10506. And Jehovah said unto Moses, He that hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book. That this signifies the reply, that those will perish who turn themselves away from the Divine, is evident from the signification of “Jehovah said unto Moses,” as being the reply; from the signification of “sinning against Jehovah,” as being to turn one’s self away from the Divine (see above, n. 10498); and from the signification of “being blotted out of the book of Jehovah,” as being not to appear in heaven, thus to perish in respect to the spiritual life. That this is signified by “being blotted out of the book of Jehovah,” is because those who are in things external separate from what is internal cannot receive anything from heaven; for it is the internal which receives from heaven, and the external without the internal does not receive from any other source than hell. (That heaven with man is in his internal, and that the internal is the book of life, and that what is in the internal is out of heaven from the Lord, may be seen just above, n. 10505)

10498. That Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin. That this signifies a complete estrangement and turning away, is evident from the signification of “sin,” as being a turning away and estrangement from the Divine (see n. 5229, 5474, 5841, 7589, 9346), here a complete turning away and estrangement, because it is called “a great sin.” Turning away and estrangement from the Divine is complete when there is no longer received anything of truth and good from heaven, for the truth and good from heaven is the Divine with man. That with that nation there was no reception of truth and good from heaven, consequently that there was a complete turning away from the Divine, is described by these words in Isaiah:

Say to this people, Hearing hear ye, but understand not; and seeing see ye, but know not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and blot out their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and their heart should understand, and be converted, that they may be healed (Isaiah 6:9-10; also John 12:37-40);

it is said, “lest they be converted that they may be healed,” by which is signified that if they were to understand the internal things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, they would profane them (according to what was said above, n. 10490).