7770. And let them ask a man from his companion, and a woman from her companion, vessels of silver and vessels of gold. That this signifies that the memory-knowledges of truth and good, taken away from the evil who have been of the church, will be bestowed upon the good who are of it, is evident from the signification of “vessels of silver and vessels of gold,” as being memory-knowledges of truth and good. (That “silver” denotes truth, and “gold” good, see n. 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658, 6112; and that “vessels” denote memory-knowledges, n. 3068, 3079.) Memory-knowledges are called vessels of truth and good, because they contain them. It is believed that the memory-knowledges of truth and good are the very truths and goods of faith; but they are not. It is the affections of truth and good that make faith, and these flow into memory-knowledges, as into their vessels. That to ask these things of the Egyptians denotes to take them away and adjudge them to themselves, is plain; hence in a previous chapter 3. it is said that they should “spoil the Egyptians” (verse 22); and in the chapter which follows 12., that they “spoiled them.” (Exodus 12:36) Its being said that “a man should ask of his companion and a woman of her companion,” is because “man” relates to truth, and “woman” to good, as they also signify them.

[2] How the case herein is, see the explication at Exodus 3:22, n. 6914-6917, from which it can be seen that the very memory-knowledges of truth and good which have been possessed by those of the church who have known the arcana of faith and yet have lived a life of evil, are transferred to those who are of the spiritual church. (How this transfer is effected, see n. 6914.) These things are signified by the Lord’s words in Matthew:

The Lord said unto him who went away and hid his talent in the earth, Take ye the talent from him, and give it to him that hath the ten talents. For unto everyone that hath shall be given, that he may have abundance; but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away; and cast ye the useless servant into the outer darkness (Matthew 25:25, 28-30; and Luke 19:24-26).

Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath (Matthew 13:12; and Mark 4:24-25).

[3] The reason is that with the evil the knowledges of good and truth are applied to evil uses, and with the good the knowledges of good and truth are applied to good uses; the knowledges are the same, but the application to uses effects their quality with each person. The case herein is like that of worldly riches, which with one person are disposed for good uses, with another for evil uses; consequently riches are such with each person as are the uses unto which they are disposed. From this also it is evident that the same knowledges, like the same riches, which the evil had possessed, can be with the good and serve for good uses.

From all this it can now be seen what is represented by the command that the sons of Israel should ask from the Egyptians vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and should thus deprive and despoil them; such seizure or despoiling would never have been commanded by Jehovah unless it had represented such things in the spiritual world.

[4] Similar to this is what is written in Isaiah:

At last the merchandise of Tyre, and her meretricious hire, shall be holiness to Jehovah; and it shall not be stored up nor kept back; but her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before Jehovah to eat, to sate themselves, and for the ancient one in covering himself (Isaiah 23:18);

speaking of Tyre, by which are signified the knowledges of good and truth (n. 1201); “merchandise” and “meretricious hire” denote knowledges applied to evil uses; that these should be given to the good who will apply them to good uses, is signified by “her merchandise being for them that dwell before Jehovah to eat to sate themselves, and for the ancient one in covering himself.”

[5] Also in Micah:

Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion; for I will make thy horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass; that thou mayest break in pieces many peoples; and I have devoted their gain to Jehovah, and their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth (Micah 4:13);

“to break in pieces many peoples” denotes to devastate them; the “gain which is devoted to Jehovah and to the Lord of the whole earth” denotes the knowledges of truth and good. That David sanctified to Jehovah the silver and the gold that he had taken from the nations which he had subdued, from the Syrians, from Moab, from the sons of Ammon, from the Philistines, from Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer (2 Samuel 8:11-12); and that Solomon put the sanctified things of his father among the treasures of the house of Jehovah (1 Kings 7:51) involve the like.

1551. In silver. That this signifies truths, is evident from the signification of “silver,” as being truth. The most ancient people compared the goods and truths in man to metals; the inmost or the celestial goods, which are of love to the Lord, to gold; the truths which are from these, to silver; but the lower or natural goods, to copper; and the lower truths, to iron; nor did they simply compare them, but they likewise called them so. Hence periods of time were also likened to the same metals, and were called the golden, the silver, the copper, and the iron ages; for the ages followed one another in this order. The golden age was the time of the Most Ancient Church, which was a celestial man; the silver age was the time of the Ancient Church, which was a spiritual man; the copper age was the time of the succeeding church; and to this succeeded the iron age. Similar things are also signified by the statue seen by Nebuchadnezzar in a dream, whose “head was of good gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, the legs of iron” (Daniel 2:32-33). That this was to be the series, or that the periods of the church succeeded one another in this order, is evident from the same Prophet, and in the same chapter.

[2] That in the internal sense of the Word, “silver,” wherever named, signifies truth, and in the opposite sense falsity, is evident from the following passages.

In Isaiah:

For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron; I will also make thine officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness (Isaiah 60:17); where it is evident what each metal means. The Lord’s coming, and His celestial kingdom and church, are there treated of; “gold for brass,” is celestial good instead of natural good; “silver for iron,” is spiritual truth instead of natural truth; “brass for wood,” is natural good instead of corporeal good; “iron for stones,” is natural truth instead of sensuous truth. In the same:

Ho, everyone that thirsteth, go ye to the waters; and he that hath no silver; go ye, buy and eat (Isaiah 55:1);

“he that hath no silver,” is he who is in ignorance of truth, and yet in the good of charity, like many within the church, and the nations outside the church.

[3] In the same:

The isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish in the beginning, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of Jehovah thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 60:9).

Here a new church, or that of the Gentiles, is treated of specifically, and the Lord’s kingdom universally; “the ships from Tarshish” denote knowledges; “silver,” truths; and “gold,” goods; for these are the things which they shall “bring to the name of Jehovah.”

In Ezekiel:

Thou didst take the vessels of thine adorning of My gold and of My silver, which I had given thee, and madest for thee images of a male (Ezekiel 16:17).

Here “gold” denotes the knowledges of celestial things; “silver,” those of spiritual things. In the same:

Thou wast adorned with gold and silver, and thy raiment was fine linen and silk, and broidered work (Ezekiel 16:13).

This is said of Jerusalem, by which the Lord’s church is signified, and the adornment of which is thus described. Again:

Behold, thou art wise, there is no secret that they have hidden from thee; in thy wisdom and in thine intelligence thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures (Ezekiel 28:3-4

This is said of Tyre, and it is plain that here “gold” is the wealth of wisdom, and “silver” the wealth of intelligence.

[4] In Joel:

Ye have taken My silver and My gold, and have carried into your temples My goodly desirable things (Joel 3:5).

This is said concerning Tyre, Zidon, and Philistia; by which are signified knowledges, which are “the gold and the silver” that they have carried into their temples.

In Haggai:

The choice of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with glory; the silver is Mine and the gold is Mine; the glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former (Haggai 2:7-9); where the Lord’s church is treated of, concerning which “gold” and “silver” are predicated.

In Malachi:

He shall sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and shall purify the sons of Leviticus (Malachi 3:3); where the Lord’s coming is treated of.

In David:

The discourses of Jehovah are pure discourses, silver smelted in a crucible of earth, smelted seven times (Psalms 12:6).

The “silver purified seven times,” denotes Divine truth. In respect to the command given to the sons of Israel, when they were to go out of Egypt:

Every woman shall borrow of her neighbor, and of her that is a guest in her house, vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and garments; and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters, and shall spoil the Egyptians (Exodus 3:22; 11:2-3; 12:35-36);

everyone can see that the sons of Israel would by no means have been told thus to steal, and to spoil the Egyptians, unless some arcana were thus to be represented; but what the arcana are may be seen from the signification of “silver,” of “gold,” and of “garments,” and of “Egypt;” and it may also be seen that much the same was there represented as is here represented by Abram, who was rich in silver and gold from Egypt.

[5] As “silver” signifies truth, so in the opposite sense it signifies falsity; for they who are in falsity think that falsity is truth; as is also evident in the Prophets.

In Moses:

Thou shalt not covet the silver and the gold of the nations, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein; for it is an abomination to Jehovah thy God; detesting thou shalt detest it (Deuteronomy 7:25-26);

“the gold of the nations” denotes evils, and their “silver” falsities. Again:

Ye shall not make with Me gods of silver, and gods of gold shall ye not make unto you (Exodus 20:23);

by which in the internal sense nothing else is signified than falsities and cupidities; “gods of silver” are falsities; and “gods of gold” are cupidities.

In Isaiah:

In that day shall they cast away every man his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin (Isaiah 31:7);

“idols of silver and idols of gold,” denote similar things as before; “your own hands have made them,” means that they are from man’s Own.

In Jeremiah:

They are become brutish and foolish; a teaching of vanities is that stock; silver beaten out is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the artificer and of the hands of the founder; blue and crimson are their clothing, it is all the work of the wise (Jeremiah 10:8-9);

denoting the like things, as is very evident.