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.

4445. Because he had wrought folly in Israel, in lying with Jacob’s daughter, and so it ought not to be done. That this signifies a conjunction that in their eyes was unlawful, because contrary to the truth which they had, is evident from the signification of “committing folly in lying with Jacob’s daughter,” as being unlawful conjunction. (That to lie with her and thus defile her, denotes conjunction not legitimate, may be seen above, n. 4439.) It is said “in Israel,” because by “Israel” is signified the internal of the church; and it is next said “Jacob’s daughter,” because by “Jacob” is signified the external of the church. (That “Israel” is the internal of the church and “Jacob” the external, may be seen above, n. 4286, 4292, 4439.) That although lawful, the conjunction appeared in their eyes unlawful, may be seen from what has been said and shown just above (n. 4444), and in other places.