316. Having seven horns. That this signifies to whom belongs Omnipotence, is evident from the signification of a horn, as denoting the power of truth against falsity, but when predicated of the Lord, as denoting all power or omnipotence. The reason why the Lamb was seen to have horns seven in number, was because by seven is signified all, and it is said of what is holy (see above, n. 257). Horn and horns signify power, because the power of horned animals, as of oxen, rams, goats, and others, lies in their horns. That horn or horns signify the power of truth against falsity, and, in the highest sense, where said of the Lord, Omnipotence, and, in the opposite sense, the power of falsity against truth, is evident from many passages in the Word; and because it is thence evident what horns in the Word signify, of which mention is so often made in Daniel, and also in the Apocalypse, and because they are still in use in the coronation of kings, I wish to quote them.

[2] In Ezekiel:

"In that day will I make the horn of the house of Israel to grow, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; that they may know that I am Jehovah" (29:21).

To make the horn of the house of Israel to grow, signifies truth in abundance, the house of Israel denoting the church; because this is signified by horn and its increase, therefore it is also said, "And I will give thee the opening of the mouth," by which is meant the preaching of the truth.

[3] In the first book of Samuel:

"The horn hath exalted her in Jehovah; my mouth is enlarged against mine enemies, because I rejoice in thy salvation. He shall give strength unto his king, and shall exalt the horn of his anointed" (2:1, 10).

This is a prophetical saying of Hannah. By, "The horn hath exalted her in Jehovah," is signified that the Divine truth filled her, and rendered her powerful against falsities; and because this is signified, therefore it is said, "My mouth is enlarged against my enemies"; the enlargement of the mouth denoting the preaching of truth with power, and the enemies denoting the falsities which disperse Divine truth. By, "He shall give strength unto his king, and shall exalt the horn of his anointed," is signified the Lord's Omnipotence from Divine good by Divine truth; for strength in the Word is said of the power of good, and horn of the power of truth; and the anointed of Jehovah denotes the Lord as to the Divine Human, which possesses Omnipotence (as may be seen, n. 3008, 3009, 9954).

[4] In David:

Jehovah "hath exalted the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints, of the sons of Israel, a people near unto him" (Psalms 148:14).

By, "He hath exalted the horn of his people," is signified that He hath filled them with Divine truths; therefore it is said,

"The praise of all his saints, of the sons of Israel, a people near unto him," for they are called saints who are in Divine truths, because the Divine truth is what is called holy (as may be seen above, n. 204). Israel denotes the church which is in truths, the sons thereof denote truths; people is also said of those who are in truths, and they are said to be near who are thereby conjoined with the Lord.

[5] In the same:

"Jehovah God of hosts, thou art the grace of their strength; and by thy good pleasure thou shalt exalt our horn" (89:8, 17).

By to exalt the horn is also here signified to fill with Divine truth, and thereby to give power against falsities; on which account it is said, "Jehovah God of hosts, thou art the grace of their strength"; grace also in the Word is predicated of the church, and of the doctrine of truth therein.

[6] In the same:

"A good man sheweth mercy and lendeth. His justice endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with glory" (Psalms 112:5, 9).

That horn signifies Divine truth, is evident from this consideration, that it is said, his justice endureth for ever, and his horn shall be exalted with glory; justice in the Word is said of good, therefore the horn is said of truth; for in every particular of the Word there is a marriage of good and truth; glory also signifies Divine truth.

[7] In Habakkuk:

"The brightness" of Jehovah God "shall be as the light; he hath horns coming out of his hand; and there is the hiding of his strength" (3:4).

Because horns signify Divine truth with power, therefore it is said, "The brightness of Jehovah God shall be as the light," and in the horns is the hiding of His strength. By the brightness of Jehovah and the light, is signified Divine truth; and by the hiding of His strength in the horns, is signified the omnipotence of the Divine good by the Divine truth, for all the power of good is by means of truth; and in Divine truth lies concealed the Omnipotence which is of Divine good.

[8] In David:

"I have found David my servant; with the oil of holiness have I anointed him: with whom my hand shall be established; mine arm also shall strengthen him. My truth and my mercy shall be with him; and in my name shall his horn be exalted" (Psalms 89:20, 21, 24).

By David is meant the Lord as to the Divine truth (as may be seen above, n. 205); and by his horn shall be exalted, is meant His Divine power, which He has from Divine good by means of Divine truth; therefore it is said, "My truth and my mercy shall be with him"; mercy in the Word, when said of Jehovah or the Lord, signifies the Divine good of the Divine love. Because by David is meant the Lord as to Divine truth proceeding from His Divine Human, He is therefore called David My servant; by servant in the Word is not meant a servant in the general sense, but whatever serves, and it is said of truth, because it serves good for use, here for power.

[9] In the same:

"I will make the horn of David to bud; I will place a lamp for mine anointed" (Psalms 132:17).

Here by David is meant the Lord as to Divine truth, and also by anointed; by making His horn to bud, is signified the multiplication of Divine truth in the heavens and on the earths from Him; therefore it is also said, "I will place a lamp for mine anointed," by which the same is meant. That the Lord as to Divine truth proceeding from His Divine good, is called a lamp, may be seen above, n. 62.

[10] In the same:

"Jehovah is my strength, my rock, my fortress; God [is] my rock in which I confide, my shield, and the horn of my salvation" (Psalms 18:1, 2; 2 Sam. 22:3).

Strength and rock, when said of Jehovah or the Lord, as in this passage, signify omnipotence; the fortress and rock in which he trusts, signify defence; the shield and horn of salvation signify salvation thence; strength, fortress, and shield in the Word are said of Divine good; stone, rock, and horn are said of Divine truth; hence by those things are signified omnipotence, defence, and salvation, which are from the Divine good by the Divine truth.

[11] In Luke:

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation in the house of David; that he might save us from our enemies" (1:68, 69, 71).

This is a prophetical [saying] of Zacharias concerning the Lord and His advent. The horn of salvation, in the house of David, signifies omnipotence of saving by means of Divine truth from Divine good; the horn denotes that omnipotence; the house of David denotes the Lord's church. The enemies from which He should save us, are the falsities of evil, for these are the enemies from which the Lord saves those who receive Him; that there were no other enemies from which the Lord preserved those who are there meant by His people, is known.

[12] In Micah:

"Rise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make thy horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass, that thou mayest break in pieces many peoples" (4:13).

Rise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, signifies the dissipation of evil with those who belong to the church; to thresh, denotes to dissipate; and the daughter of Zion denotes the church which is in the affection of good. I will make thy horn iron, signifies Divine truth mighty and powerful; and thy hoofs brass, has a similar signification, hoofs denoting truths in ultimates. That thou mayest break in pieces many peoples, signifies that thou mayest disperse falsities; for "peoples" is said of truths, and, in an opposite sense, of falsities.

[13] In Zechariah:

"I saw, and behold the four horns which dispersed Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem; he shewed me four smiths, and he said, These horns which have scattered Judah, so that not a man lifteth up his head, these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations who lift up the horn against the land of Judah to scatter it" (1:18-21).

By these things the vastation of the church is described, and afterwards its restoration. By Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem, are signified the church and its doctrine; the horns which scattered them, signify the falsities of evil, which have vastated the church; smiths signify the same as iron, namely, truth in ultimates, which is mighty and powerful, consequently the same as the horn of iron; therefore it is said concerning them, "These have come to cast down the horns of the nations which lift up the horn against the land of Judah." The horns of the nations denote the falsities of evil which have vastated the church, and which are to be dispersed in order that it may be restored.

[14] In Lamentations:

"The Lord hath destroyed in his wrath the fortifications of the daughter of Judah; he hath cast them down to the earth; he hath profaned the kingdom and the princes thereof; he hath cut off in the wrath of [his] anger all the horn of Israel" (2:2, 3).

The total vastation of the church is here treated of. The last time, when it is devastated, is signified by the wrath of the Lord's anger; and its total vastation is described by, "He hath destroyed the fortifications of the daughter of Judah, he hath cast them down to the ground, he hath profaned the kingdom and the princes thereof." The daughter of Judah denotes the church; her fortifications denote truths from good; the kingdom and the princes denote the truths of its doctrine; hence it is evident what is signified by, "He hath cut off all the horn of Israel," namely, all the power of the truth of the church to resist the falsities of evil.

[15] In Daniel:

Daniel saw in a vision four beasts ascending out of the sea; the fourth exceedingly strong, having teeth of iron. He devoured and brake in pieces; and he had ten horns; and I gave heed, and behold, another little horn came up among them, and three of the former horns were uprooted before it; in this horn there were eyes as the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. I saw that this horn made war with the saints, and had prevailed against them, and that it spake words against the Most High; as to the ten horns, they are ten kings, and it shall humble three kings (7:3, 7, 8, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25).

That by horns are here meant falsities which destroy the truths of the church, or the power of falsities against truths, is evident. By the beast ascending out of the sea, is signified the love of self, from which all evils [originate], in this case the love of ruling over heaven and earth, to which things holy are made subservient as means; of this quality is the love that is meant by Babylon in the Apocalypse. The beast was seen to ascend out of the sea, because by the sea is signified the natural man separated from the spiritual; for he is then such as to desire nothing more than to rule over all, and to confirm his rule from the sense of the letter of the Word. The ten horns signify falsities of every kind, for ten denotes all; therefore it is also said, that the ten horns are ten kings, for kings signify truths, and, in an opposite sense, as here, falsities. The little horn which came up among them, before which three of the former horns were uprooted, signifies the full perversion of the Word by the application of the sense of its letter to confirm the love of dominion. This horn is called little, because it does not appear that the Word is perverted; and that which does not appear before the sight of a man's spirit, or before his understanding, is considered either as nothing, or as little; in the spiritual world there is such an appearance of things to be apprehended only by a few. The three horns which were uprooted before it, signify the truths of the Word there, which are thus destroyed by falsifications; those truths are also signified by the three kings who were humbled by it. By three are not signified three, but what is full, thus that truths were completely destroyed. Because that horn signifies the perversion of the Word as to the sense of its letter, and this sense appears before the eyes of men as if it were to be thus and not otherwise understood, consequently to be contradicted by no one, it is therefore said of this horn, that in it there were eyes as the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things. The eyes signify the understanding; and eyes as the eyes of a man, the understanding, as it were, of the truth and the mouth signifies thought and speech thence.

From these considerations it may now be seen what is meant by all and each of the things here mentioned; as what by the beast ascending out of the sea, which had ten horns, and teeth of iron, and devoured and brake in pieces; what by the little horn which came up among them, before which three of the horns were uprooted, in which were eyes as the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things; also what by it made war with the saints and prevailed against them, and that it spake words against the Most High; and that the horns were so many kings.

[16] In the same:

"I saw in a vision a ram which had two horns, and the horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. It shall push towards the west, the north, and the south. Then, behold, a he-goat of the she-goats came from the west upon the faces of the whole earth; it had a horn visible between its eyes. He ran unto the ram in the fury of his strength, and he brake his two horns, and he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him. But the great horn of the he-goat was broken; and there came up four in place thereof toward the four winds of the heavens. Presently out of one of them came forth a little horn, which grew exceedingly toward the south, and toward the east, and toward glory. And it grew, even to the host of the heavens; and it cast down of the host to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, even to the prince of the host it exalted itself; and the dwelling of his sanctuary was cast down, because it cast down truth to the earth" (8:2-12, 21, 25).

Here is described another thing which vastates the church, namely, faith alone. By the ram is signified the good of charity and faith thence, and by the he-goat faith separate from charity, or faith alone; or, what is the same, those who are therein; by their horns are signified truths from good and falsities from evil, combating; truths from good by the horns of the ram, and falsities from evil by the horns of the he-goat. By the ram having two high horns, one higher than the other, and the higher coming up last, is signified the truth of faith from the good of charity; and this is seen according to the influx of good and truth with men and spirits, for all good is received behind, and all truth in front, because the cerebellum is formed to receive the good of the will, and the cerebrum to receive the truth of the understanding. By the west, the north, and the south, towards which the ram pushed, are signified the goods and truths which those receive who are in charity and the faith thence, and by which they disperse evils and falsities.

By the he-goat of the she-goats which came upon the faces of the whole earth, is signified faith separate from charity, arising from evil of life; the he-goat of the she-goats denotes that faith; the west denotes evil of life; and the earth denotes the church; it had a horn visible between the eyes, signifies that it was of self-intelligence; that he ran unto the ram in the fury of his strength, and brake his two horns, and threw him down to the ground, and stamped upon him, signify the complete destruction of charity and the faith thence; for when charity is destroyed faith also is destroyed, for the latter is from the former. The great horn of the he-goat being broken, and four coming up in place thereof, towards the four winds of the heavens, signify all falsities conjoined with the evils thence; the horns signify the falsities of evil, four their conjunction, and the four winds of the heavens all, as well falsities as evils. That out of one of them came forth a little horn, signifies justification thereby, for this is born from the principle of faith alone; it is said to be little, because it does not appear as a falsity.

That this horn grew exceedingly towards the south, and towards the east, and towards glory; and grew even to the host of the heavens, and cast down of the host to the ground, and stamped upon them, signifies that it destroyed all the truths and goods of the church. The south denotes where truth is in the light; the east and glory denote where good is in clearness by truth; the host of the heavens denote all the truths and goods of heaven and the church; to cast down the host to the ground, and to stamp upon them, signifies to entirely destroy; that it exalteth itself, even to the prince of the host, and that the dwelling of his sanctuary was cast down, signifies the denial of the Lord's Divine Human, and the consequent vastation of the church. The prince of the host denotes the Lord as to the Divine Human, because from that proceed all the truths and goods which constitute the church; the dwelling of the sanctuary denotes the church where those things are; that they are truths destroyed by falsities that are meant, is evident, for it is said, it cast down the truth to the ground.

That such things are signified by the ram and the he-goat, and by their horns, is plainly evident from appearances in the spiritual world; for, when those who have confirmed themselves in the doctrine of faith alone, and of justification thereby, dispute there with those who are in the doctrine of charity and the faith thence, then to others who stand afar off he-goats, or a he-goat appear with similar horns, and with like insult and fury against rams or a ram, and he also appears to tread the stars under his feet. These things have been also seen by me, and at the same time by those who stood by me, who were thence convinced that such things are meant in Daniel; and also that similar things are meant by the sheep on the right hand, and the goats on the left (Matthew 25:32 to the end); namely, by the sheep those who are in the good of charity, and by the he-goats those who are in faith alone.

From these passages, adduced from Daniel, it may in some measure appear what is signified in the Revelation:

By a dragon being seen having ten horns (12:3).

By a beast being seen ascending out of the sea, which also had ten horns (13:1).

And by the woman that was seen sitting upon a scarlet coloured beast, which had seven heads and ten horns; concerning which the angel said, the ten horns which thou sawest, are ten kings (17:3, 7, 12).

But on these subjects see the explanation in the following pages.

[17] That the power of falsity against truth is signified by a horn or horns, is also clear from the following passages: In Jeremiah:

"The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken" (48:25).

By Moab those are signified who are in spurious goods, and in falsified truths thence, which in themselves are falsities. The destruction of these falsities is signified by the horn of Moab being cut off, and the destruction of those evils by his arm being broken.

[18] In Lamentations:

"Jehovah hath caused the enemy to rejoice over thee; he hath exalted the horn of thine adversaries" (2:17).

By enemy is meant evil, and by adversaries the falsities of evil; to exalt the horn of the adversaries, is for falsities to prevail over truths and destroy them.

[19] In Ezekiel:

"Ye thrust with side and with shoulder, and push all the infirm sheep with your horns till ye have scattered them abroad" (34:21).

To thrust with side and shoulder, is with all strength and effort; to push with [your] horns the infirm sheep till ye have scattered them abroad, signifies by falsities to destroy the well disposed, who are not yet in truths from good, but still desire to be.

[20] In Amos:

"In the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him, I will visit upon the altars of Bethel, that the horns of the altar may be cut off, and fall to the ground" (3:14).

By the altars of Bethel worship from evil is signified, and by the horns of the altar are signified the falsities of that evil; and that these are to be destroyed, is signified by the horns being cut off, and falling to the ground.

[21] In the same:

"Those who rejoice over a thing of nought; who say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?" (6:13).

To take horns by our own strength, signifies by the power of one's own intelligence to acquire the falsities by which truths are destroyed.

[22] In David:

"I said unto the proud, Boast not; and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn. Lift not up your horn on high; speak not with a stiff neck. All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; the horns of the just shall be exalted" (Psalms 75:4, 5, 10).

By lifting up the horn on high, is signified to defend falsity strongly against the truth; therefore it is also said, "Speak not with a stiff neck." By cutting off their horns, is signified to destroy their falsities; and by exalting the horns of the just, is signified to make powerful and strong the truths of good.

[23] Because by lifting on high and by exalting the horns is signified to fill with truths, and to render them powerful and strong against falsities, therefore those truths are also called the horns of the unicorn, because these are elevated. As in Moses:

"The first-born of his ox he hath honour, and his horns are the horns of the unicorn; with them he shall push the peoples together to the ends of the earth; and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh" (Deuteronomy 33:17).

These things are said concerning Joseph, by whom, in the highest sense, is represented the Lord as to the Divine spiritual, or as to Divine truth in heaven; hence by Joseph are also signified those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom (as may be seen, n. 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417). The first-born of the ox having honour, signifies the good of spiritual love; his horns being the horns of the unicorn, signify truths in their fulness, and in their power thence; to push the peoples to the ends of the earth, signifies to instruct in truths all those who belong to the church, and thereby to dissipate falsities. The ten thousands of Ephraim, and the thousands of Manasseh, signify the store and abundance of truth and thence of wisdom, and the store and abundance of good and thence of love. That Ephraim, in the Word, signifies the Intellectual of the church, which pertains to truth, and that Manasseh signifies the Voluntary of the church, which pertains to good, may be seen, n. 3969, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267, 6296; and that by ten thousands and thousands are signified very many, consequently, store and abundance.

[24] In David:

"Save me from the mouth of the lion; and hear me from the horns of the unicorns" (Psalms 22:21).

By the lion is signified falsity vehemently destroying truth; and by the horns of the unicorns are signified the truths that prevail against falsities.

[25] In the same:

"My horn is like the horn of a unicorn" (Psalms 92:10).

Like the horn of a unicorn, signifies truth as to fulness and power.

[26] In the Apocalypse:

"And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is in the sight of God" (9:13).

The altar of incense, which was called also the golden altar, was representative of the hearing and reception of all things of worship, that are from love and charity from the Lord, thus the representative of such things of worship as are elevated by the Lord. The horns of the altar represented truths proceeding from the good of love; hence it is evident why the voice was heard from the four horns of the altars, for truths are the means by which good acts and speaks.

[27] Because altars represented the worship of the Lord from the good of love, and since all worship, that is truly worship, is performed from the good of love by means of truths, therefore there were horns to the altars. That there were horns to the altar of incense, is evident in Moses:

"Thou shalt make four horns to the altar of incense; they shall be from it. And thou shalt overlay them with gold" (Exodus 30:2, 3, 10; 37:25, 26).

And that there were horns to the altar of burnt-offering it is said elsewhere in the same:

"Thou shalt make the horns upon the four corners of the altar of burnt-offering; from it his horns shall be" (Exodus 27:2; 38:2).

That the horns were from the altar itself, signified that the truths, which the horns represented, proceed from the good of love, which the altar itself represented; for all truth is from good. That there were four, and [one] at each corner, signified that they were for the four quarters in heaven, by which are signified all things of truth from good.

[28] Because all expiations, and purifications are effected by truth from good, therefore expiation was made upon the horns of the altars,

Upon the horns of the altar of incense (Exodus 30:10; Leviticus 4:7).

And upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering (Leviticus 4:25, 30, 34; 8:15; 9:9; 16:18).

And because all Divine protection is by means of truths from good, therefore also

Those who committed evils and feared death caught hold of the horns of the altar and were preserved (1 Kings 1:50, 51, 53);

But those who from premeditation, and wilfully, committed evil, were not preserved (1 Kings 2:28-31).

Further, because horns signified truths from good, therefore also, when kings were anointed, this was done by oil from a horn. That David was thus anointed, may be seen (1 Sam. 16:1, 13); and that "Solomon was so" (1 Kings 1:39); the oil signified the good of love. From this signification of horns, which the ancients knew, it was customary to make the horn, budding forth and fragrant; whence the expression, cornucopia.

6148. 'Only the ground of the priests he did not buy' means that the internal obtained for itself from the natural every capacity to receive good, because every such capacity came from itself. This is clear from the representation of 'Joseph', about whom these things are said, as the internal, dealt with already; from the meaning of 'the ground' as the receptacle of truth, dealt with above in 6135-6137, at this point the capacity to receive good, for the capacity of something is its inherent ability to receive, which causes a receptacle to be a receptacle (that capacity comes from good, that is, from the Lord through good, for if the good of love did not flow in from the Lord no one would ever have the capacity to receive truth or good. That inflow of the good of love from the Lord causes everything present inwardly in a person to be of a receptive nature. The truth that the capacity to receive good comes from the natural is meant by the fact that the ground lay in Egypt, since 'Egypt' means the natural in respect of factual knowledge, 6142); from the meaning of 'the priests' as good, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'not buying' as not taking those capacities to itself - not in the way that it made truths and forms of the good of truth, together with their receptacles, its own, which came about through periods of desolation and sustainment - for the reason that those capacities came from itself, from the internal. All these meanings serve to show that 'only the ground of the priests he did not buy' means that the internal obtained for itself from the natural every capacity to receive good, because every such capacity came from itself.

[2] The implications of all this are that a person's capacities to receive truth and good come directly from the Lord; he obtains them without any help at all from himself. A person's capacity to receive goodness and truth is maintained in him unceasingly; and from that capacity he possesses understanding and will. But a person does not receive them if he turns to evil. The capacity to receive does, it is true, remain, but its access to thought and sensitivity is blocked, on account of which his capacity to see what is true and have a sensitive awareness of what is good perishes. And it perishes to the extent that he turns to evil and in faith and life becomes firmly settled in it. The fact that a person contributes nothing whatever to his capacity to receive truth and good is well known from the Church's teaching that nothing at all of the truth of faith and nothing at all of the good of charity comes from man but from the Lord. Yet a person can destroy that capacity residing with him. From all this one may now see how one should understand the idea that the internal obtained for itself from the natural every capacity to receive good, because every such capacity came from itself. The expression 'from the natural' is used because the inflow of good from the Lord is effected by the Lord through the internal into the natural; and once the capacity to receive has been obtained from there, the inflow takes place, for now there is reception, see 5828.

[3] So far as the meaning of 'the priests' as forms of good is concerned, it should be recognized that there are two realities which go forth from the Lord - goodness and truth. Divine Good was represented by priests, and Divine Truth by kings; and this is why 'the priests' means forms of good and 'the kings' truths. Regarding the attribution of Priesthood and Kingship to the Lord, see 1728, 2015 (end), 3670. In the representative Ancient Church those two offices of priest and king existed jointly in one personage, the reason for this being that goodness and truth which go forth from the Lord are united; and they are also joined together in heaven among the angels.

[4] A personage in the Ancient Church in whom the two offices existed joined together was called Melchizedek, a name meaning king of righteousness. This may be seen from the following statement about Melchizedek who came to Abraham, ¹

Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; and he was a priest to God Most High. And he blessed Abraham. Genesis 14:18-19.

His representation of the Lord in both offices is evident from the fact that he was a king and at the same time a priest, and from the fact that he was allowed to bless Abraham and offer him bread and wine, which even at that time were the symbols of the good of love and the truth of faith. His representation of the Lord in both offices is further evident in David,

Jehovah has sworn and will not repent, You are a priest for ever after the manner of Melchizedek. Psalms 110:4.

These words were spoken in reference to the Lord. 'After the manner of Melchizedek' means that He is both King and Priest, that is, in the highest sense that Divine Good and Divine Truth go forth together from Him.

[5] Because a representative Church was going to be established also among the descendants of Jacob, they too were to have a single personage to represent jointly Divine Good and Divine Truth, which go forth from the Lord united. But on account of the wars and the idolatry of that people the two were in fact divided right from the start; those who ruled over the attended to sacred duties were referred to as the priests, who belonged to the seed of Aaron and were the Levites. At a later time the two functions were joined together in a single person, as they were in Eli and Samuel. Yet because the nature of the people was such that the representative Church could not be established among them, only a representative of the Church, on account of the practice of idolatry prevalent among them, the two functions were allowed to be separated. The Lord was then represented in respect of Divine Truth by kings and in respect of Divine Good by priests. The separation took place because the people desired it, not because the Lord took any pleasure in it, as is clear from the Word of Jehovah to Samuel,

Obey the voice of the people in all that they have said to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them; and show them the right of the king. 1 Samuel 8:7-end; 12:19-20.

[6] The reason why the two functions were not meant to be separated was that Divine Truth separated from Divine Good condemns all people, whereas Divine Truth united to Divine Good saves them. Judged by Divine Truth a person is condemned to hell, but Divine Good brings him out of there and raises him into heaven. Salvation comes of mercy and so sprigs from Divine Good; but damnation exists when a person rejects mercy and so casts Divine Good away from himself, as a consequence of which he is left to be judged by Truth. As regards 'kings' representing Divine Truth, see 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, 3009, 3670, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068.

[7] 'The priests' represented the Lord in respect of Divine Good, and for that reason good is meant by them. This becomes clear from the internal sense of all that was prescribed regarding the priesthood when Aaron was chosen, and after him the Levites, such as these prescriptions:

The High Priest alone should enter the Holy of holies and minister there. [Leviticus 16.]

Things holy to Jehovah were to be for the priest. Leviticus 23:20; 27:21.

They were not to have any portion or inheritance in the land, but Jehovah would be their portion and inheritance. Numbers 18:20; Deuteronomy 10:9; 18:1.

The Levites were given to Jehovah instead of the firstborn, and they were given by Jehovah to Aaron. Numbers 3:9, 12-13, Numbers 3:40-end; 8:16-19.

The high priest and the Levites were to be in the middle of the camp when they pitched it and when they were journeying. Numbers 1:50-54; 2:17; 3:23-38; 4:1-end.

No one from the seed of Aaron who had a blemish in himself was to approach to offer burnt offerings or sacrifices. Leviticus 21:17-20.

And there are many other prescriptions besides these, such as those in Leviticus 21:9-13, and elsewhere.

[8] In the highest sense all these prescriptions relating to the priests represented the Lord's Divine Good and therefore in the relative sense the good of love and charity. Aaron's vestments however, called 'vestments of holiness', represented Divine Truth from Divine Good. These matters will in the Lord's Divine mercy be dealt with in the explanations of what appears in Exodus.

[9] Since truth is meant by 'kings' and good by 'priests', 'kings and priests' are mentioned together many times in the Word, as in John, Jesus Christ has made us kings and priests to His God and Father. Revelation 1:6; 5:10.

By virtue of the truth of faith we are said to have been made 'kings', and by virtue of the good of charity to have been made 'priests', so that the truth and good residing with those who abide in the Lord have been joined together, in the way they are in heaven, as stated above. This is what is meant by 'being made kings and priests'.

[10] In Jeremiah,

It will happen on that day, that the heart of the king and of the princes will perish, and the priests will be dumbfounded and the prophets left wondering. Jeremiah 4:9.

In the same prophet,

The house of Israel is ashamed, they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets. Jeremiah 2:26.

In the same prophet,

The kings of Judah, the princes, the priests, and the prophets, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Jeremiah 8:1.

In these places 'kings stands for truths, 'princes' for first and foremost truths, 1482, 1089, 5044, 'priests' for forms of good, and 'prophets' for those who teach, 2534.

[11] Quite apart from this it should be recognized that Joseph did not buy the ground of the priests. The fact that this was representative of the consideration that the whole of a person's capacity to receive truth and good comes from the Lord is evident from a similar law in Moses regarding the fields belonging to the Levites,

The field of the country surrounding the cities of the Levites shall not be sold, for it is their eternal possession. Leviticus 25:34.

The meaning here in the internal sense is that no one ought to lay any claim to the good of the Church, which is the good of love and charity, because that good is from the Lord alone.

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