Spiritual Meaning of EXODUS 32:26-29
[2] It shall be briefly told what is this opening of hell which is signified by "the gate of this camp." Every hell is closed round about; but is opened above according to necessity and need. This opening is into the world of spirits, which world is midway between heaven and hell, for there the hells terminate upward, and the heavens downward (n. 5852). It is said that they are opened according to necessity and need, because every man has with him spirits from hell and angels from heaven. The spirits from hell are in his bodily and worldly loves, and the angels from heaven are in his heavenly and spiritual loves, for without the presence of spirits no man can possibly live. If spirits were removed from him, he would fall down as dead as a stone. Consequently in order that man may have life according to his loves, the hells are of necessity opened, and according to need, and from them such spirits come forth to him as are in similar loves.
[3] This opening is what is meant by "the gate of hell," and such openings it has sometimes been granted me to see. The gates are guarded by the Lord by means of angels, to prevent more spirits coming forth than is needful. From this it is evident what is signified in the Word by "the gates of hell," and by "the gates of enemies," as in Matthew:--
Jesus said unto Peter, Upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18);
"the gates of hell not prevailing" denotes that the hells will not dare to go forth and destroy the truths of faith; "the rock upon which the church is built" denotes faith from the Lord in the Lord, which faith is the faith of charity, because charity is in this faith and thus is one with it. That a "rock" denotes this faith, see (n. 2760, 8581, 10438); and that real faith is charity, (n. 654, 1162, 1176, 1608, 2228, 2343, 2349, 2419, 2839, 3324, 4368, 6348, 7039, 7623-7627, 7752-7762, 8530, 9154, 9224, 9783).
[4] The like is also signified by the words:--
Thy seed shall inherit the gate of thine enemies (Gen. 22:17; 24:60);
"to inherit the gate of enemies" denotes to destroy the evils and falsities which are from hell; and this was also represented by the driving out and destruction of the nations in the land of Canaan; for the nations there represented evils and falsities which are from hell (n. 1573, 1574, 1868, 4818, 6306, 8054, 8317, 9320, 9327). Also in David:--
They that dwell in the gate plot against me; they that drink strong drink sing and dance (Ps. 69:12).
Happy is the man that hath filled his quiver; they shall not be ashamed, for they shall speak with the enemies in the gate (Ps. 127:5).
[5] But in a good sense "gates" denote an opening into heaven, as in David:--
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in (Ps. 24:7-10).
Moreover by "gates" in the Word is signified entrance into heaven and into the church by means of truth and good; and also the influx of truth and good with man.
. And said, Who is for Jehovah? come unto me. That this signifies those who are in external things from what is internal, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being the internal (n. 10468). And whereas the internal of man is in heaven, and his external is in the world; and heaven enters with man through the internal into the external, it is evident that by "those who are for Jehovah" are meant those who are in external things from what is internal. When it is said that heaven enters, the meaning is that the Lord enters, because the Divine of the Lord makes heaven. That these are signified is evident also from the fact that these are here opposed to those who are in external things separate from what is internal; and also that by the sons of Levi who were gathered together unto Moses are represented those who are in truths from good; and those who are in truths from good are in external things from what is internal. . And all the sons of Levi were gathered together unto him. That this signifies those who are in truths from good, is evident from the signification of "the sons of Levi," as being those who are in spiritual love, or in charity toward the neighbor (n. 3875, 4497, 4502, 4503). Whether you say charity toward the neighbor, or truth from good, it is the same thing, because those who are in charity are in the life of truth, and a life of truth, that is, a life according to truths Divine, is charity. . And he said unto them. That this signifies exhortation, is evident from the signification of "saying," when fighting, to which they are incited, is treated of, as here, as being exhortation. . Thus saith Jehovah the God of Israel. That this signifies by the Lord, is evident from the fact that "Jehovah" and "the God of Israel" in the Word denote the Lord. That "Jehovah" denotes the Lord (n. 9373); and that "God" and "the Holy One of Israel" do so, (n. 7091). . Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh. That this signifies truth from good fighting against falsity from evil, is evident from the signification of a "sword," as being truth fighting against falsity (n. 2799, 8294); and from the signification of the " thigh," as being the good of love (n. 3021, 4277, 4280, 5050-5062, 9961). It is said "sword upon thigh," because truth fighting against falsity and evil, and conquering, must be from good; because all the power of truth is from this source. Indeed truth without good is not truth, for it is only memory-knowledge devoid of life; consequently truth without good has no power. By truth from good is meant a life according to truth, for good is of the life. From this it is evident why it is said "put the sword upon the thigh," as also in David, where it is said of the Lord,"Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O Hero! in Thy comeliness, and in Thine honor" (Ps. 45:3).
[2] In regard to this the case is, that inasmuch as that nation was at heart idolatrous and wholly in the loves in which is hell, and yet a worship representative of heavenly things was to be instituted among them, therefore their internals were completely closed. There were two reasons for this; one, in order that there might be conjunction with heaven by means of their external things devoid of what is internal; the other in order to prevent the holy things of the church and of heaven from being profaned. For if that nation had acknowledged the internal things of worship, which are the holy things of the church and of heaven that were represented, they would have defiled and profaned them. Hence it was that so little was revealed in light to that nation concerning heaven and the life after death, and hence it was that they did not at all know that the kingdom of the Messiah is in heaven.
[3] That at the present day that nation is also of the same character, is known; but see what has been shown concerning it at the places cited above (n. 10396); as, That they were altogether in external things without anything internal (n. 4293, 4311, 4459, 4834, 4844, 4847, 4865, 4868, 4874, 4903, 4913, 9320, 9373, 9380, 9381): That consequently their worship was merely external (n. 3147, 3479, 8871): That they did not wish to know the internal things of worship and of the Word (n. 3479, 4429, 4433, 4680): That if they had known holy internal things they would have profaned them (n. 3398, 3489, 4289): That therefore it was not granted them to know them (n. 301, 302, 304, 2520, 3769): That nevertheless there was communication with heaven by means of the externals of worship with them, which were representative of heavenly things (n. 4311, 4444, 6304, 8588, 8788, 8806). These then are the things which are meant and signified by the words, "slay ye a man his brother, and a man his companion, and a man his neighbor."
[4] He who does not know that by "brethren," "companions," "neighbors," and many other names of relationship are signified the goods and truths of the church and of heaven; and their opposites, which are evils and falsities; cannot know what is involved in many other passages in the Word where these names occur, as in the following:--
Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth; I am not come to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man‘s foes shall be those of his own household. Whosoever loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whosoever loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whosoever doth not take up his cross and follow after Me, is not worthy of Me (Matt. 10:34-38);
spiritual combats are here treated of, which are temptations to be undergone by those who are to be regenerated, thus the contentions arising in man between the evils and falsities which are with him from hell, and the goods and truths which are with him from the Lord. Because these combats are here described, it is said, "whosoever doth not take up his cross, and follow after Me, is not worthy of Me;" by the "cross" being meant the state of man when in temptations. He who does not know that such things are signified by "man" and "father," by "daughter" and "mother," by "daughter-in-law" and "mother-in-law," must believe that the Lord came into the world in order to take away peace in homes and families, and introduce dissension; and yet He came to give peace and to take away dissensions, according to His own words in (John 14:27).
[5] That the dissension of the internal and the external man is described in this passage, is evident from the signification in the internal sense of "man" and "father," of "daughter" and "mother," and of "daughter-in-law" and "mother-in-law," in which sense "man (homo)" denotes the good which is from the Lord; "father" denotes the evil which is from man’s own; "daughter" denotes the affection of good and truth; "mother" denotes the affection of evil and falsity; "daughter-in-law" denotes the truth of the church adjoined to its good; and "mother-in-law" denotes falsity adjoined to its evil. And because the combat between goods and evils, and between falsities and truths, with man is described, it is also said that "a man‘s foes shall be those of his own household," for by "those of his own household" is signified the things that appertain to man, thus which are his own; and "foes" in a spiritual sense denote the evils and falsities which assault goods and truths. That such things are signified by "man," "father," "daughter," "mother," "daughter-in-law," and "mother-in-law," has been shown throughout in these explications.
[6] In like manner is it with these words:--
The brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall give them to death (Matt. 10:21).
If any man cometh unto Me, and hateth not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own soul also, he cannot be My disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple. So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:26, 27, 33).
Who does not see that these words are to be understood otherwise than according to the letter, at least from the fact of its being said without restriction that father, mother, wife, children, brethren, sisters, are to be hated, in order that it may be possible for a person to be a disciple of the Lord? and yet it is according to the Lord’s commandments that no one is to be hated, not even an enemy (Matt. 5:43, 44).
[7] It is evident that things belonging to man, which are evils and falsities in their order, are meant by these names, for it is also said that he must hate his own soul, and that he must renounce all that he hath, that is, the things that belong to him. A state of temptation, that is, of spiritual combat, is also here described, for it is said, "whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple." To be a disciple of the Lord is to be led by Him and not by self, thus by the goods and truths which are from the Lord, and not by the evils and falsities which are from man.
[8] In like manner is the Word to be understood elsewhere, where these names are mentioned, as in these passages:--
They do not attend unto My words; and as for My law, they reject it. Therefore thus said Jehovah, Behold I will lay stumbling blocks before this people; so that the fathers and the sons together shall stumble against them, the neighbor and his companion, and they shall perish (Jer. 6:19, 21).
I will scatter them, a man with his brother, even the fathers and the sons together; I will not pity, nor spare, nor have compassion, that I should not destroy them (Jer. 13:14).
Jehovah hath multiplied those who stumble; yea, they fell a man upon his companion (Jer. 46:16).
I will commingle Egypt with Egypt; and they shall fight a man against his brother, and a man against his companion (Isa. 19:2).
In these passages also similar things are meant by "fathers," "sons," "brothers," and "companions."
. And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. That this signifies this accomplished by those who are in truths from good, is evident from the representation of the sons of Levi, as being those who are in truths from good, and in the abstract sense, truths from good (n. 10485); and from the signification of "doing according to the word of Moses," as being the accomplishment. . And there fell of the people that day up to three thousand men. That this signifies a full and complete closing of the internal, is evident from the signification of "falling" or being slain, as being to be closed (n. 10490); and from the signification of "three thousand," as being what is full and complete; for by "three" is signified what is full and complete (n. 2788, 4495, 7715, 8347, 9198, 9488, 9489), in like manner by "three thousand," because the larger numbers signify the like as the smaller numbers from which they arise by multiplication (n. 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973). That all numbers in the Word signify real things, see the places cited in (n. 9488; 10127, 10217, 10253).[2] As the closing of the internal with the Israelitish and Jewish nation has here been treated of, something further may be said about the closing of the internal. Evils and falsities are what close the internal man, or what is the same thing, worldly, earthly, and bodily loves, when they prevail, for all evils and falsities are from this source. The reason why the internal is closed by these loves, is that they are opposed to heavenly loves, or what is the same thing, evils and falsities are opposed to goods and truths; and when things that are opposed act against each other, that which is injured contracts almost as does a fiber when it is pricked, and as in other circumstances every part of man will shrink when in pain. It is well known that an injury, and also a troubled state of mind, will cause the face to wrinkle; and will also cause the abdomen, together with the lungs and their respiration, to contract. Such also is the case with the internal man, when evils and falsities enter into the thought and into the will. That there is then an aversion, and from this a contraction, is perceived, and is also apparent.
[3] This is the general reason why the internal is closed; but the special reason is to prevent goods and truths from entering from heaven through the internal man into the external man, and there being defiled and profaned; and therefore in order to prevent this with the Israelitish nation, with whom was the Word together with the holy things of the church, the internal was with them fully and completely closed. That it was fully and completely closed is evident from the fact that although they live among Christians, and although the Lord is plainly treated of in the prophecies, they nevertheless do not at all acknowledge Him; nay, they are of such a nature that they cannot even think anything which is confirmatory; such is the interior repugnance and aversion.
[4] Be it known moreover that in the Christian world also the internal is closed with those who know the truths of faith from the Word and do not live according to them, for it is precisely a life in accordance with these truths that opens the internal man; for otherwise the truths reside merely in the memory of the external man. But in very deed with those who deny these truths the internal is completely closed; and, wonderful as it may seem, the internal is closed in more of the intelligent than of the simple. The reason is that the intelligent are in the cupidities of attaining to eminence and to wealth, and consequently are in the loves of self and of the world, more than are the simple; and are also able to confirm, by means of memory-knowledges, in which the intelligent excel the simple, the evils and falsities which are from these loves. An additional reason is that most of the intelligent think of the soul from some hypothesis that prevails in the learned world, from which they conceive no other idea of the soul than as of breath or of wind in which perchance there is a living principle; while on the other hand the simple do not think from such an idea, but only from the idea that the soul is the man who lives after death. From this it is that with the latter the internal is opened; but with the former it is closed. whether you say that the internal is opened or closed, or whether you say that heaven is so, is the same.
. And Moses said, Fill ye your hand this day to Jehovah. That this signifies that which is communicative and receptive of Divine truth in the heavens, is evident from the signification of "filling the hand to Jehovah," as being a representative of the Divine power of the Lord in the heavens by means of the Divine truth that proceeds from His Divine good, and that which is communicative and receptive of it there (n. 10076), here, that which is communicative of Divine truth with the heavens by means of representatives, such as were the external things of worship with that nation, after their internal had been closed. That with that nation, when the internal was closed, there was, by virtue of the Divine power, a communication with heaven by means of the external things of worship, which were representative of heavenly things, (n. 4311, 4444, 6304, 8588, 8788, 8806). . For a man is against his son, and against his brother. That this signifies when the internal has been closed, in order to prevent truth and good from heaven from entering into the external, is evident from the signification of "a man against his son and against his brother," that is, after he has slain them, as being the closing of the internal in respect to the influx of truth and good (n. 10490, 10492). That a "son" denotes truth, (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2628, 2803, 2813, 3373, 3704, 4257, 9807); and a "brother," good, (n. 3815, 4121, 4191, 5409, 5686, 5692). . That He may bestow upon you a blessing this day. That this signifies the reception of Divine truth from the Word and thereby conjunction with the Lord, is evident from the signification of "a blessing" as being in general that which is given to man by the Lord; and as everything the Lord gives bears relation to the good of love and the truth of faith, this and everything from this is what is signified by "blessing;" here therefore the reception of Divine truth from the Word and thereby conjunction with the Lord (n. 1096, 2846, 3017, 3406, 4216, 4981, 6298, 8674, 8939); and that "blessing" denotes conjunction with the Lord, (n. 3504, 3514, 3530, 3565, 3584, 6091, 6099). How the case herein is has been shown in what precedes; and that through the Word there is conjunction of the Lord with man, and of heaven with the world, see (n. 10452). EXODUS 32:26-29 previous - next - text - summary - Exodus - Full Page
| Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772). | Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002. | www.BibleMeanings.info |