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.

4280. That in the internal historical sense, by his “touching the hollow of Jacob’s thigh,” is signified where conjugial love is conjoined with natural good, is evident from the signification of the “hollow of the thigh,” as being where there is the conjunction of conjugial love (see above, n. 4277). That conjunction there with natural good is signified, is because the thigh is there conjoined to the feet. In the internal sense the “feet” signify natural good, as may be seen above (n. 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986).

[2] That the “thigh” denotes conjugial love, and the “feet” natural good, is among the things that are now obsolete and lost. The Ancient Church, which was in representatives and significatives, knew these things very well. The knowledge of such things was their intelligence and wisdom, and this not only of those who were of the church, but also of those who were out of the church, as is evident from the oldest books of the Gentiles, and from the things which at this day are called fables; for significatives and representatives were derived to them from the Ancient Church. With them also the thighs and the loins signified what is conjugial, and the feet what is natural. The thighs and the feet have this signification from the correspondences of all man’s members, organs, and viscera with the Grand Man, which correspondences are now being treated of at the end of the chapters. Of the correspondences with the thigh and the feet more will be said in what follows, where it will be confirmed by living experience that such is their signification.

[3] At the present day these things cannot but appear paradoxical, because, as before said, this knowledge is altogether obsolete and lost. And yet how much this knowledge surpasses other knowledges, may be seen from the fact that without it the Word cannot possibly be known as to its internal sense; and because the angels who are with man perceive the Word according to this sense; and also because by means of this knowledge communication is given to man with heaven. And (what is incredible) the internal man itself thinks in no other way; for when the external man apprehends the Word according to the letter, the internal man apprehends it at the same time according to the internal sense, although the man while living in the body is not aware of this. Especially may this be seen from the fact that when a man comes into the other life and becomes an angel, he knows the internal sense as of himself without instruction.

[4] What conjugial love is, which is signified by the thighs and also by the loins, may be seen above (n. 995, 1123, 2727-2759); and that conjugial love is the fundamental of all loves (n. 686, 3021); and hence it is that those who are in genuine conjugial love are also in celestial love (that is, in love to the Lord), and in spiritual love (that is, in charity toward the neighbor); and therefore by conjugial love not only is this love itself meant, but also all celestial and spiritual love. These loves are said to be conjoined with natural good when the internal man is conjoined with the external, or the spiritual man with the natural. This conjunction is that which is signified by the “hollow of the thigh.” That with Jacob and his posterity in general there was no such conjunction, will appear from what follows; for this is the subject here treated of in the internal historical sense.

3986. And Jehovah hath blessed thee at my foot. That this signifies that it was from the Divine which the natural had, is evident from the signification of “Jehovah blessing,” as being to endow with good (see n. 3406); and that this is conjunction (n. 3504, 3514, 3530, 3565, 3584); thus “Jehovah blessing” signifies to be endowed with Divine good through conjunction; here, with the good of the natural, which is represented by Jacob. It is the natural that is signified by the “foot.” That the “foot” is the natural may be seen above (n. 2162, 3147, 3761), and the same will appear from the correspondence of the Grand Man with everything in man, as shown at the end of the chapters. From this it is evident that by “Jehovah hath blessed thee at my foot,” is signified from the Divine which the natural had.

[2] The arcanum which lies concealed within these words and in those which immediately precede, is known to few, if any, and is therefore to be revealed. The goods that are in men, as well within the church as without it, are absolutely various, so various that the good of one man is never precisely like that of another. The varieties come forth from the truths with which the goods are conjoined; for all good has its quality from truths, and truths have their essential from goods. Varieties come forth also from the affections of everyone’s love; which are enrooted in and appropriated to a man by his life. Even in the man who is within the church there are few genuine truths, and still fewer in the man who is without the church; so that the affections of genuine truth are rare among men.

[3] Nevertheless they who are in the good of life, that is, who live in love to the Lord and in charity toward the neighbor, are saved. That these can be saved is because the Divine of the Lord is in the good of love to God and in the good of charity toward the neighbor; and where the Divine is within, there all things are disposed into order, so that they can be conjoined with the genuine goods and genuine truths that are in the heavens. That this is the case may be seen from the societies that constitute heaven, which are innumerable, and all of which in both general and particular are various in respect to good and truth, and yet all taken together form One Heaven; being circumstanced as are the members and organs of the human body, which, although everywhere various, nevertheless constitute one man. For a one that is formed of many is never constituted of units of exactly the same pattern; but of varying things harmoniously conjoined. Everyone is composed of various things harmoniously conjoined; and the case is the same with the goods and truths in the spiritual world, which, although various, so that they are never precisely the same with one as with another, nevertheless make a one from the Divine through love and charity. For love and charity are spiritual conjunction; and their variety is heavenly harmony, which makes such concord that they are a one in the Divine, that is, in the Lord.

[4] Moreover the good of love to God and the good of charity toward the neighbor, however various may be the truths and the affections of truth, are nevertheless receptive of genuine truth and good; for they are so to speak not hard and resisting, but are as it were soft and yielding, suffering themselves to be led by the Lord, and thus to be bent to good, and through good to Him. Very different is the case with those who are in the love of self and of the world. These do not suffer themselves to be led and bent by the Lord and to the Lord, but resist stiffly, for they desire to lead themselves; and this is still more the case when they are in principles of falsity that have been confirmed. So long as they are of this character they do not admit the Divine.

[5] From all this it is now evident what is signified in the internal sense by the words which Jacob spoke to Laban; for by “Laban” is signified such good as is not genuine, because genuine truths have not been implanted in it; but yet it is of such a nature that these can be conjoined with it, and that the Divine can be in it. Such good is wont to exist in young children before they have received genuine truths; and also in the simple within the church, who know few truths of faith, and yet live in charity; and such good also exists among the upright Gentiles, who are in holy worship of their gods. By means of such good, genuine truths and goods can be introduced, as may be seen from what has been said about little children and the simple within the church (n. 3690); and about the upright Gentiles outside of the church (n. 2598-2603).