9373. Come up unto Jehovah. That this signifies conjunction with the Lord, is evident from the signification of “coming up,” as being to be raised toward interior things (see n. 3084, 4539, 4969, 5406, 5817, 6007), consequently also to be conjoined (n. 8760). That it denotes conjunction with the Lord, is because by “Jehovah” in the Word is meant the the Lord, (n. 1343, 1736, 1793, 2004, 2005, 2018, 2025, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5663, 6280, 6303, 6905, 8274, 8864, 9315). A secret which also lies hidden in the internal sense of these words, is that the sons of Jacob, over whom Moses was the head, were not called and chosen; but they themselves insisted that Divine worship should be instituted among them (according to wh at has been said in n. 4290, 4293); and therefore it is here said, “and He said unto Moses, Come up unto Jehovah,” as if not Jehovah, but another, had said that he should come up. For the same reason in what follows it is said that “the people should not go up” (verse 2); and that “Jehovah sent not His hand unto the sons of Israel who were set apart” (verse 11); and that “the appearance of the glory of Jehovah was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the sons of Israel” (verse 17); and lastly that Moses, being called the seventh day, “entered into the midst of the cloud.” For by “the cloud” is meant the Word in the letter (n. 5922, 6343, 6752, 6832, 8106, 8443, 8781); and with the sons of Jacob the Word was separated from its internal sense, because they were in external worship without internal, as can be clearly seen from the fact that now, as before, they said, “all the words which Jehovah hath spoken we will do” (verse 3); and yet scarcely forty days afterward they worshiped a golden calf instead of Jehovah; which shows that this was hidden in their hearts while they were saying with their lips that they would serve Jehovah alone. But nevertheless those who are meant by “the called and the chosen” are those who are in internal worship, and who from internal worship are in external; that is, those who are in love to and faith in the Lord, and from this in love toward the neighbor.

3049. And every good of his lord was in his hand. That this signifies the goods and truths of these knowledges with the natural man, is evident from the signification of “every good of his lord,” as being both good and truth; for in itself truth is good, because from good; and truth is the form of good, that is to say, when good is formed so as to be perceived intellectually, it is then called truth: and also from the signification of “hand,” as being power (see n. 878); “in his hand” therefore meaning that which he had. In themselves general memory-knowledges are not goods, nor are they alive; it is the affection of them that causes them to be goods, and to be alive; for when there is this affection they are for the sake of use; since no one is affected by any memory-knowledge or truth except for some use; use makes it a good; and such as the use is, such is the good.

711. She cried out travailing and pained to bring forth, signifies non-reception by those in the church who are natural and sensual, and their resistance. This is evident from the signification of "to cry out, travailing," and "to be pained to bring forth," when this has reference to the nascent doctrine of truth from celestial love, which is meant by "the male" that the woman brought forth, as being non-reception thereof, and also resistance; it is by those in the church who are natural and sensual, because such are meant by "the dragon" treated of in what follows. That "to travail" and "to bring forth" mean to be in labor over and to bring forth such things as belong to the church, here to the doctrine of truth and good, can be seen from what has been shown in the preceding article about the womb, and the opening of it, and birth, also from what is said about bringing forth in the rest of this chapter. In the meantime it may be mentioned that "the male" which the woman brought forth means the doctrine of the New Jerusalem which has been given by the Lord out of heaven; that the dragons then stood around and vehemently and strenuously opposed, and this even to the crying out and torment of those who favored that doctrine, I can testify; which shows that those who are like them in the world will also oppose to prevent this doctrine from being received. Who these are will be told in what follows, where "the dragon and the beasts" are treated of. But what in particular is signified elsewhere in the Word by "to cry out travailing" and "to be pained to bring forth" can be seen below n. 721, where the signification of "travailing" and "bringing forth" is explained.