Spiritual Meaning of EXODUS 33:18-23
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AC 10573. Verses 18-23. And he said, Make me see I pray Thy glory. 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; and He said, Thou canst not see My faces, because a man doth not see Me and live. And Jehovah said, Behold a place with Me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock; 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. And I will remove the palm of My hand, and thou shalt see My back parts; and My faces shall not be seen. "And he said, Make me see I pray Thy glory," signifies the noticing of internal Divine truth in the external; "and He said, I will make all My good pass by over thy faces," signifies all the Divine of heaven and of the church above the external separate from the internal; "and will call on the name of Jehovah before thee," signifies what is holy of Divine worship there; "and I will show grace to whom I show grace, and I will show mercy to whom I show mercy," signifies that Divine truth and good shall be revealed to those who receive; "and He said, Thou canst not see My faces," signifies that the interior Divine things of the church, of worship, and of the Word, cannot appear to the Israelitish nation; "because a man doth not see Me and live," signifies that the Divine Itself cannot be seen such as it is in itself, but such as it is through the Lord in heaven; "and Jehovah said, Behold a place with Me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock," signifies a state of faith in God; "and it shall be when My glory passeth by," signifies the interior things of the Word, of the church, and of worship; "that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock," signifies the obscurity and falsity of faith such as are with those who are in external things without what is internal; "and will cover the palm of My hand over thee until I have passed by," signifies the closing of the internal; "and I will remove the palm of My hand, and thou shalt see My back parts, and My faces shall not be seen," signifies that they should see the external things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, but not the internal things.

AC 10574. And he said, Make me see I pray Thy glory. That this signifies the noticing of internal Divine truth in the external, is evident from the representation of Moses here, as being the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word, not so separate from the internal as with the nation itself (n. 10563, 10571); from the signification of "making see," as being to take notice (n. 2150, 3764, 4567, 4723, 5400); and from the signification of "the glory of Jehovah," as being the internal of the Word (n. 2135a, 5922, 9429). From this it is evident that by "Moses said, Make me see I pray Thy glory" is signified the noticing of the internal in the external of the Word, of the church, and of worship.

[2] That these things are signified by the above words can also be seen from the preceding verses of this chapter, for the subject treated of there in the internal sense is the Israelitish nation, and that the church could not be instituted with it, for the reason that they could not receive anything internal. To receive the internal of the church is to receive Divine truth from heaven, and thereby heavenly love. As this is treated of in the internal sense, and yet Moses insisted that Jehovah should bring them into the land of Canaan, whereby is signified the setting up of the church, therefore now Moses says, "Make me see Thy glory," by which is therefore signified the noticing of internal Divine truth in the external.

[3] That by "the glory of Jehovah" is meant such a Divine as could not be noticed by Moses, is very evident from the verses which follow in this chapter, where it is said that he "could not see the faces of Jehovah" - so is His glory there called out that after He had passed by he should see His back parts, and this from a cleft of the rock; by which is signified that he would take notice only of the external things of the church, of worship, and of the Word, but not of the internal things. That such is the signification of "the glory of Jehovah" is evident from the fact that it is sometimes said that they "saw the glory of Jehovah" when it was a cloud that was so called, as upon Mount Sinai, and over the Tent, and in it (Exod. 16:10; 24:16, 17; 40:34, 35; Num. 16:42). By the "cloud" in these passages, which was called "the glory of Jehovah" is signified the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word; or the sense of the letter of the Word (n. 2135a, 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8106, 8781, 9430, 10551).

[4] The reason why "the glory of Jehovah" signifies the internal of the Word, of the church, and of worship, is that the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, such as it is in heaven, is "the glory of Jehovah;" for the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord appears there as light; and the appearance of the Lord in this light is what is meant in the genuine sense by "the glory of Jehovah." By the appearance of the Lord are meant all things there which are from the Lord, which are innumerable, and are called by the general term "celestial and spiritual." That the internal of the Word, of the church, and of worship, is signified by "the glory of Jehovah," is because it is in this light: but the external is in the light of the world, and therefore this is signified in the Word by a "cloud." From this it is now evident that the internal sense of the Word is the "glory."

[5] From all this it can now be seen what is signified by "the glory of Jehovah," and by His "light," in the following passages; as in Isaiah:--

the coming of the Lord is here treated of; the "light" denotes the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; and "His glory," and "the brightness of His rising," denote all that which appears in this light concerning the Lord, and concerning faith and love to Him; "the darkness and thick darkness which cover the earth and the peoples," denote the obscurities of faith and of love; for these words are said of the setting up of the church among the nations. Hence it follows that by "the light and the glory which were to arise and were to be seen, and to which they should walk," are signified Divine truths concerning the Lord and concerning faith and love to Him from Him.

[6] Again:--

here also the Lord is treated of, who is called "the light of the nations" because from Him is all Divine truth; and He is called "the glory of Jehovah" because in Him is everything of faith and of love. Again:--

where the meaning is similar.

[7] Again:--

"Jerusalem" in this passage, as in others, denotes the church; and "the brightness of her glory" denotes the love of truth from the Lord in Zechariah:--

speaking here also of Jerusalem, which denotes the church; "the glory in the midst of her" denotes the Lord Himself as to all things of truth and good, which are of faith and love. It is evident that by "glory" in the above passages are meant those things which belong to Divine light.

[8] In like manner as in John:--

"the holy Jerusalem" here denotes the church which will succeed that of this day. The things that belong to the church, and which are of faith in and love to the Lord from the Lord, are described by the "luminary," by the "light," and by the "glory." As by "glory" are meant the things of the light, it is said that "the glory of God shall lighten it." Everyone who reflects and who looks at the things themselves, and does not stick in the mere words, can see that by all these things are signified such as belong to the church; but the internal sense teaches what is signified by each particular; for in the Word nothing is said in vain, not even a syllable.

[9] In Luke:--

these words occur in the prophecy of Simeon concerning the Lord who was then born; "a light for the unveiling of the nations" denotes the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; and "the glory of Thy people Israel" denotes all that which was revealed by the Lord concerning Himself, and concerning faith in and love to Him with those who receive. All this is called "glory" because it appears in heaven and in the light there, which light is Divine truth. By "the sons of Israel" are meant those who are in faith and love to the Lord.

[10] That "the light," denotes the Lord as to Divine truth, and that so also does "the glory" which is of the light, is evident from the words of the Lord Himself in John:--

"the Word" denotes the Divine truth, and so also does "the Light;" and "the glory" denotes all that which appears concerning the Lord in this light.

[11] These passages have been quoted from the Word because in them "the glory" and "the light" are mentioned together, and they have been quoted to the end that it may be known that "the light" denotes the Divine truth from the Lord, thus the Lord Himself as to Divine truth; and that "the glory" denotes everything which is of the light, consequently everything from Divine truth which makes intelligence and wisdom with the angels, and with men who receive the Lord in faith and love. The like is signified by "glory" elsewhere, as in these passages:--

[12] by the "clouds" here is meant Divine truth such as it is in the light of the world, thus such as it is with men; and by "glory" is meant Divine truth such as it is in the light of heaven, thus such as it is with the angels. And as Divine truth is meant by "cloud" and by "glory," therefore the Word is meant in respect to the external sense and to the internal sense; in respect to the external sense by "cloud," and in respect to the internal sense by "glory." Moreover that which appears in the light of the world is a cloud relatively to that which appears in the light of heaven. That a "cloud" has this signification (n. 2135a, 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8106, 8443, 8781, 9430, 10551).

[13] From this it is that a cloud also is called "glory" in the Word; as in these passages:--

[14] As the Divine appeared like a cloud, therefore by a "cloud" is signified the Divine presence, and where the Divine presence is, there is the Divine truth, for without this truth the Divine does not appear, because it is in it, and is it. Hence it is that in these passages a cloud is called "glory," nor could it appear otherwise to the Israelitish nation, because they were in external things without what is internal (n. 6832, 8814, 8819, 10551). Nevertheless "cloud" and "glory" are distinguished from each other as are the light of the world and the light of heaven, or as are the sense of the letter of the Word and its internal sense, and as are human wisdom and angelic wisdom. From all this it can now be seen that by Moses saying, "Make me see I pray Thy glory," is signified that the internal Divine might be shown him; and as Moses represented the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word, there is signified the noticing of internal Divine truth in this external.

AC 10575. And He said, I will make all My good pass by over thy faces. That this signifies all the Divine of heaven and of the church above the external separate from the internal, in which external were Moses and the nation over which he presided, is evident from the signification of "making pass by over his faces," as being above the external separate from the internal in which were Moses and the nation over which he presided, for by "thy faces" is signified the external of worship, of the church, and of the Word, in which there is an internal, and by "making pass by" is signified above it; and from the signification of "all the good of Jehovah" as being all the Divine of heaven and of the church. How the case herein is can be seen from what has been said and shown above concerning Moses and the nation over which he presided, namely, that they were in external things separate from what is internal, by which is meant that while in worship they were in holy external things without anything internal; and as there was nevertheless present a holy internal, but which did not enter into their holy external, it is therefore plain what is signified by "Jehovah making all His good to pass by over his faces." There was indeed an internal in that nation, but it was filthy and full of uncleanness from the love of self and of the world. This however was closed when they were in worship, to the end that the internal Divine of heaven, of the church, and of the Word should not be defiled; for if this had been defiled by the internal of that nation, there would have been no communication whatever of their external with heaven while they were engaged in worship and in reading the Word (n. 10454-10457, 10462-10466, 10492, 10498, 10500, 10533, 10549-10551, 10570), where these things have been more fully unfolded.

AC 10576. And I will call on the name of Jehovah before thee. That this signifies what is holy of Divine worship therein, is evident from the signification of "calling on the name of Jehovah," as being what is holy of worship (n. 440, 2724); and from the signification of "before thee," as being before the external, which Moses now represents (10563, 10571). How the case herein is can be seen from what has been said above (n. 10575), and at the places there adduced.

AC 10577. And I will show grace to whom I show grace, and I will show mercy to whom I show mercy. That this signifies that Divine truth and good shall be revealed to those who receive, is evident from the signification of "showing grace," as being to endow with spiritual truth and good, here to reveal it, because the subject treated of is the internal and the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word; and from the signification of "showing mercy," as being to endow with celestial truth and good, here to reveal it. That it signifies with those who receive, is because the internal things of the Word, of the church, and of worship are revealed to none but those who receive.

[2] That "to show grace" denotes to endow with spiritual truth and good, and "to show mercy" to endow with celestial truth and good, is because "grace" is predicated of faith, and "mercy" of love; and the good of faith is spiritual good, and the good of love is celestial good. (What spiritual good is and what celestial good is, and what the difference, may be seen in the places cited in (n. 9277); and that those who are in the Lord‘s spiritual kingdom speak of "grace;" and those who are in the Lord’s celestial kingdom speak of "mercy," (n. 598, 981, 5929). Unless there were such a difference between grace and mercy, it would not have been said, "show grace" and "show mercy." From this it is that Jehovah is called "gracious and merciful" in (Exodus 34:6; Joel 2:13; Psalms 103:8; 145:8); and in Isaiah:--

[3] As there are two things to which all things of the church bear relation, namely, love and faith; and as mercy belongs to love; and grace, and also truth, belong to faith, therefore in the Word it is said "mercy and grace" when the Lord is implored, and it is said "mercy and truth" when the Lord is described, as in the following passages:--

In these passages "mercy" denotes love; and "truth" denotes faith.

AC 10578. And He said, thou canst not see My faces. That this signifies that the interior Divine things of the church, of worship, and of the Word cannot appear to the Israelitish nation, 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, 10568); and from the signification of "seeing them," as being to appear. That these interior Divine things cannot appear to the Israelitish nation, is evident from the fact that this is said to Moses, and Moses here bears relation as the head of the Israelitish nation (n. 10556). That the "faces of Jehovah" denote the interior Divine things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, is also evident from the fact that the like is signified by the "faces of Jehovah" as by the "glory of Jehovah," for Moses said, "Make me see I pray Thy glory;" and Jehovah said, "Thou canst not see My faces;" and by "the glory of Jehovah" are signified the interior Divine things of the Word, of the church, and of worship (n. 10574).

[2] How the case herein is can be seen from what has been frequently said before, namely, that the Israelitish nation could not possibly see the interior things of worship, of the church, and of the Word, because they were in external things separate from what is internal, thus neither could they "see the faces of Jehovah." But those who are in external things not separate from what is internal, can all see the interior things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, thus they can "see the faces of Jehovah." From this it follows that those can see them who are in love to the Lord, and also those who are in charity toward the neighbor; for love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor open the internal man, and when this is open, the man in respect to his interiors is in heaven among the angels where the Lord is.

[3] But it shall here be briefly told what love to the Lord is, or what it is to love the Lord. He who believes that he loves the Lord, and does not live according to His commandments, is very much mistaken, for to live according to the Lord‘s commandments is to love Him. These commandments are truths which are from the Lord, thus in which the Lord is; and therefore in so far as they are loved, that is, in so far as men live according to them from love, so far the Lord is loved. The reason is that the Lord loves man, and from love wills that he may be happy forever, and man cannot become happy except by a life according to His commandments, because by means of these a man is regenerated and becomes spiritual, and in this way can be raised into heaven. But to love the Lord without a life according to His commandments is not to love Him, for then there is not anything with the man into which the Lord may flow and raise him to Himself; because he is like an empty vessel; there being nothing of life in his faith, and nothing of life in his love. The life of heaven, which is called eternal life, is not poured into anyone immediately, but mediately. From all this it can be seen what it is to love the Lord, and also what it is to see the Lord, or His faces, namely, that He is seen from such faith and love.

[4] To live according to the commandments of the Lord is to live according to the doctrine of charity and of faith, which doctrine may be seen in what is prefixed to the several chapters of the Book of Exodus. That this is the case the Lord also teaches in John:--

What is further signified by "the faces of Jehovah" shall be told in the article which now follows.

AC 10579. Because a man doth not see Me and live. That this signifies that the Divine Itself cannot be seen such as it is in itself, but such as it is through the Lord in heaven, can be seen from the fact that no one has ever seen Jehovah the Father, but that when He has been seen, it was the Lord who was seen, for the Lord is the very "face" of Jehovah. That no one has ever seen Jehovah the Father, is evident from the words of the Lord Himself in these passages:--

[7] It was said above that by "the faces of Jehovah" are signified the interior Divine things of the Word, of the church, and of worship (n. 10567, 10568). The reason is that the interior Divine things of the Word, of the church, and of worship are the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, thus are the Lord in heaven. This is signified by the "face of Jehovah," where it is mentioned in the Word, as in these passages:--

[8] Everyone can comprehend what is here meant by "the faces of Jehovah," namely, the Divine, and whatever belongs to the Divine, thus mercy, peace, and all good; but in the universal sense the Divine truth, because all good is in the Divine truth. Both with man and with angel the Divine good is in the Divine truth, and without the latter there is not the former; for truth is the recipient of good, thus also of mercy and peace. From this then it follows that where Divine good is not in Divine truth, there the face of Jehovah is not; and it also follows that where there is evil in falsity, the Divine does not appear. This is meant by Jehovah "hiding and turning away His faces" in the following passages:--

[9] But be it known that Jehovah, that is, the Lord, never turns away His faces from man; but that the man who is in evil turns away his face from the Lord. And as the Divine is then behind him, it appears as if this hides or turns itself away. Moreover it is an actual fact that all infernal spirits turn their backs to the Lord as a sun, whereas the angels always turn their faces to Him. It is the same with a man, in respect to his spirit, during his life in the world.

AC 10580. And Jehovah said, Behold a place with Me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock. That this signifies a state of faith in God, is evident from the signification of "place," as being state (n. 2625, 2837, 3356, 3387, 4321, 4882, 5605, 7381, 9440, 9967, 10146); and from the signification of "rock," as being faith (n. 8581, 10438). That it signifies a state of faith in God is because it is said, "a place with Me." No one can know that this is signified by these words, except from the internal sense, thus unless he knows what is meant in this sense by "place," and what by "rock." For otherwise what could be meant by there being "a place with Jehovah upon a rock?" It could only mean that Jehovah dwelt there, and gave Moses a place with Him; when yet Jehovah dwells in heaven with the angels, and in the church with men. That a "rock" denotes faith is from the appearances in the other life. There they who are in faith dwell upon rocky heights, but they who are in love dwell upon mountains. The rocky heights there appear of stone, but the mountains not of stone, because they are elevations of earth From this it is that a "rock" signifies faith.

AC 10581. And it shall be when My glory passeth by. That this signifies the interior things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, is evident from the signification of the "glory of Jehovah," as being the interior Divine things of the Word, of the church, and of worship (n. 10574).

AC 10582. That I will put thee in a cleft of the rock. That this signifies the obscurity and falsity of faith such as is with those who are in external things without what is internal, is evident from the signification of "a cleft of the rock," as being what is obscure and false of faith; for by "rock" is signified faith (n. 10580); and by a "cleft," its obscurity and also its falsity. It is said "such as is with those who are in external things without what is internal," because with such all the truth which is of faith is in obscurity, and is also attended with falsity. For such of them as believe the Word, believe it everywhere according to the letter, and not according to its interior meaning; and those who so believe cannot be in any light, for light from heaven flows in through the internal into the external. Moreover what they believe without light from heaven appears as truth, but nevertheless with them it is falsity, for they have a material and earthly idea about truth, and not at the same time a spiritual and heavenly idea, and every material and earthly idea abounds in fallacies unless there is in it light from heaven. For example: as James and John had an earthly idea about the Lord’s kingdom, they asked that they might sit the one on His right hand and the other on the left in His kingdom; but Jesus said:--

[2] People of this character, like the men of those days, do not know what the heavenly kingdom is, nor what the glory there is, not what love is, nor even what faith is; in general, not what good is; for they base their judgment on bodily and earthly things, and call good all the delight of the body and its senses; and eminence over others they call glory; the love of the world and the love of self they call heavenly love; and memory-knowledge made persuasive they call faith. When they think about God, they think materially, and therefore either deny God and regard nature as God; or else they worship idols, or dead men. From this it is evident how obscure is faith, and also how false it is, with those who are in merely external things.

[3] In such obscurity and falsity of faith are those who believe the Word solely as to the sense of its letter, without doctrine made from it by one who is enlightened. They who read the Word without doctrine are like those who walk in darkness without a lamp. Such are all merely sensuous men. That such is the Jewish nation is evident, for they explain all things of the Word according to the sense of the letter, because they are in external things separate from what is internal. In the other life such people do not dwell upon the rocks; but either in caves there, or in clefts of the rocks.

[4] That a "cleft of the rock" denotes what is obscure and false of faith, is evident also from other passages in the Word, as in Isaiah:--

in this passage is described the coming of the Lord and the state of the church at that time, that there would be desolation of all things that belong to spiritual truth and good. For by these words is signified that the man of the church would then have receded from internal things, and would have become altogether external, thus merely sensuous. To become sensuous is not to apprehend and believe anything but what the external senses assert. "The By in the uttermost part of the rivers of Eat" denotes the falsity of the wholly external or merely sensuous man; "the bee in the land of Assyria" denotes the falsity of reasoning therefrom; "the rivers of desolations" denote the truths of doctrine altogether desolated; and "the clefts of the rocks" denote the falsities of faith thence derived. Who would divine that these words signify such things which, unless disclosed by the internal sense, would be completely hidden.

[5] Again:--

"to bow down to the moles and to the bats" denotes to worship such things as are in thick darkness and in the shade of night, that is, external things without anything internal; "to enter into the clefts of the rocks, and into the fissures of the ragged rocks," denotes into the obscurities and darknesses of faith, thus into falsities.

[6] In Jeremiah:--

the restoration of the church is here treated of, which is signified by "bringing back the sons of Israel upon their land;" "to fish them" denotes to instruct in the external things of the church; "to hunt them" denotes to instruct in the internal things thereof; they who are "upon mountain and upon hill" denote those who are in love and in charity; those in "the holes of the rocks" denote those who are in faith not yet enlightened, thus who are in what is obscure of faith.

[7] Again:--

"To dwell in the holes of the rock" denotes in falsities of faith. The subject here treated of is those who exalt themselves above others, believing that they are more learned than all others, when yet they are in falsities, and even cannot see truths. In the other life such persons dwell in the holes of rocks, and sometimes they project themselves upon the rocks; but they are cast down therefrom into their holes, and into the caves which are beneath the rocks. This is meant by "holding the height of the hill," and "exalting thyself as an eagle," and "setting the nest among the stars," and yet being "pulled down." From all this it can now be seen that by "putting Moses in a cleft of the rock" is signified such obscurity and falsity of faith as is with those who are in external things without what is internal; for by Moses is here meant the people, because he here bears relation to their head (n. 10556).

AC 10583. And I will cover the palm of My hand over thee until I have passed by. That this signifies the closing of the internal, is evident from the signification of "covering Moses with the palm of the hand," as being to close the internal of the church, of worship, and of the Word, which is above their external. The reason why it is their internal which is signified, is because "covering with the palm" involves preventing them from seeing the glory and the faces of Jehovah; and by "the glory of Jehovah" is signified the internal of the Word, of the church, and of worship (n. 10574); in like manner by "the faces of Jehovah" (n. 10567, 10568, 10578).

AC 10584. And I will remove the palm of My hand, and thou shalt see My back parts, and My faces shall not be seen. That this signifies that they should see the external things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, but not the internal things; is evident from the signification of the "back parts of Jehovah," as being the external things of the Word, of the church, and of worship; and from the signification of the "faces of Jehovah," as being the internal things of these (n. 10578); consequently by "seeing the back parts and not the faces of Jehovah" is signified seeing the external things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, and not the internal things. That such was the Israelitish and Jewish nation, and that such it is at this day also, has been known in all that precedes of this chapter, and of the preceding one.

[2] The reason why the "back parts of Jehovah" signify the external things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, is that the "faces" signify the internal things (n. 10578). And those are said to "see the back parts of Jehovah and not the faces," who believe and adore the Word; but only its external, which is the sense of the letter, and do not penetrate more interiorly, as do those who have been enlightened, and who make for themselves doctrine from the Word, by which they may see its genuine sense, thus its interior sense. That the Word cannot be apprehended without doctrine, and that doctrine drawn from the Word by one who is enlightened must be for a lamp to the understanding, (n. 9382, 9409, 9410, 9424, 9430, 10105, 10324, 10400, 10431); and that the internal sense of the Word teaches this doctrine, (n. 9430). From all this it can be seen what it is to "see the back parts of Jehovah and not His faces."

[3] But those who do not believe in the Word, do not even see the back parts of Jehovah; but turn themselves backward from Jehovah, and see only themselves and the world. These are they who are meant by those in the Word who are said to "turn their back parts to the temple, and to adore the sun," of whom it is written in Ezekiel:--

by "the sun and its rising" is meant the sun of the world and its rising, and thereby is signified the love of self, which love is diametrically opposite to love to the Lord. From this it is that the sun of the world is presented in the idea of the angels as something at the back quite dark; whereas the Lord, who is the sun of heaven, appears before the face (n. 7078). Of such men it is said that they "turn their back parts to the temple," and also that they "go backward," in Jeremiah:--