2899. The Word in the Jewish Church followed after that. This in a similar way was written by means of representatives and meaningful signs in order that it might possess within it an internal sense understood by those in heaven and in order that thus by means of the Word a communication might exist and the Lord's kingdom in heaven might be united to the Lord's kingdom on earth. Unless all the things which occur in the Word represent, and all the particular expressions used to describe those things mean, Divine things that are the Lord's, and so the celestial and spiritual things which belong to His kingdom, it is not a Divine Word. And all this being so it could not possibly be written in any other style, for this and no other style enables material things and spoken words among men to correspond to the realities and ideas existing in heaven, down to the last detail. Therefore if merely a small child reads the Word, the angels perceive the Divine things within it, see 1776.

8587. And he called the name of the place Massah. That this signifies the quality of the state of the temptation, is evident from the signification of “name” and of “calling by name,” as being the quality (see n. 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 2628, 2724, 3006, 3421, 6674, 6887); and from the signification of “the place,” as being the state (n. 2625, 2837, 3356, 3387, 4321, 4882, 5606, 7381). That the quality of the state of the temptation is meant, is because temptation is the subject treated of; the quality of the state of it is signified by “Massah.” Moreover in the original tongue “Massah” means “temptation.” Its quality will be described in what now follows.

1776. Though it may seem paradoxical it is nevertheless perfectly true that angels have a better and fuller understanding of the internal sense of the Word when very young boys and girls are reading it than when adults do so with whom there is no faith grounded in charity. I have been told the reason why, and it is this: Very young boys and girls live in a state of mutual love and innocence, and so their most tender vessels are almost heavenly, being simply capacities for receiving which are able to be made ready by the Lord to receive. No awareness however of what He is doing enters into their perceptions except through a certain delight in keeping with their character and disposition. The angels said that the Word of the Lord is a dead letter, but that in everyone, when he is reading it, it is given life by the Lord, each according to his capacity to receive it, and that it is made alive according to the life in his charity and according to his state of innocence. This happens in countless and varied ways.