3699. And behold a ladder set on the earth. That this signifies the communication of the lowest truth and its derivative good, is evident from the signification of a “ladder,” as being communication, concerning which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of the “earth,” as being what is lowest, for it is said immediately afterwards that “its head reached unto heaven,” which denotes that which is highest; all which shows that the “ladder set between earth and heaven,” or between the lowest and the highest, signifies communication; that it is the communication of the lowest truth and its derivative good that is here signified by the “ladder set on the earth,” is evident from the fact that the subject here is truth and its derivative good of that degree which in the internal sense is here represented by Jacob. In the original tongue the term “ladder” is derived from an expression which signifies a “path” or “way,” and that “path” or “way” is predicated of truth, may be seen above (n. 627, 2333). Moreover, when angels are conversing about truth, this is exhibited representatively in the world of spirits by “ways” (n. 189, 3477); all of which shows what is signified by a “ladder, one extremity of which is set on the earth, while the other reaches to heaven,” namely, the communication of truth which is in the lowest place with truth which is in the highest, which communication is treated of in what follows. (That there are lowest truths and goods, and also highest truths and goods, and steps between them as of a ladder, may be seen above, n. 3691)

2333. And in the morning ye shall rise and go on your way. That this signifies confirmation in good and truth, may be seen from the signification of “rising in the morning,” and also from the signification of “going on the way.” In the Word “morning” signifies the Lord’s kingdom and whatever belongs to the Lord’s kingdom, thus principally the good of love and of charity, as will be confirmed from the Word at verse 15; and a “way” signifies truth (see n. 627 r which reason it is said that after they had been in his house and had passed the night there (by which is signified that they had an abode in the good of charity that was with him), they should “rise in the morning and go on their way,” by which is signified being thereby thus confirmed in good and truth.

[2] From this, as from other passages, it is evident how remote from the sense of the letter, and consequently how much unseen, is the internal sense, especially in the historical parts of the Word; and that it does not come to view unless the meaning of every word is unfolded in accordance with its constant signification in the Word. On this account, when the ideas are kept in the sense of the letter, the internal sense appears no otherwise than as something obscure and dark; but on the other hand when the ideas are kept in the internal sense, the sense of the letter appears in like manner obscure, nay, to the angels as nothing. For the angels are no longer in worldly and corporeal things, like those of man, but in spiritual and celestial things, into which the words of the sense of the letter are wonderfully changed, when it ascends from a man who is reading the Word to the sphere in which the angels are, that is, to heaven; and this from the correspondence of spiritual things with worldly, and of celestial things with corporeal. This correspondence is most constant, but its nature has not yet been disclosed until now in the unfolding of the meaning of the words, names, and numbers in the Word, as to the internal sense.

[3] That it may be known what is the nature of this correspondence, or what is the same, how worldly and corporeal ideas pass into corresponding spiritual and celestial ideas when the former are elevated to heaven, take as an example “morning” and “way.” When “morning” is read, as in the passage before us to “rise in the morning,” the angels do not get an idea of any morning of a day, but an idea of morning in the spiritual sense, thus such a one as is described in Samuel: “The Rock of Israel He is as the light of the morning when the sun riseth, a morning without clouds” (2 Samuel 23:3-4); and in Daniel: “The holy one said unto me, Until evening, when morning comes, two thousand three hundred” (Daniel 8:14, 26). Thus instead of “morning” the angels perceive the Lord, or His Kingdom, or the heavenly things of love and charity; and these in fact with variety according to the series of things in the Word which is being read.

[4] In like manner where “way” is read—as here, to “go on your way”—they can have no idea of a way, but another idea which is spiritual or celestial, namely, like that in John, where the Lord said: “I am the way and the truth” (John 14:6); and as in David: “Make Thy ways known to me, O Jehovah, lead my way in truth” (Psalms 25:4-5); and in Isaiah: “He made Him to know the way of understanding” (Isaiah 40:14). Thus instead of “way” the angels perceive truth, and this in both the historical and the prophetical parts of the Word. For the angels no longer care for the historical things, as these are altogether inadequate to their ideas; and therefore in place of them they perceive such things as belong to the Lord and His kingdom, and which also in the internal sense follow on in a beautiful order and well-connected series. For this reason, and also in order that the Word may be for the angels, all the historical things therein are representative, and each of the words is significative of such things; which peculiarity the Word has above all other writing.