8337. And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand. That this signifies glorification of the Lord from the good of faith, is evident from the representation of Miriam, as being the good of faith; for Moses represents the truth of faith which proceeds immediately from the Lord, thus internal truth; while Aaron represents the truth of faith which proceeds mediately from the Lord, thus external truth (see n. 7009, 7089, 7382); consequently “Miriam” denotes the good of faith which proceeds mediately from the Lord; for when men represent truth, their women represent good (n. 6014). As Miriam with the women represent external good, therefore it is added “the sister of Aaron,” and it is not said “the sister of Moses.” Moreover good and truth are circumstanced like sister and brother (n. 3160). But be it known that women represent good, and men truth, when the spiritual church is treated of; whereas women represent truth, and men good, when the celestial church is treated of (n. 4823). From the signification of “the prophetess,” as being one who teaches (n. 2534, 7269), here who praises the Lord, or what is the same, glorifies Him from the good of faith, because she sang to Jehovah, as Moses and the men of Israel had done (that “to sing” denotes to glorify, see n. 8261, 8263, 8267); and from the signification of “taking a timbrel in the hand,” as being to glorify from the good of faith, for a “timbrel” is predicated of spiritual good, or what is the same, of the good of faith (n. 4138).

[2] Formerly in Divine worship many kinds of musical instruments were employed, but with much distinction. In general, by wind instruments were expressed affections of good, and by stringed instruments affections of truth, and this from the correspondence of every sounding thing with the affections. It is known that some natural affections are expressed by certain kinds of musical instruments, and others by certain other ones, and that when a fitting harmony joins in accord, they actually excite these affections. They who are skilled in music are aware of these things, and make an accordant use of them. The cause of this fact arises from the very nature of sound and of its accord with the affections. Men learned this at first, not from science and art, but from the hearing and its exquisite sense: from this it is clear that it does not come from any origin in the natural world, but from an origin in the spiritual world, and accordingly from the correspondence with things in the spiritual world of those things in the natural world which flow from order. Harmonious sound and its varieties correspond to states of joy and gladness in the spiritual world; and states of joy and gladness there arise from the affections, which in that world are affections of good and truth. From this then it can be seen that musical instruments correspond to the delights and pleasantnesses of spiritual and celestial affections, and that some instruments correspond to celestial affections, and some to spiritual affections (see what has been said and shown before on this subject, n. 418-420, 4138).

[3] As regards the timbrel specifically, it corresponds to spiritual good, that is, to the good of truth. The reason is that the timbrel is not a stringed instrument, neither is it a wind instrument, but as it is made with a skin, it is as it were a continuous stringed instrument, and moreover its sound is graver and deeper than is the sound of stringed instruments. This can also be seen from the Word, where the “timbrel” is mentioned, as in Isaiah:

The joy of the timbrels shall cease, the tumult of the joyous shall cease, the joy of the harp shall cease (24:8);

“the joy of the timbrels” denotes the delights of the affections of the good of faith; “the joy of the harp,” the delight of the affection of the truth of faith.

In Jeremiah:

Anew I will build thee, that thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel; anew shalt thou adorn thy timbrels, and shalt go forth into the dance of them that play (31:4);

“to adorn the timbrels” denotes to glorify God from spiritual good, for it treats of the spiritual church, which is the “virgin of Israel.”

[4] In like manner in Ezekiel:

Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God, the work of thy timbrels and of thy pipes was in thee, in the day that thou wast created they were prepared (28:13);

speaking of Tyre, by which are signified the knowledges of good and of truth, and by “timbrels and pipes” the affections of the former, and the joys of the latter.

In David:

They have seen Thy goings, O God, the goings of my God in the sanctuary. The singers went before, after them the players, in the midst of the virgins playing on timbrels (Psalms 68:24-25).

Shout to the God of Jacob, lift up a song, and give a timbrel, a pleasant harp with a psaltery (Psalms 81:1-2).

Sing to Jehovah a new song, let them praise His name in the dance, let them sing psalms to Him with timbrel and harp (Psalms 149:1, 3);

here “to praise with timbrel” denotes to glorify from the delight of the affection of the good of faith; and “to praise with harp” denotes the pleasantness of the affection of the truth of faith.

[5] In the same:

Praise ye God with timbrel and dance, praise ye Him with stringed instruments and organ, praise Him with cymbals of sound, praise Him with cymbals of noise (Psalms 150:4-5);

“to praise with timbrel and dance” denotes from the good and truth of faith; “with stringed instruments and organ” denotes from truths and the good thence derived. As by correspondence all instruments signified the delights and pleasantnesses of spiritual and celestial affections, many of the Psalms of David have an inscription, and it is told how they are to be sung, as “upon Neginoth,” “upon Nechiloth,” “upon the Octave,” “Shigajon,” “Gitthith,” “Muth-labben,” “Sheminith,” “Shoshannim,” “Machalath.”

6854. And I am come down to liberate them out of the hand of the Egyptians. That this signifies that He would let Himself down to them, to set them free from the power of the false memory-knowledges which endeavor to destroy the truths of the church, is evident from the signification of “coming down,” as being to let Himself down (of which below); from the signification of “to liberate,” as being to set free, for he who sets free from falsities, liberates; from the signification of “hand,” as being power (n. 878, 3387, 3563, 4931-4937, 5544); and from the signification of the “Egyptians,” as being false memory-knowledges which are contrary to the truths of the church (see n. 6651, 6679, 6683), thus which endeavor to destroy them. As regards the fact that the Lord comes down, the case is this. The Lord is said to “come down,” or to “let Himself down,” when He comes to Judgment (n. 1311); and also when He comes to lower regions, here to those who are of the spiritual church, who are signified by the “sons of Israel;” for these are treated of in the internal sense, how they are infested by falsities, and then endure temptations, and afterward are liberated, that they may be introduced into heaven.

[2] But in the contents of this and the following verses, in the internal sense, there is a still greater mystery, which is not yet known in the church, and therefore is to be made known. They who are called “the spiritual” (who are such as can be regenerated only as to the intellectual part, but not as to the will part, and in whose intellectual part therefore a new will is implanted by the Lord, which will is according to the doctrinal things of faith pertaining to their church); these, namely such spiritual men, were saved only by the Lord’s coming into the world. The reason is that the Divine passing through heaven, which was the Divine Human before the Lord’s coming, could not reach them, because the doctrinal things of their church were for the most part not true, and consequently the good which is of the will was not good (see n. 6427). As these could be saved only by the coming of the Lord, and thus could not before be raised into heaven, therefore they were meanwhile kept in the lower earth, in places there which in the Word are called “pits;” which earth was beset about by the hells where are falsities, by which they were then much infested, and yet were guarded by the Lord. But after the Lord came into the world, and made the Human in Himself Divine, then He delivered those who were there in “pits,” and raised them to heaven; and out of them He also formed the spiritual heaven, which is the second heaven. This is meant by the descent of the Lord to the lower regions, and by the deliverance of those who were bound.

[3] This is the mystery which in the internal sense is also described in this and the following verses. See what was shown above about these spiritual men, namely: That the spiritual are in obscurity as to the truth and good of faith (n. 2708, 2715, 2718, 2831, 2849, 2935, 2937, 3241, 3833, 6289): That their obscurity is illumined by the Lord’s Divine Human (n. 2716, 4402): That as they are in obscurity as to the truth and good of faith, they are very much assaulted by the hells, but that the Lord continually protects them (n. 6419): That the spiritual cannot be regenerated as to the will part, but only as to the intellectual part, and a new will is there formed by the the Lord, (n. 863, 875, 895, 927, 928, 1023, 1043, 1044, 2256, 4328, 4493, 5113): That the spiritual were saved by the coming of the Lord into the world (n. 2833, 2834, 3969).

[4] In the prophetic Word occasional mention is made of the “bound,” and of the “bound in the pit,” and that they were delivered by the Lord; by whom are specifically meant those who are here spoken of, as in Isaiah:

I Jehovah have called Thee in righteousness, and will hold Thy hand, because I will keep Thee, and give Thee for a covenant to the people, for a light of the nations, to open the blind eyes, to bring out the bound from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house (Isaiah 42:6-7).

I kept Thee, and gave Thee for a covenant of the people, to restore the land, to divide the wasted heritages; to say to the bound, Go forth, to them that are in darkness, Be ye revealed. They shall feed upon the ways, and on all hillsides is their pasture (Isaiah 49:8-9).

This is manifestly said of the Lord. Specifically “the bound” denote those who were detained in the lower earth until the Lord’s coming, and who were then raised into heaven; and in general all those who are in good, and are kept by falsities as it were bound, from which they nevertheless desire to work their way out.

[5] In Zechariah:

By the blood of Thy covenant I will send forth Thy bound out of the pit (Zech. 9:11).

Gathering they shall be gathered together, the bound in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison; after a multitude of days they shall be visited (Isaiah 24:22);

“the bound in the pit” denote the same.

Jehovah hath anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He hath sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to preach liberty to the captives, to the bound, to the blind, ¹ to proclaim the year of Jehovah’s good pleasure (Isaiah 61:1).

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwelt the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined (Isaiah 9:2).

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