Arcana Coelestia 6939. There is a continuation in this chapter in the internal sense with respect to the liberation of those who are of the spiritual church. First, their state is described, namely, that if they had not hope and faith, falsities and evils, and also things profane would drag them down: these are the things signified by the three signs.

Arcana Coelestia 6940. Afterward the law Divine is treated of, that truth was adjoined to its good; and that thus good had the power to liberate, and to insinuate hope and faith. Moses represents the law Divine as to good, and Aaron as to truth.

Arcana Coelestia 6941. Lastly that people is treated of, in that they only represented the spiritual church; and not that this church could be instituted among them, because they were in externals without internals. This is signified by Zipporah's circumcision of her son, and by the blood wherewith his feet were stained.

6939. Exodus 4

1. And Moses answered and said, And behold, they will not believe me, and will not hear my voice; for they will say, Jehovah has not appeared to you.

2. And Jehovah said to him, What is that in your hand? And he said, A rod.

3. And He said, Throw it to the earth. And he threw it to the earth, and it was made into a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

4. And Jehovah said to Moses, Put out your hand and take hold of its tail. And he put out his hand and took hold of it, and it was made into a rod in the palm of his hand.

5. [And Jehovah said,] In order that they may believe that Jehovah has appeared to you - the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

6. And Jehovah said further to him, Put now your hand into your bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom, and took it out, and behold, his hand was leprous, like snow.

7. And He said, Put your hand back to your bosom. And he put his hand back to his bosom; and he took it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his [other] flesh.

8. [And Jehovah said,] And so it will be, if they do not believe you and do not hear the voice of the former sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

9. And so it will be, if they do not believe even these two signs and do not hear your voice, that you are to take some of the water of the river and pour it out onto the dry land; and it will be water which you have taken from the river, and it will become blood on the dry land.

10. And Moses said to Jehovah, By me, ¹ Lord, I am not a man of words, neither since yesterday, nor since the day before, ² nor indeed from now as You speak to Your servant, for I am heavy in mouth and heavy in tongue. ³

11. And Jehovah said to him, Who makes man's mouth, or who has made the dumb, or the deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Is it not Jehovah?

12. And now go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you the things you will speak.

13. And he said, By me, ¹ Lord, send, I beg You, through the hand [of another] You may send.

14. And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Moses, and He said, Is there not Aaron your brother, the Levite? I know that he will speak ably. And also, behold, he is coming out to meet you; and he will see you and be glad in his heart.

15. And you are to speak to him, and to put words in his mouth; and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you the things you will do.

16. And he will speak for you to the people; and it will happen, that he will be for you as a mouth, and you will be for him as a god.

17. And you are to take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.

18. And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, I will go, I beg you, and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and I will see whether they are still alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

19. And Jehovah said to Moses in Midian, Go, return to Egypt; for all the men seeking your soul ⁴ are dead.

20. And Moses took his wife and his sons, and caused them to ride on an ass, and returned to the land of Egypt; and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

21. And Jehovah said to Moses, Go and return ⁵ to Egypt, see all the portents which I have put in your hand; and you are to do them before Pharaoh. And I will harden his heart, and he will not send the people away.

22. And you are to say to Pharaoh, Thus said Jehovah, Israel is My son, My firstborn.

23. And I say to you, Send My son away, and let him serve Me; and [if] you refuse to send him away, behold, I kill your son, your firstborn.

24. And he was on the way in the lodging-place, and Jehovah came to meet him and sought to kill him.

25. And Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and caused it to touch his feet, and said, Surely a bridegroom of blood ⁶ are you to me!

26. And He ceased from him. ⁷ Then she said, A bridegroom of blood ⁶ in regard to circumcisions.

27. And Jehovah said to Aaron, Go to meet Moses, to the wilderness. And he went, and he came to meet him in the mountain of God, and kissed him.

28. And Moses told Aaron all Jehovah's words with which He had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him.

29. And Moses and Aaron went, and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.

30. And Aaron spoke all the words which Jehovah had spoken to Moses, and did the signs before the eyes of the people.

31. And the people believed, and heard that Jehovah had visited the children of Israel, and that He had seen their affliction; and they bowed, and bowed down.

CONTENTS

This chapter in the internal sense continues to deal with the deliverance of those who belonged to the spiritual Church. Described first is their state if they were not in possession of hope and faith; it would be such that they would draw to themselves falsities, evils, and profanities too, these being what the three signs serve to mean.

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