10038. Shalt thou burn with fire without the camp. That this signifies that those things were to be committed to hell, and to be defiled with the evils of the love of self, is evident from the signification of “burning with fire,” as being to consume with the evils of the love of self; for by “burning” is signified consuming, and by “fire” the evil of the love of self (see n. 1297, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 7324, 7575, 9141, 9434); and from the signification of “the camp,” as being heaven and the church, and in the opposite sense where heaven and the church are not, thus hell (of which in what follows). That “to be burned with fire” denotes to be consumed by the evils of the love of self, is because this love consumes all the goods and truths of faith. That the love of self does this is known to scarcely anyone at this day, and consequently neither is it known that this love is hell with man, and that it is meant by “hell fire.”

[2] For there are two fires of life with man; one is the love of self, the other is love to God. They who are in the love of self cannot be in love to God, because these loves are opposite. They are opposite because the love of self produces all evils, which are contempt for others in comparison with self, enmity against those who do not favor, and finally hatreds, revenges, ferocities, cruelties; which evils wholly resist the Divine influx, and consequently extinguish the truths and goods of faith and of charity, for these are what flow in from the Lord. Anyone who reflects is able to know that everyone’s love is the fire of his life; for without love there is no life, and such as the love is such is the life; and from this it can be known that the love of self produces evils of every kind, and that it so far produces them as it is regarded as the end, that is, so far as it reigns. The worst kind of the love of self is the love of ruling for the sake of self, that is, solely for the sake of honor and self-advantage. They who are in this love are indeed able to make a profession of faith and charity; but they do this with the mouth, and not with the heart; nay, the worst of them regard the things of faith and charity, thus the holy things of the church, as means to attain their ends. But of the Lord’s Divine mercy I will speak specifically of the love of self, and its various kinds, and the evils that spring from it, and of the state of such in the other life. These things have been said that it may be known what is denoted by being “burnt with fire without the camp.”

[3] That the camp where the sons of Israel encamped represented heaven and the church, and hence that “without the camp” denotes where heaven and the church are not, thus hell, can be seen from what is related in the Word about the camp and the encamping of the sons of Israel in the wilderness, as from these words in Moses:

The sons of Israel shall encamp, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, according to their armies; and the Levites shall encamp around the Habitation of the testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the sons of Israel (Numbers 1:52-53; 2:2).

The tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun encamped to the east; the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad to the south; the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin to the west; and the tribes of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali to the north; but the Levites in the midst of the camp (Numbers 2:10). The like applied when they set out on their journeys, Numbers 2:17, 10:1 to the end. ¹

Their encampments were so ordered that they might represent heaven and the church (n. 9320); by the tribes also, according to which they encamped, were represented all the goods and truths of heaven and the church in the complex (n. 3858, 3926, 3939, 4060, 6335, 6337, 6397, 6640, 7836, 7891, 7996-7997); hence it is said that “Jehovah dwelt in the midst of the camp” (Numbers 5:3), and that “He walketh in the midst of them, and therefore they shall be holy” (Deuteronomy 23:14); and in the prophetic utterance of Balaam it is said, “when he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes, he said, How good are thy tabernacles, O Jacob, and thy habitations, O Israel” (Numbers 24:2-3, 5).

Notes de bas de page:

[4] As by the camp was represented heaven and the church, it follows that by “without the camp” was signified where heaven and the church are not, thus hell; and therefore everyone that was unclean and also that was guilty was sent forth thither, as can be seen from the following passages:

Ye shall send forth out of the camp every leper, and everyone that suffereth with an issue, everyone unclean on account of a soul, from a male even to a female, ye shall send them abroad out of the camp, that they pollute not the camp, in the midst of which Jehovah dwelleth (Numbers 5:2-3; Leviticus 13:45-46).

A man that is not clean by chance of the night shall go abroad out of the camp, and shall not come into the midst of the camp; when he shall wash himself in waters, and the sun hath set, he shall enter into the camp. Thou shalt have a space without the camp, whither thou mayest go forth abroad, and thou shall cover thine excrement with a paddle, because Jehovah walketh in the midst of the camp; therefore the camp shall be holy (Deuteronomy 23:10-15).

It was also commanded that persons should be stoned “without the camp” (Leviticus 24:14; Numbers 15:35-36). From all this it is now evident that by “burning with fire the flesh, skin, and dung of the bullock without the camp,” is signified that the evils which are signified by these things were to be committed to hell.

8819. And Mount Sinai smoked, the whole of it. That this signifies the appearing of celestial good in the greatest obscurity, is evident from the signification of “Mount Sinai,” as being celestial good (see just above, n. 8818); and from the signification of “smoking,” as being an appearing in obscurity. By obscurity is meant the obscurity of faith, such as is theirs who are of the spiritual church as compared with the faith of those who are of the celestial church (n. 2708, 2715, 2718, 2831, 2935, 2937, 3241, 3833, 6289). By the greatest obscurity, which is signified by “Mount Sinai smoked, the whole of it,” and by what is said just below, that “the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace,” is meant that obscurity in which was the Israelitish nation, before whom the appearing took place; for Jehovah or the Lord appears to everyone according to his quality (see n. 8788, 8814), thus as love and as the light of truth to those who are in good, but as an enemy and avenger to those who are in evil. That so did He appear to the Israelitish people, is also evident from other passages in Moses:

The appearance of the glory of Jehovah was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain before the eyes of the sons of Israel (Exodus 24:17).

Ye came near and stood under the mountain; when the mountain burned with fire unto the heart of heaven, darkness, and cloud, and thick darkness. And Jehovah spake unto you out of the midst of the fire (Deuteronomy 4:11-12; 5:22).

It came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, and the mountain did burn with fire, that ye came near unto me, and ye said, why shall we die? because this great fire will devour us: if we hear the voice of Jehovah our God anymore, we shall die (Deuteronomy 5:23-25).

[2] The reason for this is that no one can see God otherwise than from such things as are in himself, so that he who is in hatred sees Him from hatred, he who is in unmercifulness sees Him in unmercifulness; and on the other hand, they who are in charity and mercy see Him from, and thus in, charity and mercy. The case herein is as it is with the rays of light, which when they fall into ugly forms are turned into ugly colors; but when they fall into beautiful forms are turned into beautiful colors. (That “smoke” denotes the obscurity of truth and also the thick darkness which is of falsity, is evident in Isaiah 9:18-19; 34:9-10; in Joel 2:30-31; in Hos. 13:3; and in Revelation 9:17-18; 18:18; 19:3.)