AC 10519. The Holy Supper was instituted by the Lord in order that by means of it there may be a conjunction of the church with heaven, thus with the Lord. It is therefore the most holy thing of the church.

AC 10520. But in what manner conjunction is effected by means of it, is not apprehended by those who do not know anything of the internal or spiritual sense of the Word; for they do not think beyond its external sense, which is the sense of the letter. From the internal or spiritual sense of the Word it is known what is signified by the ”body“ and the ”blood,“ and what by the ”bread“ and the ”wine,“ and also what by ”eating.“

AC 10521. In this sense the Lord’s ”body“ or ”flesh“ denotes the good of love, in like manner the ”bread;“ and the Lord‘s ”blood“ denotes the good of faith, in like manner the ”wine;“ and ”eating“ denotes appropriation and conjunction. The angels who are with a man when he comes to the sacrament of the Supper perceive these things no otherwise; for they apprehend all things spiritually. From this it is that there then flows in from the angels to the man, thus through heaven from the Lord, a holy feeling of love and of faith. From this comes the conjunction.

AC 10522. From all this it is evident that when a man takes the bread, which is the body, he is conjoined with the Lord through the good of love to Him from Him; and when he takes the wine, which is the blood, he is conjoined with the Lord through the good of faith to Him from Him. But be it known that conjunction with the Lord through the sacrament of the Supper is effected solely with those who are in the good of love and of faith to the Lord from the Lord. The Holy Supper is the seal of this conjunction.

1. And Jehovah spake unto Moses, Go, go up from hence, thou and the people which thou hast made to come up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land of which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, To thy seed will I give it:

2. And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:

3. Unto a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in the midst of thee; because thou art a stiff-necked people. Perchance I should consume thee in the way.

4. And the people heard this evil word, and they mourned; and they put not any man his ornament upon him.

5. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Say unto the sons of Israel, Ye are a stiff-necked people; I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and will consume thee; therefore now bring down thine ornaments from upon thee, and I shall know what I will do to thee.

6. And the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornament, by Mount Horeb.

7. And Moses took a tent, and stretched it for himself without the camp, afar off from the camp; and he called it the tent of meeting. And it was that everyone requiring of Jehovah went out unto the tent of meeting that was outside the camp.

8. And it was that when Moses went out unto the tent, all the people rose up, and stood every man at the door of his tent, and looked after Moses, until he had entered into the tent.

9. And it was that when Moses entered into the tent, the pillar of cloud descended, and stood at the door of the tent, and spake with Moses.

10. And all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the door of the tent; and all the people rose up and bowed themselves, every man at the door of his tent.

11. And Jehovah spake unto Moses faces to faces, as a man speaketh unto his neighbor. And he returned unto the camp; and his minister Joshua the son of Nun, a boy, moved not out of the midst of the tent.

12. And Moses said unto Jehovah, See, Thou sayest unto me, Make this people come up; and Thou hast not made known to me whom Thou wilt send with me. And Thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in Mine eyes.

13. And now I pray, if I have found grace in Thine eyes, make known to me I pray Thy way, that I may know Thee, because I have found grace in Thine eyes; and see that this nation is Thy people.

14. And He said, My faces shall go, and I will make thee to rest.

15. And he said unto Him, If Thy faces go not, do not make us go up from hence.

16. And wherein shall it ever become known that I have found grace in Thine eyes, I and Thy people? is it not in Thy going with us? and we shall be rendered prominent, I and Thy people, above all the people that are upon the faces of the ground.

17. And Jehovah said unto Moses, I will do this word also that thou hast spoken; because thou hast found grace in Mine eyes, and I know thee by name.

18. And he said, Make me see, I pray, Thy glory.

19. And He said, I will make all My good pass by over thy faces, and will call on the name of Jehovah before thee; and I will show grace to whom I show grace, and I will show mercy to whom I show mercy.

20. And He said, Thou canst not see My faces; because a man shall not see Me and live.

21. And Jehovah said, Behold a place with Me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock:

22. And it shall be when My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover the palm of My hand over thee, until I have passed by.

23. And I will remove the palm of My hand, and thou shalt see My back parts; and My faces shall not be seen.

AC 10523. In this chapter in the internal sense the subject of the Israelitish nation is further continued; but here its quality in respect to worship, thus its quality in respect to those things which are of the church. From (verses 1 to 6) there is contained: That although they could be in representatives, which are the external things of worship and of the church, still there was not with them anything Divine, because not anything internal. From (verses 7 to 17): That in the worship itself, regarded in itself, thus separate from them, there could be what is Divine. From (verses 18 to 23): That nevertheless this was not seen nor perceived by them.

AC 10524. Verses 1-3. And Jehovah spake unto Moses, Go, go up from hence, thou and the people which thou hast made to come up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land of which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, To thy seed will I give it; and I will send an angel before thee, and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; unto a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in the midst of thee; because thou art a stiff-necked people. Perchance I should consume thee in the way. ”And Jehovah spake unto Moses,“ signifies instruction concerning the quality of the worship and of the church with the Israelitish nation; ”Go, go up from hence, thou and the people which thou hast made to come up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land,“ signifies that this nation is to represent the church, but that no church shall be in it, because it cannot be raised from external things; ”of which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, To thy seed will I give it,“ signifies that it is promised to those who from the Lord are in the good of love and in the truths of faith; ”and I will send an angel before thee,“ signifies the Divine of the Lord from which is the church and its worship; ”and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite,“ signifies the casting out thence of all evils and falsities; ”unto a land flowing with milk and honey,“ signifies what is pleasant and delightful from the good of faith and of love; ”for I will not go up in the midst of thee,“ signifies that nevertheless the Divine was not with the nation itself; ”because thou art a stiff-necked people,“ signifies that they do not receive any influx from the Divine; ”perchance I should consume thee in the way,“ signifies that if what is Divine were to flow in with this nation it would perish.

AC 10525. And Jehovah spake unto Moses.  That this signifies instruction concerning the quality of the worship and of the church with the Israelitish nation, is evident from the signification of ”speaking,“ when by Jehovah, as being instruction (n. 10280). The reason why it signifies instruction concerning the quality of the worship and of the church with the Israelitish nation, is that this is the subject treated of in this chapter, as can be seen from its contents as given above (n. 10523).

AC 10526. Go, go up from hence, thou and the people which thou hast made to come up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land. That this signifies that this nation is to represent the church, but that no church shall be in it, because it cannot he raised from external things, is evident from the signification of ”going up unto the land,“ as being to institute the church, for by ”land“ or ”earth“ in the Word is signified the church (n. 9325); and by ”going up unto it“ is signified to institute the church, because for this reason they were led there, or ”went up.“ But here it does not signify to institute the church, but only to represent it, because that nation was in external things without what is internal, and the church with man is in his internal. As in this case it does not signify to institute a church, but only to represent those things which are of the church, therefore it is said, ”Go, go up from hence, both thou and the people which thou hast made to come up out of the land of Egypt,“ thus which Moses made to come up, but not Jehovah; and in a subsequent verse, ”I will not go up in the midst of thee, because thou art a stiff-necked people,“ by which is signified that the Divine is not with them; and where the Divine is not received in the internal, there is not the church, but only an external that is representative of the church. And from the signification of ”making to come up out of the land of Egypt,“ as being to be raised from external things to what is internal, but here, not to be raised, because it is said that Moses made them to come up, and not that Jehovah did so. That this is signified by ”making to come up out of the land of Egypt,“ see in n. 10421. That there was not a church with the Israelitish nation, but only the representative of a church, (n. 4281, 4288, 4311, 4500, 4899, 4912, 6304, 7043, 9320); and everywhere in the preceding chapter.

AC 10527. Of which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, To thy seed will I give it.  That this signifies that it is promised to those who from the Lord are in the good of love and in the truths of faith, is evident from the signification of ”swearing,“ when by Jehovah, as being confirmation by the Divine in the internal man (n. 2842, 3375, 9166), thus also a promise from the Divine, for that which is promised by the Divine is also confirmed; from the representation of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, as being in the supreme sense the Lord in respect to the Divine Itself and the Divine Human, and in the relative sense, as being heaven and the church (n. 3245, 3251, 3305, 4615, 6098, 6185, 6276, 6804, 10445); and from the signification of their ”seed,“ as being those who are in the good of love and in the truths of faith from the Lord: thus in the abstract sense the good of love and the truth of faith (n. 3373, 10445).

AC 10528. And I will send an angel before thee.  That this signifies the Divine of the Lord from which is the church and its worship, is evident from the signification of ”an angel,“ as being in the supreme sense the Lord as to the Divine Human, and in the relative sense the Divine of the Lord in heaven with the angels, as also in the church with men; and from the signification of ”sending before thee,“ as being to prepare.  That in the supreme sense ”an angel“ denotes the Lord as to the Divine Human, (n. 1925, 3039, 6280, 6831, 9303); that in the relative sense it denotes the Divine of the Lord in heaven with the angels, (n. 1925, 2821, 4085, 6831, 8192). From this it follows that ”an angel“ also signifies the Divine of the Lord with the men who receive it; for men who are in the good of love and in the truths of faith in the Lord from the Lord, after death become angels; and those who do so are angels inwardly even while they live in the world. From this it is that in the Word John the Baptist is called an ”angel,“ as in Luke:--

This is he of whom it is written, Behold I send Mine angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee (Luke 7:27);

that here ”angel“ denotes the Divine of the Lord with him is plain in Malachi:--

Behold I send Mine angel, who shall prepare the way before Me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the ark of the covenant, whom ye desire (Mal. 3:1);

that the Divine of the Lord is there meant by ”angel“ is because John the Baptist represented the Lord in respect to the Word, even as Elijah did, and the Word is Divine truth which is from the Lord. That Elijah represented the Word, see (n. 2135a, 2762, 5247); and that John the Baptist did so, (n. 9372). And whereas in the supreme sense the Lord as to the Divine Human is the ”Angel,“ therefore it is said, ”the Lord shall come to His temple, even the Angel of the covenant;“ ”the temple“ denotes His Divine Human, as is evident in (John 2:18-22).  The reason why He is called both ”Lord“ and ”Angel,“ is that He is called ”Lord“ from Divine good, and ”Angel“ from Divine truth.  As ”Jehovah“ in the Word denotes the Lord Himself, therefore it is said, ”I send Mine Angel, who shall prepare the way before Me.“  This is said by Jehovah.

AC 10529. And I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.  That this signifies the casting out thence of all evils and falsities, is evident from the representation of the nations in the land of Canaan, as being the evils and falsities of the church and of worship (n. 9320, 9327); but what particular evil and falsity is signified by each nation may be seen in the explications given, where they are treated of; as, concerning the Canaanite, (n. 1573, 1574, 4818); concerning the Amorite, (n. 1857, 6306, 6859); concerning the Hittite, (n. 2913, 6858); the Perizzite, (n. 1573, 1574, 6859); the Hivite and the Jebusite, (n. 6860).

AC 10530. Unto a land flowing with milk and honey.  That this signifies what is pleasant and delightful from the good of faith and of love, is evident from the signification of ”land,“ as being the church (n. 9325); from the signification of ”milk,“ as being spiritual good, which is the good of faith (n. 2184); from the signification of ”honey,“ as being celestial good, which is the good of love; and from the signification of ”flowing,“ as being to be full. And because these things are signified by ”a land flowing with milk and honey,“ that which is pleasant and delightful from the good of faith and of love is also signified (n. 5620).  It is said what is pleasant and delightful from these, because heavenly pleasantness and delight itself is in the good of faith and of love; for every good has its delight, for that is called good which is loved, and all delight is of love. The delight which is meant by heavenly joy, and by eternal happiness, is from no other source than the love of truth and of good.  That this delight is superior to any delight of any love whatsoever that is to be found in the world, is quite unknown to those who make all delight to consist in worldly, bodily, and earthly things.

AC 10531. For I will not go up in the midst of thee.  That this signifies that nevertheless the Divine was not with the nation itself, is evident from the signification of ”not going up in the midst of the people,“ when this is said by Jehovah, as being that the Divine was not in the nation itself; thus that there was no church; for the Divine is where the church is; for ”to go up unto the land“ denotes to constitute the church (n. 10526); and ”in the midst of thee“ denotes in its internal.

AC 10532. For thou art a stiff-necked people.  That this signifies that they do not receive any influx from the Divine, is evident from what was shown above (n. 10429), where like words occur.

AC 10533. Perchance I should consume thee in the way.  That this signifies that if what is Divine were to flow in with this nation it would perish, is evident from the signification of ”consuming,“ as being to perish.  That that nation would perish if what is Divine were to flow in with them, is evident, for it is said, ”I will not go up in the midst of thee; perchance I should consume thee in the way.“ The case herein is this. They who are in external things without what is internal, thus in the loves of self and of the world, cannot possibly receive anything Divine; and therefore the internal with them is kept closed. If the internal were opened with them, and what is Divine were to flow in, they would utterly perish; for their life is from the loves of self and of the world, and there is a perpetual opposition and contrariety between these loves and heavenly loves, and heavenly loves are what is Divine; and therefore their life would be extinguished by the influx of what is Divine. That the Israelitish nation was in external things without what is internal, thus was in these loves, has frequently been shown above.

AC 10534. Verses 4-6. And the people heard this evil word, and they mourned; and they put not any man his ornament upon him. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Say unto the sons of Israel, Ye are a stiff-necked people; I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and will consume thee; therefore now bring down thine ornament from upon thee, and I shall know what I will do to thee.  And the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornament by Mount Horeb.  ”And the people heard this evil word, and they mourned,“ signifies their grief at not being pre-eminent to others; ”and they put not any man his ornament upon him,“ signifies the quality of their external, that it was devoid of what is Divine; ”and Jehovah said unto Moses,“ signifies instruction; ”Say unto the sons of Israel, Ye are a stiff-necked people,“ signifies that that nation would not receive influx from the Divine; ”I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and will consume thee,“ signifies that they would perish if what is Divine were to flow in with them; ”therefore now bring down thine ornament from upon thee,“ signifies the quality of their external, that it was devoid of what is Divine; ”and I shall know what I will do to thee,“ signifies that in this way something may come forth with them; ”and the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornament,“ signifies the deprivation of Divine truth in the external things with them; ”by Mount Horeb,“ signifies in the external things of worship, of the church, and of the Word.

AC 10535. And the people heard this evil word, and they mourned.  That this signifies their grief at not being pre-eminent to others, is evident from the signification of ”hearing this evil word and mourning.“ That it denotes grief at not being pre-eminent to others, is plain from what has been already shown concerning that nation, namely, that they were insistent that a church should be instituted among them, but merely in order that they might be pre-eminent to all the nations in the whole world; for they were in the love of self more than other nations, and they could not be raised to eminence above them in any other way than by Jehovah being with them, thus also the church, for where Jehovah is, that is, the Lord, there is the church. That this was their end is evident from many passages in the Word, as also from these words in this chapter:--Moses said, And wherein shall it ever be known that I have found grace in Thine eyes, I and Thy people? Is it not in Thy going with us? so that we be rendered pre-eminent, I and Thy people, above all the people that are upon the faces of the earth (verse 16). That it was not by choice, but by permission, that a church was instituted among them, and yet that in the nation itself there was not a church, but only the representative of a church, (n. 10396).

AC 10536. And they put not any man his ornament upon him.  That this signifies the quality of their external, that it was devoid of what is Divine, is evident from the signification of ”ornament,“ as being what is Divine in external things. Thus, ”not to put his ornament upon him“ denotes to be devoid of what is Divine in external things. The reason why this is signified by ”ornament“ is that ornament bears relation to garments, and by ”garments“ in general are signified Divine truths. That this is the signification of ”garments“ in general, originates in the representatives in the other life, where all, both angels and spirits, appear clothed in garments, and each one according to his truths. They who are in genuine Divine truths appear clothed in white shining garments, and others in other garments.  Spirits do not know whence their garments come, but are clothed with them without knowing this. Moreover their garments vary according to the changes of their state in respect to truths.  In a word, it is their understanding which is presented to view and represented by their garments, for each person’s understanding is formed by means of truths, and becomes such as are the truths from which it is formed.  With the angels of heaven their understanding is in their internal, and consequently they have white shining garments. The shining is from Divine good, and the whiteness is from the light of heaven, which is Divine truth But the garments of those who are in external things without what is internal are dusky and tattered, like those of beggars in the streets and of robbers in the woods. From this it can be seen what is signified by ”ornaments,“ namely, the holy truths of the church, and consequently ”not putting on their ornament“ denotes to be devoid of the holy truths of the church; and in application to the Israelitish nation, which was in external things without what is internal, it denotes the quality of the external without truths from the Divine. That ”garments“ denote truths, (n. 2132, 2576, 4545, 4763, 5248, 5319, 5954, 6378, 6914, 6917, 6918, 9093, 9158, 9212, 9216, 9814, 9827, 9952); as also what is signified by the ”garments of Aaron and of his sons,“ (n. 9814, 10068). That in the Word, ”ornament“ signifies the holy truths of the church, will be seen in the following article (n. 10540).

AC 10537. And Jehovah said unto Moses.  That this signifies instruction, is evident from the signification of ”saying,“ when by Jehovah, as being instruction (n. 10280), here instruction that Divine truth was not with the nation itself, which is signified by their ”bringing down their ornament from upon them“.

AC 10538. Say unto the sons of Israel, Ye are a stiff-necked people.  That this signifies that that nation would not receive influx from the Divine, is evident from what was shown above (n. 10429), where like words occur.

AC 10539. I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and will consume thee. That this signifies that they would perish if what is Divine were to flow in with them, is evident from what was shown above (n. 10531, 10533), where also like words occur.

AC 10540. Therefore now bring down thine ornament from upon thee.  That this signifies the quality of their external, that it was devoid of what is Divine, is evident from the signification of ”ornament,“ when the subject treated of is the church, as being holy truth, that is, what is Divine in the externals (n. 10536); and from the signification of ”bringing it down from upon them,“ as being to strip it off, thus to be devoid of it. That what is Divine in the externals, that is, holy truth, is signified by ”ornament,“ is evident from the following passages.  In Ezekiel:--

I clothed thee with broidered work, and I shod thee with badger,   and I girded thee with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk; and I adorned thee with ornament, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain upon thy throat. And I put a nose-jewel upon thy nose, and earrings in thine ears, and a crown of comeliness upon thine head. Thus wast thou adorned with gold and silver; and thy garments were of fine linen, silk and broidered work; whence thou hast become exceeding beautiful and thou wast prospered unto a kingdom; wherefore thy name went forth among the nations concerning thy beauty; for this was perfect in Mine ornament, which I had put upon thee (Ezek. 16:10-14).

[2] This is said of Jerusalem, by which is signified the church which was set up by the Lord after the flood, and which was succeeded by the Israelitish and Jewish Church. The quality of this latter church is also described in the same chapter. But the quality of that Ancient Church is described in the above passage, and its holy truths by the ornaments there mentioned. Everyone can see that such things as are of the church are signified by the several particulars, and that something special is signified by each thing. Otherwise to what purpose would be such a description of Jerusalem?

[3] But what of the church each particular signifies can be seen from the internal sense only, for this sense teaches what thing in the spiritual world corresponds to each particular; from which it can be seen that ”broidered work“ denotes memory-truth (n. 9688); ”fine linen,“ intellectual truth which is from the Divine (n. 5319, 9469, 9596, 9744); ”bracelets,“ truths in respect to power (n. 3103, 3105); ”a chain,“ truth from good in respect to influx, and the consequent conjunction of things interior and exterior (n. 5320); ”a nose-jewel,“ truth in respect to perception; and ”earrings,“ truths in respect to obedience (n. 4551, 10402); ”a crown of comeliness,“ spiritual good, which is the good of truth, a ”crown“ denoting good (n. 9930), and ”comeliness,“ what is spiritual (n. 9815); ”gold and silver,“ good and truth in general (n. 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 9874); ”fine flour, honey, and oil“ denote truths and goods external and internal; ”fine flour,“ truth from good (n. 9995); ”honey,“ external good (n. 10530), and ”oil,“ internal good (n. 886, 4582, 4638, 9474, 9780, 10254, 10261); ”beauty“ denotes the form of truth from good (n. 3080, 3821, 4985, 5199). That ”Jerusalem,“ of which these things are said, denotes the church, (n. 402, 2117, 3654). From this it is evident what is meant by ”ornament,“ namely, holy truth in the whole complex.

[4] Like things are signified by the ”ornaments of the daughters of Zion,“ which are enumerated in Isaiah:--

In that day the Lord will take away the ornament of the anklets, and of the little nets, and of the little moons, and of the ointment-boxes, and of the little chains, and of the gold-plates; and the tiaras, and the legbands, and the bindings, and the soul-houses, and the enchantments, and the rings, and the nose-ornaments, the changes of garments, and the mantles, and the veils, and the hairpins, the mirrors, and the muslins, and the headdresses, and the cambrics. And it shall come to pass that instead of spice there shall be rottenness; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of braided work baldness; and instead of a gown a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.  Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy strength in the war (Isa. 3:18-25).

Those who do not think beyond the sense of the letter know no otherwise than that all those things with which the daughters of Zion are said to have been adorned, are to be understood according to the letter; and that the men of that kingdom would perish on account of their adornment and their consequent haughtiness and pride; for it is said that ”their men shall fall by the sword, and their strength in the war.“ But those who raise their minds somewhat above the letter are able to know that such things are not meant.

[5] From various passages in the Word these know that by ”the daughters of Zion“ are not meant the daughters of Zion, but such things as belong to the church; as also by ”the daughters of Jerusalem,“ ”the daughters of Israel,“ ”the daughters of Judah,“ and many others. That by these are signified the church and the things that belong to the church, (n. 6729, 9055). As therefore the church, and the things that belong to the church, are signified by ”the daughters of Zion,“ it follows that by their ornaments as here enumerated are signified the truths and goods of the church, and that each ornament signifies some specific truth and good; for in the Word nothing is said without a meaning, not even one syllable.

[6] And as that church was to be bereft of its truths and goods, which are signified by these ornaments, thee fore it is said that ”instead of spice there shall be rottenness, instead of a girdle a rent, instead of braided work baldness, instead of a gown a girding of sackcloth, and a burning instead of beauty;“ and also that ”the men shall fall by the sword, and their strength in the war;“ for by ”spice“ is signified Divine truth in respect to its perceptivity (n. 10199, 10291); by ”rottenness,“ the privation of it; by ”a girdle,“ the bond holding together truths and goods in their connection (n. 9341, 9828, 9837); ”a rent instead thereof“ denotes their dissolution and dispersion; by ”braided work“ is signified memory-truth (n. 2831); by ”baldness,“ the deprivation of the intelligence of truth and of the wisdom of good (n. 9960); by ”a burning,“ their consumption through the evils of the love of self (n. 1297, 2446, 7852, 9055, 9141); by ”beauty,“ the form of truth from good in the church, thus its perfection (n. 3080, 3821, 4985, 5199); and by ”a sword whereby men shall fall,“ falsity destroying truth and good (n. 2799, 4499, 6353, 7102, 8294); by no ”strength in the war“ is signified not any resistance against evil and falsity; for ”war“ denotes spiritual combat and temptation (n. 1659, 1664, 2686, 8273, 8295, 10455). From all this it is now evident that by ”ornament“ in general is signified the Divine truth of the church.

[7] The like is signified by ”ornament“ in the following passage:--

Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in double dyed with pleasant things, who put an ornament of gold upon your garment (2 Sam. 1:24);

these words occur in the lamentation of David over Saul, which he wrote to teach the sons of Judah the bow (2 Sam. 1:18), where by ”bow“ is signified the doctrine of truth fighting against the falsities of evil (n. 2686, 2709, 6422); consequently by the ”daughters of Israel“ are signified the affections of truth that belong to the church (n. 2362, 3963, 6729, 6775, 6788, 8994); to be ”clothed with double-dyed with pleasant things,“ denotes with the interior truths of the church which are from good (n. 4922, 9468); to ”put an ornament of gold upon the garment“ denotes to make truths beautiful from good.  That ”gold“ denotes good, see at the places cited in (n. 9874); and that ”garment“ denotes truth in general, (n. 10536). That the lamentation of David over Saul treats of the doctrine of truth fighting against the falsity of evil, which doctrine is signified by a ”bow,“ was because by a king, or by the royalty which belonged to Saul, is signified Divine truth in respect to protection and to judgment (n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068, 6148).

[8] The like is signified by ”ornament“ elsewhere:--

Give unto Jehovah the glory belonging to His name; bow down before Jehovah in the ornament of holiness (Ps. 29:2);

”in the ornament of holiness“ denotes in the genuine truths of the church. In like manner in Isaiah:--

Thy sons shall make haste. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see all gathered together. As I live, said Jehovah, thou shalt be clothed with all as with an ornament, and be girded round with them as a bride (Isa. 49:17, 18);

also speaking of Zion, by which is signified the celestial church; by the ”sons who shall make haste“ are signified the truths of that church. That ”sons“ signify truths, (n. 489, 491, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3373, 3704, 4257, 9807). From this it is that it is said that she shall ”be clothed with them as an ornament, and shall be girded round with them as a bride,“ which can be said of the truths of the church, but not of the sons of Zion.

[9] As almost all things in the Word have also an opposite sense, so likewise have those which belong to ornament, by which are signified truths falsified, as in these passages:--

When thou art laid waste, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with double-dyed, though thou deckest thee with an ornament of gold, though thou forcest open thine eyes with antimony, in vain shalt thou make thyself beautiful (Jer. 4:30).

I will visit upon her the days of the baals, to which she burned incense, and put on her earring and her ornament, and went after her lovers, and forgot Me (Hos. 2:13).

AC 10541. And I shall know what I will do to thee. That this signifies that in this way something may come forth with them, is evident from the series of things in the internal sense, for that nation could be in a holy external and at the same time not in a holy internal. And as in this way the external of the church could be with that nation, though not the internal, therefore by ”I shall know what I will do,“ is signified that in this way something may come forth with them.

AC 10542. And the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornament.  That this signifies the deprivation of Divine truth in the external things with them, is evident from the signification of ”stripping one‘s self,“ as being to be bereft and deprived; and from the signification of ”ornament,“ as being holy truth, or what is Divine (n. 10536, 10540).

AC 10543. By Mount Horeb. That this signifies in the external things of worship, of the church, and of the Word, is evident from the signification of ”Mount Horeb,“ as being Divine truth in the external things, for Horeb was a mountainous region around Mount Sinai; and by ”Mount Sinai“ is signified Divine truth.  Consequently ”Horeb,“ being a mountainous region round about it, signifies Divine truth in external things; for that which is in the midst and which is high above the things that lie round about, signifies what is internal; and consequently by that which is round about and beneath is signified what is external. That ”Mount Sinai“ signifies Divine truth, (n. 8805, 9420); that ”the midst“ denotes what is internal, (n. 1074, 2940, 2973, 5897, 6084, 6103, 9164); in like manner what is high, (n. 2148, 4210, 4599, 9489, 9773, 10181); and that ”roundabout“ denotes what is external, (n. 2973); in like manner ”beneath.“) As the people were in external things, and not in what is internal, therefore when the Law was promulgated from Mount Sinai, they stood in Horeb beneath the mountain, and the mountain was hedged about to prevent its being touched by the people (Exod. 19:12, 13, 21-24; 20:18; Deut. 4:10-12). It is said ”the external of worship, of the church, and of the Word,“ because the external of one is the external of the other, for worship belongs to the church, and the truths and goods of the church and of its worship are from the Word; and therefore those who are in the externals of worship and of the church are in the externals of the Word.

AC 10544. Verses 7-11. And Moses took a tent, and stretched it for himself without the camp, afar off from the camp; and he called it the tent of meeting. And it was that everyone inquiring of Jehovah went out unto the tent of meeting that was outside the camp. And it was that when Moses went out unto the tent, all the people rose up, and stood, every man at the door of his tent, and looked after Moses, until he had entered into the tent. And it was that when Moses entered into the tent, the pillar of cloud descended, and stood at the door of the tent, and spake with Moses. And all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the door of the tent; and all the people rose up and bowed themselves, every man at the door of his tent. And Jehovah spake unto Moses faces to faces, as a man speaketh unto his neighbor. And he returned unto the camp; and his minister Joshua, the son of Nun, a boy, moved not out of the midst of the tent. ”And Moses took a tent,“ signifies what is holy of worship, of the church, and of the Word; ”and stretched it for himself without the camp, afar off from the camp,“ signifies remote from the external things in which the nation itself was; ”and he called it the tent of meeting,“ signifies the external of worship, of the church, and of the Word, in which are internal things; ”and it was that everyone inquiring of Jehovah went out unto the tent of meeting that was outside the camp,“ signifies that all instructions concerning the truths and goods of the church and of worship would be given to everyone by means of the external of the Word remotely from the external things in which that nation was; ”and it was that when Moses went out unto the tent, all the people rose up, and stood, every man at the door of his tent,“ signifies that that nation was not in the external of the Word, of the church, and of worship, but was outside of it; ”and looked after Moses, until he had entered into the tent,“ signifies that they see the external of the Word, of the church, and of worship, but that it vanishes from their apprehension; ”and it was that when Moses entered into the tent, the pillar of cloud descended, and stood at the door of the tent, and spake with Moses,“ signifies that after the Word had vanished from their apprehension a dense obscurity took possession of them from without, and yet there was a clear perception from within; ”and all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the door of the tent,“ signifies a dense obscurity taking possession of them from without; ”and all the people rose up and bowed themselves, every man at the door of his tent,“ signifies that that nation adored their external in a holy manner; ”and Jehovah spake unto Moses faces to faces,“ signifies the Divine things in the Word conjoined together; ”as a man speaketh unto his neighbor,“ signifies the conjunction of truth and good; ”and he returned unto the camp,“ signifies unto the external in which that nation was; ”and his minister Joshua, the son of Nun, a boy, moved not out of the midst of the tent,“ signifies Divine truth meanwhile ministering in the holy things of the church and of worship in the place of Moses.

AC 10545. And Moses took a tent. That this signifies what is holy of worship, of the church, and of the Word, is evident from the signification of ”a tent,“ as being in the supreme sense the Lord, and also heaven and the church, and in the relative sense all that is holy of heaven and of the church, consequently also what is holy of worship and of the Word, for these are of the church and are of the Lord, because they are from Him.  The reason why ”a tent“ signifies these things, is that the most ancient people dwelt in tents, and also had therein their holy worship.  Among these people existed the celestial church, which was the most holy of all the succession of churches, for they adored the Lord, who with them was Jehovah; and as He was their Leader, they had intercourse with the angels of heaven, and consequently were in celestial wisdom from the Lord.  It is the setting up of this church which is described by the creation of heaven and earth in the first chapter of Genesis, and their wisdom by paradise.  For by ”heaven and earth“ in the Word is signified the church, by ”paradise“ intelligence and wisdom, and by ”man“ the church itself; in like manner by the ”ground“ from which he was named ”Adam.“ (That ”heaven and earth“ in the Word denote the church, ”heaven“ the internal church and ”earth“ the external church, see (n. 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355, 4535, 10373); that intelligence and wisdom are described by paradises and gardens, (n. 100, 108, 2702, 3220); that ”man“ denotes the church, (n. 478, 768, 4287, 9276); in like manner ”ground,“ (n. 566, 1068); and that ” creating man“ denotes the setting up of the church, (n. 16, 88, 10373); see also (n. 8891, 9942).

[2] In consequence of that church being loved above all others, and from the Lord dwelling with them in tents, for the Lord is said ”to dwell“ with the man who is in love to Him, (John 14:23), therefore in memory of these things the Tabernacle or Tent of meeting was constructed among the Israelitish nation, wherein was held what is holy of worship; and for the same reason the feast of tabernacles or of tents was instituted.

[3] That by ”tent“ are signified these holy things, and specifically what is holy of worship, is evident from the following passages:--

Sing, O barren, that did not bear, enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations (Isa. 54:1, 2);

”to enlarge the place of the tent“ denotes to do so with the things which are of the church, and consequently which are of worship; ”to stretch forth the curtains of the habitations“ denotes to multiply truths. That ”curtains“ denote the truths of the church, (n. 9595, 9596, 9606, 9756); ”the barren“ denotes one who has not previously been in the truths and goods of the church (n. 3908, 9325).

[4] In Jeremiah:--

The whole land has been laid waste, suddenly have My tents been laid waste, and My curtains in a moment (Jer. 4:20);

that ”land“ denotes the church (n. 9325); and as the church is the church from the goods of love and the truths of faith, therefore it is said that ”the tents and the curtains are laid waste;“ ”tents“ denoting the goods of the church, and ”curtains“ its truths.

[5] Again:--

My tent hath been laid waste, and all My curtains have been plucked out; My sons are gone forth from Me, and they are not; there is none to stretch forth My tent any more, or to raise up My curtains. For the shepherds are become fools (Jer. 10:20, 21);

like things are here signified by ”tent“ and by ”curtains;“ the ”cords plucked out“ denotes that there is no longer any conjunction of good and truth, and of truths one with another; and therefore it is said, ”My sons are gone forth,“ because by ”sons“ are signified truths. That ”cords“ denote conjunction (n. 9777, 9854, 9880); and that ”sons“ denote truths, (n. 489, 491, 533, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3373, 3704, 4257, 9807).

[6] In David:--

Jehovah, who shall abide in Thy tent, who shall dwell in the mountain of Thy holiness? He that walketh blameless, and who doeth righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart (Ps.  15:1, 2);

”to abide in the tent of Jehovah“ denotes to do so in heaven and in the good of love there. Again:--

I will abide in Thy tent to eternities (Ps. 61:4);

where the meaning is the same.

[7] In Amos:--

In that day I will raise the tent of David that is fallen, and I will close up the breaches thereof, and I will restore its ruins (Amos 9:11);

the ”tent of David“ denotes the church of the Lord and what is holy of the worship of Him; ”to close up the breaches, and restore the ruins“ denotes to restore these by removing falsities. That ”David“ in the Word denotes the Lord, see (n. 1888, 9954); hence it is that ”the tent of David“ denotes the church of the Lord, and that which is holy of worship. In Jeremiah:--

Behold I bring back the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and I will have compassion on his dwelling places (Jer. 30:18);

where ”the tents of Jacob,“ and ”his dwelling places,“ denote the goods and truths of the church.

[8] As by ”tents“ are signified the goods of the church and of worship, therefore by ”tents“ in the opposite sense are signified the evils of worship and of the church, as can be seen from the following passages:--

I will liken the daughter of Zion to a comely woman; shepherds and their flocks shall come unto her, and they shall fix their tents against her round about (Jer. 6:2, 3).

Go up against Arabia, and lay waste the sons of the east.  Their tents and their flocks they shall take, their curtains, and all their vessels (Jer. 49:28, 29).

What will ye do in the day of the solemnity, and in the day of the feast of Jehovah? For lo they are gone away because of the laying waste; the desirable things of their silver, the nettle shall possess them; thorns shall be in their tents (Hos. 9:5, 6).

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

AC 10546. And stretched it for himself without the camp, afar off from the camp.  That this signifies remote from the external things in which the nation itself was, is evident from the signification of ”stretching the tent,“ as being to provide, dispose, and set in order the things which are of the church and of worship; for by the ”tent“ is signified what is holy of the church, of worship, and of the Word (n. 10545), consequently by ”stretching it“ is signified to provide, dispose, and set in order these things; and from the signification of ”the camp,“ as being the heavenly order from which and according to which are heaven and the church; and as all the truths and goods of heaven and of the church belong to this order, there is consequently signified their containant also. The reason why these things are signified by ”the camp,“ is that by ”the sons of Israel,“ who formed the camp, are signified all truths and goods in the complex. But when the sons of Israel worshiped the calf instead of Jehovah, then by their ”camp“ was signified the opposite, thus infernal order, and also the containant of falsity and evil, which make hell.  Whether you say ”the external of worship and of the church without the internal,“ or ”hell,“ it is the same thing; for they who are in the external of worship without the internal are in the loves of self and of the world, and the loves of self and of the world are from hell. From this it is evident why Moses took his tent and stretched it without the camp afar off from the camp; for as before said by the ”tent“ was signified what is holy of worship, of the church, and of the Word; and also why by these words is signified what is remote from the external things in which the Israelitish nation was.

[2] That by ”the camp“ is signified heavenly order, and by ”encamping“ the disposing of good and truth according to heavenly order, (n. 4236, 8103, 8130, 8131, 8155, 8193, 8196); and that consequently by ”the camp“ is signified heaven and the church in so far as they are the containant of these, (n. 10038); and in the opposite sense hell, (n. 10458); moreover that the external of worship and of the church separate from what is internal is hell, (n. 10483, 10489); for the reason that those who are in external things separate from what is internal never receive any Divine influx, (n. 10429, 10472); and consequently have nothing of faith in and of love to the Lord, (n. 10396, 10400, 10411); because they look solely to their own loves, thus to hell, (n. 10422); and consequently worship themselves for a god, (n. 10407, 10412); that the Israelitish nation was in external things separate from what is internal, (n. 9380, 9373, 9391, 10396, 10401, 10407, 10492, 10498, 10500, 10533).

AC 10547. And he called it the tent of meeting. That this signifies the external of worship, of the church, and of the Word, in which are internal things, is evident from the signification of ”the tent of meeting,“ as being the external of worship, of the church, and of the Word, in which are things internal; for by ”tent“ is signified what is holy of worship, of the church, and of the Word (n. 10545), and by ”meeting“ is signified where internal things are, for all internal things are together in external things (n. 6451, 9216, 9828, 9836). In the sense of the letter by ”meeting“ is meant the meeting of the sons of Israel; but in the internal sense there is signified the meeting of the truths and goods of the church, because by the sons of Israel in a good sense are signified the truths and goods of the church in the complex (n. 5414, 5879, 5951, 7957), in like manner by the ”congregation“ and the ”assemblage“ of the sons of Israel (n. 7830, 7843). And the truths and goods of the Word, of the church, and of worship are in their own internal; for in the internal of the Word, of the church, and of worship are celestial and spiritual things; but in the external are natural and worldly things; and all celestial and spiritual things flow into natural and worldly things, and terminate in them, and form and constitute them. From this it is that what is external is signified by ”meeting.“ This is the case with the external sense of the Word, which is called the sense of its letter, thus also with the externals of the church and of worship, for these are from the Word.

AC 10548. And it was that everyone inquiring of Jehovah went out unto the tent of meeting that was outside the camp. That this signifies that all instructions concerning the truths and goods of the church and of worship would be given to everyone by means of the external of the Word remotely from the external things in which that nation was, is evident from the signification of ”inquiring of Jehovah,“ as being to be instructed concerning the truths and goods of the church and of worship, for all inquiring of Jehovah is for the sake of instruction in these; from the signification of ”the tent of meeting,“ as being the external of the church and of worship (n. 10547); and from the signification of ”outside the camp,“ as being that which is remote from the external things in which that nation was (n. 10546). From this it is evident that by ”everyone inquiring of Jehovah went out unto the tent of meeting that was outside the camp,“ is signified that all instruction concerning the truths and goods of the church and of worship would be given by means of the external of the Word remotely from the external things in which that nation was.

[2] It is said ”by means of the external of the Word,“ because all instruction concerning the truths and goods of faith and of love which make the church and enter into worship, is from this source, and because to inquire of the Lord is to consult the Word; for in the Word the Lord is present, seeing that the Word is the Divine truth which is from Him, and that He is with the angels in His Divine truth, and also with the men of the church who receive Him.

[3] It is said ”by means of the external of the Word,“ because in the external of the Word all internal things are together, thus all the truths and goods of heaven and of the church (n. 10547). From this it is that answers and revelations were made in ultimates (n. 9905). Moreover all the doctrinal things of the church that are of service to worship, are given by means of the external of the Word; but they are given to those only who are in enlightenment from the Lord when they are reading the Word, for then light flows into them from heaven through the internal sense (n. 9025, 9382, 9409, 9424, 9430, 10105, 10324, 10402, 10431).

[4] The reason why it denotes remotely from the external things in which the Israelitish nation was, is that with that nation the external of the Word appears quite different, and consequently is differently unfolded, as can be seen from the fact that they see nothing therein about faith in the Lord and love to Him, nor indeed about the Lord, and about heaven from Him. But the things which they see are solely about worldly and earthly things, and especially about their own preeminence to others. The reason is that they are in external things without what is internal, and they who are of such a character can see nothing from the internal. To see from the internal is to see from heaven from the Lord. From all this it is evident that the external of the Word, and consequently of the church and of worship, with that nation, was remote from the external of the Word, of the church, and of worship, as regarded in itself. As far as (verse 11), the external worship of that nation is now described in the internal sense.

AC 10549. And it was that when Moses went out unto the tent, all the people rose up, and stood, every man at the door of his tent.  That this signifies that that nation was not in the external of the Word, of the church, and of worship, but was outside of it, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being the Word (n. 9372); from the signification of ”the tent,“ as being what is holy of worship, of the church, and of the Word (n. 10545); and from the signification of ”rising and standing before the door of the tent,“ as being to be outside of it, for ”door“ denotes entrance, introduction, and communication (n. 2145, 2152, 8989); consequently ”to stand before it“ denotes not to enter, be introduced, and have communication.

AC 10550. And looked after Moses, until he had entered into the tent.  That this signifies that they see the external of the Word, of the church, and of worship, but that it vanishes from their apprehension, is evident from the signification of ”looking after Moses,“ as being to see the external of the Word; for by ”Moses“ is signified the Word (n. 10549); and by ”looking after him“ is signified to see its external; for that which is before signifies that which is within; and that which is after signifies that which is without; consequently to see the back parts of Jehovah, and not the face, denotes to see what is external and not what is internal, as shown in the last verse of this chapter. And from the signification of ”until he had entered into the tent,“ as being to vanish from their apprehension; for when he entered he was no longer seen.

AC 10551. And it was that when Moses entered into the tent, the pillar of cloud descended, and stood at the door of the tent, and spake with Moses.  That this signifies that after the Word had vanished from their apprehension a dense obscurity took possession of them from without, and yet there was a clear perception from within, is evident from the signification of ”when Moses entered into the tent,“ as being that after the Word had vanished from their apprehension (n. 10550); from the signification of ”the pillar of cloud,“ as being a dense obscurity relatively to that nation, for by a ”cloud“ is signified the external of the Word (n. 2135a, 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8443, 8781); and also the obscurity of the Word with those who are not in enlightenment, and dense obscurity with those who are in the external of the Word separate from the internal (n. 6832, 8106, 8814, 8819, 9430); from the signification of ”standing at the door,“ as being to be outside (n. 10549); from the signification of ”speaking with Moses,“ as being to perceive clearly from within, for by ”Moses“ is signified the Word as regarded in itself, (n. 9372), and by ”speaking“ is signified to perceive, (n. 10290). That it denotes from within is because Moses, with whom the pillar of cloud spake, was within the tent.

[2] It must here he told what it is to see from without, and what to have perception from within. Those who when reading the Word are in enlightenment, see it from within, for their internal is open, and when the internal is open it is in the light of heaven.  This light flows in and enlightens, although the man is unaware of it.  The reason why he is unaware of it, is that this light flows into the knowledges that are in the man‘s memory, and these knowledges are in natural light.  And as the man thinks from these knowledges as from himself, he cannot perceive the influx, nevertheless from various indications he is able to know that he has been in enlightenment. But yet everyone is deceived who believes himself to be in enlightenment, unless he loves to know truth for the sake of truth and for the sake of the good of life, thus unless he loves Divine truth for the sake of life, because to live according to Divine truths from the Word is to love the Lord, and all enlightenment comes from the Lord when He is loved.

[3] But those cannot possibly be in any enlightenment who have not as their end a life according to Divine truths from the Word; but who have as their end honor, gain, and reputation; and who thus regard the Divine truths of the Word as means; for this end is worldly and bodily, and not spiritual and heavenly; and it therefore closes the internal man, and when this is closed, no light can flow in from heaven and enlighten.  If such persons, when reading the Word, believe that they are in enlightenment, they are quite mistaken; for they do not think from heaven, but from the world; thus not from the Lord, but from themselves; and in so far as they think from themselves and from the world, so far they think from natural light separate from heavenly light, and in spiritual things natural light separate from heavenly light is mere thick darkness. If these persons persuade themselves that they have seen something from enlightenment, it is a fallacy, for they perceive whether a thing is true solely from others by means of confirmations, which is to see truth from without and not from within, or to see it from persuasive faith, the nature of which may be seen in (n. 9363-9369).  Such persons are able to see falsity as truth, and truth as falsity; also evil as good, and good as evil.

[4] From all this it is evident what it is to see the Word from without; and also what it is to perceive it from within. To see it from without is signified by the people ”standing at the door of the tent and looking after Moses;“ also by their ”seeing the pillar of cloud standing at the door of the tent;“ and by their ”bowing themselves at the door of their tents.“ But to perceive the Word from within is signified by ”Moses entering into the tent;“ and by ”the pillar of cloud, which was at the door of the tent, speaking with Moses.“

[5] It shall also be briefly stated how the influx from which comes enlightenment is effected. Equally with men, the angels also perceive the Word when it is read; but the angels perceive it spiritually, and men perceive it naturally. The man whose internal is open also perceives the Word spiritually; but while he lives in the world he is unaware of this, because his spiritual thought flows into the natural thought in the external man, and there presents itself to view. Nevertheless it is this interior thought which enlightens, and by means of which the influx from the Lord is effected. By looking into their thoughts, and by reflections thereon, some of the learned have noticed that there is in man an interior thought which does not appear, and therefore they have called the ideas of this thought immaterial and intellectual, and they have made a distinction between these ideas and those of the exterior thought which appear; and they have called these latter natural and material. But they have not known that the ideas of the interior thought are spiritual; and that when these flow down they are turned into natural ideas, and appear under a different shape, and under a different condition.  From all this it can in some measure be seen how the influx through which comes enlightenment is effected.

AC 10552. And all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the door of the tent.  That this signifies a dense obscurity taking possession of them from without, is evident from what has been unfolded just above (n. 10551).

AC 10553. And all the people rose up and bowed themselves, every man at the door of his tent.  That this signifies that that nation adored their external in a holy manner, is evident from the signification of ”rising and bowing themselves,“ as being to adore in a holy manner; and from the signification of ”at the door of his tent,“ as being the external of the Word, of the church, and of worship (n. 10549).  In these words is described the genius of that nation, in that although they are outside the genuine sense of the Word, and are in very dense obscurity concerning it, they nevertheless adore it in a holy manner. But this holiness is an idolatrous holiness arising from the love of self altogether separated from the Divine holiness.  That that nation was in such a holiness when in worship, (n. 3479, 4281, 6588, 9377, 10430, 10500).

AC 10554. And Jehovah spake unto Moses faces to faces.  That this signifies the Divine things in the Word conjoined together, is evident from the signification of ”speaking faces to faces,“ as being to be conjoined, for by ”faces“ are signified the interiors, and when the interiors mutually regard each other and see alike, they conjoin themselves together. This is signified by ”speaking faces to faces“ when said of Jehovah speaking unto Moses, by whom is meant the Word; for by ”speaking“ is signified perception, and by ”faces to faces“ is signified mutually, consequently the mutual perception of the one in that of the other, which is conjunction.

[2] This means that such is the nature of the Word, because here ”Moses“ denotes the Word. For such is the nature of the Word in its internal and in its external. In its internal, and also in its external, each and all things have been conjoined together; moreover those which are in its internal are conjoined by means of correspondences with those which are in its external. These conjunctions cannot be described, and if they were described, they could not be apprehended by any idea of thought. It is celestial and spiritual things which are there thus conjoined together, and it is these which by means of correspondences are conjoined with the natural and worldly things which constitute the sense of the letter. The nature of these conjunctions may in some measure be presented to the idea by comparison with the conjunctions of the angelic societies in the heavens, which taken together are a one, just as are the members, viscera, and organs with man, which though various, and each of them inwardly consisting of countless various things, nevertheless make a one. Such also is the Word in respect to its truths and goods. That such is the nature of the Word is quite unknown to man; but the angels know it, for they perceive the connection of the interior things of the Word.

[3] From all this it can be seen that by ”Jehovah speaking unto Moses faces to faces“ is signified the Divine things in the Word conjoined together. That one thing is signified by ”speaking faces to faces,“ and another by ”seeing Jehovah face to face,“ is evident from what follows in this chapter, where Jehovah says unto Moses, ”Thou canst not see My faces, because a man doth not see Me and live. But I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee over with the palm of My hand, until I have passed by; and I will take away the palm of My hand, and thou shalt see My back parts, and My faces shall not be seen“ (verses 20, 22, 23). That ”Moses“ denotes the Word, (n. 10549); that” the faces“ denote the interiors, (n. 9546); and also that ”speaking“ denotes perception, (n. 10290).

AC 10555. As a man speaketh unto his neighbor. That this signifies the conjunction of truth and good, is evident from the signification of ”speaking,“ as being a mutual perception and the consequent conjunction (n. 10554); from the signification of ”man (vir),“ as being truth (n. 3134, 3459, 4823, 7716, 9007); and from the signification of ”neighbor,“ as being the good with which truth is conjoined. In the Word throughout mention is made of ”man and neighbor,“ or of ” man and companion;“ and thereby is signified what is mutual, as also by ”man and brother.“ And when what is mutual is signified, there is meant mutual conjunction, such as is that between truth and good; for truth mutually conjoins itself with good, for the reason that truth has its being from good, and good has its quality in truth.  In heaven there is not any truth which is not conjoined with good, for the reason that truth is not anything without good, nor is good anything without truth. For truth without good is like manifestation (existere) without being (esse), and good without truth is like being without manifestation; that is, truth without good is like a body without life; and good without truth is like life without a body. Wherefore unless they are conjoined together, they are not anything from which comes anything, that is, they are not anything of which anything of heaven and of the church can be predicated.

[2] The case herein is like what understanding would be in man without will, or like what will would be without understanding. One is indeed possible separate from the other, as for example to understand what is true and good, and not to will it. But in this case to understand has its will from some other source than good; it has it from willing for one’s self, or for the sake of one‘s self, to which the understanding of truth and of good serve as a means. He who reflects well is able to know that understanding with man has its life from his willing; and that without willing it is not anything; and also that understanding and willing mutually regard each other, and are conjoined together. The case is the same with truth and good, consequently with faith and love. Unless truth is conjoined with good, or faith with love, there is no truth or good, nor faith or love. These things have been said in order that it may be known what is meant by the mutual conjunction which in the spiritual sense is signified by ”man and companion,“ or by ”man and neighbor,“ and also by ”man and brother.“

AC 10556. And he returned unto the camp. That this signifies unto the external in which that nation was, is evident from the signification of ”the camp,“ as being the external of the Word, of the church, and of worship, in which the Israelitish nation was (n. 10546). Now when Moses has returned unto the camp, he no longer represents the Word, but the head of the Israelitish nation, for to be in the camp with those who were in external things separate from what is internal, denotes to be in a similar state. It was otherwise when he was without that camp and stretched the tent there, afar off from the camp. In what manner therefore Moses represents the head of that nation can be seen from the internal sense of what follows in this chapter down to the end. As Moses puts on this representation, it is therefore said that ”his minister Joshua, the son of Nun, a boy, moved not out of the midst of the tent,“ by which is signified that the representative is still continued in the tent that was outside the camp.

AC 10557. And his minister Joshua, the son of Nun, a boy, moved not out of the midst of the tent. That this signifies Divine truth meanwhile ministering in the holy things of the church and of worship in the place of Moses, is evident from the representation of Joshua the minister of Moses, as being Divine truth ministering in the place of Moses, and who was called ”the son of Nun“ from truth, and ”a boy“ from good; and from the signification of ”not moving out of the midst of the tent,“ as being meanwhile not ceasing to be in the holy things of the church and of worship. By ”not moving out“ is signified not ceasing meanwhile, and by ”the tent“ is signified what is holy of the Word, of the church, and of worship (n. 10545). In the last article (n. 10556), it was said that Moses now begins to represent the head of the Israelitish nation; and therefore lest the connection of things in the internal sense should be broken, it was provided that when Moses was absent, Joshua should remain in the tent; for by Joshua is represented Divine truth in respect co some function; as for example Divine truth fighting (n. 8595); Divine truth surveying and taking notice (n. 10454); and here Divine truth ministering in the absence of Moses.  Therefore he is called ”the minister of Moses.“

AC 10558. Verses 12-17.  And Moses said unto Jehovah, See, Thou sayest unto me, Make this people come up; and Thou hast not made known to me whom Thou wilt send with me. And Thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in Mine eyes.  And now I pray, If I have found grace in Thine eyes, make known to me, I pray, Thy way, that I may know Thee, because I have found grace in Thine eyes; and see that this nation is Thy people. And He said, My faces shall go, and I will make thee to rest. And he said unto Him, If Thy faces go not, do not make us to go up from hence. And wherein shall it ever become known that I have found grace in Thine eyes, land Thy people? is it not in Thy going with us? and we shall be rendered pre-eminent, and Thy people, above all the people that are upon the faces of the ground.  And Jehovah said unto Moses, I will do this word also that thou hast spoken; because thou hast found grace in Mine eyes, and know thee by name. ”And Moses said unto Jehovah,“ signifies indignation that the Divine, thus the church itself, was not with them; ”See, Thou sayest unto me, Make this people come up,“ signifies a solemn promise that the church should be with that nation; ”and Thou hast not made known to me whom Thou wilt send with me,“ signifies that this cannot be done without the Divine auspices; ”and Thou hast said, I know thee by name,“ signifies his quality; ”and thou hast also found grace in Mine eyes,“ signifies that he was accepted because he could preside over that nation; ”and now I pray if I have found grace in Thine eyes,“ signifies if he was accepted on this account; ”make known to me I pray Thy way, that I may know Thee,“ signifies instruction concerning what would be the nature of the Divine with them; ”because I have found grace in Thine eyes,“ signifies because he was received to preside over the people; ”and see that this nation is Thy people,“ signifies that they are the only ones in the world with whom is the Divine which is over all things; ”and He said, My faces shall go, and I will make thee to rest,“ signifies that the Divine of the church, of worship, and of the Word shall be there, but with the nation itself what is external without it; ”and he said unto Him, If Thy faces go not, do not make us go up from hence,“ signifies if the Divine be not there, there will not be anything of the church; ”and wherein shall it ever become known that I have found grace in Thine eyes, I and Thy people? is it not in Thy going with us?“ signifies reception above others if the Divine be manifested among them; ”and we shall be rendered pre-eminent, I and Thy people, above all the people that are upon the faces of the ground,“ signifies their consequent pre-eminence to all in the whole world where the church is; ”and Jehovah said unto Moses, I will do this word also that thou hast spoken,“ signifies that the Divine shall be in the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word, which is with them; ”because thou hast found grace in Mine eyes, and I know thee by name,“ signifies that he is accepted on account of his quality.

AC 10559. And Moses said unto Jehovah.  That this signifies indignation that the Divine was not with them, thus not the church itself, is evident from the signification of ”saying,“ as here being indignation, for ”saying“ involves the things which follow, because these are what he said, and the things which follow are things of indignation on this account, that the Divine would not be with them, thus that the church would not be with them, whereby they might be rendered pre-eminent to all that were upon the face of the earth, as is plain from verse sixteen which follows. The reason why the words of Moses to Jehovah were words of indignation on that account, was that Moses here bears relation to the head of the Israelitish nation (n. 10556); wherefore he speaks for himself and for that nation, for he says, ”I and the people“ (verse 16).  And because he here hears relation to that nation as its head, therefore by ”Moses said unto Jehovah“ is signified indignation; for a man who is such as was that nation, is indignant against God if he does not obtain his desires.

[2] This is done by all those who are in external things without what is internal, for if they reverence and adore God, and as it were love Him, it is not for His own sake, but for the sake of themselves, because they desire nothing else than eminence above others and wealth beyond others, this being the fire which excites their reverence and adoration, and as it were their love.  But if they do not obtain what they desire, they forsake God.  That that nation was of such a character is very evident from the historicals of the Word.  The like is signified by the words of Jacob:--

Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way wherein I walk, and will give me bread to eat, and a garment to put on, and I return in peace to my father’s house, then Jehovah shall be to me for God (Gen.  28:20, 21);

these words mean that if he should receive these things, he would acknowledge Jehovah for his God; but if he should not receive them, he would not acknowledge Him.  Such also was the nation descended from him.  From this it is that that nation so often fell away, and worshiped other gods, until at last they were for this reason cast out from the land of Canaan, first the Israelitish nation, and afterward the Jewish.  It is evident that the cause of the indignation above spoken of was that if Jehovah did not go with them they would not become preeminent to all in the whole world.

[3] That it was also a cause of indignation that the church itself was not with them, follows from the fact that to be brought by Jehovah into the land of Canaan denotes to become the church.  The reason of this is that the church had been in the land of Canaan from the most ancient times, and that the Word could not have been written elsewhere, thus except with the nation which possessed that land; and where the Word is, there is the church.  That the Word could not have been written anywhere else was because all the places that were in the whole of that land, and that were round about it, such as the mountains, the valleys, the rivers, the forests, and all the rest, had become representative of celestial and spiritual things; and it was necessary that the sense of the letter of the Word, in both the historical and the prophetical parts, should consist of such things, because the interior things of the Word, which are celestial and spiritual, must close in such things, and as it were stand on them like a house upon its foundation; for unless the Word in respect to the sense of the letter, which is its ultimate, stood upon such things, it would be like a house without a foundation.  That this is so is evident from the Word, in that mention is so often made of the places of that land, all of which, having become representative, signify the things of heaven and of the church.

[4] From this it is that to be brought into the land of Canaan signifies the setting up of the church, and that the indignation of Moses involves this also, although he did not think of it. That the church was in the land of Canaan from the most ancient times, and that consequently all the places therein became representative, (n. 3686, 4447, 4454, 4516, 4517, 5136, 6306, 6516, 8317, 9320, 9325); and that from this ”the land of Canaan“ in the Word signifies the church, (n. 9325).

AC 10560. See, Thou sayest unto me, Make this people come up. That this signifies a solemn promise that the church should be with that nation, is evident from the signification of ”Thou sayest unto me,“ when the saying is by Jehovah, as being a solemn promise; and from the signification of ”making this people come up,“ as being that the church should be set up with that nation.  These are the things which are signified in the internal sense by these words.  But in the sense nearest the letter is signified that they should be brought into the land of Canaan and should possess it. That to be brought into the land of Canaan and to possess it denotes to set up the church, (n. 10559). How the case is in regard to these things has been shown throughout in the preceding pages, namely, that no church could be instituted with that nation, but only the representative of a church, because they were in external thing separate from what is internal, and those who are of such a character cannot receive any influx from the Divine; and get the church with man is in his internal, but not in what is external separate therefrom.  They who are of such a character can indeed represent the church, but cannot be the church. To represent the church and not be the church is to worship external things, and to call them holy and Divine; but not to acknowledge and perceive them in faith and love from heaven. See what has been said above concerning the signification of ”making the people come up into the land,“ (n. 10526).

AC 10561. And Thou hast not made known to me whom Thou wilt send with me.  That this signifies that this cannot be done without the Divine auspices, is evident from the signification of ”sending with Moses and with that nation,“ when sending by Jehovah is meant, as being that the Divine shall lead, because Moses knew that he could indeed bring the people into the land of Canaan; but that if this were done without the Divine leading and auspices, they would not come into possession of it; which involves and signifies that the church would not be instituted with that nation (n. 10559, 10560).  From this it is evident that by ”make this people come up, but Thou hast not made known to me whom Thou wilt send with me,“ is signified that the church could not be instituted with that nation without the Divine auspices.  Thus do the angels perceive these words, howsoever they may be perceived by men; for the angels perceive all things of the Word according to its internal sense; but men according to the external sense, in which nevertheless is the internal.  That ”sending with them,“ when said of Jehovah, denotes that the Divine shall lead, is because by being ”sent by Jehovah“ is signified the Divine leading, and also the Divine proceeding.  Therefore in the original tongue angels are so called from ”sent,“ and therefore the Lord so frequently spoke of Himself as being ”sent“ by the Father, by which is signified the Divine proceeding (n. 4710, 6831).  From all this it is evident what is meant in the internal sense by ”whom Thou wilt send with me.“

AC 10562. And Thou hast said, I know thee by name.  That this signifies his quality, is evident from the signification of ”knowing,“ when said of Jehovah, as being to know and foresee from eternity (n. 5309); and from the signification of ”name.“ as being the quality of a state, thing, or man (n. 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 2724, 3004-3011, 3421, 6674, 6887, 8274, 8882, 9310).  The quality of Moses is involved in the things which follow.  From this it is evident that by, ”I know thee by name,“ when said by Jehovah, is signified to know and foresee from eternity what is his quality.

AC 10563. And thou hast also found grace in Mine eyes.  That this signifies that he was received because he could preside over that nation, is evident from the signification of ”finding grace in the eyes of Jehovah,“ as being to be received, here on account of his quality, which is signified by ”I know thee by name.“ His quality was that he could preside over that nation, for Moses was foreseen by the Lord to preside over the Israelitish people.  That this was foreseen is evident from the fact that he was brought up in the palace of king Pharaoh, where there were lordships, and from this he acquired the disposition of being preeminent to others; on which account he was received to preside over his people.  His quality likewise was such that he could receive speech from the Divine better than others of that nation, for he was not so much in what is external separate from what is internal as they were. These therefore are the things which are signified by, ”I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in Mine eyes.“

AC 10564. And now I pray, if I have found grace in Thine eyes. That this signifies if he was accepted, is evident from what was said just above (n. 10562, 10563).

AC 10565. Make known to me I pray Thy way, that I may know Thee.  That this signifies instruction concerning what would be the nature of the Divine with them, is evident from the signification of ”making known the way of Jehovah,“ as being instruction concerning the Divine, for by ”making known“ is signified instruction, and by ”the way of Jehovah“ is signified the Divine truth leading; and from the signification of ”knowing Jehovah,“ as being to know the quality of the Divine with them.  That ”way“ denotes truth, (n. 627, 2333, 10422); here Divine truth leading.  Because I have found grace in Thine eyes, signifies because he was received to preside over the people and to lead them (n. 10563, 10564).

AC 10566. And see that this nation is Thy people.  That this signifies that they are the only ones in the world with whom is the Divine which is over all things, is evident from the signification of ”the nation of Jehovah,“ as being where the Divine Itself dwells, and in the spiritual sense where the church of the Lord is, for all those who acknowledge the Lord in faith and love, taken together, are ”the nation of Jehovah.“ But at that time the sons of Israel thought nothing of the church; but only of the possession of the land of Canaan, and of eminence over others. And as it was told Moses that the name of their God was Jehovah, which however they had not previously known (Exod.  3:13, 14); and because they saw such great miracles wrought by Him in Egypt, and at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness, they therefore acknowledged Jehovah for their God. Nevertheless in their hearts they did not believe in Him, for they believed that there were many gods, as can be sufficiently well seen from the golden calf which, while Moses tarried, they adored as their god, yea as jehovah; and afterward from the gods to whom they so often turned aside, as is evident from the historical parts of the Word.  From all this it can be seen that they worshiped Jehovah merely on account of the miracles, and not because He alone was God; and he who worships God merely on account of miracles, only worships the name of God, and not God, and falls away whenever he does not obtain his desires. That the Israelitish nation worshiped Jehovah merely in respect to the name, (n. 3732, 4299, 6877); and that at heart they were idolaters, (n. 4208, 4281, 4820, 5998, 6877, 7401, 8301, 8882); and that they were the worst nation, (n. 4314, 4316, 4317, 4444, 4503, 4750, 4751, 4815, 4820, 4832, 5057, 7248, 8819, 9320, 10396). From all this it can now be seen what is signified by the words ”this nation is Thy people,“ namely, that they were the only ones among whom was Jehovah, and that in this way they would become preeminent to all other nations.  But although in the proximate sense, these things are signified by these words, nevertheless by the same words in the internal sense is signified that the Divine was with them, consequently the church.

AC 10567. And he said, My faces shall go, and I will make thee to rest.  That this signifies that the Divine of the church, of worship, and of the Word shall be there, but with the nation itself what is external without it, is evident from the signification of ”faces,“ as being the interiors (n. 9546), and when said concerning Jehovah, as being things Divine, here the Divine things of the church, of worship, and of the Word; from the signification of ”going,“ as being to live (n. 3335, 4882, 5493, 5605, 8417, 8420, 9440), but when said of Jehovah, it denotes to give life, to be present, and to lead; for from this does man live; and from the signification of ”making Moses rest,“ as being the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word, in which interior Divine things close; for by Moses is represented this external (n. 10563), and by ”resting“ is signified to rest and to close, thus that in which interior Divine things rest or in which they close; moreover in the original tongue this word means to rest and close. That the interior things of the church, of worship, and of the Word close in their external, and that they rest upon it as upon their plane, or as a house upon its foundation, (n. 9216). That these things are signified by ”making Moses rest,“ is evident from what follows in this chapter in the internal sense, in which the interiors of the Word, of the church, and of worship are treated of, and the external wherein they close.  This external is that which is represented by Moses.

AC 10568. And he said unto Him, If Thy faces go not, do not make us go up from hence.  That this signifies that if the Divine be not there, there will not be anything of the church, is evident from the signification of the ”faces of Jehovah,“ as being the interior Divine things of the church, of worship, and of the Word (n. 10567); and from the signification of ”not making us go up hence,“ as being that there will not be anything of the church.  The reason why this is signified by these words, is that by being ”brought into the land of Canaan“ is signified the setting up of the church; thus by ”not making us go up from hence“ is signified that thus there will not be anything of the church.  That by being ”brought into the land of Canaan“ is signified the setting up of the church, may be seen above (n. 10560, 10561); and this is signified for the reason that by ”the land of Canaan“ in the Word nothing else is understood in heaven but the church, for in heaven all things of the Word are spiritually perceived.  Wherefore when mention is made of any land, they think there of such things as are of the church in that land, or with the nation there. The angels of heaven cannot keep the mind in the idea of any land, because the idea of land is material; nor in the idea of any nation, for this idea also is material.  Wherefore a spiritual idea at once occurs to them, which idea is about the church. In general a spiritual idea is about the Lord, His kingdom, heaven, the church, love to and faith in the Lord, and about countless things that belong to faith and love, thus that belong to the church.  And if you will believe it, it is impossible for any material idea to enter heaven; it is put off at the first threshold.  Such is the case with the whole and every part of the Word.  From this then it is that by being” brought into the land of Canaan“ is signified the setting up of the church; and by ”not being brought,“ as here, is signified no setting up of it.

AC 10569. And wherein shall it even become known that I have found grace in Thine eyes, I and Thy people? is it not in Thy going with us?  That this signifies reception above others if the Divine be manifested among them, is evident from the signification of ”becoming known,“ when said of the Divine among them, as being to be revealed; from the signification of ”finding grace in the eyes of Jehovah,“ as being to be received (n. 10563), here, above others, because there follows, ”and we shall be rendered preeminent, I and Thy people, above all the people that are upon the faces of the ground;“ and from the signification of ”going with us,“ when said of Jehovah, as being the Divine leading, here into the land of Canaan (n. 10567). From this it is evident that by ”wherein shall it ever become known that I have found grace in Thine eyes, I and Thy people? is it not in Thy going with us?“ is signified reception above others if the Divine be manifested among them.

[2] It is said ”in the eyes of Jehovah,“ and thereby is signified the Divine presence of the Lord in the truths and goods of faith and of love with men on earth and with angels in the heavens.  The reason why the presence of the Lord is in the truths and goods of faith and of love, is that these are from the Lord Himself; and when the Lord is present in these with men and with angels, He is then present in His own with them, and not in what is their own, for this is evil.  From this also it is that by ”eyes“ in the Word, when said of men who receive the Divine things of the Lord, is signified faith and also a recipient understanding; for the understanding is the internal eye; and faith is truth which is seen and perceived. That the ”eyes,“ when said in the Word of men, signify faith and also understanding, (n. 2701, 4407-4421, 4523-4534, 9051).

[3] It shall also be told whence comes this sight.  There is a real light which illumines the understanding, and which is quite distinct from the light which illumines the sight of the body. The light which illumines the understanding is from heaven; but that which illumines the sight of the body is in the world. The light of heaven is from the Lord as a sun there, and is in its essence the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord‘s Divine good.  From this it is evident whence it is that by the ”eyes,“ when said of Jehovah, is signified the Divine presence of the Lord; and by the ”eyes,“ when said of men who receive the Divine truth of the Lord, or His light, is signified faith and an enlightened understanding.

[4] That it is a real light which illumines minds, and effects understanding with men, is not known in the world, although men attribute sight and light to the understanding, and although in the Word the Lord is often called ”the Light,“ by which is meant that He is seen by faith and the light thereof. That it is a real light which illumines minds, and that the Divine truth which proceeds from the Lord as a sun is this light, and that where it is received it gives the understanding of truth, (n. 9548, 9684, 9570, 9571, 9594).

[5] From all this it can be seen what is signified in the Word by ”the eyes of Jehovah,“ as in these passages:--

Incline Thine ear, O Jehovah, and hear; open Thine eyes, O Jehovah, and see (Isa. 37:17).

I will set Mine eye upon them for good, and I will bring them back upon their own land, and I will build them (Jer.  24:6).

Behold the eye of Jehovah is upon them that fear Him (Ps.  33:18).

Jehovah is in the temple of His holiness, the throne of Jehovah is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids try, the sons of man (Ps. 11:4).

AC 10570. And we shall be rendered preeminent, I and Thy people, above all the people that are upon the faces of the ground. That this signifies their consequent pre-eminence to all in the whole world where the church is, is evident from the signification of ”being rendered preeminent above all the people that are upon the faces of the ground,“ as being preeminence to all in the whole world.  That it also denotes where the church is, is because by ”the ground“ is signified the church.

[2] That this end, that they might be rendered preeminent above all in the whole world, was the end for which the Israelitish nation worshiped Jehovah, and for the sake of which they could be in a holy external, is evident from what has been already shown concerning that nation. That such can be in a holy external, and appear to others as worshipers of God, is evident from the idolaters spoken of in the historical parts of the Word, who in like manner could be in external things. But that they had no holy internal can be known and inferred by everyone from the fact that it is the Divine truths revealed in the Word which cause worship to be internal, provided that men know them and live according to them.  For if a man could worship God in a holy manner without them, there would be no need of any doctrine of the church, nor of any preaching.

[3] As that nation was of such a nature that they could be in a holy external for the sake of preeminence to others as their end in view; and as with such people the representatives of celestial and spiritual things, which are the externals of worship, can be in communication with the angels, and thereby there may be conjunction with heaven, therefore that nation was received. But he who believes that they were thereby worshipers of God, is very much mistaken, for they were worshipers of self and of the world, and at heart were idolaters.  And as they were of such a character, the interior things of worship which belong to faith and love to the Lord were not revealed to them, as is plain from the books of the Old Testament, and also from the fact that they did not acknowledge the Lord when He came into the world, nay, do not yet acknowledge Him, and if instructed from the prophetic utterances concerning the Lord, still they do not receive it.  They wish for a Messiah who shall exalt them above all in the whole world, and not a Messiah whose kingdom is in the heavens, and who consequently provides also for the salvation of all upon the earth. From all this it can be seen what was the character of that nation from the earliest ages, and why it is here said that by ”Jehovah going with them they would be rendered preeminent above all the people that are upon the faces of the ground“

[4] It is said ”upon the faces of the ground,“ and thereby is meant wheresoever the church is, for by ” ground,“ in like manner as by ”land“ or ”earth“ is signified the church. That it is signified by ”land“ or ”earth,“ (n. 9325). But ”ground“ signifies the church for a similar reason as does ”field,“ thus from the reception of various seeds, and their growth and produce, by which are signified the truths and goods of faith and of love, of which man is such a receptacle as the ground is of seeds. But the church is called ”land“ or ”earth“ from the people with whom the church is who dwell therein. But as ”ground“ involves extension in respect to space, equally as does ”land“ or ”earth,“ therefore instead of ”ground“ the translators say ”earth;“ as here ”upon the faces of the earth,“ instead of ”upon the faces of the ground “ as also in other passages. And yet in the original tongue the word which means ”ground“ is from a totally different origin from that of the word which means ”earth.“ That ”the ground“ signifies the church equally as does ”land“ or ”earth,“ is evident from various passages in the Word, of which only a