9371. THE INTERNAL SENSE.

Verses 1-2. And He said unto Moses, Come up unto Jehovah, thou and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and bow yourselves afar off; and Moses, he alone, shall come near unto Jehovah; and they shall not come near; and the people shall not come up with him. “And He said unto Moses,” signifies that which concerns the Word in general; “come up unto Jehovah,” signifies conjunction with the Lord; “thou and Aaron,” signifies the Word in the internal sense and the external sense; “Nadab and Abihu,” signifies doctrine from both senses; “and seventy of the elders of Israel,” signifies the chief truths of the church which are of the Word, or of doctrine, and which agree with good; “and bow yourselves afar off,” signifies humiliation and adoration from the heart, and then the influx of the Lord; “and Moses, he alone, shall come near unto Jehovah,” signifies the conjunction and presence of the Lord through the Word in general; “and they shall not come near,” signifies no separate conjunction and presence; “and the people shall not come up with him,” signifies no conjunction whatever with the external apart from the internal.

1147. And unto them were sons born. That these signify the doctrinals thence derived, is evident from the signification of “sons” in the internal sense, as being the truths of faith, and also the falsities, consequently doctrinal matters; by which both true and false are meant, for such are the doctrinals of churches. (That “sons” have such a signification may be seen above, n. 264, 489, 491, 535)

264. That the “conception and birth of sons” in the Word, are taken in a spiritual sense—“conception” for the thought and device of the heart, and “sons” for truths, is evident from Hosea:

As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception; though they shall have brought up their sons, yet will I bereave them, that they be not man; yea, woe also to them when I depart from them (Hosea 9:11-12),

where “Ephraim” signifies the intelligent, or the understanding of truth; and “sons” truths themselves. It is likewise said elsewhere concerning Ephraim, or one who is intelligent, who has become foolish:

The sorrows of one in travail have come upon him, he is an unwise son, for at the time he will not stand in the breach of the womb of sons (Hosea 13:13).

And in Isaiah:

Blush, O Zidon, for the sea hath spoken, the fortress of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, nor brought forth, nor have I brought up young men, nor caused girls to grow up; as at the report concerning Egypt, they shall bring forth according to the report of Tyre (Isaiah 23:4-5),

where “Zidon” means those who have been in the knowledges of faith, but have destroyed them by memory-knowledges [scientifica], and so have become barren.

[2] Again in the same prophet, treating of regeneration, and where likewise the truths of faith are signified by “sons”: Before she travailed she bringeth forth; and before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child; who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? shall the earth bring forth in one day? and shall I not cause to bring forth? saith Jehovah; shall I cause to bring forth, and close up? saith thy God (Isaiah 66:7-9).

Goods and truths, being conceived and born of the heavenly marriage, are therefore called “sons” by the Lord in Matthew:

He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; and the seed are the sons of the kingdom (Matthew 13:37-38).

And the goods and truths of a saving faith He calls “sons of Abraham” (John 8:39); for “seed” (as stated n. 255) denotes faith, wherefore “sons” which are of the “seed” are the goods and truths of faith. Hence also the Lord, as being Himself the “seed” called Himself the “Son of man” that is, the faith of the church.