Arcana Coelestia #576
576. That the number “ten” and also “tenths” signify remains, is evident from the following passages of the Word:
Many houses shall be a desolation, great and fair, without an inhabitant; for ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of a homer shall yield an ephah (Isaiah 5:9-10),
speaking of the vastation of things spiritual and celestial: “ten acres of vineyard making a bath” signifies that the remains of things spiritual were so few; and “the seed of a homer yielding an ephah” signifies that there were so few remains of things celestial. In the same:
And many things are forsaken in the midst of the land, yet in it shall be a tenth part, and it shall return, and nevertheless it shall be consumed (Isaiah 6:12-13); where the “midst of the land” signifies the internal man; a “tenth part” signifies the smallness of the remains.
In Ezekiel:
Ye shall have balances of justice, and an ephah of justice, and a bath of justice: the ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, the bath to contain the tenth of a homer, and an ephah the tenth of a homer; the measure thereof shall be after the homer; and the ordinance of oil, a bath of oil, the tenth of a bath out of a kor, ten baths to the homer, for ten baths are a homer (Ezekiel 45:10-11, 14);
in this passage the holy things of Jehovah are treated of by measures, whereby are signified the kinds of the holy things; by “ten” are here signified the remains of celestial and of the derivative spiritual things; for unless such holy arcana were contained herein, what could be the use or intent of describing so many measures determined by numbers, as is done in this and the former chapters in the same Prophet, where the subject is the heavenly Jerusalem and the New Temple?
[2] In Amos:
The virgin Israel is fallen, she shall no more rise. Thus saith the Lord Jehovih, The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred remaining, and that which went out a hundred, shall have ten remaining to the house of Israel (Amos 5:2-3),
where, speaking of remains, it is said that very little would be left, being only a “tenth part” or remains of remains. Again:
I abhor the pride of Jacob and his palaces, and will shut up the city, and its fullness, and it shall come to pass if there shall be left ten men in one house they shall even die (Amos 6:8-9),
speaking of remains which should scarcely remain.
In Moses:
An Ammonite or Moabite shall not come into the congregation of Jehovah, even the tenth generation of them shall not come into the congregation of Jehovah to eternity (Deuteronomy 23:3);
“an Ammonite and a Moabite” signify the profanation of the celestial and spiritual things of faith, the “remains” of which are spoken of in what precedes.
[3] Hence it appears also that “tenths” represent remains. And so in Malachi:
Bring ye all the tithes [tenths] into the treasure-house, that there may be booty in My house, and let them prove Me, bestir ye in this, if I will not open for you the cataracts of heaven, and pour you out a blessing (Malachi 3:10);
“that there may be booty in My house” signifies remains in the internal man, which are compared to “booty” because they are insinuated as by stealth among so many evils and falsities; and it is by these remains that all blessing comes. That all man’s charity comes by the remains which are in the internal man, was also represented in the Jewish Church by this statute: that when they had made an end of tithing all the tithes, they should give to the Levite, to the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow (Deuteronomy 26:12).
[4] Inasmuch as remains are of the Lord alone, therefore the tenths are called “holiness to Jehovah”; as in Moses:
All the tenths of the land, of the seed of the land, of the fruit of the tree, they are Jehovah’s, holiness to Jehovah: all the tenths of the herd and of the flock, whatsoever passeth under the (pastoral) rod, the tenth shall be holiness to Jehovah (Leviticus 27:30-31).
That the Decalogue consisted of “ten” precepts, or “ten” words, and that Jehovah wrote them on tables (Deuteronomy 10:4), signifies remains, and their being written by the hand of Jehovah signifies that remains are of the Lord alone; their being in the internal man was represented by the tables.
Genesis 29
1
Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east.
2
He looked, and behold, a well in the field, and, behold, three flocks of sheep lying there by it. For out of that well they watered the flocks. The stone on the well's mouth was large.
3
There all the flocks were gathered. They rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again on the well's mouth in its place.
4
Jacob said to them, "My relatives, where are you from?" They said, "We are from Haran."
5
He said to them, "Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?" They said, "We know him."
6
He said to them, "Is it well with him?" They said, "It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep."
7
He said, "Behold, it is still the middle of the day, not time to gather the livestock together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them."
8
They said, "We can't, until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth. Then we water the sheep."
9
While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she kept them.
10
It happened, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.
11
Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.
12
Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son. She ran and told her father.
13
It happened, when Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister's son, that he ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things.
14
Laban said to him, "Surely you are my bone and my flesh." He lived with him for a month.
15
Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be?"
16
Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
17
Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and attractive.
18
Jacob loved Rachel. He said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."
19
Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me."
20
Jacob served seven years for Rachel. They seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had for her.
21
Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her."
22
Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.
23
It happened in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. He went in to her.
24
Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid to his daughter Leah for a handmaid.
25
It happened in the morning that, behold, it was Leah. He said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Didn't I serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?"
26
Laban said, "It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn.
27
Fulfill the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you will serve with me yet seven other years."
28
Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. He gave him Rachel his daughter as wife.
29
Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah, his handmaid, to be her handmaid.
30
He went in also to Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.
31
Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.
32
Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, "Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction. For now my husband will love me."
33
She conceived again, and bore a son, and said, "Because Yahweh has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this son also." She named him Simeon.
34
She conceived again, and bore a son. Said, "Now this time will my husband be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore was his name called Levi.
35
She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, "This time will I praise Yahweh." Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.
