10083. And shalt wave them a wave-offering before Jehovah. That this signifies the consequent Divine life, is evident from the signification of “waving a wave-offering,” as being to vivify, thus life; and because it is said “before Jehovah,” Divine life is signified. That “to wave a wave-offering” denotes to vivify, that is, to give Divine life, is evident from the passages in the Word where “waving a wave-offering” is mentioned, as in Moses:

When ye shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest, he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah to make you well pleasing; on the morrow of the Sabbath the priest shall wave it (Leviticus 23:10-11).

by the “harvest” is signified the state of the truth of faith from good, thus the state of good (see n. 9295); by “the sheaf of the firstfruits” is signified its state collectively; hence by “being waved by the priest” is signified being vivified to receive a blessing; for every blessing, in order to be a blessing, must have life in it from the Divine.

[2] Again:

Aaron shall wave the Levites a wave-offering before Jehovah from among the sons of Israel, that they may be for ministering the ministry to Jehovah. Thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and shalt wave them a wave-offering to Jehovah. Afterward shall the Levites come to minister in the Tent of meeting; and thou shalt purify them, and shalt wave them a wave-offering. And when the Levites were purified, and Aaron waved them a wave-offering before Jehovah; and expiated them to purify them (Numbers 8:11, 13, 15, 21).

From all this it can be seen what is meant by “waving a wave offering,” namely, that it denotes to vivify by acknowledgment, which is the first of life from the Divine with man. Knowledge does indeed precede acknowledgment, but there is nothing of Divine life in knowledge until it becomes acknowledgment, and then faith. The Levites represented truths ministering to good, and Aaron represented the good to which they ministered; therefore the Levites were “waved,” that is, were vivified; and therefore it is also said that they were to be “purified,” for life from the Divine must be in truths in order that they may minister to good, and this life first flows in by means of acknowledgment.

[3] The like is signified by the “waving of gold” in Moses:

The men came with the women, and brought a clasp, a nose-ring, gold, a girdle, all vessels of gold, every man who waved a wave-offering of gold to Jehovah (Exodus 35:22);

“to wave a wave-offering of gold to Jehovah” denotes to vivify by the acknowledgment that it was Jehovah’s, that is, the Lord’s. That “to wave a wave-offering” has such a signification is from correspondence, for all motion corresponds to a state of thought; hence progressions, journeyings, and the like, which belong to motion, in the Word signify states of life (n. 3335, 4882, 5493, 5605, 8103, 8417, 8420, 8557).

[4] In John:

At the pool of Bethesda lay a great multitude of them that were sick. And at a certain time an angel went down unto the pool, and troubled the water; whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in, was made whole, with whatever disease he was holden (John 5:2-7).

By “troubling the water” was here likewise signified vivification through acknowledgment and faith, thus also purification through truths. (That motion signifies states of life, see n. 2837, 3356, 3387, 4321, 4882, 5605, 7381, 9440, 9967; and that “waters” denote the truths of faith, n. 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976, 8568, 9323; that all purifications are effected through the truths of faith, n. 2799, 5954, 7044, 7918, 9088; and that healings represented restorations of spiritual life, n. 8365, 9031)

[5] As by the “waving upon the palms of Aaron” is signified vivification through the acknowledgment of the Lord, and that all things are from Him, therefore a few words shall be said about this acknowledgment and the faith thence derived. It was often said by the Lord, when the sick were healed, that they should “have faith,” and that it would be done to them “according to their faith” (as Matthew 8:10-13; 9:2, (Matthew 9:2) 22, 27-29; 13:57-58; 15:28; 21:21-22, 31-32; Mark 5:34, 36; 10:49, 52; Luke 7:9, 48-50; 8:48; 17:19; 18:42-43). The reason was that the first of all is to acknowledge that the Lord is the Savior of the world, for without this acknowledgment no one can receive anything of truth and good from heaven, thus no faith; and because this is the first and most essential of all, therefore in order that the Lord might be acknowledged when He came into the world, in healing the sick He questioned them concerning their faith, and those who had faith were healed. The faith was that He was the Son of God who was to come into the world, and that He had power to heal and to save. Moreover, all the healings of diseases by the Lord, when He was in the world, signified healings of the spiritual life, thus the things that belong to salvation (n. 8364, 9031, 9086).

[6] Because the acknowledgment of the Lord is the first of all things of spiritual life, and the most essential thing of the church, and because without it no one can receive from heaven anything of the truth of faith and the good of love, therefore the Lord often says that he who “believeth in Him hath eternal life,” that he who “doth not believe hath not life” (as John 1:1, 4, (John 1:4) 12-13; 3:14-16, 36; 5:39-40; 6:28-30, 34-35, 40, 47-48; 7:37-38; 8:24; 11:25-26; 20:30-31); but He also teaches at the same time that those have faith in Him who “live according to His precepts,” so that the consequent life may enter into the faith. All this has been said to illustrate and confirm the fact, that the acknowledgment of the Lord, and that from Him is all salvation, is the first of life from the Divine with man. This first of life is signified by the “wavings upon the palms of Aaron.”

7918. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop. That this signifies an external means by which there is purification, is evident from the signification of “hyssop,” as being external truth, which is a means of purification (of which in what follows). It is said that they should “take a bunch of hyssop,” because “a bunch” is predicated of truths and their arrangement (n. 5530, 5881, 7408). That “hyssop” denotes external truth as a means of purification, is because all spiritual purification is effected by means of truths. For the earthly and worldly loves from which man is to be purified, are not recognized except by means of truths, and when these are instilled by the Lord, there is also instilled at the same time horror for these loves as for things unclean and damnable, the effect of which is that when anything of the kind flows into the thought, this feeling of horror returns, and consequently aversion for such things. Thus man is purified by truths as by an external means. It was on this account ordered that circumcision should be performed by means of knives or lancets of flint. (That “lancets” or “knives of flint” denote the truths of faith whereby purification is effected, see n. 2799, 7044; and that “circumcision” denotes purification from filthy loves, n. 2039, 2632, 3112, 3413, 4462, 7045)

[2] As “hyssop” has this signification, it was therefore employed in cleansings, which in the internal sense signified purifications from falsities and evils, as in the cleansing of the leprosy, in Moses:

The priest shall take for the leper that is to be cleansed two living clean birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet and hyssop, and shall dip them in the blood of the bird that was killed, and he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed (Leviticus 14:4-7);

and in like manner “in the cleansing of a house, if the leprosy be in it” (verses 49-51). For preparing the water of separation by which cleansings were wrought, cedar wood and hyssop were also employed (Numbers 19:6, 18); by “cedar wood” was signified internal spiritual truth, and by “hyssop” external; thus by “cedar” an interior means of purification, by “hyssop” an exterior one. That “hyssop” denotes a means of purification is very manifest in David:

Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall become clean; Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow (Psalms 51:7); where “to be purged with hyssop and made clean” denotes external purification; “to be washed and made whiter than snow,” internal purification; “snow” and “whiteness” are predicated of truth (n. 3301, 3993, 4007, 5319). That “hyssop” denotes lowest truth, and “cedar” highest truth, is plain from these words in the first book of Kings:

Solomon spoke of woods, from the cedar which is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that goeth out of the wall (1 Kings 4:33); where “cedar” denotes internal truth which is of intelligence; and “hyssop,” external truth which is of intelligence.