Spiritual Meaning of EXODUS 2:23-25
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AC 6797. Verses 23-25. And it came to pass in these many days that the king of Egypt died, and the sons of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God saw the sons of Israel, and God took knowledge. "And it came to pass in these many days," signifies after many changes of state; "that the king of Egypt died," signifies the end of the former falsity; "and the sons of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage," signified sorrow on account of the attempt to subjugate the truth of the church; "and they cried," signifies entreaty; "and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage," signifies that they were heard; "and God heard their groaning," signifies aid; "and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob," signifies by reason of conjunction with the church through the Lord‘s Divine Human; "and God saw the sons of Israel," signifies that He endowed the church with faith; "and God took knowledge," signifies that He endowed with charity.

AC 6798. And it came to pass in these many days. That this signifies after many changes of state, is evident from the signification of "days," as being states (n. 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850); thus "came to pass in many days" denotes after many states, that is, after many changes of state.

AC 6799. That the king of Egypt died. That this signifies the end of the former falsity, is evident from the signification of "dying," as being to cease to be (n. 494, 6587, 6593), thus the end; and from the representation of Pharaoh, or the king of Egypt, as being false memory-knowledge (n. 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692).

AC 6800. And the sons of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage. That this signifies sorrow by reason of the attempt to subjugate the truth of the church, is evident from the signification of "sighing," as being sorrow; from the representation of the sons of Israel, as being the truths of the church (n. 5414, 5879, 5951) and from the signification of "bondage," as being an attempt to subjugate (n. 6666, 6670, 6671)

AC 6801. And they cried. That this signifies entreaty, is evident without explication.

AC 6802. And their cry came up unto God by reason of their bondage. That this signifies that they were heard, is also evident without explication, for the statement follows that "God heard their groaning, and remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob."

AC 6803. And God heard their groaning. That this signifies aid, is evident from the signification of "to hear," as being to obey (n. 2542, 3869, 4652-4660, 5017), but when said of the Lord it denotes to provide and bring aid, for the Lord hears him to whom He brings aid; and from the signification of "groaning," as being sorrow by reason of the attempt to subjugate by falsities.

AC 6804. And God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. That this signifies by reason of conjunction with the church through the Lord’s Divine Human, is evident from the signification of "covenant," as being conjunction; and from the representation of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with whom a covenant was made, as being the Lord‘s Divine Human. That Abraham represents the Lord as to the Divine Itself, Isaac as to the Divine rational, and Jacob as to the Divine natural, see (n. 1893, 2011, 2066, 2072, 2083, 2630, 3194, 3210, 3245, 3251, 3305, 3439, 3576, 3599, 3704, 4180, 4286, 4538, 4570, 4615, 6098, 6185, 6276, 6425). That where mention is made of "Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" in the Word, in the spiritual sense these men are not meant, can be seen from the fact that names never penetrate into heaven, but only what is signified by those who are named, thus the things themselves, their quality and their states, which are of the church and of the Lord’s kingdom, and which are of the Lord Himself.

[2] And moreover the angels in heaven never determine their thoughts to the individual persons, for this would be to limit the thoughts, and to withdraw them from the universal perception of the things, from which is angelic speech. Hence what the angels speak in heaven is unutterable to man, and far above his thought, which is not extended to universals, but confined to particulars. When therefore we read this:--

the angels perceive the Lord‘s presence and the appropriation of the truth and good which proceed from His Divine Human. Also when we read that Lazarus was taken up into Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:22); the angels perceive that he was taken up into heaven where the Lord is present. Hence also it can be seen that by the "covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," in the internal sense is meant conjunction through the Lord‘s Divine Human.

[3] That the Divine Human is a "covenant," that is, conjunction itself, can be seen from many passages in the Word, as:--

[4] In these passages the Lord is plainly treated of, and the conjunction of the human race with the Divine Itself of the Lord through His Divine Human. It is known in the church that the Lord as to the Divine Human is the Mediator, and that no one can come to the Divine Itself, which is in the Lord and is called the Father, except through the Son, that is, through the Divine Human. Thus the Lord as to the Divine Human is the conjunction. who can comprehend the Divine Itself by any thought? and if he cannot comprehend It in thought, who can be conjoined with It in love? but everyone can comprehend the Divine Human in thought, and be conjoined with It in love.

[5] That a " covenant" denotes conjunction can be seen from the covenants made between kingdoms, n that by these they are joined together; and that there are stipulations on each side, which are to be kept, in order that the conjunction may be inviolate. These stipulations or compacts are also called a "covenant." The stipulations or compacts which in the Word are called a covenant," are on the part of man, in a close sense, the ten commandments, or Decalogue; in a wider sense they are all the statutes, commandments, laws, testimonies, precepts, which the Lord enjoined from Mount Sinai through Moses; and in a sense still more wide they are the books of Moses, the contents of which were to be observed on the part of the sons of Israel. On the part of the Lord the "covenant" is mercy and election.

[6] That the ten commandments of Decalogue are a "covenant," is evident from the following passages:--

And because the two tables of stone, on which the ten commandments were written, were stored up in the ark (Exod. 25:16, 21, 22; 31:18; 32:15, 16, 19; 40:20), therefore the ark was called the "ark of the covenant" (Deut. 31:9, 24-26; Josh. 3:3, 6, 14; 4:7; Judg. 20:27; 2 Sam. 15:24; 1 Kings 8:21). In the last passage cited, Solomon thus speaks:--There I have set a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of Jehovah which He made with our fathers. And in John:--

[7] That all the judgments and statutes which the Lord commanded through Moses to the people of Israel, were called the "covenant," as were also the books of Moses themselves, is evident from the following passages:--

the things which are here called a "covenant" were the many in regard to sacrifices, feasts, and unleavened bread.

[8] That a "covenant" denotes conjunction through love and faith, is evident from these passages:--

"to put a law in the midst of them, and to write it on their heart," is to endow with faith and charity; through faith and charity the conjunction is made which is described by the words, "I will be their God, and they shall be My people." I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will no more turn away from them; and I will do well to them; and I will put My fear in their heart, that they shall not depart from Me (Jer. 32:40); conjunction through love, which is the "covenant," is signified by, "I will put My fear in their heart, that they shall not depart from Me."

[9] In Ezekiel:--

here conjunction through love and faith, which are a "covenant," is described by "a sanctuary in the midst of them," and by "a habitation with them," and by the words, "I will be their God, and they shall be My people."

speaking of Jerusalem, whereby is signified the Ancient Church; that "to enter into a covenant that thou shouldest be Mine," is marriage, or spiritual conjunction, is plain. As a "covenant" signifies conjunction, a wife is also called "a wife of the covenant" (Mal. 2:14); and conjunction among brethren is called "the covenant of brethren" (Amos 1:9). By "covenant" is also signified conjunction in David:

[10] That the compact of a covenant on the part of the Lord is mercy and election, is evident in these passages:

"to have respect unto them" is of mercy; "to make them fruitful and multiply them" is to endow them with charity and faith; they who are endowed with these gifts are called the "elect;" so that these are words of election; and also the words "they shall be for a peculiar treasure."

[11] Signs of a covenant existed also in the representative church, and were such as reminded of conjunction, Circumcision was such a sign (Gen. 17:11); for "circumcision" signified purification from filthy loves, on the removal of which, heavenly love is insinuated, through which is conjunction, The Sabbath is also called "an eternal covenant" (Exod. 31:16). It is said also that "the show-bread should be to the sons of Israel for an eternal covenant" (Lev. 24:8 ) and especially the "blood", as is evident from these passages:--

Blood was a covenant, or the token of a covenant, because it signified conjunction through spiritual love, that is, through charity toward the neighbor; therefore when the Lord instituted the Holy Supper, He called His blood the "blood of the new covenant" (Matt. 26:28). From all this it can now be seen what is meant by a "covenant" in the Word in the internal sense.

AC 6805. And God saw the sons of Israel. That this signifies that He endowed the church with faith, is evident from the signification of "seeing," as being to have faith (n. 897, 2325, 280, 3863, 3869, 4403-4421, 5400); hence "God saw" denotes to endow with faith, for faith is from God; and from the signification of the "sons of Israel," as being the church (n. 6637).

AC 6806. And God took knowledge. That this signifies that He endowed with charity, is evident from the signification of "knowing," when predicated of God, that is, of the Lord, as being to endow with charity; for it is charity which conjoins the Lord with man, and causes the Lord to be present with him, consequently to know hint. The Lord indeed knows all in the universe, but not as a father his sons except those who are in the good of love and charity.