10023. And Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock. That this signifies a representative of the reception of good and truth in the natural or external man, is evident from the signification of “laying on hands,” as being to communicate that which is one’s own to another; that it also denotes reception is because that which is communicated is received by the other; from the signification of “the head,” as being the whole (see n. 10011); and from the signification of “the bullock,” as being the good of innocence and of charity in the external or natural man (on which see n. 9391, 10021). That by “laying on the hand” is signified communication and reception, is because by “the hand” is signified power, and as this is the activity of life, by “the hand” is also signified whatever pertains to man, thus the whole man insofar as he is acting (see the places cited in n. 10019); and by the “laying on” is signified communication in respect to him who lays on, and reception in respect to him, or to that, on which it is laid. From this is plain what was signified by the laying on of the hand among the ancients, namely, the communication and transfer of that which was being dealt with, and also its reception by another, whether it was power, or obedience, or blessing, or testification.

[2] That by the “laying on of the hand” was signified power, is evident from the following passages in Moses:

Jehovah said unto Moses, that he should lay his hand upon Joshua, and should set him in the presence of Eleazar the priest before the whole assembly, and thus should give of his glory upon him, and all the assembly should obey him (Numbers 27:18-20).

That by “to lay on the hand” is here signified the communication and transfer of the power which Moses had, and its reception by Joshua, is plain; and hence it is said that “thus he should give of his glory upon him.”

[3] In the same:

When the Levites were purified, and the ministry of the priesthood under Aaron was committed to them, it was commanded that two bullocks should be brought with a meat-offering, and that Aaron should bring the Levites before Jehovah, and the sons of Israel should lay their hands upon the Levites, and the Levites should lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks, one of which was to be offered for a sacrifice, the other for a burnt-offering; and in this way they were to separate the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and they should be Jehovah’s (Numbers 8:7-14).

That the sons of Israel were “to lay their hands upon the Levites” signified the transfer of the power of ministering for them, and its reception by the Levites, thus separation; and by the Levites “laying hands upon the head of the bullocks” was signified the transfer of this power to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord. Therefore it is said that in this way they should be “separated from the midst of the sons of Israel, and should be Jehovah’s.”

[4] In the same:

After the sons of Israel had confessed their sins, then Aaron was to lay both his hands upon the head of the living goat Asasel, and was to confess over him all the iniquities of the sons of Israel, and all their sins, and was to put them upon the head of the goat, and send him into the wilderness (Leviticus 16:21).

That “the laying on of the hands upon the goat” signified the communication and transfer of all the iniquities and sins of the sons of Israel, and their reception by the goat, is plain; “the wilderness whither the goat was to be sent” denotes hell. That the witnesses and all who heard were “to lay their hands upon him who was to be stoned” (Leviticus 24:14), signified testification so communicated and transferred, which being received, the man was adjudged to death.

[5] In the same:

The man who bringeth from the herd or from the flock a burnt-offering for a gift to Jehovah shall lay the hand on the head of the burnt-offering; then it shall be received from him with good pleasure, to expiate him (Leviticus 1:2-4).

In like manner “upon the head of the gift that was for sacrifice” (Leviticus 3:1-2, 8, 13). In like manner was “the priest to do if he sinned,” in like manner the elders, in like manner the whole congregation. Also the chief if he sinned. And in like manner every soul that sinned. (Leviticus 4:4, 15, 24, 29). By the laying on of their hand upon the burnt-offering and upon the sacrifice was signified all the worship of him who offered, namely, the acknowledgment of sins, confession, the consequent purification, the implantation of good and truth, thus conjunction with the Lord, all of which were effected by communication, transfer, and reception. By transfer and reception is meant that which is signified by “bearing iniquities” (n. 9937, 9938).

[6] As communications, transfers, and receptions were signified by the laying on of hands, it may be known what is signified by the “laying on of hands” in Matthew:

The chief came to Jesus and said, My daughter is even now dead, but come and lay Thy hand upon her, then she shall live. Jesus entered in, and took her hand, and the girl arose (Matthew 9:18-19, 25).

Jesus laid His hand upon the eyes of the blind man, and he was restored (Mark 8:25).

They bring unto Jesus one that was deaf, that He should lay His hand on him; and He, taking him from the people, put His finger into his ears, and touched his tongue, and his hearings were opened (Mark 7:32-33, 35).

A woman was bowed down with a spirit of infirmity, and Jesus laid hands on her, and healed her (Luke 13:11, 13).

Jesus laid hands on the sick, and healed them (Mark 6:5).

[7] By the “laying on of the hand” by the Lord, and also by His “touching,” is here signified the communication and reception of Divine power, as is clearly manifest in Mark:

A certain woman came behind, and touched the garment of Jesus, saying, If I touch but His garment, I shall be healed; and immediately she was healed of the plague and Jesus knew in Himself that power was gone forth from Him (Mark 5:27-30).

A woman touching the garment of Jesus was healed; and Jesus said, Some one hath touched Me; for I knew that power had gone forth from Me (Luke 8:44, 46).

The whole crowd sought to touch Jesus, because power went forth from Him, and healed all (Luke 6:19).

[8] From this is plain what is signified by “touching with the hand” or “finger;” and also what in the same:

Jesus came nigh and touched the bier in which the dead man was, and the bearers stood still. Then He said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak (Luke 7:14-15).

And what by the “laying on of the hand upon children” and “upon babes”—“upon children,” in Matthew:

There were brought unto Jesus children, that He should lay His hands upon them. Jesus said, Suffer the children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me; for of such is the kingdom of the heavens. And He laid His hands on them (Matthew 19:13-15);

and “upon babes,” in Mark:

Jesus took babes upon His arms, and put His hands upon them, and blessed them (Mark 10:16).

By the “laying on of the hand upon children” and “upon babes” is here also signified the communication and reception of Divine power, through which is the healing of the interiors, which is salvation.

[9] That such things are signified by “touching,” which is done with the hands, has its origin from the representatives in the other life, where they who are in an unlike state of life appear removed to a distance, but they who are in a like state appear consociated; and in that life those who touch each other communicate the state of their life to each other. If this is done by the hands, everything of the life is communicated, because by the hands, as above said, from the correspondence, is signified power, which is the active of life; thus whatever pertains to anyone. Such representatives come forth in the world of spirits, but they are effected by influx from heaven, where there are perceived nothing but consociations in respect to the affections of good and truth.

8273. Jehovah is a man of war. That this signifies that the Lord protects against all evils and falsities that are from the hells, is evident from the signification of “a man of war,” as being one who fights against falsities and evils, that is, against the hells, and conquers them, here who protects man against them; for, as before shown, the Lord alone fights for man and protects him when he is assaulted by the hells, and this continually, especially in temptations, which are spiritual combats. The Lord is called “a man of war” primarily from the fact that when He was in the world, He alone, that is, from Himself, fought against the hells, which were then for the most part open, and attacked and endeavored to subjugate all who came into the other life. The reason why the diabolical crew-that is, the hells-were at that time so rampant, was that the Divine passing through heaven, which before the coming of the Lord was the Divine Human, did not avail against evils and falsities, then so immensely increased. Therefore it pleased the Divine Itself to assume the Human and to make this Divine, and then at the same time through combats admitted into Himself to cast that diabolical crew into the hells, and shut them in there, and to make them subject to the heavens; and at the same time also to reduce the heavens themselves into order. From these combats the Lord is first called “a man of war,” and also afterward, because when He had thus conquered the hells and had become righteousness, He protects men by His Divine power, and this continually, and especially in the combats of temptations.

[2] That the Lord alone and from Himself fought against the hells and overcame them, see in Isaiah:

Judgment hath been cast backward, and righteousness stood afar off; for truth hath stumbled in the street, and uprightness cannot approach; while truth hath been taken away; and he that departeth from evil is insane: Jehovah saw, and it was evil in His eyes that there was no judgment; and He saw that there was no man, and He was amazed that there was no one interceding; therefore His arm wrought salvation for Him; and His righteousness stirred Him up; hence He put on righteousness as a breast-plate, and a helmet of salvation upon His head (59:14-17).

There is here described the state of that time in both worlds, and that the Lord from Himself alone restored the fallen estate. In like manner elsewhere in the same:

Who is this that cometh from Edom, with sprinkled garments from Bozrah? this that is honorable in his apparel, marching in the multitude of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, great for salvation; I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the peoples not a man with Me, whence their victory hath been sprinkled upon My garments; for the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed had come; I looked around, but there was no one helping; and I was amazed, but there was no one supporting; therefore Mine arm wrought salvation for Me (Isaiah 63:1, 3-5);

from these words it can be seen that in the world the Lord fought alone against the hells, and overcame them.

[3] As regards combats and victories over the hells, the case is this. He who once overcomes them overcomes them perpetually; because through victory he procures for himself power over them, for in the same proportion he confirms in himself, and appropriates to himself, the good which is of love and the truth which is of faith, against which the hells afterward dare nothing. When the Lord was in the world He admitted combats of temptations into Himself from all the hells, and through these He made the Human in Himself Divine, and at the same time He forever reduced the hells to obedience (see n. 1663, 1668, 1690, 1692, 1737, 1813, 1820, 2776, 2786, 2795, 2803, 2814, 2816, 4287). From this it is that the Lord alone has power over the hells eternally; and from Divine power fights for man. From this then it is that the Lord is called “a man of war,” and also a “Hero,” as also in Isaiah:

Jehovah shall go forth like a Hero, He shall stir up zeal like a man of wars, He shall prevail over His enemies (Isaiah 42:13).

Who is this King of glory? Jehovah strong and a Hero, Jehovah a Hero of war. Who is this King of glory? Jehovah Zebaoth [of armies] (Psalms 24:8, 10).

[4] In the Word, where mention is made of “war,” in the internal sense there is meant spiritual war, which is against falsities and evils; or what is the same, which is against the devil, that is, the hells (n. 1664, 2686). The wars or combats of the Lord against the hells are treated of in the internal sense in both the historicals and the propheticals of the Word; in like manner the wars and combats of the Lord for man. Among the ancients with whom was the Lord’s church, there was also a Word both historic and prophetic, which at this day is not extant. The historic Word was called “The Book of the Wars of Jehovah,” and the prophetic Word, “The Enunciations.” This Word is mentioned in Moses (Numbers 21:14, 27). That by this word [“Enunciations”], used in the 27th verse, are signified prophetical things, is evident from the meaning of this word [here “parable”] in Numbers 23:7, 18; 24:3, 15. By “the wars of Jehovah” were there meant the Lord’s combats and victories against the hells when He was in the world, and also His subsequent perpetual combats and victories for man, for the church, and for His kingdom. For the hells continually wish to raise themselves up, because they breathe nothing but domination; but they are repressed by the Lord alone. Their attempts to force their way out appear like bubblings up, and like the dorsal ejections from man; but as often as they attempt this, so often many of them are cast down more deeply there.