10490. And slay ye, a man his brother, and a man his companion, and a man his neighbor. That this signifies a closing in respect to the influx of good and truth and of that which is related thereto, in order to prevent any reception and communication, is evident from the signification of “slaying,” as being to take away the spiritual life, thus the good of love and the truth of faith, here therefore to close, in order to prevent any reception and communication of these; for when these are taken away, the spiritual life also is taken away, and only the natural life remains. (That “slaying” denotes to take away the spiritual life, see n. 3387, 3395, 3607, 6767, 7043, 8902.) And from the signification of “brother,” as being the good of love and of charity (n. 3815, 4121, 4191, 5409, 5686, 5692, 6756); from the signification of “companion,” as being the truth of this good; and from the signification of “neighbor,” as being that which has been conjoined with these (n. 5911, 9378), thus that which is related; for relations are neighbors. From this it is evident that by “slay ye a man his brother, and a man his companion, and a man his neighbor,” is signified the closing of the internal with that nation in respect to the influx of good, of truth, and of the things related to these, in order to prevent with them any reception and communication of these.

[2] In regard to this the case is, that inasmuch as that nation was at heart idolatrous and wholly in the loves in which is hell, and yet a worship representative of heavenly things was to be instituted among them, therefore their internals were completely closed. There were two reasons for this; one, in order that there might be conjunction with heaven by means of their external things devoid of what is internal; the other in order to prevent the holy things of the church and of heaven from being profaned. For if that nation had acknowledged the internal things of worship, which are the holy things of the church and of heaven that were represented, they would have defiled and profaned them. Hence it was that so little was revealed in light to that nation concerning heaven and the life after death, and hence it was that they did not at all know that the kingdom of the Messiah is in heaven.

[3] That at the present day that nation is also of the same character, is known; but see what has been shown concerning it at the places cited above (n. 10396); as, That they were altogether in external things without anything internal (n. 4293, 4311, 4459, 4834, 4844, 4847, 4865, 4868, 4874, 4903, 4913, 9320, 9373, 9380, 9381): That consequently their worship was merely external (n. 3147, 3479, 8871): That they did not wish to know the internal things of worship and of the Word (n. 3479, 4429, 4433, 4680): That if they had known holy internal things they would have profaned them (n. 3398, 3489, 4289): That therefore it was not granted them to know them (n. 301, 302, 304, 2520, 3769): That nevertheless there was communication with heaven by means of the externals of worship with them, which were representative of heavenly things (n. 4311, 4444, 6304, 8588, 8788, 8806). These then are the things which are meant and signified by the words, “slay ye a man his brother, and a man his companion, and a man his neighbor.”

[4] He who does not know that by “brethren,” “companions,” “neighbors,” and many other names of relationship are signified the goods and truths of the church and of heaven; and their opposites, which are evils and falsities; cannot know what is involved in many other passages in the Word where these names occur, as in the following, in Matthew:

Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth; I am not come to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s foes shall be those of his own household. Whosoever loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whosoever loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whosoever doth not take up his cross and follow after Me, is not worthy of Me (Matthew 10:34-38);

spiritual combats are here treated of, which are temptations to be undergone by those who are to be regenerated, thus the contentions arising in man between the evils and falsities which are with him from hell, and the goods and truths which are with him from the Lord. Because these combats are here described, it is said, “whosoever doth not take up his cross, and follow after Me, is not worthy of Me;” by the “cross” being meant the state of man when in temptations. He who does not know that such things are signified by “man” and “father,” by “daughter” and “mother,” by “daughter-in-law” and “mother-in-law,” must believe that the Lord came into the world in order to take away peace in homes and families, and introduce dissension; and yet He came to give peace and to take away dissensions, according to His own words in John 14:27, and elsewhere.

[5] That the dissension of the internal and the external man is described in this passage, is evident from the signification in the internal sense of “man” and “father,” of “daughter” and “mother,” and of “daughter-in-law” and “mother-in-law,” in which sense “man” [homo] denotes the good which is from the Lord; “father” denotes the evil which is from man’s own; “daughter” denotes the affection of good and truth; “mother” denotes the affection of evil and falsity; “daughter-in-law” denotes the truth of the church adjoined to its good; and “mother-in-law” denotes falsity adjoined to its evil. And because the combat between goods and evils, and between falsities and truths, with man is described, it is also said that “a man’s foes shall be those of his own household,” for by “those of his own household” is signified the things that appertain to man, thus which are his own; and “foes” in a spiritual sense denote the evils and falsities which assault goods and truths. That such things are signified by “man,” “father,” “daughter,” “mother,” “daughter-in-law,” and “mother-in-law,” has been shown throughout in these explications.

[6] In like manner is it with these words in Matthew:

The brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall give them to death (Matthew 10:21).

If any man cometh unto Me, and hateth not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own soul also, he cannot be My disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple. So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:26-27, 33).

Who does not see that these words are to be understood otherwise than according to the letter, at least from the fact of its being said without restriction that father, mother, wife, children, brethren, sisters, are to be hated, in order that it may be possible for a person to be a disciple of the Lord? And yet it is according to the Lord’s commandments that no one is to be hated, not even an enemy (Matthew 5:43-44).

[7] It is evident that things belonging to man, which are evils and falsities in their order, are meant by these names, for it is also said that he must hate his own soul, and that he must renounce all that he hath, that is, the things that belong to him. A state of temptation, that is, of spiritual combat, is also here described, for it is said, “whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple.” To be a disciple of the Lord is to be led by Him and not by self, thus by the goods and truths which are from the Lord, and not by the evils and falsities which are from man.

[8] In like manner is the Word to be understood elsewhere, where these names are mentioned, as in Jeremiah:

They do not attend unto My words; and as for My law, they reject it. Therefore thus said Jehovah, Behold I will lay stumbling-blocks before this people; so that the fathers and the sons together shall stumble against them, the neighbor and his companion, and they shall perish (Jeremiah 6:19, 21).

I will scatter them, a man with his brother, even the fathers and the sons together; I will not pity, nor spare, nor have compassion, that I should not destroy them (Jeremiah 13:14).

Jehovah hath multiplied those who stumble; yea, they fell a man upon his companion (Jeremiah 46:16).

I will commingle Egypt with Egypt; and they shall fight a man against his brother, and a man against his companion (Isaiah 19:2).

In these passages also similar things are meant by “fathers,” “sons,” “brothers,” and “companions.”

8788. And sanctify them today and tomorrow. That this signifies the veiling over of the interiors that they may appear in the holy of faith now and afterward, is evident from the signification of “sanctifying,” as being to dispose that they appear to be in holiness in respect to what is external; and as this is effected by means of a veiling over of the interiors, therefore this is also understood by “sanctifying;” that “today and tomorrow” denote now and afterward is evident. How the case herein is may be briefly explained. The church instituted with the Jews was not a church in respect to them, but was only the representative of a church; for in order that there may be a church, there must be with the man of the church faith in the Lord, and also love to Him, and likewise love toward the neighbor. These make the church. But these were not with the people which was called “Jacob,” for it did not acknowledge the Lord, and thus was not willing to hear about faith in Him, still less about love toward Him, nor even toward the neighbor; for it was in the love of self and the love of the world, which loves are utterly opposed to love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor. This disposition is inrooted in that people from their first parents. For this reason it is, that with that people no church could be set up, but only a representation of the things which are of the church.

[2] The church is represented when the man makes worship consist in external things, but in such as correspond to heavenly things. Then internal things are represented by the external ones, and the internal things are open in heaven, with which there is thus conjunction. In order therefore that the Israelitish people might be representative, although their interiors were devoid of the faith and love of heaven, and were even full of the love of self and of the world, these interiors were veiled over, and thus their external things could be communicated to spirits, and through them to the angels, without their internal things; whereas if their internal things had not been veiled over, these would have lain open, and then the representation would have perished, because unclean things would have burst forth and caused contamination. The Israelitish people above all others could be thus veiled over, because it, more than others, adored external things, and made holiness, and even what is Divine, consist in them. From this it can be seen what is meant by “sanctifying,” namely, the veiling over of the interiors so that they may appear to be in the holiness of faith; yet not to themselves, but to the angels with them. (See what has been already shown concerning this people and concerning the institution of the church with it, n. 4208, 4281, 4288, 4289, 4293, 4307, 4314, 4316, 4317, 4429, 4433, 4444, 4459, 4500, 4844, 4847, 4865, 4899, 4911, 4912, 7048, 7051, 8588.) That sanctifications with them were nothing else than appearances of holiness in external things, and yet without anything holy appertaining to them, can be seen from the rites by means of which they were sanctified, namely, the sacrifices, the washings, the sprinklings of blood, the anointings, which do not touch internal things in the slightest degree.