Spiritual Meaning of EXODUS 16:32-34
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AC 8523. Verses 32-34. And Moses said, This is the word which Jehovah hath commanded, Fill an omer with it to be kept for your generations, to the end that they may see the bread wherewith I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take an urn, and put the omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before Jehovah, to be kept for your generations. As Jehovah commanded Moses, and Aaron laid it up before the Testimony to be kept. "And Moses said, This is the word which Jehovah hath commanded," signifies a mandate; "Fill an omer with it," signifies the highest degree of power; "to be kept for your generations," signifies which is for those who are of the spiritual church; "to the end that they may see the bread wherewith I fed you in the wilderness," signifies the good of truth when in a state of temptations; "when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt," signifies after they had been liberated from infestations; "and Moses said unto Aaron, signifies influx; "Take an urn," signifies truth; "and put the omer full of manna therein," signifies good therein as much as it will hold; "and lay it up before Jehovah," signifies that it may be in the presence of the Divine; "to be kept for your generations," signifies that it may be the measure for those who are of that spiritual church; "as Jehovah commanded Moses," signifies according to the mandate; "and Aaron laid it up before the Testimony to be kept," signifies that it was in the presence of the Divine.

AC 8524. And Moses said, This is the word which Jehovah hath commanded. That this signifies a mandate, is evident from the signification of "the word which Jehovah hath commanded" as being a Divine mandate (n. 8466).

AC 8525. Fill an owner with it. That this signifies the highest degree of power, is evident from the signification of "an omer," as being sufficient, and power (n. 8468, 8473); and as "an omer" denotes sufficient, or as much as one person has, so also it denotes his highest degree of power.

AC 8526. To be kept for your generations. That this signifies which is for those who are of the spiritual church, is evident from the signification of "generations," as being those things which are of faith and charity (n. 613, 2020, 2584, 6239), and therefore, in a determinate sense, those who are of the spiritual church, because it is they who are in faith and charity, and who are represented by the sons of Israel, whose "generations" are here meant. "To be kept for them" signifies to be for a memorial.

AC 8527. To the end that they may see the bread wherewith I fed you in the wilderness. That this signifies the good of truth when in a state of temptations, is evident from the signification of "the manna," which here is "the bread," as being the good of truth (n. 8462, 8464); and from the signification of "the wilderness," as being a state of undergoing temptations (n. 8098).

AC 8528. When I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. That this signifies after they had been liberated from infestations, is evident from the signification of "bringing forth," as being to liberate; and from the signification of "the land of Egypt," as being infestations (n. 7278). That "the land of Egypt" denotes infestations is because by "the Egyptians and Pharaoh" are signified those who infested the upright in the other life, and who also at this day infest them (n. 7097, 7220, 7228, 7317, 8148).

AC 8529. And Moses said unto Aaron. That this signifies influx, is evident from the signification of "saying," when by the internal Divine truth, which is represented by Moses, to the external truth Divine, which is represented by Aaron, as being influx; for Divine influx takes place through the truth which proceeds immediately from the Lord into the truth which proceeds mediately. Moses and Aaron in the representative sense denote these truths, (n. 7009, 7010, 7382).

AC 8530. Take an urn. That this signifies truth, is evident from the signification of "an urn," as here being truth. That "an urn" denotes truth, is because it was the vessel which received the manna, by which is signified good, and all truth is as a vessel for good; hence also by "vessels" in general are signified truths (n. 3068, 3079, 3316, 3318), and consequently by "vessels" in particular, and here by "an urn." That truths are recipient vessels for good may be illustrated by various things in nature - as by light, which is recipient of the heat from the sun, the light signifying truth, and the heat in the light signifying good. So it is with truth and good. It is similar with a garment in respect to the body, and with the body in respect to the soul; also with a blood-vessel and a fiber in respect to the blood and animal spirit enclosed therein; so also with the lungs in respect to the heart, consequently with the respiration of the lungs in respect to the pulse of the heart; in a word, with every organic form of the body in respect to the life which is therein. From these comparisons it can be seen what is the quality of truth without good, or what is the quality of faith without charity, namely, that it is like the organic forms of the body without life; that it is like the respiration of the lungs without the pulse of the heart, or like the lungs without the heart; and that it is like a blood-vessel and a fiber without blood and animal spirit; also like a body without a soul; consequently that it is like something inanimate; and if evil instead of good be therein it is like a carcass.

AC 8531. And put the omerful of manna therein. That this signifies good therein as much as it will hold, is evident from the signification of "the omerful," namely, as much as it will hold; and from the signification of "the manna," as being spiritual good, or the good of truth (n. 8462, 8464).

AC 8532. And lay it up before Jehovah. That this signifies that it may be in the Divine presence, is evident without explication.

AC 8533. To be kept for your generations. That this signifies that it may be the measure for those who are of that spiritual church, is evident from the signification of "an omer of manna," which was laid up to be kept, as being as much as is sufficient (n. 8468), thus also a measure, namely, of the amount of good this church had. "Your generations" denotes those who are of the spiritual church, (n. 8526). As regards the measure or degree of good that belongs to a church, be it known that goods in the other life vary in quality and in quantity, and that they are determined for everyone during his life in the world; they are determined according to the quality and quantity of each person‘s faith and charity in his life. When the Lord grants, the quality and quantity of the good of everyone in the other life is manifested before the angels; for it can be presented to view in the light of heaven, but not in the light of the world. The case is the same in general, namely, in respect to the good of the church. The quantity and the quality of the good belonging to every individual, and to the church, are represented by weights and by measures in the Word; in the present case the quantity of the good of the spiritual church which is represented by the sons of Israel, by the "omer of manna" that was laid up before Jehovah to be kept.

AC 8534. As Jehovah commanded Moses. That this signifies according to the mandate, is evident from the signification of "commanding," when by Jehovah, as being a mandate (n. 8466, 8524).

AC 8535. And Aaron laid it up before the Testimony to be kept. That this signifies that it was in the presence of the Divine, is evident from the signification of "laying up to be kept," as being for a memorial (n. 8526, 8533) and from the signification of "before the Testimony," as being in the presence of the Divine. That "the Testimony" denotes the Divine is plain from what goes before, where it is said by Moses to Aaron that "he should store it up before Jehovah" (n. 8532), thus before the Divine. That "the Testimony" denotes the Divine is because in the universal sense by "the Testimony" is meant the Word, and because the Word is truth Divine, thus the Lord. That the Lord is "the Word," is plain in John:--

That "the Testimony" denotes the Lord as to Divine truth is evident from the ark wherein was the Law published from Sinai, which is called "the Testimony:" that from this the tabernacle had all its sanctity, and that the Testimony was the holy Divine itself, is evident from the fact that above it was the propitiatory with the cherubs, and next outside the veil were the tables of gold with the loaves, and with the lamps; and that the most holy thing of worship was there administered by Aaron; also that Jehovah afterward spake with Moses there above the propitiatory between the two cherubs, thus from the Testimony (Exod. 25:16, 21, 22; 40:20).

Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.

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