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.

426. Verse3. Saying, hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, signifies lest the good perish with the evil wherever they are. This is evident from the signification of "hurt not," as being lest they perish (of which presently); also from the signification of "the earth, the sea, and the trees," as being everywhere in the spiritual world, even to its ultimates, with those who have any perception (See above, n. 420), consequently the good with the evil, wherever they are. That this is the meaning of these words is evident from the series of things in the spiritual sense; for what now follows treats of the separation of the good from the evil, and this separation is signified by "the sealing of the servants of God on their foreheads," and by the "twelve thousand out of every tribe," and by those who were seen "clothed in white robes," for this chapter treats of all these. By both the latter and the former the good are meant who are to be separated from the evil before the evil are cast down into hell. And as the separation of the good from the evil and the casting out of the evil into hell is effected by Divine influx from the Lord as a sun, the separation of the good from the evil by a gentle and moderate influx, and the casting down of the evil into hell by a strong and intense influx (as may be seen above, n. 413, 418, 419), so these three verses treat of the former influx by which the good are separated from the evil, while the good who are separated are treated of in the rest of the chapter even to the end.

[2] But something shall first be said on this point, that unless the good were separated from the evil before the evil were cast down into hell, the good would perish with the evil. For the good who are not yet raised up into heaven, but are to be raised up after the evil have been cast out, have a very close communication with the evil through the external worship of the evil. For (as was said above, and also in the small work on The Last Judgment 59, 70) the evil, who were allowed to remain till the Last Judgment, were in external worship but in no internal worship, for they made a show and simulation of the holy things of the church with the mouth and gestures, but not from the soul and heart; and by means of this external worship they maintained communication also with those who were inwardly good. Because of this communication the evil could not be cast down until the good had been separated from them, for if they had been left together, the good with whom the evil had been conjoined by external worship would have been hurt, that is, would have perished, for the evil would have drawn them away with themselves.

[3] This, too, is foretold by the Lord in Matthew:

The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man that sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept his enemy came and sowed tares [among the wheat], and went away. But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. But the servants of the householder coming said unto him, Lord, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, A foe hath done this. But the servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we going gather them up? But he said, Nay, lest haply while ye gather up the tares ye root up at the same time the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn (Matthew 13:24-30).

"The man that sowed" means the Lord; the "field" means the spiritual world and the church, in which there are both good and evil; the "good seed" and the "wheat" mean the good, and the "tares" mean the evil; that they could not be separated until the time of the Last Judgment, because of the conjunction described above, is meant by the answer to the servants who wished to gather up the tares before, meaning to separate the evil from the good, namely, "lest haply while ye gather up the tares ye root up at the same time the wheat with them; let both grow together until the harvest," the "harvest" meaning the Last Judgment. That this is the signification the Lord Himself teaches in the same chapter where He says:

He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the [good] seed are the sons of the kingdom; the tares are the sons of the evil one; the harvest is the consummation of the age. As then the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be in the consummation of the age (Matthew 13:37-40).

This makes evident that "the householder that sowed the good seed" means the Lord, who here calls Himself "the Son of man;" and that "the field is the world" means the spiritual world and the church, in which there are both good and evil. It is clear that this means the spiritual world from its being said "The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man that sowed good seed in his field;" "the kingdom of the heavens" meaning the spiritual world and the church; it is clear from this also, that this is said of the Last Judgment, and the Last Judgment is accomplished not in our world but in the spiritual world, as can be seen in the little work on The Last Judgment. This latter passage makes evident also that the "good seed" and the "wheat" mean the good, who are here called "the sons of the kingdom;" and that the "tares" mean the evil, who are called "the sons of the evil one;" also that the "harvest," when the separation is to be effected, means the time of the Last Judgment, for it is said "the harvest is the consummation of the age." ("The consummation of the age" means the time of the Last Judgment, as may be seen above, n.397.) That "then the tares shall be gathered into bundles to be burned, and the wheat be gathered into the barn," signifies that the evil, according to the genera and species of the evil that is with them, are to be gathered up and cast into hell; this takes place with the evil when they are cast out, and is meant by "gathering into bundles;" that the good are to be preserved is meant by "gathering the wheat into the barn," the "barn" meaning where the good are collected.

From this it can be seen that a complete separation of the good from the evil takes place at the time of the Last Judgment, and that it cannot take place before because of the conjunction described above, and that otherwise the good would perish with the evil; for it is said "lest haply while ye gather up the tares ye root up at the same time the wheat with them;" and it is further said "let both grow together until the harvest," that is, until the consummation of the age. Now, because the separation of the good from the evil is effected by a gentle and moderate influx of the Divine proceeding from the Lord, while the casting out of the evil into hell is effected by a powerful and intense influx of the Divine, it can be seen how all the particulars contained in the first three verses of this chapter are to be understood, when it is known from the spiritual sense what is signified by the "winds" that were to be held back, that earth, sea, and tree be not hurt until the servants of God had been sealed on their foreheads.

[4] A few words shall be said about how this separation is effected. When the good are separated from the evil, which is done by the Lord by means of a moderate influx of His Divine, and by a looking into those things that are of spiritual affection with angels and spirits, then the Lord causes those who are interiorly and thence also exteriorly good, to turn themselves to Him, and thus to turn themselves away from the evil, and when they so turn themselves they become invisible to the evil; for this is a common thing in the spiritual world, that when anyone turns himself away from another he becomes invisible to him. When this is done the evil are separated from the good, and at the same time from the sanctity that they had simulated in externals; and thus they look towards hell, into which they are presently cast. (Concerning this turning about more may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 17, 123, 142, 144, 145, 151, 153, 251, 255, 272, 510, 548, 561; that the evil who were able to continue in external worship, or in external piety and sanctity, although not in any internal, were allowed to remain till the Last Judgment, and no longer, and why, may be seen in the small work on The Last Judgment 59-70.)

4859. And covered herself in a veil. That this signifies truth obscured, is evident from the signification of “covering herself” or her face “with her veil,” as being to conceal, and thus to obscure the truth which pretended to be from good, as just above (n. 4858); and this for the purpose of conjunction with Judah. For when a bride first approached the bridegroom she covered herself with a veil-as we read of Rebekah when she came to Isaac (Genesis 24:65); and by this were signified appearances of truth (n. 3207). For a wife signifies truth, and a husband good; and as truth does not appear in its quality until it is being conjoined with its good, therefore for the sake of representing this the bride covered herself with a veil on first seeing her husband. The case is similar here with Tamar, for she regarded Shelah Judah’s son as her husband, but because she was not given to him, she regarded his father in his stead as one to perform the duty of a husband’s brother. Therefore she covered herself with a veil as a bride, and not as a harlot, though Judah believed the latter because harlots also were wont at that time to cover their faces, as is evident from verse 15. The reason why Judah so regarded her was that the Jewish nation, which is there signified by “Judah,” regarded the internal truths of the representative church no otherwise than as a harlot; and therefore Judah was conjoined with her as with a harlot, but not so Tamar with him. Because internal truths could not appear otherwise to that nation, therefore truth obscured is here signified by Tamar’s covering herself in a veil. That the truth of the church is obscured to them, is represented also at this day by their covering themselves with veils in their synagogues.

[2] There was a similar representation with Moses when the skin of his face shone as he came down from Mount Sinai, so that he covered himself with a veil whenever he spoke to the people (Exodus 34:28 to the end). Moses represented the Word which is called the Law (see the preface to Genesis 18); for which reason it is sometimes said the “Law and the Prophets” (as in Matthew 5:17, 11:13; 22:36, 40); and sometimes “Moses and the Prophets” (as in Luke 16:29, 31; 24:27, 44). By the shining of the skin of his face was represented the internal of the Word, for the “face” is the internal (n. 358, 1999, 2434, 3527, 4066, 4796, 4797), which being spiritual is in the light of heaven. His veiling his face whenever he spoke to the people represented that internal truth was covered to them, and thus obscured so that they should not have to endure any light from it.