10202. 'And when Aaron causes the lamps to go up between the evenings he shall burn it' means the raising up also in an obscure state of love, when also truth exists in its shade. This is clear from the meaning of 'causing the lamps to go up', or to burn brightly, as enlightening with Divine Truth, and consequently endowing with intelligence and wisdom, dealt with immediately above in 10201; from the representation of 'Aaron' as the Lord in respect of Divine Good, and in respect of the work of salvation, dealt with in 9806, 9965, 10068; from the meaning of 'between the evenings' as an obscure state of love, and consequently a state of truth in shade, dealt with in 10134, 10135; and from the meaning of 'burning incense' as the raising up of worship, dealt with above in 10198. From all this it is evident that 'when Aaron causes the lamps to go up between the evenings he shall burn incense' means a raising up by the Lord of everything of worship in an obscure state of love, when also truth exists in its shade. The nature of all this becomes clear from what has been stated immediately above in 10200, 10201, to the effect that states of love are varied in heaven, just as times of day and seasons of the year are in the world, and that truth exists in its own light to the extent that good exists in its own heat, that is, in its love. Consequently when love is not so much in its heat, neither is truth in its light. This being so, reference is made to 'adorning the lamps in the morning' but 'causing them to go up in the evening'; for causing them to go up implies raising and increasing the light of truth, as much as is possible in that state.

3084. 'And went up' means a raising up. This is clear from the meaning of 'going up' as being raised up. The expression 'raised up' is used to describe from what is lower to what is higher, and because it is used to describe this it is also used to describe from what is exterior to what is interior, for the two are one and the same. Indeed what is lower and higher in human thought is exterior and interior in angelic thought, as with the idea of heaven. By men heaven is seen as that which is higher, but by angels as that which is interior. It is similarly so with the natural with man. In relation to his spiritual it is exterior, while the spiritual in turn is exterior in relation to the celestial. Or what amounts to the same, factual knowledge which belongs to the natural man is exterior in relation to truth, while truth is exterior in relation to good. Therefore also factual knowledge in relation to truth is called a covering as well as a garment, and so in a similar way is truth in relation to good.

[2] This explains why the expressions 'going up' to Jerusalem, but 'coming down' from Jerusalem are used; also 'going up' from Jerusalem to Zion, and 'coming down' from Zion to Jerusalem; for the parts surrounding Jerusalem mean the exterior features of the Church, Jerusalem meaning the more interior features and Zion the inmost. Since in the internal sense this verse describes the initial stage in the raising up of truth from the natural man to the rational man, therefore it is first of all said here that the affection for truth represented by Rebekah 'went down to the spring' and shortly after that 'went up'. For as stated above in 3074, Divine love flows into the affection for good, and from there into the affection for truth, and in so doing brings life and light to the things that are in the natural man, and at the same time orders them. This is the meaning of 'going down'. In this way truths are raised up from the natural man into the rational man where they are joined to good. This is the meaning of 'going up'.