7770. And let them ask a man from his companion, and a woman from her companion, vessels of silver and vessels of gold. That this signifies that the memory-knowledges of truth and good, taken away from the evil who have been of the church, will be bestowed upon the good who are of it, is evident from the signification of “vessels of silver and vessels of gold,” as being memory-knowledges of truth and good. (That “silver” denotes truth, and “gold” good, see n. 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658, 6112; and that “vessels” denote memory-knowledges, n. 3068, 3079.) Memory-knowledges are called vessels of truth and good, because they contain them. It is believed that the memory-knowledges of truth and good are the very truths and goods of faith; but they are not. It is the affections of truth and good that make faith, and these flow into memory-knowledges, as into their vessels. That to ask these things of the Egyptians denotes to take them away and adjudge them to themselves, is plain; hence in a previous chapter 3. it is said that they should “spoil the Egyptians” (verse 22); and in the chapter which follows 12., that they “spoiled them.” (Exodus 12:36) Its being said that “a man should ask of his companion and a woman of her companion,” is because “man” relates to truth, and “woman” to good, as they also signify them.
[2] How the case herein is, see the explication at Exodus 3:22, n. 6914-6917, from which it can be seen that the very memory-knowledges of truth and good which have been possessed by those of the church who have known the arcana of faith and yet have lived a life of evil, are transferred to those who are of the spiritual church. (How this transfer is effected, see n. 6914.) These things are signified by the Lord’s words in Matthew:
The Lord said unto him who went away and hid his talent in the earth, Take ye the talent from him, and give it to him that hath the ten talents. For unto everyone that hath shall be given, that he may have abundance; but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away; and cast ye the useless servant into the outer darkness (Matthew 25:25, 28-30; and Luke 19:24-26).
Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath (Matthew 13:12; and Mark 4:24-25).
[3] The reason is that with the evil the knowledges of good and truth are applied to evil uses, and with the good the knowledges of good and truth are applied to good uses; the knowledges are the same, but the application to uses effects their quality with each person. The case herein is like that of worldly riches, which with one person are disposed for good uses, with another for evil uses; consequently riches are such with each person as are the uses unto which they are disposed. From this also it is evident that the same knowledges, like the same riches, which the evil had possessed, can be with the good and serve for good uses.
From all this it can now be seen what is represented by the command that the sons of Israel should ask from the Egyptians vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and should thus deprive and despoil them; such seizure or despoiling would never have been commanded by Jehovah unless it had represented such things in the spiritual world.
[4] Similar to this is what is written in Isaiah:
At last the merchandise of Tyre, and her meretricious hire, shall be holiness to Jehovah; and it shall not be stored up nor kept back; but her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before Jehovah to eat, to sate themselves, and for the ancient one in covering himself (Isaiah 23:18);
speaking of Tyre, by which are signified the knowledges of good and truth (n. 1201); “merchandise” and “meretricious hire” denote knowledges applied to evil uses; that these should be given to the good who will apply them to good uses, is signified by “her merchandise being for them that dwell before Jehovah to eat to sate themselves, and for the ancient one in covering himself.”
[5] Also in Micah:
Arise 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; and I have devoted their gain to Jehovah, and their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth (Micah 4:13);
“to break in pieces many peoples” denotes to devastate them; the “gain which is devoted to Jehovah and to the Lord of the whole earth” denotes the knowledges of truth and good. That David sanctified to Jehovah the silver and the gold that he had taken from the nations which he had subdued, from the Syrians, from Moab, from the sons of Ammon, from the Philistines, from Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer (2 Samuel 8:11-12); and that Solomon put the sanctified things of his father among the treasures of the house of Jehovah (1 Kings 7:51) involve the like.
