10026. And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock. That this signifies Divine truth accommodated in the natural or external man, is evident from the signification of “blood,” as being the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord’s Divine good (of which below); and from the signification of “the bullock,” as being the natural of man, which is to be purified, and in which truth and good are to be implanted (see n. 9990). That mention is here first made of “blood,” and that it was to be put on the horns of the altar, and the rest of it poured out at its base, is because by “blood” in the Word is signified the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord’s Divine good, and all purification is effected thereby, for truth teaches man what is good and how he should live, and when a man knows this, then for the first time can the affection or love of good be implanted, and thus the man be regenerated. For knowledge must come first, before man can have faith, and live the life of faith, which is the life of good. (That all purification from evils and falsities is effected through the truths of faith, consequently all regeneration, see the places cited in n. 9959.)

[2] They who have no knowledge of the internal sense of the Word, thus who do not know that by “blood” is signified Divine truth, and that by this from the Lord is effected purification, believe that man is purified by the blood of the Lord, by which they understand His passion of the cross. But be it known to them that no one is purified by the Lord’s passion of the cross, thus by His blood; but by a life according to His precepts, as He Himself teaches in many places. The passion of the cross was the last of the Lord’s temptation, by which He fully glorified His Human, as He Himself also says in Luke:

Ought not Christ to suffer this, and to enter into His glory? (Luke 24:26).

For the Lord came into the world that He might subjugate the hells and bring back all things into order, even in the heavens, which was effected through temptations admitted into Himself; and the passion of the cross was the last of His temptation, by which He fully conquered the hells, and set the heavens in order, and at the same time glorified His Human; and unless He had done this, no man could have been saved (but see wh at has been abundantly shown before on these subjects at the places cited in n. 9528, 9715, 9937, 10019); and that by “the blood of the Lord” is signified the Divine truth that proceeds from His Divine good (n. 4735, 6378, 6978, 7317, 7326, 7850, 9127, 9393).

6378. And his covering in the blood of grapes. That this signifies that His intellectual is Divine good from His Divine love, is evident from the signification of the “blood of grapes,” as being the good of love, and in the supreme sense the Lord’s Divine good from His Divine love (of which in what follows); and from the signification of a “covering,” as being the intellectual, for the intellectual is a recipient, and that which receives, being a vessel, is like a covering. That by a “covering” is signified the intellectual, and by “clothing” the natural (of which just above, n. 6377), is because there the subject treated of is what is external, but here what is internal; for in the Word, on account of the heavenly marriage, where it treats of what is external it treats also of what is internal; and where it treats of truth it treats also of good (see n. 6343). This sometimes appears like a repetition of the same thing, as here: “He washes his clothing in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes,” where “wine” and the “blood of grapes” appear to be the same, and also “clothing” and “covering;” but they are not the same, because what is external and what is internal are thus expressed.

[2] That the “blood of grapes” denotes the Divine good from the Divine love of the Lord, is plain from the signification of “blood,” as being the Divine truth from the Divine good of the the Lord, (n. 4735); and by “grapes” in the supreme sense is signified the Lord’s Divine good which those have who are in His spiritual kingdom; and hence by “grapes” in the relative sense is signified the good of charity (n. 5117). By the “blood of the grape” the like is also signified in the song of Moses:

Butter of the herd and milk of the flock, with fat of lambs and of rams the sons of Bashan, and of he-goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou shalt drink the blood of the grape unmixed (Deuteronomy 32:14).