by the children of Israel.

[2] The God of the Ancient Church was the Lord in respect of His Divine Human. The Ancient Church acquired this perception of God from the Most Ancient Church and also from the consideration that whenever Jehovah appeared to them He did so in a human form. When therefore they thought about Jehovah they did not think of Him as the Being present in all things everywhere, of whom they would have had no conception. Rather, they thought of Him as a Person who was Divine, on whom they would then be able to focus their thought. For in this way they were able both to think about Jehovah and to be joined to Him in love. Those who belonged to the Ancient Church, and especially those who belonged to the Most Ancient Church, were far wiser than people are in our own day, and yet they could not think of Jehovah in any other way than as a person whose Humanity was Divine. Nor did their thinking have any Unseemly desires entering it – ideas taken from the natural man, from what is imperfect and bad there. Rather the ideas about Him were altogether holy. The angels themselves, whose wisdom is so much greater than man’s, cannot think of the Divine in any other way either, for they see the Lord in His Divine Human. They know that an angel, with whom all things are finite, cannot begin to form any idea of the Infinite except through what bears resemblance to the finite.

[3] The fact that people in ancient times venerated Jehovah under the form of a Person who was Divine is perfectly clear from the angels who appeared in human form to Abraham, and also after that to Lot, as well as to Joshua, and to Gideon and Manoah. Those angels were called Jehovah and were venerated as the God of all things. If at the present day Jehovah were to appear in the Church as a person people would be offended and would think that because what they saw was a person. He could not by any means be the Creator and Lord of the Universe. Furthermore they would not then have any other kind of idea about Him than what they have about an ordinary human being. Thinking in this way people at the present day believe that they are wiser than the ancients, unaware of the fact that by thinking in that way they are completely out of touch with wisdom. For when one’s mental resources are spent on envisaging the completely incomprehensible Being present everywhere, they can discern nothing and are squandered. And ideas about nature, to which every single thing is attributed, arise instead. This is why nature-worship is so common at the present day, especially in the Christian world.

AC (Elliott) n. 6877 6877. ‘And they may say to me, What is His name?’ means, What is His essential nature? This is clear from the meaning of ‘name’ as essential nature, dealt with in 1754, 1896, 2009, 2628, 2724, 3006, 6674. This question asked by Moses shows what the descendants of Jacob were like. It shows that not only had they forgotten the name Jehovah, but also that they acknowledged a number of gods, one of whom was greater than another; and that was why they wished to know that god’s name. They also believed that it was enough if merely God’s name was acknowledged. The reason why the descendants of Jacob were like this was that they were acquainted only with the outward aspects of things, not with their inner aspects; and people unacquainted with those inner aspects cannot have any other kind of belief with regard to God since they are unable to receive any light from heaven which would shine on more internal levels of their minds. To the end therefore that they might acknowledge Jehovah they were told that the God of their fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob – had appeared to Moses, and that He had sent him. Thus what led them to acknowledge Jehovah was blind veneration of their forefathers, not any inner perception. For that people it was enough if they did worship Jehovah merely in name, for the further reason that they were unable to accept anything other than the outer aspect of the Church, thus solely that which was to represent the inner aspect of it. That outer aspect, furthermore, was established among them to the end that the inward form of what they were to represent might be displayed in heaven; then in some kind of way heaven would still be joined to mankind.

AC (Elliott) n. 6878 6878. ‘What am I to say to them?’ means, What is the reply to be? This is clear without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6879 6879. ‘And God said to Moses’ means the instruction that is provided first. This is clear from the meaning of ‘God’s saying’, at this point His saying to Moses (who represents the Lord in respect of Divine Truth) and His saying through Moses to the people (that is, speaking through the Divine Truth going forth from the Lord’s Divine Human to those who belong to the spiritual Church) as instruction, in this case the instruction that is provided first since the true God who is to be worshipped is the subject. For the first feature of the Church is that God exists and that He is to be worshipped. The first thing about Him that one should know is that He has created all things and that every created thing is kept in being by Him.

AC (Elliott) n. 6880 6880. ‘I Am Who I Am’ means the Being and the Coming-into-Being of all things throughout creation. This is clear from the fact that ‘I Am’ means to have Being, and since He alone is Being ‘I Am’ is used as a name. The reason why ‘I Am’ occurs twice – that is to say, in ‘I Am Who I Am’ – is that in one place it means the Being and in the other the Coming-into-Being, Thus one means the Divine itself, which is called the Father, and the other means the Divine Human, which is called the Son; for the Divine Human comes into being from the Divine itself. But now that the Lord has become Divine Being, which is Jehovah, in respect of His Human too, Divine Truth which emanates from the Lord’s Divine Human is the Divine Coming-into-Being arising from the Divine Being. From this it may be seen that the Divine Being cannot make contact with anyone except through the Divine Coming-into-Being; that is, the Divine itself cannot make contact except through the Divine Human, and the Divine Human cannot do so except through Divine Truth, which is the holy emanation of the spirit. This is implied by the words in John 1:7, ‘all things were made through the Word’. The appearance to man is that Divine Truth is not the kind of thing that can bring something into being; for it is thought to be like an utterance which is discharged from the mouth and scattered to the winds. But the reality is altogether different. Divine Truth emanating from the Lord is something very real indeed. Its nature is such that it is the source from which all things come into being and from which all things are kept in being; for what emanates from the Lord is the most real thing in the whole of creation. Such is the nature of Divine Truth, which is called ‘the Word through which all things were made’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6881 6881. ‘And He said, Thus shall you say to the children of Israel’ means the instruction that is provided second. This is clear from the meaning of ‘God said’, when it is used a second time, as a new phase of perception, dealt with in 2061, 2238, 2260, the new phase of perception being here the instruction that is given second; and from the representation of ‘the children of Israel’ as those who belong to the spiritual Church, for whose benefit that instruction was provided.

AC (Elliott) n. 6882 6882. ‘I Am has sent me to you’ means that the Divine Coming-into-Being will be in it, in that Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘I Am’ as the Divine itself and the Divine Human, dealt with just above in 6880; from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Lord in respect of the Divine Law, that is, of Divine Truth (regarding Divine Truth, that it is the Coming-into-Being from the Divine Human because it emanates from the Divine Human, see again above in 6880); and from the meaning of ‘being sent to them’ as the promise that it will be in the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6876. This is the instruction that is provided second. The instruction provided first is that God, from whom all things exist, should be acknowledged; the second is that Divine Truth, which emanates from Him, should be accepted.

AC (Elliott) n. 6883 6883. ‘And God said further still to Moses, Thus you are to say to the children of Israel’ means the instruction that is provided third. This is clear from the explanation just above in 6881.

AC (Elliott) n. 6884 6884. ‘The God of your fathers’ means Him who was the God of the Ancient Church. This is clear from what has been stated above in 6876, where similar words occur. In the external sense written as history the words ‘the God of their fathers’ are used to mean the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but in the internal sense to mean Him who was the God of the Ancient Church. That the latter, not the former, is what is meant in the internal sense may be recognized from the consideration that the historical record contained in the Word cannot find its way into heaven. For the historical record in the Word is concerned with what is natural and worldly, but those in heaven possess exclusively spiritual ideas and thus they understand in a spiritual Way that which is written as history. And when the description of what is worldly, constituting the sense of the letter of the Word, reaches only the outskirts of heaven it is converted into the spiritual sense. Some recognition that this is so may also be gained from the consideration that man too on many occasions converts what he is being told into the kinds of things that occupy his entire thinking; that is, one whose thoughts are unclean turns them into what is unclean, and one whose ideas are clean into what is clean. So it is then that by ‘the God of your fathers’ those in heaven do not perceive the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for in heaven they have no thought of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, only of the Lord who is represented by them. It is for this reason that He who was the God of the Ancient Church is what those words mean.

AC (Elliott) n. 6885 6885. ‘The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ means the Divine itself and the Divine Human, thus the Lord. This is clear from what has been shown above in 6847, where similar words occur.

AC (Elliott) n. 6886 6886. ‘Has sent me to you’ means that He will be in their Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being sent to you’ as the promise that He will be in the spiritual Church, dealt with above in 6876, 6882.

AC (Elliott) n. 6887 6887. ‘This is My name forever’ means that the Divine Human has the essential nature of the Divine itself. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the name of God’ as everything in its entirety by which God is worshipped, thus His essential nature, dealt with in 2724, 3006, 6674. But the Divine itself cannot be worshipped because the Divine itself cannot be approached either in faith or in love, being – according to the Lord’s words in John – entirely above comprehension,

Nobody has ever seen God; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. John 1:18.

And elsewhere in the same gospel,

You have never heard His voice nor seen His shape. John 5:37.

Therefore ‘the name of God’, being the essential nature of the Divine itself, is the Divine Human that can be approached and worshipped.

[2] The fact that the Divine Human is ‘the name of God’ is evident in John,

Jesus said, Father, glorify Your name. A voice therefore came from heaven, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. John 12:28.

With respect to the Divine Human the Lord here calls Himself ‘the Father’s name’. In Isaiah,

I Jehovah have called You in righteousness, and I will hold Your hand, because I will guard You, and give You to be a covenant of the people,* a light of the nations, to open the blind eyes, to bring the bound out of prison, out of the dungeon-house those who sit in darkness. I am Jehovah, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another. Isa. 42:6-8.

These and the previous verses of this chapter in Isaiah plainly refer to the Lord. He it is who is meant by ‘the name of Jehovah’, as is evident from the declaration that He will not give His glory to another, which means – since it has reference to the Lord – to Himself, seeing that He and Jehovah are one.

[3] In Moses,

Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way, and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. Take notice of His face, and hear His voice; for He will not tolerate your transgression, since My name is within Him. Exod. 23:20, 21.

‘The angel of Jehovah’ here is used to mean the Lord in respect of His Divine Human, see 6831. And since the Divine Human has the essential nature of the Divine itself, it says that Jehovah’s name is within Him. Also in the Lord’s Prayer the words ‘Our Father in heaven, may Your name be kept holy’ are used to mean the Lord in respect of His Divine Human, as well as everything in its entirety by which one should worship Him.
* The Latin means for the people but the Hebrew means of the people, which Sw. has in some other places where he quotes this verse.

AC (Elliott) n. 6888 6888. ‘And this is My memorial from one generation to another means that It is to be worshipped perpetually. This is clear from the meaning of ‘memorial’ as that which should be called to mind, and – when used in connection with the Divine – as His essential nature called to mind in worship; and from the meaning of ‘one generation to another as perpetually. In the Word the expressions ‘forever’* and ‘to all generations’* are used, sometimes in the same verse. The reason for this is that ‘forever’ has reference to Divine Good, and ‘all generations’ to Divine Truth. And the situation is much the same with the meaning of ‘memorial’ and ‘name’, in that ‘memorial’ has reference to the essential nature of the Divine in worship in respect of truth, whereas ‘name’ has reference to the essential nature of the Divine in worship in respect of them both, of both truth and good, but in particular in respect of good. The fact that ‘memorial’ means the essential nature of the Divine called to mind in worship is evident from Hosea,

Jehovah is God Zebaoth, Jehovah is His memorial. Turn back therefore in [the strength of] God; maintain godliness and righteousness. Hosea 11:5, 6.

This refers to the essential nature of worship that is offered in respect of truth, and therefore the words ‘Jehovah is His memorial’ are used. In David,

Sing to Jehovah, O saints of His, and acclaim the memorial of His holiness. Ps. 30:4; 97:12.

‘Holy’ is used in reference to truth, see 6788; thus worship from truth is meant by ‘the memorial of His holiness’.
* lit. into eternity
** lit. into generation of generations

AC (Elliott) n. 6889 6889. Verses 16-20 Go and gather the elders of Israel, and you are to say to them, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, has appeared to me – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – saying, I have certainly visited you and I seen] what has been done to you in Egypt. And I say, I will cause you to come up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite, and the Amorite and the Perizzite, and the Hivite and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey. And they will hear your voice, and you and the elders of Israel are to go in to the king of Egypt, and you are to say to him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has come to meet us; and now let us go, we beg you, a way of three days* into the wilderness, and let us sacrifice to Jehovah our God. And I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go, not even** by a strong hand. And I will stretch out*** My hand, and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in the midst of it; and after that he will send you away.

‘Go and gather the elders of Israel’ means those with intelligence in the spiritual Church. ‘And you are to say to them’ means instruction. ‘Jehovah, the God of your fathers’ means Him who was the God of the Ancient Church. ‘Has appeared to me’ means His presence. ‘The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’ means the Lord’s Divine itself and Divine Human. ‘Saying, I have certainly visited you’ means His coming to those who belong to the [spiritual] Church. ‘And [seen] what has been done to you in Egypt’ means the endeavour to bring them into subjection. ‘And I say, I will cause you to come up out of the affliction of Egypt’ means raising up and delivering from molestation by false factual knowledge.

‘To the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite, and the Amorite and the Perizzite, and the Hivite and the Jebusite’ means the region of heaven occupied by those steeped in evils and falsities. ‘To a land flowing with milk and honey’ means where pleasure and delight abound. ‘And they will hear your voice’ means obedience. ‘And you and the elders of Israel are to go in to the king of Egypt’ means a communicating to those who are steeped in falsities and engage in molestation. ‘And you are to say to him’ means influx. ‘Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has come to meet us’ means the Lord’s Divine in the Church, and what was commanded by Him. ‘And now let us go, we beg you, a way of three days into the wilderness’ means a life of truth in a state totally removed from falsities, even though it is led in a state of obscurity. ‘And let us sacrifice to Jehovah our God’ means thus the worship of the Lord. ‘And I know’ means foresight. ‘That the king of Egypt will not allow you to go’ means that falsity will set itself in opposition. ‘Not even by a strong hand’ means that against them the power of those who belong to the spiritual Church will not be strong enough. ‘And I will stretch out My hand’ means power from the Divine. ‘And strike Egypt with all My wonders’ means the means used by Divine power against falsities. ‘Which I will do in the midst of it’ means which will have a direct effect on them. ‘And after that he will send you away’ means the driving away of them [of those steeped in falsities], and deliverance [of those guided by truths].
* i.e. a three days’ journey
** lit. and not
*** lit. send

AC (Elliott) n. 6890 6890. ‘Go and gather the elders of Israel’ means those with intelligence in the spiritual Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the elders’ as the chief characteristics of wisdom and intelligence, dealt with in 6524, 6525, thus those with intelligence; and from the representation of ‘Israel’ as the spiritual Church, dealt with in 4286, 6426.

AC (Elliott) n. 6891 6891. ‘And you are to say to them’ means instruction. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying to them’ – when it is to be done by Moses, who represents the law from God – as instruction, as above in 6879, 6881, 6883.

AC (Elliott) n. 6892 6892. ‘Jehovah, the God of your fathers’ means Him who was the God of the Ancient Church. This is clear from the explanation above in 6884, where similar words occur.

AC (Elliott) n. 6893 6893. ‘Has appeared to me’ means [His] presence. This is clear from the meaning of ‘appearing to someone’ as presence; for in the internal sense ‘appearing’ does not mean being seen with the eyes but in thought. Thought itself also brings about presence; for a person who is in one’s thoughts appears and is so to speak present before one’s inward sight. In the next life this is what happens in actual effect, for when anyone there thinks intently about another person, that person comes to be standing present there. So it is that friends are brought together there, and enemies too, and that from the latter they undergo harsh experiences.

AC (Elliott) n. 6894 6894. ‘The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’ means the Lord’s Divine itself and Divine Human. This is clear from what has been shown above in 6847.

AC (Elliott) n. 6895 6895. ‘Saying, I have certainly visited you’ means His coming to those who belong to the spiritual Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘visiting’ as the Lord’s coming, which precedes the final period of the Church, the period which is spoken of in the Word as a final judgement. Regarding the meaning of ‘visitation’ as that judgement, see 2242, 6588; and the fact that that judgement is called the Lord’s coming is evident from the following words in Matthew,

The disciples said to Jesus, Tell us, when will those things take place, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age? Matt. 24:3.

The Lord was telling the disciples then about the final period of the Church, as may be seen from the explanations given in 3353-3356, 3486, 3489, 3897-3901, 4055-4060, 4229-4231, 4422-4424. He said that when all those things happen,

The sign of the Son of Man will appear, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn; and they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory. Matt. 24:30.

[2] ‘The Lord’s coming’ is not used to mean His appearance together with angels in the clouds, but the acceptance of Him in people’s hearts through love and faith, see 3353, 3900, and also His appearance from within the Word, the inmost or highest sense of which deals with the Lord alone, 4060. This coming is meant by ‘the Lord’s coming’, which takes place at the time when an old Church is done away with and a new one is established by the Lord. And because a new phase of the Church was to be established now among the descendants of Jacob, the words ‘I have certainly visited you’ are used, like those spoken by Joseph when he was about to die,

Joseph said to his brothers, I am dying; and God will certainly visit you and cause you to go up out of this land to the land which He swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Gen. 50:24.

‘Certainly visiting you’ here means in the sense of the letter deliverance from slavery in Egypt and introduction into the land of Canaan. This however is not the spiritual subject matter contained in the Word but the natural. The spiritual subject matter in the Word has to do with the Lord, His kingdom and the Church, and love and faith. Consequently ‘certainly visiting’ is used to mean in the spiritual sense deliverance from falsities and thus introduction into things that belong to the Church and the Lord’s kingdom, that is, the Lord’s coming in love and faith among those who will belong to the new Church.

AC (Elliott) n. 6896 6896. ‘And [seen] what has been done to you in Egypt’ means the endeavour to bring them into subjection. This is clear from what has gone before regarding the affliction and oppression of the children of Israel, that is, of those who belong to the spiritual Church. These are the things meant by ‘what has been done to you in Egypt’. For the fact that these afflictions and acts of oppression mean molestations and endeavours to bring into subjection, see 6663, 6666, 6668, 6670, 6671, 6851, 6852, 6863.

AC (Elliott) n. 6897 6897. ‘And I say, I will cause you to come up out of the affliction of Egypt’ means raising up and delivering from molestation by false factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘causing to come up’ as raising towards more interior things, dealt with in 3084, 4539, 5406, 5817, 6007 (raising people towards more interior things is raising them from molestation by falsities to the truths of faith and forms of the good of faith, and therefore ‘causing to go up’ also means deliverance); from the meaning of ‘affliction’ as molestation, dealt with in 6663, 6851; and from the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as false factual knowledge, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683.

AC (Elliott) n. 6898 6898. ‘To the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite, and the Amorite and the Perizzite, and the Hivite and the Jebusite’ means the region of heaven occupied by those steeped in evils and falsities. This is clear from what has been shown above in 6854, 6858. ‘The Canaanites and the Hittites’ are those steeped in evils that arise from falsities, see 6858; ‘the Amorites and the Perizzites’ are those steeped in evils and the falsities that arise from them, 6859; and ‘the Hivites and the Jebusites’ are those steeped in what is idolatrous but has some kind of goodness and truth in it, 6860.

AC (Elliott) n. 6899 6899. ‘To a land flowing with milk and honey’ means where pleasure and delight abound. This is clear from the meaning of ‘milk and honey’ as pleasure and delight, dealt with above in 6857.

AC (Elliott) n. 6900 6900. ‘And they will hear your voice’ means obedience. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hearing’ as obedience, dealt with in 2542, 3869, 4652-4660.

AC (Elliott) n. 6901 6901. ‘And you and the elders of Israel are to go in to the king of Egypt’ means a communicating to those who are steeped in falsities and engage in molestation. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going in to’ as a communicating to, for in the spiritual sense ‘going in to’ is communicating one’s thought to another; from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the law from God, dealt with in 6827; from the meaning of ‘the elders’ as those with intelligence, dealt with in 6524, 6525, 6890; and from the representation of Pharaoh or ‘the king of Egypt’ as falsity molesting the Church’s truths, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683. From all this it is evident that ‘you and the elders of Israel are to go in to the king of Egypt’ means the communication of such truths as belong to the law from God, and belong to intelligence acquired from that source, to those who are steeped in falsities and engage in molestation.

AC (Elliott) n. 6902 6902. ‘And you are to say to him’ means influx. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ as influx, dealt with in 5743, 6152, 6291. The reason why ‘saying’ here is influx is that the communication dealt with in 6901 – the communication of such truths as belong to the law from God, and to intelligence acquired from that source – is effected by means of influx.

AC (Elliott) n. 6903 6903. ‘Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has come to meet us’ means the Lord’s Divine in the Church, and what was commanded by Him. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the Hebrews’ as the Church, dealt with in 5136, 6675, 6684 (the reason why’ Jehovah God’ is the Lord’s Divine is that in the Word none other than the Lord is meant by ‘Jehovah’, 1776, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5041, 5667, 6303); and from the meaning here of ‘coming to meet’ as what was commanded, since ‘coming to meet’ is used here to mean that He spoke to them and gave them orders. The fact that this is what is implied by ‘has come to meet’ is clear from the consideration that it no longer states the actual words spoken by Him but goes on immediately to express what had been commanded by Him.

AC (Elliott) n. 6904 6904. ‘And now let us go, we beg you, a way of three days into the wilderness’ means a life of truth in a state totally removed from falsities, even though it is led in a state of obscurity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going’ as leading a life, dealt with in 3335, 4882, 5493, 5605; from the meaning of ‘a way’ as truth, dealt with in 627, 2333; from the meaning of ‘three days’ as a complete state, dealt with in 2788, 4495, so that when the expression is used in connection with being removed from falsities, it describes a state totally removed from them (‘putting a journey of three days between’ is a total setting apart, see 4010); and from the meaning of ‘the wilderness’ as that which is uninhabited and uncultivated, dealt with in 2708, 3900. Which in the spiritual sense is obscurity of faith. For the subject here is the establishment of the spiritual Church, which is meant by ‘the children of Israel’; and those who belong to that Church are in comparative obscurity so far as the good and truth of faith are concerned, see 2708, 2715, 2716, 2718, 2831, 2849, 2975, 2937, 3141, 3246, 3837, 4402, 6289, 6500, 6865. A life of truth is the life that is led by those who belong to the spiritual Church; for when the truth that they know from the Word or from the teaching of the Church becomes a matter of life it is called good, yet it is truth expressed in action.

AC (Elliott) n. 6905 6905. ‘And let us sacrifice to Jehovah our God’ means thus the worship of the Lord. This is clear from the meaning of ‘sacrificing’ as worship in general, dealt with in 923, for in the Hebrew Church and subsequently among the descendants of Jacob all worship was linked to sacrifices. This may be recognized from the fact that sacrifices were offered daily, and many at every feast. They were also offered when people were to be admitted into priestly functions or were to undergo purification; and there were sin-offerings and guilt-offerings, as well as those made as a consequence of vows, and those that were free-will offerings. All this goes to prove that worship in general is meant by ‘sacrifices’. As regards its being the worship of the Lord that is meant by ‘sacrificing to Jehovah God’, this is plainly evident from the consideration that the sacrifices did not represent anything other than the Lord and the Divine celestial and spiritual realities that derive from Him, 1827, 2180, 2805, 2807, 2830, 3519, and also from the consideration that in the Word none other than the Lord is meant by ‘Jehovah God’, see above in 6903. ‘Jehovah’ is used to mean His Divine Being, and ‘God’ to mean His Divine Coming-into-Being from that Divine Being, so that ‘Jehovah’ is used to mean the Divine Good of His Divine Love, and ‘God’ to mean the Divine Truth emanating from His Divine Good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6906 6906. ‘And I know’ means foresight. This is clear from the meaning of ‘knowing’, when used in reference to Jehovah or the Lord, as foresight, dealt with above in 6853.

AC (Elliott) n. 6907 6907. ‘That the king of Egypt will not allow you to go’ means that falsity will set itself in opposition. This is clear from the meaning of ‘not allowing you’ as setting itself in opposition, for he who does not allow something when it is said to be a Divine command, 6903, and he who refuses to let someone worship God, sets himself in opposition, as is common among all those who are under the influence of falsity of which they have become firmly convinced; from the representation of Pharaoh or ‘the king of Egypt’ as falsity, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683; and from the meaning of ‘to go’ – that is to say, a three days’ journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to Jehovah God – as to lead a life in keeping with truth in a state totally removed from falsities, and in so doing to worship the Lord, 6904.

[2] The situation when those under the influence of falsity, who are represented by ‘the king of Egypt’, set themselves against those guided by truths must be described. In the world those under the influence of falsity do not openly set themselves in opposition to those who are guided by truth, for they are held back from doing so by external restraints, which consist in the fear that others may see them as people who behave contrary to the laws of state and Church, in which case they would not seem to be good citizens. For everyone wishes the world to see him as righteous and true in outward appearance, and the wicked desire this more than the upright, in order that they may captivate people’s minds and mislead them for reasons of gain and exalted positions. But inwardly they set themselves in opposition, for as often as they hear anyone proclaiming the truths of the Church not because it is his job to do so but because he loves them passionately, they laugh to themselves; and if at that time there were no external restraints to prevent them they would openly deride him. When such people enter the next life they are no longer held back by external restraints, since these are taken away from them in order that what each person is really like may be exposed to view. Then they openly set themselves in opposition to those who are guided by truths and molest them in every possible way; and this is now for them the absolute delight of their life. And when they are warned not to do such things because if they do not desist they will at length be removed completely and thrust down into hell, they nevertheless take no notice at all and carry on constantly with their molestation as before; for such is the strength of the delight they feel in living in accord with falsity. It takes them over so completely that they accept nothing whatever that makes for intelligence. These are the things that are meant by ‘the king of Egypt will not allow you to go’ and that are represented by Pharaoh’s setting himself in opposition so many times. The removal of such spirits and the thrusting down of them into hell is represented by the destruction of Pharaoh and the Egyptians in the Sea Suph.

[3] Those who lead an evil life and are consequently under the influence of falsity see by the light of the world, since it is the light in which a person sees things with his understanding. With those who are under the influence of falsity arising from evil this light is glowing; and the more they are under the influence of falsity arising from evil, the brighter it glows. The glory of the world, which has its origin in self-love, is what ignites it and gives it its glow. This being so, those people see truths in that light as nothing but falsities, and falsities as nothing but truths. The reason for this is that this light’s rays cannot be infused with heavenly light; with that kind of light heavenly light becomes thick darkness. This is why such people believe firmly but wrongly in falsities as against truths, for this is how that inferior light leads them to see falsities and truths in relation to each other. With those however who are guided by truths that spring from good the light of the world is not glowing but dim, while the light of heaven is with them brightly shining. And because it is brightly shining, truths in that light look like truths, and falsities like falsities. For when that light falls onto falsities, which look like truths in the light of the world separated from the light of heaven, it does not merely dim them but altogether blots them out. This light – the light of heaven – becomes gradually brighter and brighter with them, till at length it is so bright that the light of the world cannot be compared with it. From all this one may see why those who are steeped in falsities arising from evil set themselves, because of the great strength of their wrong belief, in opposition to those guided by truths, an opposition which has been described just above.

AC (Elliott) n. 6908 6908. ‘Not even by a strong hand’ means that against them the power of those who belong to the spiritual Church will not be strong enough. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hand’ as power, dealt with in 878, 3387, 4931-4937, and therefore ‘not by a strong hand’ means power which will not be strong enough. The fact that these words are used to mean the power of those who belong to the spiritual Church is evident from those that immediately follow them, ‘And I will stretch out My hand, and strike Egypt with all My wonders’, meaning that they are to be overcome through power from the Divine and through the means used by that power.

AC (Elliott) n. 6909 6909. ‘And I will stretch out My hand’ means power from the Divine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hand’ as power, dealt with in 878, 3387, 4931-4937; and Since Jehovah or the Lord says this of Himself it is power from the Divine.

AC (Elliott) n. 6910 6910. ‘And strike Egypt with all My wonders’ means the means used by Divine power against falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as falsity, often dealt with already; and from the meaning of ‘wonders’ as the means used by Divine power through which those steeped in falsities who engage in molestation are subdued. The fact that ‘wonders’ are the means used by Divine power through which those steeped in falsities are subdued is clear from the wonders or miracles performed in Egypt, which in the end drove the Egyptians to send the children of Israel away. Each wonder or miracle there means a means used by Divine power.

AC (Elliott) n. 6911 6911. ‘Which I will do in the midst of it’ means which will have a direct effect on them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the midst’ as that which exists inwardly, dealt with in 1074, 1940, 2973, thus that which has a direct effect. For what has a direct effect on someone exists within him; but what does not have a direct effect remains outside, for it strikes him at a tangent and in part goes straight past him.

AC (Elliott) n. 6912 6912. ‘And after that he will send you away’ means the driving away of them, that is to say, of those steeped in falsities, and deliverance, that is to say, of those guided by truths. This is clear from the meaning here of ‘sending’ or ‘sending away’ as being driven away; for those steeped in falsities never send anyone away, and would not do so to all eternity, unless they are driven away. This is the reason why here in the internal sense ‘sending away’ means a driving away and consequent deliverance.

AC (Elliott) n. 6913 6913. Verses 21, 22 And I will give this people favour* in the eyes of the Egyptians; and so it will be when you go, that you will not go empty-handed. And let a woman ask of her female neighbour, and of the female guest in her house, vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and clothes; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. And you shall plunder the Egyptians.

‘And I will give this people favour* in the eyes of the Egyptians’ means fear, on account of the plagues, which those steeped in falsities had of those belonging to the spiritual Church. ‘And so it will be when you go, that you will not go empty-handed’ means a life no longer destitute so far as the contents of the natural mind are concerned. ‘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. ‘Vessels of silver’ means factual knowledge of what is true. ‘And vessels of gold’ means factual knowledge of what is good. ‘And clothes’ means inferior factual knowledge corresponding to these. ‘And you shall put them on your sons’ means application to their truths. ‘And on your daughters’ means application to their forms of good. ‘And you shall plunder the Egyptians’ means that such things are to be taken away from those who are steeped in falsities and in evils arising from them.
* lit. grace

AC (Elliott) n. 6914 6914. ‘And I will give this people favour in the eyes of the Egyptians means fear, on account of the plagues, which those steeped in falsities had of those belonging to the spiritual Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘giving favour’ as fear on account of the plagues, dealt with below; from the representation of the children of Israel, to whom ‘people’ refers here, as those belonging to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6637; and from the representation of ‘the Egyptians’ as those who are steeped in falsities, often dealt with already. The fact that ‘giving favour in the eyes of the Egyptians’ means fear on account of the plagues that is present in those steeped in falsities is clear when one understands the matters described in the internal sense; for the subject is those who are steeped in falsities, meant by ‘the Egyptians’ – with the truths and forms of good which are to be taken away from them and passed on to those who belong to the spiritual Church. And since the subject is those who are steeped in falsities, ‘favour’ does not mean favour, for people who are steeped in falsities and evils do not feel in any way at all disposed to show favour towards anyone. If they treat anyone well or do not treat him badly they do so through fear of ‘plagues’; these are the reason for their show of favour. This favour is the kind meant here in the internal sense. The internal sense displays things as they really are, not as they are made to stand in the letter, and makes every detail relevant to the subject. The truth of this is also evident from what follows regarding the Egyptians, where it is evident that they did not let the children of Israel go out of any disposition to show them favour, only out of fear on account of further plagues, Exod. 11:1; 12:33.

[2] These two verses, when they say that the women of Israel were to ask the Egyptian women for silver, gold, and clothes, refer to ‘the plundering’ of the Egyptians. And because what is meant by this cannot at all be known except from a revelation describing things that take place in the next life – for the internal sense contains the kinds of things that take place among angels and spirits – the matter must therefore be discussed. Before the Lord’s Coming the lower parts of heaven had been occupied by evil genii and spirits; but afterwards they were driven out from there and that region was given to those who belonged to the spiritual Church, see above in 6858. As long as the evil genii and spirits were there they were under constant watch by angels belonging to a higher heaven and were thereby restrained from committing evil deeds openly. At the present day too some who are more devious than others because they mislead people by their pretence of innocence and charity are under watch by celestial ones, and so long as they are under it they are held back from their unspeakable tricks. They are directly overhead; but the celestial angels under whose watch they are kept are even higher. This has allowed me to know what the situation was like of the evil genii and spirits who occupied the lower region of heaven before the Lord’s Coming; during that time they were held back by angels belonging to a higher heaven from committing evil deeds openly.

[3] But as for the way in which they were held back from committing evil deeds openly, this too I have been allowed to know. They were kept in check by external restraints, which were fear of the loss of position and reputation, and fear that they would be deprived of places they hold in that region of heaven and would be thrust down into hell; and at that time good yet simple spirits were attached to them. It was like what happens with people in the world. Even though inwardly they may be devils those external restraints force them to keep up a pretence of honourableness and righteousness and to do good. And to ensure that they go on behaving in these ways spirits who are governed by simple good are attached to them. The situation was similar with the evil who were in the lower region of heaven before the Lord’s Coming. At that time too they could be driven by selfish kinds of love to speak what was true and do what was good. They were not unlike wicked priests, indeed even very wicked ones, who inwardly are devils, but who can proclaim the teachings of their Church with such passion and seeming zeal that they move the hearts of their hearers to godliness. Yet all the while they are ruled by self-love and love of the world, for the thought of their own position and gain reigns in every part of them and is what fires them to proclaim those teachings in such a way. There are evil spirits present with them, ruled by the same kind of love and consequently thinking in the same kind of way, who lead them; but good yet simple spirits are attached to them. From all this one may recognize what the state of heaven was like before the Lord’s Coming.

[4] But after the Lord’s Coming the states of heaven and hell were completely altered; for then the evil genii and spirits who occupied the lower region of heaven were cast down and were replaced by those raised up there who belonged to the spiritual Church. At that time the evil who were cast down had the external restraints taken away from them, which, as stated above, were fear of the loss of position and gain and deprivation of places they hold in that region. They were thus left to their inner selves, which were entirely devilish and hellish, and so were banished to the hells. The removal of external restraints is effected in the next life by withdrawing the good spirits who have been attached to them; and when they have been withdrawn the evil can no more maintain any pretence of goodness, righteousness, or honourableness, but can only behave in accord with what they had been like inwardly in the world, that is, in accord with what they had really thought and desired, which they had concealed from others there, their only wish being to do what is evil. The good yet simple spirits who were withdrawn from those evil spirits were assigned or attached to those who belonged to the spiritual Church, to whom that region of heaven was given as a possession. This is why they were enriched with the truths and forms of good which the evil genii and spirits had had previously. Enrichment with truths and forms of good is effected in the next life by means of the attachment of spirits with whom truth and goodness are present; for communication is effected through them.

[5] These things are what are meant by the statement that the children of Israel would not go out of Egypt empty-handed, and that a woman should ask of her female neighbour, and of the female guest in her house, vessels of silver, vessels of gold, and clothes, and in so doing would plunder the Egyptians. Anyone can see that unless the kinds of things described above had been represented the Divine would never have commanded them to use that kind of guile against the Egyptians; for all behaviour like that is very far removed from the Divine. But since those people were completely representative they were allowed by the Divine, because such a thing would be done to the evil in the next life, to act in that kind of way. It should be recognized that very many things which were commanded by Jehovah or the Lord do not in the internal sense mean things that were commanded by Him but those that were permitted.

AC (Elliott) n. 6915 6915. ‘And so it will be when you go, that you will not go empty-handed’ means a life no more destitute so far as the contents of the natural mind are concerned. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going’ as leading a life, dealt with in 3335, 4882, 5493, 5605, 6904; and from the meaning of ‘you will not go empty-handed’ as a life no more destitute, ’empty’ meaning where there is no truth, see 4744, thus where there is spiritual destitution. The fact that it is destitution so far as the contents of the natural mind are concerned is evident from what has gone before, where it describes how those who belonged to the spiritual Church, represented by ‘the children of Israel’, were molested by those in possession of false factual knowledge, meant by ‘the Egyptians.’ It was therefore molestation so far as the contents of the natural mind are concerned, since what is contained in the natural mind is called factual knowledge. Factual knowledge is also what above all molests those who are spiritual, for their thinking takes place within factual knowledge and little at all on a level above it, see 6865.

AC (Elliott) n. 6916 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. The implications of all this are clear from the matters discussed just above in 6914. The reason why a woman had to do the asking is that ‘a woman’ means the good of charity, and this is what is to be enriched; for if good is to be good truths must be present to give it a particular quality. The reason for this is that when one leads a life in accordance with truths, the actual truths are made forms of good, which means that the particular quality which truth possesses becomes that which good possesses. After that this good receives and links to itself no truths other than those in keeping with its particular duality, consequently to none apart from those which are suited to it, thus are in the neighbouring area and in its house.

AC (Elliott) n. 6917 6917. ‘Vessels of silver’ means factual knowledge of what is true, ‘and vessels of gold’ means factual knowledge of what is good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘vessels’ as known facts, dealt with in 3068, 3079 (known facts are called ‘vessels’ because they are general and can contain within them countless truths and manifold forms of good); from the meaning of ‘silver’ as truth, and of ‘gold’ as good, dealt with in 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658, ‘the silver of Egypt’ being factual knowledge that held truth in it and was appropriate, see 6112. As regards the vessels of silver and the vessels of gold in the hands of the Egyptians – that they mean factual knowledge of what is true and factual knowledge of what is good, even though here and in what has gone before, as well as in what follows, false factual knowledge is meant by ‘the Egyptians – it should be recognized that in themselves known facts are neither true nor false. Rather, they become true in the hands of those who are guided by truths, and false in the hands of those who are steeped in falsities. What use they are put to and then made to serve is what determines which of these they become. The facts a person knows are like the wealth and riches he possesses. Wealth and riches in the hands of those governed by evil are ruinous because they put them to evil kinds of use, whereas wealth and riches in the hands of those governed by good are advantageous because they put them to good kinds of use. Therefore if wealth and riches in the hands of evil people are handed over to those who are good they become good. So too with factual knowledge.

[2] Among the Egyptians, for example, there remained a large number of the representatives that belonged to the Ancient Church, as is clear from their hieroglyphics. But because they applied them to magical practices and therefore made them serve an evil use, these things were for them not true factual knowledge but false. Yet in the Ancient Church the same knowledge had held what was true since people had put it to its correct use – to Divine worship. Take sacrifices on altars as another example. Among the Hebrew nation, and subsequently among the Jewish and Israelite nation, they were ritual acts that were true because they were put to use in the worship of Jehovah. But among the nations in the land of Canaan they were false ritual acts because they were put to use in the worship of their idols. This was why the command was also given to destroy those nations’ altars wherever they were. The same holds true with a very large number of other things. For this reason many known facts can be learned from those who are steeped in evils and falsities, and put to good kinds of use, thus becoming good. Similar things were also meant by plundering the nations in the land of Canaan – by the wealth, large cattle, small cattle, houses, and vineyards which the children of Israel plundered there. The same thing is still further evident from the gold and silver plundered from the nations. This too was devoted to a sacred use, as is clear from the second Book of Samuel,

There were in his hand vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of bronze. King David consecrated these also to Jehovah, along with the silver and gold that he had consecrated from all the nations which he had subdued – from the Syrians, [and] from Moab, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek, and from the plunder of Hadad Ezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah. 2 Sam. 8:10-12.

And in Isaiah,

At length the merchandise of Tyre and her harlot’s wages will be holy to Jehovah, they will not be hoarded or held back; but her merchandise will be for those that dwell before Jehovah to eat to their satiety and for one covering himself with what is ancient. Isa. 23:18.

And also the objects which the women of the children of Israel asked of the Egyptians, thereby plundering them, were later on put to use in the making of the Ark, and to many other sacred objects in their worship.

AC (Elliott) n. 6918 6918. ‘And clothes’ means inferior factual knowledge corresponding to these. This is clear from the meaning of ‘clothes’ as inferior factual knowledge, dealt with in 2576, 5248. ‘Clothes’ has this meaning because they envelop more internal things.

AC (Elliott) n. 6919 6919. ‘And you shall put them on your sons’ means application to their truths, ‘and on your daughters’ means application to their forms of good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘sons’ as truths, dealt with in 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2613, 3373; from the meaning of ‘daughters’ as forms of good, dealt with in 489, 491, 2362, 2363; and from the meaning of ‘putting on them’ as applying, for what is put on someone is applied to him.

AC (Elliott) n. 6920 6920. ‘And you shall plunder the Egyptians’ means that such things are to be taken away from those who are steeped in falsities and in evils arising from them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘plundering’ as taking away; and from the meaning of the ‘Egyptians’ as those steeped in falsities, often dealt with already. The implications of this are clear from what has been set out above in 6914, 6917.

AC (Elliott) n. 6921 6921. SPIRITS BELONGING TO THE PLANET MERCURY – continued

At the end of the previous chapter it was shown that in the Grand Man spirits belonging to the planet Mercury constitute the memory of things that are not material; and because they therefore love to know things that do not have any material associations they are more immediately ready than other spirits, and quicker, to scrutinize something, form an idea of it, and talk about it. For material things act like weights which slow one down and hold one back; they drag the mind downwards and immerse it in earthly concerns, and in so doing remove it from the spiritual world, from which all clear-sightedness comes. How immediately ready those spirits are may be recognized from the following experiences.

AC (Elliott) n. 6922 6922. A fairly bright flame burning cheerfully once appeared and lasted for some length of time. The flame was a sign meaning the arrival of spirits belonging to Mercury, who move more speedily than other spirits. When they came they began immediately to run rapidly through the contents of my memory (all spirits are able to do this, and those present with a person are in possession of all that his memory contains, 5853, 5857, 5859, 5860). But because of the speed at which they went I could not ascertain what they noticed there. I heard them say time and again ‘That is so’; but when they came to things which I had seen in heaven or in the world of spirits they said they already knew those. I became aware of a great number of spirits associated with them, stretching from behind my back a little way round to the left on a level with the back of my head.

AC (Elliott) n. 6923 6923. On another occasion I saw a great number of that kind of spirits, but these were some distance away out in front, slightly to the right. They talked to me from there, but they did so with the help of intermediary spirits; for their speech, flowing as fast as thought, cannot be converted into human language without the help of intermediary spirits. And what surprised me, their words were full and rounded even though they spoke all together and yet with no less promptness and speed. Their speech sounded to me like a wave because there was a large number of them speaking simultaneously; and what was remarkable, it made its way towards my left eye even though those spirits were on the right. The reason for this was that the left eye corresponds to knowledge of things separated from their material associations, thus things that belong to intelligence, whereas the right eye corresponds to things that belong to wisdom. Displaying the same promptness as they did when speaking those spirits also perceived and formed judgements of the things they heard, saying, This is so, that is not so. Those judgements were formed by them almost instantaneously.

AC (Elliott) n. 6924 6924. There was a spirit from another planet who was well-equipped to talk to them because he could do so promptly and swiftly. Those spirits formed split-second judgements about the things he was speaking, saying, This is put too elegantly, that is put too cleverly. Thus they focused their attention solely on whether they heard anything from him that was not yet known to them. In doing this they pushed aside the kinds of things that make matters unclear, that is, which happens especially when people strive to use elegant speech and appear erudite. These practices hide the real issues and substitute mere words, which are the material forms of those things.

AC (Elliott) n. 6925 6925. Spirits who belong to the planet Mercury do not remain in the same place or within the sphere of spirits belonging to one solar system but wander throughout the universe. The reason for this is that they are associated with the memory in the Grand Man and that memory needs to be enriched constantly. This is why they have been allowed to wander about and acquire items of knowledge wherever they go. If on their travels they meet spirits who love material, that is, bodily and earthly things, they flee from them and take themselves away to a place where they do not hear about those kinds of things. From this one may recognize that their mind is raised to a level above the senses and that they see things in a more inward light. This too I have been allowed in actual fact to perceive when they have been near me and talking to me. I have noticed at such times that I was removed so far from the level of the senses that the light coming into my eyes began to grow feeble and dim.

AC (Elliott) n. 6926 6926. Spirits belonging to that planet move in companies and brigades, and when gathered all together they form a kind of ball. They are linked to one another in this way by the Lord in order that they may act as a unit, and in order that the knowledge which each one possesses may be shared with them all, and that all may share theirs with each. The fact that those spirits wander throughout the universe in search of knowledge about real things has also been proved to me by the following experience I once had when they appeared extremely far away from me. They talked to me from there, saying that they had now been gathered all together and were moving outside the sphere of our solar system into the star-laden sky where they knew there existed the kind of people who have no interest in earthly and bodily matters, only in things that do not have any connection with these, with whom they wished to be. I was told that they themselves do not know where they may be going but that under Divine guidance they are taken to those places where they can be informed about things such as they do not yet know and which fit in with the knowledge they already possess. I was also told that they do not know how they come to meet up with the companions to whom they are linked and that this too happens under Divine guidance.

AC (Elliott) n. 6927 6927. Because they move in this manner throughout the universe and as a consequence know more than others about systems and planets outside the sphere of our solar system, I have talked to them on this subject too. They said that there are very many planets in the universe, with people on them too, and that they were amazed that some, whom they refered to as people with little judgement, could suppose that the heaven of an almighty God consists of spirits and angels who come from only one planet, when yet they are so few in comparison with God’s almighty power as to be scarcely anything even if there were tens of thousands of solar systems and tens of thousands of planets. These spirits went on to say that they knew of the existence of more than several hundred thousand planets in the universe; yet how many was that in comparison with the Divine who is Infinite?

AC (Elliott) n. 6928 6928. Spirits belonging to the planet Mercury are altogether different from spirits belonging to our planet, for spirits belonging to ours, especially those who are recent arrivals in the next life, love bodily and worldly, that is, material things, and desire to know such things in the next life. Therefore in order that they may mix with good spirits who have no interest in such things, they are kept in places which are beneath the soles of the feet and in the Word are called ‘the lower earth’. They are kept there until they become averse to bodily and earthly interests and so divest themselves of them. When they have done this they are raised to heaven, introduced into more internal things, and become angels.

AC (Elliott) n. 6929 6929. When spirits belonging to Mercury have been present with me and I have been writing about and explaining the internal sense of the Word, and they have perceived what I wrote, they have said that the things I wrote were very broad generalities and that almost all the expressions seemed to be material. But I was allowed to reply that people belonging to our planet nevertheless see these things I have written as fine and exalted subjects, very many of which they cannot grasp. I added that the majority on our planet do not know that the internal man is what acts on the external man and makes it living; under the influence of sensory illusions they are convinced that the body lives of itself, consequently that the entire person will die when his body dies, and so they cause themselves to be in doubt about life after death. Nor, I went on, do they speak of the spirit but of the soul when they talk about that entity in the person which will be living after the death of the body, arguing over what the soul is and where it is seated, and believing that it has to be joined again to the material body if the person is to go on living, besides many more ideas like these. When the spirits belonging to Mercury heard all this they asked whether that kind of people could become angels. To this I was allowed to reply that those people become angels who have displayed the good of faith and charity in their lives, and that when they lead a life like that they are no longer interested in external and material values, only in internal and spiritual ones; and that when they attain this state they are in light superior to that which the spirits from Mercury see by. To enable them to know that this was true an angel who had arrived in heaven from our planet and who had been such when he lived in the world was allowed to talk to them. This angel will be spoken about later on.*
* In 7077

AC (Elliott) n. 6930 6930. After this the spirits belonging to Mercury sent me a long, uneven sheet of paper consisting of many sheets pasted together. It seemed to have printed type on it like that on our planet, so I asked them whether they had such a thing as printing among them. They said that they did not but that they knew of the existence on our planet of sheets like that. They did not wish to say anything more, but I could tell that they were thinking that this was what the knowledge of real things was like on our planet, that is, that it was separate from a person himself except when he focused his eye and so his mind on such sheets of paper. For that reason they laughed among themselves at people belonging to our planet who seemingly knew nothing except from sheets of paper. But I told them what the situation really was. After some time those spirits came back and sent me another sheet of paper which also seemed to be covered with type as the previous one was but consisted of less pastings together and was not so untidy. Rather, it was neat and trim. They said that they had received the further information that on our planet sheets of paper are like this and that books are made out of them.

AC (Elliott) n. 6931 6931. From what has been stated so far regarding spirits belonging to the planet Mercury it is perfectly clear that spirits retain the things they see and hear in the next life and that they are able – no less than when they were men – to learn things and so to learn matters of faith and thereby be made more perfect. The purer spirits and angels are, the more immediately and completely they absorb the things they hear, and the more perfect is their retention of them in their memory. And since this goes on for evermore it is evident that they grow constantly in wisdom. But the spirits belonging to Mercury grow constantly in the knowledge of things, yet not from this in wisdom. This is because they love items of knowledge, which are the means, but not useful services, which are the ends, as what has been recorded about them in 6814, 6815, shows.

AC (Elliott) n. 6932 6932. ‘Spirits belonging to the planet Mercury’ is continued at the end of the next chapter.

AC (Elliott) n. 6933 6933. 4

TEACHINGS ABOUT CHARITY

It is quite common for people to say that everyone is a neighbour to himself, that is, everyone ought to take care of himself first; and teachings about charity show in what way this is true. Though everyone is a neighbour to himself, this is not of the first but of the last and lowest importance. Others governed by good are of prior importance, and then – in ascending degrees of importance – a community consisting of a number of people, one’s country, the Church, and the Lord’s kingdom; and above all people and all things comes the Lord.

AC (Elliott) n. 6934 6934. This commonly stated idea that everyone is a neighbour to himself and has to look after himself first should be understood in the following way. Everyone must first provide himself with the necessities of life – with food, clothing, accommodation, and many other things which he needs for life in the local community where he is. He must provide them not only for himself but also for his dependents; and not only for the present but for the future also. Unless everyone acquires the necessities of life for himself he is in no condition to exercise charity towards the neighbour, since he himself is in want of everything.

AC (Elliott) n. 6935 6935. The end in view makes plain the way in which everyone ought to be a neighbour to himself and look after himself first. If his end is to become richer than others solely for the sake of possessing riches, indulging in pleasures, holding important positions, and the like, it is bad. Therefore anyone who supposes, because he is ruled by that kind of end, that he is being a neighbour to himself is harming himself for evermore. But if his end is to acquire wealth in order to provide the necessities of life for himself and his dependents and so be in a condition to do good in the ways that teachings about charity command, he is looking after himself for evermore. His actual end in view makes a person what he is, since that end constitutes his love; for everyone has as his end in view that which he loves.

AC (Elliott) n. 6936 6936. The truth of this matter is made still clearer by the following similar consideration. Everyone ought to ensure that his body is properly fed and clothed. He must do this first, yet to the end that there may be a healthy mind in a healthy body. And everyone ought to make sure that his mind is properly fed, that is to say, with such things as are matters of intelligence and wisdom, to the end that it may therefore be in a condition to serve the Lord. The person who does this looks after himself well for evermore. But anyone who looks after his body solely for its own sake, giving no thought to healthiness of mind, or anyone who feeds his mind not with such things as are matters of intelligence and wisdom but with such things as are the opposite of them, looks after himself badly for evermore. From all this one may see that though everyone ought to be a neighbour to himself, this is not of the first but of the last and lowest importance, for the end in view should not be self but others. Where a person’s end in view lies, there lies what is of first importance to him.

AC (Elliott) n. 6937 6937. This matter may also be likened to someone building a house. First he must lay the foundations; but the foundations must be for the benefit of the house, and the house must serve as a dwelling-place. In a similar way everyone has to look after himself first, not for his own sake but in order that he may be in a condition to serve his neighbour, and so to serve country, Church, and above all the Lord. But a person who imagines that being a neighbour to himself is of the first importance is like one who regards the foundations as the end in view, not the house and the dwelling in it. Yet the dwelling is the first and last end in view, while the house and its foundations are merely the means to that end.

AC (Elliott) n. 6938 6938. What applies to wealth applies no less to important positions in the world. Anyone may procure these for himself, but for his neighbour’s benefit, not for his own. Whoever does so for his own benefit provides badly for himself, whereas he who does so for his neighbour’s benefit provides well for himself; for the person who turns his ends in his own direction turns towards hell, whereas one who turns away from himself in his neighbour’s direction turns towards heaven.

EXODUS 4

1 And Moses answered and said, And behold, they will not believe me, and will not hear my voice; for they will say, Jehovah has not appeared to you.

2 And Jehovah said to him, What is that in your hand? And he said, A rod.

3 And He said, Throw it to the earth. And he threw it to the earth, and it was made into a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

4 And Jehovah said to Moses, Put out your hand and take hold of its tail. And he put out his hand and took hold of it, and it was made into a rod in the palm of his hand.

5 [And Jehovah said,] In order that they may believe that Jehovah has appeared to you – the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

6 And Jehovah said further to him, Put now your hand into your bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom, and took it out, and behold, his hand was leprous, like snow.

7 And He said, Put your hand back to your bosom. And he put his hand back to his bosom; and he took it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his [other] flesh.

8 [And Jehovah said,] And so it will be, if they do not believe you and do not hear the voice of the former sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

9 And so it will be, if they do not believe even these two signs and do not hear your voice, that you are to take some of the water of the river and pour it out onto the dry land; and it will be water which you have taken from the river, and it will become blood on the dry land.

10 And Moses said to Jehovah, By me,* Lord, I am not a man of words, neither since yesterday, nor since the day before,** nor indeed from now as You speak to Your servant, for I am heavy in mouth and heavy in tongue.***

11 And Jehovah said to him, Who makes man’s mouth, or who has made the dumb, or the deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Is it not Jehovah?

12 And now go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you the things you will speak.

13 And he said, By me,* Lord, send, I beg You, through the hand [of another] You may send.

14 And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Moses, and He said, Is there not Aaron your brother, the Levite? I know that he will speak ably. And also, behold, he is coming out to meet you; and he will see you and be glad in his heart.

15 And you are to speak to him, and to put words in his mouth; and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you the things you will do.

16 And he will speak for you to the people; and it will happen, that he will be for you as a mouth, and you will be for him as a god.

17 And you are to take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.

18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, I will go, I beg you, and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and I will see whether they are still alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

19 And Jehovah said to Moses in Midian, Go, return to Egypt; for all the men seeking your soul**** are dead.

20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and caused them to ride on an ass, and returned to the land of Egypt; and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

21 And Jehovah said to Moses, Go and return***** to Egypt, see all the portents which I have put in your hand; and you are to do them before Pharaoh. And I will harden his heart, and he will not send the people away.

22 And you are to say to Pharaoh, Thus said Jehovah, Israel is My son, My firstborn.

23 And I say to you, Send My son away, and let him serve Me; and [if] you refuse to send him away, behold, I kill your son, your firstborn.

24 And he was on the way in the lodging-place, and Jehovah came to meet him and sought to kill him.

25 And Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and caused it to touch his feet, and said, Surely a bridegroom of blood****** are you to me!

26 And He ceased from him.******* Then she said, A bridegroom of blood****** in regard to circumcisions.

27 And Jehovah said to Aaron, Go to meet Moses, to the wilderness. And he went, and he came to meet him in the mountain of God, and kissed him.

28 And Moses told Aaron all Jehovah’s words with which He had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him.

29 And Moses and Aaron went, and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.

30 And Aaron spoke all the words which Jehovah had spoken to Moses, and did the signs before the eyes of the people.

31 And the people believed, and heard that Jehovah had visited the children of Israel, and that He had seen their affliction; and they bowed, and bowed down.
* The Latin In me represents the Hebrew Bi; cp Genesis 43:20; 44:18.
** lit. even from yesterday, even from three days ago (an ancient way of saying the day before yesterday)
*** i.e. neither before nor since Jehovah spoke to him was Moses an able speaker
**** i.e. life
***** lit. In going to return
****** lit. bloods
******* i.e. from seeking to kill him

AC (Elliott) n. 6939 6939. CONTENTS

This chapter in the internal sense continues to deal with the deliverance of those who belonged to the spiritual Church. Described first is their state if they were not in possession of hope and faith; it would be such that they would draw to themselves falsities, evils, and profanities too, these being what the three signs serve to mean.

AC (Elliott) n. 6940 6940. After that the chapter deals with the law of God; its truth was linked to its good, and then that good had power to deliver and to instill hope and faith. Moses represents the law of God in respect of its good, and Aaron in respect of its truth.

AC (Elliott) n. 6941 6941. Lastly it deals with that people; they did no more than represent the spiritual Church. This Church could not be established among them because of their interest in external things devoid of inner realities. This is meant by the circumcision of their son by Zipporah, and by the blood which stained his feet.

AC (Elliott) n. 6942 6942. THE INTERNAL SENSE

Verses 1-4 And Moses answered and said, And behold, they will not believe me, and will not hear my voice; for they will say, Jehovah has not appeared to you. And Jehovah said to him, What is that in your hand? And he said, A rod. And He said, Throw it to the earth. And he threw it to the earth, and it was made into a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And Jehovah said to Moses, Put out your hand and take hold of its tail. And he put out his hand and took hold of it, and it was made into a rod in the palm of his hand.

‘And Moses answered and said’ means thought coming from the law of God. ‘And behold, they will not believe me, and will not hear my voice means that those who belonged to the spiritual Church would not be in possession of faith and so would be unreceptive. ‘For they will say, Jehovah has not appeared to you’ means the Lord’s Divine within His Human. ‘And Jehovah said to him’ means foresight of what they were going to be like if they did not possess faith. ‘What is that in your hand? And he said, A rod’ means the power of the Lord’s Divine Human. ‘And He said, Throw it to the earth. And he threw it to the earth’ means an influx of the power of the Lord’s Divine Natural into the sensory level. ‘And it was made into a serpent’ means the sensory and bodily level of a person’s mind separated from the internal as a result. ‘And Moses fled from before it’ means a feeling of horror caused by the separated sensory level. ‘And Jehovah said to Moses’ means providence on the part of the Divine. ‘Put out your hand and take hold of the tail’ means the power of raising something from the last part of the sensory level. ‘And he put out his hand and took hold of it’ means raising it towards more internal levels. ‘And it was made into a rod in the palm of his hand’ means that at this point the power from the Divine was imparted.

AC (Elliott) n. 6943 6943. ‘And Moses answered and said’ means thought coming from the law of God. This is clear from the meaning of ‘answering and saying’ as thought, for expressions used in the literal and historical sense to describe things of an external nature mean in the internal sense realities of an internal nature (spiritual realities, or things of heaven, cannot be presented to people in any other way at all, for bare spiritual realities cannot be comprehended by a person, nor can they be expressed in the words of human speech; that is why spiritual realities have been described by means of natural things corresponding to them and in that form presented to mankind, making the Word suited to a person in the natural world as well as to a person in the spiritual world, which establishes contact between heaven and mankind, and their fellowship); and from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Lord in respect of the law of God, dealt with in 6752. From this it is evident that ‘Moses answered and said’ means thought coming from the law of God; and thought coming from the law of God is thought coming from the truth from God. Here the thought is that the children of Israel are not going to believe unless they see signs and portents.

AC (Elliott) n. 6944 6944. ‘And behold, they will not believe me, and will not hear my voice’ means that those who belonged to the spiritual Church would not be in possession of faith and so would be unreceptive. This is clear from the representation of the children of Israel, to whom these words refer, as those belonging to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6426, 6637; from the meaning of ‘not believing’ as not being in possession of faith; and from the meaning of ‘not hearing the voice’ as being unreceptive, dealt within 5471, 5475.

AC (Elliott) n. 6945 6945. ‘For they will say, Jehovah has not appeared to you’ means the Divine within the Lord’s Human. This is clear from the meaning of saying’ as perception, dealt with often, in this instance the perception of those who belong to the spiritual Church; and from the meaning of ‘Jehovah has appeared’ as the appearance of the Lord’s Divine within His Human. The fact that this kind of appearance is meant by a visual appearance is self-evident; and the fact that ‘Jehovah’ is the Lord in respect of the Divine itself and in respect of the Divine Human is dealt with in 1736, 2004, 2005, 2018, 2025, 2156, 2329, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5041, 5663, 6281, 6303, 6905. That ‘Jehovah has appeared’ means the appearance of the Lord’s Divine within His Human is also evident from the consideration that His Divine cannot appear to anyone, not even to an angel, except through the Divine Human; nor can the Divine Human except through Divine Truth which goes forth from Him. The subject here in the internal sense is the deliverance of those who belonged to the spiritual Church. Their deliverance was effected by means of the Lord’s Coming into the world, see 2661, 2716, 3969, 6854, 6914; and these specifically were saved by means of the Lord’s Divine Human, 2716, 2833, 2834.

[2] The implications of this – that those who belong to that Church will not be in possession of faith and so will be unreceptive of what the law from God, represented by ‘Moses’, says, that is, what the Word says, unless they see signs are as follows: Because they belong to the spiritual Church they do not have a perception of truth from good as people who are celestial do. Instead they acknowledge as the truth all the religious teaching of their Church which they have substantiated for themselves, which means that compared with those who are celestial they dwell in obscurity, 1718, 2831, 2849, 2935, 2937, 3833, 6427, 6500, 6865. This is also made perfectly clear by the fact that they do not at all comprehend how the Lord’s Human is able to be Divine, or that God’s love within the Human makes it so. For they fix their thought on what is human as they know of it in people generally and do not diverge from this when they think of the Lord; so their minds are in a tangle. The same thing is again made clear by the fact that they also fail to comprehend how a person can be living after death and in that life can have the senses, such as sight, hearing, touch, and smell, or can exist there in a human form. The idea that a person is like this when he lays aside his body along with its senses and members appears to them to be very far from the truth. Thus they are enmeshed in impressions received by the senses and in factual knowledge and illusions that are products of those impressions. If they did not believe therefore that the body is to be rejoined to the soul they would have no belief in any resurrection at all.

[3] From all this one may recognize quite clearly how much obscurity they dwell in regarding the things of heaven. It explains why they cannot have any faith implanted in them at all unless the Lord withholds them from falsities by great force. And since such a force did not exist before the Lord’s Coming, only after His Coming when He had made the Human within Himself Divine, they could not be rescued from the lower earth where they were being molested by falsities and be raised to heaven until after the Lord’s resurrection, 6914. This then is the reason why it is said that they will not believe and so will be unreceptive of what the law of God, that is, what God’s truth, says unless they see proof that it is the truth, which is to say, unless they see signs, described in what follows immediately below.

AC (Elliott) n. 6946 6946. ‘And Jehovah said to him’ means foresight of what they were going to be like if they did not possess faith. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’, when used in reference to Jehovah or the Lord, as foresight, dealt with in 5361. The fact that it is foresight of what they were going to be like if they did not possess faith is evident from the three signs described in what follows; for in the internal sense those signs represent what their state would be if they were without belief.

AC (Elliott) n. 6947 6947. ‘What is that in your hand? And he said, A rod’ means the power of the Lord’s Divine Human. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hand’ as power, dealt with in 878, 3387, 4971-4937, 5327, 5328, 5544; and from the meaning of ‘a rod’ too as power, dealt with in 4013, 4876, 4936. The reason why it is the power of the Lord’s Divine Human is that ‘Moses’ represents the Lord in respect of the law of God, which is the Word, and this is Divine Truth emanating from the Lord’s Divine Human, 6752. The power meant by ‘hand’ is the power emanating from the Lord’s Divine Rational, whereas the power meant by ‘the rod’ is the power emanating from the Lord’s Divine Natural. The reason why ‘a rod’ is the power emanating from the Lord’s Divine Natural is that a rod is like a foot in that it supports the body, and by ‘the foot’ is meant the natural, 2161, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952; and ‘lifting up the hand’ is power in the spiritual, while ‘lifting up the foot’ is power in the natural, see 5727, 5328. And since ‘hand’ and ‘rod’ have these meanings, then depending on how high the things described in the internal sense rise Moses was sometimes told, when he was to work miracles, to lift up his hand, at other times his rod.

AC (Elliott) n. 6948 6948. ‘And He said, Throw it to the earth. And he threw it to the earth’ means an influx of the power of the Lord’s Divine Natural into the sensory level. This is clear from the meaning of ‘rod’ as power in the natural, and – when used in reference to the Lord – as the power emanating from His Divine Natural, dealt with immediately above in 6947; from the meaning of ‘throwing’, or sending forth, as emanating, which is influx; and from the meaning of ‘the earth’ as the external part of the human mind, dealt with in 82, 917, 1411, 1733, here the sensory and bodily levels of it, which are the most external, for the rod was made into a serpent and ‘a serpent’ means the sensory and bodily levels of a person’s mind.

[2] By the Lord’s Divine power one should here understand Divine Truth emanating from the Lord, for power resides within Divine Truth to such an extent that it is power itself, 3091, 4931, 6344, 6423. Divine Truth emanating from the Lord flows into every person by way of his interiors into his exteriors, right down into the external sensory and the bodily levels, and everywhere it flows it stirs to life things attuned to it in their proper order – on the sensory level things attuned to it such as appear in the world around and on earth. But things that exist in the world around and on earth are different in appearance from what they really are, and so they are full of illusions. When therefore the sensory level relies solely on those appearances* the thought which takes place there is inevitably opposed to any good or truth of faith because that thought is based on illusions, and when Divine Truth flows in the sensory level turns it into falsity. The fact that a person’s thought is based on illusions if he does not rise above the sensory level but confines himself to that Level and thinks on it can be demonstrated by the following examples:

[3] There are for instance illusions regarding a person’s life – that it belongs essentially to the body, when in fact it belongs to the spirit within the body. There are illusions about sight, hearing, and speech – that they belong to the eye, ear, tongue and mouth, when in fact the spirit is what sees, hears, and speaks, through those organs of the body. Then there are illusions about life – that it is innately present in a person, when in fact it flows into him; and illusions about the soul – that it is unable to exist within a human form, or to have human senses and affections. There are also illusions about heaven and hell – that the one is above a person and the other beneath, when in fact they are within him; illusions that there is an influx from objects to interior things, when in fact what is external does not flow into what is internal, but what is internal into what is external; illusions about life after death – that it is not possible without the presence also of the physical body; not to mention illusions involving natural phenomena which lead to conflicting conjectures made by so many people.

[4] Can anyone fail to see the predominance of illusions and consequently of falsities over truths simply from the dispute that had gone on for a long time about the circulation of the blood, which in spite of so much convincing evidence nevertheless remained open to doubt for a long time? That predominance of illusions may also be recognized from the dispute about the sun, that it revolved each day around this earth, and not only the sun but also the moon, all the planets, and the whole starry sky, and from the dispute which continues to exist regarding the soul – how it is joined to the body, and where it is seated there. When the illusions of the senses prevail in such matters, even though the true nature of these is evident from so many phenomena and effects, how much more will they prevail in the kinds of things that belong to heaven, which, being spiritual ones, do not make themselves plain except by means of correspondences?

[5] From all this one may now see what the sensory level of a person’s mind is like regarded in itself and left to itself – that it is full of illusions and consequently falsities and so is opposed to the truth or good of faith. This is why when a person does not rise above the sensory level and sees things in the inferior light which shines on that level he is completely in the dark so far as things belonging to the spiritual world are concerned, that is, things which dwell in light from the Divine. And that inferior light on a sensory level is turned into thick and utter darkness when light from heaven penetrates it. The reason for this is that truths which belong to Divine light cannot exist together with illusions and consequent falsities; it snuffs them out and in so doing causes thick darkness.
* Reading what Sw. has in his rough draft, i.e. cum in illis solis manet (when it relies solely on those [appearances]) for cum in illis solis malls (when it is steeped in those evils alone)

AC (Elliott) n. 6949 6949. ‘And it was made into a serpent’ means the sensory and bodily level of a person’s mind separated from the internal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a serpent’ as a person who engages in reasoning based on sensory evidence, dealt with in 195-197, 6398, 6399, thus the sensory level of a person’s mind. And since ‘a serpent’ means the sensory level it means the bodily also, for the sensory level acquires its perceptions from the bodily senses. And since the sensory level regarded in itself is such as is described immediately above in 6948, ‘a serpent’, which is the sensory level, also means all evil in general, 251, 254, 257. The use of ‘a serpent’ here to mean the sensory and bodily level of a person’s mind separated from the internal or rational level is evident from the fact that Moses fled from before it, meaning a feeling of horror caused by it, as well as from the fact that this sign describes the state of those who belonged to the spiritual Church if they were not in possession of faith; for in that case their internal would be closed and no more of the light of heaven would flow in than would be sufficient to enable them to think on that separated sensory level and therefore speak on that level. This level, separated [from the internal], is the one on which all people think who defend falsities in opposition to truths, and evils in opposition to forms of good, in short all who in life pursue what is evil and who are consequently devoid of any faith since those who lead an evil life have no belief at all. People like this have greater ability than others to engage in reasoning and to convince others, especially the simple, because when they speak they draw on the illusions of the senses and worldly appearances. They also know how to demolish truths or hide them from view by means of illusions, on account of which cunning and deceitfulness are also meant by ‘serpents’. When however the sensory level has become joined to the internal or has been made properly subordinate to the rational, ‘a serpent’ means shrewdness and circumspection, 197, 4111, 6398.

AC (Elliott) n. 6950 6950. ‘And Moses fled from before it’ means a feeling of horror caused by the separated sensory level. This is clear from the meaning of ‘fleeing’ as a feeling of horror, for a person who feels horror at something flees from it; and from the meaning of a serpent, which is what he ‘fled from before’, as the separated sensory level, dealt with immediately above in 6949.

AC (Elliott) n. 6951 6951. ‘And Jehovah said to Moses’ means providence on the part of the Divine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’, when used in reference to Jehovah or the Lord, as foresight, dealt with above in 6946, and as foresight is meant, so also is providence (the two go together, for the Lord’s providence is at work in the things He foresees, in that He foresees what is evil, yet provides what is good), and therefore here ‘Jehovah said’ means providence because now the serpent is turned into a rod, that is, evil is turned into good; and from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Lord in respect of God’s truth. Thus the expression ‘providence on the part of the Divine’ is used in reference to the Lord’s Human when He was in the world.

AC (Elliott) n. 6952 6952. ‘Put out your hand and take hold of the tail’ means the power of raising something from the last part of the sensory level. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hand’ as power, dealt with above in 6947; and from the meaning of ‘the serpent’s tail’ as the lowest part of the sensory level – ‘a serpent’ is the sensory level, see above in 6949, so that ‘its tail’ is the last or lowest part of it. Raising something is meant by ‘putting out and taking hold’, for a person who puts out his hand and takes hold of some creature crawling on the ground raises it up. Since ‘a serpent’ means the separated sensory level and the resulting reasoning based on the illusions of the senses regarding the truths of faith, ‘the serpent’s tail’ means falsity itself, for this falsity constitutes the last and lowest part. A person ruled by falsity, thus by what is last and lowest, looks altogether downwards and outwards, that is, in a worldly and earthly direction, not upwards and inwards, that is, to heaven and the Lord.

[2] The fact that these kinds of things are meant by ‘the serpent’s tail’ is clear in John,

The locusts had tails like scorpions, and stings were in their tails, and their power, in order that they might do people harm. Rev. 9:10.

‘Tails like scorpions’ and ‘stings in the tails’ are artful reasonings based on falsities by means of which they can convince and thereby damage people; and this is why it says that the power they have is ‘to do people harm’.

[3] In the same author,

The horses’ tails were like serpents, having heads; and by means of them they do harm. Rev. 9:19.

Here likewise ‘tails like serpents’ stands for reasonings based on falsities by means of which they cause harm, especially as it is said that such tails were those of horses and had heads. For ‘horses’ and also ‘head’ mean the area of understanding in the mind, and therefore ‘tails’ here means the more artful kinds of reasonings against truths that are based on illusions and consequent falsities. These reasonings are the lowest, for the more artful the reasonings against truths are, the lower they are.

[4] In the same author,

The dragon’s tail drew a third part of the stars of heaven and cast them down to the earth. Rev. 12:4.

‘The dragon’s tail’ stands in a similar way for reasonings based on falsities. ‘The stars of heaven’ stands for cognitions of goodness and truth, ‘casting them down to the earth’ for destroying them. The dragon is the serpent which uses reasonings based on falsities to lead people astray and which led astray in paradise ‘the mother of living ones’, who was Eve, because of the tree of knowledge, that is, by means of factual knowledge based on sensory evidence, thus on illusions. This is also made plain in John,

The great dragon was cast out, the serpent of old, who is called the devil and satan, who leads the whole world astray. Rev. 12:9.

[5] The fact that ‘the tail’ in general is the separated sensory level of the mind which does not look upwards but downwards, thus not in a heavenly but an earthly direction, and that consequently it means falsity is clear in Isaiah,

Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail, the branch and the bulrush. The old and the honourable [in face] is the head, but the prophet, the teacher of a lie, is the tail. Isa. 9:14, 15.

Here ‘tail’ plainly stands for falsity, which the Word calls ‘a lie’. In the same prophet,

There will not be for Egypt [any] work which the head and tail, branch and bulrush, may do. Isa. 19:15.

‘Bulrush’ stands for that which is lowest. In Moses,

So Jehovah will give you to be the head, and not to be the tail, in order that you may be tending only upwards, but not be tending downwards, when you obey the commandments of your God. Deut. 18:13.

[6] ‘The tail’ stands for the lowest part which looks downwards or outwards, that is, in a worldly and earthly direction and not towards heaven and the Lord. For the interior parts of the human mind together with sensory levels are raised upwards by the Lord when a person is governed by the good of faith and charity. But if he is governed by evil and falsity, then the interior parts together with the sensory levels look downwards and so solely to things in the world. As a consequence he sheds his human nature and assumes a beast-like nature, for wild beasts look downwards or solely to things on earth. The person who looks downwards wills what is evil and thinks what is false, but one whom the Lord raises upwards wills what is good and thinks what is true. A raising by the Lord does in actual fact take place and therefore a removal from evils and falsities. Angels have the actual feeling of being raised up; it is like the force drawing things towards the centre of attraction, the centre being where the Lord is within His Sun. Angels have their heads raised in this direction, but those in hell their feet, so that the angels look upwards but those in hell downwards, 3641, 3643. In the same book,

The foreigner who is in the midst of you will rise above you, upwards more and more, but you will go down, downwards more and more; he will be the head, but you will be the tail. Deut. 18:43, 44.

Here the meaning is similar. In Isaiah,

Say to him, Beware, and be quiet; do not fear, and do not let your heart become soft on account of the two tails of these smoking firebrands, on account of the blazing anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah. Isa. 7:4.

‘Rezin king of Syria’ stands for cognitions or knowledge of what is evil, ‘Syria’ meaning cognitions of what is good, see 1232, 1234, 3680, and so in the contrary sense cognitions of what is evil; and ‘the son of Remaliah king of Samaria’ stands for knowledge or cognitions of what is false. The latter and the former kinds of cognitions are ‘tails’ because they constitute what is lowest. ‘Smoking firebrands’ stands for blazing anger.

AC (Elliott) n. 6953 6953. ‘And he put out his hand and took hold of it’ means raising it towards more internal levels. This is clear from the meaning of ‘putting out the hand and taking hold’, when said of things which lie beneath, as being raised to higher parts, or what amounts to the same, more internal parts, as above in 6952; from the meaning of ‘hand’ as inward power, also dealt with in 6952; and from the meaning of the serpent, which is what he took hold of, as the sensory level and reasoning from it, dealt with above in 6949. The fact that the power from the Divine is imparted when the sensory level is raised towards more internal parts will be seen in what follows immediately below.

AC (Elliott) n. 6954 6954. ‘And it was made into a rod in the palm of his hand’ means that at this point the power from the Divine was imparted. This is clear from the meaning of the serpent, which ‘was made into a rod’, as the sensory level, dealt with above in 6949; and from the meaning of ‘a rod’ as power in the natural, and of ‘the palm of the hand’ as inward power – both kinds of power coming from the Divine, dealt with in 6952. The situation is that left to himself a person looks merely downwards, that is, in a worldly and earthly direction, because left on his own he is ruled by evil and falsity. And when that is the direction in which he looks, the sensory level is in control, and things on more internal levels do nothing to oppose it, since they follow the force of the stream and give way to it. The person however who is not left to himself but is aided by the Lord looks upwards, that is, towards heaven and the Lord; and this happens through his being raised up. At the same time as the more internal parts are raised so too is the sensory level raised. But the inferior light on that sensory level then becomes dim because the light of heaven reigns. When this happens goodness and truth flow in from the Lord and are also received; and this is what is meant by ‘the power from the Divine was imparted’. None however can be raised in that way except those who have displayed the good of faith and charity in their lives. I have been allowed to know from actual experience about being raised towards more internal things, for I have felt it thousands of times.

AC (Elliott) n. 6955 6955. Verses 5-7 [And Jehovah said,] In order that they may believe that Jehovah has appeared to you – the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Jehovah said further to him, Put now your hand into your bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom, and took it out, and behold, his hand was leprous, like snow. And He said, Put your hand back to your bosom. And he put his hand back to his bosom; and he took it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his [other] flesh.

‘In order that they may believe that Jehovah has appeared to you’ means in order that they may possess faith with regard to the Lord’s Divine Human. ‘The God of their fathers’ means that this was the God of the Ancient Church. ‘The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ means the Lord in respect of the Divine itself and the Divine Human. ‘And Jehovah said further to him’ means foresight of what those who belonged to the spiritual Church were going to be like if they were not in possession of faith. ‘Put your hand into your bosom’ means making truth their own. ‘And he put his hand into his bosom’ means the performance of this. ‘And took it out’ means what was seen from this. ‘And behold, his hand was leprous, like snow’ means the profanation of truth. ‘And He said’ means providence showing what those who belonged to the spiritual Church were going to be like if they did possess faith. ‘Put your hand back to your bosom’ means making truth their own. ‘And he put his hand back into his bosom’ means the Performance of this. ‘And he took it out of his bosom’ means what was seen from this. ‘And behold, it was restored like his [other] flesh’ means that now it was the good of truth.

AC (Elliott) n. 6956 6956. ‘In order that they may believe that Jehovah has appeared to you’ means in order that they may possess faith with regard to the Lord’s Divine Human. This is clear from the meaning of ‘believing’ as being in possession of faith, not faith that Jehovah or the Lord has been seen with the eyes, but the kind of faith in the Lord that is meant in the spiritual sense; and from the meaning of ‘Jehovah has appeared’ as the Lord’s appearance within His Divine Human, dealt with in 6945, so that ‘they may believe that Jehovah has appeared to you’ means in order that they may possess faith with regard to the Lord’s Divine Human.

AC (Elliott) n. 6957 6957. ‘The God of their fathers’ means that this was the God of the Ancient Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the God of their fathers’ as the God of the Ancient Church, dealt with in 6876, 6884. The fact that the Lord’s Divine Human was that God may also be seen in those two paragraphs.

AC (Elliott) n. 6958 6958. ‘The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ means the Lord in respect of the Divine itself and the Divine Human. This is clear from what has been shown in 6847, where similar words occur.

AC (Elliott) n. 6959 6959. ‘And Jehovah said further to him’ means foresight of what those who belonged to the spiritual Church were going to be like if they were not in possession of faith. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Jehovah said’ as foresight, as above in 6946. The reason it means that this future was foreseen – what those who belonged to the spiritual Church would be like if they were not in possession of faith – lies in the words that immediately follow. These deal with members of the spiritual Church, represented by ‘the children of Israel’, describing what they were going to be like if they did not possess faith, that they would become profaners of truth. For the first miracle in which the rod became a serpent means their state, a state in which they would become wholly sensory- and bodily-minded; the present miracle in which Moses’ hand became leprous means profanation since this would come next if that Church continued to be devoid of faith.

[2] In childhood, and after that in adolescence, those who belong to the spiritual Church possess faith in the things taught by their Church. But during those years the faith they possess is obtained from parents and teachers, not by their own efforts. If therefore they subsequently give up that faith they can profane truth only to a small extent, and Divine means can be used to remove that profanation, thereby freeing a person from guilt on account of it. But if a person possesses faith in what the Church teaches and in the Word as a result of his own efforts, that is, he confirms for himself what he has been taught, but after that gives it up and refuses to accept what he has previously believed – and especially if he leads a life that goes against the truth he has confirmed for himself, and either explains it to suit himself or totally rejects it – he renders truth profane. The reason why is that within himself he mixes up and joins together truth and falsity. Because people like this have scarcely any remnants of what is true and good they come at length in the next life to be like skeletons, having as little life left as one’s bones possess in comparison with the organic life of the flesh. A more direful lot however awaits those who render good profane than those who render truth profane. Those belonging to the spiritual Church are able to profane truth, but they are less able to do the same thing to good.

[3] Since ‘leprosy’ means the profanation of truth and is referred to in what follows next, please see first what has been stated and shown already about profanation:

Those within the Church are capable of profaning holy things, but not those outside it, 2051, 3399.

Holy things cannot be profaned except by those who first acknowledge them, 3398.

People who do not know holy things, and also those who do not acknowledge them, cannot profane them, 1008, 1010, 1059, 3398, 4289.

It is also profanation when one acknowledges and believes truths and forms of good and yet leads a life that goes against them, 4601.

A person is withheld as far as is possible from profanation, 301-303, 1327, 1328, 3398, 3402.

The lot awaiting profaners is the worst of all in the next life, 6348.

AC (Elliott) n. 6960 6960. ‘Put your hand into your bosom’ means making truth their own. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hand’ as power, dealt with above in 6947; and from the meaning of ‘bosom’ as love, for the parts of the chest correspond to love since the chest holds within it the heart, which corresponds to celestial love, and the lungs, which correspond to spiritual love, 3635, 3883-3896, 4112, 4113, 4133. And as ‘the bosom’ therefore corresponds to love it also means that which is one’s own, because what constitutes a person’s love is that which is his own. For this reason ‘putting a hand into one’s bosom’ here means making something one’s own. The fact that making truth one’s own is what is meant is evident from the things that follow in the narrative and also from the consideration that truth is what spiritual power consists in, 6948.

[2] The fact that ‘the bosom’ means that which is a person’s true self, and so that which is his own, and from this means making something one’s own and joining to oneself through love, is clear from the following places: In Micah,

Do not trust in a companion, put no confidence in a leader; from her who is lying in your bosom guard the doors of your mouth. Micah 7:5.

‘Her lying in the bosom’ stands for one who has been joined to another through love. So it is also that a wife is called the wife of her husband’s bosom, Deut. 28:54; 2 Sam. 12:8, and a husband is called the husband of his wife’s bosom, Deut. 28:56; and this is because one belongs to the other. In David,

My prayer falls back onto my bosom. Ps. 35:13.

This stands for its return to himself. In the same author,

Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your servants – [how] I bear in my bosom all the great peoples. Ps. 89:50.

This stands for what is present with himself, as that which is his own. In Isaiah,

He pastures His flock like a shepherd, He gathers the lambs into His arm, and He carries them in His bosom. Isa. 40:11.

Here the meaning is similar.

[3] In Luke,

Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be given into your bosom. Luke 6:38.

‘Being given into the bosom’ stands for imparting them as their own. In the same gospel,

After that it happened that Lazarus died and was taken away by the angels into Abraham’s bosom. Luke 16.22.

‘Being taken away into Abraham’s bosom’ stands for being taken to the Lord – whom ‘Abraham’ is used to mean – by virtue of being joined to Him through love.

[4] In John,

There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of the disciples, whom Jesus loved. Falling towards Jesus’ breast he said to Him, Lord, who is it? John 13:23, 25.

‘Reclining on the bosom’ plainly stands for being loved and being joined through love. In the same gospel,

Nobody has ever seen God; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. John 1:18.

‘In the bosom of the Father’ stands for being one.

[5] ‘The bosom’ stands for that which is a person’s true self, and for making something one’s own but not through love, in the following places: In Isaiah,

I will repay, I will repay into their bosom your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together. I will measure the value of their work first into their bosom. Isa. 65:6, 7.

In Jeremiah,

Jehovah shows mercy to thousands and He repays the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their sons after them. Jer. 31:18.

In David,

Repay our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom, their reproach to which they have subjected You, O Lord. Ps. 79:12.

‘Repaying into their bosom’ stands for imparting to their true selves.

AC (Elliott) n. 6961 6961. ‘And he put his hand into his bosom’ means the performance of this, that is to say, actually making truth their own. This is clear from what has been stated immediately above.

AC (Elliott) n. 6962 6962. ‘And took it out’ means what was seen from this. This is clear from the meaning of ‘taking out the hand from one’s bosom and seeing’ as a recognition of what it is like, thus what was seen from this.

AC (Elliott) n. 6963 6963. ‘And behold, his hand was leprous, like snow’ means the profanation of truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hand’ as power, as above in 6947, and as truth since spiritual power consists in truth, 6948, 6960; and from the meaning of ‘leprosy’ as profanation, in particular the profanation of truth, dealt with below. In the historical part of the Word a great deal is said about leprosy – about the various manifestations of it in the skin, about determining the nature of it from those manifestations, and about whether a leper should be shut away, leave the community, or be set at liberty; and about leprosy in garments, vessels, and actual houses. So much is said about leprosy not on account of leprosy as a disease but because it was a sign of the profanation of truth, thus on account of its spiritual meaning and because the Jews and Israelites more than any others were capable of rendering truth profane.

[2] For if those people had known the inner contents of the Word and the actual truths which the religious observances of the Church among them represented, and if they had believed those truths and yet led the lives they were predisposed to lead – namely lives ruled by self-love and love of the world, involving acts of hatred and vengeance on one another, and involving cruelty to gentiles – they could not have avoided profaning the truths they had once believed. For believing truths and leading a life that goes against them is profaning them. It was for this reason too that they were withheld as far as was possible from any recognition of internal truth, 3398, 3489, withheld from it so completely that they did not even know that they would be alive after death. Nor did they believe that the Messiah was coming to save their souls for evermore, only that He would exalt that nation above all throughout the world. And because that nation was like this, and is also like it today, they are still withheld from faith, even though they live amid Christianity. This then is the reason why the nature of leprosy has been described so extensively.

[3] The meaning of ‘leprosy’ as the profanation of truth is evident from the regulations regarding leprosy in Moses, Lev. 13:1-end. That description contains in the internal sense the whole nature of the profanation of truth – what profanation is like if recent, what it is like if long-established, what it is like if it exists inwardly in a person, what it is like if it also exists outwardly, what it is like if it can be cured, what it is like if it cannot, what means can be used, and a number of other details. No one can ever come to know about any of this without the help of the internal sense of the Word. But since profane things are what ‘leprosy’ describes, a detailed explanation of the contents of that description must not be given; heaven has a feeling of horror at the very mention of what is profane.

[4] So let just the following be quoted from those regulations,

If leprosy has broken out severely in the skin and the leprosy has covered the entire skin of [him who has] the plague, from his head to his heels, wherever the priest looks,* and the priest sees that, behold, the leprosy has covered the person’s entire flesh, then he shall pronounce [him] clean [who has] the plague. It has all turned white; he is clean. But on the day living flesh appears on him he shall be unclean. Lev. 17:12-14.

Unless one knew from the internal sense how it could be that one who is leprous all over from his head to his heels was clean it would seem to be an absurdity. But one who is leprous from head to heels means a person who has a knowledge of internal truths but does not acknowledge them, that is, has no belief in them. Profanation does not exist with him inwardly, only outwardly, and is being removed. Therefore he is clean. But if he knows the truths of faith and believes them, and yet leads a life that goes against them, profanation does exist with him inwardly, as it also does with someone who has had a belief in them but subsequently denies them. This explains why it says, ‘on the day living flesh appears in him he shall be unclean’; ‘living flesh’ is used to mean acknowledgement and faith. See also the paragraphs referred to above in 6959.
* lit. under all the survey of the eyes of the priest

AC (Elliott) n. 6964 6964. ‘And He said’ means providence showing what those who belonged to the spiritual Church were going to be like if they did possess faith. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Jehovah said’ as providence, as above in 6951. The fact that it was providence showing what they were going to be like if they did possess faith is evident from the things that follow in the narrative. For the restoration of his hand like his [other] flesh means that then spiritual good would reside with them, and this is the opposite of his hand’s becoming leprous when he put it into his bosom, which means that the profanation of truth would exist with those who belonged to the spiritual Church if they were not in possession of faith, dealt with above in 6959, 6963.

AC (Elliott) n. 6965 6965. ‘Put your hand back to your bosom’ means making truth their own. This is clear from the meaning of ‘putting a hand into one’s bosom’ as making truth one’s own, dealt with in 6960.

AC (Elliott) n. 6966 6966. ‘And he put his hand back into his bosom’ means the performance of this, see above in 6961.

AC (Elliott) n. 6967 6967. ‘And he took it out of his bosom’ means what was seen from this, see also above, in 6962.

AC (Elliott) n. 6968 6968. ‘And behold, it was restored like his [other] flesh’ means that now it was the good of truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘flesh’ as the will side of a person’s proprium when it has been made alive by the Proprium of the Lord’s Divine Human, which is a heavenly proprium, dealt with in 3813. And since this is meant by ‘flesh’, the good of love to the Lord and towards the neighbour is what is meant. Among those however who belong to the spiritual Church it is the good of truth, for with them good is the product of truth and accords with the truth as taught by their Church. When this truth becomes part of anyone’s life it is called good.

AC (Elliott) n. 6969 6969. Verses 8, 9 [And Jehovah said,] And so it will be, if they do not believe you and do not hear the voice of the former sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. And so it will be, if they do not believe even these two signs and do not hear your voice, that you are to take some of the water of the river and pour it out onto the dry land; and it will be water which you have taken from the river, and it will become blood on the dry land.

‘And so it will be, if they do not believe you’ means if they are not in possession of faith. ‘And do not hear the voice of the former sign’ means that if they did not obey what was declared by the Word, then instead of being spiritual and rational they would become people who were not
spiritual or rational. ‘That they will believe the voice of the latter sign means that they would possess faith in what had been declared before-hand by the Word, that they would become profaners of truth. ‘And so it will be, if they do not believe even these two signs’ means if they possessed no faith at all that such things would come about. ‘And do not hear your voice’ means if they show no sign of obedience either. ‘You are to take some of the water of the river’ means factual knowledge that has falsities in it. ‘And pour it out onto the dry land’ means instilling it into the natural. ‘And it will be water which you have taken’ means an inversion of state. ‘And it will become blood on the dry land’ means the falsifying of all truth and a consequent deprivation of it in the natural.

AC (Elliott) n. 6970 6970. ‘And so it will be, if they do not believe you’ means if they are not in possession of faith. This is clear from the meaning of ‘believing’ as being in possession of faith, as above in 6956. Here possessing faith does not imply the faith they had as a result of signs which indicated that they were to be delivered from Egypt, for that kind of faith has to do with worldly matters. What is meant is a faith recognizing that if they did not hold fast to truths they would become wholly sensory- and bodily-minded, and finally profaners of truth; for this is the meaning that the two signs have. The internal sense does not deal with worldly matters, as the external sense written as history does, but to spiritual ones. Faith in matters that are worldly is altogether different from faith in those which are spiritual. Take, for example, believing that people will act as they say they will; that a person is genuine or not genuine; that such and such and no other course of action should be taken if some matter is to succeed; that spoken or written statements are creditable or not creditable; and countless other examples in addition to these. These kinds of things belong to faith in matters that are worldly, as also does the belief here that the children of Israel are to be delivered from slavery in Egypt. But believing that there is a heaven; that there is a hell; that people will go on living after death, the good in a state of happiness for ever, the wicked in a state of unhappiness; that life awaits everyone; that faith and charity constitute the spiritual life, and that this is the life angels in heaven have; that the Lord has all power in heaven and on earth, as He Himself says in Matt. 28:18; that we receive our life from Him; that the Word comprises teaching about heavenly and Divine truths – these and others things like them are the kind that belong to faith in spiritual matters and are what are meant here by ‘believing’.

AC (Elliott) n. 6971 6971. ‘And do not hear the voice of the former sign’ means that if they did not obey what was declared by the Word, then instead of being spiritual and rational they would become people who were not spiritual or rational. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hearing’ as obeying, dealt with in 2542, 3869, 5017; from the meaning of ‘the voice’ as what is declared by the Word, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘the former sign’ as an indication that instead of being spiritual and rational they would become people who were not spiritual or rational. The truth of this may be seen from the meaning of ‘the serpent’ that was made out of Moses’ rod when it was thrown onto the earth – the event to which ‘the first sign’ refers here – as a person who thinks on a sensory and bodily level, 6949, and so is not spiritual or rational. For a person who is sensory- and bodily-minded is not rational, and so is not spiritual either, because he thinks things that are false and desires those that are evil. One who behaves like this is not rational, still less spiritual, for an acceptance of and belief in what is true, together with a life of goodness, since these two come from the Divine, constitute true spirituality within rationality, whereas an acceptance of and belief in what is false, together with a life of evil, are the opposite. For the fact that wholly sensory- and bodily-minded people are like this, see 6844, 6845, 6948, 6949.

[2] Those people become wholly sensory- and bodily-minded who have first had a knowledge of things that belong to the spiritual world but after that have rejected them, and then have adopted fundamental ideas of falsity that are contrary to truths and focused their lives solely on worldly, bodily, and earthly values. They have consequently come to believe that life is meant to be filled with pleasures of every kind, saying, ‘What more does a person have while he is alive? When we die, we die; as for the possibility of life after death, has anyone ever come back to talk about it? We have no knowledge of anything that will go on living when the life goes out of a person.’ If anyone using rational arguments induces those people to give any thought to eternal life, they think that nothing worse will happen to them than to anyone else, and they immediately go back to living in the way they had done previously. With such people the passageway for the light of heaven to flow in is closed, and at the natural level of their minds the light of heaven is turned into thick darkness, while the light of the world there becomes brightness, 6907, a brightness that shines ever more brilliantly, the more that the light of heaven is darkened. This is why such people do not see the evil in their lives as anything other than goodness, or consequently the false ideas as anything other than true. Here then is the reason why a person becomes sensory- and bodily-minded. In short, once the way is opened for the light of heaven to flow in and then closed, a person is impelled to look downwards, and not upwards. This is done in keeping with Divine order so as to prevent truths once accepted and remaining in a person’s inner self from being contaminated by falsities and thereby rendered profane.

[3] The same applies to gentiles who fall away from their religion, though their lot is better than that of people within the Church since what they possess are not truths from the Word, not genuine truths therefore but truths coupled with many misconceptions, which cannot be profaned in the way genuine ones can.

As regards the meaning of ‘the voice’ as that which is declared by the Word, it should be recognized that frequent use is made of the expression ‘the voice’. It is also linked to other things that have nothing to do with a voice, such as the linking of it here to ‘the sign’ – ‘If they do not hear the voice of the former sign they will believe the voice of the latter sign’ – and also elsewhere, for example in Nahum,

The voice of the whip and the voice of the sound of the wheel. Nahum 7:2.

And in David,

The rivers have lifted up their voice, more than the voices of many mighty waters. Ps. 93:3-4.

[4] The fact that ‘the voice’ means a declaration, in the good sense a declaration by the Word, when it is called ‘the voice of Jehovah’, is clear in David,

The voice of Jehovah is powerful; the voice of Jehovah is glorious; the voice of Jehovah breaks the cedars; the voice of Jehovah flashes forth flames of fire; the voice of Jehovah causes the wilderness to shake; the voice of Jehovah causes the hinds to calve, and strips the forests bare. Ps. 29:3-5; 7-9.

And elsewhere in the same author,

. . . to Him who rides above the heavens of heavens of old. Behold, He will put forth His voice, a mighty voice. Ps. 68:33.

Here ‘voice’ stands for Divine Truth, and so for the Word and a declaration made by it. For what more is meant by ‘voice’, see 219; and for its use in reference to truth, 3563.

AC (Elliott) n. 6972 6972. ‘That they will believe the voice of the latter sign’ means that they would possess faith in what had been declared beforehand by the Word, which was that they would become profaners of truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘believing’ as being in possession of faith, dealt with just above in 6970; from the meaning of ‘the voice’ as that which has been declared, dealt with in 6971, and so that which has been declared beforehand; and from the meaning of the leprosy, to which ‘the latter sign’ refers here, as the profanation of truth, dealt with above in 6963. For what profanation is, see 6959 and the places referred to in that paragraph.

AC (Elliott) n. 6973 6973. ‘And so it will be, if they do not believe even these two signs’ means if they possessed no faith at all that such things would come about. This is clear from the meaning of ‘believing’ as being in possession of faith – the kind of faith meant in the spiritual sense – dealt with above in 6970; and from the meaning of ‘the two signs’ as people who think on a sensory and bodily level and then become profaners of truth, which things are meant by ‘the serpent’ made from the rod thrown by Moses onto the earth, 6971, and by his ‘hand’ made leprous when he put it into his bosom, 6963. Thus ‘not believing these two signs means possessing no faith at all that such things will come about.

AC (Elliott) n. 6974 6974. ‘And do not hear your voice’ means if they show no sign of obedience either. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hearing’ as obedience, dealt with in 2542, 3869, 5017; from the meaning of ‘the voice’ as that which has been declared and that which has been declared before-hand, dealt with in 6971, 6972; and from the representation of Moses, whose ‘voice’ they were to hear, as the Lord in respect of Divine Law, that is, Divine Truth, thus in respect of the Word since that is where Divine Truth is. From all this it is evident that ‘if they do not hear your voice’ means if they show no sign of obedience either. The present verse, and verses 1 and 8 above, use the expressions ‘if they do not believe’ and ‘if they do not hear’, when yet both expressions seem to be much the same as each other, for one ,ho does not believe does not hear either. But the two are distinct from each other, for ‘believing’, which means [being in possession of] faith, is used with regard to truth which is the substance of faith, and so has reference to the understanding part of the mind, whereas ‘hearing’, which means obeying, is used with regard to good which is the substance of charity, and so has reference to the will part. For in the Word, especially the prophetical part, where truth is described by means of expressions particularly its own, so also is good described by means of those particularly its own, because of the heavenly marriage within each detail of the Word, which is a marriage of goodness and truth, see 683, 793, 801, 2173, 2516, 2712, 4138 (end), 6343.

AC (Elliott) n. 6975 6975. ‘You are to take some of the water of the river’ means factual knowledge that has falsities in it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the water of the river’ – the river of Egypt, or the Nile – as factual knowledge that has falsity in it. ‘Water’ means truths, see 2702, 3424, 4976, and in the contrary sense falsities, 790, while ‘the river of Egypt’ means the falsity within factual knowledge, 6693.

AC (Elliott) n. 6976 6976. ‘And pour it out onto the dry land’ means instilling it into the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘pouring out’ as instilling ; and from the meaning of ‘the dry land’ as the natural. ‘The dry land’ is used to describe a place free of water, and also to describe a land or territory. ‘The land of Egypt’ means the natural mind steeped in falsity, and so means the natural, 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5301; and ‘the dry land’ still more means the natural.

AC (Elliott) n. 6977 6977. ‘And it will be water which you have taken’ means an inversion of state. This is clear from the words that come immediately after these, for it says that the water will become blood on the dry land, meaning the falsification of all truth and the deprivation of it in the natural. When this happens a complete inversion of state takes place. Thus it is that because those words imply an inversion of state they are also said to mean such an inversion. A total inversion of state has also taken place in the natural when nothing but falsities are in possession of it. This rarely happens with a person while he is living in the world; but in the next life it is what happens with all who are cast into hell. The reason why it rarely happens with a person while he is living in the world is that during that time he is preserved constantly in a condition that enables him to be reformed, provided that in freedom he refrains from behaving in evil ways. But after death the life he has led follows him, and he remains in the condition he has acquired through the whole course of his life in the world. Then one who is immersed in evil is no longer able to be reformed; and for fear that he should come into contact with any community in heaven, everything true or good is taken away from him. As a result he remains immersed in evil and falsity, and these – the evil and falsity – increase in him according to the ability he has acquired in the world to receive them. Even so, he is not allowed to go beyond his acquired limits. This is what an inversion of state is used to mean here. The nature of it is such that a person can no longer undergo inward, only outward correction, that is to say, through fear on account of punishments. And when he has suffered these often, he finally refrains from evil, not in freedom but through compulsion, though the desire to do evil remains. This desire is held in check by means of fears which, as has been stated, are outward means of correction and provide compulsion. This is the condition of the evil in the next life.

AC (Elliott) n. 6978 6978. ‘And it will become blood on the dry land’ means the falsifying of all truth and the consequent deprivation of it in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘blood’ as holy truth coming forth from the Lord, and in the contrary sense as truth falsified and rendered profane, dealt with in 4735 (the implications of this have been stated in what comes immediately before this); and from the meaning of ‘the dry land’ as the natural, dealt with just above in 6976. The meaning of ‘blood’ as the falsification of truth and the profanation of it is clear in particular in Nahum,

Woe to the city of blood,* all full of lies [and] plunder! Prey will not depart! The noise of a whip and the noise of the rumbling wheel,** and the neighing horse and the clattering*** chariot! The mounting horseman,**** and the glitter of the sword, and the lightning-flash of the spear, and the multitude of slain, and the heap of corpses, and no end of bodies – they trip over their bodies – all because of the multitude of whoredoms of a harlot with goodly grace, the mistress of sorceries, the seller of nations through her acts of whoredom, and of families through her sorceries. Nahum 3:1-4.

‘The city of blood’ means teachings that uphold falsity, so that ‘blood’ means truth that has been falsified and rendered profane. This is evident from the internal sense of every word of the description of the city, not only in the verses that have been quoted but also in those that follow them, since the whole chapter continues with a description of it; for’ the city’ means doctrinal teachings. ‘All full of lies and plunder’ means full of falsity and of evil resulting from falsity. ‘The noise of the whip and the noise of the rumbling wheel’ means the defence of falsity by the use of fallacious ideas. ‘The neighing horse and the clattering chariot’ means by the use of a perverted power of understanding and of teachings similarly perverted. ‘The mounting horseman, the glitter of the sword, the lightning-flash of the spear’ means a battle against truth. ‘The multitude of slain’ means that countless falsities and people under the influence of them result from it. ‘The heap of corpses, and no end of bodies’ means that countless evils and people governed by them result from it. ‘The whoredoms of a harlot’ means falsifications themselves which take place; and ‘sorceries’ has a similar meaning.
* lit. bloods
** lit. The voice of the whip and the voice of the sound of the wheel
*** lit. leaping
**** lit. The horseman causing to go up

AC (Elliott) n. 6979 6979. Verses 10-12 And Moses said to Jehovah, By me,* Lord, I am not a man of words, neither since yesterday, nor since the day before,** nor indeed from now as You speak to Your servant, for I am heavy in mouth and heavy in tongue.*** And Jehovah said to him, Who makes man’s mouth, or who has made the dumb, or the deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Is it not I, Jehovah? And now go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you the things you will speak.

‘And Moses said to Jehovah’ means perception from the Divine. ‘By me, Lord’ means what is certain. ‘I am not a man of words’ means that he is lacking in speech. ‘Neither since yesterday, nor since the day before means that he has lacked it from eternity. ‘Nor indeed from now as You speak to Your servant’ means that he will for that reason lack it into eternity, although the Divine flows into the Human. ‘For I am heavy in mouth and heavy in tongue’ means that voice and speech from the Divine is not heard and not discerned. ‘And Jehovah said to him’ means Divine influx. ‘Who makes man’s mouth’ means utterance. ‘Or who has made the dumb’ means lack of utterance. ‘Or the deaf’ means lack of discernment of truth and consequently lack of obedience. ‘Or the seeing, or the blind’ means faith through cognitions, or the absence of faith through a lack of them. ‘Is it not I, Jehovah?’ means that these different conditions exist as a result of the influx of life from the Divine. ‘And now go’ means life from the Divine. ‘And I will be with your mouth, and teach you the things you will speak’ means the Divine in every single thing that emanates from the Divine Human.
* The Latin In me represents the Hebrew Bi; cp Genesis 43:20; 44:18.
** lit. even from yesterday, even from three days ago (an ancient way of saying the day before yesterday)
*** i.e. neither before nor since Jehovah spoke to him was Moses an able speaker

AC (Elliott) n. 6980 6980. ‘And Moses said to Jehovah’ means perception from the Divine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ in the historical narratives of the Word as perceiving, dealt with often; and from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Lord in respect of the Divine Law within the Human when He was in the world, dealt with in 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827; the Divine from which [the perception came] is meant by ‘Jehovah’. From this it is evident that ‘Moses said to Jehovah’ means that the Lord’s Human received its perception from His Divine.

AC (Elliott) n. 6981 6981. ‘By me, Lord’ means what is certain. This is clear from the fact that ‘by me’ is a stock phrase used to assert categorically that something is so, and therefore is certain.

AC (Elliott) n. 6982 6982. ‘I am not a man of words’ means that he is lacking in speech. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a man of words’ as the fact that he is not an able speaker, and so is lacking in speech. What all this entails must be stated. The subject here in the highest sense is the Lord, for ‘Moses’ represents the Lord in respect of the law of God, thus in respect of God’s truth. Truth that goes forth directly from the Divine cannot be heard by anyone, not even by any angel; if what is Divine is to be heard it must first be made human, and it is made human when it passes through the heavens. When it has passed through the heavens it is presented in a human form and becomes speech, speech which is uttered by spirits who, while they are in that state, are called the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit is said to come forth from the Divine because what is holy with a spirit, namely the holy truth uttered by him at that time, comes forth from the Lord. From all this one may recognize that truth coming forth directly from the Divine cannot be presented to anyone as spoken word or speech except by means of the Holy Spirit. This is what is meant in the highest sense when Moses, who represents the Lord in respect of God’s truth, says that he is ‘not a man of words’, and by the fact that Aaron his brother was to be attached to him; Aaron was to serve him in place of his mouth, and he was to serve Aaron in God’s place.

AC (Elliott) n. 6983 6983. ‘Neither since yesterday, nor since the day before’ means that he has lacked it – the gift of speech – from eternity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘since yesterday and since the day before’ as from eternity. The reason why ‘since yesterday and since the day before’ means from eternity is that a period of time is meant by these words, in particular past time; but time spoken of in connection with the Lord or the Divine does not mean a period of time but what is eternal. There are two things proper to the natural order which have no existence in heaven, and even less in the Divine, namely space and time. For their non-existence in heaven and the existence of states instead – states of being instead of ‘space’, and states of coming-into-being or manifestation instead of ‘time’ – see 2625, 3938; and for the fact that areas of space and periods of time in heaven are states, 1274, 1382, 2625, 2788, 2837, 3254, 3356, 3387, 3404, 3827, 4321, 4814, 4882, 4901, 4916, 5605, 6110. But within the Divine which is above the heavens the absence of space and time is even more complete; for not even states exist within Him. Instead of space there is what is infinite, and instead of time what is eternal. These two are what periods of time or areas of space in the world correspond to, and are what states of being and of coming-into-being in the heavens correspond to.

[2] The fact that in the Word ‘yesterday’ and ‘the day before’ do not mean yesterday and the day before but past time in general is clear from places where those words are used, as in Joshua,

The waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went as yesterday [and] the day before* over all its banks. Josh. 4:18.

In the first Book of Samuel,

It happened, when all who knew Saul from yesterday and the day before** saw that, behold, he prophesied with the prophets . . . 1 Sam. 10:11.

In the second Book of Samuel,

The tribes of Israel said to David, Both yesterday and the day before,*** when Saul was king over us, you were the one bringing Israel out and back. 2 Sam. 5:1, 2.

In these places and elsewhere ‘yesterday [and] the day before’ stands for previously or past time. Now since ‘yesterday and the day before’ means time past, and the subject in the highest sense is the Lord, who in respect of the Divine Law or Divine Truth is represented by ‘Moses’, it is evident that ‘since yesterday and since the day before’ means from eternity. Eternity, meant by ‘yesterday’, is described in David as follows,

A thousand years in Your eyes are but as yesterday when it is past. Ps. 90:4.
* lit. as yesterday three days ago
** lit. from yesterday and three days ago
*** lit. Both yesterday and three days ago

AC (Elliott) n. 6984 6984. ‘Nor indeed from now as You speak to Your servant’ means that he will for that reason lack it into eternity, although the Divine flows into the Human. This is clear from the meaning of ‘from now’ – that is, from today – as what is eternal or lasts forever, dealt with in 2838, 3998, 4304, 6165, so that it means into eternity since subsequent time is implied; from the meaning of ‘speaking’ as influx, dealt with in 2951, 5481, 5743, 5797, an influx from the Divine being meant by ‘as You (Jehovah) speak’; and from the meaning of ‘servant’ as the Lord’s Human when it had not yet been made Divine, dealt with in 2159 (but because when it had been made Divine it was one with Jehovah, it was then the Lord and Master).

AC (Elliott) n. 6985 6985. ‘For I am heavy in mouth and heavy in tongue’ means that voice and speech from the Divine is not heard and not discerned. This is clear from the meaning of ‘mouth’ as voice, and from the meaning of ‘tongue as speech. ‘Mouth’ means voice because it is the organ used by the voice, and ‘tongue means speech because it is the organ used in speech. Anyone can see what the difference is between voice and speech, and that ‘voice’ is used in connection with being heard, but ‘speech’ with being discerned. In the literal sense written as history, where reference is made to Moses’ being a person who could speak only with difficulty, there is no other way than ‘heavy in mouth and heavy in tongue’ to express the matter. But when this expression passes into the internal sense it is discerned by the angels in connection with the subject there; and when it is said of the Divine it is discerned to mean that the voice from the Divine cannot be heard directly, nor the speech from Him be discerned directly, only indirectly through spirits, as accords with what has been stated above in 6982.

AC (Elliott) n. 6986 6986. ‘And Jehovah said to him’ means Divine influx. This is clear from the meaning of ‘said’ as influx, dealt with in 5743, 5797, 6152, 6291. This influx is from the Divine because ‘Jehovah’ was the speaker.

AC (Elliott) n. 6987 6987. ‘Who makes man’s mouth’ means utterance. This is clear from the meaning of ‘mouth’ as voice, dealt with above in 6985; and since it means voice it means utterance. What the specific meaning of ‘mouth’ is can be recognized only from correspondence. The mouth including the lips corresponds to inward speech that belongs to thought; and a person’s thought is active or passive. Active thought is the thought a person engages in when he is speaking and may be called vocal thought; but passive thought is the thought a person engages in when he is not speaking. The nature of the difference between the two becomes clear to anyone who stops to reflect. ‘Man’s mouth’ means active or vocal thought, and so means utterance.

[2] As regards active thought, meant by ‘mouth’, it should be recognized that such thought is also in its own kind of way a form of speaking, and that through the activity of this speech it activates the physical organs that correspond to it. Verbal expressions are seemingly present in thought, but that is an illusion; solely the meaning embodied in speech is present there. Man can have scarcely any idea of the nature of such meaning, for it is the speech that his spirit possesses, which is a universal kind of speech such as spirits in the next life employ. When this kind of speech passes into corresponding physical organs it gives rise to speech consisting of words, which is exceedingly different from the thought that produces it. That very great difference is plainly evident from the consideration that a person is able to envisage in a minute what will take him a long time to speak or write about. It would be different if that thought consisted of words such as speech in the mouth consists of. By virtue of the correspondence between speech intrinsically within thought and speech uttered by the mouth a person knows how to talk in the universal language as soon as he comes after death among spirits, and so can talk to any spirits, no matter what language they may have spoken in the world; and by the same virtue, as he talks to them there he is scarcely aware that he is not talking the same way he did in the world. Yet the words of which their speech consists are not words such as a person employs when he is in the body. Rather they are the ideas that have composed his thought, and one idea contains very much detail within it. Spirits are therefore able to declare in an instant what man can scarcely express in half an hour; and there is still more contained in the same idea, such as cannot find expression in physical speech.

[3] Yet angels in heaven speak in a different way from spirits. Angels in heaven possess speech consisting of intellectual concepts, which are called immaterial ideas by philosophers, whereas spirits possess speech consisting of mental pictures, which are called material ideas. Consequently one idea belonging to angels’ thought contains very much that spirits cannot fully describe even with very many lines of thought, in addition to much that they cannot begin to express. But when a spirit becomes an angel he uses angelic speech, just as a person uses spirits’ speech when he becomes a spirit after death, and for a similar reason. From all this one may now see what active thought is – that it is the speech a person’s spirit possesses.

AC (Elliott) n. 6988 6988. ‘Or who has made the dumb’ means lack of utterance. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the dumb’ as lack of utterance, for it is used as an antonym of ‘mouth’, which means utterance, dealt with immediately above in 6987. Utterance is not used here to mean utterance made by the voice, which is speech, for that kind of utterance is natural. Instead utterance is used to mean confession of the Lord and declaration of faith in Him, since this kind of utterance is spiritual. From this it is evident what ‘the dumb’ means in the internal sense, namely people who, owing to lack of knowledge, are unable to confess the Lord or for that reason declare faith in him. This is the state of gentiles outside the Church and also of the simple within the Church. The fact that these kinds of people are meant by ‘the dumb’ is evident in Isaiah,

Then will the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb will sing. For waters will break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the plain of the wilderness. Isa. 35:5-6.

‘The tongue of the dumb will sing’ stands for the fact that they will confess the Lord and the things that belong to faith in Him. ‘Waters will break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the plain of the wilderness’ stands for the fact that cognitions of what is true and good will come to them, ‘the wilderness’ being a state in which cognitions of faith are lacking because they are unknown.

[2] The dumb who were healed by the Lord also mean gentiles who were delivered through His Coming into the world from falsities and consequent evils, such as the one who was ‘dumb’ in Matthew,

Behold, they brought to Him a dumb man (homo), possessed by a demon; but when the demon had been cast out the dumb [man] spoke. Matt. 9:32, 37.

And another who was ‘dumb’ in the same gospel,

One was brought to Jesus, possessed by a demon, blind and dumb; and He healed him, so that the blind and dumb [man] both spoke and saw. Matt. 12:22.

The ‘dumb’ [boy] also possessed by a demon in Mark 9:17-30 has the same meaning.

[3] It should be recognized that the miracles performed by the Lord were all signs indicating the state of the Church and of the human race saved through His Coming into the world; that is to say, when He came those people were delivered from hell who received the faith going with charity. These matters are incorporated in the Lord’s miracles. In general all the miracles described in the Old Testament are signs indicating the state of the Church and the Lord’s kingdom. There Divine miracles are distinguished from miracles that are devilish or the product of magic, however much the latter, such as the miracles of the magicians in Egypt, seem in outward appearance to be the same as Divine ones.

AC (Elliott) n. 6989 6989. ‘Or the deaf’ means lack of discernment of truth and consequently lack of obedience. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the deaf’ as those who do not discern what truth is and consequently do not obey it, thus in an abstract sense a lack of discernment of truth and consequently a lack of obedience. ‘The deaf’ means these things because the sense of hearing corresponds both to discernment and to obedience – to discernment because what a person hears is discerned by him inwardly, and to obedience because from that discernment he knows how he ought to act. For the fact that this is the correspondence of ‘hearing’ and also ‘the ear’, see 3869, 4652-4660, 5017. From this one may see what is meant by those who are ‘deaf’. In the Word those who are ‘deaf’ also mean gentiles who, because they do not have the Word, do not know the truths of faith and therefore cannot lead lives in accordance with them, yet when they have been taught them, accept them and lead lives in accordance with them. These are meant in Isaiah,

Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be opened. Isa. 35:5.

In the same prophet,

Hear, you deaf, and look and see, you blind. Isa. 42:18-20.

In the same prophet,

On that day the deaf will hear the words of a book, and out of thick darkness and out of darkness the eyes of the blind will see. Isa. 29:18.

In the same prophet,

Bring forth the blind people who have eyes, and the deaf who have ears. Isa. 43:8, 9.

Here ‘the deaf’ is used to mean those who through the Lord’s Coming were to come into a state in which they accepted the truths of faith, that is, discerned them and obeyed them. The same people are meant by the deaf whom the Lord healed, spoken of in Mark 7:31-end; 9:25. Because the deaf meant that kind of people those among whom the representative Church had been established were forbidden to curse the deaf or put a stumbling-block before the blind, Lev. 19:14.

AC (Elliott) n. 6990 6990. ‘Or the seeing, or the blind’ means faith through cognitions, or the absence of faith through a lack of them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seeing’ as understanding and being in possession of faith, dealt with in 897, 2325, 2807, 3863, 3869, 4403-4411, thus faith as a result of cognitions (for in the original language it is a word that means one who is open – whose eyes are, to be exact – and so means one who sees as a result of cognitions, for these serve to open); and from the meaning of ‘the blind’ as the absence of faith as a result of a lack of cognitions, since a blind person is not one of ‘the seeing’. In the Word those who are ‘blind’ also mean gentiles who have no knowledge of the truth of faith because they live outside the Church, yet when they have been taught accept faith, see 2387. Those same people are also meant by the blind whom the Lord healed, spoken of in Matt. 9:27-31; 12:22; 20:29-end; 21:14; Mark 8:22-26; 10:46-end; Luke 18:35-end; John 9:1-end.

AC (Elliott) n. 6991 6991. ‘Is it not I, Jehovah?’ means that these different conditions exist as a result of the influx of life from the Divine. This becomes clear from the fact that the kinds of conditions that are meant by ‘the dumb’, ‘the deaf’, and ‘the blind’, as well as by ‘mouth’ and ‘the seeing’, arise with a person as a result of the influx of life from Jehovah or the Lord. For from it arise both the ill things and the good that exist with every single person. Yet the ill arise from man, the good from the Lord. The reason why the ill things arise from man is that the life, that is, goodness and truth, which flows in from the Lord is turned by man into evil and falsity, thus into the opposite of life, which is called spiritual death. It is like light from the sun, which is converted into particular colours by the objects receiving it. In some objects it is converted into vivid and lively colours, in others into so to speak dead and dreary ones. Now since it appears as though the Lord, being the One who gives life, is also responsible for what is ill, that which is ill is attributed in the Word – owing to that appearance – to Jehovah or the Lord, as may be recognized from a large number of places. The same applies here to His making the dumb, the deaf, and the blind; because these conditions arise from the influx of life from the Divine it is said that Jehovah brings them about. But the internal sense presents and teaches the true nature of the matter, not the apparent nature of it.

AC (Elliott) n. 6992 6992. ‘And now go’ means life from the Divine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going as life, dealt with in 3335, 4882, 5493, 5605. The reason why it is from the Divine is that ‘Moses’ represents the Lord.

AC (Elliott) n. 6993 6993. ‘And I will be with your mouth, and teach you the things you will speak’ means the Divine in every single thing that emanates from the Divine Human. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being with the mouth’, when said by Jehovah, as being with the things it utters (‘mouth’ meaning utterance, see above in 6987, 6988), and since these words are addressed to Moses, who represents the Lord in respect of the law of God in the Divine Human, ‘I will be with your mouth’ means the Divine in the things that emanate from the Divine Human; and from the meaning of ‘teaching you the things you will speak’ as emanating. For ‘teaching and ‘speaking’ mean flowing in; but when they are used in reference to the Lord’s Divine, emanating is meant. For from the Lord’s Divine Human emanates Divine Truth, which is called the Holy Spirit. And since the Lord when He was in the world was Himself Divine Truth, He taught matters of love and faith. He did not do so at that time through the Holy Spirit, as He teaches in John,

The Holy Spirit was not yet because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:39.

But after the Lord had become Jehovah, that is, Divine Good, in respect of the Human also, which was after the Resurrection, He was no longer Divine Truth. This now emanated instead from His Divine Good. The fact that the Holy Spirit is Divine Truth which emanates from the Lord’s Divine Human, and not any spirit or spirits existing from eternity, is plainly evident from the Lord’s words in the text quoted above – ‘the Holy Spirit was not yet’ – as well as from the consideration that a spirit himself cannot emanate from Him, only that which is holy with a spirit, that is, something holy which emanates from the Lord and is uttered by the spirit. See also 6788.

[2] From all this it now follows that within the Lord the entire Trinity is complete; that is to say, within Him are Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and thus that there is one God, not three who, though persons distinct from one another, are said to constitute one Deity. In the Word the names Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were used in order that people might acknowledge the Lord and also the Divine within Him. For mankind was in such thick darkness, as it also is at the present day, that it could not in any other way have acknowledged anything Divine in the Lord’s Human; being wholly incomprehensible to them it would have been entirely beyond belief. Furthermore the truth is that there is a Trinity, but within one, who is the Lord; and Christian Churches also acknowledge that the Trinity resides within Him in completeness. In addition the Lord explicitly taught that He was one with the Father, John 14:9-12, and that what is holy, which is spoken by the Holy Spirit, is not the Spirit’s but the Lord’s, in John,

The Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth, will not speak from Himself, but whatever He hears He will speak. He will glorify Me, because He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. John 16:13, 14.

The fact that ‘the Paraclete’ is the Holy Spirit is stated in John 14:26.

AC (Elliott) n. 6994 6994. Verses 13-17 And he said, By me,* Lord, send, I beg You, through the hand [of another] You may send. And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Moses, and He said, Is there not Aaron your brother, the Levite? I know that he will speak ably. And also, behold, he is coming out to meet you; and he will see you and be glad in his heart. And you are to speak to him, and to put words in his mouth; and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you the things you will do. And he will speak for you to the people; and it will happen, that he will be for you as a mouth, and you will be for him as a god. And you are to take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.

‘And he said, By me, Lord’ means a categorical assertion. ‘Send, I beg You, through the hand [of another] You may send’ means that Divine Truth going forth from the Divine Human will be uttered in an indirect way. ‘And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Moses’ means leniency. ‘And He said, Is there not Aaron your brother, the Levite?’ means teachings that present what is good and true. ‘I know that he will speak’ means declaration. ‘And also, behold, he is coming out to meet you’ means reception. ‘And he will see you’ means perception. ‘And be glad in his heart’ means an affection belonging to love. ‘And you are to speak to him’ means influx. ‘And to put words in his mouth’ means that the things he utters will go forth from the Divine Human. ‘And I will be with your mouth’ means that God’s truth will go forth from the Divine itself by way of the Divine Human. ‘And with his mouth’ means that it will therefore be with the things that come from there. ‘And will teach you the things you will do’ means that the Divine will therefore be within every single thing that is going to happen. ‘And he will speak for you to the people’ means that he will be the teaching presented to the spiritual Church. ‘And it will happen, that he will be for you as a mouth’ means the truth contained in doctrinal teachings, which also goes forth from the Lord in an indirect way. ‘And you will be for him as a god’ means Divine Truth that goes forth directly from the Lord. ‘And you are to take this rod in your hand’ means Divine power in these [two kinds of truth]. ‘With which you shall do the signs’ means consequent enlightenment and corroboration of truths.
* The Latin In me represents the Hebrew Bi; cp Genesis 43:20; 44:18.

AC (Elliott) n. 6995 6995. ‘And he said, By me, Lord’ means a categorical assertion. This is clear from the fact that ‘by me’ is a stock phrase used to assert categorically that something is so, as above in 6981.

AC (Elliott) n. 6996 6996. ‘Send, I beg You, through the hand [of another] You may send’ means that Divine Truth going forth from the Divine Human will be uttered in an indirect way. This is clear from the representation of Moses, who says these words, as the Lord in respect of the Word, that is, of Divine Truth, dealt with in 6752; from the meaning of ‘sending’, when used in reference to the Lord, as going forth, dealt with in 2397, 4710; and from the meaning of ‘sending through the hand’ as through another to whom power will be given, power to utter Divine Truth going forth from the Lord’s Divine Human. And since it comes through another to whom power has been given it comes in an indirect way. It was shown above in 6982, 6985, that Divine Truth going forth directly from the Lord’s Divine Human cannot be heard or discerned by anyone, not even by an angel. If therefore it is to be heard and discerned an intermediary is required; heaven acts as that intermediary, and then the angels and spirits present with a person.

[2] This is plainly recognizable from the consideration that a person does not even hear the spirits who are present with him talking to one another; and if he did he would not discern what they said because spirits’ speech does not contain any words used by men but is the universal speech of all languages. What is more, spirits cannot hear angels, and if they did they would not discern what they said, for angels’ speech is even more universal. Still less can angels belonging to the inmost heaven be heard or understood, because their speech is not speech consisting of ideas but of the affections immanent in heavenly love. Since these kinds of speech are so remote from a person that he cannot by any means hear or discern them, then how remote must Divine speech be – if one may use that expression – which is infinitely superior to the kinds of speech in the heavens? (The expression ‘Divine speech’ is being used, but by it Divine Truth going forth from the Lord’s Divine Human is meant.) This being so, it may be seen that if Divine Truth going forth from the Lord is to be heard and discerned, it must come to man by way of intermediaries, the final one being a spirit present with a person, whose entrance takes place either into the person’s thought or by means of a living voice.

[3] The fact that Divine Truth coming forth directly from the Lord cannot be heard or discerned is also evident from correspondences and from the representatives based on them. That is to say, the things that man says present themselves among spirits in an altogether different form, and the things spirits say present themselves among angels in an altogether different form, as may be recognized from the spiritual sense of the Word and the literal sense of it; the literal sense, which is suitable for man, serves to denote and represent things contained in the spiritual sense. Since this sense cannot be perceived by man – still less the angelic sense – except insofar as it is able to be presented and revealed by means of such things as belong to the world and natural order, how can he discern Divine Truth coming directly from the Lord’s Divine? That Truth is infinitely higher than angels’ level of understanding and cannot be perceived in heaven either, except insofar as it passes through heaven and in so doing takes on a form suitable for and compatible with the perception of those who are there. This is accomplished by means of an influx that is marvellous and beyond all possible comprehension by anyone. These matters have been stated in order that people may know that Divine Truth going forth from the Lord cannot be heard or discerned by anyone without intermediaries.

AC (Elliott) n. 6997 6997. ‘And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Moses’ means leniency. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the anger of Jehovah’ as not anger but the opposite of anger, which is mercy or in this instance leniency. The absence of any anger in Jehovah is evident from the consideration that He is love itself, goodness itself, and mercy itself, while anger is the opposite and is also a failing, which is inapplicable to God. For this reason when anger in the Word is attributed to Jehovah or the Lord, the angels do not discern anger but either mercy or the removal of the wicked from heaven. Here they discern leniency because what is said is addressed to Moses, who represents the Lord when He was in the world in respect of Divine Truth.

[2] The Word attributes anger to Jehovah or the Lord because of the very general truth that all things come from God, thus the bad as well as the good. But this very general truth, which young children, older ones, and simple people need to have, must at a later stage be clarified. That is to say, it must be shown that bad things are assignable to man, though they may seem to be assignable to God, and have been declared to be so to the end that people may learn to fear God, so as not to be destroyed by wicked things they themselves do, and may then come to love Him. Fear must come before love in order that love may have holy fear within it; for when fear is instilled into love that fear is made holy by the holiness of love. Once it is made holy it is not a fear that the Lord will be angry and punish them, but a fear that they may act contrary to Goodness itself; for to do that will torment their conscience.

[3] Furthermore it was by means of punishments that the Israelites and the Jews were compelled to fulfill the external and formal requirements of religious laws and commands. This led them to think that Jehovah was angry and punished them, when in fact they themselves through their idolatrous behaviour were the ones who brought such things upon themselves and cut themselves off from heaven. Their own behaviour brought about their punishments, as it also says in Isaiah,

Your iniquities cause division between you and your God; and your sins hide [His] face from you. Isa. 59:1.

And since the Israelites and the Jews were confined to the fulfillment of external requirements and knew nothing internal they continued to believe that Jehovah was angry and punished them. For people who concern themselves only with things of an external nature but not with anything internal do everything out of fear and nothing out of love.

[4] From all this one may now see what ‘the anger’ and ‘the wrath’ of Jehovah are used to mean in the Word, namely punishments, as in Isaiah,

Behold, the name of Jehovah comes from afar, burning with His anger, and the heaviness of the burden. His lips are full of indignation, and His tongue like a burning fire. Isa. 30:27.

‘Anger’ stands for reproof, and for a warning in order that evils may not destroy them. In the same prophet,

In an overflowing of anger I hid My face from you for a moment. Isa. 54:8.

‘An overflowing of anger’ stands for temptation, during which evils bring pain and torment. In Jeremiah,

I Myself will fight with you with an outstretched hand and a strong arm, and in anger, and in fury, and in great indignation. Lest My fury go forth like fire, and burn so that there is none to quench it because of the wickedness of your works. Jer. 21:5, 12.

In the same prophet,

. . . to fill those places with the corpses of people whom I smote in My anger and in My wrath. Jer. 33:5.

In Zephaniah,

I will pour out onto them My indignation, all My fierce anger,* for in the fire of My zeal the whole earth will be devoured. Zeph. 3:8.

In David,

He let loose on them His fierce anger,** indignation, fury, distress, and a mission of evil angels. Ps. 78:49.

[5] In addition to these there are many other places in which, as in these, ‘anger , ‘wrath’, ‘fury’, and ‘fire’ are used to mean states of punishment or damnation into which a person casts himself when he enters into evil ways. For it is in keeping with Divine order that rewards should go with ways that are good, and therefore that punishments should go with those that are evil, so much so that they are bound up in one another. Punishment and damnation are also meant by the day of Jehovah’s anger in Isa. 13:9, 17; Lam. 2:1; Zeph. 2:3; Rev. 6:17; 11:18; also by the wine of God’s anger and the cup of God’s anger in Jer. 25:15, 28; Rev. 14:10; 16:19; as well as by the winepress of God’s anger and fury in Rev. 14:19; 19:15.

[6] The fact that punishment and damnation are meant by ‘anger’ is also evident in Matthew,

Brood of vipers, who has shown you to flee from the anger to come? Matt. 3:7.

In John,

He who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the anger of God rests upon him. John 3:36.

In Luke,

In the final period there will be great distress over the earth, and anger on that people. Luke 21:23.

From these places it is evident that ‘the anger of Jehovah’ means forms of punishment and damnation. The reason why ‘anger’ is used to mean leniency and mercy is that all forms of punishment that the evil suffer arise because of the Lord’s mercy shown towards the good to protect them from harm done by the evil. Yet the Lord does not inflict punishments on the evil; rather, it is they who inflict them on themselves since evils and forms of punishment in the next life are bound up with one another. The evil especially inflict punishments on themselves when the Lord acts mercifully towards the good, for at such times the evils and the resulting punishments are on the increase in them. This explains why instead of ‘the anger of Jehovah’, which means forms of punishment suffered by the evil, angels understand mercy.

[7] From all this one may recognize what the Word in the sense of the letter is like and also what God’s truth in its most general form is like – that it presents matters in ways that accord with outward appearances. The reason for this is that man is by nature such that he believes what he can see and apprehend with his senses, but does not believe and for that reason does not accept what he cannot see or apprehend with his senses. This is why the Word in the sense of the letter presents matters in accordance with outward appearances; nevertheless it has genuine truths concealed in its more internal recesses, while in its inmost recesses it conceals God’s truth itself going forth directly from the Lord, and so Divine Good, which is the Lord Himself.
* lit. all the wrath of My anger
** lit. the wrath of His anger

AC (Elliott) n. 6998 6998. ‘And He said, Is there not Aaron your brother, the Levite?’ means teachings that present what is good and true. This is clear from the representation of ‘Aaron’ as the Lord’s Divine Goodness or His Priesthood; but here, before his introduction into the priesthood, he represents teachings that present what is good and true. This is also the reason why it says that he will be for Moses ‘as a mouth’, and Moses will be for him ‘as a god’; for ‘Moses’ represents the Lord’s Divine Truth as it goes forth directly from the Lord, and therefore ‘Aaron’ represents Divine Truth that goes forth from the Lord in an indirect way. And this truth consists in teachings that present what is good and true. The kind of truth that ‘Moses’ represents here is truth that a person is unable to hear or discern, 6982; but the kind of truth that ‘Aaron’ represents is truth he can hear and discern. This is why Aaron is called ‘a mouth’ and Moses is called ‘his god’. It also explains why Aaron is referred to as ‘the Levite’, for Levite’ means the Church’s teachings presenting what is good and true, teachings which are of use and service to the priesthood.

AC (Elliott) n. 6999 6999. ‘I know that he will speak’ means declaration. This is clear from the meaning of ‘speaking’, when used in connection with the teachings that ‘Aaron’ represents, as declaration; for this is a function of teachings, that is, of him who represents teachings and is called ‘a mouth’, which is utterance, 6987.

AC (Elliott) n. 7000 7000. ‘And also, behold, he is coming out to meet you’ means reception. This is clear from the meaning here of ‘coming out to meet’ as being presented, ready to receive – to receive Divine Truth represented by ‘Moses’. Thus its reception is meant. Angels and spirits who receive Divine Truth going forth from the Lord and take it a stage further are said – when they are presented by the Lord, ready to receive it – ‘to come out to meet’ it.

AC (Elliott) n. 7001 7001. ‘And he will see you’ means perception. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seeing’ as understanding and perceiving, dealt with in 2150, 2807, 3764, 3863, 4567, 4723.

AC (Elliott) n. 7002 7002. ‘And be glad in his heart’ means an affection belonging to love. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being glad in one’s heart’ as the pleasure and delight that spring from an affection belonging to love; for all gladness stems from an affection belonging to love. The expression ‘an affection belonging to love’ is used in reference to the teachings that present what is good and true, not to those who possess those teachings, because of the way angels speak. Angels use that kind of expression because they do not wish to speak in terms of persons; for if they did their ideas would be diverted from their complete overall view of things, and so from their comprehension of countless matters simultaneously. For this reason they attribute pleasure and delight, and also affection, and other things like them, to those teachings. Teachings also hold pleasure and delight when a person applies them to himself, because those teachings contain God’s truth going forth from the Lord; and God’s truth going forth from the Lord contains love, and so pleasure and delight.

AC (Elliott) n. 7003 7003. ‘And you are to speak to him’ means influx. This is clear from the meaning of ‘speaking’ as influx, dealt with in 2951, 5481, 5743, 5797.

AC (Elliott) n. 7004 7004. ‘And to put words in his mouth’ means that the things he utters will go forth from the Divine Human. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’, who was to put words in Aaron’s mouth, as the Lord’s Divine Truth which goes forth from His Divine Human, dealt with already; and from the meaning of ‘mouth’ as voice and utterance, dealt with above in 6987, so that ‘putting in the mouth’ means giving to utter. But when the phrase is used in reference to the Lord it means to go forth, for the Word, uttered by a spirit or angel, goes forth from the Lord’s Divine Human. For ‘Aaron’ represents teachings that present what is good and true, which are given utterance.

[2] The implications of all this are that from the Lord Divine Truth goes forth in direct and indirect ways. What goes forth directly is entirely beyond angels’ power of understanding; but what goes forth by an indirect way is fully suited to angels in heaven and also to men on earth, for the way it takes passes through heaven and by going this way it takes on a nature appropriate for angels and a nature appropriate for men. But the Lord also flows directly into this truth and thereby leads angels and men not only indirectly but also directly, see 6058. For everything in general and in particular owes its existence to the Primary Being (Esse), and established order is such that the Primary Being in things derived from it is present indirectly and directly, and so is present in the last and lowest degree of order no less than in the first. For the Divine Truth itself is altogether the substance, whereas the things derived from it are nothing else than the subsequent forms that are given to that substance. From this it is also evident that the Divine also flows directly into every single thing; for all things have been created by Divine Truth, because Divine Truth is altogether the essence, 6880, and so is that from which all things receive their being. Divine Truth is what is called ‘the Word’ in John,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. John 1:1, 3.

Through this kind of inflowing the Lord leads a person not only by the operation of His providence in a general way but also in every specific way, indeed in the most specific of all. This then is the reason why it is said that the things that are uttered will go forth from the Divine Human.

[3] I have been told from heaven, and led to perceive from actual experience, that the Lord flows in directly when He also does so indirectly, and so is present in the last and lowest degree of order no less than in the first. I have in addition been told and led to perceive that comparatively little is accomplished by indirect influx, that is, by influx through heaven and the angels there, and also that by direct influx the Lord simultaneously leads heaven and keeps every single thing there properly connected and ordered.

AC (Elliott) n. 7005 7005. ‘And I will be with your mouth’ means that God’s truth will go forth from the Divine itself by way of the Divine Human. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Lord in respect of God’s truth, dealt with already; and from the meaning of ‘being with your mouth’ as being within God’s truth which goes forth from the Divine Human – the Divine itself, which is called the Father, being meant by ‘I’ or Jehovah. From this it is evident that ‘I will be with your mouth’ means that God’s truth goes forth from the Divine itself by way of the Divine Human, which is the same as saying that the holiness of the Spirit proceeds from the Son, and the Son from the Father, as the Church teaches. But this should be taken to mean that that Trinity resides within the Lord and makes one there.

AC (Elliott) n. 7006 7006. ‘And with his mouth’ means that it will therefore be with the things that come from there. This is clear from the representation of ‘Aaron’ as teachings that present what is good and true, dealt with in 6998; and from the meaning of ‘being with his mouth’ as the Divine present with those teachings and residing within them. And since those teachings come from Divine Truth which goes forth directly from the Divine Human, dealt with immediately above in 7005, ‘being with his mouth’ means with the things that come from there. With regard to teachings that present what is good and true, that they go forth from the Lord’s Divine Human directly and indirectly, see above in 7004.

AC (Elliott) n. 7007 7007. ‘And will teach you the things you will do’ means that the Divine will therefore be within every single thing that is going to happen. This is clear from the meaning of ‘teaching’ as flowing in, and when it is used as it is here in reference to the Divine, as going forth, as above in 6999; and from the meaning of ‘the things you will do’ as things that are going to happen. Every single one is meant because what is said refers to the Divine. Something must be said here about what is meant by the Divine within every single thing that happens in a person’s life. To man this seems to be altogether untrue, because he thinks that if the Divine were present in every single thing that happens no evil deeds would be done and no one would be damned either, and also that justice would always prevail, the upright would prosper in the world rather than those who are not upright, and many other conditions like these. But because they see the opposite of such conditions they do not believe that the Divine is in every single thing. As a consequence they attribute matters of a specific nature to themselves and their own prudence, and merely general, overall control to the Divine, calling everything else fortune and chance, which to them are blind natural forces.

[2] But a person thinks in that kind of way because he has no knowledge of the arcana of heaven, which are that the Lord leaves each person in freedom, for unless a person is in freedom he cannot be reformed at all. What a person does under compulsion does not reform him because compulsion does not allow anything to take root; for anything a person does under compulsion is not an act of willing, whereas what he does in freedom is an act of willing. What is good and true, if it is to be present in a person as his own, must take root in his will. What is outside the will is not the person’s own. And since everyone is for that reason left in freedom people are allowed to think what is evil and, so far as outward fears do not hold them back, to do what is evil; and – since everyone is in freedom – those who are not upright rejoice and glory in the world seemingly more than those who are upright. But the glorying and rejoicing of those who are not upright is external or of the body and in the next life it is turned into hellish misery, whereas the glorying and rejoicing of those who are upright, being internal or of the spirit, remains and becomes heavenly bliss.

[3] Furthermore high rank and wealth bring worldly but not eternal happiness. This being so, that happiness may be experienced both by those who are not upright and by those who are upright; and if the upright are denied it, it is in order that such things may not divert them from what is good. And since a person thinks that Divine blessings consist in worldly kinds of goodness and bliss, his weakness leads him into errors about God’s providence when He sees the opposite taking place. He also draws conclusions from present circumstances as he sees them. He gives no thought to the idea that Divine Providence has what is eternal in view, working especially to bring all things into a state of order in heaven, and also in hell, and so to ensure that heaven will unceasingly resemble a single human being, hell will exist opposite it, and equilibrium will therefore result. He gives no thought to the idea that these things cannot be brought about at all except by means of Divine providence at work in the most specific details of all, thus unless the Divine is constantly governing and directing people’s freedom.

[4] For anything further on the subject see what has been stated and shown already regarding Divine providence:

The Lord’s providence cannot be overall unless it is present in the most specific details, 1919 (end), 4319, 5122 (end), 5894 (end), 6481-6486, 6490.

The Lord’s providence has in view what is eternal, 5264, 6490.

The Lord foresees what is evil and makes provision for what is good, 5155, 5195, 6489.

The Lord turns evil that He foresees into good, 6574.

Things that happen by chance are all part of providence, 5508, 6493, 6494.

One’s own prudence is like dust thinly distributed in the air, while providence is, like the entire atmosphere, 6485.

Quite a number of mistaken ideas deny the presence of Divine providence in specific details, 6481.

AC (Elliott) n. 7008 7008. ‘And he will speak for you to the people’ means that he will be the teaching presented to the spiritual Church. This is clear from the representation of ‘Aaron’, of whom it is said that he will speak for Moses to the people, as teaching that presents what is good and true, dealt with in 6998; from the meaning of ‘speaking’ as confession and declaration, dealt with in 6999; and from the representation of the children of Israel, to whom ‘the people’ refers here, as the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6426.

AC (Elliott) n. 7009 7009. ‘And it will happen, that he will be for you as a mouth’ means the truth contained in doctrinal teachings, which also goes forth from the Lord in an indirect way. This is clear from the representation of Aaron, who ‘will be for Moses as a mouth’, as doctrinal teachings, dealt with in 6998; and from the meaning of ‘being for Moses as a mouth’ as the utterance or declaration of it, dealt with in 6987. The reason why the words of explanation are ‘the truth contained in doctrinal teachings, which also goes forth from the Lord in an indirect way’ is that the truth contained in doctrinal teachings, which ‘Aaron’ represents, is the kind of truth that can be heard and discerned by angels and by men. Such truth is what goes forth in an indirect way from the Lord. But the kind of truth that is represented by ‘Moses’ goes forth directly from the Lord, and cannot be heard or discerned by men, nor even by angels, see 6982, 6985, 6996, 7004.

AC (Elliott) n. 7010 7010. ‘And you will be for him as a god’ means Divine Truth that goes forth directly from the Lord. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Lord in respect of Divine Truth, dealt with in 6752. Its being the Divine Truth which goes forth directly from the Lord is what is meant by the declaration that he was to be for Aaron as a god. For in the Word ‘God’ is used to mean the Lord with regard to Divine Truth, and ‘Jehovah’ to mean the Lord with regard to Divine Good.

In the Word the Lord is called ‘God’ when the subject is truth, but ‘Jehovah’ when the subject is good, see 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921 (end), 4402.

Angels are called ‘gods’ because of the truths from the Lord which guide them, 4402.

And in the contrary sense ‘the gods of the nations’ are falsities, 4402 (end), 4544.

AC (Elliott) n. 7011 7011. ‘And you are to take this rod in your hand’ means Divine power in these [two kinds of truth]. This is clear from the meaning of ‘rod’ as power, dealt with in 4013, 4015, 4876, 4936, especially when it is held in the hand since ‘hand’ means spiritual power and ‘rod’ natural power.

There is no power at all in the natural unless it receives it from the spiritual, just as a rod has none unless it is held in the hand; and that is why it says that he was ‘to take it in his hand’. Used in reference to the Lord ‘hand’ means the power going forth from His Divine Rational, and ‘rod’ the power going forth from His Divine Natural, see 6947. Divine power is said to be in these – the kinds of truth dealt with above – because power has reference to truth, 3091, 6344, 6427, 6948.

AC (Elliott) n. 7012 7012. ‘With which you shall do the signs’ means consequent enlightenment and corroboration of truths. This is clear from the meaning of ‘sign as the corroboration of truths, dealt with in 6870. The reason why enlightenment is also meant is that the corroboration of truths comes about through enlightenment received from the Lord when a person focuses his attention on the Word to the end that he may have a knowledge of truths. As regards enlightenment and a resulting corroboration of truths, it should be recognized that no enlightenment nor thus any corroboration of truths is possible with those who are interested, as the Jews and Israelites were, only in things of an external nature and not in anything internal. But when those who are interested in external things and at the same time in internal ones read the Word they receive enlightenment, and with that enlightenment they see truths, which after that are corroborated for them over and over again. And what is so amazing, the nature of each person’s enlightenment is determined by the nature of his affection for truth, and the nature of his affection for truth is determined by the good present in his life. This also goes to explain why those who have no affection for truth for its own sake, only for the sake of gain, receive no enlightenment at all when they read the Word. Instead they merely corroborate for themselves matters of doctrine whatever they may be, whether they are false, as heretical teachings are, or entirely contrary to truths, as the teachings of the Jews are, since they do not seek the Lord’s kingdom but the world, not faith but renown, thus not heavenly riches but merely earthly ones. Or if a desire to know truths from the Word does perhaps descend on them, falsities present themselves instead of truths, and at length denial of all truths. These matters have been stated in order that people may know what enlightenment is, and a resulting corroboration of truth.

AC (Elliott) n. 7013 7013. Verses 18-20 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, I will go, I beg you, and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and I will see whether they are still alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. And Jehovah said to Moses in Midian, Go, return to Egypt; for all the men seeking your soul* are dead. And Moses took his wife and his sons, and caused them to ride on an ass, and returned to the land of Egypt; and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

‘And Moses went and returned’ means a resumption of the former life. ‘To Jethro his father-in-law’ means governed by simple good. ‘And said to him, I will go, I beg you, and return to my brothers who are in Egypt’ means being raised to more internal and more spiritual life in the natural. ‘And I will see whether they are still alive’ means a perception of that life. ‘And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace’ means assent and earnest desire. ‘And Jehovah said to Moses in Midian’ means enlightenment and corroboration received from the Divine in that state. ‘Go, return to Egypt’ means spiritual life in the natural. ‘For all the men seeking your soul are dead’ means the removal of falsities endeavouring to destroy the life of truth and good. ‘And Moses took his wife’ means the good linked to [the law from God). ‘And his sons’ means the truths from there. ‘And caused them to ride on an ass’ means the ideas which would be of service to the new kind of intelligence. ‘And returned to the land of Egypt’ means in the natural mind. ‘And Moses took the rod of God in his hand’ means that those things were from Divine power.
* i.e. life

AC (Elliott) n. 7014 7014. ‘And Moses went and returned’ means a resumption of the former life. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going’ as life, dealt with in 4882, 5493, 5605; from the meaning of ‘returning’, or going back, as living where he had done so formerly; and from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Lord in respect of the law or truth from God, dealt with in 6771, 6827. When Moses was on Mount Horeb with Jehovah, who appeared in a flame of fire, he represented the Lord in respect of Divine Truth; but now that he is with Jethro his father-in-law, who is the good of the Church which is guided by the truth that goes with simple good, he represents the Lord in respect of truth from God. Here and elsewhere in the Word the internal sense describes how, during all the states of life which the Lord passed through in the world, He was making His Human Divine. These states followed one after another, as may be recognized from the fact that when He was a young child the Lord was like a young child, and after that grew in intelligence and wisdom, all the time instilling Divine Love into them till at length His Human too became Divine Love, which is Divine Being (Esse) or Jehovah. And this being the way in which the Lord put on the Divine – that is, in one state after another – He therefore first made Himself truth from God, after this Divine Truth, and finally Divine Good. These were the stages in the glorification of the Lord that are described here and elsewhere in the internal sense of the Word.

AC (Elliott) n. 7015 7015. ‘To Jethro his father-in-law’ means governed by simple good, that is to say, a resumption of the life governed by it. This is clear from the representation of ‘Jethro’, because he was the priest of Midian, as the good of the Church which is guided by the truth that goes with simple good, dealt with in 6827, this kind of good being meant by simple good; and from the meaning of ‘father-in-law’ as the good from which a joining together of good and truth springs, dealt with in 6827.

AC (Elliott) n. 7016 7016. ‘And said [to him],I will go, I beg you, and return to my brothers who are in Egypt’ means being raised to more internal and more spiritual life in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going and returning’ as a further state of life, and the further state of life here consists in being raised to more internal and more spiritual life, thus life closer to the Divine, for in reference to the Lord, whom ‘Moses’ represents, ‘going and returning’ is used to mean being raised to the Divine Being (Esse) or Jehovah, who was within Him and from whom He came; from the representation of the children of Israel, to whom ‘brothers’ refers here, as the Lord’s spiritual kingdom and consequently the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6426, 6637; and from the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as the natural, dealt with in 6147, 6252. From all this it is evident that ‘I will go, I beg you, and return to my brothers who are in Egypt’ means being raised to more internal and more spiritual life in the natural. For just as Moses’ dwelling in Midian meant life with those who are guided by the truth that goes with simple good, and so are governed by simple good, 7015, so now his dwelling with the children of Israel means life with those who are guided and governed by the truth and good of the spiritual Church, which is more internal and more spiritual than the former life. Regarding the fact that the good and truth of that Church are in the natural, see 4286, 4402.

AC (Elliott) n. 7017 7017. ‘And I will see whether they are still alive’ means a perception of that life. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seeing’ as understanding and perceiving, dealt with in 2325, 2807, 3764, 3863, 4403-4421, 4567, 4723, 5400; and from the meaning of ‘being alive’ or ‘living’ as spiritual life, dealt with in 5407. A perception of that life means a perceiving before-hand, for when anyone proposes something to himself he envisages it as if it were a present reality. He must project his mind into the situation involving that thing, and from this come desires, and from it a feeling of delight such as would belong to that thing if it were a present reality. In this way intermediate ends link themselves to the last and lowest end and make so to speak a single end.*
* intermediate ends is a philosophical term for the means, and last and lowest end a term for the effect.

AC (Elliott) n. 7018 7018. ‘And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace’ means assent and earnest desire. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Jethro said to Moses’ as a reply, while assent and also earnest desire is meant by ‘go in peace’.

AC (Elliott) n. 7019 7019. ‘And Jehovah said to Moses in Midian’ means enlightenment and corroboration received from the Divine in that state. This is clear from the consideration that Jehovah was saying to Moses that he should return to Egypt, when in fact Moses had been commanded previously to do so by Jehovah, in Chapter 3:10 and following verses and Chapter 4:12 and following verses, and Moses had already prepared himself, as he had been commanded, for the journey. From this it becomes clear that the command given now means enlightenment and corroboration received from the Divine. The fact that this enlightenment and corroboration was received in that state, that is to say, in a state of truth that goes with simple good, is meant by the detail that Jehovah said what He said to Moses ‘in Midian’, ‘Midian’ being truth that goes with simple good. See 3242, 4756, 4788, 6777.

AC (Elliott) n. 7020 7020. ‘Go, return to Egypt’ means spiritual life in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going’ or ‘going and returning more internal and more spiritual life, dealt with above in 7016; and from the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as the natural, dealt with in 6147, 6252.

AC (Elliott) n. 7021 7021. ‘For all the men seeking your soul are dead’ means the removal of falsities endeavouring to destroy the life of truth and good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being dead’ as the fact that they have been removed, since those who are dead have also been removed; from the meaning of the Egyptians, to whom ‘the men’ refers here, as those who are under the influence of falsities, dealt with in 6692; and from the meaning of ‘those seeking the soul’ as those who endeavour to destroy life. And since spiritual life is the life of truth which belongs to faith and of good which belongs to charity, it is called the life of truth and good. From all this it is evident that ‘all the men seeking your soul are dead’ means the removal of falsities endeavouring to destroy the life of truth and good. In the Word ‘soul’ (anima) is used to mean every living thing and is also attributed to living creatures (animalia). But the proper use of the word ‘soul’ is in reference to a human being; and when used in this way it can vary in meaning. A person himself is called a soul, because the life in general within him is called the soul; more specifically the life or activity of his understanding is called such, and so too is the life or activity of his will.

[2] But in the spiritual sense ‘soul’ is used to mean the life of truth belonging to faith and the life of good belonging to charity, or in general to mean a person himself in respect of his spirit that lives after death, which is the meaning that ‘soul’ has in Matthew,

Do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Matt. 10:28.

In the same gospel,

What does it profit a person if he gains the whole world but suffers the loss of his soul? Or what will a person give as a price sufficient for the redemption of his soul? Matt. 16:26.

In Luke,

The Son of Man did not come to destroy people’s souls but to save them. Luke 9:56.

In Ezekiel,

You have desecrated Me among My people, to kill souls that ought not to die, and to keep alive souls that ought not to live. Ezek. 13:19.

In these places ‘soul’ stands for a person’s spiritual life, the life which is that of his spirit after death. ‘Killing the soul’, ‘suffering the loss of one’s soul’, and ‘destroying the soul’ stand for dying spiritually or being subject to damnation.

AC (Elliott) n. 7022 7022. ‘And Moses took his wife’ means the good linked to [the law from God]. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Lord in respect of the law or truth from God, dealt with already; and from the meaning of ‘wife’ as the good linked to it, dealt with in 4510, 4823. In the internal sense, and also in the highest sense in which the Lord is the subject, ‘the wife’ who was married to Moses represents the good that had been joined to truth, the reason for this being that every single thing in the spiritual world and in the natural world has the likeness of a marriage within it. The likeness of a marriage exists wherever there is that which is active and that which is passive; and both must be present with each other wherever anything comes into being. Unless they are joined together nothing can possibly be produced. One reason why the likeness of a marriage is present in all things is that all things have a connection with goodness and truth and so with the heavenly marriage, which is a marriage of goodness and truth; and the heavenly marriage has a connection with the Divine marriage, which is a marriage of Divine Good and Divine Truth. And another reason is, as has been stated, that nothing can be produced or brought into being unless there is that which is active and that which is passive, and so unless the likeness of a marriage exists. From all this it is plainly evident that the truth of faith devoid of the good of charity cannot produce anything, and neither can the good of charity devoid of the truth of faith. The two must be joined together to bear fruit and to establish the life of heaven in a person. Regarding the likeness of a marriage present in every single thing, see 1432, 2177, 2516, 5194. And since each detail of the Word has the marriage of goodness and truth within it, 683, 793, 801, 2516, 2712, 4138 (end), 5138, 6343, each detail of the Word has heaven within it, for heaven constitutes that actual marriage. And since each detail of the Word has heaven within it, each detail has the Lord within it, because the Lord is the All in all of heaven. All this shows how it comes about that ‘the wife of Moses’ represents the good that had been joined to truth, even in the highest sense in which the Lord is the subject, in the same way as Sarah the wife of Abraham represents such good, dealt with in 2063, 2065, 2172, 2173, 2198, and also Rebekah the wife of Isaac, in 3012, 3013, 3077.

AC (Elliott) n. 7023 7023. ‘And his sons’ means the truths from there. This is clear from the meaning of ‘sons’ as truths, dealt with in 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373. The words ‘from there’ are used because the truths spring from the marriage spoken of immediately above.

AC (Elliott) n. 7024 7024. ‘And caused them to ride on an ass’ means the ideas which would be of service to the new kind of intelligence. This is clear from the meaning of ‘riding’ as ideas that belong to the understanding, here the ideas which would be of service to the new kind of intelligence which will enhance the life of those who belong to the spiritual Church, 7016 (the reason why ‘riding’ (equitare) means those ideas is that ‘a horse’ (equus) means the power of understanding – see the matters dealt with in 2761, 2762, 3217, 5321, 6534); and from the meaning of ‘an ass’ as truth that is of service, in this instance to the new kind of intelligence, dealt with in 2781, 5741, and also as factual knowledge, 5492.

AC (Elliott) n. 7025 7025. ‘And returned to the land of Egypt’ means in the natural mind. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the land of Egypt’ as the natural mind, dealt with in 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5301.

AC (Elliott) n. 7026 7026. ‘And Moses took the rod of God in his hand’ means that those things were from Divine power. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the rod’ as power, dealt with in 4013, 4015, 4876, 4936, so that ‘the rod of God’ is Divine power. As may be seen above in 7011, ‘the rod’ means natural power while ‘the hand’ means spiritual power, and the natural derives its power from the spiritual; and this being so ‘the rod’ means power when it is being held in the hand. The origin of the meaning of ‘the rod’ as power lies in representatives in the next life, for there those who practise magic are seen with rods which also serve to provide them with power. This also explains why the magicians of Egypt had rods which they used in performing what seemed to be miracles, and why everywhere in their writings the ancients give magicians rods. From these considerations it may be recognized that ‘a rod’ is an emblem representing power, and also has a direct correspondence with it since rods are instruments through which power is actually exercised. But among magicians this involves a misuse of correspondence and is altogether ineffective except within the hells where they are, and then only within these because trickery and false impressions reign. Since there is a direct correspondence between a rod and power, Moses was commanded to take the rod in his hand and use it to do the signs. For the same reason kings have a sceptre, which is a short rod and serves as a sign of royal power. The correspondence of rod and power derives from the fact that a rod or staff supports the hand and arm, and so at the same time the body, and the hand and arm correspond to power in the Grand Man, see 878, 3387, 4931-4977, 5327, 5328, 5544, 6947, 7011.

AC (Elliott) n. 7027 7027. Verses 21-13 And Jehovah said to Moses, Go and return* to Egypt, see all the portents which I have put in your hand; and you are to do them before Pharaoh. And I will harden his heart, and he will not send the people away. And you are to say to Pharaoh, Thus said Jehovah, Israel is My son, My firstborn. And I say to you, Send My son away, and let him serve Me; and [if] you refuse to send him away, behold, I kill your son, your firstborn. ‘And Jehovah said to Moses’ means perception from the Divine. ‘Go and return to Egypt’ means spiritual life in the natural. ‘See all the portents which I have put in your hand’ means the means used by power from the spiritual at that time. ‘And you are to do them before Pharaoh’ means against molesting falsities. ‘And I will harden his heart, and he will not send the people away’ means obstinacy and so a failure to set free as yet. ‘And you are to say to Pharaoh’ means admonition. ‘Thus said Jehovah’ means from the Divine. ‘Israel is My son, My firstborn’ means that those guided and governed by spiritual truth and good have been adopted. ‘And I say to you’ means a command. ‘Send My son away’ means that they should refrain from molestation of the truths of the Church. ‘And let him serve Me’ means being raised into heaven to perform useful services from there. ‘And [if] you refuse to send him away’ means obstinacy right to the last. ‘Behold, I kill your son, your firstborn’ means the annihilation of faith devoid of charity, and the consequent devastation of truth among them.
* lit. In going to return

AC (Elliott) n. 7028 7028. ‘And Jehovah said to Moses’ means perception from the Divine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ in the historical narratives of the Word as perception, dealt with often; and its being from the Divine is meant by the words ‘Jehovah said’. The reason for the repetition here of the words ‘Jehovah said to Moses 2061, 2238, 2260, 2506, 2515, 2552.

AC (Elliott) n. 7029 7029. ‘Go and return to Egypt’ means spiritual life in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going and returning’ as being raised to more internal and more spiritual life, and from the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as the natural, both of which meanings are dealt with above in 7016.

AC (Elliott) n. 7030 7030. ‘See all the portents which I have put in your hand’ means the means used by power from the spiritual at that time. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the portents’ or miracles as the means used by Divine power, dealt with in 6910; and from the meaning of ‘hand’ as spiritual power, dealt with in 7011. From these meanings it is evident that ‘see all the portents which I have put in your hand’ means the means used by power from the spiritual.

AC (Elliott) n. 7031 7031. ‘And you are to do them before Pharaoh’ means against molesting falsities. This is clear from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as falsity molesting the truths of the Church, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692. The reason why ‘you are to do them before Pharaoh’ means against those falsities is that this command follows in sequence the words that come before it. For these words – ‘see all the portents which I have put in your hand’ – mean the means used by power from the spiritual, that is, used against molesting falsities. In the internal sense the matters to which the words of the sense of the letter are applied follow one another in sequence.

AC (Elliott) n. 7032 7032. ‘And I will harden his heart, and he will not send the people away’ means obstinacy and so a failure to set free as yet. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hardening’ as obstinacy, and from the meaning of ‘heart’ is that a new perception is meant, as the will, dealt with in 2930, 3888, so that the words used here mean an obstinate determination that springs from the will, and therefore from a delight in doing what is evil since what is present in the will is that in which one takes delight, and that in which one takes delight springs from the love one has; and from the meaning of ‘not sending the people away’ as an obstinate unwillingness to set free, thus a failure to set free as yet. It says here and in places further on that Jehovah hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Such wording is based on appearances and on the general idea about the Divine, that all things are brought about by Him. But this should be understood in exactly the same kind of way as the attribution to Jehovah or the Lord of evil, anger, fury, devastation, and many other things like these should be, 2447, 6071, 6991, 6997.

[2] As regards the obstinacy of those who are steeped in falsities and the resulting evils and in evils and the resulting falsities, it should be recognized that the nature of it is such that it defies description. They never leave off, unless they are deterred by harsh punishments and the fears these create; exhortations and threats have no effect whatever. The reason for this is that for them the delight of life consists in doing evil, a delight which they acquired while they lived in the world, chiefly because they loved solely themselves, not their neighbour, and so did not have any Christian charity. Because people like this do not allow themselves to be led by the Lord, their actions are motivated by their own selfish will, which is evil owing to heredity and also to the actual life they lead. And people whose actions are motivated by their own selfish will do what is evil from a love of evil, since what comes from the will comes from love. From love springs the delight they feel in doing evil, and in the measure that this delight reigns in them obstinacy reigns in them.

[3] It is not evident in the world that this is so, but that is because in the world they are restrained by self-love and love of the world, for they are afraid they would suffer loss of reputation, consequently of monetary gain and of position if they were to do evil openly. Laws and fear for their lives also serve to keep them in check. But if those restraints did not exist they would quickly seek to ruin all who are not favourably disposed towards them, plunder everyone’s resources, and ruthlessly kill anyone. This is what the person is like inwardly, that is, as to his spirit, though he may not seem in the world to be like that, as may be seen perfectly clearly from those who are in the next life. Those who have been like that in the world have external things taken away from them and are left to [the desires of] their own will, thus to their own loves; and when they have been left to these nothing gives them greater delight than doing what is evil. They also do it with such obstinate determination that they never leave off, unless, as has been stated, they suffer punishments, after which they sink into hell. All this shows what a person is like who has no charity towards the neighbour, also that everyone’s life awaits him, not his external life as a citizen which could be seen in the world, but his spiritual life, which was internal and unseen in the world.

AC (Elliott) n. 7033 7033. ‘And you are to say to Pharaoh’ means admonition. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’, when done by Divine command, as admonition; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as falsity molesting the truths of the Church, thus those who are steeped in falsity and engage in molestation, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692.

AC (Elliott) n. 7034 7034. ‘Thus said Jehovah’ means from the Divine, that is to say, admonition from Him. This is clear from what has been stated immediately above, and also from what appears immediately below.

AC (Elliott) n. 7035 7035. ‘Israel is My son, My firstborn’ means that those guided and governed by spiritual truth and good have been adopted. This is clear from the meaning of ‘son’, when used by Jehovah or the Lord to speak of those who belong to the spiritual Church, as one who has been adopted, dealt with below; from the meaning of ‘firstborn’ as the faith that is wedded to charity, which the spiritual Church possesses, dealt with in 367, 2475, 3725, 4925, 4926, 4928, 4930; and from the representation of ‘Israel’ as the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6637. ‘Israel is My son, My firstborn’ means that those guided and governed by spiritual truth and good – that is, those belonging to the spiritual Church – have been adopted and so recognized as sons because the Lord saved them by His Coming into the world, see 6854, 6914. For this reason also, as well as by virtue of their faith in the Lord, they are called ‘the firstborn son’; and they are the ones who are meant by the Lord in John,

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. John 10:16.

AC (Elliott) n. 7036 7036. ‘And I say to you’ means a command. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’, when used by Jehovah, as a command.

AC (Elliott) n. 7037 7037. ‘Send My son away’ means that they should refrain from molestation of the truths of the Church. This is clear from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as falsity molesting the truths of the Church, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692; from the meaning of ‘send away’ as a command that they should refrain; and from the meaning of ‘son’ as those who are guided and governed by spiritual truth and good and have been adopted, dealt with just above in 7035. From all this it is evident that ‘send My son away’ means that they should refrain from molestation of those guided by the truths of the Church.

AC (Elliott) n. 7038 7038. ‘And let him serve Me’ means being raised into heaven to perform useful services from there. This is clear from the meaning of ‘serving Jehovah (or the Lord)’ as performing useful services; and being raised into heaven, to perform useful services from there is meant by ‘they shall serve Me’ for the following reason: Those who belong to the spiritual Church and have been saved by the Lord’s Coming are the subject, in particular those who were on the lower earth before the Lord’s Coming but were later raised into heaven, 6854, 6914, and therefore came into a state in which they performed useful services. The reason why performing useful services is meant by ‘serving the Lord’ is that true worship consists in the performance of such services, thus in the exercise of charity. Anyone who thinks that serving the Lord consists solely in going to church regularly, listening to the preaching there, and saying his prayers, and that that is sufficient, is much mistaken. True worship of the Lord consists in performing useful services; and such services during a person’s life in the world lie in a proper fulfillment of his function by each person, whatever his own position, that is, in serving his country, its communities, and his neighbour with all his heart. They also lie in honest dealings with fellow human beings and in the diligent discharge of duties, with full regard for each person’s character. These useful deeds are the principal ways of exercising charity and the principal means of worshipping the Lord. Going to church regularly, listening to sermons, and saying one’s prayers are also necessary; but without the useful deeds they have no value at all, for they do not constitute a person’s life but teach what that life ought to be like. The angels in heaven get nothing but happiness out of being useful; and they receive it in proportion to their usefulness. So true is this that to them usefulness is what makes heaven.

[2] It is in keeping with Divine order that usefulness should determine the measure of happiness, as may be recognized from the different aspects of a person and the things they correspond to in the Grand Man, such as the external senses – sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch – which, as shown at the ends of quite a number of chapters, correspond in that way. Associated with these senses therefore are delights, which are determined completely by the functions they perform. The greatest is the sensory delight associated with conjugial love, because of the very great use it performs, for it leads to the propagation of the human race, which populates heaven. After this comes the delight linked with taste, which possesses so great a delight because it helps to nourish the body and keep it healthy, on which healthy mental activity depends. The delight linked with smell is a lesser delight because it serves merely to reinvigorate and so also help to keep a person healthy. The delight associated with hearing and that associated with sight come in last place because they only receive impressions which will be of future usefulness, and because they serve the understanding part of the mind but not so much the will part.

[3] From these and other considerations like them it becomes evident that useful services are the determining factor in the happiness imparted by the Lord in heaven, and that those services are the chief way in which the Lord is worshipped. This goes to explain why John reclined at table on the Lord’s breast, and why the Lord loved him more than the rest. It was not on account of John himself, but because he represented times when charity is exercised, that is, useful services are performed. Regarding John’s representation of those things, see the Prefaces to Chapters 18 and 22 of Genesis, and 3974.

7038a ‘And [if] you refuse to send him away’ means obstinacy right to the last. This is clear from the meaning of ‘refusing to send him away’ as a failing to set free owing to obstinate determination, as above in 7032.

AC (Elliott) n. 7039 7039. ‘Behold, I kill your son, your firstborn’ means the annihilation of faith devoid of charity, and the consequent devastation of truth among them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘killing’ as annihilation; and from the meaning of ‘firstborn son’, that is to say, of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, as faith devoid of charity, dealt with in 3325. For ‘Pharaoh’ and ‘the Egyptians’ have represented the facts known to the Church, 4749, 4964, 4966, 6004, thus known facts which form part of faith since these facts are ones that the Church possesses. But because they turned that factual knowledge into magic, 6692, and their deeds were as a consequence evil and devoid of any charity, the mere knowledge of matters of faith, thus faith without charity, is meant by ‘their firstborn sons’. That the mere knowledge of them is meant by ‘the firstborn of Egypt’ is evident from the meaning of ‘the firstborn of Israel’ as the faith that is wedded to charity, dealt with above in 7075.

[2] The expression ‘faith devoid of charity’ is used, but faith in this case is used to mean the mere knowledge of matters of faith, because faith cannot exist where there is no charity. With those who are not governed by charity matters of faith are merely items stored in the memory; and in the memory they take the same form as any other factual knowledge. Nor does any real knowledge of the truth that composes faith reside there, because it has been debased by false ideas and also serves as the means to bolster up falsities. Since this is what faith devoid of charity is like, it is annihilated among the wicked in the next life, with whom truth suffers complete devastation. This is allowed to happen to prevent them from using truths as the means to attain evil objectives, and so to prevent hell from dominating in any way among them over such things as belong to heaven, and to guard against their being left hanging as a consequence between heaven and hell. Such annihilation and such devastation of truth is what is meant by the firstborn in Egypt being killed. The destruction after that of the Egyptians in the Sea Suph represented a subsequent state of damnation or spiritual death of such people; for once they have been deprived of matters of faith or truth, which were like wings lifting them up, they immediately drop like weights into hell.

AC (Elliott) n. 7040 7040. Verses 24-26 And he was on the way in the lodging-place, and Jehovah came to meet him and sought to kill him. And Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and caused it to touch his feet, and said, Surely a bridegroom of blood* are you to me! And He ceased from him’. Then she said, A bridegroom of blood* in regard to circumcisions. ‘And he was on the way in the lodging-place’ means that the attention of the descendants of Jacob was focused on outward forms without their inner meaning. ‘And Jehovah came to meet him**’ means opposition. ‘And sought to kill him’ means that a representative Church could not be established among those descendants. ‘And Zipporah took a flint’ means that the representative Church used truth to demonstrate the actual nature. ‘And cut off the foreskin of her son’ means the removal of filthy kinds of love, as a result of which the internal is laid bare. ‘And caused it to touch his feet’ means a demonstration of the actual nature of the natural then. ‘And said, Surely a bridegroom of blood are you to me!’ means that it was full of every kind of violence and hostility towards truth and goodness. ‘And He ceased from him’ means that they were allowed to be representative. ‘Then she said, A bridegroom of blood in regard to circumcisions’ means that although the internal was full of violence and hostility towards truth and goodness, circumcision was nevertheless accepted as a sign representative of purification from filthy kinds of love.
* lit. bloods
** i.e. from seeking to kill him

AC (Elliott) n. 7041 7041. ‘And he was on the way in the lodging-place’ means that the attention of the descendants of Jacob was focused on outward forms without their inner meaning. This becomes clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ here. In what has gone before and in what will follow the subject in the internal sense is the spiritual Church, meant by ‘the children of Israel’; but the three verses here deal with how the Church was to have been established among Jacob’s descendants but could not in fact be established among them because their attention was focused on outward forms without their inner meaning. Here therefore Moses does not represent the Law or the Word; instead he represents that nation, descendants of Jacob, whose leader he was to become, and so represents that nation’s worship as well. For everywhere in the Word a leader, judge, or else king represents the nation or people whose leader, judge, or king he is since he is its head, see 4789. This explains why Moses is not referred to here by name, though he is meant by the one who ‘was on the way in the lodging-place’, and why Jehovah at this point ‘came to meet him and sought to kill him’, when yet previously He had commanded him so clearly to go and return to Egypt. His being ‘on the way means what is established, while ‘the lodging-place’ means the external natural or that which exists on the level of the senses, 5495. And since, as has been stated, the subject is the Church that was to have been established among Jacob’s descendants, the level on which that nation focused is meant, namely an external level without any internal level, and so an external natural level or that of the senses, separated from any inner level. When separated from any inner level the sensory level is full of illusions and consequently falsities, and it stands in opposition to forms of the truth and good of faith, see 6948, 6949.

[2] Before the things that come next are explained, see what has been shown already regarding the descendants of Jacob:

Among them there was a representative of the Church, but no real Church, 4281, 4288, 6304.

Divine worship among them was wholly external without anything internal, and they were driven to that worship by external means, 4281, 4433, 4844, 4847, 4865, 4899, 4903.

They were not chosen, yet they stubbornly insisted that they should be the Church, 4290, 4293.

They were such that they could represent holy things even though they were governed by bodily and worldly kinds of love, 4293, 4307.

That nation was like this right from the start, 4314, 4316, 4317.

Very many other things which have been shown concerning that nation, 4444, 4459 (end), 4503, 4750, 4815, 4818, 4820, 4825, 4832, 4837, 4868, 4874, 4911, 4913, 5057, 6877.

AC (Elliott) n. 7042 7042. ‘And Jehovah came to meet him’ means opposition. This is clear from the meaning of ‘coming to meet’ as opposition, opposition to the establishment of any Church among that nation. Opposition to the Divine is what is meant when it says that Jehovah came to meet him. To judge from the sense of the letter it seems as though Jehovah or the Divine was the opposer, since it says ‘Jehovah came to meet him’. But the internal sense is that it was an opposition to the Divine; for the Divine never places Himself in opposition to anyone. Rather it is the person or nation who place themselves in opposition to the Divine; and when they do so it seems, because they cannot abide the Divine, as though there were resistance from the Divine. What this is like may be recognized from those who enter the next life and wish to enter heaven, yet are not the kind of people who can stay there. When their wish is granted and they are on their way, near the entrance to heaven, they seem to themselves to be like monsters and begin to feel pain and torment because they cannot abide the truth and goodness that are there. They think that heaven and the Divine have placed themselves in opposition to them, when in fact they are the ones, having an opposite attitude of mind, who bring it on themselves. From this one may also see that the Divine does not place Himself in opposition to anyone, but that it is a person who places himself in opposition to the Divine.

AC (Elliott) n. 7043 7043. ‘And sought to kill him’ means that a representative Church could not be established among those descendants. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seeking to kill’ as not receiving, dealt with in 3387, 3395, here therefore as not receiving or choosing that nation in order that a representative Church might be established among them. That nation is what Moses their future leader and head is consistently used to mean in these three verses, see above in 7041.

That nation was not chosen, yet it stubbornly insisted that it should be the Church, see 4290, 4293.

No Church, only a representative of the Church was established among that nation, 4281, 4288, 6304.

Holy things of the Church can be represented even by wicked people, for in a representation no attention is paid to the person who represents, only to the thing represented by him, 3670, 4208, 4281.

Something similar to what is meant here in the internal sense is contained in Num. 14:12, where it says that Jehovah wished to destroy that nation completely and in their place raise up from Moses another nation, and also where it says that Jehovah regretted that He was going to lead, or that He had led that people into the land of Canaan.

AC (Elliott) n. 7044 7044. ‘And Zipporah took a flint’ means that the representative Church used truth to demonstrate the actual nature. This is clear from the representation of ‘Zipporah’ here as the representative Church; and from the meaning of ‘a flint’ as the truth of faith. The use of knives made of flint to carry out circumcision meant the use of the truths of faith to carry out purification from filthy kinds of love, 2039, 2046, 2799; for circumcision was an act that represented purification from those kinds of love, 2799. The reason why purification is effected by means of the truths of faith is that these truths teach what good is and also what evil is, and so what ought to be done and what ought not to be done. And when a person knows those truths and wishes to act in accordance with them, he is being led by the Lord and purified by the Divine means that are His. Since the truths of faith teach what evil is and what good is it is evident that ‘Zipporah took a flint’ means the use of truth to demonstrate the actual nature. The fact that ‘Zipporah’ represents the representative Church is clear from the things that follow in these verses.

AC (Elliott) n. 7045 7045. ‘And cut off the foreskin of her son’ means the removal of filthy kinds of love, as a result of which the internal is laid bare. This is clear from the meaning of ‘cutting off’ as removing; from the meaning of ‘the foreskin’ as earthly and bodily love which defiles spiritual and celestial love, dealt with in 3412, 4462; and from the meaning of ‘son’ as the truth which the representative Church possesses. For the meaning of ‘son’ as truth, see 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3773; and the reason why the truth which that Church possesses is meant here is that ‘Zipporah’ represents that Church and calls him ‘her son’. She also uses him to show the actual nature of that nation and consequently the actual nature of its worship. ‘The foreskin’ means filthy kinds of love for the following reason: The loins and genital organs correspond to conjugial love, 5050-5062; and since they correspond to conjugial love they also correspond to every kind of celestial and spiritual love, 686, 4277, 4280, 5054. The foreskin therefore corresponds to the kinds of love that are very much external, which are called bodily and earthly loves. If these loves are devoid of the internal kinds of love that are called spiritual and celestial loves, they are filthy, as they were with that nation which had externals without an internal. The words ‘without an internal’ are used, and by this is meant no acknowledgement of truth and no affection for good, thus no faith and no charity; for these are qualities that belong to the internal man and from them spring ways of exercising charity, which are external forms of good. The Lord speaks of that internal, when it is devoid of faith and charity and yet full of evils and falsities, as that which is ’empty’, in Matt. 12:43-45. This is what ‘external without an internal’ serves to describe. So then ‘the foreskin’ means the kinds of love that are very much external; therefore when those kinds of love have been removed, meant by Zipporah’s cutting off the foreskin, the actual nature of them is seen, and the internal is accordingly laid bare.

AC (Elliott) n. 7046 7046. ‘And caused it to touch his feet’ means a demonstration of the actual nature of the natural then. This is clear from the meaning of ‘causing to touch’ as demonstrating, for a thing can be demonstrated by means of the sense of touch; and from the meaning of ‘feet’ as the natural, dealt with in 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4951. A demonstration of the actual nature of the natural means a demonstration of the inner character of that nation, which can be seen when the shell of their outward behaviour is removed. What is within a person in the world cannot be seen until his shell is removed. In the case of the evil their outward actions are altogether different from their inner will and thought. For a person can give an impression of being honourable; he can give an impression of being righteous, and also of being governed by Christian good, which is charity – so effectively that people think he is like that inwardly. He is also driven to do this by fear that he may suffer the loss of gain, reputation, and position, be subject to punishments under the law, or suffer loss of life. But when such fears have been removed and his inner self governs his actions, then like a madman he plunders another person’s goods, and lusts for murder and blood, even of fellow citizens, as happens in civil wars. The fact that a person can be like this inwardly may be seen still more plainly in the wicked in the next life, since externals are removed from them and internals laid bare, regarding which see 7039. That removal reveals that very many who seemed to be like angels in the world are devils.

[2] This great discrepancy between what exists inwardly and what exists outwardly is a sign that a person is entirely perverted. With him who has honesty, righteousness, and goodness within him no such discrepancy exists; he speaks as he thinks, and thinks as he speaks. It is altogether different with those who have no honesty, righteousness, or goodness within them. With them there is a discrepancy between interiors and exteriors. That is what the Jewish nation was like, as described by the Lord in these words in Matthew,

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the exterior of the cup and the plate but the interiors are full of pillage and lack of restraint. Blind Pharisee! cleanse first the interior of the cup and the plate, in order that the exterior may be made clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you make yourselves like white-washed sepulchres, which outwardly do indeed appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and of all uncleanness. So too do you outwardly appear righteous to men (homo) but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Matt. 13:25-28.

AC (Elliott) n. 7047 7047. ‘And said, Surely a bridegroom of blood are you to me!’ means that it was full of every kind of violence and hostility towards truth and goodness. This is clear from the meaning here of ‘a bridegroom’ as a representative of the Church or the external aspect of it since the representative Church itself is ‘the bride’ (in these three verses ‘Moses’ represents that nation, and a representative of the Church among them, see above in 7041. While ‘Zipporah’ represents the representative Church,7044; and since ‘Zipporah’ represents the representative Church and ‘Moses’ the external aspect of it, Zipporah does not call him her man or husband but ‘a bridegroom’, for a bride can represent something dissimilar from that which the bridegroom represents, unlike man or husband and wife since the bond of marriage makes them one); and from the meaning of ‘blood’ as violence done to charity, dealt with in 374, 1005, and also as truth falsified and rendered profane, 4735, 6978, thus hostility towards truth and goodness.

AC (Elliott) n. 7048 7048. ‘And He ceased from him’ means that they were allowed to be representative. This is clear from the meaning of ‘ceasing from him’, that is to say, from killing him, as their being allowed to be representative. For the statement that Jehovah sought to kill him meant that a representative Church could not be established among that nation, 7043, and therefore when it says here that ‘He ceased from him’ the meaning is that they were allowed to be representative, that is, a representative of the Church, but no actual Church was allowed to be established among that nation. It is one thing to represent a Church, and another to be an actual Church, as is evident from the fact that even those who are wicked can represent a Church, but only the good can actually be a Church; for representing a Church is something entirely external, see 3670, 4208, 4281.

AC (Elliott) n. 7049 7049. ‘Then she said, A bridegroom of blood in regard to circumcisions’ means that although the internal was full of violence and hostility towards truth and goodness, circumcision was nevertheless accepted as a sign representative of purification from filthy kinds of love. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a bridegroom of blood’ as full of every kind of violence and hostility towards truth and goodness, dealt with above in 7047; and from the meaning of ‘circumcision’ as a sign representative of purification from filthy kinds of love, dealt with in 2039, 2632, 3412, 3417, 4462, 4486, 4493. Zipporah says these words because now that nation was allowed to represent the Church, meant by the statement that He ceased from killing him, 7048. The reason why circumcision became a sign representative of purification is that cutting off the foreskin meant the removal of filthy kinds of love, as a result of which the internal is laid bare, 7045. When therefore no attention at all is paid to what is internal, as was the situation with that nation whose attention was focused on outward forms without their inner meaning, one is left with circumcision or cutting off the foreskin as a sign, that is to say, a sign that means the removal of filthy kinds of love, and so means purification. It was for this reason that that practice could serve as a representative sign.

AC (Elliott) n. 7050 7050. These three verses, as is evident from each detail in them, contain arcana that no one can ever know about without the internal sense. How could anyone know what the meaning is when it says, after He had commanded Moses to go to Egypt, that Jehovah then immediately came to meet him and sought to kill him while he was on the way? How could anyone know what the meaning is when it says that having cut off her son’s foreskin Zipporah caused it to touch his feet and told Moses that he was a bridegroom of blood to her, and then a little later said, A bridegroom of blood in regard to circumcisions? Who can fail to see that these details have arcana concealed within them and that those arcana cannot possibly be made known except from the internal sense?

AC (Elliott) n. 7051 7051. People who know nothing at all about the internal sense of the Word cannot help thinking that the Israelite and Jewish nation was chosen in preference to every other nation and was therefore of superior quality to all the rest, as those who belonged to that nation also thought. And what is so astonishing, this is not only what that nation itself thinks but also what Christians think, no matter how well they know that this nation is eaten up by filthy kinds of love, by foul avarice, hatred, and pride, and in addition to this belittles and also loathes things of an internal nature that belong to charity and faith and are the Lord’s. The reason why Christians also think that this nation was chosen in preference to others is that they think a person is chosen and saved as a result of mercy, irrespective of the life he leads, so that those who are criminal can be received into heaven just as well as the godly and upright. They give no consideration to the idea that choice or election is all-embracing, that is to say, that it includes all who lead a good life. Nor do they consider that the Lord’s mercy is shown to every person who refrains from evil and wishes to lead a good life, and so who allows himself to be led by the Lord and to be regenerated, a process which is being effected throughout the course of his life.

[2] This goes to explain too why the majority of people in the Christian world also believe that that nation will again be chosen, and that when this happens they will be led back into the land of Canaan. And this belief is also in keeping with the sense of the letter, for example in the following places: Isaiah 10:20-23; 11;11, 12; 29:14-end; 43:5, 6; 49:6-26; 56:8, 60:4; 61:3-10; 62: Jeremiah 3:14-19; 15:4, 14; 16:13, 15; 23:7, 8; 24:9, 10; 31:31, 33; 25:29; 29:14, 18; 30:3, 8-11; 31:8-10, 17; 33:16, 20, 26; Ezekiel 5:10, 12, 15; 16:60; 20:41; 22;15, 16; 34:12, 13; 37:21, 22; 38:12; 39:23, 27, 28; Daniel 7:27; 12:7; Hosea 3:4, 5; Joel 2:32; 3; Amos 9:8, 9 and following verses; Micah 5:7, 8. It is on the basis of these as well as other places that even Christians think that nation will again be chosen and led into the land of Canaan. They think this even though they know that nation is waiting for the Messiah who will then lead the nation in, and are at the same time aware that its waiting for Him is in vain, and that the Messiah’s or Christ’s kingdom is not of this world, which means that the land of Canaan into which the Messiah will lead them is heaven.

[3] Such people give no thought to the idea that the Word has a spiritual sense within it and that in that sense Israel is not meant by Israel, Jacob by Jacob, or Judah by Judah, but that the things which they represent are meant by them. Nor do they give any thought to what the historical sections record regarding that nation – what it was like in the wilderness and what it was like after that in the land of Canaan, namely that it was at heart idolatrous – or to what the Prophets say about it and about its spiritual whoredom and its abominations. What that nation is like is described in the following words contained in the Song in Moses,

I will conceal My face from them; I will see what their future will be, for they are a perverse generation, sons in whom there is no faithfulness. I would have said, I will expel them to the remotest corners, I will make the memory of them cease from mankind, except that enemies might say, Our hand is high, and not Jehovah has done all this. For they are a nation from whom counsel has perished, nor is there intelligence in them. From the vine of Sodom comes their vine, and from the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of poison, they have clusters of bitterness. The poison of snakes (draco) is their wine, and the cruel poison of asps. Is this not hidden away with Me, sealed up in My treasuries? Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; in time their foot will slip, for near is the day of their destruction, and the things to come upon them hasten on. Deut. 31:20, 26-28, 32-35.

Jehovah gave Moses the words of this song, see Deut. 31:19, 21. The Lord too spoke about what that nation was like, in John,

You are from your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has not stood in the truth. John 8:44.

And many other places besides these show what that nation was like.

[4] The reason why, although they know these things, Christians believe that that nation will at length be converted to the Lord and at that time led into the land where they lived before is, as has been stated, that they have no knowledge of the internal sense of the Word. Another reason is their supposition that it makes no difference what kind of life a person leads, and that even evil which has become deeply rooted through repeated actions in no way prevents a person – through faith, even if it has existed for only one part of an hour – from being made spiritual, being regenerated, and so being accepted by the Lord. They also suppose that admission into heaven is solely a matter of mercy, and that this is shown towards one particular nation, thus not towards all in the whole world who receive the Lord’s mercy. Those who think in that way do not know that it is altogether contrary to the Divine that some should be chosen and born to salvation and heaven, and others should not be chosen but born to damnation and hell. To think about the Divine in that kind of way would be shocking, for making such choices would show a complete lack of mercy, when in fact the Divine is Mercy itself. From all this it may now be recognized that the Israelite and Jewish nation was not and never will be the chosen nation; also that not a trace of the Church existed or could exist with that nation, only a representative of the Church; and that it was preserved right up to the present day because of the Old Testament Word, regarding which see 3479.

AC (Elliott) n. 7052 7052. Verses 27-31 And Jehovah said to Aaron, Go to meet Moses, to the wilderness. And he went, and he came to meet him in the mountain of God, and kissed him. And Moses told Aaron all Jehovah’s words with which He had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him. And Moses and Aaron went, and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. And Aaron spoke all the words which Jehovah had spoken to Moses, and did the signs before the eyes of the people. And the people believed, and heard that Jehovah had visited the children of Israel, and that He had seen their affliction; and they bowed, and bowed down.

‘And Jehovah said to Aaron’ means the truth presented by doctrinal teachings and perception from the Divine within it. ‘Go to meet Moses’ means that it was to be joined to truth going forth directly from the Divine. ‘To the wilderness’ means a situation prior to that in which no such thing exists. ‘And he went, and he came to meet him in the mountain of God’ means a joining together within the good of love there. ‘And kissed him’ means the affection belonging to the joining together. ‘And Moses told Aaron all Jehovah’s words’ means an influx of truth going forth directly from the Lord’s Divine into truth that goes forth in an indirect way, and instruction in specific doctrinal teachings. ‘With which He had sent him’ means which go forth. ‘And all the signs which He had commanded him’ means enlightenment together with corroboration as a result of that enlightenment. ‘And Moses and Aaron went’ means the life of both when joined together. ‘And gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel’ means the chief characteristics of wisdom that the spiritual Church possessed. ‘And Aaron spoke all the words which Jehovah had spoken to Moses’ means doctrinal teachings received thereby from the Divine. ‘And did the signs before the eyes of the people’ means a corroboration suited to the ability to grasp things. ‘And the people believed, and heard’ means faith and hope. ‘That Jehovah had visited the children of Israel’ means those who belonged to the spiritual Church – [their faith and hope] that they would be delivered and saved by the Lord’s Coming. ‘And that He had seen their affliction’ means after such great temptations. ‘And they bowed, and bowed down’ means humility.

AC (Elliott) n. 7053 7053. ‘And Jehovah said to Aaron’ means the truth presented by doctrinal teachings and perception from the Divine within it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘said’ as perception, dealt with often, and therefore ‘Jehovah said’ means perception from the Divine; and from the representation of ‘Aaron’ as teachings that present what is true and good, dealt with in 6998, 7009, thus the truth they present. All doctrinal teachings are presentations of the truth, for such teachings deal with what is true and the good that springs from it (and when they do so they are called teachings about faith) and they deal with what is good and the truth that is derived from it (in which case they are referred to as teachings about charity). Yet both are presentations of the truth.

AC (Elliott) n. 7054 7054. ‘Go to meet Moses’ means that it was to be joined to truth going forth directly from the Divine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going to meet’ as being joined to; and from the representation of ‘Moses’ as truth going forth directly from the Divine, dealt with above in 7010.

AC (Elliott) n. 7055 7055. ‘To the wilderness’ means a situation prior to that in which no such thing – no such joining together – exists. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the wilderness’ as a situation in which there is as yet little of life, dealt with in 1927, thus where there is no good and consequently no truth, 4736, for these are what bring things to life. But the meaning here is a situation in which truth going forth directly from the Divine is not joined together with truth that goes forth in an indirect way. The fact that that was where a joining together was to be effected is meant by Aaron’s going to meet Moses, to the wilderness. As regards that joining together, it should be recognized that truth which goes forth from the Divine in an indirect way may exist with a person, and yet not be joined to truth going forth directly from the Divine.

[2] But since this matter is very obscure let some examples be used to shed light on it. Take people who think and teach in accordance with the teachings of their Church which they have corroborated for themselves, but who do not know whether they are true on any grounds other than the fact that they form part of what the Church teaches and that they have been propounded by learned and famous men. Truth that goes forth from the Divine in an indirect way may exist with those people, yet for all that it is not joined to truth going forth directly from the Divine. For if it were so joined they would have an affection for knowing truth for its own sake and especially for the sake of the life they should lead. They would also as a consequence be endowed with a perception of whether matters taught by their Church were true before corroborating them for themselves, and would see whether the evidence corroborating each of those matters agreed with the truth itself.

[3] Take as another example the prophets through whom the Word was written. They wrote exactly as the spirit from the Divine dictated, for the actual words which they were to write were uttered in their ears. Truth with them was the kind that goes forth in an indirect way from the Divine, that is, through heaven; it was not therefore truth going forth directly from the Divine. For they had no perception of what the particular things they heard might mean in the internal sense because it is only when those two kinds of truth have been joined together that perception exists, as has been stated. The two kinds are rarely joined together with a person in this world, but they are so with all in heaven, above all with those in the inmost or third heaven. Nor are they joined together with a person in this world unless his regeneration has advanced so far that he can be raised from the level of the senses right up to the rational level of his mind and so be placed in the light of heaven where the angels are. With everyone influx from God does indeed come by both a direct and an indirect way, 6063, 7004; but no joining together of the two takes place except with those who have a perception of truth derived from good. For those with whom influx coming directly from God has been joined to that which comes indirectly allow themselves to be led by the Lord; but those with whom the two have not been joined together lead themselves and like to do so. From all this one may now see what ‘the wilderness’ is used to mean here, namely a situation in which no joining together exists.

AC (Elliott) n. 7056 7056. ‘[And he went, and] he came to meet him in the mountain of God’ means a joining together within the good of love there. This is clear from the meaning of ‘coming to meet’ as a joining together, dealt with just above in 7054; and from the meaning of ‘the mountain of God’ as the good of God’s love, dealt with in 6829. The situation here is that truth which goes forth directly from the Divine cannot be joined together with truth going forth in an indirect way except within good; for good is its very soil. Forms of truth are seeds which do not grow anywhere else than in good as their soil. Good is also the actual soul of truth; good must give truth its being and its life, if it is to be truth.

[2] Truth that goes forth directly from the Divine is called truth, though essentially it is good because it goes forth from Divine Good; but it is good with which all truth from God is united. It is called truth because in heaven it is seen as light, but this light is like springtime light, which is combined with a warmth that brings all things on earth to life. From this it may also be seen that truth going forth directly from the Divine cannot be joined together with truth that goes forth in an indirect way except within good, consequently unless a person is stirred by an affection for truth for its own sake, especially for the sake of what is good, and so for the sake of the life he should lead. For then the person is governed by good.

[3] Something more may be known about the nature of that joining together from the following considerations: Truth that goes forth directly from the Divine enters a person’s will; this is the path it takes. But truth which goes forth from the Divine in an indirect way enters a person’s understanding, and this being so, no joining together can take place unless will and understanding act as one, that is to say, unless the will desires what is good, and the understanding uses truth to endorse what is good. When therefore the two kinds of truth are joined together it seems as though the Lord is present; His presence is also felt. But when they are not joined the Lord is so to speak absent; but His absence is not felt if there is no perception and therefore knowledge of what His presence is.

AC (Elliott) n. 7057 7057. ‘And kissed him’ means the affection belonging to the joining together. This is clear from the meaning of ‘kissing’ as a joining together resulting from affection, dealt with in 3573, 3574, 4357, 5929, 6260.

AC (Elliott) n. 7058 7058. ‘And Moses told Aaron all Jehovah’s words’ means an influx of truth going forth directly from the Lord’s Divine into truth that goes forth in an indirect way, and instruction in specific doctrinal teachings. This is clear from the meaning of ‘telling’ as influx, dealt with in 5966; from the representation of ‘Moses’ as truth going forth directly from the Lord’s Divine, dealt with in 7010, 7054; from the representation of ‘Aaron’ as truth that goes forth in an indirect way from the Lord’s Divine, dealt with in 7009; and from the meaning of ‘all Jehovah’s words’ as specific doctrinal teachings. Instruction is meant by ‘Moses told Aaron’ those things, because instruction from the Divine is effected by means of influx, meant by ‘telling’. From all this it is evident that ‘Moses told all Jehovah’s words’ means an influx of truth going forth directly from the Lord’s Divine into truth that goes forth in an indirect way, and instruction in specific doctrinal teachings.

[2] As regards instruction in specific doctrinal teachings, it is imparted when truth going forth directly from the Lord’s Divine is joined to truth that goes forth in an indirect way; for then perception is imparted, see above in 7055. The two kinds of truth are joined together especially among the angels who are in the third or inmost heaven, those who are called celestial. They have a keen perception of both, and from that a clear feeling of the Lord’s presence. The reason for this is that they more than others are governed by good, for in them the good of innocence is present. As a consequence they are nearest the Lord, surrounded by flashing and so to speak burning light, for they see the Lord as the Sun, whose radiating light has that appearance because they are so near Him.

[3] The expression ‘truth going forth directly from the Lord’s Divine’ is used even though the subject here in the internal sense is the Lord when He was in the world and called upon His Father as if He were separate from Himself. But the situation then, as stated a number of times already, was that the Divine itself or Jehovah was within Him; for He had been conceived from Jehovah, whom for that reason He also called His Father, while calling Himself His Son. But at that time the weak Human inherited from His mother had come to the forefront in the Lord; and to the extent that it did so, Jehovah or the Divine itself which was within Him seemed to be absent, whereas to the extent that the Human that had been glorified or made Divine had come to the forefront in the Lord, Jehovah or the Divine itself was present, there in the Human itself. From this one may now know how to understand the idea that truth which had gone forth directly from the Divine came from the Lord’s Divine.

AC (Elliott) n. 7059 7059. ‘With which He had sent him’ means which – that is to say, specific doctrinal teachings – go forth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being sent’ as going forth, dealt with in 2397, 4710.

AC (Elliott) n. 7060 7060. ‘And all the signs which He had commanded him’ means enlightenment together with corroboration as a result of that enlightenment. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the signs’ as enlightenment and corroboration of truths, dealt with in 7012.

AC (Elliott) n. 7061 7061. ‘And Moses and Aaron went’ means the life of both when joined together, that is to say, of truth going forth directly from the Lord’s Divine and truth that goes forth in an indirect way. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going’ as life, dealt with in 3335, 3690, 4882, 5493; from the representation of ‘Moses’ as truth going forth directly from the Divine, dealt with in 7010, 7054; and from the representation of ‘Aaron’ as truth going forth from the Lord in an indirect way, dealt with in 7009. So now, since the two men went together, the life of both kinds of truth when joined together is meant.

AC (Elliott) n. 7062 7062. ‘And gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel’ means the chief characteristics of wisdom which the spiritual Church possessed. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the elders’ as the chief characteristics of wisdom, thus things that accord with good, dealt with in 6524; and from the representation of ‘the children of Israel’ as the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6426, 6637.

AC (Elliott) n. 7063 7063. ‘And Aaron spoke all the words which Jehovah had spoken to Moses’ means doctrinal teachings received thereby from the Divine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘speaking’, when used in connection with the teachings represented by ‘Aaron’, as utterance and declaration, dealt with in 6987, 6999; from the representation of ‘Aaron’ as truth going forth in an indirect way from the Lord’s Divine, thus teachings that present what is true and good, dealt with in 6998, 7009; and from the meaning of ‘the words which Jehovah had spoken to Moses’ as from the Divine, that is, through truth that goes forth directly from the Lord’s Divine, the kind of truth that ‘Moses’ represents, 7010, 7054.

AC (Elliott) n. 7064 7064. ‘And did the signs before the eyes of the people’ means a corroboration suited to the ability to grasp things. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the signs’ as the corroboration of truths and thus a knowledge of them, dealt with in 6870; and from the meaning of ‘the eyes’ as the powers of inner sight or the understanding, dealt with in 2701, 3820, 4403-4421, 4523-4534, so that ‘before the eyes’ means suited to people’s understanding or ability to grasp things.

AC (Elliott) n. 7065 7065. ‘And the people believed, and heard’ means faith and hope. This is clear from the meaning of ‘believing’ as believing in a spiritual sense, which is faith, dealt with in 6956, 6970; and from the meaning of ‘hearing’ as obeying and also discerning, dealt with in 5017. Here having hope is meant, for when a person who possesses faith and is obedient comes to discern matters that corroborate they bring him hope; for hope arises out of them.

AC (Elliott) n. 7066 7066. ‘That Jehovah had visited the children of Israel’ means those who belonged to the spiritual Church – [their faith and hope] that they would be delivered and saved by the Lord’s Coming. This is clear from the meaning of ‘visiting’ as deliverance through the Lord’s Coming into the world, dealt with in 6895, and so salvation also (those who belonged to the spiritual Church were adopted and saved through the Lord’s Coming into the world, see 6854, 6914, 7035); and from the representation of ‘the children of Israel’ as the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6426, 6637. For the fact that ‘Jehovah’ in the Word is the Lord, see 1343, 1736, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5663, 6281, 6703, 6905.

AC (Elliott) n. 7067 7067. ‘And that He had seen their affliction’ means after such great temptations. This is clear from the meaning of ‘affliction’ as temptation, dealt with in 5356; and from the representation of ‘the children of Israel’ as those who belong to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6426, 6637. Regarding the affliction or molestation by falsities, that is, the temptations which those belonging to the spiritual Church suffered before the Lord’s Coming, see 6854, 6914, 7037.

AC (Elliott) n. 7068 7068. ‘And they bowed, and bowed down’ means humility. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bowing, and bowing down as an expression of humility, dealt with in 2153, 6266. But ‘bowing’ is humility that is exterior and is present in those motivated by truth, whereas ‘bowing down’ humility that is interior and is present in those motivated by good, see 5682. The truth of this has often become apparent to me from those in the next life who are motivated by truth and those who are motivated by good. Those motivated by truth are so to speak rigid, standing upright as though they are stiff; and when they ought to humble themselves before the Divine they bend their body forwards only slightly. But those motivated by good are so to speak flexible; and when they humble themselves before the Divine they bow right down to the ground. For truth without good is utterly rigid; but when it regards good as the end in view that rigidity starts to change into flexibility. Good on the other hand is in itself flexible, and when it has truth introduced into it that truth too, because it develops into good there, becomes flexible. The reason why this happens is that truth cannot be set in its proper place in a heavenly form except by good, which means that in itself truth is inflexible. The form of heaven is utterly fluid and not at all resistant. As a consequence good, and truth with it set in its proper place, is of a similar nature, and is flexible, as has been stated.

AC (Elliott) n. 7069 7069. SPIRITS BELONGING TO THE PLANET MERCURY – continued

What the disposition of spirits from the planet Mercury is like may become even more apparent from the following descriptions. It should be realized that all spirits, however many there may be, were once men, for the inhabitants of heaven come from the human race; and also that spirits are in character exactly like what they were when they lived in the world, since everyone brings his life with him. This being so, the disposition of people on any planet whatever may be recognized from the disposition of the spirits who come from there.

AC (Elliott) n. 7070 7070. Since the spirits from Mercury correlate in the Grand Man with the memory of things devoid of their material associations, 6808, they are totally unwilling to listen when anyone talks to them about earthly, bodily, or merely worldly things. And when they are compelled to listen to any talk about them, they turn those things into different ones, for the most part contrary things, in order to get away from them.

AC (Elliott) n. 7071 7071. In order that I might know for certain that their disposition was such, I was allowed to represent meadows, newly ploughed fields, gardens, woodlands, and streams to them; but they immediately began to transform them. The meadows and newly ploughed fields they darkened, using representations to fill them with snakes; and they blackened the streams so that the water was not clear in appearance. When I asked them why they were acting in that way they said that they did not wish to think about those kinds of things, only about realities, which consist in the knowledge of things devoid of their earthly associations, especially the knowledge of such as are found in heaven.

AC (Elliott) n. 7072 7072. After this I represented to them birds of the air, large and small, such as exist on our planet; for these kinds of things can be represented in the next life in a lifelike manner, the actual speech of spirits and angels being full of representations. When they saw the birds that were represented, they wished initially to turn them into something different; but they grew pleased with them and ceased wishing to do so. The reason for this was that birds of the air mean the knowledge of things, and at this time a perception of that fact was flowing into them. Therefore they refrained from turning them into something different and so from turning away the ideas in their memory. After that I was allowed to represent before them a very lovely garden full of lamp-posts and lights. This time they did nothing and held back, for the reason that lamp-posts with lights mean truths which shine from good. From this it was evident that they could go on looking at material things provided that at the same time the meaning which those things have in the spiritual sense was introduced. For the ideas that belong to the spiritual sense are devoid of material associations.

AC (Elliott) n. 7073 7073. In addition I spoke to them about sheep and lambs, but they were unwilling to listen to such things because they saw them as earthly objects. The reason why they did so was that they lacked any understanding of what innocence was, which is meant by ‘lambs’. I realized that they lacked it from the following experience: When I said that in heaven lambs are not seen represented as lambs but that innocence is perceived instead when mention is made of them, they said that they did not know what innocence was; they knew it merely as a word. The reason for this is that they have an affection only for knowledge, not for useful services, which are the ends that knowledge has in view, 6815. Thus not having any affection for the ends which knowledge has in view, neither can they have any inward perception that enables them to know what innocence is.

AC (Elliott) n. 7074 7074. Some of the spirits belonging to the planet Mercury once came to me; they had been sent by others to listen to what was going on where I was. One of the spirits who belonged to our own planet told them to tell their own people that they should speak nothing but the truth and when answering questioners should refrain from putting contrary ideas in their way, as they are accustomed to do; for if any of the spirits from our planet were to act in that way he would be thrashed for it. But at this point the distant company from which those spirits had been sent out replied that if such had to be thrashed all of them would have to be thrashed since frequent practice left them unable to act in any other way. They said that they also acted in that way when they talked to people on their own planet. But when they did so they had no intention to mislead, only to instill a desire to know; for when they put contrary ideas in the way and in a certain manner make the subject obscure, a person’s curiosity is aroused, and as a result of his eagerness to look into the subject his memory is enriched.

AC (Elliott) n. 7075 7075. I spoke to them further about this subject on another occasion; and since I knew that they talked to people on their own planet I asked them in what way they instruct those who inhabit it. They said that they do not tell them all about a matter; nevertheless they instill some discernment of it in order that this may feed and increase their curiosity. For if they gave answers to everything their curiosity would die. They went on to say that they put contrary ideas in the way for the further purpose that truth may subsequently be seen all the better; for when compared with opposite ideas all truth becomes apparent.

AC (Elliott) n. 7076 7076. It is their custom not to pass on to another what they know; yet they still wish to learn from everyone else what they know. But they share everything with their own community, so completely that what one member knows is known by all, and what all know is known by each one there.

AC (Elliott) n. 7077 7077. Because spirits belonging to Mercury are like this and yet possess such an abundance of knowledge they are full of a particular kind of pride, 6813, which leads them to suppose that they possess so much that there can be scarcely any more for them to know. But they have been told by spirits from our planet that they know not much but little, and that the amount they do not know is in comparison infinite. What they do not know, they are told, compared with what they do know is like the waters of a vast ocean compared with the water of a tiny spring. To enable them to know that this was so, some angelic spirit was allowed to talk to them and to tell them in general terms what it was they knew and what it was they did not know, and to tell them that the number of the things they did not know was infinite and that eternity would be too short to allow them to have even a general knowledge of things. That spirit used the language of heavenly ideas to speak to them. He did so far more readily than they; and because he revealed to them what it was they knew and did not know they were struck with amazement. After that I saw another angel talking to them; he appeared rather high up over to the right. He listed very many things they did not know, and then went on to talk to them by means of changes of state, which they said they did not understand. At that point he told them that each change of state, and also each smallest part of it, contained infinite aspects. Because they were filled with pride on account of the items of knowledge in their possession they began, when they heard this, to humble themselves. Their humility was represented by a sinking downwards of the scroll which they formed (for that group appeared at that time as a scroll, in a forward position over on the left, at a distance, on the level of the region beneath the navel). But the scroll looked as though it had caved in in the middle and was raised up at the ends. A movement to and fro in it was also noticeable. They were also told what this scroll was a sign of, namely what they thought in their state of humility, and that those who were seen at the raised ends did not as yet have any humility. I then saw a separation take place in the scroll, and those without humility were banished to their own world while the rest remained behind. Because spirits from the planet Mercury, who flee from spirits belonging to ours on account of their interest in material things, asked whether such could become angels, 6929, they now received the reply that the angel who spoke to them came from our planet.

AC (Elliott) n. 7078 7078. It should be recognized that spirits belonging to other planets do not appear within the sphere where spirits belonging to our planet are but outside, some quite a distance away, others less far, and also in different directions. One reason for this is that the spirits belonging to one planet do not have the same disposition and life as spirits belonging to another; and another reason is that they constitute different provinces in the Grand Man. Unlikeness in their states of life is responsible for this appearance of separateness; but in the inmost heaven they do not appear separated from one another. The spirits belonging to Mercury however do not appear in any particular direction or at any particular distance but are seen at one time in a forward position, at another over on the left, or at another slightly behind the back. The reason for this is that they are allowed to wander everywhere to acquire items of knowledge and thereby enrich their memory. Their planet is presented to spirits as being behind the back, in the same way as the sun of the world is when they think about it; for nothing at all of it is visible. The reason why it is presented behind the back is that to those who are in the next life the sun of the world is in complete obscurity and is itself thick darkness, whereas the sun of heaven, which is the Lord, appears in front, before the right eye, because it is the source of all the light they have. For the right eye corresponds to the ability to see with the understanding not only in the measure that the understanding is enlightened by truth but also in the measure that it is [affected] by good, 4410, so that the Lord views a person [with the eye of] good, and enlightens him by means of good.

AC (Elliott) n. 7079 7079. ‘Spirits belonging to the planet Mercury’ is continued at the end of the next chapter.

AC (Elliott) n. 7080 7080. 5

Teachings About Charity

Previous sections have stated what is meant by ‘the neighbour’; the present section goes on to state what is meant by charity or love that should be shown towards the neighbour.

AC (Elliott) n. 7081 7081. A person’s life consists essentially of his love, and what his love is like determines what his life, indeed his entire personality is like. It is however the dominant or ruling love in him, that is, his love of whatever he sees as his chief objective, that molds his character. That love has numerous particular and specific forms of love deriving from it and subordinate to it. And although these may take on a different appearance from the dominant love it is nevertheless present in each one. It directs them, and it employs them as intermediate objectives in looking towards and aiming at its own objective, which is the first and last of all. This it does in both direct and indirect ways.

AC (Elliott) n. 7082 7082. There are two life-giving properties in the natural world – heat and light; and there are two life-giving properties in the spiritual world – love and faith. Heat in the natural world corresponds to love in the spiritual world, and light in the natural world corresponds to faith in the spiritual world. So it is that when one speaks of spiritual heat or fire one means love, and when one speaks of spiritual light one means faith. Furthermore love in actual fact constitutes a person’s vital heat, for it is well known that love is what causes a person to warm up, while faith in actual fact constitutes the light in a person, for as may also be well known faith is what enables a person to be enlightened.

AC (Elliott) n. 7083 7083. Heat and light in the natural world emanate from the sun in the world, whereas spiritual heat and spiritual light, or love and faith, emanate from the sun in heaven. The Lord is the sun in heaven, and the heat which comes from Him as the Sun is love, while the light which comes from Him as the Sun is faith. The fact that the Lord is light is clear in John,

Jesus said, I am the light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life. John 8:12.

And the fact that the Lord is a sun is clear in Matthew,

When Jesus was transfigured His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became [white] as the light. Matt. 17:1.

AC (Elliott) n. 7084 7084. This correspondence can also teach one about the situation with faith and love. Faith without love is similar to light without heat, like the light in winter; but faith accompanied by love is similar to light accompanied by heat, like the light in spring. It is well known that in the light of spring every single thing grows and blossoms, and also that in the light of winter every single thing goes dormant and dies away. The situation with faith and love is similar to this.

AC (Elliott) n. 7085 7085. Now since love is the source of a person’s life, and his entire personality is determined by the nature of his love, and since in addition love implies spiritual togetherness, it follows that all in the next life form communities in accordance with the kinds of things they love; for everyone’s life, that is, his love, follows him. Those governed by love towards the neighbour and love to God form communities in heaven, and those governed by self-love and love of the world form communities in hell; for self-love is the opposite of love to God, and love of the world is the opposite of love towards the neighbour.

AC (Elliott) n. 7086 7086. When the expression ‘love to God’ is used, love to the Lord is meant, since the Trinity exists within Him and He is the Lord of heaven; for He has all power in heaven and on earth, Matt. 28:18.

EXODUS 5

1 And afterwards Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, Thus said Jehovah, the God of Israel, Send My people away, and let them hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.

2 And Pharaoh said, Who is Jehovah whose voice I am to hear, [telling me] to send Israel away? I do not know Jehovah, and moreover I will not send Israel away.

3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews has met us; let us go, we beg you, a way of three days* into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Jehovah our God, lest perhaps He fall on us with pestilence and sword.

4 And the king of Egypt said to them, Why, O Moses and Aaron, do you draw the people away from their work?** Go to your burdens!

5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you have made them rest from their burdens.

6 And Pharaoh gave orders that day to the taskmasters over the people and to their officers, saying,

7 You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as you did yesterday and the day before;*** they must go and gather straw for themselves.

8 And the tally of bricks which they were making yesterday and the day before*** shall you impose on them; you shall not reduce it. For they are slack; therefore they cry out, saying, Let us go, let us sacrifice to our God.

9 Let the service be made heavy on the men, and let them do it and pay no attention to lying words.

10 And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and said to the people – they said, Thus said Pharaoh, By no means do I give you straw.

11 Go yourselves, get yourselves straw from where you will find it, for there will be no reduction at all of your service.

12 And the people scattered themselves into all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.

13 And the taskmasters were urgent, saying, Finish your work,** your stint for the day,*** as when there was straw.

14 And the officers of the children of Israel were beaten, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, saying, Why do you not finish your appointed task to make bricks, as you did yesterday and the day before*** – as yesterday, so today?

15 And the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, Why do you deal thus with your servants?

16 No straw is given to your servants, and they say to us, Make bricks. And behold, your servants are beaten, and your people have sinned.

17 And he said, You are slack, you are slack! Therefore you say, Let us go, let us sacrifice to Jehovah.

18 And now go, serve;***** and no straw will be given you, and you shall deliver the tally of bricks.

19 And the officers of the children of Israel saw themselves to be in evil,****** by saying, You shall not reduce your bricks at all, your stint each day.*******

20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who were standing in their way, as they came out from Pharaoh.

21 And they said to them, Let Jehovah see you******** and judge, because you have caused our odour to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.

22 And Moses returned to Jehovah and said, Lord, why have You done ill to this people? Why is this, that You have sent me?

23 And since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done ill to this people; and You have not delivered Your people at all.
* i.e. a three days journey
** lit. works
*** lit. as yesterday three days ago
**** lit. a matter of a day in his day
***** i.e. Get back to work!
****** i.e. they were in trouble
******* lit. by a day in his day
******** lit. see onto you (i.e. look upon)

AC (Elliott) n. 7087 7087. CONTENTS
This chapter continues to deal in the internal sense with the molestation by falsities of those who belonged to the spiritual Church. First it describes how those who molested them paid no attention at all to an admonition from the Divine, and then how after this they molested them all the more by introducing misleading falsities which they had fabricated, falsities that those belonging to the spiritual Church were unable to dispel. And since as a result these people could not rid themselves of their molesters they groaned before the Divine.

AC (Elliott) n. 7088 7088. THE INTERNAL SENSE
Verses 1-4 And afterwards Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, Thus said Jehovah, the God of Israel, Send My people away, and let them hold a feast to Me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, Who is Jehovah whose voice I am to hear, [telling me] to send Israel away? I do not know Jehovah, and moreover I will not send Israel away. And they said, The God of the Hebrews has met us; let us go, we beg you, a way of three days* into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Jehovah our God, lest perhaps He fall on us with pestilence or sword. And the king of Egypt said to them, Why, O Moses and Aaron, do you draw the people away from their work?** Go to your burdens!

‘And afterwards Moses and Aaron came’ means the Divine Law and the teachings derived from it. ‘And said to Pharaoh’ means an admonition from them to those who are opposed to the Church’s truths. ‘Thus said Jehovah, the God of Israel’ means that it comes from the Lord’s Divine Human. ‘Send My people away’ means that they should leave off molesting them. ‘And let them hold a feast to Me in the wilderness’ means in order that they may worship the Lord with gladness of mind, in the obscurity of faith they live in. ‘And Pharaoh said’ means thinking that was of a contrary nature. ‘Who is Jehovah whose voice I am to hear’ means regarding the Lord whose admonition they should listen to. ‘To send the people away?’ means to leave off [molesting them]. ‘I do not know Jehovah’ means that they have no interest in the Lord. ‘And moreover I will not send Israel away’ means that neither are they going to leave off molesting. ‘And they said, The God of the Hebrews has met us’ means that the God of the Church has Himself issued the command. ‘Let us go, we beg you, a way of three days in the wilderness’ means that they must be in a state completely removed from falsities, even though they live in obscurity of faith. ‘And sacrifice to Jehovah our God’ means in order that they may worship the Lord. ‘Lest perhaps He fall on us with pestilence and sword’ means to avoid the damnation of evil and falsity. ‘And the king of Egypt said to them’ means the reply from those steeped in falsities. ‘Why, O Moses and Aaron, do you draw the people away from their work?’ means that their Divine Law and doctrinal teachings must not exempt them from hardship. ‘Go to your burdens!’ means that they must lead lives involving conflict.
* i.e. a three days’ journey
** lit. works

AC (Elliott) n. 7089 7089. ‘And afterwards Moses and Aaron came’ means the Divine Law and the teachings derived from it. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Lord in respect of the Divine Law, dealt with in 6752; and from the representation of ‘Aaron’ as teachings that present what is good and true, dealt with in 6998. The expression ‘Divine Law’, which Moses represents, is used to mean the Word as it is in its internal sense, thus as it is in heaven, whereas the expression ‘teaching’ is used to mean the Word as it is in its literal sense, thus as it is on earth. How great the difference is may be recognized from the explanations given so far that have regard to the internal sense of the Word. Let the Ten Commandments, which specifically are called the Law, be used to illustrate the point. The literal meaning of them is that one should honour one’s parents, not kill, commit adultery, or steal, and so on. But the internal sense is that one should worship the Lord, not harbour hatred, falsify what is true, or claim for oneself what is the Lord’s. These are the ways in which those four commandments are understood in heaven, and the rest too in their own manner. For in heaven they know no other Father than the Lord; therefore instead of honouring parents they take the commandment to mean that the Lord should be worshipped. In heaven they do not know what it is to kill, for they live for ever; but instead of killing they understand harbouring hatred and harming another person’s spiritual life. Nor in heaven do they know what it is to commit adultery; consequently they perceive instead what corresponds to that prohibition – being forbidden to falsify what is true. And instead of stealing they take the prohibition to mean that one should not take away from the Lord anything such as goodness and truth and claim it as one’s own.

[2] This is what the Law and also the whole of the Word is like in heaven, and so what it is like in its internal sense. Indeed it is far more profound, for most of what they think and say in heaven cannot find expression in the words of human speech, because they are in the spiritual world, not the natural world, and things belonging to the spiritual world are as greatly superior to those belonging to the natural world as non-material things are to material. Yet because material things nevertheless correspond to them, material things can be used to disclose them. That is, natural speech can be used but not spiritual, for spiritual speech does not consist of material words but of spiritual words. And spiritual words consist of ideas that are converted into words in the spiritual atmosphere, and are represented by variegations of heavenly light, heavenly light being in itself nothing other than Divine intelligence and wisdom radiating from the Lord. All this shows what is meant by the Divine Law in its genuine sense, which ‘Moses’ represents, and what is meant by teaching, which ‘Aaron’ represents.

AC (Elliott) n. 7090 7090. ‘And said to Pharaoh’ means an admonition [from them] to those who are opposed to the Church’s truths. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ – since it came by Divine command from Moses and Aaron – as an admonition, as also in 7033; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as factual knowledge that is opposed to the Church’s truths, dealt with in 6651, 6673, 6683, thus people who are opposed to them. Here and in what follows the subject is those belonging to the spiritual Church who were saved through the Lord’s Coming into the world but who before His Coming had been held back on the lower earth, where they were harassed by falsities, that is, by those from hell steeped in falsities stemming from evil. That lower earth is situated below the soles of the feet and is surrounded by hells – in front of it those who have falsified truths and adulterated forms of good; to the right those who pervert Divine order and thereby strive to obtain power; to the rear the evil genii who, motivated by self-love, have secretly devised evil against their neighbour; and deep down underneath those who have rejected the Divine with utter contempt and worshipped nature, and in so doing have banished from themselves everything spiritual. Such are the hells surrounding those on the lower earth, where before the Lord’s Coming people belonging to the spiritual Church were held in safe keeping. Though they were molested there the Lord protected them, and they were brought into heaven with the Lord when He rose again. See what has been stated and shown already regarding these people in 6854, 6865, 6914, 6945, 7035.

[2] The lower earth where those who belonged to the spiritual Church were held in safe keeping up to the Lord’s Coming is mentioned a number of times in the Word, as in Isaiah,

Sing, O heavens, for Jehovah has done [it]! Shout, you lower parts of the earth! Be filled, O mountains, with singing, O forest and every tree in it! For Jehovah has redeemed Jacob, and made Himself glorious in Israel. Isa. 44:23.

This refers to those on the lower earth, to the fact that they were saved by the Lord. ‘Jacob’ and ‘Israel’ are the spiritual Church, ‘Jacob’ being the external Church, ‘Israel’ the internal Church, 3305, 4286, 6426. In Ezekiel,

I will cause you to go down with those going down to the pit, to the people of old,* and I will cause you to dwell in the land of the lower ones in desolations. Ezek. 16:20.

In the same prophet,

. . . to the lower earth in the midst of the sons of men, to those going down to the pit. Consequently all the trees of Eden, the choicest and the most excellent of Lebanon, all those drinking water, will comfort themselves on the lower earth. Ezek. 31:14, 16.

This refers to the lower earth where those who belonged to the spiritual Church were.

[3] At the present day too those belonging to the Church who have filled their minds with worldly and also earthly ideas and have acted in such a way that the truths of faith have become tied up with them are sent down to the lower earth, where they likewise have battles to fight. These battles continue until their worldly and earthly ideas have been separated from the truths of faith and other notions have been introduced, of such a nature that they cannot be linked together any longer. Once this has been accomplished those people are raised from there into heaven; for until such ideas of theirs have been removed they cannot possibly be in the company of angels, since those ideas are full of darkness and defilement that do not accord with the light and purity of heaven. Those worldly and earthly ideas cannot be separated and removed except by means of battles against falsities, battles which take place in the following manner: Those on that lower earth are molested by illusions and by falsities based on them which emanate from inhabitants of the surrounding hells; but the Lord employs heaven to rebut those illusions and falsities and at the same time to introduce truths. These truths seem to reside with those undergoing the conflicts.

[4] All this being so, the spiritual Church ought to be spoken of as a militant Church. But at the present day it is rarely militant with anyone in the world; for while a member of the Church is living in the world he does not experience conflict, because of the wicked crowded around him and because of the weakness of the flesh in which he lives. In the next life a person may be held firmly by the bonds of conscience, but not so in the world, for if in the world he is subjected to any degree of despair, as normally happens to those undergoing conflicts, he instantly breaks those bonds. And if he breaks them he gives in; and if he gives in he is done for so far as his salvation is concerned. This explains why the Lord allows few within the Church at the present day to enter into battles against falsities on behalf of truths; those battles are spiritual temptations. See also what has been shown already regarding the lower earth and vastations that take place there, in 4728, 4940-4951, 6854.
* lit. eternity

AC (Elliott) n. 7091 7091. ‘Thus said Jehovah, the God of Israel’ means that it – the admonition to those opposed to the Church’s truths – comes from the Lord’s Divine Human. This is clear from the consideration that ‘Jehovah, the God of Israel’ is used to mean the Lord in respect of the Divine Human, for ‘Jehovah’ in the Word is the Lord, see 1343, 1736, 2921, 3023, 3075, 5041, 5663, 6281, 6303, 6905. He is called ‘the God of Israel’ because the Lord’s spiritual kingdom is meant by ‘Israel’, 6426, 6637, and because by His Coming into the world the Lord saved those who belonged to that kingdom or Church, 6854, 6914, 7075. The reason why ‘the God of Israel’ means the Lord in respect of the Divine Human is that those who belong to that Church envisage everything spiritual or celestial, and the Divine too, in the way they envisage natural things. Therefore if they did not think in a natural way of the Divine as a Person they could not be joined to the Divine through any kind of affection. For if they did not think about the Divine as a Person in a natural way they would have either no ideas at all about the Divine, or else monstrous ones, and so would defile the Divine. So this is why ‘the God of Israel’ is used to mean the Lord in respect of the Divine Human, in particular of the Divine Natural.

‘Israel’ and ‘Jacob’ are used in the highest sense to mean the Lord’s Divine Natural, ‘Israel’ the internal Divine Natural and ‘Jacob’ the external Divine Natural, see 4570.

Those who belong to the spiritual Church have been and are saved by means of the Lord’s Divine Human, 2833, 2834.

The member of the spiritual Church, who is ‘Israel’, is interior natural, 4286, 4401.

[2] From all this it is now evident why in the Word the Lord is called ‘Jehovah, the God of Israel’ and ‘Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel’. Anyone may see that when the Divine is referred to by these names it is solely because they are suitable for expressing something Holy that is not apparent in the sense of the letter. The fact that the Lord in respect of the Divine Natural is meant by ‘the God of Israel’ is evident from quite a number of places in the Word, plainly so from the following,

Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel saw the God of Israel, under whose feet there was so to speak a paved work of sapphire stone, like the substance of the sky for clearness. Exod. 24:9, 10.

[3] The fact that this was the Lord, and not Jehovah, who is called the Father, is evident from the Lord’s words in John,

Nobody has ever seen God. John 1:18.

You have never heard His voice nor seen His shape. John 5:37.

In Isaiah,

I will give you the treasures of darkness, and the secret wealth of concealed places, that you may know that it is I, Jehovah, who called you by your name, the God of Israel. Isa. 45:3.

In Ezekiel,

Over the heads of the cherubim, in appearance like a sapphire stone, there was the likeness of a throne, and over the likeness of a throne there was a likeness, as the appearance of a man (homo) upon it above. And with him there was the appearance of fire and a rainbow, and of brightness round about. Ezek. 1:26-28.

These things are called the glory of Jehovah and of the God of Israel in the same prophet, in Ezek. 1:28; 8:4; 9:3; 10:19, 20, and also where the New Temple is the subject, in Ezek. 43:2; 44:2, [4]. [‘The God of Israel’ appears] in many other places besides these, such as Isa. 17:6; 21:10, 17; 24:15; 41:17; Ps. 41:13; 59:5; 68:8, 35; 69:6; 72:18; and elsewhere. The name THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL is also used in Isa. 1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:20; 17:7; 30:11, 12, 15; 49:7; 60:9, 14; Ezek. 39:7.

[4] The fact that the Lord in respect of His Divine Human is meant by ‘the God of Israel’ and ‘the Holy One of Israel’ is also clear from His being called Redeemer, Saviour, and Maker: REDEEMER in Isa. 47:4 (Jehovah Zebaoth is our Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel is His name), and also in Isa. 41:14; 43:14; 48:17; 54:5; SAVIOUR in Isa. 43:3 and MAKER in Isa. 45:11. From this it is also evident that no one other than the Lord is meant in the Old Testament Word by Jehovah, since He is called JEHOVAH GOD and THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL, REDEEMER, SAVIOUR, and MAKER. He is called Jehovah the Redeemer and Saviour in Isaiah,

That all flesh may know that I Jehovah am your Saviour, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. Isa. 49:26.

In the same prophet,

That you may know that I Jehovah am your Saviour, and your Redeemer, the Powerful One of Jacob.* Isa. 60:16.

Also in Isa. 43:14; 44:6, 24; 54:8; 63:16; Ps. 19:14.

[5] The fact that the Lord saved Israel, that is, those who belonged to the spiritual Church, may be seen in Isaiah,

I will tell of the mercies of Jehovah, the praises of Jehovah, according to all that Jehovah has rewarded us with – great [as He is] in goodness to the house of Israel. He said, Surely they are My people, children who do not lie. And therefore He became their Saviour. In all their affliction He suffered affliction, and the angel of His face delivered them; because of His love and His compassion He redeemed them, and took them and carried them all the days of eternity. Isa. 63:7-9.
* The Latin means Israel but the Hebrew means Jacob.

AC (Elliott) n. 7092 7092. ‘Send My people away’ means that they should leave off molesting them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘sending away’ – when addressed to Pharaoh, who represents falsity that molests the Church’s truths – as leaving off molestation; and from the representation of the children of Israel, to whom ‘My people’ refers here, as those belonging to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6426, 6637.

AC (Elliott) n. 7093 7093. ‘And let them hold a feast to Me in the wilderness’ means in order that they may worship the Lord with gladness of mind, in the obscurity of faith they live in. This is clear from the meaning of ‘holding a feast’ as worship offered with gladness of mind, dealt with below (the fact that the Lord was the one to whom they were to hold the feast and whom ‘to Me’, that is, Jehovah, is used to mean here, see just above in 7091); and from the meaning of ‘the wilderness’ as obscurity of faith, dealt with in 1708, 7055. Regarding those who belong to the spiritual Church, that they live in comparative obscurity of faith, see 2708, 2715-2718, 2831, 2849, 2935, 2937, 3241, 3246, 3833, 6289, 6500, 6945.

[2] The reason why ‘holding a feast’ means offering worship with gladness of mind is that they were to hold the feast three days’ journey away from Egypt, thus not in a state when molested by falsities but in a state of freedom. For a person who is delivered from falsities and from the distress felt at that time gives thanks to God with gladness of mind, and in so doing holds a feast. Furthermore the feasts which had been instituted among those people, three a year, are also said to have been instituted in remembrance of their deliverance from slavery in Egypt, by which in the spiritual sense is meant in remembrance of deliverance from molestation by falsities through the Lord’s Coming into the world. They were also told to be glad on these occasions, as is evident in Moses where the feast of tabernacles is dealt with,

At the feast of tabernacles you shall take* on the first day the fruit of a fine tree,** fronds of palm trees, the bough of a thick tree, and willows of the powerful stream; and you shall be glad before Jehovah your God seven days. Lev. 23:40

[3] ‘The fruit of a fine tree, fronds of palm trees, the bough of a thick tree, and willows of the powerful stream’ means joy because of the goodness and truth present in a person from the inmost to the external parts of his being. The good of love, which is inmost, is meant by ‘the fruit of a fine tree’; the good of faith by ‘fronds of palm trees’; factual knowledge that accords with truth by ‘the branch of a thick tree’; and sensory impressions that accord with truth, which are the most external, by ‘the willows of a powerful stream’. No command to take all these things would have been given if there had not been some cause lying behind it in the spiritual world; and that cause does not become evident to anyone except from the internal sense.

[4] They were to be glad during the feast of weeks, as is also clear in Moses,

You shall keep the feast of weeks to Jehovah your God, and you shall be glad before Jehovah your God, you, and your son and your daughter, and your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your gates. Deut. 16:10, 11.

These words too, in the internal sense, mean gladness because of the goodness and truth present in people from the inmost to the external parts of their being.

[5] The fact that feasts were times of gladness, so that holding a feast means worshipping with gladness of mind, is also evident from the following places: In Isaiah,

You will have a song like that of a night for hallowing a feast. Isa. 30:29.

In Nahum,

Look, on the mountains the feet of one bringing good tidings, of one proclaiming peace! Keep your feasts, O Judah, perform your vows; for [the man of] belial*** will no more pass through you, he will be cut off completely.**** Nahum 1:15.

In Zechariah,

The fasts will be to the house of Judah ones of joy and gladness and good feasts; only love truth and peace. Zech. 8:19.

In Hosea,

I will cause all her joy to cease, her feasts, her new moons. Hosea 2:11.

In Amos,

I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation. Amos 8:10.

The fact that ‘holding a feast’ means offering worship with gladness of mind because they had been delivered from slavery in Egypt, or in the spiritual sense because they had been delivered from molestation by falsities, is made plain by the feast of Passover. They were commanded to celebrate this each year on the day of their departure from Egypt; and they were commanded to do so on account of the deliverance of the children of Israel from slavery, that is, on account of the deliverance of those who belonged to the spiritual Church from falsities, and so from damnation. And since the Lord delivered them by His Coming and raised them up with Him into heaven when He rose again, therefore this too was done at the Passover. This is also meant by the Lord’s words in John,

Now is the judgement of this world, now will the prince of this world be cast outdoors. But I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself. John 12:31, 32.
* The Latin means they shall take but the Hebrew means you shall take, which Sw. has in another place where he quotes this verse.
** lit. a tree of honour
*** A Hebrew word meaning worthlessness
**** lit. every one will be cut off

AC (Elliott) n. 7094 7094. ‘And Pharaoh said’ means thinking that was of a contrary nature. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ as thinking, dealt with in 3395. The fact that the meaning here is thinking of a contrary nature on the part of those who engage in molestation, who are represented by ‘Pharaoh’, is evident from what follows next – Pharaoh did not leave off at all, but oppressed the children of Israel all the more.

AC (Elliott) n. 7095 7095. ‘Who is Jehovah whose voice I am to hear’ means regarding the Lord whose admonition they should listen to, that is to say, thinking that was of a contrary nature regarding Him. This is clear from the meaning here of the word ‘voice’ as an admonition, for it is used to refer to what Moses and Aaron said to Pharaoh, dealt with in 7090; and from the meaning of ‘hearing’ as obeying, dealt with in 2542, 3869, 5017, so that ‘hearing the voice’ means obeying or listening to an admonition. The reason why the Lord is meant by the one whose admonition Pharaoh refused to listen to is that in the Word ‘Jehovah’ is used to mean no one other than the Lord, see above in 7091.

AC (Elliott) n. 7096 7096. ‘To send the people away?’ means to leave off [molesting them]. This is clear from the meaning of ‘sending away’ as leaving off, as above in 7092, that is to say, molesting those who belonged to the spiritual Church, who are meant here by ‘the people’. For the meaning of ‘the children of Israel’ as those who belong to the spiritual Church, see 6426.

AC (Elliott) n. 7097 7097. ‘I do not know Jehovah’ means that they have no interest in the Lord. This is clear from the meaning of ‘not knowing’ as having no interest in, for a person who has no interest in something says that he knows nothing about it; and ‘Jehovah’ is used to mean the Lord, see above in 7091. The implications of this, of Pharaoh’s saying that he does not know Jehovah, are as follows: The Egyptians had known Jehovah since ancient times, the reason being that the Ancient Church had existed in Egypt also, as may be plainly recognized from the fact that they were in possession of the representatives and meaningful signs of that Church. Egyptian hieroglyphics are nothing else, for these served to denote spiritual realities; and people knew that they did in actual fact correspond to those realities. But because they began to use such representatives and signs in their sacred worship, to treat them as objects of worship and also at length to turn them into magic, and in so doing to become linked to the devil’s crew in hell, they completely destroyed the Ancient Church among themselves. This is why in the Word ‘the Egyptians’ means facts known to the Church that have been perverted, and also falsities that are opposed to the truths of the Church.

[2] Once the worship of God had become perverted in this way in Egypt, then they were no longer allowed to worship Jehovah either, or at length even to know that Jehovah had been the God of the Ancient Church; and the reason why this happened was to prevent them from profaning the name of Jehovah. The fact that the name of Jehovah was also known at that time, before it was revealed once again to Abraham’s descendants through Moses on Mount Horeb, is plainly evident from Balaam, who was from Syria. He not only knew Jehovah but also worshipped Him and offered sacrifice to Him, Numbers 22-24. From all this one may now see why Pharaoh said, ‘Who is Jehovah whose voice I am to hear, [telling me] to send the people away? I do not know Jehovah.’

[3] But since ‘Pharaoh’ represents those in hell who are steeped in falsities and molest those belonging to the spiritual Church, what is involved in all this needs to be stated. Those in hell who molest members of the spiritual Church consist for the most part of the kind of people who have said that faith alone saves and yet have led a life contrary to faith. And since the life they have led, thus the evil which they have contemplated, planned, and carried out, remains after death of the body, therefore to defend the evils assimilated into their life they either employ the things which they have said were matters of faith or else reject them altogether. But to prevent them from misusing the truths of faith, these are taken away from them. And when those truths have been taken they seize on falsities, which are completely contrary to the truths of faith, and then use the falsities to molest those guided by truths. Doing this is then for them the delight of life. Quite a number of them, to acquire power, also learn magic. This is done by those who used various tricks which they devised in the world to deceive their neighbour, and being successful then attributed everything to their own prudence.

[4] Those who have become like this acknowledge the Father as the Creator of all things, but they do not acknowledge the Lord. Regarding the Lord they use similar words to Pharaoh’s here regarding Jehovah, ‘Who is Jehovah? I do not know Jehovah’. Indeed just as the whole sphere pervading heaven is full of an acknowledgement of and love for the Lord, so the whole sphere pervading the hells is full of a denial of the Lord and of hatred towards Him. Nor can they bear to hear His name mentioned. Those in hell are by nature such that admonitions and threats do not make them leave off, so great is the delight of their life to molest the upright and draw them away from their acknowledgement of the Lord and faith in Him. That delight is intensified by the admonitions they receive to leave off, for they lead them to imagine that those whom they molest will shortly be done for. These are the ones whom ‘Pharaoh’ and ‘the Egyptians’ are used to mean specifically.

AC (Elliott) n. 7098 7098. ‘And moreover I will not send Israel away’ means that neither are they going to leave off molesting. This is clear from what has been stated above in 7092, 7096.

AC (Elliott) n. 7099 7099. ‘And they said, The God of the Hebrews has met us’ means that the God of the Church has Himself issued the command. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the Hebrews’ as those who belong to the Church, dealt with in 6675, 6684, 6738; and from the meaning of ‘meeting’ as commanding, dealt with in 6903.

AC (Elliott) n. 7100 7100. ‘Let us go, we beg you, a way of three days in the wilderness’ means that they must be in a state completely removed from falsity, even though they live in obscurity of faith, see 6904, where similar words occur.

AC (Elliott) n. 7101 7101. ‘And sacrifice to Jehovah our God’ means in order that they may worship the Lord, see 6905, where also similar words occur.

AC (Elliott) n. 7102 7102. ‘Lest perhaps He fall on us with pestilence and sword’ means to avoid the damnation of evil and falsity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘lest perhaps He fall on’ as lest they run into – into damnation; from the meaning of ‘pestilence’ as the damnation of evil, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘sword’ as the vastation of truth, and also the punishment of falsity, dealt with in 2799, and so also as damnation, since the punishment of falsity, when truth has been devasted, is damnation.

[2] The Word mentions four kinds of vastation and punishment – sword, famine, evil wild animal, and pestilence. ‘Sword’ means the vastation of truth and the punishment of falsity; ‘famine’ the vastation of good and the punishment of evil; ‘evil wild animal’ the punishment of evil that arises out of falsity; and ‘pestilence’ the punishment of evil that does not arise out of falsity but out of evil. And since punishment is meant, damnation is meant also, since damnation is the punishment suffered by those who persist in evil. Those four kinds of punishment are referred to as follows in Ezekiel,

. . . when I shall send My four severe* judgements – sword, and famine, and evil wild animal, and pestilence – onto Jerusalem, to cut off man and beast from it. Ezek. 14:21.

In the same prophet,

I will send famine and evil wild animals upon you, and I will make you bereft. And pestilence and blood will pass through you; in particular I will bring the sword upon you. Ezek. 5:17.

[3] The meaning of ‘pestilence’ as the punishment of evil and its damnation is evident from the following places: In Ezekiel,

Those in waste places will die by the sword, and the one who is in the open field** I will give to the wild animals to devour him, and those who are in fortifications and caverns will die from pestilence. Ezek. 33:27.

‘In waste places dying by the sword’ stands for suffering the vastation of truth and consequently the damnation of falsity. ‘The one who is in the open field being given to the wild animals to devour him’ stands for the damnation of those ruled by evil arising out of falsity. ‘Those who are in fortifications and caverns, dying from pestilence’ stands for the damnation of evil which uses falsity to fortify itself.

[4] In the same prophet,

The sword is without, and pestilence and famine within; he that is in the field will die by the sword, but him that is in the city famine and pestilence will devour. Ezek. 7:15.

‘The sword’ stands for the vastation of truth and the damnation of falsity; ‘famine’ and ‘pestilence’ stand for the vastation of good and the damnation of evil. The sword is said to be ‘without’ and famine and pestilence ‘within’ because the vastation of truth takes place externally but the vastation of good internally. When however a person leads a life that rests on falsity, damnation is meant by the words ‘he that is in the field will die by the sword’; and when a person leads a life ruled by evil which he defends by the use of falsity, damnation is meant by the words ‘him that is in the city famine and pestilence will devour’.

[5] In Leviticus,

I will bring upon you a sword executing the vengeance of the covenant; wherever you are gathered into your cities, I will send pestilence into the midst of you, and you will be delivered*** into the hand of the enemy. When I have cut off your supply of bread****… Lev. 26:25, 26.

Here in a similar way ‘a sword’ stands for the vastation of truth and the damnation of falsity, ‘pestilence’ for the damnation of evil. The vastation of good, meant by ‘famine’, is described when [the Lord] speaks of cutting off their supply of bread. ‘Cities’ into which they would be gathered has the same meaning as ‘the city’ just above – falsities that are used to defend evils. For the meaning of ‘cities’ as truths, and so in the contrary sense as falsities, see 402, 2268, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493.

[6] In Ezekiel,

Therefore because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your abominations, a third part of you will die from pestilence, and be annihilated [by famine] in your midst; then a third will fall by the sword around you; finally I will scatter a third to every wind, so that I will draw out a sword after them. Ezek. 5:11, 12.

‘Famine’ stands for the damnation of evil, ‘sword’ for the damnation of falsity. ‘Scattering to every wind’ and ‘drawing out a sword after them’ stand for getting rid of truths and seizing on falsities.

[7] In Jeremiah,

If they offer burnt offering or minchah, I am not accepting those things, but I will consume those people by sword, famine, and pestilence. Jer. 14:12.

In the same prophet,

I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die from a great pestilence. Afterwards I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and those in this city left from the pestilence, and from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. He who remains in this city will die by the sword, and by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and defects to the Chaldeans besieging you will live, and his soul will become spoil to him. Jer. 21:6, 7, 9.

In the same prophet,

I will send sword, famine, and pestilence upon them, till they are consumed from upon the earth. Jer. 24:10.

Here also ‘sword’ means the vastation of truth, ‘famine’ the vastation of good, and ‘pestilence’ damnation; and ‘sword’, ‘famine’, and ‘pestilence’ have the same meanings in the following places as well: Jer. 27:8; 29:17, 18; 32:24, 36; 34:17; 38:2; 42:17, 22; 44:13; Ezek. 12:16.

[8] Since those three scourges follow in their own particular order [of severity], David was presented by the prophet Gad with the three. He had to choose between the coming of seven years of famine, fleeing three months before his enemies, or three days of pestilence in the land, 2 Sam 24:13. (‘Fleeing before his enemies’ implies ‘the sword’.) In Amos,

I have sent the pestilence upon you in the way of Egypt, I have killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses.***** Amos 4:10.

‘The pestilence in the way of Egypt’ stands for the vastation of good by means of falsities, which are ‘the way of Egypt’. ‘Killing young men with the sword, along with captured horses’ stands for the vastation of truth, truths being meant by ‘young men’ and intellectual concepts by ‘horses’,***** 2761, 2762, 3217, 5321, 6534.

[9] In Ezekiel,

Pestilence and blood will pass through you. Ezek. 5:17.

In the same prophet,

I will send upon her pestilence and blood in her streets. Ezek. 28:27.

Here ‘pestilence’ stands for good that has been adulterated, and ‘blood’ for truth that has been falsified. For the meaning of ‘blood’ as falsified truth, see 4735, 6978.

[10] In David,

You will not be afraid of the terror of the night, of the arrow that flies by day, of the pestilence that creeps in thick darkness, of death that lays waste at noonday. Ps. 91:5, 6.

‘The terror of the night’ stands for falsity which lies concealed; ‘the arrow that flies by day’ for falsity which is out in the open; ‘the pestilence that creeps in thick darkness’ for evil which lies concealed; ‘death which lays waste at noonday’ for evil which is out in the open. The fact that ‘pestilence’ means evil and the damnation of evil is evident from the use of the word ‘death’, which is distinguished here from pestilence solely by its being said of death that it ‘lays waste at noonday’ but of pestilence that it ‘creeps in thick darkness’. In the same author,

He opened a way for His anger; He did not spare their soul from death, and He subjected their life to pestilence. Ps. 78:50.

This refers to the Egyptians, ‘pestilence’ standing for every kind of evil and its damnation.
* lit. evil
** lit. upon the face of the field
*** The Latin means I will deliver you but the Hebrew means you will be delivered.
**** lit. While I am about to break the staff of bread for you
***** lit. the captivity of your horses

AC (Elliott) n. 7103 7103. ‘And the king of Egypt said to them’ means the reply from those steeped in falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’, when Pharaoh is speaking to Moses and Aaron, as thinking that was of a contrary nature, as above in 7094, thus the thinking contained in the reply; and from the representation of Pharaoh or ‘the king of Egypt’ as false factual knowledge, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692, thus those who are steeped in falsities.

AC (Elliott) n. 7104 7104. ‘Why, O Moses and Aaron, do you draw the people away from their work?’ means that their Divine Law and doctrinal teachings must not exempt them from hardship. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Lord in respect of the Divine Law, dealt with in 6723, 6752; from the representation of ‘Aaron’ as the Lord in respect of teachings derived from that Law, dealt with in 6998, 7009; from the meaning of ‘drawing away’ as exempting; and from the meaning of ‘work’ as hardship, for that work was hard labour, also ‘burdens’, as Pharaoh went on to speak of it, and so was hardship because of conflicts, meant by work’ and ‘burdens’ in the internal sense.

AC (Elliott) n. 7105 7105. ‘Go to your burdens!’ means that they must lead lives involving conflict. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going’ as leading a life, dealt with in 3335, 4882, 5493, 5605; and from the meaning of ‘burdens’ as molestations by falsities, dealt with in 6757, thus conflicts against those falsities.

AC (Elliott) n. 7106 7106. Verses 5-9 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you have made them rest from their burdens. And Pharaoh gave orders that day to the taskmasters over the people and to their officers, saying, You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as you did yesterday and the day before;* they must go and gather straw for themselves. And the tally of bricks which they were making yesterday and the day before’ shall you impose on them; you shall not reduce it. For they are slack; therefore they cry out, saying, Let us go, let us sacrifice to our God. Let the service be made heavy on the men, and let them do it and pay no attention to lying words.

‘And Pharaoh said’ means the will of those who molest the Church’s truths. ‘Behold, the people of the land are now many’ means the greatness in numbers of those who belong to the spiritual Church. ‘And you have made them rest from their burdens’ means that they have not molested them enough. ‘And Pharaoh gave orders that day’ means a strong desire to molest the Church’s truths while in that state. ‘To the taskmasters over the people and to their officers, saying’ means those in the nearest position to molest, and those in the nearest position to receive. ‘You shall no longer give the people straw’ means the basest kind of factual knowledge, which is the most general of all. ‘To make bricks’ means for fabrications and falsities which are to be introduced. ‘As you did yesterday and the day before’ means not as in the previous state. ‘They must go and gather straw for themselves’ means in order that they may acquire that basest kind of factual knowledge for themselves. ‘And the tally of bricks which they were making yesterday and the day before shall you impose on them’ means that fabrications and falsities are to be introduced in the same abundance as before. ‘You shall not reduce it’ means without diminution. ‘For they are slack’ means because they have not been sufficiently assaulted. ‘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. ‘Let the service be made heavy on the men means that the assault should be enlarged. ‘And let them do it’ means in order to produce the desired result. ‘And pay no attention to lying words means to keep them from turning towards truths.
* lit. as yesterday three days ago

AC (Elliott) n. 7107 7107. ‘And Pharaoh said’ means the will of those who molest the Church’s truths. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ as the will, dealt with below; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as those who molest the Church’s truths, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683, thus who molest those who belong to the spiritual Church, for the latter are said to be in possession of the Church’s truths. The reason why the word ‘saying’ means the will or act of willing is that that word also includes what follows it; for when anyone wills something he verbalizes it. Since the word ‘says’ includes what follows it, it has various meanings, for example, a command, 7036; an urgent demand or an admonition, 5012, 7073, 7090; communication, 3060, 4131, 6228; thought, 7094; or perception, which is its proper meaning, 1791, 1815, 1819, 1822, 1898, 1919, 2080, 2862, 3509, 5687.

AC (Elliott) n. 7108 7108. ‘Behold, the people of the land are now many’ means the greatness in numbers of those who belong to the spiritual Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the people of the land’ as those who belong to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 2928. For ‘the people’ means those in possession of the truths of faith, 1259, 1260, 3581; and ‘the land’ means the Church, dealt with in 662, 1066, 1067, 1262, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118 (end), 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577.

AC (Elliott) n. 7109 7109. ‘And you have made them rest from their burdens’ means that they have not molested them enough. This is clear from the meaning of ‘burdens’ as molestations by falsities, and the resulting conflicts, dealt with in 6757, 7104, 7105; therefore ‘making them rest from their burdens means that they have not molested them enough.

AC (Elliott) n. 7110 7110. ‘And Pharaoh gave orders that day’ means a strong desire to molest the Church’s truths while in that state. This is clear from the meaning of ‘giving orders’ as a command, and since a command issued by the evil contains a strong desire to do what is evil – for that is the source of any command they issue – ‘he gave orders’ also means a strong desire; from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as those who molest the Church’s truths, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683; and from the meaning of ‘day’ as state, dealt with in 23, 487, 488, 497, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850.

AC (Elliott) n. 7111 7111.’To the taskmasters over the people and to their officers, saying’ means those in the nearest position to molest, and those in the nearest position to receive. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the taskmasters’ as those who compel people to serve, dealt with in 6852, and since they do so by means of molestations, ‘the taskmasters’ also means those who molest, but those in the nearest position to carry it out, who are dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘the officers’ as those in the nearest position to receive. For the officers came from the children of Israel, but the taskmasters from the Egyptians, as is evident from what follows. Thus in the internal sense ‘the officers’ are those in the nearest position to receive, and ‘the taskmasters’ those in the nearest position to molest.

[2] Who exactly are meant may be recognized from those in the next life who molest, introducing falsities and evils, and those who receive these and pass them on. Those who molest, introducing falsities and evils, are the hells. But to achieve their purpose they send out from themselves emissaries through whom they act; and these make their appearance no great distance away from those who are molested. This is done for the reason that the thoughts and intentions of many may by focused through them; otherwise such thoughts and intentions would become diffuse. Those emissaries appear in particular places of their own in the world of spirits, and from the actual places where they appear one can recognize which hell they come from. Some appear overhead at varying heights and angles; others alongside the head, to the right or left as well as behind it; and others again below the head, on various levels in relation to the body, from the head right down to the soles of the feet. They flow in with the kinds of things that are emitted from hell, but a spirit or man can only feel them, and therefore only know of them, as things that are inside himself, as things that he himself thinks and intends. Those emissaries are called ‘subordinates’, see what has already been shown from experience regarding them in 4403, 5856, 5983-5989. Since these are in the nearest position to molest they are meant by ‘the taskmasters’. But those who receive things from them and pass them on are ‘the officers’; they are also intermediary spirits. For as stated above, the officers came from the children of Israel, but the taskmasters came from the Egyptians.

[3] Among the Israelite and Jewish people ‘officers was a name given to those who were required to tell the people what they had to do, and who were to give orders. For this reason they also sat with the judges and elders in the gates, and told the people the judgements that had been made as well as the commands issued by the leader, as becomes clear from the following places: In Moses,

You shall appoint* judges and officers in all your gates according to your tribes, who will judge the people with righteous judgement.** Deut. 16:18.

In the same author,

When they go out to war the priest shall speak to the people and warn them that they should not be afraid. After that the officers shall say that he who has built a house should go back, and also the fearful. Deut. 20:1-3, 5, 8, 9.

In Joshua,

Joshua gave orders to the officers to say to the people that they should prepare provisions for the journey, before they crossed the Jordan. Josh. 1:10, 11.

In the same book,

At the end of three days it happened, when the officers passed through the middle of the camp, that they gave orders [to the people, saying] that when they saw the ark of the covenant of Jehovah they too were to set out. Josh. 8:33.

The officers’ were overseers of the people, distinct and separate from the princes or leaders of the people, see Deut. 1:15. They were distinct and separate from the elders too, Deut. 31:28, and also from the judges, Josh. 8:33.
* lit. give
** lit. the judgement of righteousness

AC (Elliott) n. 7112 7112. ‘You Shall longer give the people straw’ means factual knowledge, the basest and most general kind of all. This is clear from the meaning of ‘straw’ as factual truths, dealt with in 3114, in particular the basest and most general kind of factual knowledge, for since ‘straw’ is the food of beasts ‘straw’ means the basest kind of food in the spiritual sense. Factual knowledge is said to be the basest when it is full of the illusions of the senses. It is what the evil misuse to pervert forms of good and truth and so lend support to evils and falsities; for on account of the illusions it contains that knowledge can be twisted round in favour of false suppositions and evil desires. That kind of factual knowledge is also the most general of all, and unless it is filled out with less general and more specific truths it can be of use to evils and falsities. But the more it is filled out with truths, the less it can have that kind of use. Such knowledge is the means by which the upright in the next life are molested by those who, when they were in the world, proclaimed belief in faith alone and yet led a life of evil. But because it is banished by the angels the narrative says at this point that they should no longer give the people straw to make bricks, that is, no longer provide such knowledge for producing fabrications and falsities which are to be introduced. This is the internal sense of these words, which does indeed seem remote from the sense of the letter; but it should be recognized that there is nothing in the natural world that does not correspond to some reality in the spiritual world. The angels present with a person understand in a spiritual way everything understood by the person in a natural way. They do not know what straw is, or what bricks are either. Such things were well known to those angels when they were in the world, but they forgot about them when they entered heaven, because there they moved on to spiritual things. This explains why when a person’s ideas of such things in the natural world are perceived by angels they convert them into the corresponding spiritual realities. The fact that ‘straw’ or ‘grass’ means the basest kind of factual knowledge, and ‘bricks’ fabrications and falsities, may be seen from a number of considerations; for herbaceous plants, and also those that produce straw, are nothing else than such knowledge. But seeds, barley-grains, wheat-grains, and the like are interior truths and forms of good; and stones that are not man-made are truths.

AC (Elliott) n. 7113 7113. ‘To make bricks’ means for fabrications and falsities which are to be introduced. This is clear from the meaning of ‘making bricks’ as fabricating falsities, dealt with in 1296, 6669. The historical account in the sense of the letter says that the children of Israel were to make the bricks, thus it was as if they were to fabricate falsities; but the meaning in the internal sense is that those in hell who are steeped in falsities would introduce them. Since, as stated already, those falsities seem to belong to those who receive them, the sense of the letter speaks in accordance with that appearance; but its real meaning is explained by means of the internal sense. There are very many things like this in the sense of the letter, see 5094, 6400, 6948.

AC (Elliott) n. 7114 7114. ‘As you did yesterday and the day before’ means not as in the previous state. This is clear from the meaning of ‘yesterday and the day before’ as the past, dealt with in 6987. And since all periods of time mean states, 2625, 2788, 2837, 3254, 3356, 4814, 4882, 4901, 4916, ‘yesterday and the day before’ accordingly means a previous state.

AC (Elliott) n. 7115 7115. ‘They must go and gather straw for themselves’ means in order that they may acquire that basest kind of factual knowledge for themselves. This is clear from the meaning of ‘gathering’ as acquiring; and from the meaning of ‘straw’ as the basest kind of factual knowledge, dealt with just above in 7112.

AC (Elliott) n. 7116 7116. ‘And the tally of bricks which they were making yesterday and the day before shall you impose on them’ means that fabrications and falsities are to be introduced in the same abundance as in the previous state. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the tally’ as an abundance, here the same abundance; from the meaning of ‘bricks’ as fabrications and falsities, dealt with just above in 7113; from the meaning of ‘yesterday and the day before’ as a previous state, also dealt with just above, in 7114; and from the meaning of ‘imposing on them’ as introducing, since it has reference to fabrications and falsities. From all these meanings it is evident that ‘the tally of bricks which they were making yesterday and the day before shall you impose on them’ means that fabrications and falsities are to be introduced in the same abundance as in the previous state.

AC (Elliott) n. 7117 7117. ‘You shall not reduce it’ means without diminution. This is clear without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 7118 7118. ‘For they are slack’ means because they have not been sufficiently assaulted. This is clear from the meaning of ‘their being slack’ as their not being molested sufficiently by falsities, thus not assaulted sufficiently. The nature of this may also be recognized from those who are molested by falsities in the next life. So far as they can, those who molest prevent the upright whom they molest from thinking about the Lord. As soon as any thought at all which has to do plainly with the Lord presents itself they instantly remove it, which they know how to do cleverly. But thought about the Lord which is present with those who are molested is nevertheless all-embracing, since it flows in by way of heaven, and so is too internal to be exposed to view. And as soon as these people cease to be molested they therefore enter into thought about the Lord. For what flows in from heaven and reigns universally reveals itself wherever people are in freedom. From all this one may see what the internal sense of these words is – of the words, For they are slack; therefore they cry out, saying, Let us go, let us sacrifice to our God.

AC (Elliott) n. 7119 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.

AC (Elliott) n. 7120 7120. ‘Let the service be made heavy on the men’ means that the assault should be enlarged. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being made heavy’ as being enlarged; from the meaning of ‘the service’, when the expression is used by those who molest by means of falsities, as the aim to bring under their control, dealt with in 6666, 6670, 6671, and so assault since it is through assaults that they aim to gain control; and from the meaning of ‘the men’ as those who belong to the spiritual Church. There are two words in the original language meaning a person; one is adam and the other is enosh. A person called adam means a member of the celestial Church, while a person called enosh means a member of the spiritual Church. Here the word used for ‘the men’ is enosh because the subject is those who belong to the spiritual Church.

AC (Elliott) n. 7121 7121. ‘And let them do it’ means in order to produce the desired result. This is clear without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 7122 7122. ‘And pay no attention to lying words’ means to keep them from turning towards truths. This is clear from the meaning of ‘paying attention to’ as turning towards; and from the meaning of ‘lying words’, when the expression is used by those steeped in falsities, as truths, since those steeped in falsities call truths falsities, thus ‘lying words’, while they call falsities truths. For theirs is a contrary attitude of mind. These verses have now described in the internal sense the molestation of the upright in the next life by falsities, and have also disclosed the way in which those people are molested. That molestation is allowed to take place to the end that falsities may be removed and truths instilled, which cannot possibly be accomplished without molestation. For after death there clings to a person, lodged in [both] his memories,* all the thought he had in the world, all his intentions, all his will, all that he said, and all that he did. Nothing is wiped out; rather, these things have become imprinted in his memories, especially his interior memory, which is strictly speaking the memory belonging to his spirit, see 2469, 2470, 2474, 2475. And because this is so, things which are foul and disgusting, as well as evils and falsities, inevitably cling to the person as a result of his life in the world and cause the truths which he has also learned and the forms of good which he has adopted to be hidden from view.

[2] Truths and forms of good when amid those kinds of things cannot come into view. Therefore before truths and forms of good can be seen, thus before the person can enter into association with those in heaven, it is necessary for those evils and falsities to be revealed, in order that he may see them and know them for what they are, and thereby learn what truth is and what good is. This cannot possibly be accomplished without conflict with the evils and falsities present in him. An actual conflict takes place in which evil spirits stir up falsities and evils, but angels excuse them, if the person’s end in view has been good, and instill truths. It feels to him as though this were going on within himself, as with a person’s experience of temptation. This too is felt to be altogether something going on within himself, when in fact it is a conflict taking place between angels and evil spirits outside him. On this subject, see 3927, 4249, 4307, 5036, 6657. Much experience has enabled me to have definite knowledge of the truth of all this. These things have been stated in order that people may know why molestation by falsities happens to those who belong to the spiritual Church, as described in the internal sense of these verses and also those that follow.
* i.e. in the interior memory and in the exterior memory

AC (Elliott) n. 7123 7123. Verses 10-13 And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and said to the people – they said, Thus said Pharaoh, By no means do I give you straw. Go yourselves, get yourselves straw from where you will find it, for there will be no reduction at all of your service. And the people scattered themselves into all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. And the taskmasters were urgent, saying, Finish your work,* your stint for the day,** as when there was straw.

‘And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out’ means the sending out and presence of those in the nearest position to molest and those in the nearest position to receive. ‘And said to the people – they said’ means perception. ‘Thus said Pharaoh’ means regarding the molestations. ‘By no means do I give you straw’ means that the most general factual knowledge was no longer made available from that source. ‘Go yourselves, get yourselves straw from where you will find it’ means that they should acquire that knowledge from wherever else they could. ‘For there will be no reduction at all of your service’ means that the introduction of falsities will go on undiminished. ‘And the people scattered themselves into all the land of Egypt’ means that they spread their natural mind in all directions. ‘To gather stubble for straw’ means to find some true factual knowledge. ‘And the taskmasters were urgent’ means that those in the nearest position to molest were insistent. ‘Saying, Finish your work, your stint for the day’ means that they should serve falsities so called in every state. ‘As when there was straw’ means as they had served their truths so called.
* lit. works
** lit. a matter of a day in his day

AC (Elliott) n. 7124 7124. ‘And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out’ means the sending out [and presence] of those in the nearest position to molest and those in the nearest position to receive. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going out’ as a sending out, for those meant by ‘the taskmasters’ are sent out to serve as a channel of communication, as may be seen from what has been stated above in 7111 (‘coming out’ or ‘going out’ also means making oneself present before another in a form suited to this other, see 5337, and so means presence as well); from the meaning of ‘the taskmasters’ as those who are in the nearest position to molest, and from that of ‘the officers’ as those who are in the nearest position to receive the molestations and pass them on, both of which groups are dealt with in 7111.

AC (Elliott) n. 7125 7125. ‘And said to the people – they said’ means perception. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ in the historical narratives of the Word as perception, dealt with in 1791, 1815, 1819, 1822, 1898, 1919, 2080, 2862, 3509, 5687.

AC (Elliott) n. 7126 7126. ‘Thus said Pharaoh’ means regarding the molestations. This is clear from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as the ones who molest those who belong to the spiritual Church, dealt with several times already; so it is that molestation is meant.

AC (Elliott) n. 7127 7127. ‘By no means do I give you straw’ means that the most general factual knowledge was no longer made available from that source. This is clear from the meaning of ‘by no means giving’ as no longer supplying; and from the meaning of ‘straw’ as the most general factual knowledge of all, dealt with in 7112. What these words imply has been stated [in that paragraph] above. But in addition to this it should be mentioned that in the next life the ones who toss straw – that is, the most general factual knowledge of all – in the way of the upright whom they molest are primarily people who have belonged to the Church. They are people who convinced themselves that faith alone saved, yet did not lead a life of faith but a life of evil. In the next life these people are the same as they were in the world; they know the arguments that are used to substantiate faith alone, which they say saves a person irrespective of the life he has been leading.

[2] But those substantiations are nothing else than reasonings that agree with the initial proposition; for anything at all, even that which is extremely false, can be substantiated by means of reasonings, and can also be presented to simple persons as the truth by the use of clever speaking and drawing of conclusions. For this purpose those people use chiefly the most general statements of all in the Word, which without the internal sense of the Word can be twisted to support any opinion at all. These kinds of statements are what they toss in the way of those who belong to the spiritual Church; they use such to molest them. But these statements are still no more than ‘straw for making bricks’. For those people exclude the absolutely essential virtue, namely charity. They do, it is true, say that the works of charity are the fruits of faith; but they still consider them to be worthless and convince others that regardless of what kind of life a person has led he is saved by faith alone, even during the last hour of his life, and so is saved by faith without its fruits, thus without a life of faith and charity.

[3] So long as such ideas are tossed in their way the upright in the next life possess arguments to fight with and can defend themselves; for they see that reasonings are unsound when the essential virtue, which is charity, is so excluded, and also when they see that such people set no store by the life a person leads. These are the considerations that every single facet of the next life enables them to see, as in broad daylight. These then are the things that are to be understood by the basest kind of factual knowledge, the most general of all, meant by ‘straw’. People who have convinced themselves that faith alone saves and yet have led a life of evil are in hell, quite deep down and slightly in front over to the right, from where – as I have heard them – they molest the upright with their reasonings. But being led by the Lord by means of angels, the upright have rejected those reasonings as worthless, and they have also detected the fallacies contained in proofs and arguments based on general truths in the Word.

AC (Elliott) n. 7128 7128. ‘Go yourselves, get yourselves straw from where you will find it’ means that they should acquire that knowledge from wherever else they could. This is clear from the meaning of ‘getting from where they would find’ as acquiring from wherever else they could; and from the meaning of ‘straw’ as factual knowledge, the basest and most general of all, dealt with in 7112 and immediately above in 7127.

AC (Elliott) n. 7129 7129. ‘For there will be no reduction at all of your service’ means that the introduction of falsities will go on undiminished. This is clear from the meaning of ‘no reduction at all’ as going on undiminished; and from the meaning of ‘service’ as assault by falsities, dealt with above in 7120, thus molestation also.

AC (Elliott) n. 7130 7130. ‘And the people scattered themselves into all the land of Egypt’ means that they spread their natural mind in all directions. This is clear from the meaning of ‘scattering themselves’ as spreading; and from the meaning of ‘the land of Egypt’ as the natural mind, dealt with in 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5301. A person has two areas of mind, one being the natural mind and the other the rational mind. The natural mind is that of the external man, whereas the rational mind is that of the internal man. What belongs to the natural mind is called factual knowledge, but what belongs to the rational mind is called reason and understanding. The two are also distinguished from each other by the fact that what belongs to the natural mind depends for the most part on the light of the world, a light which is called the inferior light of nature; but what belongs to the rational mind depends on the light of heaven, a light which is called spiritual light.

AC (Elliott) n. 7131 7131. ‘To gather stubble for straw’ means to find some true factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘stubble for straw’ as true factual knowledge; for ‘stubble’ means the kind of truth that is suited to factual knowledge, meant by ‘straw’. ‘Stubble’ means truth such as this because stubble is the stalk, the tip of which contains the seed; and truths and forms of good are meant in the Word by ‘seeds’. Thus the stalk underneath the seeds means a general vessel containing truth, and so means true factual knowledge. For stems of factual knowledge about faith and charity are indeed truths; but they are general truths and so are vessels for receiving particular and specific truths, as anyone is also able to recognize. For example, the general truth that charity towards the neighbour is the essential element of the Church is a stem of true factual knowledge. Another stem is the general truth that faith cannot exist except where there is charity; and yet another is the general truth that truth and good can be joined together, but not truth and evil or good and falsity. And there are many more besides these which are examples of true factual knowledge. Such knowledge can be enriched endlessly with details of truth, as may be recognized from the consideration that volumes can be written about them, even though specific truths – the more internal truths of faith – are completely beyond description, since they can be seen only in the light of heaven and cannot find expression in earthly language. Those truths are like charity, which is a spiritual level of affection, in that for the most part words are incapable of expressing any but the most general aspects of it. That is to say, words can express only those aspects that take on a natural appearance and can be likened to things such as exist in the world. All this has been mentioned in order that people may know what is meant by general factual knowledge.

AC (Elliott) n. 7132 7132. ‘And the taskmasters were urgent’ means that those in the nearest position to molest were insistent. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the taskmasters’ as those in the nearest position to molest, dealt with in 7111; and from the meaning of ‘being urgent’ as being insistent.

AC (Elliott) n. 7133 7133. ‘Saying, Finish your work, your stint for the day’ means that they should serve falsities so called in every state. This is clear from the meaning of ‘finishing your work’ as serving falsities (for fabrications and falsities which are introduced are meant by ‘making bricks’, see 7113, and since these are the work which they were to finish, an insistence that they should serve them is meant; the expression ‘falsities so called’ is used because falsities are considered by the evil who utter them to be not falsities but truths); and from the meaning of ‘stint for the day’ as in every state – ‘day’ meaning state, see 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850.

AC (Elliott) n. 7134 7134. ‘As when there was straw’ means as they had served their truths so called. This is clear from the meaning of ‘straw’ as the general kind of factual knowledge, which is a vessel for truth, dealt with in 7112, 7131. The reason why the expression ‘truths so called’ is used is that these are spoken by the evil, who do not consider truths to be truths.

AC (Elliott) n. 7135 7135. Verses 14-18 And the officers of the children of Israel were beaten, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, saying, Why do you not finish your appointed task to make bricks, as you did yesterday and the day before* – as yesterday, so today? And the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, Why do you deal thus with your servants? No straw is given to your servants, and they say to us, Make bricks. And behold, your servants are beaten, and your people have sinned. And he said, You are slack, you are slack! Therefore you say, Let us go, let us sacrifice to Jehovah. And now go, serve;** and no straw will be given you, and you shall deliver the tally of bricks.

‘And the officers of the children of Israel were beaten’ means that those in the nearest position to receive molestations and pass them on suffered harm from the falsities that had been introduced. ‘Whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them’ means those who were introduced by the ones who were the molesters. ‘Saying, Why do you not finish your appointed task to make bricks’ means that they fail to do as they have been commanded, to receive and then pass on the falsities that have been introduced. ‘As you did yesterday and the day before’ means as they did in the previous state. ‘As yesterday, so today’ means the state to come, from then on. ‘And the officers of the children of Israel came’ means those in the nearest position to receive things and pass them on. ‘And cried out to Pharaoh’ means resentment expressed to those who were molesting. ‘Saying, Why do you deal thus with your servants?’ means that under the present circumstances they could not perform their prescribed function. ‘No straw is given to your servants’ means that they were no longer being supplied with factual knowledge that is a container for truth. ‘And they say to us, Make bricks’ means that still they had to put up with the falsities that had been introduced. ‘And behold, your servants are beaten’ means that for that reason the falsities cause harm. ‘And your people have sinned’ means that for this reason they are guilty of having done what is evil. ‘And he said’ means the reply. ‘You are slack, you are slack!’ means that they have not been sufficiently maltreated. ‘Therefore you say, Let us go, let us sacrifice to Jehovah’ means that for that reason they give thought to such worship. ‘And now go, serve’ means a continuation of the molestation. ‘And no straw will be given you’ means without that kind of factual knowledge. ‘And you shall deliver the tally of bricks’ means the falsities which are to be introduced in abundance.
* lit. as yesterday three days ago
** i.e. Get back to work!

AC (Elliott) n. 7136 7136. ‘And the officers of the children of Israel were beaten’ means that those in the nearest position to receive molestations and pass them on suffered harm from the falsities that had been introduced. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being beaten’ – since the beating was done by ‘the taskmasters’, by whom those who molest are meant – as suffering harm from falsities (for ‘being beaten’ does not in the spiritual sense mean being beaten, but suffering harm in respect of truth and good, that is, in respect of the things that compose spiritual life, just as ‘dying’ does not in the spiritual sense mean dying but being deprived of truth and good, being governed by falsity and evil, and therefore being subject to damnation); from the meaning of ‘the officers as those in the nearest position to receive molestations and pass them on, dealt with in 7111; and from the representation of ‘the children of Israel’ as those who belong to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6426, 6637, to whom those meant by ‘the officers’ were to pass things on.

AC (Elliott) n. 7137 7137. ‘Whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them’ means those who were introduced by the ones who were the molesters. This is clear from the meaning of ‘setting over them’ as being introduced, for what happens is accomplished by the kind of introduction described below; and from the meaning of ‘the taskmasters’ as those who molest, dealt with in 7111. What is implied here cannot be known without experience of the kinds of things that go on in the next life. It has been stated above that ‘the taskmasters’ means those in the nearest position to molest, and that ‘the officers’ means those in the nearest position to receive things and pass them on, see 7111. Those in the nearest position to receive things and pass them on are simple but upright spirits who perform primarily this kind of service. By skillful methods known only in the next life the molesters introduce them into a community with which they are preparing a channel of communication for themselves. This is done by those who molest and who are meant by ‘the taskmasters’. In this way the hells establish a channel of communication from their side, and those who are being molested have a channel from theirs. I have seen that this is so a hundred if not a thousand times, and have also had experience of it. From all this it is evident that no one can know what the meaning of these words is in the internal sense without experience of the kinds of things that go on in the next life.

AC (Elliott) n. 7138 7138. ‘Saying, Why do you not finish your appointed task to make bricks’ means that they fail to do as they have been commanded, to receive and then pass on the falsities that have been introduced. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the officers’, to whom these words are addressed, as those in the nearest position to receive things and pass them on, dealt with in 7111; from the meaning of ‘finishing the appointed task’ as doing as one has been commanded; and from the meaning of ‘making bricks’ as receiving fabrications and falsities, dealt with in 7113.

AC (Elliott) n. 7139 7139. ‘As you did yesterday and the day before’ means as they did in the previous state. This is clear from the meaning of ‘yesterday and the day before’ as the previous state, dealt with in 6983, 7114.

AC (Elliott) n. 7140 7140. ‘As yesterday, so today’ means the state to come, from then on. This is clear from the meaning of ‘yesterday’ as the previous state, dealt with immediately above; and from the meaning of ‘today’ as that which is perpetual, dealt with in 2838, 3998, 4304, 6165, therefore that which is to continue for ever, and so what will be as before.

AC (Elliott) n. 7141 7141. ‘And the officers of the children of Israel came’ means those in the nearest position to receive things and pass them on. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the officers of the children of Israel’ as those in the nearest position to receive molestations and pass them on, dealt with just above in 7136.

AC (Elliott) n. 7142 7142. ‘And cried out to Pharaoh’ means resentment expressed to those who were molesting. This is clear from the meaning here of ‘crying out’ as expressing resentment – resentment at having been beaten, that is, at having suffered harm from the falsities which were introduced, and at being given no straw to make bricks, that is, at having to receive and introduce nothing but fabrications and falsities; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as those who molest, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683, 7126.

AC (Elliott) n. 7143 7143. ‘Saying, Why do you deal thus with your servants?’ means that under the present circumstances they could not perform their prescribed function. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a servant’ as one who ministers and performs a function. Because that person is being of service he is referred to as a servant, as in various places in the Word. One who is obedient is called ‘a servant’ or ‘a slave’, see 1713, while ‘serving’ describes diligent effort, 3824, 3846. And since the narrative that follows on from here implies that they could not endure that service [imposed on them], it is evident that ‘why do you deal thus with your servants?’ means that under the present circumstances they could not perform their prescribed function.

AC (Elliott) n. 7144 7144. ‘No straw is given to your servants’ means that they were no longer being supplied with factual knowledge that is a container for truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘straw’ as factual knowledge, the most general kind of all, dealt with in 7112, which – being like a vessel that can be filled with truths, 4745, 4387, 5208, 7131 – is called factual knowledge that is a container for truth; from the meaning of ‘not being given’ as not being supplied with; and from the meaning of ‘servants’ as those who minister and perform a function, dealt with immediately above in 7143.

AC (Elliott) n. 7145 7145. ‘And they say to us, Make bricks’ means that still they had to put up with the falsities that had been introduced. This is clear from the meaning of ‘making bricks’ as receiving the fabrications and falsities which are introduced by the evil, dealt with in 7113, here putting up with them.

AC (Elliott) n. 7146 7146. ‘And behold, your servants are beaten’ means that for that reason the falsities cause harm. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being beaten’ as suffering harm from falsities, dealt with in 7136.

AC (Elliott) n. 7147 7147. ‘And your people have sinned’ means that for this reason they are guilty of having done what is evil. This is clear from the meaning of ‘sinning’ as becoming guilty of evil; and, if guilty, as receiving deserved punishment. What the situation is in general regarding the matters contained in this verse and in those that come before it must be stated. Those who are on the lower earth are molested by the falsities and evils introduced by the surrounding hells. Such molestation takes place in order that evils and falsities may be removed and truths and forms of good may be instilled, as a result of which they are brought into a state in which they can be raised to heaven, see 7090, 7122. But near the end they are molested more harshly than ever before, for at that stage truths are taken away from them and utter falsities are allowed to molest them, even until they are made to despair. For it is in accordance with Divine order that despair should be the final stage of molestation and temptation, see 1787, 2694, 5279, 5280. In order that this state experienced by those belonging to the spiritual Church might be represented by the children of Israel, Pharaoh acted as the narrative describes here. He did what he did when the molestations were near the end, that is to say, when the children of Israel were about to be set free and led to the land of Canaan.

[2] It should be recognized that molestations take place in the following way: Falsities and evils are introduced into a person’s thoughts by the hells, and truths and forms of good by heaven, that is, by the Lord through heaven; and that introduction takes place in him because no man or spirit has any thought that originates in himself. Rather, everything flows in from without. Although this is entirely contrary to anyone’s perception of what is going on inside him and for that reason seems impossible to believe, it is nevertheless absolutely true. See what has already been brought forward and shown from experience on the matter in 2886, 4151, 4249, 5846, 5854, 6189-6215, 6307-6327, 6466-6495, 6598-6626. From these places one may know how to understand the idea that molestations are effected by the introduction of falsities, and are increased until a person is made to despair.

AC (Elliott) n. 7148 7148. ‘And he said’ means the reply. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ as the reply, dealt with in 7103.

AC (Elliott) n. 7149 7149. ‘You are slack, you are slack!’ means that they have not been sufficiently maltreated. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being slack’ as not having been sufficiently maltreated, that is to say, by falsities, dealt with in 7118.

AC (Elliott) n. 7150 7150. ‘Therefore you say, Let us go, let us sacrifice to Jehovah’ means that for that reason they give thought to such worship. This is clear from what has been stated above in 7119, where similar words occur.

AC (Elliott) n. 7151 7151. ‘And now go, serve’ means a continuation of the molestation. This is clear from the meaning of ‘serving’ as being molested by falsities, dealt with in 7120, 7129, and therefore ‘go, serve’ is a continuation of the molestation. For they complained about the service imposed on them, but the reply was that they were to continue serving.

AC (Elliott) n. 7152 7152. ‘And no straw will be given you’ means without that kind of factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘straw’ as factual knowledge, the most general kind and consequently that which is a container of truth, dealt with in 7112, 7144. Their being without it is meant by ‘will not be given’.

AC (Elliott) n. 7153 7153. ‘And you shall deliver the tally of bricks’ means the falsities which are to be introduced in abundance. This is clear from what has been stated above in 7116, where similar words occur. Such then are the [arcana] which these verses contain in the internal sense, things which perhaps seem to man to be of little importance and also unconnected with one another. Nevertheless each one is essential to the subject that is being dealt with; and all hang together in a very beautiful way. Angels perceive this to be true, for they see in the light of heaven the ways in which things follow one another and are linked together, and they see countless arcana formed out of interior truths, which gives those things a very beautiful and very lovely appearance. Man cannot do the same thing at all because interior truths are hidden from him. Nor therefore can he connect together the details contained in these verses; it seems to him as though they are disjointed, which is why, as has been stated, they seem to him to be of little importance.

AC (Elliott) n. 7154 7154. Verses 19-21 And the officers of the children of Israel saw themselves to be in evil,* by saying, You shall not reduce your bricks at all, your stint each day.** And they met Moses and Aaron, who were standing in their way, as they came out from Pharaoh. And they said to them, Let Jehovah see you*** and judge, because you have caused our odour to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.

‘And the officers of the children of Israel saw themselves to be in evil’ means being close to damnation. ‘By saying, You shall not reduce your bricks at all’ means because the introduction of falsities was not in any way diminished. ‘Your stint each day’ means in every state. ‘And they met Moses and Aaron’ means thought regarding the law from God and the doctrinal teachings derived from it. ‘Who were standing in their way, as they came out from Pharaoh’ means a manifestation at a time when falsities did not molest quite so much. ‘And they said to them’ means perception. ‘Let Jehovah see you and judge’ means Divine disposal. ‘Because you have caused our odour to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants’ means that because of them**** all those who are steeped in falsities feel such a strong aversion to our spirit of obedience. ‘To put a sword in their hand to kill us’ means that consequently such a burning desire to destroy the Church’s truths by means of falsities exists in them.
* i.e. they were in trouble
** lit. by a day in his day
*** lit. see onto you (i.e. look upon)
**** i.e. the law of God and doctrinal teachings derived from it

AC (Elliott) n. 7155 7155. ‘And the officers of the children of Israel saw themselves to be in evil’ means being close to damnation. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seeing’ as discerning, dealt with in 2150, 3764, 4567, 4723, 5400; from the meaning of ‘the officers’ as those in the nearest position to receive molestations and pass them on, dealt with in 7111, 7136; and from the meaning of ‘evil’ as damnation, for regarded in itself evil is hell, 6279, thus damnation. The reason why ‘being in evil’ means being close to damnation is that those who were in the nearest position to receive the molestations and pass them on suffered harm, meant by their being beaten by the taskmasters, 7136, and that the molestation of falsities that were constantly introduced brought them even to the point of despair, 7147. So it is that ‘they saw themselves to be in evil’ means their discernment that they were close to damnation. For because those who are at the point of despair suppose that they can no longer withstand the attacks made on them, they think that they cannot do anything else but surrender like prisoners to falsities. This is what the state of despair is like; yet in that state they begin to be lifted out of it and be led so to speak from thick darkness into light.

AC (Elliott) n. 7156 7156. ‘By saying, You shall not reduce your bricks at all’ means because the introduction of falsities was not in any way diminished. This is clear from the meaning of ‘not being reduced at all’ as not being in any way diminished, as also above in 7129; and from the meaning of ‘making bricks’ as putting up with the falsities that have been introduced, dealt with in 7113, 7145.

AC (Elliott) n. 7157 7157. ‘Your stint each day’ means in every state. This is clear from the meaning of ‘each day’ as in every state, as above in 7133.

AC (Elliott) n. 7158 7158. ‘And they met Moses and Aaron’ means thought regarding the Divine Law and doctrinal teachings derived from it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘meeting’ as thought, for here ‘they met’ implies that they came upon them and spoke to them, by which actions is meant in the internal sense thinking about the things which those two represent (for the meaning of ‘speaking’ as thinking, see 2271, 2287, 2619); from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Divine Law, dealt with in 6752; and from the representation of ‘Aaron’ as teaching that presents what is good and true, dealt with in 6998, 7009, 7089.

AC (Elliott) n. 7159 7159. ‘Who were standing in their way, as they came out from Pharaoh’ means a manifestation at a time when falsities did not molest quite so much. This is clear from the meaning of ‘standing in the way’, when the expression is used in reference to the Divine Law and the teaching that is derived from it, as a manifestation; and from the meaning of ‘coming out from Pharaoh’ as a time when falsities did not molest quite so much – ‘Pharaoh’ being falsity that molests, see 7107, 7110, 7126, 7142.

7159a ‘And they said to them’ means perception. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ in the historical narratives of the Word as perception, dealt with often.

AC (Elliott) n. 7160 7160. ‘Let Jehovah see you and judge’ means Divine disposal. This is clear from the meaning of ‘let Jehovah see and judge’ as Divine disposal, for what Jehovah sees and judges He disposes. ‘Seeing’ means Divine perception, or Foresight to be exact, while ‘judging’ means Divine bringing into order, His Providence to be exact. Since these things are meant in the internal sense by those words it was customary, when someone was at fault for evil that occurred, to say, Let Jehovah see and judge.

AC (Elliott) n. 7161 7161. ‘Because you have caused our odour to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants’ means that because of them* all those who are steeped in falsities feel such a strong aversion to our spirit of obedience. This is clear from the meaning of ‘causing to stink’ as an aversion, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘odour’ as an ability to perceive what is pleasing, dealt with in 925, 1514, 1517-1519, 3577, 4626, 4628, 4748. And meaning an ability to perceive what is pleasing, ‘odour’ also means an ability to perceive faith and charity since these are pleasing, 1519, 4628, 4748. And since they are pleasing, a spirit of obedience is most pleasing, for a spirit of obedience is the genuine good of faith and charity. This is why ‘odour’ here means a spirit of obedience.

[2] Just as ‘odour’ implies everything that is pleasing to the Lord, so ‘stink’ implies that which is unpleasing to the Lord. Consequently ‘stink’ means an aversion as well as abomination, and also in actual fact corresponds to an aversion and abomination – an aversion to and abomination on the part of falsity and evil. Since ‘stink’ is associated with aversion it is therefore also used in the Word to express aversion, as in Samuel,

Israel became stinking to the Philistines. 1 Sam. 13:4.

In the same author,

Achish said of David, He has made himself utterly stinking among his people, in Israel. 1 Sam. 17:12.

In the same author,

When the children of Ammon saw that they had become stinking to David… 2 Sam. 10:6.

In the same author,

Ahitophel said to Absalom, So that the whole of Israel may hear that you have become stinking to your father. 2 Sam. 16:21.

In these places ‘stinking’ stands for aversion. In Isaiah,

Let the slain of the gentiles be cast out, and the stink of their dead bodies rise up, and the mountains be melted with [their] blood. Isa. 34:3.

‘The stink’ stands for abominable evil, as it likewise does in Amos 4:10, and in David, Ps. 38:4, 5.

[3] ‘In the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants’ means in the perception of all those who are steeped in falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the eyes’ as perception, 4339; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as those who are steeped in falsities, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683, 7107, 7110, 7126, 7142. The reason why in their eyes their odour is said to stink is that all who are steeped in falsities and evils feel an aversion to all kinds of good; and to them truths stink.

[4] The fact that a stink emanates from those who are governed by evils and are consequently steeped in falsities is plainly evident from the hells that are called the dead-body hells, where assassins are and those ferociously bent on revenge, and from the hells which are called excrementitious, where adulterers are and those who have held foul pleasures as the end in view. When those hells are opened up insufferable stenches emanate from them, 4671; yet they are not detected except by those in whom inner powers on the level of their spirit have been opened. But the inhabitants of those hells find those disgusting smells pleasing and therefore like to live among those stenches, 4628. For they are like those animals which spend their time among dead bodies and excrement, finding the delight of their lives among them. When they come away from the atmosphere filled with those stenches, they find sweet and pleasing odours offensive and extremely displeasing. From all this one may now see how to understand the explanation that those steeped in falsities feel such a strong aversion to anything connected with the law of God and doctrinal teachings derived from it, represented by Moses and Aaron, in reference to whom it says that they made [the people’s] odour stink in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants.
* i.e. the law of God and doctrinal teachings derived from it

AC (Elliott) n. 7162 7162. ‘To put a sword in their hand to kill us’ means that consequently such a burning desire to destroy the Church’s truths by means of falsities exists in them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a sword’ as falsity engaged in conflict and laying waste, dealt with in 2799, 6353, 7102; and from the meaning of ‘killing’ as destroying aspects of faith and charity, dealt with in 6767. Aspects of faith and charity are meant by ‘the children of Israel’, the ones who it says would be killed. For the essential elements of the spiritual Church, which is meant by ‘the children of Israel’, 6637, are charity and faith.

AC (Elliott) n. 7163 7163. Verses 22, 23 And Moses returned to Jehovah and said, Lord, why have You done ill to this people? Why is this, that You have sent me? And since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done ill to this people; and You have not delivered Your people at all.

‘And Moses returned to Jehovah and said’ means complaint from the law of God. ‘Lord, why have You done ill to this people?’ means that those governed by truths and forms of good are molested excessively by falsities. ‘Why is this, that You have sent me?’ means when yet the law going forth from God seems to promise something different. ‘And since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name’ means when the command based on matters contained in the law of God presented itself to those steeped in falsities. ‘He has done ill to this people’ means that at that time those governed by the Church’s truths and forms of good seemingly suffered harm from the falsities that had been introduced. ‘And You have not delivered Your people at all’ means that they have not been released from the state of molestations by falsities.

AC (Elliott) n. 7164 7164. ‘And Moses returned to Jehovah and said’ means complaint from the law of God. This is clear from the meaning of ‘returning to Jehovah’ as bearing complaint to the Divine regarding the molestation by those who are steeped in falsities and evils of those governed by truths and forms of good (the fact that ‘returning to Jehovah’ means complaint is evident from what follows); and from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the law of God, dealt with in 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7014. The complaint comes therefore from truth belonging to the law of God, the substance of the complaint being that those steeped in falsities exercise such control over those in possession of truths.

AC (Elliott) n. 7165 7165. ‘Lord, why have You done ill to this people?’ means that those governed by truths and forms of good are molested excessively by falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘doing ill’ as allowing people to be molested excessively by falsities, for this is what doing ill implies in the spiritual sense when used in reference to those governed by truths and forms of good; and from the representation of the children of Israel, to whom ‘people’ refers here, as those who belong to the spiritual Church, thus those who are governed by the Church’s truths and by its forms of good, as just above in 7162.

AC (Elliott) n. 7166 7166. ‘Why is this, that You have sent me?’ means when yet the law going forth from God seems to promise something different. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Why is this?’ as, Why is this so when something different is said? from the representation of Moses, who uses these words in reference to himself, as the law from God, dealt with just above in 7164; and from the meaning of ‘being sent’ as going forth, dealt with in 4710, 6831. Consequently ‘Why is this, [that] you have sent me?’ means that the law going forth from God seems to promise something different. Because these words are spoken by one complaining about the molestation by falsities, the law from God appears to promise something different. This is why the expression ‘seems to promise something different’ is used, though in actual fact it does not promise anything different. For the law from God is the law of order, and the law of order so far as those passing through a state of molestations by falsities are concerned is that they must be molested until they reach the point of despair. Unless they reach the point of despair the final advantage to be gained from molestation is lost. The fact that temptation grows ever stronger until a person reaches the point of despair is plainly evident from the Lord’s temptation in Gethsemane, Matt. 26:38, 39; Mark 14:33-36; Luke 22:44, and also after that on the Cross, Matt. 27:46, when it was made to reach the state of despair. Now the Lord’s temptation is the pattern which the temptation of faithful believers follows, which is why the Lord says that those who wish to follow Him must take up their cross, Matt. 10:38; 16:24. For the glorification of the Lord is the pattern that the regeneration of man follows, 3138, 3212, 3296, 3490, 4402, 5688; and regeneration is effected chiefly by means of temptations.

AC (Elliott) n. 7167 7167. ‘And since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name’ means when the command based on matters contained in the law of God presented itself to those steeped in falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘coming to speak’ as delivering a command, in this Instance a command presenting itself (for a command from God is not delivered openly to those in hell; rather, they receive a warning through spirits, which therefore appears to them as if it were a command from God); from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as those who are steeped in falsities and engage in molestation, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683, 7107, 7110, 7126, 7142; and from the meaning of ‘Jehovah’s name’ as every aspect of faith and charity with which the Lord is worshipped, dealt with in 2724, 3006, 6674, thus the law of God in its entirety, for the law of God consists of nothing else than aspects of charity and faith. Indeed the law of God is God’s truth going forth from the Lord, and what goes forth from the Lord is Divine Goodness and Truth, Divine Goodness residing in love and charity, and Divine Truth in faith.

AC (Elliott) n. 7168 7168. ‘He has done ill to this people’ means that at that time those governed by the Church’s truths and forms of good seemingly suffered harm from the falsities that had been introduced. This is clear from the meaning of ‘doing ill’ as doing harm by introducing falsities, here seemingly to suffer harm, for those who undergo molestation and temptation cannot in fact suffer harm from falsities that have been introduced because the Lord protects them; and from the representation of the children of Israel, to whom ‘people’ refers here, as those governed by the Church’s truths and its forms of good, as above in 7162.

AC (Elliott) n. 7169 7169. ‘And you have not delivered Your people at all’ means that they have not been released from the state of molestations by falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being delivered’ as being released from a state of molestations by falsities; for the subject in what has gone before has been the molestations by falsities, and therefore ‘being delivered’ here means being released from them. As regards ‘Your people’, that those who are governed by the Church’s truths and forms of good and suffer molestation are meant, see immediately above in 7165, 7168.

AC (Elliott) n. 7170 7170. SPIRITS AND INHABITANTS OF THE PLANET MERCURY – continued

A group of spirits belonging to Mercury once appeared on the left in the shape of a ball, and after that in the shape of a scroll. I wondered where they wanted to go, whether towards our planet or another one, soon after which I noticed that they turned themselves round to face the right, and then rolled up close to the planet Venus, to the side away from the sun. But when they got there they said they did not wish to be there because the people were bad. They therefore bore round to the other side of that planet which faces the sun, where they then said they wished to stay because the people there were good. After their arrival I felt a remarkable change in my brain and powerful action as a result of it. From this I was led to conclude that the spirits belonging to Venus who lived on that other side of the planet were in tune with the spirits belonging to the planet Mercury, and that they correlated with the memory of material things. This memory harmonizes with the memory of immaterial things that the spirits belonging to Mercury constitute. This is why I felt the more powerful action by them when they were there.

AC (Elliott) n. 7171 7171. It should be recognized that the sun in this world is not at all visible to any spirit, nor is any light from it visible; for the light of the sun is to spirits like thick darkness. It remains only in spirits’ minds, as a result of their having seen it when they were in the world; and the picture of it which presents itself in their minds is a kind of dark patch, a considerable distance away behind them, at a height slightly above head-level. The planets within the solar system appear in fixed positions in relation to the sun – Mercury behind it, slightly to the right; the planet Venus on the left, slightly to the rear; the planet Mars on the left, out in front; the planet Jupiter similarly out in front on the left, but further away; the planet Saturn directly in front, but a considerable distance away; the Moon on the left, quite high up; and other satellites too are on the left of their own planets. This is the way that the planets are aligned in spirits and angels’ ideas about them. Also spirits are seen close to their own planet; but they remain outside it.

AC (Elliott) n. 7172 7172. I once saw spirits belonging to our planet with spirits belonging to the planet Mercury, and I heard them talking to one another. Among other things the spirits belonging to our planet asked them whom they believed in, to which they replied that they believed in God. But when they questioned them further about the God they believed in they were unwilling to say anything more, because it is not their custom to answer questions directly. Yet at that point the spirits from the planet Mercury in turn asked the spirits from our planet whom they believed in. They said, In the Lord God. But the spirits belonging to Mercury then said they perceived that they believed in no God at all and that they were accustomed to say with their lips that they believed, when in fact they did not (the reason why spirits belonging to Mercury possess keen perception is that they are constantly seeking by means of their perception to get hold of what others know). The spirits belonging to our planet were some of those who in the world were moved by what the Church taught to declare their faith, yet did not lead the life of faith. When they heard these things said about themselves they fell silent, for at that point they were given the ability to see that such things were true.

AC (Elliott) n. 7173 7173. Some spirits learned from heaven that spirits belonging to Mercury had once been promised that they would see the Lord. They were therefore asked by the spirits around me whether they remembered that promise. They said that they did, but that they did not know whether the promise had been made in such a way that they could have no doubts about it. While they were talking in this way to one another the Sun of heaven appeared to them (the Sun of heaven, which is the Lord, is seen by none except those in the inmost or third heaven; all others see the light radiated by it, and also the Moon, dealt with in 1529-1531, 4060). After they had seen the Sun they said that this was not the Lord God, because they did not see any face. Meanwhile the spirits were talking to one another, but I do know not what they said. Then suddenly the Sun reappeared, with the Lord in the middle of it, encircled by the sun’s disc. When they saw this the spirits belonging to Mercury became full of deep humility and sank to the ground. The Lord also appeared then out of the Sun to spirits belonging to our own planet who had seen Him in the world while they were living there. These spirits – a long train of them – declared one after another that He was the Lord; and they declared it before the whole gathering. The Lord also appeared then out of the Sun to spirits belonging to the planet Jupiter. These said in a clear voice that He was the One whom they had seen on their planet when the God of the universe appeared to them.

AC (Elliott) n. 7174 7174. After the Lord had appeared some of them were taken to a position towards the front on the right, and as they went they said that the light was far clearer and purer than they had ever seen before, and that one could never see a greater light; and this was at evening time. Those who said this were many.

AC (Elliott) n. 7175 7175. After some time I was shown a woman from among the inhabitants of the planet Mercury. She had a beautiful face, though it was smaller than that of a woman belonging to our planet; she was also slimmer, but the same height. On her head she wore a piece of linen, arranged not artistically but nevertheless tidily. A man too from that planet appeared before me; he also had a slimmer body than men belonging to our planet have. The man I saw was clothed in a dark blue garment, close fitting without any tucks or pleats here and there. The inhabitants of that planet give little thought to their bodies, as was clear to me from the fact that when they enter the next life and become spirits they do not wish to appear as people, as spirits belonging to our planet do, but as globes made of crystal. The reason why they wish to look like this is in order that they may banish material ideas from themselves. For knowledge about non-material things is represented in the next life by rock crystals.

AC (Elliott) n. 7176 7176. I was also shown some of their species of bulls and cows. They were not, it is true, much different from those on our planet; yet they were smaller, fairly closely in height to a species of does and stags.

AC (Elliott) n. 7177 7177. They were also asked about the sun of our solar system, what it looked like from their planet. They said that it was large, and that it looked larger there than from other planets; they said that they were able to know this from other spirits’ idea of the sun. They said in addition that their temperatures were moderate, being neither too hot nor too cold. I was then allowed to tell them that this was a provision made by the Lord, in order that they might not suffer from excessive heat because their planet was nearer to the sun than other planets are; for heat does not arise from nearness to the sun but from the depth and consequently the density of the layer of atmosphere, as is evident from the cold on high mountains, even on those in hot climates. Heat also varies according to whether the sun’s rays fall directly or at an angle, as is evident from winter and summer seasons in any region. These are the things that I have been allowed to know about the spirits and inhabitants of the planet Mercury. At the end of the next chapter something will be said about spirits belonging to the planet Venus.

AC (Elliott) n. 7178 7178. 6

TEACHINGS ABOUT CHARITY

No one can know what good is, good understood in a spiritual sense, unless he knows what love towards the neighbour and love to God are; and no one can know what evil is unless he knows what self-love and love of the world are. Neither can anyone within himself acknowledge and therefore know what truth composing faith is unless he knows what good is and is governed by it; nor can anyone know what falsity is unless he knows what evil is. No one therefore can engage in self-examination unless from the two kinds of love that go with good he knows what good is, and from good what truth is, and unless from the two kinds of love that go with evil he knows what evil is, and from evil what falsity is.

AC (Elliott) n. 7179 7179. There are two mental powers in a person; one is called the understanding, the other the will. The will has been given to a person for the sake of the good of love, and the understanding for the sake of the truth of faith; for the good of love attaches itself to the will, and the truth of faith to the understanding. And each mental power communicates with the other in a remarkable manner. They become joined together in the case of those governed by good and from this by truth; and they also become joined together in the case of those governed by evil and from this by falsity. With both groups those two mental powers make a single mind. But the situation is different with those who subscribe to truth so far as belief is concerned but are governed by evil so far as life is concerned, as it is likewise different with those who subscribe to falsity so far as belief is concerned but are governed by seeming good so far as life is concerned.

AC (Elliott) n. 7180 7180. A person is not allowed to divide his mind and tear those two mental powers away from each other, that is, to understand and utter truth yet will and practise evil. For if that were to happen one mental power would be looking upwards or towards heaven, and the other downwards or towards hell, so that the person would be left suspended between the two. But let it be known to him that the will carries a person along, with the understanding in support. From this one may see what the situation is with faith and love and what a person’s condition is if they are separated.

AC (Elliott) n. 7181 7181. Nothing is more important to a person than to know whether he has heaven within him or hell, for he is going to live for ever in one or the other. And to know this it is necessary for him to know what good is and what evil is, for good constitutes heaven and evil constitutes hell. Teachings about charity show what both are.

AC (Elliott) n. 7182 7182. When the expression ‘love to God’ is used, love to the Lord is meant, for none but He is God. Within Him is the Father, John 14:9-11, and from Him emanates the holiness of the spirit, John 16:13-15.

EXODUS 6
1 And Jehovah said to Moses, Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them away, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.

2 And God spoke to Moses, and said to him, I am Jehovah.

3 And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Shaddai; and by My name Jehovah I was not known to them.

4 And I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojournings in which they sojourned.

5 And also I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, that the Egyptians make them serve; and I have remembered My covenant.

6 Therefore say to the children of Israel, I am Jehovah, and I will lead you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their servitude; and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgements.

7 And I will take you to Myself as a people, and I will be to you a God; and you will know that I am Jehovah your God, leading you out from under the burdens of Egypt.

8 And I will bring you to the land concerning which I lifted up My hand* to give it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as an inheritance; I am Jehovah.

9 And Moses spoke in this way to the children of Israel, and they did not hear** Moses, for shortness of breath and for hard*** servitude.

10 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

11 Come, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt to send the children of Israel out of his land.

12 And Moses spoke before Jehovah, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not heard**** me; and how will Pharaoh hear me, and am uncircumcised in the lips?

13 And Jehovah spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them orders for the children of Israel, and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to lead the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

14 These are the heads of their fathers’ houses: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Enoch***** and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.

15 And the sons of Simeon were Jemuel and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon.

16 And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their births: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari. And the years of Levi’s life were one hundred and thirty-seven years.

17 The sons of Cershon were Libni and Shimei, according to their families.

18 And the sons of Kohath were Amram and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel. And the years of Kohath’s life were one hundred and thirty-three years.

19 And the sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of Levi according to their births.

20 And Amram took Jochebed his father’s sister as wife, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. And the years of Amram’s life were one hundred and thirty-seven years.

21 And the sons of Izhar were Korah and Nepheg, and Zichri.

22 And the sons of Uzziel were Mishael and Elzaphan, and Sithri.

23 And Aaron took Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, as wife; and she bore him Nadab, and Abihu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar.

24 And the sons of Korah were Assir and Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the families of the Korahites.

25 And Eleazar, Aaron’s son, took for himself one of the daughters of Putiel as wife; and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers of the Levites according to their families.

26 It was this Aaron and Moses to whom Jehovah said, Lead the children
of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies

27 These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. It was this Moses and Aaron.

28 And so it was on the day Jehovah spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,

29 That Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, I am Jehovah; speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to you.

30 And Moses said before Jehovah, Behold, I am uncircumcised in the lips, and how will Pharaoh hear** me?
* The gesture that is made when taking an oath.
** lit. hear towards
*** i.e. cruel
**** lit. heard towards
***** In most English versions this name appears as Hanoch, but in the Latin, as in the original Hebrew, the spelling is the same as that of the one mentioned in Gen. 4:17, 18; 5:18-24. cp Gen. 25:4; 46:9.

AC (Elliott) n. 7183 7183. CONTENTS

The previous chapter dealt with those belonging to the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, with how they were molested by falsities and because of these molestations were brought at length to the point of despair. Now their spirits are raised by hope and by the promise that they will certainly be delivered. This subject is dealt with in the internal sense of this chapter and is the meaning of the things Jehovah spoke to Moses.

AC (Elliott) n. 7184 7184. Later on it describes the Lord’s spiritual kingdom in respect of faith and charity, then in respect of doctrinal teachings and also of the way they receive the law of God. Reuben and Simeon and their families represent aspects of faith, Levi and his families aspects of charity, while Aaron and his families represent aspects of doctrinal teachings, and Moses aspects of the law of God.

AC (Elliott) n. 7185 7185. THE INTERNAL SENSE

Verse 1 And Jehovah said to Moses, Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them away, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.

‘And Jehovah said to Moses’ means instruction regarding the law of God. ‘Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh’ means a clear perception of what is going to happen to those who molest. ‘For with a strong hand he will send them away’ means that with all their strength and power they will flee from them. ‘And with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land’ means that with all their strength and power they will make them flee from their proximity.

AC (Elliott) n. 7186 7186. ‘And Jehovah said to Moses’ means instruction regarding the law of God. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Jehovah said’ as instruction from the Divine, dealt with below; and from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the law of God, dealt with in 6713, 6752, 7014. The reason why ‘Jehovah said to Moses’ means instruction regarding the law of God is that the end of the previous chapter spoke of Moses’ belief gained from the law of God that those belonging to the spiritual Church would be delivered from molestations straightaway. The orderly way however is for the evil who molest to be removed gradually, and those who belong to the spiritual Church to be delivered gradually.

[2] Divine order knows no other way than this, and therefore the law of God too knows no other way, for every law of God is a law of order, so entirely so that whether you say a law of God or a law of Divine order it amounts to the same thing. Those who belong to the spiritual Church now receive instruction regarding this law; from it they learn that they will certainly be delivered when, in keeping with order, the time and state for deliverance has come. The fact that Moses – who represents here the law of God as it exists among those belonging to the spiritual Church when they pass through a state involving molestations – believed from the law of God that they would be delivered from molestations straightaway is evident from the things said by him at the end of the previous chapter. There he says, ‘Why have You done ill to this people? Why is this, that You have sent me, and have not delivered Your people at all?’ the meaning of which is that they are suffering from excessive molestation by falsities when yet the law emanating from God seems to promise something different, thus that they have not been released from the state of molestations, see 7165, 7166, 7169.

[3] The reason why those who belong to the spiritual Church and are on the lower earth are delivered from molestations gradually, in successive stages and not straightaway, is that there is no other way in which the evils and falsities clinging to them can be removed and forms of good and truth instilled instead. This is effected by very many changes of state, thus gradually, in successive stages. Those who believe that a person can be introduced straightaway into heaven, and that nothing more than the Lord’s mercy is necessary for this to be done, are very much mistaken. If that belief were true, then all in hell, however many they may be, would be raised to heaven; for the Lord’s mercy reaches out to all. However, the orderly way is for each person to take with him the life he was leading in the world and for that life of his to determine his state in the next life. At the same time the Lord’s mercy flows into everyone and is present with all; but it is received in varying ways, and is rejected by those who are governed by evil. And because they have steeped themselves in evil when in the world they also retain it in the next life. Nor is any correction possible in the next life; for where the tree has fallen, there it lies. All this shows how orderly it is that those who have led a good life, yet whose characters also have uncouth and impure elements of self-love and love of the world in them, should be unable to enter into fellowship with those in heaven until such elements have been removed. From these considerations it is evident that deliverance from molestations takes place gradually, in successive stages.

AC (Elliott) n. 7187 7187. ‘Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh’ means a clear perception of what is going to happen to those who molest. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seeing’ as discernment, dealt with in 2150, 3764, 4567, 4723, 5400, in this case a clear perception since the expression is used in reference to instruction received from the Divine; from the meaning of ‘what I will do’ as what is going to happen; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as those who molest by introducing falsities, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683, 7107, 7110, 7116, 7142.

AC (Elliott) n. 7188 7188. ‘For with a strong hand he will send them away’ means that with all their strength and power they will flee from them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a strong hand’ as all the strength and power (for the meaning of ‘hand’ as power, see 878, 3387, 4931, 5327, 5318, 6947, 7011); and from the meaning of ‘sending them away’ as fleeing from them. The implications of this are that when punishments deter those belonging to hell from carrying out evil they at length refrain from molestation; they wish to leave those they have been molesting and to flee. Yet because the one and only delight of their life consists in carrying out what is evil and molesting they are unable to refrain unless they summon up all their strength and power to remove themselves. For since that which is the delight of any person’s life is at the centre of his love it is at the centre of his life, and he is carried away; it is irresistible unless the unpleasantness of punishment weighs more heavily with him than the delight of carrying out evil. This is the reason for the punishments that the evil suffer in the next life.

AC (Elliott) n. 7189 7189. ‘And with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land’ means that with all their strength and power they will make them flee from their proximity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘with a strong hand’ as with all their strength and power, dealt with immediately above in 7188; from the meaning of ‘driving them out’ as making them flee; and from the meaning of ‘his land’ as proximity. The land where those who belong to the spiritual Church are molested by falsities is in close proximity to the hells that molest them and is called the lower earth, see 7090. Therefore ‘out of his land’ means from their proximity.

AC (Elliott) n. 7190 7190. Verses 2-8 And God spoke to Moses, and said to him, I am Jehovah. And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Shaddai; and by My name Jehovah I was not known to them. And I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojournings in which they sojourned. And also I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, that the Egyptians make them serve; and I have remembered My covenant. Therefore say to the children of Israel, I am Jehovah, and I will lead you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their servitude; and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgements. And I will take you to Myself as a people, and I will be to you a God; and you will know that I am Jehovah your God, leading you out from under the burdens of Egypt. And I will bring you to the land concerning which I lifted up My hand* to give it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as an inheritance; I am Jehovah.

‘And God spoke to Moses’ means something that is new yet continues what has gone before. ‘And said to him, I am Jehovah’ means confirmation from the Divine, which is unchangeable. ‘And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Shaddai’ means the temptations which the Lord underwent in His Human and the temptations that faithful believers undergo, and the subsequent periods of consolation. ‘And by My name Jehovah I was not known to them’ means that in a state involving temptations those who belonged to the spiritual Church gave no thought to Divine things that the Church possesses. ‘And I also established My covenant with them’ means the joining together that existed even then through the Lord’s Divine Human. ‘To give them the land of Canaan’ means through which joining together they are raised into heaven. ‘The land of their sojournings in which they sojourned’ means where those things reside that are aspects of faith and charity in which they have received instruction and which they have practised in life. ‘And also I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel’ means their distress arising from conflict. ‘That the Egyptians make them serve means with those steeped in falsities who endeavour to bring them under their control. ‘And I have remembered My covenant’ means a release from them for the sake of the joining together. ‘Therefore say to the children of Israel’ means that the law of God will enable those who belong to the Lord’s spiritual kingdom to discern. ‘I am Jehovah’ means confirmation from the Divine. ‘And I will lead you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians’ means that the Lord will release them from the molestations of those steeped in falsities. ‘And I will deliver you from their servitude’ means complete release from the endeavour to establish control over them. ‘And I will redeem you with an outstretched arm means leading out of hell by Divine power. ‘And with great judgements’ means in accordance with the laws of order that spring from the Lord’s Divine Human. ‘And I will take you to Myself as a people’ means that they will be added to those in heaven who serve the Lord there. ‘And I will be to you a God’ means that they will also receive the Divine. ‘And you will know that I am Jehovah your God’ means the discernment then that the Lord is the only God. ‘Leading you out from under the burdens of Egypt’ means who has delivered them from molestations by falsities. ‘And I will bring you to the land concerning which I lifted up My hand to give it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’ means raising by Divine power to heaven, where the Lord’s Divine Human is the All. ‘And I will give it to you as an inheritance’ means the Lord’s life there lasting forever. ‘I am Jehovah’ means confirmation from the Divine.
* The gesture that is made when taking an oath.

AC (Elliott) n. 7191 7191. ‘And God spoke to Moses’ means something that is new yet continues what has gone before. This is clear from the fact that one often reads in the continuous thread of the narrative ‘Jehovah said’ and ‘Jehovah spoke’, as in the present chapter also. The expression ‘Jehovah said to Moses’ occurs in verse 1, then ‘God spoke to Moses’ in the present verse, and in like manner in verses 10, 13, 28, 29. And the same use of these expressions may be seen elsewhere. Nothing else is meant by the repetition than something new beginning at that point, which however is to be taken in conjunction with what goes before it. (For the meaning of ‘Jehovah said’ as a new phase of perception, see 2061, 2238, 2260.) It should be realized that in its original language the Word lacks punctuation marks to indicate pauses, and therefore such expressions as those in this chapter have been used instead. And instead of marks to indicate minor pauses or divisions ‘And’ has been used, which is why that conjunction occurs so frequently. Angelic speech is likewise continuous, with pauses, to be sure, but every prior matter presented there links up in a remarkable manner with the one that follows it. For angels’ ideas are extremely full of things, countless and indescribable, that go beyond a person’s understanding while he is in the world. Consequently the ends of foregoing sentences can be fully linked up to the beginnings of ensuing sentences, and in this way a single series can be formed out of many. What is astounding and unbelievable, angelic speech exhibits within itself the form which heaven takes. For this reason all angelic speech possesses a song-like harmony in which each phrase ends with a monosyllable, and so in unison. And I have been told that this happens because every single thing in heaven looks to the one God as its end. From all this it has also become clear to me that every element of thought and therefore of speech flows in from the Lord by way of heaven, and that this accounts for the song-like harmony in speech ending in unison.

AC (Elliott) n. 7192 7192. ‘And said to him, I am Jehovah’ means confirmation from the Divine, which is unchangeable. This becomes clear without explanation, for there is none other than Himself through whom Jehovah, that is, the Lord, can confirm something. He cannot do so through heaven because it is a long way beneath Him; still less can He do so through anything in the world. Rather, if Divine confirmation, which is eternal and unchangeable, is to be provided, it must come from the Divine Himself. One often reads this kind of confirmation – I am Jehovah – in Moses, such as in Exod. 12:12; Lev. 18:5, 6; 19:12, 14, 18, 28, 30, 32, 37; 20:8; 21:12; 22:2, 3, 8, 30, 31, 33; 26:2, 45; Num. 3:13, 41, 45. And in the Prophets one reads Jehovah said,* which is used in a similar way to mean confirmation from the Divine, as in Isa. 3:15; 14:22, 23; 17:6; 22:14, 25; 43:12; 52:5; Jer. 2:22; 3:1, 10, 13, 20; 8:12; 12:17; 13:25; 15:6, 20; 16:16; 23:7, 24, 29, 31; and many times elsewhere. Confirmation from the Divine is also provided through the Divine Human, thus also through the Lord Himself; in Isaiah, Jehovah has sworn by His right hand, and by His mighty arm. Isa. 62:8.
* lit. the saying of Jehovah

AC (Elliott) n. 7193 7193. ‘And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Shaddai’ means the temptations which the Lord underwent in His Human and the temptations that faithful believers undergo, and the subsequent periods of consolation. This is clear from the meaning of ‘appearing’ or ‘being seen’, when used in reference to Jehovah, as perception from the Divine, dealt with in 2150, 3764, 4567, 5400; and from the representation of ‘Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’ as the Lord in respect of the Divine itself and the Divine Human, dealt with in 6804, 6847. But here, since Jehovah is the speaker and says that He had appeared to them, the Lord in respect of the Human, that is, the Human before it had been made Divine, is meant, ‘Abraham’ meaning the celestial degree within that Human, ‘Isaac’ the spiritual degree, and ‘Jacob’ the natural degree.

[2] The reason why the Lord in respect of the Human, not the Divine itself and the Divine Human, is meant here by these three is that temptations are being referred to, and the Lord’s Human before it was made Divine was able to be tempted, but not the Divine Human, still less the Divine itself; for the Divine is beyond any kind of temptation. Those in hell who are tempters cannot approach even celestial angels, for when they do approach them they are seized by a feeling of dread and anguish, and feel as if they were being deprived of air. Since they cannot approach celestial angels, because of the Divine presence among those angels, far less can they approach the Divine who is infinitely higher than the angelic level. From all this it may be recognized that the Lord took infirm humanity from His mother in order that He might undergo temptation, and by means of temptations might restore to order everything in heaven and in hell, and at the same time glorify His human, that is, make it Divine.

[3] For the meaning of ‘God Shaddai’ as temptations and subsequent periods of consolation, see 1992, 3667, 4572, 5628. The expression ‘subsequent periods of consolation’ is used because it is in keeping with Divine order that feelings of grief which temptations bring should be followed by those of comfort, just as evening and night are followed by morning and the dawn. These are also corresponding conditions, for there are alternations of states in the next life, just as there are alternations of times of day in the world. States involving temptations and molestations, and also states involving desolations, constitute evening and night in that life, while states which are periods of consolation and festivity constitute morning and dawn there. The reason why the same words, the words ‘I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob’, also mean the temptations that faithful believers undergo, and subsequent periods of consolation, is that a person’s regeneration, which is effected by means of temptations, is an image of the Lord’s glorification, 3138, 3212, 3296, 3490, 4402, 5688, and therefore the things in the Word which relate in the highest sense to the Lord relate in the comparable internal sense to faithful believers.

AC (Elliott) n. 7194 7194. ‘And by My name Jehovah I was not known to them’ means that in a state involving temptations those who belonged to the spiritual Church gave no thought to Divine things that the Church possesses. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the name of Jehovah’ as everything in its entirety by which God is worshipped, dealt with in 2724, 3006, 6674, thus everything Divine within the Church (‘the name of Jehovah’ is used strictly speaking to mean the Lord’s Divine Human, 2628, 6887, and since the whole of faith and the whole of love, which are the Divine things within the Church, come through and from His Divine Human, everything in its entirety composing Divine worship is meant by that Human); and from the meaning of ‘not being known’ as a situation in which people have no knowledge of, that is, give no thought to those things – Divine things within the Church – that is to say, during a state involving temptations, which are meant by ‘God Shaddai’. That is the reason why it says that He was known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but not by His name Jehovah. This is the internal sense of these words; but the external or historical sense is different. From this sense it becomes clear that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not worship Jehovah but God Shaddai, see 1992, 3667, 5628, and that Abraham did not know Jehovah, 1756, 2559. Yet the name Jehovah appears in the historical narratives concerning Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and the reasons for this are that this part of the Word was written by Moses, to whom Jehovah’s name was made known, and that Jehovah’s name is used in those historical narratives for the sake of the internal sense. For throughout the Word Jehovah is used when the good of love is referred to, but God when the truth of faith is referred to, 709, 732, 1096, 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921 (end), 4402.

AC (Elliott) n. 7195 7195. ‘And I also established My covenant with them’ means the joining together that existed even then through the Lord’s Divine Human. This is clear from the meaning of ‘covenant’ as a joining together, dealt with in 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 6804; and from the representation of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to whom ‘with them’ – those with whom the covenant had been established – refers here, as the Lord’s Divine Human, dealt with in 6804, 6847. From this it is evident what the internal sense of these words is, that the proximate or most immediate meaning of them is the union of the Divine itself with the Divine Human; and that the meaning following on from this is the joining together of the Divine itself with those who belonged to the spiritual Church through the Divine Human. For as has been shown a number of times already, those who belonged to the spiritual Church were saved through the Lord’s Divine Human, see 6854, 6914, 7035, 7091 (end). The expression even then is used to link the meaning here to what comes immediately before – to indicate that the joining together existed when they were in a state involving temptations and gave no thought to Divine things within the Church. For the Lord is more present within a state involving temptations than He is outside it, though that is not at all how it seems, 840.

AC (Elliott) n. 7196 7196. ‘To give them the land of Canaan’ means through which joining together they are raised into heaven. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the land of Canaan’ as the Lord’s kingdom in heaven, and as the Church, dealt with in 1607, 3038, 3481, 3705, 4447, 6516. Being raised into heaven is plainly meant by ‘giving them the land’, for those to whom heaven is given are raised up.

AC (Elliott) n. 7197 7197. ‘The land of their sojournings in which they sojourned’ means where those things reside that are aspects of faith and charity in which they have received instruction and which they have practised in life. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the land’ as the Lord’s kingdom in heaven and on earth, dealt with immediately above in 7196, and so too the things that belong to the Lord’s kingdom, which, it is well known, are faith and charity (these too are therefore meant by ‘the land of Canaan when the subject is instruction and life, meant by ‘sojourning’); and from the meaning of ‘sojourning’ as instruction and life, dealt with in 1463, 2015, 3672. From this it is evident that ‘the land of their sojournings in which they sojourned’ means where those things reside that are aspects of faith and charity in which they have received instruction and which they have practised in life. The implications of all this are that heaven is given to each person in the next life in the measure that aspects of faith and charity reside with him; for charity and faith compose heaven with everyone, though when it is said that charity and faith compose heaven this means a life of charity and faith. Yet it should be fully recognized that the life which holds heaven within it is a life led in conformity with those truths and forms of the good of faith which a person has been taught about. Unless they are the rules and standards of his life his expectation of heaven is in vain, no matter how he has lived. Without them a person is like a reed which sways with every wind, for he is moved equally by those who are evil as by those who are good. This is because he has no firmly established truth or good at all within himself which the angels can use to maintain him in truths and forms of good, and to steer him away from the falsities and evils constantly introduced by those from hell. In short, a life of Christian goodness is what composes heaven, not a life of natural goodness.

AC (Elliott) n. 7198 7198. ‘And also I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel’ means their distress arising from conflict. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the groaning’ as distress arising from conflict; and from the representation of ‘the children of Israel’ as those belonging to the spiritual Church, who are molested by falsities and therefore involved in conflict.

AC (Elliott) n. 7199 7199. ‘That the Egyptians make them serve’ means with those steeped in falsities who endeavour to bring them under their control. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the Egyptians’ as those steeped in falsities, dealt with in 6692, 7097, 7107, 7110, 7126, 7141; and from the meaning of ‘making them serve’ as endeavouring to bring them under their control, dealt with in 6666, 6670, 6671.

AC (Elliott) n. 7200 7200. ‘And I have remembered My covenant’ means a release from them for the sake of the joining together. This is clear from the meaning of ‘remembering the covenant’ – with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them the land of Canaan – as delivering or releasing from molestations, which are meant by the imposition of hard service in Egypt, and being raised to heaven; and from the meaning of ‘covenant’ as a joining together, dealt with above in 7195. It is said for the sake of the joining together that they are to be delivered and raised into heaven, for people come to be joined to the Lord through faith and love since truths which are the components of faith and forms of good which are the attributes of love emanate from the Lord, and the things that emanate from the Lord are so much His that He is those things. Those therefore who receive them are joined to Him, and those who are joined to Him cannot but be raised up to Him, that is, into heaven.

AC (Elliott) n. 7201 7201. ‘Therefore say to the children of Israel’ means that the law of God will enable those who belong to the Lord’s spiritual kingdom to discern. This is clear from the representation of Moses, the one who is told to ‘say to the children of Israel’, as the law of God, dealt with in 6723, 6752; from the meaning of ‘saying’ as discerning, dealt with in 1791, 1815, 1819, 1822, 1898, 1919, 2080, 2506, 2515, 2619, as enabling to discern, since the command ‘say’ has reference to the law of God; and from the representation of ‘the children of Israel’ as those who belong to the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, dealt with in 6426, 6677.

AC (Elliott) n. 7202 7202. ‘I am Jehovah’ means confirmation from the Divine. This is clear from what has been stated above in 7192.

AC (Elliott) n. 7203 7203. ‘And I will lead you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians’ means that the Lord will release them from the molestations of those steeped in falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘leading out’ as releasing; from the meaning of ‘the burdens’ as molestations by falsities, and conflicts, dealt with in 6757, 7104, 7105; and from the meaning of ‘the Egyptians’ as those who molest by introducing falsities, dealt with just above in 7199.

AC (Elliott) n. 7204 7204. ‘And will deliver you from their servitude’ means complete release from the endeavour to establish control over them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘servitude’ or ‘service’ as an endeavour to establish control over, dealt with in 6666, 6670, 6671.

AC (Elliott) n. 7205 7205. ‘And I will redeem you with an outstretched arm’ means leading out of hell by Divine power. This is clear from the meaning of ‘redeeming’ as leading out of hell (for the use of the word ‘redemption’ in connection with servitude, evil, and death, from which people are released, so that they are released from hell, and for the Lord’s being called the Redeemer in respect of His Divine Human, see 6281); and from the meaning of ‘an outstretched arm’ as Divine. For ‘arm’ means power, see 878, 4931, 4932, 4934, 4935; but the reason why ‘an out-stretched arm’ means almighty or Divine power is that in heaven when an arm is seen outstretched it represents power from the Divine. When it is not outstretched however but bent, power in an ordinary sense is meant. This now explains why in the Word the expressions ‘outstretched arm’ and ‘strong hand’ are used many times to mean Divine power, as in Jeremiah,

I have made the earth, man, and beast that are on the face of the earth, by My great strength and by My outstretched arm. Jer. 17:5.

In the same prophet,

Ah, Lord Jehovih! Behold, You have made heaven and earth by Your great strength and by Your outstretched arm; there is no matter* that is too wonderful for You. And You led Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt by signs and by miracles, and by a strong hand and by an outstretched arm. Jer. 32:17, 21.

In Ezekiel,

I will lead you out from the peoples, and gather you out of the lands into which you were scattered, by a strong hand and by an outstretched arm. Ezek. 20:34.

In David,

He led Israel out from the midst of the Egyptians, by a strong hand and an outstretched arm. Ps. 136:11, 12.

In addition to these places see Deut. 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 9:29; 11:2; 26:8; 1 Kings 8:42; 2 Kings 17:36.
* or word

AC (Elliott) n. 7206 7206. ‘And with great judgements’ means in accordance with the laws of order that spring from the Lord’s Divine Human. This is clear from the meaning of ‘judgements’ as truths, dealt with in 1235, 6797, and in the highest sense, in which that word is used in reference to the Lord, as Divine truths, truths which are nothing other than the laws of order that spring from the Lord’s Divine Human. For He is the origin of all order and so of all the laws of order. Those laws form the structure for the whole of heaven, consequently for the universe also. The laws of order or truths, which emanate from the Lord, forming the structure of the whole of heaven and of the universe, are what are called, in John 1:1-3, the Word by which all things were made; for the Word is Divine Truth emanating from the Divine Good of the Lord’s Divine Human. This means that all things in the spiritual world and also in the natural world have a connection with truth, as anyone who stops to reflect may recognize.

[2] In the proximate sense here the expression ‘great judgements’ is used to mean the truths in accordance with which those people will be judged who have molested others by introducing falsities, the ones meant by ‘the Egyptians’ and by ‘Pharaoh’. The expression is also used to mean the truths in accordance with which those will be judged who will be released from molestations, the ones meant by ‘the children of Israel’. By these judgements people steeped in falsities arising from evil are shown to be damned, and by these judgements people guided by truths arising from good are shown to be saved. Not that the truths which emanate from the Lord damn anyone, for all truths emanating from the Lord spring from His Divine Goodness, and so are nothing other than expressions of mercy. Rather, people expose themselves to damnation because they do not accept the Lord’s mercy; for then they are governed by evils, and evils are damning. Nor do the truths emanating from the Lord save anyone if he believes that he is saved by virtue of the truths of faith present with him and not by mercy. For a person is full of evils and left to himself is in hell, but by the Lord’s mercy he is withheld from evil and maintained in good, and with great force. The fact that both are meant by ‘judgements’, that is to say, both the damnation of those who are evil and the salvation of those who are good, is evident from those places in the Word where the last judgement is the subject, such as Matt. 25:31-45, and elsewhere.

AC (Elliott) n. 7207 7207. ‘And I will take you to Myself as a people’ means that they will be added to those in heaven who serve the Lord there. This is clear from the meaning of ‘taking as a people’, when said by Jehovah or the Lord, as receiving among those who are in heaven. For those in heaven are called the Lord’s people, which they are also called when they are in the world because so far as their souls are concerned they are at that time too in heaven, see 687, 697, 3255, 4067, 4073, 4077. The reason why the words under consideration here mean that those who belong to the spiritual Church will be added to those in heaven who serve the Lord there is that before the Lord’s Coming those people were held back on the lower earth, and were raised into heaven when the Lord rose again, at which point they were added to those there who serve the Lord, see 6854, 6914, 7090 (end).

AC (Elliott) n. 7208 7208. ‘And I will be to you a God’ means that they will also receive the Divine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being to them a God’, when said by Jehovah or the Lord, as their receiving the Divine; for it is made possible for all who are in heaven to receive the Divine, that is, Divine Goodness and Truth, and so to receive wisdom and intelligence and therefore happiness of life that results from useful service, which is the exercise of charity. These are the things meant by ‘I will be to you a God’.

AC (Elliott) n. 7209 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.
* The Latin adds two words meaning except to Himself, but they do not represent anything in the Hebrew. Nor does Sw include them in other places where he quotes this verse.

AC (Elliott) n. 7210 7210. ‘Leading you out from under the burdens of Egypt’ means who has delivered them from molestations by falsities. This is clear from what has been stated above in 7203, Where similar words occur.

AC (Elliott) n. 7211 7211. ‘And I will bring you to the land concerning which I lifted up my hand to give it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’ means raising by Divine power to heaven, where the Divine Human is the All. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bringing to the land’ – the land of Canaan – as raising to heaven (for the meaning of ‘the land of Canaan’ as the Lord’s kingdom or heaven, see above in 7196); from the meaning of ‘lifting up the hand’, when said of Jehovah or the Lord, as by Divine power (for the meaning of ‘hand’ as power, see 878, 4931-4937, 5327, 5318, 6947, 7011); and from the representation of ‘Abraham Isaac, and Jacob’ as the Lord in respect of the Divine itself and in respect of the Divine Human, dealt with in 6804, 6847, at this point in respect of the Divine Human since this is the All in heaven. The reason why the Divine Human is the All in heaven is that no one there, not even an angel of the inmost or third heaven, can form any picture in his mind of the Divine itself, as accords with the Lord’s words in John,

Nobody has ever seen God. John 1:18.

You have never heard the Father’s voice nor seen His shape. John 5:37.

For the angels are finite, and what is finite cannot form any mental picture of the Infinite. In heaven therefore unless they pictured God in human shape they would have no mental picture of Him, or only an unsuitable one, and so could not have become linked to the Divine, either through faith or through love. That being so, in heaven they perceive the Divine in human form; and this explains why the Divine Human in heaven is the All in the insights they have, and is consequently the All in their faith and love, as a result of which they are joined to Him and thus saved by Him, 6700.

AC (Elliott) n. 7212 7212. ‘And I will give it to you as an inheritance’ means the Lord’s life there lasting forever. This is clear from the meaning of ‘an inheritance’, when used in reference to heaven, as the Lord’s life, dealt with in 2658; and since everything that is given as an inheritance is the perpetual possession of the one to whom it is given – in heaven the everlasting possession, since people live forever there – the Lord’s life there lasting forever is meant. The reason why the life in heaven is the Lord’s life, and why consequently those who are there have His life within them, is that they have within them the truth and goodness which emanate from the Lord; goodness that is present in truth is the Lord Himself, while truth that has goodness within it is the life flowing from the Lord by which they all live. From this it is evident that those who have good within themselves, and truth from that good, as all in heaven do, have the Lord’s life within them.

AC (Elliott) n. 7213 7213. ‘I am Jehovah’ means confirmation from the Divine. This is clear from what has been stated above in 7192, 7202.

AC (Elliott) n. 7214 7214. Verses 9-13 And Moses spoke in this way to the children of Israel, and they did not hear* Moses, for shortness of breath and for hard** servitude. And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, Come, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt to send the children of Israel out of his land. And Moses spoke before Jehovah, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not heard*** me; and how will Pharaoh hear me, and I am uncircumcised in the lips? And Jehovah spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them orders for the children of Israel, and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to lead the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

‘And Moses spoke in this way to the children of Israel’ means an exhortation from the law of God to those who belonged to the Lord’s spiritual kingdom. ‘And they did not hear Moses’ means that they did not receive it in faith and obedience. ‘For shortness of breath’ means because of the state in which they were close to despair. ‘And for hard servitude’ means as a result of molestations by utter falsities. ‘And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying’ means a continuation. ‘Come, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt’ means a warning to those who molest by means of utter falsities. ‘To send the children of Israel out of his land’ means to go away and leave them. ‘And Moses spoke to Jehovah, saying’ means the law from God and thought from it. ‘Behold, the children of Israel have not heard me’ means that those who are spiritual have not received the things which have been declared to them. ‘And how will Pharaoh hear me’ means that those steeped in falsities are not going to accept me. ‘And I am uncircumcised in the lips’ means that to them I am impure. ‘And Jehovah spoke to Moses and to Aaron’ means instruction once again from the law of God and at the same time from doctrinal teachings. ‘And gave them orders for the children of Israel’ means regarding the command to be issued to those belonging to the Lord’s spiritual kingdom. ‘And for Pharaoh king of Egypt’ means the warning to be given to those who molest by means of utter falsities. ‘To lead the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt’ means that they are to be delivered.
* lit. hear towards
** i.e. cruel
*** lit. heard towards

AC (Elliott) n. 7215 7215. ‘And Moses spoke in this way to the children of Israel’ means an exhortation from the law of God to those who belonged to the Lord’s spiritual kingdom. This is clear from the meaning of ‘speaking’ as an exhortation, for he spoke to them what Jehovah had commanded him; from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the law of God, dealt with in 6723, 6752; and from the representation of ‘the children of Israel’ as the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, dealt with in 6426, 6637.

AC (Elliott) n. 7216 7216. ‘And they did not hear Moses’ means that they did not receive it in faith and obedience. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hearing’ as receiving in faith and obedience. For the meaning of ‘hearing’ as faith in the will and in actions, and obedience, see 2542, 3869, 4651-4660, 5017.

AC (Elliott) n. 7217 7217. ‘For shortness of breath’ means because of the state in which they were close to despair. This is clear from the meaning of ‘shortness of breath’ as a state in which a person is close to despair; for those passing through that state experience shortness of breath.* That state is meant by the burden which Pharaoh placed on the children of Israel – to gather their own straw to make bricks – as shown at the end of the previous chapter. The fact that ‘shortness of breath’ means a state in which a person is close to despair may be recognized from the consideration that those passing through this kind of state suffer inward distress and at the same time actual shortness of breath. In the external sense ‘shortness of breath’ is a tight feeling around the chest and an apparent inability to breathe properly. But in the internal sense it is distress caused by being deprived of the truth of faith and the good of charity, and is consequently a state close to despair. A feeling of tightness and the distress caused by being deprived of the truth of faith and the good of charity go with each other as natural effect in the body produced by spiritual cause in the mind, as may be seen from what has been shown in 97, 1119, 3886, 3887, 3889, 3892, 3893.

[2] Those without any faith or charity are unable to believe that the deprivation of spiritual truth and good gives rise to such distress and consequently such shortness of breath. They suppose that anyone who feels distress on account of that deprivation must be weak in the head and mentally ill; and the reason why they suppose this is that they see nothing real in faith and charity, or thus in the things that belong to their souls and those that belong to heaven; for them only wealth and prominence, thus things belonging to the body and the world possess any reality. They also think, ‘What are faith and charity? Are they not mere words? And what indeed is conscience? Feeling distressed on account of these is feeling distressed on account of the kinds of things that insane imagination causes a person to suppose to be something when in fact they are nothing. But what wealth and prominence are, we can see with our eyes and feel with pleasure that they really exist, for they swell the body and fill it with joy.’ This is how people who are wholly natural think and talk to one another. But those who are spiritual think in a different way; for them the life in their spirit is primary, thus the life in the things that belong to the spirit, which are faith and charity. Therefore when they think that they are being deprived of the truths and forms of good that compose faith and charity they suffer agony like those undergoing the threes of death, for they see spiritual death, that is, damnation, before them. As stated above, these people are seen by those who are wholly natural to be soft in the head and ill in mind or spirit. But they are sound in the head and healthy in mind, whereas those who are wholly natural see themselves as being sound and healthy, as indeed they are physically. But they are completely unhealthy in spirit, because spiritually they are dead. If they saw what their spirit was like they would acknowledge this; but they do not see it until after the death of their body.
* The Latin angustia spiritus describes both a mental state and the physical condition that results from it. Therefore it means both distress of spirit and shortness of breath.

AC (Elliott) n. 7218 7218. ‘And for hard servitude’ means as a result of molestations by utter falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘servitude’ as molestation by falsities, dealt with in 7120, 7129, so that ‘hard servitude’ is molestation by utter falsities. For those who are molested by utter falsities and are not refreshed with truths to dispel those falsities, even though the life they lead is a life made up of the truth of faith and the good of charity, suffer the greatest agony; and as long as that state lasts they are subject to a kind of hard servitude. So it is that such molestations are meant by ‘hard servitude’. It should be recognized that every element of thought flows in from an outside source, but that when spirits pass through the state of evening and night they are compelled during that state to think about the falsities which are introduced, and are totally unable to break free from that state of compulsion. But when they pass through the state of morning and noon their thought is in a state of freedom; for then they are allowed to think about the things they love, thus about the truths and forms of good that compose faith and charity since these are the objects of their love. Freedom consists in whatever springs from love, see 2870-2893.

AC (Elliott) n. 7219 7219. ‘And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying’ means a continuation. This is clear from what has been stated above in 7191.

AC (Elliott) n. 7220 7220. ‘Come, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt’ means a warning to those who molest by means of utter falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘speaking to’, since it is to be done by Divine command, as a warning; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as those who molest by means of falsities, dealt with in 7107, 7110, 7126, 7142. And since they were utter falsities, the expression ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt’ is used, for in the genuine sense ‘king’ means truth, and in the contrary sense falsity, 2015, 2069.

AC (Elliott) n. 7221 7221. ‘To send the children of Israel out of his land’ means to go away and leave them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘sending’ as going away and leaving; from the representation of ‘the children of Israel’ as those who belong to the spiritual Church, dealt with often; and from the meaning of ‘the land of Egypt’ as a state of molestations. From all this it is evident that ‘to send the children of Israel out of his land’ means that they should leave those who belong to the spiritual Church and not molest them.

AC (Elliott) n. 7222 7222. ‘And Moses spoke to Jehovah, saying’ means the law from God and thought from it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘speaking’ as thought, dealt with in 2271, 2287, 2619; and from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the law from God, dealt with in 6771, 6827.

AC (Elliott) n. 7223 7223. ‘Behold, the children of Israel have not heard me’ means that those who are spiritual have not received the things which have been declared to them. This is clear from the representation of ‘the children of Israel’ as those who are spiritual, that is, those who belong to the Lord’s spiritual Church, dealt with in 6426, 6637; and from the meaning of ‘not hearing’ as not receiving in faith and obedience, dealt with above in 7216. The fact that the things which have been declared to them are meant, that is, things regarding their deliverance, is self-evident.

AC (Elliott) n. 7224 7224. ‘And how will Pharaoh hear me’ means that those steeped in falsities are not going to accept me. This is clear from the meaning of ‘not hearing’ as not receiving, as immediately above in 7223; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as those steeped in falsities, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683, 7107, 7110, 7126, 7142. The reason why ‘Pharaoh’ represents those who are steeped in falsities and engage in molestation, thus a large number, is that a king is the head of his people, and a king therefore has the same meaning as his people, see 4789.

AC (Elliott) n. 7225 7225. ‘And I am uncircumcised in the lips’ means that to them I am impure. This is clear from the meaning of ‘being uncircumcised’ as being impure, for circumcision represented purification from filthy kinds of love, that is, from self-love and love of the world, see 2039, 2632, 2799, 4462, 7045, and therefore those who had not been circumcised and were called ‘the uncircumcised’ represented those who had not been purified from those kinds of love and so were impure, 3412, 3413, 4462, 7045; and from the meaning of ‘the lips’ as matters of doctrine, dealt with in 1286, 1288, so that ‘uncircumcised in the lips’ means being impure in those things which are matters of doctrine. For the expression ‘uncircumcised’ is used in reference to doctrine as well as to life. The ear is therefore spoken of as being uncircumcised in Jeremiah,

On whom shall I speak and testify and they will hear? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot listen. Behold, the Word of Jehovah has become a reproach; they have no wish for it. Jer. 6:10.

And the heart is spoken of as being uncircumcised, in the same prophet, All the house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart. Jer. 9:26.

In Ezekiel,

You are bringing in the sons of the foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary. Ezek. 44:7, 9.

In Moses,

At that time their uncircumcised heart will be humbled. Lev. 26:41.

[2] From these quotations it is evident that ‘uncircumcised’ means impure; and since all impurity springs from the impure kinds of love, which are love of the world and self-love, ‘uncircumcised’ means that which hinders the inflow of goodness and truth. Where those kinds of love are present inflowing goodness and truth are annihilated, for they are contrary to one another, as heaven and hell are. Therefore ‘an uncircumcised ear’ means disobedience, and ‘an uncircumcised heart’ a rejection of goodness and truth, which takes place especially when those kinds of love have fortified themselves with falsity like a wall around them.

[3] When Moses, being a stammerer, calls himself ‘uncircumcised in the lips’ it is on account of the internal sense. The expression is used so as to mean that those steeped in falsities, who are represented by ‘Pharaoh’, are not going to listen to things that might be told them from the law of God. And the reason why is that those steeped in falsities call truths belonging to the law of God falsities, and falsities that are contrary to the truths belonging to the law of God they call truths; for they are of an utterly contrary frame of mind. This being so, they view the truths taught by doctrine as altogether impure; and heavenly kinds of love are likewise seen by them as impure. And when they approach any community in heaven they emit a dreadful stench, which they imagine, when they become aware of it, to be emanating from that heavenly community, when in fact it is coming from themselves. For they are unaware of a stench until they are alongside that which is the opposite of it.

AC (Elliott) n. 7226 7226. ‘And Jehovah spoke to Moses and to Aaron’ means instruction once again from the law of God and at the same time from doctrinal teachings. This is clear from the meaning of ‘speaking to’ as instruction once again, for in what follows next they are given instructions about what they are to do; from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the law of God, dealt with in 6723, 6752; and from the representation of ‘Aaron’ as teachings presenting what is good and true, dealt with in 6998. For the difference between the law of God and doctrinal teachings, see 7009, 7010, 7089.

AC (Elliott) n. 7227 7227. ‘And gave them orders for the children of Israel’ means regarding the command to be issued to those belonging to the Lord’s spiritual kingdom. This is clear from the meaning of ‘giving orders’ as a command; and from the representation of ‘the children of Israel’ as those who belong to the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, often dealt with already.

AC (Elliott) n. 7228 7228. ‘And for Pharaoh king of Egypt’ means the warning to be given to those who molest by means of utter falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘speaking to’, when it comes by Divine command and is directed to those steeped in falsities, as a warning, as above in 7220; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’, when he is also called ‘king of Egypt’, as those who molest by means of utter falsities, dealt with above in 7220.

AC (Elliott) n. 7229 7229. ‘To lead the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt’ means that they are to be delivered. This is clear without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 7230 7230. Verses 14-25 These are the heads of their fathers’ houses: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Enoch* and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben. And the sons of Simeon were Jemuel and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon. And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their births: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari. And the years of Levi’s life were one hundred and thirty-seven years. The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei, according to their families. And the sons of Kohath were Amram and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel. And the years of Kohath’s life were one hundred and thirty-three years. And the sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of Levi according to their births. And Amram took Jochebed his father’s sister as wife, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. And the years of Amram’s life were one hundred and thirty-seven years. And the sons of Izhar were Korah and Nepheg, and Zichri. And the sons of Uzziel were Mishael and Elzaphan, and Sithri. And Aaron took Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, as wife; and she bore him Nadab, and Abihu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar. And the sons of Korah were Assir and Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the families of the Korahites. And Eleazar, Aaron’s son, took for himself one of the daughters of Putiel as wife; and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers of the Levites according to their families.

[2] ‘These are the heads of their fathers’ houses’ means the chief aspects of the Church. ‘The sons of Reuben were Enoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi’ means aspects of faith present in the understanding. ‘These are the families of Reuben’ means the truths of faith. ‘And the sons of Simeon were Jemuel and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar’ means aspects of faith expressed in action. ‘And Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman’ means aspects of truth expressed in action outside the Church. ‘These are the families of Simeon’ means the truths and forms of the good belonging to that faith. ‘And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their births: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari’ means aspects of charity. ‘And the years of Levi’s life were one hundred and thirty-seven years’ means the essential nature and state.

[3] ‘The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei, according to their families’ means the first group of the forms of goodness and truth that derive from charity. ‘And the sons of Kohath were Amram and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel’ means the second group of the forms of goodness and truth that derive from charity. ‘And the years of Kohath’s life were one hundred and thirty-three years’ means the essential nature and state. ‘And the sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi’ means the third group of the forms of goodness and truth that derive from charity. ‘These are the families of Levi according to their births’ means that these are the forms of good and of truth that spring from charity. ‘And Amram took Jochebed his father’s sister as wife’ means good derived from charity joined to kindred truth. ‘And she bore him Aaron and Moses’ means that from this union the teachings of the Church and the law from God came to them. ‘And the years of Amram’s life were one hundred and thirty-seven years’ means the essential nature and state.

[4] ‘And the sons of Izhar were Korah and Nepheg, and Zichri’ means the good, and the truth from that good, which belong to one part of the next generation descending from the second group. ‘And the sons of Uzziel were Mishael and Elzaphan, and Sithri’ means the good within truth belonging to another part of the next generation descending from the same group. ‘And Aaron took Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, as wife’ means the teachings of the Church and the way in which goodness and truth were joined together within them. ‘And she bore him Nadab, and Abihu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar’ means forms of faith and charity descending from that group and their essential nature.

[5] ‘And the sons of Korah were Assir and Elkanah, and Abiasaph’ means yet another generation descending from the second group. ‘These are the families of the Korahites’ means the essential nature of forms of goodness and truth. ‘And Eleazar, Aaron’s son’ means religious teachings derived from the primary doctrine of charity. ‘Took for himself one of the daughters of Putiel as wife’ means goodness and truth joined together within those teachings. ‘And she bore him Phinehas’ means what derived from that union. ‘These are the heads of the fathers of the Levites
according to their families’ means the chief aspects within the Church of charity and of faith that stems from it.
* In most English versions this name appears as Hanoch, but in the Latin, as in the original Hebrew, the spelling is the same as that of the one mentioned in Gen. 4:17, 18; 5:18-24. cp Gen. 25:4; 46:9.

AC (Elliott) n. 7231 7231. Since these verses consist of mere names detailed explanation can be dispensed with, especially as it has been shown already what Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Aaron, and Moses represent, and their sons and grandsons who are named here are simply further generations descending from those things they represent.

‘Reuben’ represents faith present in the understanding, see 3861, 3866, 4731, 4734, 4761.

‘Simeon’ represents faith present in the will and expressed in action, 3869-3872, 4497, 4502, 4503, 5482, 5626, 5630.

‘Levi’ represents charity, 3875, 3877, 4497, 4503.

‘Aaron’ represents the teachings of the Church, 6998, 7009, 7089.

‘Moses’ represents the law from God, 6771, 6827.

The reason why Reuben, Simeon, Levi and their sons are mentioned here, and not the remaining fathers of the tribes together with their sons in their proper order, cannot be known except from the internal sense. One can see that the list of names has been provided in this chapter to make known the matter of Aaron and Moses’ parentage and birth. Yet the genealogy of Levi would have been sufficient to do this, for nothing whatever about Reuben and Simeon, or about their sons, helps to make that matter known. But the reason why these are mentioned, which is evident only from the internal sense, is that the spiritual Church, which is represented by ‘the children of Israel’, is the subject.

[2] That Church is brought into being with a person through faith present within what he knows and then within his understanding, the kind of faith that is represented by ‘Reuben and his sons’. After this, when the Church with the person grows, that faith passes into his will, and from will into action. At this point the person has the truth of faith in his will and puts it into practice because it is what has been commanded in the Word. This phase of faith is represented by ‘Simeon’. Finally within his will, that is, his new will, an affection characteristic of charity is perceptible, so that his wish to do what is good is motivated not by faith, as it was previously, but by charity towards the neighbour. For when a person’s regeneration has come that far he is a member of the spiritual Church, since he now has that Church within him. This charity and the affection belonging to it is what’ Levi’ represents.

This then explains why the families of Reuben and also of Simeon are listed, and finally the family of Levi, who, as has been stated, represents charity, which is what gives the Church its spiritual character. ‘Aaron’ represents the external dimension of that Church, and ‘Moses’ the internal dimension. The internal dimension of the Church is referred to as the law from God, the external dimension as teachings derived from it. The law from God – the internal dimension of the Church – is also the Word in its internal sense, and the teachings derived from it are the Word in its external sense. For Moses and Aaron’s representation of these, see 7089.

AC (Elliott) n. 7232 7232. Verses 26-30 It was this Aaron and Moses to whom Jehovah said, Lead the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies. These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. It was this Moses and Aaron. And so it was on the day Jehovah spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, that Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, I am Jehovah; speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to you. And Moses said before Jehovah, Behold, I am uncircumcised in the lips, and how will Pharaoh hear* me? ‘It was this Aaron and Moses’ means that it was from these that the teachings and the law of God among those people sprang. ‘To whom Jehovah said’ means from whom a command came. ‘Lead the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt’ means that those who belonged to the Lord’s spiritual kingdom were to be delivered. ‘According to their armies’ means in accordance with the genera and species of good within truths. ‘These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt’ means the warning from them to those who molest by means of utter falsities. ‘To lead the children of Israel out of Egypt’ means to leave them and not molest them. ‘It was this Moses and Aaron’ means that this warning came from the law from God and the teachings derived from it. ‘And so it was on the day Jehovah spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt’ means the state of the Church at that time, when the command was given through the law from God to those who belonged to the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, when they were still in close proximity to those in hell. ‘That Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying’ means instruction from the Divine. ‘I am Jehovah’ means Divine confirmation. ‘Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to you’ means warnings given to those who molest by means of utter falsities, warnings delivered by things that flow in from the Divine. ‘And Moses said before Jehovah’ means the thought regarding the law of God that those steeped in falsities entertained. ‘Behold, I am uncircumcised in the lips’ means that it is impure. ‘And how will Pharaoh hear me?’ means that for that reason those steeped in falsities are not going to accept it.
* lit. hear towards

AC (Elliott) n. 7233 7233. ‘It was this Aaron and Moses’ means that it was from these that the teachings and the law of God among those people sprang. This is clear from the representation of ‘Aaron’ as the teachings of the Church, dealt with in 6998, 7009, 7089; and from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the law of God, dealt with in 6723, 6752. These two – the law of God and doctrinal teachings – among those who belong to the spiritual Church have their origin chiefly in the Word; they are however concerned primarily with faith and charity, the things of chief importance to the founders of that Church. The words from these have been used, yet they do not mean from Aaron and Moses but from charity and faith, which are represented by Levi, Simeon, and Reuben, who are spoken of in the verses immediately above.

[2] To go further into these matters, it should be recognized that the teachings of the spiritual Church do not consist of God’s truth itself. The reason for this is that those who belong to the spiritual Church do not possess any perception of God’s truth, as those who belong to the celestial Church do. Instead of that perception they possess conscience, which is formed out of the truth and goodness, whatever these may be like, which they have adopted within their own Church. For the fact that those who belong to the spiritual Church are in comparative obscurity so far as the truths of faith are concerned, see 86, 2708, 2715, 2716, 2718, 2831, 2935, 2937, 3241, 3246, 3833, 6289, 6500, 6865, 6945. This explains why all within the spiritual Church accept as the truth of faith that which their founders have declared and do not go further to search the Word to see whether it really is the truth. And if they did make this search they would not find that truth unless they had been regenerated and then received specific enlightenment. The reason for this is that although the understanding part of their minds can receive enlightenment, the new will part cannot be aroused except by one kind of good, namely that formed by connection with the truths accepted within the Church. For the will that is properly their own has been corrupted and a new will has been formed within the understanding, see 863, 875, 1023, 1043, 1044, 1555, 2256, 4328, 5113. And since the will that is properly their own is separated from the new will within the understanding, the light there is feeble, like the light from the moon and stars at night when compared with the light from the sun during the daytime. This also explains why ‘the moon’ is used in the internal sense of the Word to mean the good of spiritual love, and ‘the sun’ to mean the good of celestial love, 30-38, 1529-1531, 2495, 4060.

[3] Since this is the situation in the spiritual Church it is no wonder that for the majority faith is the essential element of the Church, not charity, and that teachings about charity are of no importance to them. The fact that the things they teach are derived from the Word does not mean that those things are Divine truths; for one can hatch any kind of teaching out of the literal sense of the Word, and seize on any such argument as may lend support to wicked desires, thus on falsity instead of truth. This is what the things taught by Jews, Socinians, and many others are like. It is different however if the teaching that is given is based on the internal sense. The internal sense is not only the sense that lies concealed within the external sense, as has been shown up to now, but is also the sense which emerges from a large number of places in the literal sense when they are correctly compared with one another. And it is the sense discerned by those in whom the understanding part of their mind has been enlightened by the Lord. For when enlightened the understanding distinguishes apparent truths from real truths, and in particular falsities from truths, though it does not form any judgements with respect to real truths in themselves. But the understanding part cannot be enlightened unless a person believes that love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour are the chief and essential qualities of the Church. And provided that he is governed by these once he has recognized them he can go on to see countless truths; indeed he can see very many hidden things that have been disclosed to him. He does so with an inward recognition of them, insofar as he is enlightened by the Lord.

AC (Elliott) n. 7234 7234. ‘To whom Jehovah said’ means a command. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Jehovah said’ as a command, dealt with in 7036.

AC (Elliott) n. 7235 7235. ‘Lead the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt’ means that those who belonged to the Lord’s spiritual kingdom were to be delivered, that is to say, from close proximity to those steeped in falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘leading out’ as delivering; from the representation of the ‘children of Israel’ as those who belong to the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, dealt with in 6426, 6637, and also in 6862, 6868, 7075, 7062, 7198, 7201, 7215, 7223; and from the meaning of ‘the land of Egypt’ as the place where the falsities are which are used to carry out molestations.

AC (Elliott) n. 7236 7236. ‘According to their armies’ means in accordance with the genera and species of good within truths. This is clear from the meaning of ‘an army’ as the truths that constitute faith, dealt with in 3448. But forms of good in the spiritual Church are essentially nothing other than truths, since truths are called forms of good when people lead their lives in accordance with those truths. When therefore the word ‘army’ is used to refer to those within the spiritual Church who have been regenerated, forms of the good of truth or forms of good within truths are meant. The reason why it says that the children of Israel were to be led out ‘according to their armies’ is that it is speaking about the time when they will come out of Egypt – in the internal sense when they will come out of conflicts with falsities, thus after they have performed spiritual military service. The proper way to understand the command that they were to be led out ‘according to their armies’ is that they were to be distinguished in keeping with forms of good within truths, thus were to be divided into groups according to different kinds of good. And this was done in order that they might represent the Lord’s kingdom in the heavens. There all have been divided up and allotted a place in the Grand Man in accordance with both the genus and the species of each one’s good.

[2] The fact that all in heaven are divided up in accordance with their different kinds of good shows how manifold and how varied good is; it is so varied that good is never the same with one person as it is with another. Indeed if millions of people went on being multiplied forever, one person’s good would still not be like another’s, just as one person’s face is not like another’s; and in heaven furthermore good is what shapes angels’ faces. The reason for the unending variety is that every form has distinct and varied constituent parts; for if two were exactly alike they could not be two but a single unit. This also explains why in the natural order no one thing ever exists which is like another in every respect.

[3] What makes good so varied is truth; when this is joined to good it gives the good specific character. One reason why truth is so manifold and varied that it can make good so greatly varied is that truths are countless, and interior truths take on a different form from exterior ones. Another reason is that false impressions gained by the outward senses attach themselves, and also false ideas that are products of evil desires. Since therefore truths are so countless one can see that when they are joined to good just as many variations are produced, so many that one form of good can never be the same as another. This is plain to anyone who knows that from merely twenty-three letters joined together in different combinations the words contained in all languages can be produced; indeed even if there were thousands of languages, an unending variety of combinations could be produced. So what will be the product of varieties numbering thousands and millions, as truths do? Confirmation of the existence of those varieties is also contained in the proverb in general use in the world that there are as many opinions as there are heads, that is, ideas are as varied as the number of people there are.

AC (Elliott) n. 7237 7237. These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt’ means the warning from them to those who molest by means of utter falsities. This is clear from what has been stated above in 7228, where similar words occur.

AC (Elliott) n. 7238 7238. To lead the children of Israel out of Egypt’ means to leave them and not molest them. This is clear from the meaning of being led out’ as being delivered, as above in 7235, so that it is a warning, telling them to leave and not molest; from the representation of ‘the children of Israel’ as those who belong to the spiritual Church, dealt with just above in 7235; and from the meaning of ‘Egypt’ as falsity that is used to carry out molestation, dealt with already.

AC (Elliott) n. 7239 7239. ‘It was this Moses and Aaron’ means that this warning came from the law from God and the teachings derived from it. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the law from God, dealt with in 6771, 6827; and from the representation of ‘Aaron’ as the teachings derived from it, dealt with in 6998, 7009, 7089.

AC (Elliott) n. 7240 7240. ‘And so it was on the day Jehovah spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt’ means the state of the Church at that time, when the command was given through the law from God to those who belonged to the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, when they were still in close proximity to those in hell. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the day’ as the state, dealt with in 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850, 6110, here the state of the Church since that is the subject; from the meaning of ‘Jehovah speaking’ as the command, here the command given to those who belonged to the Lord’s spiritual kingdom; from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the law from God, dealt with in 6771, 6827; and from the meaning of ‘the land of Egypt’ as the place where those who belonged to the Lord’s spiritual kingdom were molested by falsities. This place was on the lower earth, which is next to the hells, see 7090. ‘The land of Egypt’ where the children of Israel were, and which was called Goshen, means that lower earth; but the place where the Egyptians were means the surrounding hells, the source of the molestations by falsities.

AC (Elliott) n. 7241 7241. ‘That Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying’ means instruction from the Divine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Jehovah speaking’ as instruction once again, dealt with in 7226; and from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the law from God, dealt with in 6771, 6827.

AC (Elliott) n. 7242 7242. ‘I am Jehovah’ means Divine confirmation. This is clear from what has been stated above in 7192, 7201.

AC (Elliott) n. 7243 7243. ‘Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to you’ means warnings given to those who molest by means of utter falsities, warnings delivered by things that flow in from the Divine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘speaking’, when those steeped in falsities are the ones to be spoken to, as a warning, as above in 7120; from the representation of ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt’ as those who molest by means of utter falsities, dealt with in 7220, 7228; and from the meaning of ‘all that I speak to you’ as things that flow in from the Divine.

AC (Elliott) n. 7244 7244. ‘And Moses said before Jehovah’ means the thought regarding the law of God that those steeped in falsities entertained. This is clear from the meaning of ‘said’ as thought, dealt with in 7094; and from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the law of God, dealt with in 6723, 6752. The meaning here, the thought regarding the law of God that those steeped in falsities entertained, is evident from the train of thought as it continues into the words that come next. For when the word said is used, and thought is meant by it, it includes that which follows it, at this point that the law of God is impure to those who are steeped in falsities.

AC (Elliott) n. 7245 7245. ‘behold, I am uncircumcised in the lips’ means that it is impure, that is to say, the law of God is impure to those who are steeped in falsities.

7245a ‘And how will Pharaoh hear me?’ means that for that reason those steeped in falsities are not going to accept it. This is clear from what was stated above in 7224 and 7225, where the same words occur. When Moses says that he is ‘uncircumcised in the lips’ the meaning in the internal sense, according to what has been shown in 7225, is that the law of God is seen to be impure by those steeped in falsities. In the historical sense however, in which Moses as the head stands for the descendants of Jacob and whatever there is of the Church among them, as shown above in 7041, ‘uncircumcised in the lips’ means that Divine worship among that nation was of such a nature. For the worship among that nation was impure, since they venerated outward things and totally rejected inner values, which are faith and charity. Indeed they spurned any actual recognition of inner realities, such as all those which religious observances served to mean and represent. And because that nation was like this their worship was impure; for they were led to worship Jehovah by self-love and love of the world, not by love to Him and love towards the neighbour. This impure worship is meant in the historical sense when Moses says that he is ‘uncircumcised in the lips’; but the meaning in the internal sense is as explained above in 7225.

AC (Elliott) n. 7246 7246. INHABITANTS AND SPIRITS OF THE PLANET VENUS

On the planet Venus there are two kinds of people which are of an opposite nature to each other. There are those people who are savage and almost bestial, and there are those who are gentle and humane. Those who are savage and almost bestial appear on the side of the planet that looks in this direction; but those who are gentle and humane appear on the opposite side. It should be recognized however that they appear in these different positions, each according to the state of his life; for the state of life is what determines any appearance of direction or distance.

AC (Elliott) n. 7247 7247. The mental picture that spirits have places the planet Venus on the left, slightly to the rear, some distance away from our planet. The expression ‘mental picture that spirits have’ is used because neither the sun in this world nor any planet there is visible to any spirit. Spirits have only a mental picture of them; they see them as they exist within that mental picture. The sun of this world is seen as a kind of dark patch behind them, while the planets are seen not wandering as they do in the world but in constantly fixed positions, regarding which subject, see 7171.

AC (Elliott) n. 7248 7248. I have been told that the inhabitants of that planet who, when they die and become spirits, appear on this side of it derive the greatest pleasure out of acts of plunder, and most especially out of eating from the plunder. The delight they experience when they think about eating from the plunder was conveyed to me, and I perceived that it was very great. The fact that people with that kind of bestial nature have also inhabited our own planet is evident from the history of various nations, and also from the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, 1 Sam. 30:16, as well as from the Jewish and Israelite nation in David’s time, in that they made raids every year on nations, pillaged them, and rejoiced in the pillage. So far as these inhabitants of the planet Venus are concerned, they do indeed find pleasure in acts of plunder; yet they are not cruel. They throw people whom they despoil into water, using that as the method to put them to death; but they keep alive those they can. They afterwards bury those whom they have put to death in that way, which shows that there is some humanity in them, unlike the Jews, whose delight it was to cast aside those they killed and expose them to be devoured by wild animals of the forest or by birds, and sometimes to put them to death in a savage and cruel manner, 2 Sam. 12:31. How much delight the Jews took in such practices I was also allowed to recognize in the sphere conveyed to me from those who, in great numbers, quickly came near and then fled.

AC (Elliott) n. 7249 7249. I have also been told that the inhabitants of that planet are for the most part giants, and that the inhabitants of our planet come up merely to their waist; also that those who appear on this side of that planet are stupid. They do not try to find out what heaven or what eternal life is; they are interested only in things that have to do with their land and their cattle.

AC (Elliott) n. 7250 7250. Since they are like this they too, when they enter the next life, are molested very greatly by falsities and evils. The hells which appear to them surrounding their planet have no contact with the hells of the wicked belonging to our planet, because they are entirely different in nature and disposition, as a consequence of which their evils and falsities also are of an altogether different kind. But those who are such that they are able to be saved are in places where vastation takes place, and there they are driven to the depths of despair. For evils and falsities of that nature cannot be removed in any other way. While in the state of despair they cry out, saying that they are beastly animals, brutish ones, abominable creatures, filled with hatred, and so are damned. Some of them passing through this kind of state also cry out against heaven; but they are forgiven because they do this in their despair. The Lord prevents them from going beyond certain limits when they launch into vituperation. When these people’s last sufferings are over, they are finally saved, because now their bodily passions are so to speak dead.

AC (Elliott) n. 7251 7251. I have also been told regarding those people that when they lived on their planet they believed in some kind of Supreme Creator, but without a Mediator. These are the ones who undergo that kind of vastation, and are finally saved, having first been taught and accepted that the Lord is the only God, Saviour, and Mediator. I have heard them declaring that without the Mediator they could never be saved since they are defiled and unworthy. I have also seen some of them raised into heaven after their last sufferings were over, and when they were received there I experienced such exquisite gladness in them that it brought tears to my eyes.

AC (Elliott) n. 7252 7252. The inhabitants and spirits belonging to Venus who appear on the other side of that planet are of an almost opposite nature, for they are gentle and humane. The Lord once allowed some of those spirits to come from there towards me; they appeared nearby overhead. They talked to me, saying that when they had been in the world they had acknowledged our Lord as their one and only God, and that they acknowledged Him as such even more so now. They said that on their planet they had seen Him walking among them; and they also represented to me how they had seen Him.

AC (Elliott) n. 7253 7253. These spirits correlate in the Grand Man with the memory of material things that is in tune with the memory of immaterial things, which the spirits belonging to the planet Mercury constitute, see 7170 in the description of the spirits belonging to Mercury.

AC (Elliott) n. 7254 7254. At the end of the next chapter something will be said about the inhabitants and spirits belonging to the planet Mars.

AC (Elliott) n. 7255 7255. 7

TEACHINGS ABOUT CHARITY

Since good constitutes heaven with a person, while evil constitutes hell, one needs to be thoroughly acquainted with what good is and what evil is. It has been stated already that good consists in what love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour desire, and that evil consists in what self-love and love of the world desire, from which it follows that one cannot know except from those kinds of love what good is or what evil is.

AC (Elliott) n. 7256 7256. Everything in all creation that is in keeping with Divine order is connected with goodness and truth, and everything in all creation that is contrary to Divine order is connected with evil and falsity. The reason for this is that goodness and truth, which emanate from the Divine, constitute order so completely that they are order itself.

AC (Elliott) n. 7257 7257. The good that love to the Lord desires is called celestial good, and the good that charity towards the neighbour desires is called spiritual good. What the difference is, and how great that difference is between celestial good, desired by love to the Lord, and spiritual good, desired by charity towards the neighbour, must be stated in what follows.

AC (Elliott) n. 7258 7258. Teachings about celestial good, which are teachings about love to the Lord, are very extensive and at the same time the most profound. But teachings about spiritual good, which are those about charity towards the neighbour, though they too are extensive and profound, are less so than teachings about celestial good, that is, those about love to the Lord. The fact that teachings about charity are extensive may be recognized from the consideration that it is not possible for charity to be the same with one person as with another, and that no one person is the neighbour in the same way as any other.

AC (Elliott) n. 7259 7259. Since their teachings about charity were so extensive the ancients, among whom teachings about charity were the teachings of the Church, distinguished charity towards the neighbour into a large number of separate classes. They also subdivided these, giving a name to each individual class, and teaching the ways in which charity should be exercised towards those belonging to one class or towards those belonging to another. By doing this they brought order to their teachings about charity and the ways in which it should be exercised, so that these matters would be clearly understood.

AC (Elliott) n. 7260 7260. The names they gave to those towards whom they were to exercise charity were many. Some they called the blind, some the lame, and others the crippled; some they called the poor, as well as the wretched and afflicted, some orphans, and others widows. But in general they called them the hungry whom they were to feed, the thirsty to whom they were to give drink, strangers whom they were to take in, the naked whom they were to clothe, the sick whom they were to visit, and those in prison whom they were to go to. Regarding all these, see 4954-4959.

AC (Elliott) n. 7261 7261. These names had been supplied from heaven to the ancients who belonged to the Church, and the people called by these names they took to be those who were spiritually such. Their teachings about charity taught who exactly those people were and what charity should be like as exercised towards each one.

AC (Elliott) n. 7262 7262. This explains why those same names occur in the Word, and why they mean people who are such in a spiritual sense. Essentially the Word consists of nothing other than teachings about love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour, as the Lord also teaches,

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments the Law and the Prophets depend. Matt. 22:37-40.

The Law and the Prophets are the whole Word.

AC (Elliott) n. 7263 7263. The reason why these same names occur in the Word is that those whose worship was external would exercise charity towards the kind of people meant literally by such names, while those whose worship was internal would exercise it towards people meant spiritually by them. Thus it was that the simple would understand and carry out the Word in a simple manner, and the wise in a wise manner; and also that the simple would be introduced by means of external forms of charity to internal forms of it.

EXODUS 7

1 And Jehovah said to Moses, See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet.

2 You shall speak all that I command you; and Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh, to send the children of Israel out of his land.

3 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.

4 And Pharaoh will not hear* you; and I will lay My hand on the Egyptians, and will lead My armies, My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt with great judgements.

5 And the Egyptians will know that I am Jehovah, when I stretch out My hand over the Egyptians; and I will lead the children of Israel out of the midst of them.

6 And Moses and Aaron did so; as Jehovah had commanded them, so they did.

7 And Moses was a son of eighty years, and Aaron a son of eighty-three years, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

8 And Jehovah said to Moses and to Aaron – He said,

9 When Pharaoh says to you – when he says, Perform a wonder;** you shall say to Aaron, Take your rod and throw it down in front of Pharaoh. It will then be a water-serpent.

10 And Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did so, as Jehovah had commanded; and Aaron threw down his rod in front of Pharaoh, and in front of his servants, and it was made into a water-serpent.

11 And Pharaoh also called the wise men and sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did so with their enchantments.

12 And they threw down each one his rod, and they were made into water-serpents; and Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.

13 And Pharaoh’s heart was unyielding, and he did not hear* them, as Jehovah had spoken.

14 And Jehovah said to Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is inflexible; he refuses to send the people away.

15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning; behold, he goes out to the water. And you are to stand so as to meet him beside the bank of the river; and the rod which was turned into a serpent, take in your hand.

16 And you shall say to him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying, Send My people away, and let them serve Me in the wilderness; and behold, you have not heard up to now.

17 Thus said Jehovah, In this you will know that I am Jehovah – behold, I strike with the rod which is in my hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they will be turned into blood.

18 And the fish that are in the river will die, and the river will stink; and the Egyptians will find it difficult*** to drink water from the river.

19 And Jehovah said to Moses, Say to Aaron, Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over every gathering of their waters, and they will be blood; and there will be blood in all the land of Egypt,
both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.
20 And Moses and Aaron did so, as Jehovah had commanded; and he lifted up the rod and struck the waters which were in the river, before the eyes of Pharaoh and before the eyes of his servants. And all the waters which were in the river were converted into blood.

21 And the fish which were in the river died, and the river stank, and the Egyptians were unable to drink water from the river; and there was blood in the entire land of Egypt.

22 And the magicians of Egypt did the same with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart was unyielding, and he did not hear* them, as Jehovah had spoken.

23 And Pharaoh looked back and went to his house, and he did not take even this to heart.****

24 And all the Egyptians dug round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink from the waters of the river.

25 And seven days were fulfilled after Jehovah struck the river.*****

26 And Jehovah said to Moses, Go to Pharaoh, and you shall say to him, Thus says Jehovah, Send My people away, and let them serve Me.

27 And if you refuse to send them away, behold, I will plague all your borders with frogs.

28 And the river will cause the frogs to crawl forth, and they will rise up and come into your house, and into your bedchamber, and onto your bed, and into the house of your servants, and onto your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls.

29 And onto you, and onto your people, and onto all your servants the frogs will rise up.
* lit. hear towards
** lit. Give for yourselves a wonder
*** lit. will labour
**** i.e. his heart was not moved by that wonder
***** In English versions of the Scriptures the division of chapters is made here.

AC (Elliott) n. 7264 7264. CONTENTS

The subject in what follows is in the internal sense the vastation and at length the damnation of those who are steeped in falsities and evils. The process of devastation which they undergo is described by the eleven plagues* inflicted on the Egyptians and their land.
* i.e. the turning of Aaron’s rod into a water-serpent and the ten plagues that follow

AC (Elliott) n. 7265 7265. This chapter deals in the internal sense with the first three stages of vastation. The first stage – when utter illusions giving rise to falsities began to reign among them – is described by the serpent into which Aaron’s rod was turned. The second stage – when actual truths among them were made into falsities, and falsities into truths – is described by the blood which the waters were turned into. The third stage – when from falsities they reasoned against the truths and forms of good that were the Church’s – is described by the frogs out of the river.

AC (Elliott) n. 7266 7266. THE INTERNAL SENSE

Verses 1-7 And Jehovah said to Moses, See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you; and Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh, to send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh will not hear* you; and I will lay My hand on the Egyptians, and will lead My armies, My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt with great judgements. And the Egyptians will know that I am Jehovah, when I stretch out My hand over the Egyptians; and I will lead the children of Israel out of the midst of them. And Moses and Aaron did so; as Jehovah had commanded them, so they did. And Moses was a son of eighty years, and Aaron a son of eighty-three years, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

‘And Jehovah said to Moses’ means instruction. ‘See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh’ means the law of God and the power it has over those steeped in falsities. ‘And Aaron your brother will be your prophet’ means doctrinal teachings derived from it. ‘You shall speak all that I command you’ means the reception of Divine influx, and communication. ‘And Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh’ means the reception of the influx from there, and the communication of it to those steeped in falsities. ‘To send the children of Israel away’ means that they should depart from molestation. ‘And will harden Pharaoh’s heart’ means obstinacy rising from the evil of falsity. ‘And multiply My signs and My wonders’ means forewarnings of every kind, and that not a thing will be wanting. ‘In the land of Egypt’ means where those who engage in molestation are. ‘And Pharaoh will not hear you’ means that those steeped in falsities are not going to accept. ‘And I will lay My hand on the Egyptians means that they will therefore be coerced by means of Divine power. ‘And will lead My army, My people, the children of Israel’ means that those among whom forms of good and truths are present are to be delivered. ‘Out of the land of Egypt’ means from molestations. ‘With great judgements’ means in accordance with the laws of order. ‘And may the Egyptians know that I am Jehovah’ means that they will have a fear of the Divine. ‘When I stretch out My hand over the Egyptians’ means when they become aware of the Divine power over them. ‘And I will lead the children of Israel out of the midst of them’ means and when they come to see that those who belong to the spiritual Church are being delivered. ‘And Moses and Aaron did so; as Jehovah had commanded, so they did’ means that the things which had been said were also done. ‘And Moses was a son of eighty years’ means the state and essential nature of the law from God. ‘And Aaron a son of eighty-three years’ means the state and essential nature of the doctrinal teachings. ‘When they spoke to Pharaoh’ means when those things were commanded.
* lit. hear towards

AC (Elliott) n. 7267 7267. ‘And Jehovah said to Moses’ means instruction, here in how to proceed when dealing with those steeped in falsities who engage in molestation. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Jehovah said’ as instruction, dealt with in 7186.

AC (Elliott) n. 7268 7268. ‘See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh’ means the law of God and the power it has over those steeped in falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘making you a god’ as Divine Truth, or what amounts to the same thing, the Divine Law, and also the power it has, for in the Word when truth and also the power of truth are referred to the name ‘God’ appears, but when good is referred to the name ‘Jehovah’ does so, see 300, 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3910, 3921 (end), 4287, 4295, 4402, 7010; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as those who are steeped in falsities and engage in molestation, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683. To pursue further the meaning of GOD, it should be recognized that in the highest sense ‘God’ is the Divine which is above the heavens, but that in the internal sense ‘God’ is the Divine which is within the heavens. The Divine which is above the heavens is Divine Good, whereas the Divine within the heavens is Divine Truth. For Divine Good is the source from which Divine Truth springs, and Divine Truth springing from Divine Good makes heaven and brings order into it. What is properly called heaven is nothing other than the Divine that has been given form there, for the angels in heaven are human forms receptive of the Divine, which together constitute an all-embracing form which is that of a Human Being.

[2] The use of ‘God’ in the Old Testament Word to mean Divine Truth within the heavens explains why the word for God in the original language is Elohim, a plural form. It also explains why the angels in heaven, being receivers of Divine Truth, are called ‘gods’, as in David,

Who in heaven will compare himself to Jehovah? Who will be likened to Jehovah among the sons of gods? Ps. 89:6-8.

In the same author,

Give to Jehovah, O sons of gods, give to Jehovah glory and strength. Ps. 29:1.

In the same author,

I said, You are gods, and sons of the Most High, all of you. Ps. 82:6.

In John,

Jesus said, Is it not written in your Law, I said, You are gods? If* He called them gods, with whom the Word of God came to be . . . John 10:34, 35.

In addition there are those places in which the Lord is called ‘God of gods’ and ‘Lord of lords’, such as Gen. 46:2, 7; Deut. 10:17; Num. 16:22; Dan. 11:36; Ps. 136:2, 3. From all this one may see in what sense Moses is called ‘a god’, here ‘a god to Pharaoh’ and in Exod. 4:16 ‘a god to Aaron’ – that he was called such because Moses represented the Divine Law, which is Divine Truth and is called the Word. This also explains why here Aaron is called his ‘prophet’, and in a previous place his ‘mouth’, that is, one who declares in a way suitable for the understanding Divine Truth which comes forth directly from the Lord and surpasses all understanding And since a prophet is one who teaches and declares Divine Truth in a way suitable for the understanding, ‘a prophet’ also means the teachings of the Church, a subject dealt with in what follows next.
* Reading si (if) which accords with the Greek and which Sw. has in another place where he quotes this verse, for sic (thus).

AC (Elliott) n. 7269 7269. ‘And Aaron your brother will be your prophet’ means doctrinal teachings derived from it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘prophet’ as the truth contained in doctrinal teachings, thus teachings derived from the Word, dealt with in 2534. For more about the representation of ‘Aaron’ as the teachings of the Church or teachings derived from the Word which present what is good and true, see 6998, 7009, 7089. Since ‘prophet’ means doctrinal teachings, its meaning in a more precise and limited sense is, in accordance with what has been stated immediately above at the end of 7268, a teacher.

AC (Elliott) n. 7270 7270. ‘You Shall speak all that I command you, [and Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh,] means the reception of Divine influx, and communication. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’, who is to speak, as Divine Truth, and from the representation of ‘Aaron as teachings derived from it, both dealt with in 7089; from the meaning of ‘speaking’ as influx and the reception of it, dealt with in 5797; and from the meaning of ‘commanding’ too as influx, dealt with in 5486, 5732, here the reception of influx. From all this it is evident that ‘speaking’ means the influx of Divine Truth in an indirect way into doctrinal teachings, that is, with the teacher, (for it is implied that Moses, representing Divine Truth, was to speak what Jehovah commanded to Aaron, who represents doctrinal teachings or the teacher, thus to him who was to communicate it) and that ‘commanding’ means a direct Divine influx into the Divine Law, which ‘Moses’ represents.

[2] How these matters are to be understood may be seen from what has been stated already in 7009, 7010, Where it is shown that ‘Moses’ represents truth that comes forth directly from the Divine, and that ‘Aaron’ represents the truth that comes forth in an indirect way. Anyone unacquainted with the nature of order consisting in consecutive degrees cannot be acquainted with the nature of influx either. Therefore let a brief statement be made on this subject. Since truth which comes forth directly from the Lord is from the Infinite and Divine Being Himself, it cannot be received at all by any living, finite substance, thus not by any angel. This being so, the Lord created degrees consecutively descending to serve as the means by which Divine Truth coming forth directly from Him could be communicated. But the first degree away from Him is still too full of the Divine to enable that Truth to be received by any living, finite substance, and so by any angel. On account of this the Lord created a further degree down, by which Divine Truth coming forth directly from Him was to some extent able to be received. This degree is God’s truth which exists in heaven. These first two degrees are above the heavens; they are like belts, made radiant by a fiery source, which surround the Sun, which is the Lord. This is the nature of the consecutive degrees of order down to the heaven nearest to the Lord, which is the third heaven where the innocent and wise live. From there consecutive degrees continue down to the lowest heaven, and from the lowest heaven down to the degree of the senses and the body in man, the last in the series to receive influx.

[3] From all this it is clear that degrees one after another continue from Him who is the First, that is, the Lord, right down to the last and lowest present with man, indeed right down to the last and lowest present in the natural order. The last and lowest degrees present with man, like those in the natural order, are relatively unresponsive and consequently frigid; they are also relatively general and consequently obscure. From this it is also evident that through those consecutive degrees all things exist in a continuous chain linked to the First Being (Esse). And it is in accordance with those degrees that influx takes place; for Divine Truth coming forth directly from Divine Good flows into one degree after another. On the way down or with each new degree it becomes more general, and so grosser and more obscure, and becomes more sluggish, and so more responsive and frigid. All this clarifies the nature of Divine Order consisting of consecutive degrees and consequently of the nature of influx.

[4] But it should be fully recognized that God’s truth, which flows into the third heaven nearest to the Lord, at the same time flows right down into the last and lowest degrees of order as well, without undergoing consecutive degrees of formation. Every single thing at that level is also directly governed and provided by Him who is the First. In this way the consecutive degrees are held together in their proper order and connection. The truth of this may also be recognized to some extent from the law not unknown to the learned in the world that there is only one substance which really is substance. Everything else is a formation from it, and that one and only substance reigns not solely as the form but as that too which is not the form, for instance, as that which gave rise to them. If this were not so, what has been formed could not remain in being and operate. But these matters are stated for him who may be able to understand them.

AC (Elliott) n. 7271 7271. ‘To Send the children of Israel away’ means that they should depart from molestation. This is clear from the representation of Pharaoh, to whom these things were to be said, as those who molest by means of falsities, dealt with in 7107, 7110, 7126, 7142; from the meaning of ‘sending away’ as that they should depart; and from the representation of ‘the children of Israel’ as those who belong to the spiritual Church, as in 6426, 6637, 6862, 6868, 7035, 7062, 7198, 7201, 7215, 7223.

AC (Elliott) n. 7272 7272. ‘And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart’ means obstinacy rising from the evil of falsity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hardening’ as obstinacy. Its rise from the evil of falsity is meant by ‘Pharaoh’s heart’, for in the genuine sense ‘the heart’ means the good which belongs to heavenly love, 3313, 3887, 3889, and therefore in the contrary sense it means hellish evil. And the reason why it is the evil of falsity is that ‘Pharaoh’ represents those who are steeped in falsity. The evil of falsity is anything which traces its origin back to basic ideas of falsity. Take for example the idea, such as existed among the Israelites and Jews, that they were made holy by means of external acts – by sacrifices, washings, or the sprinkling of blood – and that they were not made holy through charity and faith, thus that they were holy even though their lives were filled with hatred, vengeance, plundering, savagery, and the like. These evils are what are called the evils of falsity, because they trace their origin back to basic ideas of falsity.

[2] Take as another example a person who believes that faith alone saves and that the works of charity contribute nothing to salvation, a person who also believes that he can be saved even in his final hour before death, no matter what kind of life he has been leading throughout the whole course of his life. If on the basis of these ideas he leads a life devoid of any charity and is filled with contempt for others, enmity and hatred towards anyone who does not pay him respect, the desire for revenge, the craving to deprive others of their goods, lack of pity, trickery, and deceit, these evils too are evils of falsity. They are such because he convinces himself on the basis of a falsity either that they are not evils or that even if they were evils they would nevertheless be purged, provided that before he breathed his last he declared with apparent trust his belief that the Lord is the Mediator and that sins are purged through His passion on the Cross.

[3] Take as yet another example those who approach people who have died, make supplication to them as saints, and so venerate them, even images of them. The evil contained in that practice is the evil of falsity. Doers of the evil of falsity all believe that falsity is the truth, and consequently that evil either is not evil or else cannot cause damnation. It is similar with those who believe that sins can be pardoned by mere human beings, and also with those who believe that they can be brought into heaven, regardless of their sins, that is, of their foul spiritual odour and stench. In short the evils of falsity are as many in number as the falsities of faith and worship. Such evils do cause condemnation, but not to so great an extent as evils that have their origin in evil. Evils that have their origin in evil are those which exist as a result of a desire welling up from self-love and love of the world.

AC (Elliott) n. 7273 7273. ‘And multiply My signs and My wonders’ means forewarnings of every kind, and that not a thing will be wanting. This is clear from the meaning of ‘signs and wonders’ as proofs of the truth, dealt with in 3900, 6870, 7012, and also as the means used by Divine power, 6910, here as forewarnings, for those signs and wonders let them see that they were immersed in falsities and also let them behold Divine power, as a result of which they were forewarned. The reason for saying that forewarnings of every kind are being presented to those steeped in falsities, and that not a thing will be wanting, is that the damnation of those governed by evils does not take place in a single moment when they enter the next life, only after they have first been visited, that is, been examined. Examinations are made to the end that those people may see for themselves that they are inescapably damned because they have led no other kind of life, and to the end also that spirits and angels may know what those people have been like. Thus they can no longer exonerate themselves or be exonerated by others.

[2] The order that governs the manner in which they are examined is the order involving God’s truth; and the nature of this is such that nothing whatever is wanting. When this order involving God’s truth is applied to the evil who are damned it is different from what it is when applied to the good who are saved. The difference is that when that order is applied to the evil who are damned God’s truth is separated from Divine Good, that is, from mercy because those people have not accepted Divine Good, and so have refused mercy. But when that order is applied to the good who are saved God’s truth is coupled with Divine Good, and so with mercy because they have accepted Divine Good, and so the Lord’s mercy. Step by step as the evil undergo orderly examination they are also judged and condemned. From this one may see that forewarnings of every kind are presented, in order that not a thing may be wanting before they are condemned to hell. These are what is also meant by the signs and miracles performed in Egypt, before the firstborn were annihilated and the Egyptians were destroyed in the Sea Suph, the Sea Suph being hell.

AC (Elliott) n. 7274 7274. ‘In the land of Egypt’ means where those who engage in molestation are. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the land of Egypt’ as the place where those steeped in falsities who engage in molestation are, dealt with in 7240.

AC (Elliott) n. 7275 7275. ‘And Pharaoh will not hear you’ means that those steeped in falsities are not going to accept. This is clear from what has been stated previously in 7224, Where similar words occur.

AC (Elliott) n. 7276 7276. ‘And I will lay My hand on the Egyptians’ means that they will therefore be coerced by means of Divine power. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hand’ as power, dealt with in 878, 4931-4937, 5327, 5328, 7011, 7188, 7189, and – when Jehovah speaks about Himself, and mentions His ‘hand’ – as Divine power; and from the meaning of ‘the Egyptians’ as those steeped in falsities who engage in molestation, dealt with previously. From this it is evident that ‘I will lay My hand on the Egyptians’ means that those steeped in falsities will be coerced by means of Divine power.

AC (Elliott) n. 7277 7277. ‘And will lead My army, My people, the children of Israel’ means that those among whom forms of good and truths are present are to be delivered. This is clear from the meaning of ‘leading out’ as delivering; from the meaning of ‘army’ as all kinds of good within truths, dealt with in 7236, thus those among whom forms of good, and truths from these, are present; from the meaning of ‘people’ as that which has reference to those in whom spiritual good and truth are present, dealt with in 1259, 1260, 3295, 3581, 4619, thus those who belong to the spiritual Church, 2928, 7207; and from the representation of ‘the children of Israel’ as those who belong to the spiritual Church, dealt with above in 7271, thus those in whom forms of good and truths are present.

AC (Elliott) n. 7278 7278. ‘Cut of the land of Egypt’ means from molestations. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the land of Egypt’ as the place where those steeped in falsities who engage in molestation are, dealt with in 7240, 7274, thus molestations also. For ‘the land’ means the actual nation; and the nation in the internal sense means that which is associated with the nation, and therefore means molestation in this instance.

AC (Elliott) n. 7279 7279. ‘With great judgements’ means in accordance with the laws of order. This is clear from what has been stated already in 7206.

AC (Elliott) n. 7280 7280. ‘And may the Egyptians know that I am Jehovah’ means that they will have a fear of the Divine. This is clear from the meaning of ‘knowing that I am Jehovah’ as having a fear of the Divine, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘the Egyptians’ as those who are steeped in falsities and engage in molestation. As regards the fear which those steeped in falsities and engaging in molestation will have of the Divine, it should be recognized that fear is the one and only means by which those in hell can be constrained and held in bonds. For fear is a bond shared by both those who are upright and those who are evil. But with the upright it is an inward fear, that is, fear for their salvation, or fear lest they should lose their own souls, to be exact, and on that account lest they should do anything contrary to conscience, that is, contrary to the truth and goodness which compose conscience. Consequently they fear lest they should do anything contrary to what is just and fair, thus contrary to their neighbour. But this fear becomes holy fear to the extent that it is wedded to charitable affection in them, and especially to the extent that it is wedded to love to the Lord. Such fear then becomes like that which young children feel towards their parents whom they love. When this happens, then so far as they are governed by the good of love fear is not apparent; but so far as they are not governed by good it is apparent, and develops into anxiety. This is what the fear of God is like to which the Word refers many times.

[2] But with those who are evil there is no inward fear – no fear for their salvation – and therefore no fear that belongs to conscience, for in the world they completely rejected that kind of fear both by the life they led and by basic ideas of falsity that were used to justify it. But in place of inward fear there is with them an outward fear, the fear, to be exact, lest they should be stripped of important positions, monetary gain, and reputation on account of these, be legally punished, and be deprived of life. These are the things that those governed by evil fear for when they are in the world. And on entering the next life, since they cannot be constrained and held in bonds by inward fear, they are held in bonds by outward fear, which is instilled into them by means of punishments. These give them a fear of doing evil, which at length becomes a fear of the Divine, though it is, as has been stated, an outward fear, which is devoid of any wish to refrain from doing evil that is motivated by an affection for good. Any such wish is motivated only by a great fear of punishments, which finally they utterly dread.

[3] From all this one may now see that fear is the one and only means by which people are held in bonds. One may see that outward fear, the fear of punishments, is the one and only means by which the evil are constrained, and that this is what causes the torment suffered by the evil in hell. For the evil, on entering the next life, when the outward bonds which they had in the world are taken away from them and they are left to their own desires, are like wild beasts, simply longing to exercise dominion and to destroy any who do not support them. This is the greatest delight of their life; for to the extent that anyone loves himself he hates others who do not support him, and to the extent that each one has hatred within him the delight of destroying is present within him. But in the world that delight lies hidden.

AC (Elliott) n. 7281 7281. ‘When I stretch out My hand over the Egyptians’ means when they become aware of the Divine power over them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hand’, when used in reference to the Divine, as Divine power, dealt with above in 7276, from which one may see what is meant by ‘sitting on God’s right hand’, namely almighty power; and from the meaning of ‘the Egyptians’ as those who are steeped in falsities and engage in molestation, dealt with previously.

AC (Elliott) n. 7282 7282. ‘And I will lead the children of Israel out of the midst of them’ means and when they come to see that those who belong to the spiritual Church are being delivered. This is clear from the meaning of ‘leading out’ as being delivered, as above in 7177; and from the meaning of ‘the children of Israel’ as those who belong to the spiritual Church, dealt with above in 7271.

AC (Elliott) n. 7283 7283. ‘And Moses and Aaron did so; as Jehovah had commanded, so they did’ means that the things which had been said were also done. This becomes clear without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 7284 7284. ‘And Moses was a son of eighty years’ means the state and essential nature of the law from God. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the law from God, dealt with in 6771, 6827; and from the meaning of ‘eighty years as the state and essential nature of the law from God, that is to say, among those who belonged to the spiritual Church, at the first time of visitation. What is meant specifically by ‘eighty’ cannot be stated because it entails the entire state and nature of the law from God among them at that time. ‘Eighty’ can mean a state of temptations, see 1963, and when it does so it entails the same meaning as forty. But because it is also the product of ten multiplied by eight, the meaning of eighty must be sought from these numbers as well. For what is meant by ten, see 576, 1906, 1988, 2284, 3107, 4638; and for what is meant by eight, 2044, 2866. In general all numbers serve to mean spiritual realities, and more particularly the states and essential nature of those realities, see 482, 487, 575, 647, 648, 755, 813, 1963, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 4495, 4670, 5265, 5191, 5335, 5708, 6175.

AC (Elliott) n. 7285 7285. ‘And Aaron a son of eighty-three years’ means the state and essential nature of the doctrinal teachings. This is clear from the representation of ‘Aaron’ as the teachings of the Church, dealt with in 6998, 7009, 7089; and from the meaning of the number ‘eighty-three’ as the state and essential nature, that is to say, of those teachings. But what that state and essential nature are specifically cannot be known unless that number is broken down into the simple numbers from which it is compounded, and these are then applied to the people among whom the doctrinal teachings exist. For more about numbers in the Word, see immediately above in 7284.

AC (Elliott) n. 7286 7286. ‘When they spoke to Pharaoh’ means when those things were commanded. This is clear from the meaning of ‘speaking to’ as a command, dealt with in 7240; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as those who are steeped in falsities and engage in molestation, dealt with in 7107, 7110, 7126, 7141.

AC (Elliott) n. 7287 7287. Verses 8-13 And Jehovah said to Moses and to Aaron – He said, When Pharaoh says to you – when he says, Perform a wonder;* you shall say to Aaron, Take your rod and throw it down in front of Pharaoh. It will then be a water-serpent. And Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did so, as Jehovah had commanded; and Aaron threw down his rod in front of Pharaoh, and in front of his servants, and it was made into a water-serpent. And Pharaoh also called the wise men and sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did so with their enchantments. And they threw down each one his rod, and they were made into water-serpents; and Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. And Pharaoh’s heart was unyielding, and he did not hear** them, as Jehovah had spoken.

‘And Jehovah said to Moses and to Aaron – He said’ means instruction. ‘When Pharaoh says to you’ means if they entertain doubt regarding the Divine. ‘When he says, Perform a wonder’ means and they therefore wish to receive proof. ‘You shall say to Aaron’ means influx and communication. ‘Take your rod and throw it down in front of Pharaoh’ means power which is demonstrated. ‘It will then be a water-serpent’ means by the prospect that sheer illusions and resulting falsities will reign among them. ‘And Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did so, as Jehovah had commanded’ means putting it into effect. ‘And Aaron threw down his rod in front of Pharaoh and his servants, and it was made into a water-serpent’ means that sheer illusions and resulting falsities reigned among them. ‘And Pharaoh also called the wise men and sorcerers’ means a misuse of Divine order. ‘And they also, the magicians of Egypt, did so with their enchantments’ means that thus to outward appearances they did something similar, by perverting the ends that order has in view. ‘And they threw down each one his rod, and they were made into water-serpents’ means power derived from order by which they became obtuse in their discernment of truth. ‘And Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods’ means that this power was taken away from them. ‘And Pharaoh’s heart was unyielding’ means obstinacy. ‘And he did not hear them’ means that those governed by evils arising from falsities were unreceptive. As Jehovah had spoken’ means as accorded with what had been foretold.
* lit. Give for yourselves a wonder
** lit. hear towards

AC (Elliott) n. 7288 7288. ‘And Jehovah said to Moses and to Aaron – He said’ means instruction. This is clear from the meaning of Jehovah said’ as instruction, dealt with in 6879, 6881, 6883, 6891.

AC (Elliott) n. 7289 7289. ‘When Pharaoh says to you’ means if they entertain doubt regarding the Divine. This is clear from what comes immediately after – ‘If Pharaoh says, Show a wonder’ – which plainly implies doubt regarding the Divine. For requiring a wonder means doubting something until it has been proved to the senses.

AC (Elliott) n. 7290 7290. ‘When he says, Perform a wonder’ means and they therefore wish to receive proof. This is clear from the meaning of ‘wonders and signs’ as proofs or corroborations of truths, dealt with in 3900, 6870. With regard to the wonders and signs described in what follows from here onwards, it should be realized that they were performed among the kind of people whose worship was external and who had no wish to know about internal worship. For those whose worship was like that had to be coerced by means of external things. This explains why miracles were performed among the Israelite and Jewish people, for their worship was entirely external and not at all internal. What is more, since they had no liking for internal worship, external worship was the kind they were required to engage in, to the end that they might represent things of a holy nature within their external observances. This would establish a channel of communication with heaven as if through something of a Church. For correspondences, representatives, and meaningful signs link the natural world to the spiritual world. This then was why so many miracles were performed among that nation.

[2] But no miracles are performed among those whose worship is internal, that is, who have charity and faith residing with them, since miracles are harmful to them; for miracles compel one to believe, and what one is compelled to believe does not remain but is thrown to the winds. The internal constituents of their worship, which are faith and charity, must be implanted in freedom; for then they make them their own and what they make their own in this way remains, whereas what is implanted under compulsion remains outside the internal man, in the external man. This is because nothing passes into the internal man except by way of ideas seen in the understanding, that is, seen rationally, since the soil which receives what is implanted in the internal man is enlightened reason. This is why no miracles are performed at the present day. One may also conclude from this that they are harmful, for they compel a person to believe something and give the external man fixed ideas about the truth of it. If after that the internal man refuses to believe what the miracles have proved, the internal man and the external become opposed to and clash with each other, and when at length the ideas implanted under the influence of miracles are driven to the winds, falsity becomes joined to truth, that is, profanation occurs. This shows how harmful miracles are at the present day in a Church in which the internal qualities constituting worship have been made known. This is also what is meant by the Lord’s words to Thomas,

Because you have seen Me, Thomas, you have believed; blessed are those who do not see yet believe. John 20:29.

This shows too that they are ‘blessed’, those whose belief is not induced by miracles.

[3] But miracles are not harmful to those whose worship is external, devoid of anything internal, for with them no opposition between the internal man and the external is possible, nor thus any clashing, nor consequently any profanation. The fact that miracles do not make any contribution towards faith becomes quite clear from the miracles performed among the Israelite people in Egypt and in the wilderness; those miracles had no effect whatever on them. Although those people had not long before seen so many miracles in Egypt, after which they had seen the Sea Suph divided, and the Egyptians drowned in it, with the pillar of cloud going before them by day and the pillar of fire by night, and with the manna raining from heaven each day; and although they had seen Mount Sinai smoking and heard Jehovah speaking from it, and other miracles besides, nevertheless, while yet in the midst of such wonders, they fell completely away from faith, and from worship of Jehovah to calf-worship, Exod. 32:1-end. From this one may see what effect miracles have.

[4] They would have even less effect at the present day when nobody acknowledges that there is anything which has its origin in the spiritual world, and when anything miraculous that occurs and is not attributed to natural causes is refused recognition. For a refusal to recognize that the Divine flows in and governs on earth reigns everywhere. If at the present day therefore one who belongs to the Church were to witness utterly Divine miracles, he would first deduce that they had a natural origin and sully them with this, then dismiss them as fantasies, and finally mock whoever attributed them to the Divine and not to natural causes. The fact that miracles have no effect at all is also clear from the Lord’s words in Luke,

If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead. Luke 16:31.

AC (Elliott) n. 7291 7291. ‘You shall say to Aaron’ means influx and communication – of the law of God, represented by Moses, with the doctrinal teachings, represented by ‘Aaron’. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’, when done by Moses to Aaron, as influx and communication, as in 6291. Here ‘saying’ is similar in meaning to ‘speaking’, namely both influx and communication, which is meant by ‘speaking’, see 7270. The only way that this influx and communication can be expressed in the historical narratives of the Word is by the words ‘saying and ‘speaking’. The reason why the law of God, represented by ‘Moses’, was to flow into the doctrinal teachings, represented by ‘Aaron’, is that the law of God is internal truth, while doctrinal teachings are external truth; and it is a general rule that internal things flow into external, not the other way round, for the reason that internal things are more refined than external, whereas external things are grosser, being generalized expressions of the internal ones.

AC (Elliott) n. 7292 7292. ‘Take your rod and throw it down in front of Pharaoh’ means power which is demonstrated. This is clear from the meaning of ‘rod’ as power, dealt with in 4013, 4015, 4876, 4936, 6947, 7011, 7026; and from the meaning of ‘throwing down in front of Pharaoh’ as demonstrating, for what is thrown down before people’s eyes is being demonstrated.

AC (Elliott) n. 7293 7293. ‘It will then be a water-serpent’ means by the prospect that sheer illusions and resulting falsities will reign among them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a serpent’ as the sensory and bodily level of mind, dealt with in 6949, and therefore illusions since that level of mind when separated from the rational level, that is, when not subordinate to it, is filled with illusions, to such an extent that it consists of scarcely anything else than illusions, see 6948, 6949. ‘A water-serpent’ is what is meant here; for in the original language the same word is used for this kind of serpent as that which is used to refer to a monster that is a very large fish of the sea; and ‘a (sea-)monster’ means factual knowledge in general.

When therefore falsities resulting from illusions are meant by ‘the Egyptians’, that word used in the original language denotes a serpent – a water-serpent since it can also be used to refer to the monster living in water and ‘the water of Egypt’ means falsities.

[2] The fact that Pharaoh or Egypt is called ‘a monster’ is clear in Ezekiel,

Speak and say, Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers. Ezek. 29:3.

In the same prophet,

Son of man, raise a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him, You have become like a young lion of the nations, you are like monsters in the seas, and you have come forth with your rivers; you have stirred up your rivers Ezek. 32:2.

Here ‘monster’ means known facts in general which, being the product of what a person’s senses tell him, are used to pervert matters of faith. The reason why ‘monster’ means factual knowledge in general is that ‘a fish’ means that knowledge in particular, 40, 991. And since known facts perverting the truths of faith are meant by ‘monsters’, reasonings based on illusions, which give rise to falsities, are also meant by the same word.

[3] The same things are meant by ‘monsters’ in David,

You broke up the sea by your strength; you broke the heads of the monsters upon the waters. Ps 74:13.

Much the same is also meant by ‘leviathan’ in Isaiah,

On that day Jehovah will make a visitation with His hard and great and strong sword upon Leviathan the full-length serpent,* and upon Leviathan the twisting serpent, and He will slay the monsters that are in the sea. Isa. 27:1.

And in David,

You broke in pieces the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food to the people, the Ziim. Ps 74:14.

In the good sense ‘Leviathan’ stands for reason based on truths, in Job 41:1-34; reason based on truths is the opposite of reasonings based on falsities.

[4] Since ‘monsters’ means reasonings that are based on illusions and pervert truths, ‘water-serpents’ – the word for which in the original language is the same as that used for ‘monsters’ – means the actual falsities resulting from illusions which give rise to reasonings and lead to perversions of the truth. Falsities are meant by such ‘serpents’ in the following places: In Isaiah,

The iim will reply in its palaces, and serpents in the delightful palaces. Isa. 13:22.

In the same prophet,

Thorns will come up into its palaces, thistle and brier in its fortifications, so that it may be a dwelling-place of serpents, a courtyard for daughters of the owl. Isa. 34:13.

In the same prophet,

In the dwelling-place of serpents will his bed be, grass instead of reed and rush. Isa. 35:7.

In Jeremiah,

I will make Jerusalem heaps of rubble, the dwelling-place of serpents. Jer. 9:11.

In Malachi,

I have turned the mountains of Esau into a waste, and his inheritance into [a place] for the serpents of the wilderness. Mal. 1:3.

In all these places ‘serpents’ stands for falsities on which reasonings are based.

[5] The same things are also meant by ‘dragons’, but ‘dragons’ are reasonings that spring from self-love and love of the world, thus from desires for what is evil, which pervert not only truths but forms of good as well. These reasonings are produced by people who in their hearts repudiate the truths and forms of the good of faith, but affirm them with their lips because of their intense desire to obtain dominance and gain. Thus such reasonings are also produced by those who render truths and forms of good profane. Both of these kinds of people are meant by ‘the dragon, the serpent of old, who is called the devil and satan, who leads the whole world astray’, Rev. 12:9, and also by this same dragon which persecuted the woman who had given birth to a son who was caught up to God and to His throne, Rev. 11:5, and which emitted water from its mouth like a river, to swallow up the woman, Rev. 12:13, 15.

[6] The son to whom the woman had given birth is Divine Truth now revealed at the present day, ‘the woman’ being the Church. ‘The dragon, the serpent’ is those who are going to persecute it, and ‘the water like a river which the dragon emitted’ is falsities arising out of evil and the resulting reasonings which they are going to use in their endeavour to destroy the woman, that is, the Church. But the fact that they will not at all accomplish this is described by the statement that ‘the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon emitted’, Rev. 12:16.
* i.e. a serpent that is on the move and not coiled up

AC (Elliott) n. 7294 7294. ‘And Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did so, as Jehovah had commanded’ means putting it into effect. This becomes clear without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 7295 7295. ‘And Aaron threw down his rod in front of Pharaoh and his servants, and it was made into a water-serpent’ means that sheer illusions and resulting falsities reigned among them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘throwing down the rod’ as demonstrating power, dealt with just above in 7292; from the representation of ‘Pharaoh and his servants’ as those who molest by means of falsities; and from the meaning of ‘a water-serpent’ as illusions and resulting falsities, dealt with just above in 7293.

[2] This wonder means the first warning given to those who molest to leave off. The situation with the evil who molest the upright in the next life is this: When they first enter that life from the world they have good spirits and angels attached to them, as they did when they were people living in the body; for even wicked people also have angels present with them, the reason being that they are then able to turn, if they will, towards heaven, receive what flows in from there, and be reformed. Consequently, since their life in its entirety follows them into the next life, they live initially in association with angels. But as they are by nature such, because of the life they led in the world, that they cannot receive the inflow of truth and goodness from heaven, the angels and good spirits then gradually depart from them. And as these depart, those people become less and less rational. For the ability to be rational comes from the Lord by way of heaven.

[3] The first stage in the removal and deprivation of the inflow of truth and goodness is what is described here by Aaron’s rod being turned into a serpent, meaning that sheer illusions would reign, and falsities resulting from them. The second stage is described by the waters of Egypt being turned into blood, meaning that actual truths were falsified. The third stage is that of the frogs which crawled out of the waters, meaning reasonings based on utter falsities, and so on. By such stages too the evil in the next life are deprived of their understanding of what is true and
good.

AC (Elliott) n. 7296 7296. ‘And Pharaoh also called the wise men and sorcerers’ means a misuse of Divine order. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the wise men’ as those with a knowledge of spiritual realities and of their correspondence with natural things; (since these things were of a mystical nature those who studied and taught them were called ‘the wise’ among them. And because the Egyptians devoted themselves to such things they called themselves ‘a son of the wise’ and ‘a son of the kings of old’, as is evident in Isaiah,

How do you say to Pharaoh, I am a son of the wise, a son of the kings of old?

The Egyptians called a body of knowledge about spiritual realities wisdom, as did the Chaldeans also, Jer. 50:35;) and from the meaning of ‘sorcerers’ as those who pervert Divine order, thus those who pervert the laws of order. The fact that sorcery and magic have no other meaning than this may be recognized from sorcerers and magicians in the next life, where there are large numbers of them. For people who during their lifetime have used guile and devised many tricks to cheat others, and being successful have at length attributed all things to their own prudence, acquire a knowledge in the next life of magical practices. These are nothing but misuses of Divine order, especially of correspondences; for Divine order requires that every single thing should possess some correspondence. Hands, arms, and shoulders, for example, correspond to power, and therefore a rod does so too; and knowing this they fashion rods for themselves and also, in representative form, produce shoulders, arms, and hands, and then use them to exercise magical power. They can do the same with thousands of other things. A misuse of order and of correspondences exists when things that belong to order are not applied to good ends but to evil ones, for example to exercising control over others and bringing about their destruction; for salvation, thus the doing of good to all, is the end that order holds in view. From this one may see what one is to understand by a misuse of order, meant by ‘the sorcerers’.

AC (Elliott) n. 7297 7297. ‘And they also, the magicians of Egypt, did so with their enchantments’ means that thus to outward appearances they did something similar, by perverting the ends that order has in view. This is clear from the meaning of ‘they also did’, when said in reference to the magicians of Egypt, as presenting something that to outward appearances is similar, for the effects that flow from order are not altered by its misuse but are similar in outward form though they are not similar in inward form since they are contrary to the ends that order has in view; and from the meaning of ‘enchantments’ as the actual tricks that are used to pervert order. Sorceries and enchantments where they are mentioned in the Word mean the art of presenting falsities to look like truths and of presenting truths to look like falsities, which is done especially by means of illusions.

[2] These things are meant by ‘sorceries’ and ‘enchantments’ in the following places: In Isaiah,

But these two things will come to you in a moment in one day – loss of children and widowhood. They will come upon you in their fullness on account of the multitude of your sorceries, because of the very great abundance of your enchantments. Persist in your enchantments, and in the multitude of your sorceries, in which you have laboured from your youth. Isa. 47:9, 12.

This refers to Babel and the Chaldeans. In the same prophet,

Draw nearer, sons of the sorceress, seed of the adulterer, and [of her who] committed whoredom. Isa. 57:3.

In Nahum,

Woe to the city of blood,* because of the multitude of the acts of whoredom of a harlot of goodly grace,** the mistress of sorceries, the seller of nations through her acts of whoredom, and of families through her sorceries. Nahum 3:1, 4.

‘The city of blood’ stands for the falsification of truth, ‘the acts of whoredom’ for falsified good of truth, and ‘sorceries’ for tricks used to present falsities as truths and truths as falsities.

[3] In Malachi,

I will draw near to you to judgement, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against adulterers, and against those who swear falsely. Mal. 3:5.

In John,

By your enchantment all nations were led astray. Rev. 18:13.

This refers to Babylon. In Micah,

I will cut off your horses from your midst and destroy your chariots, and I will cut off the cities of your land and pull down all your fortifications, and I will cut off sorceries from your hand. Micah 9:10-12.

From this quotation it is evident that ‘sorceries’ means tricks used to present truths as falsities and falsities as truths. For by ‘the horses’ which are to be cut off are meant things of the understanding, 2761, 2762, 7217, 5321, 6125, 6534; by ‘the chariots’ which are to be destroyed are meant matters of doctrine concerning truth, 2760, 5321; by ‘the cities of the land’ which are also going to be cut off are meant the Church’s truths – ‘cities’ being truths, 2268, 2451, 2712, 2943, 4492, 4493, and ‘the land’ the Church, 662, 1067, 1262, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577; and by ‘fortifications’ are meant truths insofar as they protect forms of good. From all this one may now know what is meant by the ‘sorceries which are to be cut off from their hand, namely tricks used to present truths as falsities and falsities as truths. These tricks also correspond to the delusions which the evil in the next life employ to make a visual presentation of beautiful things as loathsome ones and loathsome things as beautiful ones. These delusions as well are a type of sorceries, since they too are misuses and inversions of Divine order.
* lit. bloods
** The Latin means cause but the Hebrew means grace, which Sw. has in another place where he quotes this verse.

AC (Elliott) n. 7298 7298. ‘And they threw down each one his rod, and they were made into water-serpents’ means power derived from order by which they became obtuse in their discernment of truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘throwing down the rod’ as a demonstration of power, dealt with in 7292; and from the meaning of ‘water-serpents’ as falsities resulting from illusions, dealt with in 7293, here obtuseness in the discernment of truth, for when illusions prevent people from discerning truths, that ability is also made obtuse or is blunted. A like blunting of it is also brought about by magicians in the next life; they achieve it by the misuse and perversion of order. For they know how to remove influences coming in from heaven; and once they have done that the ability to discern truth is blunted. They also know how to introduce illusions and present them in light that is seemingly the light of truth, and how at the same time to blur actual truths. They know too how to instill false belief and thereby blunt a person’s ability to discern truth, besides other ways of producing the same effect. When that ability has been blunted falsities are seen as truths, and these are meant by sorceries and enchantments. From all this one may see how magicians can produce something which to outward appearances looks similar [to Aaron’s miracle].

[2] In addition it should be recognized that it is in accordance with the laws of order that no one should become convinced of the truth instantaneously, that is, should instantaneously be made so sure of the truth that he is left in no doubt at all about it. The reason for this is that when truth is impressed on a person in that kind of way, he becomes so fully convinced of it that it cannot be broadened in any way or qualified in any way. Truth like this is represented in the next life as that which is hard, not allowing good into itself to make it pliable. This goes to explain why in the next life as soon as some truth is presented through plain experience to good spirits, some opposing idea giving rise to doubt is presented. In this way they are led to think and ponder over whether it is indeed a truth, gather reasons in support of it, and so introduce that truth into their minds by the use of reason. This enables their spiritual vision in respect of that truth to be broadened, seeing even into the ideas that are opposed to it. They therefore see and perceive with their understanding every characteristic of the truth, and from this are able to let in the influences coming from heaven as the situation demands; for truths take varying forms as dictated by circumstances. This is also the reason why the magicians were allowed to do the same as Aaron had done; for in that way a miracle performed among the children of Israel was placed in doubt as to whether it was Divine, and that gave them the opportunity to think and ponder over whether it was Divine before at length assuring themselves that it was.

AC (Elliott) n. 7299 7299. ‘And Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods’ means that this power was taken away from them. This is clear from the meaning of swallowing up’ as taking away; and from the meaning of ‘rod’ as power, dealt with above in 7292. From magicians in the next life too the power to misuse order and pervert its laws is removed, in a two-fold manner – 1 The angels, with the Lord’s Divine power, cancel the magicians’ magic spells, when these are cast to do ill to the upright. The angels’ power from the Lord is so great that all such spells are instantly undone. 2 Magic is removed from them altogether, so that they can no longer accomplish anything of the sort.

AC (Elliott) n. 7300 7300. ‘And Pharaoh’s heart was unyielding’ means obstinacy. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the heart being unyielding’ as obstinacy, as above in 7272.

AC (Elliott) n. 7301 7301. ‘And he did not hear them’ means that those governed by evils arising from falsities were unreceptive. This is clear from what has been stated above in 7224, 7275. For ‘Pharaoh’, to whom the words ‘he did not hear’ refer here, represents those who are steeped in falsities and engage in molestation; and to the extent that they engage in molestation they are governed by evil that arises from falsities, since molestation springs from evil and is effected by means of falsities.

AC (Elliott) n. 7302 7302. ‘As Jehovah had spoken’ means as accorded with what had been foretold. This is clear without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 7303 7303. Verses 14-24 And Jehovah said to Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is inflexible; he refuses to send the people away. Go to Pharaoh [in the morning; behold, he goes out to the water]. And you are to stand so as to meet him beside the bank of the river; and the rod which was turned into a serpent, take in your hand. And you shall say to him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying, Send My people away, and let them serve Me in the wilderness; and behold, you have not heard up to now. Thus said Jehovah, In this you will know that I am Jehovah – behold, I strike with the rod which is in my hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they will be turned into blood. And the fish that are in the river will die, and the river will stink; and the Egyptians will find it difficult* to drink water from the river. And Jehovah said to Moses, Say to Aaron, Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over every gathering of their waters, and they will be blood; and there will be blood in all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone. And Moses and Aaron did so, as Jehovah had commanded; and he lifted up the rod and struck the waters which were in the river, before the eyes of Pharaoh and before the eyes of his servants. And all the waters which were in the river were converted into blood. And the fish which were in the river died, and the river stank, and the Egyptians were unable to drink water from the river; and there was blood in the entire land of Egypt. And the magicians of Egypt did the same with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart was unyielding, and he did not hear** them, as Jehovah had spoken. And Pharaoh looked back and went to his house, and he did not take even this to heart.*** And all the Egyptians dug round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink from the waters of the river.

‘And Jehovah said to Moses’ means Divine instruction. ‘Pharaoh’s heart is inflexible; he refuses to send the people away’ means that they were obstinately determined not to leave those whom they were molesting. ‘Go to Pharaoh in the morning’ means being raised to stronger proofs. ‘Behold, he goes out to the water’ means that at this time those who molested were steeped in falsities resulting from illusions. ‘And you are to stand so as to meet him beside the bank of the river’ means an influx in keeping with the state. ‘And the rod which was turned into a serpent, take in your hand’ means the same power as before. ‘And you shall say to him’ means a command. ‘Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying’ means coming from the Deity of the Church to those who were molesting. ‘Send My people away’ means that they are to leave them. ‘And let them serve Me in the wilderness’ means worship in obscurity. ‘And behold, you have not heard up to now’ means disobedience. ‘And Jehovah said, In this you will know that I am Jehovah’ means in order that they may have a fear of the Divine. ‘Behold, I strike with the rod which is in my hand upon the waters which are in the river’ means power over falsities which are the result of illusions. ‘And they will be turned into blood’ means that they will falsify truths. ‘And the fish that are in the river will die’ means that factual knowledge of truth will be destroyed. ‘And the river will stink’ means an aversion to it. ‘And the Egyptians will find it difficult to drink water from the river’ means so that they would wish to know as little as possible about it. ‘And Jehovah said to Moses’ means putting it into effect. ‘Say to Aaron, Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt’ means power directed against the falsities residing with the molesters. ‘Over their rivers, over their streams’ means against teachings [that consist of falsity]. ‘And over their pools’ means against the factual knowledge subservient to them. ‘And over every gathering of their waters’ means where any falsity exists. ‘And they will be blood’ means that they will falsify truths. ‘And there will be blood in all the land of Egypt’ means total falsification. ‘Both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone’ means of the good of charity and of the truth of faith. ‘And Moses and Aaron did so, as Jehovah had commanded’ means putting it into effect. ‘And he lifted up the rod and struck the waters which were in the river’ means strong power directed against falsities. ‘Before the eyes of Pharaoh and before the eyes of his servants’ means to the discernment of all those who were molesting. ‘And all the waters which were in the river were converted into blood’ means consequent falsification of all truth. ‘And the fish which were in the river died’ means the destruction of factual knowledge of truth too. ‘And the river stank’ means aversion. ‘And the Egyptians were unable to drink water from the river’ means that they wished to know as little as possible about it. ‘And there was blood in the entire land of Egypt’ means total falsification. ‘And the magicians of Egypt did the same with their enchantments’ means that by a misuse of order the falsifiers among them produced something that looked the same. ‘And Pharaoh’s heart was unyielding’ means obstinacy. ‘And he did not hear them’ means non-acceptance and disobedience. ‘As Jehovah had spoken’ means as accorded with what had been foretold. ‘And Pharaoh looked back and went to his house’ means thought and reflection based on falsities. ‘And he did not take this to heart’ means resistance arising in the will and consequent obstinacy. ‘And all the Egyptians dug round about the river for water to drink’ means searching out truth which they could apply to falsities. ‘For they could not drink from the waters of the river’ means non-application through the use of utter falsities.
* lit. will labour
** lit. hear towards
*** i.e. his heart was not moved by that wonder

AC (Elliott) n. 7304 7304. ‘And Jehovah said to Moses’ means Divine instruction. This is clear from the meaning of ‘said’, when something is commanded anew, as instruction, dealt with in 7186, 7267, 7288, at this point – since Jehovah was the speaker – Divine instruction, that is to say, instruction about further action.

AC (Elliott) n. 7305 7305. ‘Pharaoh’s heart is inflexible; he refuses to send the people away’ means that they were obstinately determined not to leave those whom they were molesting. This is clear from the meaning of ‘heart is inflexible’, also ‘unyielding’ and ‘hardened’, as obstinacy, as above in 7272, 7300; from the meaning of ‘refusing to send away’ as not leaving; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’, about whom these things are said, as those who engage in molestation, dealt with previously.

AC (Elliott) n. 7306 7306. ‘Go to Pharaoh in the morning’ means being raised to stronger proofs. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going to Pharaoh’, or entering in to him, as communication, dealt with in 7000,* at this point the communication of proofs that it is the Divine who warns them to leave off their molestations; and from the meaning of ‘the morning’ as a state of enlightenment and revelation, dealt with in 3458, 3713, 5097, 5740, here being raised since the expression is used in reference to those steeped in falsities, who cannot receive enlightenment, yet can be raised to a higher level of awareness. The reason why those steeped in falsities cannot receive enlightenment is that falsities reject and blot out all light that brings enlightenment; only truths accept that light.
* This reference appears to be incorrect. Possibly 6901 is intended.

AC (Elliott) n. 7307 7307. ‘Behold, he goes out to the water’ means that at this time those who molested were steeped in falsities resulting from illusions. This is clear from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as those who molest, dealt with previously; and from the meaning of ‘the water’, here the water of Egypt, as falsities resulting from illusions. The reason why these falsities – falsities resulting from illusions – are meant here is that such falsities are what is meant by ‘the serpent’ that Aaron’s rod was turned into, 7293. For the meaning of ‘water’ as truths and in the contrary sense falsities, see 739, 790, 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976, 5668; and for ‘the river of Egypt’ as falsity, 6693.

AC (Elliott) n. 7308 7308. ‘And you are to stand so as to meet him beside the bank of the river’ means an influx in keeping with the state. This is clear from the meaning of ‘standing to meet’ as influx, for when it says – referring to the law of God, which is represented by ‘Moses’ – that it was to stand so as to meet those steeped in falsities who engage in molestation, who are represented by ‘Pharaoh’, nothing else can be meant by ‘standing to meet’ than influx and consequent reception, and so discernment; and from the meaning of ‘the bank of the river’ as the state of falsity in which those who engaged in molestation would be. ‘The river of Egypt’ means falsity, see 6693, at this point falsity resulting from illusions, 7307; but its ‘bank’, which is so to speak its container, since it encompasses and confines it, is the state in which that falsity exists. For every individual thing has its own state in which and in keeping with which it exists.

AC (Elliott) n. 7309 7309. ‘And the rod which was turned into a serpent, take in your hand’ means the same power as before. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the rod’ as power, dealt with in 4013, 4015, 4876, 4976, 7026 – the same power as before being meant by its saying that he was to take ‘the rod which was turned into a serpent’; and from the meaning of ‘hand’ also as power, but spiritual power, from which natural power, which is ‘the rod’, springs. Both kinds of power are dealt with in 6947, 7011.

AC (Elliott) n. 7310 7310. ‘And you shall say to him’ means a command. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ – when done by the law of God, represented by ‘Moses’, to those who are steeped in falsities, represented by ‘Pharaoh’ – as a command.

AC (Elliott) n. 7311 7311. ‘Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying’ means coming from the Deity of the Church to those who were molesting. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the Hebrews’ as things that constitute the Church, dealt with in 5136, 6675, 6684, 6738, the Deity of the Church being ‘Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews’ (‘Jehovah God’ is the Lord, ‘Jehovah’ in respect of Divine Goodness, and ‘God’ in respect of Divine Truth); and from the meaning of ‘has sent me to you’ as to those who are molesting. The fact that ‘Pharaoh’ to whom Jehovah had sent him represents those who engage in molestation has been shown often.

AC (Elliott) n. 7312 7312. ‘Send My people away’ means that they are to leave them. This is clear without explanation.

AC (Elliott) n. 7313 7313. ‘And let them serve Me in the wilderness’ means worship in obscurity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘serving Jehovah’ as worship; and from the meaning of ‘the wilderness’ as that which is uninhabited and uncultivated, dealt with in 2708, 3900, in the spiritual sense obscurity so far as the good and truth of faith are concerned. That kind of obscurity is meant here by ‘the wilderness’, in general because those who belong to the spiritual Church, who are represented by ‘the children of Israel’, are in obscurity so far as truths of faith are concerned, see 2715, 2716, 2718, 2831, 2849, 2935, 2937, 3833, 4402, and in particular because they are in obscurity when they are emerging from a state of molestations and temptations. For those who are subjected to molestations are surrounded by falsities and buffeted by them like a reed by the wind, so that they swing from doubt to positive acceptance and from positive acceptance to doubt. Consequently when they first rise out of that state they are in obscurity; but then that obscurity is gradually lightened. Because this is what the state which those undergoing molestations is like, the children of Israel were brought into the wilderness, in order that they might represent the condition of those who belonged to the spiritual Church before the Lord’s Coming, and also the condition of those who belong to that Church at the present day and undergo vastation of falsities.

AC (Elliott) n. 7314 7314. ‘And behold, you have not heard up to now’ means disobedience. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hearing’ as obedience, dealt with in 2542, 3869, 5017, 5471, 5475, 7216, so that ‘not hearing’ is disobedience.

AC (Elliott) n. 7315 7315. ‘And Jehovah said, In this you will know that I am Jehovah’ means in order that they may have a fear of the Divine. This is clear from what has been stated above in 7280, Where similar words occur.

AC (Elliott) n. 7316 7316. ‘Behold, I strike with the rod which is in my hand upon the waters which are in the river’ means power over falsities which are the result of illusions. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the rod’ as power, dealt with above in 7309; and from the meaning of ‘the waters which are in the river’ as falsities which are the result of illusions, also dealt with above, in 7307.

AC (Elliott) n. 7317 7317. ‘And they will be turned into blood’ means that they will falsify truths. This is clear from the meaning of ‘blood’ as falsified truth, dealt with in 4735, 6978, ‘blood’ in the genuine sense is truth emanating from the Lord, thus the holiness of faith, this being what is meant by blood in the Holy Supper. But in the contrary sense ‘blood’ is violence done to Divine Truth, and since it is done by means of falsifications, ‘blood’ is the falsification of truth. From this and from what follows it may be seen who specifically are represented by ‘Pharaoh’, or who specifically are meant by those who molest – those within the Church who have declared themselves on the side of faith and have also convinced themselves that faith saves, yet have led a life contrary to the commandments intrinsic to faith. In short they are those whose faith has been false and whose life has been evil.

[2] When these people enter the next life they bring with them the assumption that they are to be introduced into heaven because they were born and baptized within the Church, possessed the Word, and also the teachings drawn from the Word which they had claimed to believe in, and especially because they claimed to believe in the Lord, who suffered for their sins and thereby saved those within the Church who from a knowledge of its teachings claimed to believe in Him. When these people first arrive in the next life from the world they do not wish to know anything about a life of faith and charity. They regard it as of no account, saying that because they have possessed faith all the evils marring their life have been purged and washed away by the blood of the Lamb. But then they are told that these ideas are contrary to the Lord’s words in Matthew, where He says this,

Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy through Your name, and through Your name cast out demons, and do many mighty works in Your name? But then I will confess to them, I do not know you; depart from Me, you workers of iniquity. Everyone who hears My words and does them I liken to a wise man; but everyone hearing My words and not doing them I liken to a foolish man. Matt. 7:11-24, 26.

And in Luke,

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,* I 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.

But when they are told this they reply that only those who possessed faith induced by miracles are meant, not those who possessed the faith of the Church.

[3] But after some time these same people start to learn that none are admitted into heaven apart from those who have led the life of faith, that is, have had charity towards the neighbour. And when they start to learn this they begin to feel contempt for the teachings making up their faith, and their faith itself also. For their faith had not been faith but merely a knowledge of such things as constitute faith; and it had not existed for life’s sake, only for the sake of making gain and having important positions. So it is that they begin to feel contempt for the things which had composed their knowledge of faith, and so cast them aside, soon after which they immerse themselves in falsities opposed to the truths of faith. This is the state in which those who have declared themselves on the side of faith, yet have led a life contrary to faith, come to live. These are the ones who in the next life molest the upright by means of falsities, thus who are meant specifically by ‘Pharaoh’.
* The Latin means them but the Greek means you, which Sw. has in other places where he quotes this verse.

AC (Elliott) n. 7318 7318. ‘And the fish that are in the river will die’ means that factual knowledge of truth will be destroyed. This is clear from the meaning of ‘fish’ as factual knowledge, dealt with in 40, 991, at this point factual knowledge of truth since it says that the fish are going to die because the water they are in has been turned into blood, meaning that such knowledge will be destroyed through falsification; and from the meaning of ‘dying’ as being destroyed. A number of examples will show what the falsification of truth is. Truth is falsified when on the basis of false reasonings people deduce and declare that because no one can do good all by himself good contributes nothing to salvation. Truth is also falsified when they declare that whatever good a person does has self in view and is done for the sake of reward, and this being so, that the works of charity do not need to be performed. Truth is falsified when people declare that because all good has its origin in the Lord a person should not perform anything good at all but should wait for inspiration. Truth is falsified when they declare that truth can exist with a person without the good of charity, thus faith without charity. Truth is falsified when people declare that nobody can enter heaven except him who is wretched and poor, and also when they declare that no one can enter unless he gives all his goods to the poor and reduces himself to a state of wretchedness.

[2] Truth is falsified when people declare that everyone, irrespective of the kind of life he has been leading, can by mercy be admitted into heaven. Truth is falsified further still when they declare that someone has been given the power to admit whomever he chooses into heaven. Truth is falsified when people declare that sins are altogether purged, and washed away like dirt by water. And truth is falsified further still when they declare that somebody has the power to forgive sins, and that when they have been forgiven those sins are altogether purged, making the person pure. Truth is falsified when people declare that the Lord has taken onto Himself and so bears all sins, so that a person can be saved no matter what kind of life he leads. Truth is falsified when they declare that no one is saved except him who is within the Church. The reasonings by means of which falsification is effected are contained in the notion that those who are within the Church have been baptized, possess the Word, know about the Lord, resurrection, eternal life, heaven, and hell, and accordingly know what the faith that enables them to be justified is. Reasonings like these are countless, for not one single truth exists that is incapable of being falsified, and there is no falsification that cannot be substantiated by means of reasonings based on illusions.

AC (Elliott) n. 7319 7319. ‘And the river will stink’ means an aversion to it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘stinking’ as an aversion, dealt with in 7161; and from the meaning of ‘the river’, here the river of Egypt turned into blood, as falsified truth. It should be recognized that in the next life nothing is more abominable and consequently nothing stinks more obnoxiously than profaned truth. It is like the stench of a dead body, which is given off when the living flesh dies. For falsity does not stink unless it is placed alongside truth, nor does evil unless it is placed alongside good; the character of each is recognized not from its own odour but from that of its opposite. From this one may realize the extent to which profaned truth stinks. Profaned truth is falsity blended with truth; but falsified truth is falsity not blended with truth, only attached to truth and dominating it.

AC (Elliott) n. 7320 7320. ‘And the Egyptians will find it difficult to drink water from the river’ means so that they would wish to know as little as possible about it. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the Egyptians’ as those who falsify truths; from the meaning of ‘drinking’ as receiving instruction in truths, dealt with in 3069, 3772, 4017, 4018, so that ‘finding it difficult to drink’ means wishing not to receive instruction, thus wishing to know as little as possible – about truths, that is; and from the meaning of ‘the water of the river’ as falsities, dealt with above in 7307, at this point falsified truths. From all this it is evident that ‘the Egyptians will find it difficult to drink water from the river’ means that those steeped in falsities resulting from illusions would wish to know as little as possible about truths, and so would feel an aversion to them. The reason for the aversion is that the truths which are perverted by means of falsities remain secretly and silently militant, working to dispel the falsities from themselves, and in doing this they cause distress. For if falsities and the conviction they carry are to any small extent removed truths are damning.

AC (Elliott) n. 7321 7321. ‘And Jehovah said to Moses’ means putting it into effect. This is clear from the things stated next, for they are implied in ‘Jehovah said’.

AC (Elliott) n. 7322 7322. ‘Say to Aaron, Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt’ means power directed against the falsities residing with the molesters. This is clear from the meaning of ‘rod’ as natural power, and from the meaning of ‘hand’ as spiritual power, both dealt with above in 7309, so that ‘taking the rod, and stretching out the hand’ is exercising spiritual power through the natural; and from the meaning of ‘the waters of Egypt’ as falsities which molest, also dealt with above, in 7307.

AC (Elliott) n. 7323 7323. ‘Over their rivers, over their streams’ means against teachings that consist of falsity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘rivers’ and ‘streams’ as teachings. For ‘water’ means falsities, see above in 7307, and therefore ‘rivers’ and ‘streams’, which are gatherings of them, are teachings, here teachings consisting of falsity. ‘Rivers’ are attributes of intelligence, and so are matters of truth, see 2702, 30511 and therefore in the contrary sense they are the opposite of intelligence, and so are matters of falsity.

AC (Elliott) n. 7324 7324. ‘And over their pools’ means against the factual knowledge subservient to them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘pools’ as factual knowledge subservient to truths constituting religious teachings, and in the contrary sense factual knowledge subservient to falsities constituting religious teachings. When ‘pools’ are mentioned in the Word intelligence based on cognitions of goodness and truth is meant in the spiritual sense, for one takes ‘pools’ in the Word to refer to gatherings of water, or lakes, and gatherings of water and lakes are cognitions which, when concentrated together, contribute to intelligence, as in Isaiah,

Waters will break forth in* the wilderness, and streams in the plain of the wilderness; and the dry place will become a pool and the thirsty ground wellsprings of water. Isa. 35:6, 7.

[2] In the same prophet,

I will open streams on the sloping heights, and I will place springs in the midst of valleys; I will make the wilderness into a pool of water, and the dry land into well springs of water. Isa. 41:18.

Here ‘making the wilderness into a pool of water’ stands for providing cognitions of goodness and truth, and therefore imparting intelligence, where they had not existed before. In the same prophet,

I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up every plant; and I will make streams into islands, and dry up pools. Isa. 42:15.

‘Pools’ stands for much the same. Likewise in David,

Jehovah turns rivers into a wilderness, and streams of waters into a dryness. He turns a wilderness into a pool of water, and parched land into streams of water. Ps. 107:33-35.

In the same author,

At the presence of the Lord, you are in labour, O earth; at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a fountain of water. Ps. 114:7, 8.

[3] In Isaiah,

The rivers of Egypt will diminish and dry up. Therefore the fishermen will mourn, and all who cast a hook into the river. Therefore its foundations will be broken to pieces – all those making their wages out of pools of the soul. Isa. 19:6, 8, 10.

‘Pools of the soul’ stands for the things that constitute intelligence when it is based on cognitions; but since these verses refer to Egypt ‘pools of the soul’ are the things constituting intelligence when it is based on the facts known to the Church. For ‘Egypt’ is those facts, and known facts are cognitions, but a lower level of them.

[4] The meaning of ‘pools of water’ in the contrary sense as evils arising out of falsities, and consequent insanity, is evident in Isaiah,

I will cut off from Babel the name and residue, and son and grandson, and I will turn it into the inheritance of the duck, and into pools of water. Isa. 14:21, 23.

Since ‘pools’ are in the contrary sense evils arising out of falsities, and consequent forms of insanity, the hell where such things reign is also meant by them. But in this case a pool is called ‘a pool of fire’ and ‘a pool burning with fire and brimstone’, as in Rev. 19:20; 20:10, 14, 15; 21:8. ‘Fire and brimstone’ stands for self-love and the desires that spring from it, for self-love and its desires are nothing other than fire, not elemental fire but the kind of fire that derives from spiritual fire; and this fire – spiritual fire – makes a person a living being. The fact that different types of love are life-giving fires is evident to anyone who thinks about it. These fires are what are meant by the holy fires that burn in heaven and by the fires of hell. Elemental fire does not exist in those places.
* The Latin means out of but the Hebrew means in, which Sw. has in his rough draft as well as in other places where he quotes this verse.

AC (Elliott) n. 7325 7325. ‘And over every gathering of their waters’ means where any falsity exists. This is clear from the meaning of ‘waters’ as falsities, dealt with above in 7307; consequently ‘a gathering of waters’ is a place where falsities are assembled together.

AC (Elliott) n. 7326 7326. ‘And they will be blood’ means that they will falsify truths. This is clear from the meaning of ‘blood’ as the falsification of truth, dealt with above in 7317. In the genuine sense ‘blood’ means the holiness of love, as a consequence of which it means charity and faith, since they are holy attributes of love, and as a consequence of which again it means holy truth coming forth from the Lord, tool, 4735, 6978. In the contrary sense however ‘blood’ means violence done to charity and also violence done to faith, thus to holy truth coming forth from the Lord. And since violence is done to it when it is falsified the falsification of truth is meant by ‘blood’; or when there is a greater degree of violence, the profanation of truth is meant by ‘blood’. Such profanation was meant by ‘the eating of blood’, which was why that practice was so strictly forbidden, 1003.