8351. 'And the people grumbled against Moses' means grief caused by the bitterness of the temptation. This is clear from the meaning of 'grumbling' as complaint, the kind made in temptations, thus grief caused by the bitterness of the temptation. The temptations which those belonging to the Lord's spiritual Church underwent after they had been delivered from molestations, in addition to the temptations which members of that Church are destined to undergo, are described by the grumblings of the children of Israel in the wilderness. And since spiritual temptations are as a general rule protracted till a person is in despair, 1787, 2694, 5279, 5280, 7147, 7166, 8165, 'grumbling' means complaint because of grief felt in temptations, as in Exodus 16:2-3; 17:3; Numbers 14:27, 29, 36; 16:11. The words 'against Moses' are used because it was a grumbling against what was Divine; for 'Moses' represents Divine Truth, 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382.

[2] As regards the temptations which those belonging to the spiritual Church underwent, and the temptations which members of that Church are destined to undergo, it should be recognized that no faith, nor thus any charity, can ever be instilled into those who belong to the spiritual Church except by means of temptations. In temptations a person is involved in conflict against falsity and evil. These - falsity and evil - flow into the external man from the hells, while goodness and truth flow in from the Lord by way of the internal man; and so there arises from a conflict of the internal man with the external that which is called temptation. And in the measure that the external man is brought into a state of obedience to the internal, faith and charity are instilled; for the external or natural level of a person is a receptacle of truth and good from the internal. If the receptacle is not properly adjusted it does not receive anything flowing in from the more internal level but either repels, destroys, or stifles it, as a consequence of which there is no regeneration. So it is that temptation is necessary, in order that a person may undergo regeneration, which is effected through the instillation of faith and charity, and thereby through the formation of a new will and new understanding. This also explains why the term 'militant' is applied to the Lord's Church. See what has been stated and shown already about these matters in 3928, 4249, 4341, 4572, 5356, 6574, 6611, 6657, 7090 (end), 7122, 8159, 8168, 8179, 8273.

4248. 'And four hundred men with him' means its state now, set to take up the first position. This is clear from the meaning of 'four hundred' strictly speaking as temptations and the time these lasted, dealt with in 2959, 2966. This is the state that is meant, as becomes clear from the details that follow, namely that he was exceedingly afraid and was distressed and therefore divided his camp into two, verses 7-8, and also that out of fear he prayed intensely to Jehovah, verses 9-12, and finally wrestled with an angel, by which wrestling is meant temptation, as will be clear from the explanation of that wrestling later on in this chapter. When the state of one who is being regenerated is turned around, that is, when good takes up the first position, temptations arrive. He is unable to undergo them prior to that because he does not as yet possess the cognitions with which he may defend himself and to which he may resort to receive comfort. For this reason also no one undergoes temptations until he reaches adult life, temptations being experiences which unite truths to good, 2272, 3318, 3696, 3928. From this it is evident that 'four hundred men with him' means a state when good is set to take up the first position.