10051. And put them upon its pieces and upon its head. That this signifies the setting in order of exterior things under interior and inmost ones, is evident from the signification of the “pieces,” as being interior things (see above, n. 10048); from the signification of the “head” as being the inmost (n. 5328, 6436, 9656, 9913, 9914); and from the signification of the “intestines and legs” which were to be put upon them, as being things outermost and outer (that the “intestines” denote things outermost or lowest, see n. 10030; and that the “legs” denote outer or exterior things, n. 10050); and from the signification of “putting the latter upon the former,” as being to set in order. That it denotes to set in order exterior things under interior ones, and not “upon” them according to the sense of the letter, is because the altar and the fire upon the altar denote things highest or inmost; for the altar represented the Divine Human of the Lord as to Divine good, and the fire the Divine love itself; and therefore those parts from the ram and the burnt-offering that were nearest to the fire of the altar, were higher or interior; and those which had a place above them, being more remote from the fire of the altar, were lower or exterior. For in the internal sense those things are regarded as higher or interior which are nearest to the highest, and those as lower or exterior which are more remote from it, differently than in the sense of the letter. Whether we speak of things higher and lower, or of things interior and exterior, it is the same, for that which is higher is interior, and that which is lower is exterior (n. 2148, 3084, 4599, 5146, 8325). From this it is now plain that by “putting the intestines and the legs upon the pieces and upon the head” is signified that things outermost and outer were to be set in order under things interior and inmost. (That the altar was representative of the Lord’s Divine Human as to Divine good, see n. 921, 2777, 2811, 9388, 9389, 9714, 9964; and that the fire of the altar denotes His Divine love, see n. 6832)

5328. Or his foot. That this signifies that thence too is everything of power in the natural, is evident from the signification of the “foot,” as being the natural (see n. 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952); here power in the natural, because by “lifting up the foot,” as by “lifting up the hand,” is signified power; but by “lifting up the hand” power in the spiritual, and by “lifting up the foot” power in the natural; for the parts of the body above the feet bear relation to spiritual things. This is very evident from the Grand Man, or three heavens. When the whole heaven is presented before the sight as one man, the inmost or third heaven answers to the head, the middle or second heaven to the body, and the lowest or first to the feet. The inmost or third heaven answers to the head because it is celestial, and the middle or second answers to the body because it is spiritual, and the lowest or first answers to the feet because it is natural. Therefore by the “neck,” because it is intermediate, is signified the influx and communication of what is celestial with what is spiritual; and by the “knees,” because they also are intermediate, is signified the influx and communication of what is spiritual with what is natural. From this it is plain that by “lifting up the hand” is signified power in the spiritual, by “lifting up the foot” power in the natural; and therefore the power signified by the “hand” is predicated of the spiritual, namely, of truth from good (see n. 3091, 3563, 4931). By “the spiritual” is meant that in the natural which is of the light of heaven, and by “the natural” that in the natural which is of the light of the world; for all the former is called “spiritual,” and all the latter “natural.”