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.

9215. It is his garment for his skin. That this signifies that they also clothe exterior things, is evident from the signification of a “garment,” as being the sensuous in general, or the things of sense, as above; and from the signification of the “skin,” as being what is exterior, which also clothes interior things, but still within the sensuous. (The signification of “the skin,” and who in the other life correspond to the skin, may be seen above, n. 3540, 5552-5559, 8977, 8980.) The natural of man is interior, exterior or middle, and outermost. The interior natural communicates with heaven; the middle or exterior natural communicates on the one side with the interior, and through it with heaven, and on the other with the outermost, and through it with the world (n. 4009, 4570, 5118, 5126, 5497, 5649, 5707). The outermost natural is the sensuous, which is here signified by the “garment.” This receives the objects belonging to the world, and thus is of service to interior things. It is called the “only covering,” because it is the ultimate, and thus is common to all. The exterior or middle natural is what is signified by the “skin.” From this it is evident that by “it is his garment for his skin,” is signified that the sensuous also clothes exterior things. (That the sensuous is the ultimate of man’s life, and thus the general covering, see n. 4009, 5077, 5125, 5128, 5767, 5774, 6201, 6313, 7442, 7693)

4009. And gave them into the hand of his sons. That this signifies that the truths and goods that were separated were given to truths, is evident from the signification of “sons,” as being truths (see n. 489, 491, 533, 2623, 3373). “To give into their hand” is to give to their authority and disposal, for by the “hand” is signified power (n. 878, 3387). The truths here signified by “sons” are those called sensuous, because they are of the senses and are the outermost things of the natural mind. For man’s natural communicates on the one side with the sensuous things of the body, and on the other side with the rational things of the rational mind. By these intermediates there is effected as it were an ascent from the sensuous things that are of the body and that have been opened toward the world, to the rational things that are of the rational mind and that have been opened toward heaven; and also a descent from these, that is, from heaven to the world; but this is effected in man only. This ascent and descent is that which is treated of in the internal sense of these chapters; and in order that each and all things may be presented representatively, the rational is represented by Isaac and Rebekah; the natural by Jacob and his two women; and the sensuous by their sons. But because in the sensuous, as in the ultimate of order, prior things exist together, as before shown every son represents some general in which they are.