10652. 'And their daughters go whoring after their gods, and they cause your sons to go whoring after their gods' means profanation thereby of goodness and truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'whoring' as being linked together unlawfully, dealt with above in 10648; from the meaning of 'their daughters', or the daughters of the inhabitants of the land, as affections for evil; from the meaning of 'their gods' as the falsities belonging to the affections for evil which have been linked to truths (for by 'their gods' the gods of the daughters of the inhabitants of the land linked in marriage to the sons of the Israelite nation should be understood, dealt with immediately above in 10651), and this linking is the profanation of good; and from the meaning of 'causing your sons to go whoring after their gods' as a linking of truth to falsities, which is the profanation of truth. For the meaning of 'gods' as falsities, see 4402(end), 4544, 7873, 8867; and for that of 'sons' as truths, 489, 491, 533, 1147, 3373, 4257, 9807, 10490.

[2] These matters are stated in this way because the first linking of the affections for evil to truths, meant by 'taking the daughters of the inhabitants of the land for your sons', does not as yet constitute profanation; but the second linking does constitute it, for this is brought about when evil is applied to truth and truth is applied to evil, which is done by misconstruing truth and applying it to evil, thus by incorporating one in the other. As a result truth ceases to be truth any longer; it is ruined and profaned.

[3] Such profanation is also meant by the people's committing whoredom with the daughters of Moab, spoken of in Moses as follows,

Israel settled down in Shittim, where the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods; and the people ate, and bowed down to their gods. Therefore Jehovah said to Moses, Take all the chiefs ¹ of the people, and hang them up for Jehovah before the sun. And the people were struck down, and twenty-four thousand died from that plague. Numbers 25:1-4, 6, 9.

'Moab' means those who adulterate forms of good, see 2468, 8315, 'the daughters of Moab' affections for that evil, and 'committing whoredom with them' profanation. Consequently the punishment was the hanging up of the people's chiefs before the sun, and the death of twenty-four thousand. For 'the sun' of this world means self-love, 10584, and 'being hung up before it' the total extermination of heavenly good [by self-love]. And 'twenty-four thousand' means all forms of truth and the good of truth in their entirety, the same as 'twelve thousand', 2089, 3913, 7973, and 'the death' of that number of people the extermination of all truths. This is what happens to profaners.

Poznámky pod čarou:

7973. 'Around six hundred thousand men on foot' means all aspects of the truth and good of faith in their entirety. This is clear from the meaning of the number 'six hundred thousand' as all aspects of faith in their entirety, for this number is a multiple of six and also of twelve, and 'twelve' means all aspects of faith and charity, 577, 2089, 2129 (end), 2130 (end), 3272, 3858, 3913. This is why Jacob's sons were twelve in number, why their descendants were divided into the same number of tribes, and also why the Lord chose twelve disciples, that is to say, in order that they might represent all aspects of faith and charity. Regarding the tribes, see 3858, 3862, 3926, 3979, 4060, 6335, 6737, 6640, 7876, 7891; and regarding the disciples, 3354, 3488, 5858 (end), 6397.

[2] At this point 'six hundred thousand' has a similar meaning because a larger or smaller number that is a multiple or a factor carries a meaning similar to that of the simple numbers that are being multiplied or divided, 5291, 5335, 5708. This is plainly evident from the number twelve. Whether this is divided into six or multiplied into seventy-two, 144 (which is twelve twelves), 12000, or 144000, the meaning is similar, as with 144000 in John,

I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of Israel - out of each tribe twelve thousand. Revelation 7:4-5 and following verses.

Here 'the children of Israel' is not used to mean the children of Israel, 'tribes' the tribes, or 'the number' a number, but to mean the kinds of things contained in the internal sense, namely all aspects of faith and charity. Each tribe in particular accordingly means one kind or one group, in keeping with the explanations at Genesis 29, 30.

[3] Similarly with the following in the same author,

Behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144000, having His Father's name written on their foreheads. They were singing a new song before the throne, and no one could learn the song except 144000 bought from the earth. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were bought from men (homo), being the first fruits to God and the Lamb. Revelation 14:1, 3-4.

From this description it is evident that those governed by charity are meant by 144000. It is also evident that the sole purpose of this number is to indicate the state and its essential nature. That number is similar to twelve in what it indicates, for it is the product of 12000 and it multiplied.

[4] It is similar with the smaller number 144, Which is twelve times twelve, in the same author,

He measured the wall of the holy Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, 144 cubits, which is the measure of a man (homo), that is, of an angel. Revelation 21:2, 17.

'The wall of the holy Jerusalem' is not in the spiritual sense a wall; instead it is the truth of faith defending things of the Church, see 6419; and this also is why it is said to have been '144 cubits'. It is plainly evident that such must be meant, since it says 'it is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel'. 'Man' and 'angel' mean every aspect of the truth and good of faith.

[5] The same is also evident from the twelve precious stones that the foundation of the wall consisted of, and from the twelve gates, each of which was a pearl, Revelation 21:19-21. For by 'precious stones' truths of faith that spring from the good of charity are meant, 643, 3720, 6426, and similarly by 'gate' and also by 'pearl'. From this it is now clear that a smaller or larger number carries a meaning similar to the simple number that is divided or multiplied. As regards the fact that all numbers in the Word mean spiritual things, see 481, 487, 575, 647, 648, 755, 813, 1963, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4164, 4495, 4670, 5265.

[6] From these considerations one may now see that the number 'six hundred thousand' men going out of Egypt also means such things. But scarcely anyone is able to believe that such are meant by this number because it refers to a historical event; and any historical event fixes the mind all the time on the external sense and draws it away from the internal sense. Nevertheless that number too means such spiritual things, for there is not a part of a word, not even indeed one jot or one tittle in the Word, that is not in itself holy, because it holds what is holy within it. Anyone at all can see that there is nothing holy about a merely historical event.