9371. THE INTERNAL SENSE.

Verses 1-2. And He said unto Moses, Come up unto Jehovah, thou and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and bow yourselves afar off; and Moses, he alone, shall come near unto Jehovah; and they shall not come near; and the people shall not come up with him. “And He said unto Moses,” signifies that which concerns the Word in general; “come up unto Jehovah,” signifies conjunction with the Lord; “thou and Aaron,” signifies the Word in the internal sense and the external sense; “Nadab and Abihu,” signifies doctrine from both senses; “and seventy of the elders of Israel,” signifies the chief truths of the church which are of the Word, or of doctrine, and which agree with good; “and bow yourselves afar off,” signifies humiliation and adoration from the heart, and then the influx of the Lord; “and Moses, he alone, shall come near unto Jehovah,” signifies the conjunction and presence of the Lord through the Word in general; “and they shall not come near,” signifies no separate conjunction and presence; “and the people shall not come up with him,” signifies no conjunction whatever with the external apart from the internal.

7891. And there shall be to you in the first day a holy convocation. That this signifies that in the beginning all shall be together, is evident from the signification of “the first day,” as being the beginning, namely, of liberation from those who have infested, and thus from damnation; and from the signification of “a holy convocation,” as being that all shall be together. Convocations took place in order that the whole assemblage of Israel might be together, and might thus represent heaven; for they were then all distinguished into tribes, and the tribes into families, and the families into houses. (That heaven along with the societies there was represented by the tribes, the families, and the houses of the sons of Israel, see n. 7836.) Therefore those convocations were called holy, and took place at every feast (Leviticus 23:27, 36; Numbers 28:26; 29:1, 7, 12). From this the feasts themselves were called “holy convocations,” for it was commanded that all the males should be present at them. That the feasts were called “holy convocations” is evident in Moses:

These are the set feasts of Jehovah, which ye shall call holy convocations, to offer a fire-offering unto Jehovah (Leviticus 23:37).

That at such times all males were to be present, in the same:

Three times in a year shall every male of thine appear together before Jehovah thy God, in the place which He shall choose; in the feast of unleavened things, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles (Deuteronomy 16:16).

8600. Verses 10-13. And Joshua did as Moses had said to him in fighting against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it was, when Moses lifted up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, that Amalek prevailed. And Moses’ hands were heavy, and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat upon it; and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other; and it was, his hands were steady until the setting of the sun. And Joshua weakened Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

“And Joshua did as Moses had said to him,” signifies the effect, as the fighting truth had been instructed by Divine truth; “in fighting against Amalek,” signifies against the falsity from interior evil; “and Moses, and Aaron, and Hur,” signifies Divine truths in successive order; “went up to the top of the hill,” signifies in the good of charity; “and it was when Moses lifted up his hand,” signifies when faith looked toward the Lord with those who were of the spiritual church; “that Israel prevailed,” signifies that then the fighting truth conquered; “and when he let down his hand,” signifies when the faith with them looked downward or away from the Lord to self and the world; “that Amalek prevailed,” signifies that then the falsity conquered; “and Moses’ hands were heavy,” signifies that the power of looking upward to the Lord failed; “and they took a stone,” signifies truth Divine in the ultimate of order; “and put it under him, and he sat upon it,” signifies correspondence with truth in the first of order; “and Aaron and Hur,” signifies truths in order; “held up his hands,” signifies the upholding of the power of the fighting truth; “one on one side, and the other on the other,” signifies on all sides; “and it was, his hands were steady,” signifies the strength of power then; “until the setting of the sun,” signifies when this state ceased; “and Joshua weakened Amalek and his people,” signifies the lessening of power with those who are in falsity from interior evil; “with the edge of the sword,” signifies by means of fighting truth.