9372. And He said unto Moses. That this signifies that which concerns the Word in general, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being the Word (of which below); and from the signification of “He said,” as involving those things which follow in this chapter, thus those which concern the Word (see n. 9370). (That Moses represents the Word, can be seen from what has been often shown before about Moses, as from the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 4859, 5922, 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 8601, 8760, 8787, 8805.) Here Moses represents the Word in general, because it is said of him in what follows, that he alone should come near unto Jehovah (verse 2); and also that, being called unto out of the midst of the cloud, he entered into it, and went up the mount (verses 16-18).

[2] In the Word there are many who represent the Lord in respect to truth Divine, or in respect to the Word; but chief among them are Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist. That Moses does so, can be seen in the explications just cited above; that so do Elijah and Elisha, can be seen in the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 2762, 5247; and that John the Baptist does so is evident from the fact that he was “Elias who was to come.” He who does not know that John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, cannot know what all those things infold and signify which are said about him in the New Testament; and therefore in order that this secret may stand open, and that at the same time it may appear that Elias, and also Moses, who were seen when the Lord was transfigured, signified the Word, some things may here be quoted which are spoken about John the Baptist; as in Matthew:

After the messengers of John had departed, Jesus began to speak concerning John, saying, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? a reed shaken by the wind? But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft things are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, even more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, Behold I send Mine angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee. Verily I say unto you, Among those who are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist; nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he. All the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye are willing to believe, he is Elias who was to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:7-15; and also Luke 7:24-28).

No one can know how these things are to be understood, unless he knows that this John represented the Lord as to the Word, and unless he also knows from the internal sense what is signified by “the wilderness” in which he was, also what by “a reed shaken by the wind,” and likewise by “soft raiment in kings’ houses;” and further what is signified by his being “more than a prophet,” and by “none among those who are born of women being greater than he, and nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he,” and lastly by his being “Elias.” For without a deeper sense, all these words are uttered merely from some comparison, and not from anything of weight.

[3] But it is very different when by John is understood the Lord as to the Word, or the Word representatively. Then by “the wilderness of Judea in which John was” is signified the state in which the Word was at the time when the Lord came into the world, namely, that it was “in the wilderness,” that is, it was in obscurity so great that the Lord was not at all acknowledged, neither was anything known about His heavenly kingdom; when yet all the prophets prophesied about Him, and about His kingdom, that it was to endure forever. (That “a wilderness” denotes such obscurity, see n. 2708, 4736, 7313.) For this reason the Word is compared to “a reed shaken by the wind” when it is explained at pleasure; for in the internal sense “a reed” denotes truth in the ultimate, such as is the Word in the letter.

[4] That the Word in the ultimate, or in the letter, is crude and obscure in the sight of men; but that in the internal sense it is soft and shining, is signified by their “not seeing a man clothed in soft raiment, for behold those who wear soft things are in kings’ houses.” That such things are signified by these words, is plain from the signification of “raiment,” or “garments,” as being truths (n. 2132, 2576, 4545, 4763, 5248, 6914, 6918, 9093); and for this reason the angels appear clothed in garments soft and shining according to the truths from good with them (n. 5248, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216). The same is evident from the signification of “kings’ houses,” as being the abodes of the angels, and in the universal sense, the heavens; for “houses” are so called from good (n. 2233, 2234, 3128, 3652, 3720, 4622, 4982, 7836, 7891, 7996, 7997); and “kings,” from truth (n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 6148). Therefore by virtue of their reception of truth from the Lord, the angels are called “sons of the kingdom,” “sons of the king,” and also “kings.”

[5] That the Word is more than any doctrine in the world, and more than any truth in the world, is signified by “what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet;” and by, “there hath not arisen among those who are born of women a greater than John the Baptist;” for in the internal sense “a prophet” denotes doctrine (n. 2534, 7269); and “those who are born,” or are the sons, “of women” denote truths (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3704, 4257).

[6] That in the internal sense, or such as it is in heaven, the Word is in a degree above the Word in the external sense, or such as it is in the world, and such as John the Baptist taught, is signified by, “he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he;” for as perceived in heaven the Word is of wisdom so great that it transcends all human apprehension. That the prophecies about the Lord and His coming, and that the representatives of the Lord and of His kingdom, ceased when the Lord came into the world, is signified by, “all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” That the Word was represented by John, as by Elijah, is signified by his being “Elias who is to come.”

[7] The same is signified by these words in Matthew:

The disciples asked Jesus, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? He answered and said, Elias must needs first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elias hath come already, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished. Even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them. And they understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:10-13).

That “Elias hath come, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished” signifies that the Word has indeed taught them that the Lord is to come, but that still they did not wish to comprehend, interpreting it in favor of the rule of self, and thus extinguishing what is Divine in it. That they would do the same with the truth Divine itself, is signified by “even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them.” (That “the Son of man” denotes the Lord as to truth Divine, see n. 2803, 2813, 3704)

[8] From all this it is now evident what is meant by the prophecy about John in Malachi:

Behold I send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh (Malachi 4:5).

Moreover, the Word in the ultimate, or such as it is in the external form in which it appears before man in the world, is described by the “clothing” and “food” of John the Baptist, in Matthew:

John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, had His clothing of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:1, 4).

In like manner it is described by Elijah in the second book of Kings:

He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins (2 Kings 1:8).

By “clothing,” or a “garment,” when said of the Word, is signified truth Divine there in the ultimate form; by “camel’s hair” are signified memory-truths such as appear there before a man in the world; by the “leathern girdle” is signified the external bond connecting and keeping in order all the interior things; by “food” is signified spiritual nourishment from the knowledges of truth and of good out of the Word; by “locusts” are signified ultimate or most general truths; and by “wild honey” their pleasantness.

[9] That such things are signified by “clothing” and “food” has its origin in the representatives of the other life, where all appear clothed according to truths from good, and where food also is represented according to the desires of acquiring knowledge and growing wise. From this it is that “clothing,” or a “garment,” denotes truth (as may be seen from the citations above; and that “food” or “meat” denotes spiritual nourishment, n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5576, 5579, 5915, 8562, 9003; that “a girdle” denotes a bond which gathers up and holds together interior things, n. 9341; that “leather” denotes what is external, n. 3540; and thus “a leathern girdle” denotes an external bond; that “hairs” denote ultimate or most general truths, n. 3301, 5569-5573; that “a camel” denotes memory-knowledge in general, n. 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145, 4156; that “a locust” denotes nourishing truth in the extremes, n. 7643; and that “honey” denotes the pleasantness thereof, n. 5620, 6857, 8056). It is called “wild honey,” or “honey of the field,” because by “a field” is signified the church (n. 2971, 3317, 3766, 7502, 7571, 9139, 9295). He who does not know that such things are signified, cannot possibly know why Elijah and John were so clothed. And yet that these things signified something peculiar to these prophets, can be thought by everyone who thinks well about the Word.

[10] Because John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, therefore also when he spoke of the Lord, who was the Word itself, he said of himself that he was “not Elias, nor the prophet,” and that he was “not worthy to loose the latchet of the Lord’s shoe,” as in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The Jews from Jerusalem, priests and Levites, asked John who he was. And he confessed, and denied not, I am not the Christ. Therefore they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? But he said, I am not. Art thou the prophet? He answered, No. They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet. They said therefore, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? He answered, I baptize with water; in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not; He it is who is to come after me, who was before me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose. When he saw Jesus, he said, Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a man who was before me; for he was before me (John 1:1, 14, 19-30).

From these words it is plain that when John spoke about the Lord Himself, who was Truth Divine itself, or the Word, he said that he himself was not anything, because the shadow disappears when the light itself appears, that is, the representative disappears when the original itself makes its appearance. (That the representatives had in view holy things, and the Lord Himself, and not at all the person that represented, see n. 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4307, 4444, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806.) One who does not know that representatives vanish like shadows at the presence of light, cannot know why John denied that he was Elias and the prophet.

[11] From all this it can now be seen what is signified by Moses and Elias, who were seen in glory, and who spoke with the Lord when transfigured, of His departure which He should accomplish at Jerusalem (Luke 9:29-31); namely, that they signified the Word (“Moses” the historic Word, and “Elias” the prophetic Word), which in the internal sense throughout treats of the Lord, of His coming into the world, and of His departure out of the world; and therefore it is said that “Moses and Elias were seen in glory,” for “glory” denotes the internal sense of the Word, and the “cloud” its external sense (see the preface to Genesis 18, and n. 5922, 8427).

653. Which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt.- That this signifies by means of the evils of the love of self, and falsities thence, is evident from the signification of Sodom, as denoting the love of self, and evils of every kind therefrom, of which we shall speak presently, and from the signification of Egypt, as denoting the natural man separated from the spiritual, and falsity of evil of every kind therefrom, concerning which also we shall speak presently. That Sodom and Egypt mean Jerusalem, consequently the church in which the goods of love are adulterated and the truths of doctrine falsified, is clear, for it is presently said, "where also our Lord was crucified." For the evils of the love of self, and falsities of doctrine, are what crucify the Lord, therefore He was crucified by the Jews, because they were in those evils and falsities; but of this in the following pages.

[2] Here it shall first be shewn that by Sodom, in the Word, is signified the love of self, and evil of every kind therefrom; for evils of every kind flow from the love of self. For he who loves himself only, loves his own proprium, and consequently so immerses all things of his will and understanding in his proprium, that he cannot be raised out of it to heaven and to the Lord; he therefore does not see anything from the light of heaven, but solely from the light of the world, and this light, separated from the light of heaven, is merely thick darkness in spiritual things, which are the things of heaven and the church; consequently, also, the more a man loves himself, the more he despises spiritual things, indeed, he denies them. In consequence of this, also, the internal spiritual mind, by which man is in the light of heaven, is closed, and he therefore becomes merely natural; and the merely natural man is inclined to evils of every kind. For the evils into which man is born have their seat in the natural man, and are only removed from him in proportion as his interior mind, which receives the light of heaven, is opened; man's proprium also has its seat in the natural man, and this proprium is nothing but evil.

[3] That Sodom, therefore, signifies the love of self, and thus evils of every kind, is evident from the passages in the Word where Sodom is mentioned, as in the following.

In Ezekiel:

"Thy elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters dwell at thy left hand; but thy younger sister, dwelling at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters; thou hast corrupted thyself more than they in all thy ways. Sodom thy sister hath not done, she and her daughters, as thou hast done, and thy daughters. Behold, this was the iniquity of Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and tranquillity of rest was her's and her daughters', and she strengthened not the hand of the poor and needy; whence they became haughty, and committed abomination before me" (16:46-50).

The subject there treated of is the abominations of Jerusalem, which were, chiefly their adulteration of the goods and truths of the Word and of the church. Samaria, where the Israelites were, signifies the spiritual church, in which spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbour, is the essential; but Jerusalem, where the Jews were, signifies the celestial church in which celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord, is the essential. For there are two kingdoms, into which heaven and thus the church is divided, the spiritual kingdom and the celestial kingdom. Concerning these kingdoms see Heaven and Hell 20-28). These kingdoms were represented by the Israelites, whose metropolis was Samaria, and by the Jews whose metropolis was Jerusalem.

[4] Infernal evil, which is the evil of the love of the world, is the opposite of spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbour; and diabolical evil, which is the evil of the love of self, is the opposite of celestial good; from the love of self flow evils of all kinds, which are far worse than those from the love of the world. See New Jerusalem 65-83). For this reason more direful and abominable things are related of Jerusalem than of Samaria, and therefore Jerusalem is not only called Sodom, but it is also recorded that she did worse things than Sodom; for it is said, "Sodom hath not done as thou hast done, and thy daughters." That the evil of the love of self was the evil of Sodom, is thus described; "This was the iniquity of Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, tranquillity of rest; and she strengthened not the hand of the poor and needy." Pride means the love of self; fulness of bread, contempt of all good and truth of heaven and the church, even to disgust with them. Tranquillity of rest means security and no anxiety on account of any evil; and not strengthening the hands of the poor and needy signifies unmercifulness. Because the love of self was the love of Sodom, therefore it is said, that her daughters became haughty, and committed abomination before Jehovah; the daughters that became haughty signify the desires of that love, and abomination before Jehovah signifies every evil against the Divine Itself.

[5] Since the Chaldeans signify the profanation and adulteration of the truth of doctrine from the Word, and the inhabitants of Babel the profanation and adulteration of the good of love, therefore their overthrow is also compared to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah.

In Jeremiah:

"O sword, against the Chaldeans, and against the inhabitants of Babel, according to God's overthrowing of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the neighbouring cities thereof, not a man shall dwell there nor shall the son of man tarry therein" (50:35, 40).

And in Isaiah:

"So shall Babel be, the adorning of kingdoms, the glory of the magnificence of the Chaldeans is God's overthrowing of Sodom and Gomorrah" (13:19).

Sodom signifies the evil of the love of self, and Gomorrah the falsity of that love; and because the love of self does not acknowledge any truth of the church, it is said, "not a man shall dwell there, nor shall the son of man tarry therein," man (vir) signifying intelligence, and son of man (filius hominis), the truth of the church.

[6] Because Edom signifies the natural man who is in falsities from the love of self, and consequently adulterates the goods of the church, therefore, also, her vastation is compared to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah.

In Jeremiah:

"Edom shall be a desolation as the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, not a man shall dwell there, neither shall a son of man sojourn there" (49:17, 18).

And in Zephaniah:

"Moab shall be as Sodom, and the sons of Ammon as Gomorrah, a place abandoned to the nettle, and a pit of salt, a waste for ever" (2:9).

Moab, as was said, means the natural man, who from the love of self adulterates the goods of the church, and the sons of Ammon signify those who falsify its truths; and because this is the cause of the devastation of all good and truth, therefore it is said "a place abandoned to the nettle, a pit of salt, a waste for ever," the devastation of all good being signified by a place of the nettle, and the devastation of all truth by a pit of salt. Similar things are signified by Sodom and Gomorrah.

[7] Because Judah signifies celestial love, which is love to the Lord, from which comes all good, and, in the opposite sense, diabolical love, which is the love of self, from which comes all evil, therefore the devastation of the church, which is signified by Judah and Jerusalem, is also compared to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah.

In Isaiah:

"Jerusalem hath stumbled, and Judah is fallen; the stubbornness of their faces witnesseth against them, and their sin is as Sodom's" (3:8, 9).

And in the same:

"Hear the Word of Jehovah, ye princes of Sodom, hearken to the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah" (1:10).

The Word of Jehovah means the Divine Good, and the law of God the Divine Truth, for where good is treated of the name "Jehovah" is used, and where truth is treated of the name "God" is used; and as the Divine Good to those who are in the love of self is evil, it is said "their sin is as Sodom's," also "hear the Word of Jehovah, ye princes of Sodom;" and as the Divine Truth, to those who are in the evil of the love of self, is falsity; it is said, "hearken to the law of God, ye people of Gomorrah."

[8] In Moses:

"Their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and the grapes thereof are of the fields of Gomorrah, grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter" (Deuteronomy 32:32).

This is said of the dire falsities with the posterity of Jacob, flowing from the evils of the love of self. But, these words are explained above (519:7).

In Lamentations:

"They that did eat delicacies are devastated in the streets, they that were brought up in crimson have embraced dunghills; the iniquity of my people is become greater than the sin of Sodom, which was overturned as it were in a moment" (4:5, 6).

These things are said concerning those who are of the celestial kingdom and church of the Lord when changed into the opposite, for it is celestial love that is turned into the love of self, which is diabolical love; concerning those so changed the above is said. What is signified by eating delicacies, being brought up in crimson, being devastated in the streets, and embracing dunghills, was explained in the article above (652:10). It is said of their iniquity that it was greater than the sin of Sodom, because they had the Word, from which they were able to know the truths and goods of heaven and of the church, or of doctrine and of life, and had adulterated them, which the inhabitants of Sodom could not do; for he who knows the will of the Lord, and does it not, sins more than he who does not know it. All those also with whom the love of self has rule despise the holy things of heaven and of the church, and deny the Divinity of the Lord; and to confirm the evils flowing from that love, they either adulterate the Word, or reject it as a writing that is simply holy, because it has been so accepted. Those, therefore, who do these things from the love of self are compared to Sodom and Gomorrah.

[9] Those who are instructed by the Lord concerning the truths and goods of the church, and yet reject and deny them, do worse things than those of Sodom, as is evident from the words of the Lord, in Matthew, concerning Capernaum:

"Thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down unto hell (infernum = eos adou [transliterated Greek]), for if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which have been done in thee, they would have remained until this day; I say unto thee, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, in the day of judgment, than for thee" (11:23, 24).

For the Lord after He left Nazareth dwelt in Capernaum (Matthew 4:13); and did miracles there (Matthew 8:5-14; John 4:46, to end). The Lord said similar things concerning the cities in which the disciples preached His coming or the Gospel, and were not received, in these words in Matthew:

"Whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye go out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet; verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the day of judgment, than for that city" (10:14, 15; Mark 6:11; Luke 10:10-13).

For no one rejects the holy things of the church, and denies the Divine of the Lord more interiorly than those who are in the love of self; those who are in the love of the world, and in the evils therefrom, may also reject the holy things of the church, but yet not so interiorly, that is, from confirmation of the heart.

[10] The prophets and the people who adulterate the truths and goods of the Word for the purpose of confirming evils and falsities, are spoken of in a similar manner in Jeremiah:

"In the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible stubbornness, in committing adultery and walking in a lie; while they have strengthened the hands of evil doers, that no man returneth from his wickedness; they are become to me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah" (23:14).

Prophets there mean those who teach the truths and goods of doctrine, and in the abstract sense, which is the genuine spiritual sense, doctrine from the Word is meant, thus also the Word as to doctrine; therefore by horrible stubbornness is signified confirmation of heart against the truths and goods of the Word. By committing adultery and walking in a lie is signified to pervert the goods and truths of the Word; by committing adultery, to pervert the goods of the Word by means of evils and falsities. A lie denotes falsity, and to walk in a lie denotes to live in falsities. The confirmation of evils and their consequent power over goods is signified by strengthening the hands of evil-doers; and persistence in evils and falsities of doctrine is signified by no man returning from his wickedness. Therefore it is said they are become as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. As Sodom signifies in evils flowing from the love of self; and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah signifies an evil life from falsities of doctrine.

[11] The evil which destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah is described by these things in Moses:

"that they wished to offer violence to the angels, and that therefore they were smitten with blindness, so that they could not find the door where the angels were; and that therefore Jehovah caused it to rain brimstone and fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and the shoot of the earth" (Genesis 19:1-28).

Their wishing to offer violence to the angels means to Divine Good and Divine Truth, for these are signified by angels; the blindness with which they were smitten, and their not being able to find the door, signifies the utter rejection and denial of the Divine and of the holy things of heaven and the church, so that they were not able to see and acknowledge any thing of heaven and of the church; this is signified by their not finding the door where the angels were. Brimstone signifies the lust (concupiscentia) of destroying the goods and truths of the church by means of falsities, and fire signifies the love of self and every evil that destroys, in this case, their destruction.

[12] That Sodom and Gomorrah mean all evils and falsities flowing forth from the love of self, has been told me from heaven; for when those who are in evils from that love perish, as was the case on the day of the Last Judgment, there appeared as it were sulphur and fire raining out of heaven; this was also seen by me. That such would take place on the day of the Last Judgment was also predicted by the Lord in Luke:

"In like manner as it was in the days of Lot, on the day when he went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all; thus will it be in the day when the Son of Man shall be revealed" (17:28-30).

[13] Since those who from the love of self confirm themselves in evils against the goods and truths of heaven and of the church by means of falsities, entirely eradicate from themselves every truth of doctrine and of the Word and the good of spiritual and celestial love, therefore a total vastation takes place with them, which is thus described in Moses:

"It shall be brimstone and salt, the whole land a burning, it shall not be sown, neither shall it spring forth, nor shall any herb come up thereon, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, of Admah and Zeboim" (Deuteronomy 29:23).

Brimstone signifies the vastation of all good by lusts (concupiscentia) from evils; salt signifies the vastation of all truth by means of falsities from those lusts; the whole land a burning signifies the devastation of the church by means of the love of self. It shall not be sown, neither spring forth, nor any herb come up thereon, signifies no receptivity at all of the truth of the church, herb signifying the truth of the church when it first springs forth. And because such is the devastation of good and truth from the love of self, therefore it is said, like the overflow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim, Admah and Zeboim signifying the knowledges of evil and falsity. That such things were to take place on the day of the Last Judgment, is signified by the words "in the day when the Son of Man shall be revealed."