9160. 'The case of both parties shall come even to God, and the one whom God condemns' means enquiry made and decision reached through truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'the case shall come even to God' as enquiry made through truth, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'condemning' as reaching a decision and sentencing the one who transgressed. The reason why 'the case shall come even to God' means enquiry made through truth is that 'to God' implies to the judges who were to enquire into the matter in the light of truth. This also explains the use of the plural in 'the one whom God condemns'. ¹ In the original language God is indeed called El, which is singular, but more often Elohim, which is plural, and the reason for this is that among the angels in heaven the Divine Truth emanating from the Lord is divided into a multitude of different forms. For as many as the angels are, so many are the recipients of God's truth, each one receiving it in their own way, 3241, 3744-3746, 3986, 4149, 5598, 7236, 7833, 7836. This explains why the angels are called gods, 4295, 4402, 7268, 7873, 8301, and also judges, because judges were not to base their judgements on any ideas of their own but on those which were the Lord's. They were also to base judgements on the Law of Moses, thus on the Word received from the Lord. At the present day also judgements are based on what is the Lord's when they accord with truths and spring from conscience.

[2] The Lord is called 'God' in the Word by virtue of Divine Truth that emanates from Him, and 'Jehovah' by virtue of Divine Good, 4402, 6303, 6905, 7268, 8988. For this reason wherever good is the subject in the Word the name 'Jehovah' is used, and wherever truth is the subject the name 'God' is used, 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921 (end), 4402, 7268, 8988; and so 'God' means truth, 4287, 7010, 7268. All this now shows what is meant in verse 8 by 'if the thief is not caught, the master of the house shall be brought to God', and in the present verse by 'the case of both parties shall come even to God, and the one whom God condemns shall repay', as well as what is meant by 'God' in the following places,

Aaron will speak for you to the people; and it will happen, that he will be for you as a mouth, and you will be for him as God. Exodus 4:16.

'Moses' is Divine Truth or the Law, and 'as a mouth' is the teachings drawn from it that Aaron represented, see 7010. Also,

Jehovah said to Moses, See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet. Exodus 7:1.

See 7268. And in the first Book of Samuel,

Formerly in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, he said this, Come, and we will go to the seer. For one called a prophet at the present day was formerly called a seer. 1 Samuel 9:9.

'A seer' or 'a prophet' is God's truth, and teachings based on it regarding truth and good, 2534, 7269.

Фусноти:

489. 'Sons and daughters' means the truths and goods which they perceived, 'sons to be exact meaning the truths and 'daughters' the goods. This becomes clear from very many places in the Prophets. For in the Word, as happened in earliest times, conceptions and births of the Church are called 'sons and daughters', as in Isaiah,

Nations will walk to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes round about and see; they all gather and they come towards you. Your sons will come from far, and your daughters will be nursed at your side. Then you will see and abound, and your heart will be astounded and enlarged. Isaiah 60:3-5.

Here 'sons' stands for truths and 'daughters' for goods.

In David,

Rescue me and snatch me from the hand of sons of the foreigner, whose mouths speak lies. Our sons are like plants made large in their youth, our daughters like corner-pillars cut in the form of the temple. Psalms 144:11-12.

'Sons of the foreigner' stands for spurious truths, which are falsities, 'our sons' for matters of doctrine concerning truth, and 'daughters' for matters of doctrine concerning good.

In Isaiah,

I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Do not withhold. Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the end of the earth. Bring forth the blind people, and they will have eyes, and the deaf, who will have ears. Isaiah 43:6, 8.

Here 'sons' stands for truths, 'daughters' for goods, 'the blind' for people who will see truths, and 'the deaf' for those who comply with them.

In Jeremiah,

From our youth shame is devouring the work of our fathers - their flocks, their herds, their sons, and their daughters. Jeremiah 3:24.

Here 'sons and daughters' stands for truths and goods.

[2] 'Male children' and 'sons' stand for truths in the following in Isaiah,

Jacob will no more be ashamed, and no more will his face grow pale. For when he sees his male children, the work of My hands, in his midst they will sanctify My name, and they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and stand in awe of the God of Israel. Those who err in spirit will know understanding Isaiah 29:12-24.

'The Holy One of Jacob, the God of Israel' stands for the Lord, 'male children' for regenerate people who have an understanding of good and truth, as is also explicitly stated.

In the same prophet,

Sing, O barren one, who did not bear, for the sons of her that is desolate are more than the sons of her that is married. Isaiah 54:1

'The sons of her that is desolate' stands for truths of the Primitive Church, or Church among gentiles, while 'the sons of her that is married' stands for truths of the Jewish Church.

In Jeremiah,

My tent has been laid waste, and all My cords torn away; My sons have gone away from Me, and they are not. Jeremiah 10:20.

'Sons' stands for truths.

In the same prophet,

Their sons will be as they were of old, and their congregation will be established before Me. Jeremiah 30:10

Here 'sons' stands for the truths of the Ancient Church.

In Zechariah,

I will rouse your sons, O Zion, together with your sons, O Jehovah, and I will set you as the sword of one who is powerful. Zechariah 9:13.

Here 'sons' stands for truths of faith inherent in love.