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και αι αδελφαι αυτου ουχι πασαι προς ημας εισιν ποθεν ουν τουτω ταυτα παντα
Arcana Coelestia # 7770
7770. 'And let them ask, a man from his companion and a woman from her companion, vessels of silver and vessels of gold' means that factual knowledge of truth and of good must be removed from the evil who have belonged to the Church and be assigned to the good who belong to it. This is clear from the meaning of 'vessels of silver and vessels of gold' as factual knowledge of truth and of good, 'silver' being truth and 'gold' good, see 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658, 6112, and 'vessels' factual knowledge, 3068, 3079. That knowledge is referred to as vessels of truth and good because it contains them. The assumption is made that the facts which people know about truth or about good are the truths of faith themselves or the forms of the good of faith themselves. But they are not. Affections for truth and good are what compose faith; those affections flow into known facts, which are the appropriate vessels for them. Asking them from the Egyptians is, it is self-evident, taking them away and assigning them to oneself. This is why previously in Chapter 3:22 it says that they were to plunder the Egyptians, and subsequently in Chapter 12:36 that they despoiled them. The reason why it says that 'a man was to ask from his companion and a woman from her companion' is that 'a man' has reference to and also means truth and 'a woman' has reference to and also means good.
[2] The implications of all this may be seen at the explanation of Exodus 3:21-22 in 6914, 6917. That explanation shows that the factual knowledge itself of truth and of good which have been in the possession of those belonging to the Church who have been acquainted with the arcana of faith and yet have led a life of evil are transferred to those who belong to the spiritual Church. How the transfer is effected, see 6914. These things are meant by the Lord's words in Matthew,
The Lord said to him who went away and hid the talent in the earth, Take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents, for to everyone who has, it will be given, so that he may have in abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. Cast the useless servant into outer darkness. Matthew 25:25, 28-30; Luke 19:24-26.
And similar words in the same gospel,
To him who has, it will be given, so that he may have abundantly; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. Matthew 13:12; Mark 4:24-25.
[3] The reason for the transfer is that the knowledge or cognitions of goodness and truth which the evil possess are applied to evil purposes, whereas the cognitions of goodness and truth that the good possess are applied to good purposes. The cognitions are the same, but the purposes to which any one person applies them gives them their specific character. Such cognitions may be compared to worldly wealth, which one person devotes to good purposes, and another to bad ones, so that the character of any one person's wealth depends on the purposes to which he devotes it. This also shows that the same cognitions, like the same wealth, which the evil have possessed can pass into the possession of the good and serve good purposes. From all this one may now recognize what is represented when it says that the children of Israel were commanded to ask from the Egyptians vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and in so doing to despoil and plunder them. Such a despoilment or plundering would never have been commanded by Jehovah if such things had not been represented in the spiritual world.
[4] Things like these are what are meant in Isaiah,
At length the merchandise of Tyre and its harlot's wages will be holy to Jehovah, it will not be hoarded or held back; but its merchandise will be for those that dwell before Jehovah to eat to their satiety, and for him who covers himself with what is ancient. Isaiah 23:18.
This refers to 'Tyre', which means cognitions of goodness and truth, 1201. 'Merchandise' and 'harlot's wages' are cognitions applied to evil purposes. Their being given to the good who will apply them to good purposes is meant by 'its merchandise will be for those that dwell before Jehovah to eat to satiety, [and] for him who covers himself with what is ancient'.
[5] Also in Micah,
Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs bronze, in order that you may crush many peoples. And I devoted their gain to Jehovah, and their riches to the Lord of the whole earth. Micah 4:13.
'Crushing many peoples' stands for devastating them. 'The gain' which was devoted to Jehovah and the Lord of the whole earth is cognitions of truth and goodness. Something similar is implied in 2 Samuel 8:11-12, where it says that David consecrated to Jehovah the silver and gold which he had taken from the nations he had subdued, from the Syrians, from Moab, from the children of Ammon, from the Philistines, from Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadad Ezer; and in 1 Kings 7:51, that Solomon put among the treasures of Jehovah's house the things consecrated by his father.
Luke 20
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It happened on one of those days, as he was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the Good News, that the priests and scribes came to him with the elders.
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They asked him, "Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?"
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He answered them, "I also will ask you one question. Tell me:
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the baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men?"
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They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why didn't you believe him?'
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But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet."
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They answered that they didn't know where it was from.
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Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."
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He began to tell the people this parable. "A man planted a vineyard, and rented it out to some farmers, and went into another country for a long time.
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At the proper season, he sent a servant to the farmers to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the farmers beat him, and sent him away empty.
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He sent yet another servant, and they also beat him, and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.
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He sent yet a third, and they also wounded him, and threw him out.
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The lord of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. It may be that seeing him, they will respect him.'
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"But when the farmers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.'
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They threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do to them?
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He will come and destroy these farmers, and will give the vineyard to others." When they heard it, they said, "May it never be!"
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But he looked at them, and said, "Then what is this that is written, 'The stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the chief cornerstone?'
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Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but it will crush whomever it falls on to dust."
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The chief priests and the scribes sought to lay hands on him that very hour, but they feared the people--for they knew he had spoken this parable against them.
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They watched him, and sent out spies, who pretended to be righteous, that they might trap him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the power and authority of the governor.
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They asked him, "Teacher, we know that you say and teach what is right, and aren't partial to anyone, but truly teach the way of God.
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Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"
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But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Why do you test me?
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Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?" They answered, "Caesar's."
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He said to them, "Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."
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They weren't able to trap him in his words before the people. They marveled at his answer, and were silent.
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Some of the Sadducees came to him, those who deny that there is a resurrection.
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They asked him, "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies having a wife, and he is childless, his brother should take the wife, and raise up children for his brother.
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There were therefore seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died childless.
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The second took her as wife, and he died childless.
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The third took her, and likewise the seven all left no children, and died.
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Afterward the woman also died.
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Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them will she be? For the seven had her as a wife."
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Jesus said to them, "The children of this age marry, and are given in marriage.
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But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage.
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For they can't die any more, for they are like the angels, and are children of God, being children of the resurrection.
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But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he called the Lord 'The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'
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Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all are alive to him."
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Some of the scribes answered, "Teacher, you speak well."
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They didn't dare to ask him any more questions.
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He said to them, "Why do they say that the Christ is David's son?
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David himself says in the book of Psalms, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand,
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until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet."'
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"David therefore calls him Lord, so how is he his son?"
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In the hearing of all the people, he said to his disciples,
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"Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts;
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who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: these will receive greater condemnation."
