9372. And He said unto Moses. That this signifies that which concerns the Word in general, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being the Word (of which below); and from the signification of “He said,” as involving those things which follow in this chapter, thus those which concern the Word (see n. 9370). (That Moses represents the Word, can be seen from what has been often shown before about Moses, as from the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 4859, 5922, 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 8601, 8760, 8787, 8805.) Here Moses represents the Word in general, because it is said of him in what follows, that he alone should come near unto Jehovah (verse 2); and also that, being called unto out of the midst of the cloud, he entered into it, and went up the mount (verses 16-18).

[2] In the Word there are many who represent the Lord in respect to truth Divine, or in respect to the Word; but chief among them are Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist. That Moses does so, can be seen in the explications just cited above; that so do Elijah and Elisha, can be seen in the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 2762, 5247; and that John the Baptist does so is evident from the fact that he was “Elias who was to come.” He who does not know that John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, cannot know what all those things infold and signify which are said about him in the New Testament; and therefore in order that this secret may stand open, and that at the same time it may appear that Elias, and also Moses, who were seen when the Lord was transfigured, signified the Word, some things may here be quoted which are spoken about John the Baptist; as in Matthew:

After the messengers of John had departed, Jesus began to speak concerning John, saying, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? a reed shaken by the wind? But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft things are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, even more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, Behold I send Mine angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee. Verily I say unto you, Among those who are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist; nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he. All the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye are willing to believe, he is Elias who was to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:7-15; and also Luke 7:24-28).

No one can know how these things are to be understood, unless he knows that this John represented the Lord as to the Word, and unless he also knows from the internal sense what is signified by “the wilderness” in which he was, also what by “a reed shaken by the wind,” and likewise by “soft raiment in kings’ houses;” and further what is signified by his being “more than a prophet,” and by “none among those who are born of women being greater than he, and nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he,” and lastly by his being “Elias.” For without a deeper sense, all these words are uttered merely from some comparison, and not from anything of weight.

[3] But it is very different when by John is understood the Lord as to the Word, or the Word representatively. Then by “the wilderness of Judea in which John was” is signified the state in which the Word was at the time when the Lord came into the world, namely, that it was “in the wilderness,” that is, it was in obscurity so great that the Lord was not at all acknowledged, neither was anything known about His heavenly kingdom; when yet all the prophets prophesied about Him, and about His kingdom, that it was to endure forever. (That “a wilderness” denotes such obscurity, see n. 2708, 4736, 7313.) For this reason the Word is compared to “a reed shaken by the wind” when it is explained at pleasure; for in the internal sense “a reed” denotes truth in the ultimate, such as is the Word in the letter.

[4] That the Word in the ultimate, or in the letter, is crude and obscure in the sight of men; but that in the internal sense it is soft and shining, is signified by their “not seeing a man clothed in soft raiment, for behold those who wear soft things are in kings’ houses.” That such things are signified by these words, is plain from the signification of “raiment,” or “garments,” as being truths (n. 2132, 2576, 4545, 4763, 5248, 6914, 6918, 9093); and for this reason the angels appear clothed in garments soft and shining according to the truths from good with them (n. 5248, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216). The same is evident from the signification of “kings’ houses,” as being the abodes of the angels, and in the universal sense, the heavens; for “houses” are so called from good (n. 2233, 2234, 3128, 3652, 3720, 4622, 4982, 7836, 7891, 7996, 7997); and “kings,” from truth (n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 6148). Therefore by virtue of their reception of truth from the Lord, the angels are called “sons of the kingdom,” “sons of the king,” and also “kings.”

[5] That the Word is more than any doctrine in the world, and more than any truth in the world, is signified by “what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet;” and by, “there hath not arisen among those who are born of women a greater than John the Baptist;” for in the internal sense “a prophet” denotes doctrine (n. 2534, 7269); and “those who are born,” or are the sons, “of women” denote truths (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3704, 4257).

[6] That in the internal sense, or such as it is in heaven, the Word is in a degree above the Word in the external sense, or such as it is in the world, and such as John the Baptist taught, is signified by, “he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he;” for as perceived in heaven the Word is of wisdom so great that it transcends all human apprehension. That the prophecies about the Lord and His coming, and that the representatives of the Lord and of His kingdom, ceased when the Lord came into the world, is signified by, “all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” That the Word was represented by John, as by Elijah, is signified by his being “Elias who is to come.”

[7] The same is signified by these words in Matthew:

The disciples asked Jesus, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? He answered and said, Elias must needs first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elias hath come already, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished. Even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them. And they understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:10-13).

That “Elias hath come, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished” signifies that the Word has indeed taught them that the Lord is to come, but that still they did not wish to comprehend, interpreting it in favor of the rule of self, and thus extinguishing what is Divine in it. That they would do the same with the truth Divine itself, is signified by “even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them.” (That “the Son of man” denotes the Lord as to truth Divine, see n. 2803, 2813, 3704)

[8] From all this it is now evident what is meant by the prophecy about John in Malachi:

Behold I send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh (Malachi 4:5).

Moreover, the Word in the ultimate, or such as it is in the external form in which it appears before man in the world, is described by the “clothing” and “food” of John the Baptist, in Matthew:

John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, had His clothing of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:1, 4).

In like manner it is described by Elijah in the second book of Kings:

He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins (2 Kings 1:8).

By “clothing,” or a “garment,” when said of the Word, is signified truth Divine there in the ultimate form; by “camel’s hair” are signified memory-truths such as appear there before a man in the world; by the “leathern girdle” is signified the external bond connecting and keeping in order all the interior things; by “food” is signified spiritual nourishment from the knowledges of truth and of good out of the Word; by “locusts” are signified ultimate or most general truths; and by “wild honey” their pleasantness.

[9] That such things are signified by “clothing” and “food” has its origin in the representatives of the other life, where all appear clothed according to truths from good, and where food also is represented according to the desires of acquiring knowledge and growing wise. From this it is that “clothing,” or a “garment,” denotes truth (as may be seen from the citations above; and that “food” or “meat” denotes spiritual nourishment, n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5576, 5579, 5915, 8562, 9003; that “a girdle” denotes a bond which gathers up and holds together interior things, n. 9341; that “leather” denotes what is external, n. 3540; and thus “a leathern girdle” denotes an external bond; that “hairs” denote ultimate or most general truths, n. 3301, 5569-5573; that “a camel” denotes memory-knowledge in general, n. 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145, 4156; that “a locust” denotes nourishing truth in the extremes, n. 7643; and that “honey” denotes the pleasantness thereof, n. 5620, 6857, 8056). It is called “wild honey,” or “honey of the field,” because by “a field” is signified the church (n. 2971, 3317, 3766, 7502, 7571, 9139, 9295). He who does not know that such things are signified, cannot possibly know why Elijah and John were so clothed. And yet that these things signified something peculiar to these prophets, can be thought by everyone who thinks well about the Word.

[10] Because John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, therefore also when he spoke of the Lord, who was the Word itself, he said of himself that he was “not Elias, nor the prophet,” and that he was “not worthy to loose the latchet of the Lord’s shoe,” as in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The Jews from Jerusalem, priests and Levites, asked John who he was. And he confessed, and denied not, I am not the Christ. Therefore they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? But he said, I am not. Art thou the prophet? He answered, No. They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet. They said therefore, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? He answered, I baptize with water; in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not; He it is who is to come after me, who was before me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose. When he saw Jesus, he said, Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a man who was before me; for he was before me (John 1:1, 14, 19-30).

From these words it is plain that when John spoke about the Lord Himself, who was Truth Divine itself, or the Word, he said that he himself was not anything, because the shadow disappears when the light itself appears, that is, the representative disappears when the original itself makes its appearance. (That the representatives had in view holy things, and the Lord Himself, and not at all the person that represented, see n. 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4307, 4444, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806.) One who does not know that representatives vanish like shadows at the presence of light, cannot know why John denied that he was Elias and the prophet.

[11] From all this it can now be seen what is signified by Moses and Elias, who were seen in glory, and who spoke with the Lord when transfigured, of His departure which He should accomplish at Jerusalem (Luke 9:29-31); namely, that they signified the Word (“Moses” the historic Word, and “Elias” the prophetic Word), which in the internal sense throughout treats of the Lord, of His coming into the world, and of His departure out of the world; and therefore it is said that “Moses and Elias were seen in glory,” for “glory” denotes the internal sense of the Word, and the “cloud” its external sense (see the preface to Genesis 18, and n. 5922, 8427).

7439. Let My people go, that they may serve Me. That this signifies that they should release those who are of the spiritual church in order that they may worship their God in freedom, is evident from the signification of “letting go,” as being to release; from the representation of the sons of Israel, here “My people,” as being those who are of the spiritual church (n. 6426, 6637, 6862, 6868, 7035, 7062, 7198, 7201, 7215, 7223); and from the signification of “serving Jehovah,” as being to worship. That they should worship in freedom is plain from what follows (verses 21-23), and also from the fact that all worship which is truly worship must be in freedom.

[2] The sons of Israel being called “the people of Jehovah” was not because they were better than other nations, but because they represented the people of Jehovah, that is, those who are of the Lord’s spiritual kingdom. That they were not better than other nations is plain from their life in the wilderness, in that they did not at all believe in Jehovah, but in their hearts believed in the gods of the Egyptians, as is evident from the golden calf which they made for themselves, and which they called their gods who had brought them forth out of the land of Egypt (Exodus 32:8). The same is evident also from their subsequent life in the land of Canaan, as described in the historicals of the Word, and from what was said of them by the prophets, and finally from what was said of them by the Lord.

[3] For this reason also few of them are in heaven, for they have received their lot in the other life according to their life. Therefore do not believe that they were elected to heaven in preference to others; for whoever so believes, does not believe that everyone’s life remains with him after death, nor that man must be prepared for heaven by his whole life in the world, and that this is done of the Lord’s mercy, and that none are admitted into heaven from mercy alone, regardless of how they have lived in the world. Such an opinion about heaven and the Lord’s mercy is induced by the doctrine of faith alone, and of salvation by faith alone without good works; for those who hold this doctrine have no concern about the life, and so believe that evils can be washed away like dirt by water, and thus that man can in a moment pass into the life of good, and consequently be admitted into heaven. For they do not know that if the life of evil were taken away from the evil, they would have no life whatever, and that if they who are in a life of evil were admitted into heaven, they would feel hell in themselves, and this the more grievously, the more interiorly they were admitted into heaven.

[4] From all this it can now be seen that the Israelites and Jews were by no means elected, but only accepted to represent the things that belong to heaven; and that this must needs be done in the land of Canaan, because the Lord’s church had been there from the most ancient times, and from this all the places there became representative of heavenly and Divine things. In this way also the Word could be written, and the names in it could signify such things as belong to the Lord and His kingdom.

449. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.- That this signifies the conjunction of those who are in the ultimate heaven with the Lord, is evident from the representation of Benjamin and of the tribe named after him, as denoting the Spiritual-celestial in the natural man, like Joseph in the spiritual. The Spiritual-celestial is truth conjoined to good. For truth, regarded in itself, is spiritual, and good celestial; hence Benjamin and his tribe signify the conjunction of truth and good in the Natural, here therefore the conjunction of those who are in the ultimate heaven with the Lord; for those who are in natural good and truth from the spiritual and the celestial are in the ultimate heaven. Those who are in the ultimate heaven are either spiritual-natural, or celestial-natural. The spiritual-natural in that heaven belong to the spiritual kingdom of the Lord, and the celestial-natural belong to the celestial kingdom of the Lord; wherefore the spiritual-natural communicate with the second heaven, where all are spiritual, but the celestial-natural communicate with the third heaven, where all are celestial, as stated above.

[2] It is evident from these things what Joseph and Benjamin, who were brethren, signify in the Word. Since Benjamin signifies truth conjoined to good in the natural man, and consequently truth conjoined to good in those who are in the ultimate heaven, therefore he was also the last son born to Jacob, and was called by him the son of the right hand, for Benjamin, in the original language, signifies the son of the right hand; and also he was born in Bethlehem, which city signifies truth conjoined to good in the Natural. That he was born in Bethlehem, see Genesis (35:16-19). He was born last, because the Natural, consisting of truth conjoined to good, is the ultimate of the church in man. For there are in man three degrees of life, the inmost, the middle, and the ultimate. The inmost degree is that in which those are who dwell in the inmost or third heaven, the middle degree that in which those are who dwell in the middle or second heaven, and the ultimate degree that in which those are who dwell in the ultimate or first heaven. Therefore those who are in the inmost degree are called celestial, those in the middle are called spiritual, and those in the ultimate degree are called either spiritual-natural or celestial-natural. The conjunction of those in the ultimate heaven with the Lord is signified by Benjamin. Concerning these three degrees of life in a man and in an angel, see Heaven and Hell 33, 34, 38, 39, 208, 209, 211, 435). These are the reasons why Benjamin was the last born of the sons of Jacob.

[3] He was called the son of the right hand, because son signifies truth, and right hand the power of truth from good, and all power in the spiritual world is in truth from good in the natural man. In this resides all the power possessed by the spiritual man, because the efficient cause is in the spiritual man, and the effect in the Natural, and all the power of the efficient cause is brought into active operation by means of the effect. That all the power of the spiritual man is in the Natural, and [acts] by means of the Natural, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia. (n. 9836). For this reason he was called Benjamin, that is, son of the right hand. And because Bethlehem has a similar signification, that is, truth conjoined to good in the natural man, therefore also David was born there and also anointed king (1 Sam. 16:1-14; 17:12). For David as a king represented the Lord as to truth from good, which is also signified by a king, as may be seen above (n. 29, 31, 205). And the Lord also was born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1, 5, 6) because He was born King, and from His birth truth in Him was conjoined to good. For every infant is born natural, and the Natural is first opened because it is nearest to the external senses and the world, and with all men it is ignorant of truth and inclined to evil, but with the Lord alone the Natural hungered for good and desired truth. The ruling affection with man is from the father, for it is his soul, but with the Lord the affection or soul from the Father was the Divine Itself, which is the Divine Good of the Divine Love.

[4] Because Benjamin and his tribe signify truth conjoined to good in the natural man, therefore his lot in the land of Canaan was between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph; and Jerusalem also, which was then inhabited by the Jebusite, fell to that tribe for an inheritance (Joshua 18:11-28); so that the sons of Benjamin dwelt there with the Jews, who afterwards occupied that city. The tribe of Benjamin was granted a lot between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph, because that tribe represented and thence signified the conjunction of good and truth; for Judah signifies the good of the church, and Joseph, the truth of the church. The reason why Jerusalem was given to that tribe was, that Jerusalem signified the church in regard to doctrine and worship, and all the doctrine of the church is the doctrine of truth conjoined to good, and all worship according to doctrine takes place by means of the natural man, for, as stated above, worship is an effect from the efficient cause in the spiritual man.

[5] From these observations the signification of Benjamin in the following passages is evident.

In Jeremiah:

If ye hallow the sabbath "they shall come in from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountain, and from the south, bringing the burnt-offering, and the sacrifice, and the meat-offering, and frankincense" (17:26).

The reason why such things are said to be the result of hallowing the sabbath is that the sabbath signified the union of the Divine and the Divine Human in the Lord, and in the respective sense (sensu respectivo), the conjunction of His Divine Human with heaven and the church; and in general the conjunction of good and truth, as may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 8495, 8510, 10356, 10367, 10370, 10374, 10668, 10730). The cities of Judah, the places about Jerusalem, and the land of Benjamin, signify truths conjoined to good in the natural man. The cities of Judah, signify the truths of good, the places about Jerusalem, the truths of doctrine in the natural man, and the land of Benjamin, their conjunction. For cities signify truths, and Judah signifies the good of the church; Jerusalem the doctrine of truth. The places round-about signify such things as are around, or beneath, which are the truths of good in the natural man; and the land of Benjamin signifies the church as to the conjunction of those things in the natural man. From the plain, from the mountain, and from the south, signifies good and truth in the natural man from a celestial and from a spiritual origin. The plain signifies good and truth in the natural man, because those who are in the ultimate heaven, and are called celestial-natural and spiritual-natural (of which above) dwell in plains or below mountains and hills. The mountain signifies those who are in celestial good, and the south, those who are in spiritual good, and therefore in the light of truth. To bring the burnt-offering and the sacrifice, and the meat-offering, and frankincense, signifies worship from celestial good and from spiritual good in the natural man. The burnt-offering signifies worship from celestial good, the sacrifice, worship from spiritual good; the meat-offering and frankincense signify good and the truth of good in the natural man. These are the things signified by the above words. For what other object could there be in saying that if they hallowed the sabbath they should come in from the cities of Judah, from the places about Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the plain, the mountain, and the south? Why not from the whole land of Canaan?

[6] Because these details signify such things as relate to heaven and the church, therefore similar things are also mentioned elsewhere in the same prophet:

"In the cities of the mountain, in the cities of the plain, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places round-about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that numbereth" (Jeremiah 33:13).

So again:

"They shall buy fields for money, and write it in a book, and cause witnesses to witness it in the land of Benjamin, and in the places round-about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountain, and in the cities of the plain, and in the cities of the south; because I will bring back their captivity, saith Jehovah" (Jeremiah 32:44).

In these passages similar things are signified as above by the land of Benjamin, the places round-about Jerusalem, the cities of Judah, the mountain, the plain, and the south; therefore, Benjamin signifies the conjunction of truth and good in the natural man, and thus the conjunction of truth and good with those who are in the ultimate heaven.

[7] In the same prophet:

"Assemble yourselves, ye sons of Benjamin, from the midst of Jerusalem, and sound the trumpet, and upon the house of the vineyard kindle a fire, for evil looketh out of the north, and great destruction" (6:1).

The subject here treated of in the spiritual sense is the devastation of the church in regard to truth and good, because it is against Zion and Jerusalem, for Zion signifies the good of the church, and Jerusalem, its truth. And because the sons of Benjamin signify the conjunction of good and truth they are therefore commanded to assemble themselves out of the midst of Jerusalem, to blow the trumpet, and kindle a fire upon the house of the vineyard. To blow the trumpet, signifies combat against that church from truths which are from good. The house of the vineyard signifies that church itself, and to kindle a fire upon it, its destruction by evil loves. The north from which the evil looketh signifies the falsity of evil; and the great destruction signifies the dissipation of good and truth.

[8] Again, in David:

"Give ear, O shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that sittest upon the cherubim, shine forth. Before Ephraim, and Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up thy strength, and come to save us" (Psalm 80:1, 2).

Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, do not mean Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, but those who are in natural truth and good, and in whom there is the conjunction of these. See above (n. 440:6), where this passage is explained.

[9] In the same:

"Bless ye God in the congregations; the Lord, from the fountain of Israel. There is little Benjamin their ruler, the princes of Judah, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali" (Psalm 68:26, 27).

In these passages, neither Benjamin, nor the princes of Judah, Zebulun, and Naphtali, are meant, but those things pertaining to the church, which are signified by those tribes. Little Benjamin there signifies the innocence of the natural man. The innocence of the natural man consists in the conjunction of good and truth therein. This passage also is explained above (n. 439:5).

[10] In the blessing of the sons of Israel by Moses:

"And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of Jehovah, he shall dwell in safety by him; he shall cover him all the day long, dwelling between his shoulders" (Deuteronomy 33:12).

Benjamin here signifies the Word in the ultimate sense, which is natural. For the Word is described in this blessing pronounced by Moses, and each tribe signifies some essential of it. And because in the ultimate sense of the Word, which is natural, there is the marriage of good and truth, as we have shown in many places, therefore he is called the beloved of Jehovah, and it is said "that he shall dwell in safety by him; he shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders."

[11] To dwell between the shoulders, denotes to dwell in security and in power. The signification of Benjamin in the prophecy of Israel the father concerning his sons (Genesis 49:27) is explained in the Arcana Coelestia 6439-6444). Benjamin in that prophecy is the last spoken of, because he signifies the ultimate of heaven and of the church, the ultimate being the Natural in which truth is conjoined to good.

[12] Because these things are signified by Benjamin, therefore the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin encamped in the wilderness about the tent of the congregation, on the west side (Num. 2:18-24); and these three tribes signify all those who are in natural truth and good, and in the conjunction thereof. Ephraim signifies truth [in the natural man], Manasseh, good, as shown above, and Benjamin, the conjunction of these. The reason why they encamped on the west side, was, that in heaven, those dwell in the west and in the north, who are in the obscurity of good, and in the obscurity of truth, consequently those who are in natural good and truth; but those dwell in the east and in the south in heaven, who are in the lucidity of good and truth. Concerning this circumstance see the work on Heaven and Hell 141-153).

[13] From what has been stated it is now evident that Benjamin, in the Word, signifies the conjunction of good and truth in the natural man, and conjunction with the Spiritual by means of good; for all that good which is good in the natural man flows in from the spiritual man, that is, by means of the spiritual man from the Lord. Without such influx good does not exist in the natural man. Therefore Benjamin also signifies the conjunction of the spiritual man with the natural, and Joseph, the conjunction of the celestial man with the spiritual.