410. Hid themselves in caves and in the rocks of the mountains, signifies truths and goods destroyed by evils of life and falsities therefrom. This is evident from the signification of "hiding themselves," as meaning that they were lost, namely, internal and external goods and truths, or those in the natural and in the spiritual man, which are signified by "the kings of the earth," "the great ones," "the rich," "the commanders of thousands," "the mighty," and by "every servant and every freeman," as has been shown above. From this it follows that "they hid themselves" signifies that these were lost, the things lost being also in a hidden place. It is evident also from the signification of "caves," as meaning evils of life (of which presently); and from the signification of "the rocks of the mountains," as meaning the falsities therefrom; for "rocks" signify the truths of faith, and in the contrary sense the falsities of faith, here the falsities from evils, for "mountains" signify evils springing from the loves of self and of the world (as was shown just above, n. 405). But on the signification of "rocks" see in the article immediately following; here the signification of "caves" will be treated of.

[2] It was said above that in the spiritual world there are mountains, hills, rocks, valleys, and lands, as on our globe, and that angels and spirits dwell on them; but yet in the spiritual world they have a different appearance; upon the mountains those dwell who are in the greatest light, below these on the same mountain those dwell who are in less light, and beneath these those who are in still less, and in the lowest parts those dwell who are in darkness and thick darkness as compared to the light the higher ones have; accordingly the heavens are in the higher part of the mountains, and the hells are in the lowest parts, thus the expanses of the mountains succeed each other as strata. This is so in order that the lower may be governed by the Lord through the higher; for the Lord flows in immediately from Himself into all things of the spiritual world, and mediately through the higher heavens into the lower, and through these into the hells. The reason for this arrangement is that all may be held in connection by influx; such a coordinate and subordinate arrangement exists through the whole spiritual world. Into the hells, which are under the mountains and in the rocks, entrances lie open either in the lowest parts of their sides or through caverns from the valleys; and the entrances in the lower parts of the sides appear like entrances into caves where there are wild beasts, altogether dark; these are opened when infernal spirits are let in, but are shut when they have been let in. These entrances are called in the Word "the gates of hell." But among the rocks these entrances appear like clefts in a cliff, and in some places like holes with various openings. The darkness in these gates or doors appears densely dark to good spirits and angels, but as if luminous to evil spirits; the reason is that there is no light of heaven there, but a fatuous lumen, which is natural lumen apart from the spiritual. The light of those there is not like the light [luminosum] of the world in the daytime, but like the nocturnal light that is suitable for owls, moles, birds of night, and bats, which see nothing in the light of day, and therefore the light of day is thick darkness to them, while the darkness of the night is their light. Their sight is such because it is formed of falsities and evils, which in themselves are darkness and thick darkness; for this reason "darkness" in the Word signifies falsities of every kind, and "thick darkness" the falsities of evil. From this it can be seen what is signified by "they hid themselves in caves," that is, in evils of life, the goods in them having been destroyed. Evils of life are signified by "caves" for the same reason that "mountains" signify the goods of life, namely, because those who are in them are such; for the spiritual sense is concerned solely with evils or with goods regarded apart from places and persons, that is, with the kinds of evils or goods in the places and in the persons, as has also been several times said above.

[3] From this it can be seen what is signified in the Word by "caves," "caverns," "hollows," "holes," "clefts," and "chinks of rocks and mountains," in the following passages. In Isaiah:

Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for the dread of Jehovah and for the glory of His magnificence. For there shall be a day of Jehovah of Hosts upon everyone that is proud and exalted, and upon everyone that is lifted up, and that is brought low; and upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are exalted and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, and upon all the exalted mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, and upon every lofty tower, and upon every fenced wall, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all images of desire; that the haughtiness of man [hominis] may be bowed down, and the loftiness of men [virorum] be brought low, and Jehovah alone be exalted in that day. And the idols shall go away into smoke. And they shall enter into the caves of the rocks, and into the clefts of the dust, for dread of Jehovah and for the glory of His magnificence when He shall arise to terrify the earth. In that day a man shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold which they made for themselves to bow down to the moles and to the bats, to go into the rents of the rocks and into the clefts of the cliffs (Isaiah 2:10-21).

No one can understand all these things except from the internal sense, and unless he knows what the appearance of things is in the spiritual world; for without the internal sense who can know what is meant by "there shall be a day of Jehovah upon the cedars of Lebanon and the oaks of Bashan, upon mountains and hills, upon the tower and the wall, upon the ships of Tarshish and the images of desire;" and what is meant by "bowing down to moles and bats?" And unless the appearance of things in the spiritual world is known, who can know what is meant by "their entering into the rock and hiding themselves in the dust," "entering into the caves of the rocks and into the clefts of the dust," also "into the rents of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs?" But from the internal sense it is known that all these things describe the state of those who are in the love of self and of the world, and thus in evils and falsities at the time of the Last Judgment.

It is therefore said "there shall be a day of Jehovah upon everyone that is proud and exalted, and upon everyone that is lifted up and that is brought low;" "day of Jehovah" meaning the Last Judgment; "everyone that is proud and exalted" meaning those who are in the love of self and the world, and "everyone that is lifted up and that is brought low" meaning those who are in the love of self-intelligence. This is further described by "there shall be a day of Jehovah upon all the cedars that are exalted and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, and upon all the exalted mountains and hills that are lifted up, upon every lofty tower and fenced wall, and upon all the ships of Tarshish and the images of desire;" "the cedars of Lebanon" and "the oaks of Bashan" signify the pride of self-intelligence, "the cedars of Lebanon," interior pride, and "the oaks of Bashan" exterior pride; "mountains and hills" signify the loves of self and of the world, and the evils and falsities springing from them (as was shown above, n. 405); "tower" and "wall" signify the falsities of doctrine confirmed, "the ships of Tarshish" and "the images of desire" signify the knowledges and perceptions of falsity from evil; their worship from evils and falsities is signified by "the idols which they made for themselves, to bow down to the moles and the bats;" worship from such things as are from self-intelligence is signified by "the idols which they made for themselves to bow down unto;" the evils and falsities of doctrine from which such worship springs are signified by "moles and bats," because these have sight in the dark and shun the light; judgment upon such is described by "they shall enter into the caves of the rocks and into the clefts of the dust," also "into the rents of the rocks and into the clefts of the cliffs;" "to enter into the caves of the rocks and into the clefts of the dust" signifies the damnation of those who are in evils and falsities from the loves of self and of the world, and from the pride of self-intelligence; for the hells of such appear as caves in rocks, and the entrances into them as rents in rocks and clefts in cliffs; "rocks" and "cliffs" signifying the falsities of faith and doctrine, and "dust" signifying what is damned.

[4] In Jeremiah:

Thy horror hath deceived thee, the presumption of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the holes of the cliff, that holdest the height of the hill; if thou shouldst make thy nest as high as the eagle, thence would I cast thee down (Jeremiah 49:16).

This is said of Esau and Edom; and "Esau" here signifies the love of self and the evil therefrom destroying the church, and "Edom" the pride of self-intelligence and the falsity therefrom destroying the church. That the love of self and such pride are meant is evident from its being said "the presumption of thine heart hath deceived thee; if thou shouldst make thy nest as high as the eagle, thence would I cast thee down." Those who are in falsities from self-intelligence dwell in rocks below, and the ways of approach to them appear like holes therein. These have also been seen by me. Within, however, there are rooms hollowed out and arched chambers where they sit in their fantasies. But before they are cast into these they are seen on mountains and hills, for they raise themselves into high places by fantasies, and as they are not in truths they think they are there bodily, and yet bodily they are in the caves of the rocks; this, therefore, is what is meant by "dwelling in the holes of the rocks, and holding the height of the hill." This makes clear the nature of the Word, namely, that in many places it conforms to the aspects and appearances in the spiritual world, which are unknown to man but known to spirits and angels; from which it is evident that the Word is written for them also.

[5] In Obadiah:

The presumption of thy heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the cliff, in the height of thy seat; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the earth? Though thou shalt mount on high like the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, I will bring thee down from thence (Obadiah 1:3-4).

This, too, is said of Edom, who signifies here the pride of learning which is from self-intelligence, and falsity therefrom destroying the church. As almost similar things are said here as above, so the signification is similar; "the clefts of the rock" signify the falsities of faith and of doctrine, because those dwell there who are in such falsities; these are compared to an eagle because the eagle from its lofty flights signifies the pride of self-intelligence; so, too, "a nest for habitation" is mentioned, and "to set it among the stars" signifies in the heights where those dwell who are in the knowledges of truth, for the knowledges of truth are signified by "stars."

In Job:

To dwell in the clefts of the valleys, in the holes of the earth, and in the rocks (Job 30:6).

Here, too, "clefts of the valleys," "holes of the earth," and "rocks" signify the falsities of evil, for the falsities of evil are here treated of.

[6] In Isaiah:

It shall come to pass in that day, Jehovah shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria, which shall come and shall rest, all of them, in the brooks of desolations, and in the clefts of the cliffs, and in all thickets, and in all courses (Isaiah 7:18-19).

This describes the church laid waste by knowledges [scientifica] falsely applied, and by reasonings therefrom, by which the very knowledges of truth from the Word are perverted; "the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt" signifies the falsity in the outermost parts of the natural man; the outermost parts of the natural man are what are called sensual things, for the natural man is interior, middle, and exterior; the interior communicates with the spiritual man through the rational, the exterior with the world through the bodily senses, and the middle conjoins the two; the exterior is what is called the sensual, because it depends upon the bodily senses, and draws therefrom what belongs to it. The falsities that are in this and from it are signified by "the flies in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt;" but "the bee in the land of Assyria" signifies false reasonings therefrom, for "Assyria" signifies the rational, and "Egypt" the knowing faculty of the natural man; and because the rational derives all it has from the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man, its reasonings are signified by "bees," for as bees suck out and derive their store from flowers, so the rational does from the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man. Here, however, "bees" signify false reasonings, because the rational gathers what belongs to it from knowledges [scientifica] falsely applied. It is from correspondences that these are likened to flies and bees; for in the spiritual world flying things of various kinds appear, but they are appearances from the ideas of the thoughts of spirits, and the noxious flying things among them are flies and bees of such a kind; "the flies in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt" have their correspondence from their springing out of the filth of rivers. It is said "which shall come and shall rest in the brooks of desolations and in the clefts of the cliffs," which signifies that the falsities of knowledges [scientifica] and of reasonings therefrom have their seats where there are no truths and where there is the faith of falsity, "the brooks of desolations" meaning where there are no truths, and "the clefts of the cliffs" where there is the faith of falsity; "in all thickets and in all courses" signifies that the knowledges and perceptions of truth are falsified by such things; "thickets" meaning the knowledges of truth, and "courses" the perceptions, and these are falsified by the above-mentioned falsities when they flow in. No one can see and know that these arcana are contained in these words except from the internal sense, and at the same time from the spiritual world.

[7] In the same:

The palace shall be abandoned, the multitude of the city forsaken, the height and the watch-tower shall be over the caves even forever, a joy of wild asses and a pasture for droves (Isaiah 32:14).

This describes the total vastation of the church, where there is no longer any good of life or truth of doctrine; yet no one can know what is involved in it unless he knows the state of things in the spiritual world, and at the same time the internal sense. The devastation of the whole church is meant by "the palace shall be abandoned, and the multitude of the city forsaken;" "palace" signifying the whole church in respect to truths from good, and "abandoned" where there is no good because there is no truth; therefore "the palace shall be abandoned" signifies the church devastated; "the multitude of the city" signifies all truths of doctrine, for "city" means doctrine, and "multitude" is predicated of truths, which are said to be "forsaken" when they cease to be; "the height and the watch-tower shall be over the caves even forever" signifies that a church shall no longer exist with them, because there is nothing but the evil of life and the falsity of doctrine; "caves" signifying such things because such persons dwell in caves, as was said above; and because such persons dwell in deep places in the spiritual world, and are covered over by heights and watch-towers, thus hidden from those who abide on the lands there, therefore it is said not only that "the height and the watch-tower shall be over the caves," but also that they shall be "a joy of wild asses and a pasture for droves." Moreover, in that world there are many hells in deep places wholly hidden by the lands, rocks, and hills above, or by the heights and watch-towers, where there is grass like a pasture for flocks; for which reason these hells are unknown to those who dwell there upon the land. "A joy of wild asses" signifies also the affection or love of falsities; and "a pasture for droves" the nourishing of evils from falsities; and both of these signify the devastation of truth by falsities. From this it can be seen what an arcanum lies hidden in these words.

[8] In Jeremiah:

Is this house, upon which My name is named, become a den of robbers? (Jer. 7:11).

"A den of robbers" signifies the evil of life from the falsities of doctrine; and "the house upon which My name is named" signifies the church where there is worship from the goods of life by truths of doctrine; "house" meaning the church, and "the name of Jehovah" everything by which He is worshiped, thus good and truth, truth of doctrine and good of life. The church where there is evil of life from falsities of doctrine is called "a den of robbers" because "den" signifies that evil, and those are called "robbers" who steal truths from the Word and pervert them, and apply them to falsities and evils, and thus extinguish them. All this makes clear what is meant by the Lord's words in the Gospels:

It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayers; but ye have made it a den of robbers (Matt. 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46).

"House" here, in the universal sense, signifies the church; and because worship was performed in the temple at Jerusalem, it is called "a house of prayers." (That the temple signifies the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3720; that "prayers" signify worship, see above, n. 325; that "to be called" has a similar signification as "to name My name upon them," see above, Arcana Coelestia, n. 3421.)

[9] In Isaiah:

The suckling shall play on the hole of the adder, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the basilisk's den (Isaiah 11:8).

Neither can this be understood unless, from the things that appear in the spiritual world, it is known what is meant by "the hole of the adder" and by "the basilisk's den." It was said above that the entrances to the hells appear like holes in the rocks and like gaps opening into caves, such as wild beasts in the forests have; those who dwell in these, when they are looked at in the light of heaven appear like monsters of various kinds and like wild beasts. Those who are in the hells where those dwell who act craftily against innocence appear like adders, and those who act craftily against the good of love appear like basilisks; and as "suckling" or "sucking infant" signifies the good of innocence it is said "the suckling shall play on the hole of the adder;" and as "a weaned child," or an infant that has stopped sucking, signifies the good of love, it, is said, "and the weaned child shall put his hand on the basilisk's den," and this signifies that those who are in the good of innocence and in the good of love to the Lord have no fear whatever of evils and falsities which are from hell, because they are protected by the Lord. (That "infants," in the Word, and also "sucklings," signify the good of innocence, see Arcana Coelestia 430, 3183; and what "adders" and other poisonous serpents signify, n. 9013)

[10] In Jeremiah:

Take the girdle that thou hast bought for thyself, which is upon thy loins, and arise and go to Euphrates, and hide it in a cleft of the cliff. This he also did; and afterwards at the end of many days he went there and took it again, and behold the girdle was marred and was not profitable for anything (Jeremiah 13:4-7).

This represented the quality of the Jewish Church, namely, that it was destitute of all the good of life and the truth of doctrine. For "the girdle" upon the loins of the prophet signified the conjunction of the Lord with the church by means of the Word; "Euphrates" signifies everything of the church in respect to good, here in respect to evil; and "the cliff" everything of the church in respect to truth, here in respect to falsity, for it is said "a cleft of the cliff;" that "the girdle was marred so as not to be profitable for anything" signified that there was no conjunction whatever of the church with the Lord, consequently that there was no church.

[11] "Cave" has a like significance in the histories of the Word as in the prophesies of the Word; for the histories of the Word, the same as the prophesies of the Word, contain an internal sense. Thus it is related of Lot, that after the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah:

He dwelt in a cave of the mountain with his two daughters, who made him drunk and lay with him; whence were born Moab and Ammon (Genesis 19:30-33).

The representation and signification of this occurrence is similar to that of Moab and Ammon in the Word, for "Moab" signifies the adulteration of the good of the church, and "Ammon" the falsification of the truth of the church (See Arcana Coelestia 2468, 8315); and "adulteries" and "whoredoms" signify in general the adulterations of good and the falsifications of truth (See above, n. 141, 161); and the various kinds of adulteries and whoredoms (such as are enumerated in Leviticus 18:6-30), signify the various kinds of adulterations and falsifications of good and truth; and this is why Lot is here said to have "dwelt in a cave;" such an abomination being signified here by "the cave of the mountain." In the book of Judges it is said:

That the sons of Israel did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and therefore were given into the hand of Midian; and because of Midian they made for themselves caves in the mountains and dens and strongholds (Judges 6:1-2).

The "evil" which the sons of Israel did means the perversion of good and truth, as can be seen from what follows there, and also from the signification of "Midian" (See Arcana Coelestia 3242), on account of whom they made for themselves caves in the mountains and dens; for the sons of Israel were possessed by the evil signified by "Midian;" "because of Midian" signifying on account of that evil. It was similar when the sons of Israel fled on account of the Philistines (1 Samuel 13:6).

4402. 'And he called it El Elohe Israel' means that it, that is to say, interior worship, originated in the Divine Spiritual. This is clear from the meaning of 'El Elohe', dealt with below, and from the meaning of 'Israel' as the spiritual, dealt with in 4286, 4292. The things stated so far in this chapter from verse 17 onwards appear there because the subject in the highest sense of the chapter is how the Lord made His Natural Divine. But since things in the highest sense which are concerned with the Lord are beyond the range of ideas present in a person's thought because such things are Divine, let them be illustrated by means of the kind of things that do fall more immediately within the range of a person's ideas. That is to say, let those things that are Divine be illustrated by means of the way in which the Lord regenerates man's natural. Indeed the regeneration of man, that is, of his natural, is also the subject here in the internal sense; for the regeneration of man is a model of the glorification of the Lord, 3138, 3212, 3296, 3490. In fact the Lord glorified Himself, that is, made Himself Divine, according to Divine order, according to which same order He also regenerates man, that is, makes him celestial and spiritual. Here the way in which He makes him spiritual is dealt with, for 'Israel' means that spiritual man.

[2] The spiritual man is not the interior rational man but the interior natural. The interior rational man is that which is called celestial. How the spiritual man and the celestial differ from each other has often been stated already. A person becomes spiritual through the joining of the truths residing with him to good, that is, through the joining of matters of faith to those of charity, a joining together which takes place within his natural. There exterior truths first are joined to good, and after that interior truths. The joining of exterior truths within the natural has been dealt with in verses 1-16 of this chapter, the joining of interior truths to good in verses 17-end. Interior truths are not joined to good except by means of an enlightenment entering through the internal man into the external. That enlightenment makes Divine truths visible in a purely general way, as when, to use a comparison, countless objects are seen by the eye as an obscure single whole devoid of any distinguishable features. This enlightenment making truths visible in a purely general way was meant by Esau's words to Jacob, 'Let me now place with you some of the people who are with me', and by Jacob's reply, 'Why so? Let me find favour in your eyes', dealt with in 4385, 4386.

[3] On the point that the spiritual man, compared with the celestial, dwells in obscurity, see 2708, 2715, 2716, 2718, 2831, 2849, 2935, 2937, 3241, 3246, 3833. It is this spiritual man that is represented by 'Israel', 4286. The expression spiritual man is used because the light of heaven, which holds intelligence and wisdom within it, flows into those things with man which belong to the light of the world and causes those which belong to the light of heaven to be represented in those belonging to the light of the world, and in this way causes them to correspond. For regarded in itself the spiritual is the Divine Light itself which comes from the Lord, and therefore consists in intelligence which essentially is truth and as a consequence is wisdom. With the spiritual man however that light falls on things which are matters of faith with him and which he believes to be true, whereas with the celestial man it falls on the good of love. But although these considerations are clear to those who dwell in the light of heaven they are nevertheless obscure to those who dwell in the light of the world, and so to the majority at the present day. They are perhaps so obscure as to be barely intelligible. All the same, since they constitute the subject in the internal sense and are by nature as described, the exposition of them must not be left out. The time will come when people will be enlightened

[4] The reason why the altar was called El Elohe Israel and why interior worship originating in the Divine Spiritual was meant by it is that in the highest sense El Elohe is identical with the Divine Spiritual; as also is Israel. For 'Israel' means the Lord's Divine Spiritual, and in the representative sense the Lord's spiritual Church, or what amounts to the same, a person like that, see 4286, 4292. In the original language El Elohe means 'God God', and also, to be strictly literal, 'God of gods'. ¹ In the Word Jehovah, or the Lord, is referred to in very many places by the singular name 'El', or else 'Eloah', as well as by the plural name 'Elohim'. Both names are sometimes used within the same verse or in the same section. A person who is not acquainted with the internal sense of the Word cannot know the reason why. Anyone may conclude that 'El' implies one thing, 'Eloah' another, and 'Elohim' another, from the consideration that the Word is Divine, that is, has its origin in the Divine, and that it is for that reason inspired as to every word, indeed as to the smallest part of every letter.

[5] What the name 'El' implies when it is used, or the name 'Elohim', may be seen from what has been shown in various places above, namely that El or Elohim - that is, God - is used when truth is the subject, see 709, 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921 (end), 4287. This is why in the highest sense El and Elohim mean the Divine Spiritual, this being the same as Divine Truth. The two names differ however in that 'El' means truth in will and action, which is the same as the good of truth, 4337, 4353, 4390. The plural form Elohim exists for the reason that by Divine truth is meant all the truths which come from the Lord. This is also the reason why in the Word angels are sometimes called elohim or gods, 4295, as will be further evident from places in the Word that are quoted below. Now because El and Elohim in the highest sense mean the Lord as regards truth, they also mean Him as regards power; for truth is the entity to which power is attributed. Indeed when exercising power good acts by means of truth, 3091, 4015. Therefore when in the Word reference is made to the power received from truth, the Lord is called El and Elohim, that is, God. Hence also it is that El in the original language means one who is powerful.

[6] The fact that the names El and Elohim, or God, are used in the Word where the Divine Spiritual is the subject, or what amounts to the same, Divine Truth, and Divine Power received from this, may be seen in addition from the following places,

God spoke to Israel in visions in the night. I am the God of gods (El Elohe) of your father, do not be afraid of going down into Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. Genesis 46:2-3.

Since these words are addressed to Israel, whom He is going 'to make into a great nation', and so the subject is truth and the power this possesses, El Elohe is used, which in the proximate sense means the God of gods. The fact that in the proximate sense Elohim means gods because it has reference to truths and to the power received from them, is also evident in the same author,

There Jacob built an altar, and called the place El Beth El, for there the Elohim were revealed to him, when he was fleeing from before his brother. Genesis 35:7.

And elsewhere in the same author,

Jehovah your God, He is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the God (El) who is great, powerful, and fearful. Deuteronomy 10:17.

Here 'God of gods' is expressed by Elohe Elohim, and after that 'God' by El, to whom greatness and power are attributed

[7] In David,

A great God (El) is Jehovah, and a great King above all gods (elohim), in whose hand are the deep places ² of the earth; and the strength ³ of the mountains are His. Psalms 95:3-4.

The name 'God' or El is used here because reference is made to Divine Truth and the Power received from this, and also 'gods' because reference is made to subordinate truths. For in the internal sense 'a king' means truth, 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 3670. From this it is clear what 'a great King above all gods' implies. 'The deep places of the earth' too means the truths of the Church, which are called 'the strength of the mountains' from power rooted in good. In the same author,

Who in heaven will compare himself to Jehovah? Who will be likened to Jehovah among the sons of gods (elim)? God (El) mighty in the secret place of the holy ones, O Jehovah God Zebaoth, who is strong as You are, O Jah? Psalms 89:6-8.

Here 'sons of gods (or of elim)' stands for Divine truths, to which, it is evident, power is attributed, since it is said 'God (El) mighty, Jehovah God of hosts, who is strong as You are?'

[8] Similarly elsewhere in the same author,

Give to Jehovah, O sons of gods, give to Jehovah glory and strength. Psalms 29:1.

In Moses,

They fell on their faces, and said, O God of gods (El elohe) of the spirits of all flesh. Numbers 16:22.

In David,

I said, You are gods (elohim), and sons of the Most High, all of you. Psalms 82:6; John 10:34.

Here they are called 'gods' from truths, for 'sons' means truths, 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2628, 3373, 3704. In the same author,

Confess the God of gods (Elohe elohim), confess the Lord of lords. Psalms 136:2-3.

In Daniel,

The king will act according to his own pleasure, and will uplift himself, and exalt himself above every god (el), and will speak astonishing things above the God of gods (El elohim). Daniel 11:36.

These quotations show that in the proximate sense El elohe means God of gods, and that in the internal sense 'gods' is used in reference to truths which come from the Lord.

[9] The fact that the singular name El or God is used where the power which comes from Divine Truth is the subject, or what amounts to the same, from the Lord's Divine Spiritual, becomes clear from the following places: In Moses,

Let my hand be for God (El) to do you evil! Genesis 31:29.

And elsewhere,

Nor is there a hand for God (El). Deuteronomy 28:32.

And in Micah,

Let there be a hand for God (El). Micah 2:1.

'Let there be a hand for God' means, let there be power. For 'hand' means power, see 878, 3387, and 'hand' is used in reference to truth, 3091. In David,

I will set His hand in the sea, and His right hand in the rivers. He will cry to Me, You are My Father, My God (El), the Rock of My Salvation. Psalms 89:25-26.

This refers to power from truths. In the same author,

The wicked says in his heart, God (El) has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He never sees. Arise, O Jehovah God (El); lift up Your hand. For what reason does the wicked despise God (Elohim)? Psalms 10:11-13.

Here the meaning is similar.

[10] In the same author,

Jehovah is my rock (petra) and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God (El), my rock (rupes). Psalms 18:2.

This refers to power. In Isaiah, A residue will return, the residue of Jacob, to the God (El) of power. Isaiah 10:21.

In the same prophet,

To us a Boy is born, to us a Son is given, the government upon His shoulder; He will call His name, Wonderful, Counsellor, God (El), the Powerful One, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6.

In the same prophet,

Behold the God (El) of my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for He is my strength. Isaiah 12:2.

In the same prophet,

I am God (El) even from today; I am He, and nobody delivers from My hand; I work, and who will reverse it? Isaiah 43:12-13.

This refers to power. In Jeremiah, Great and powerful God (El), whose name is Jehovah of hosts. Jeremiah 32:18.

In the second Book of Samuel,

With my God (El) I will leap over the wall. God (El) is perfect in His way; the word of Jehovah is pure. Who is God (El) besides Jehovah? Who is a rock besides our God (Elohim)? God (El) is the strength of my refuge. 2 Samuel 22:30-33.

In Moses,

God (El) is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not act? Or has He spoken, and will He not carry it out? He brought them out of Egypt; He has so to speak the strength of a unicorn. At that time it will be said to Jacob and to Israel, What has God (El) been doing? Numbers 23:19, 22-23.

This in the internal sense refers to power and to truth.

[11] And in the same author,

God (El) who brought him out of Egypt has as it were the strength of a unicorn. He will consume the nations, his enemies, and will break their bones, and smash their weapons. Numbers 24:8.

'Horns' and 'the strength of a unicorn' mean the power of truth that springs from good, see 2832. And there are many other places besides all these. Since most things in the Word also have a contrary sense, no less do 'god' and 'gods', names which are used when the subject is falsity and power from falsity, as in Ezekiel,

The gods (elim) of the mighty will speak to him in the midst of hell. Ezekiel 32:21.

In Isaiah,

You inflamed yourselves among the gods (elim) under every green tree. Isaiah 57:5.

Here the name 'gods' is used on account of falsities. Similar examples exist in other places.

Poznámky pod čarou: