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.

9138. Verses 4-5. When a man shall desolate a field, or a vineyard, and shall let his beast go in, and it shall desolate in the field of another; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, he shall repay. When a fire shall go forth, and shall catch hold of thorns, and a stack is consumed, or the standing crop, or a field; he that kindleth the fire, repaying shall repay. “When a man shall desolate a field, or a vineyard” signifies the deprivation of the good and the truth of the church through cupidities; “and shall let his beast go in,” signifies if he does this with but little knowledge; “and it shall desolate in the field of another,” signifies the consuming of the cohering goods; “of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, he shall repay,” signifies restoration from goods and truths still unimpaired; “when a fire shall go forth,” signifies anger from the affection of evil; “and shall catch hold of thorns,” signifies which betakes itself into falsities; “and a stack is consumed,” signifies injury to the goods and truths of faith that have been received; “or the standing crop, or a field,” signifies also to the goods and truths of faith in their conception; “he that kindleth the fire repaying shall repay,” signifies the restoration of what was taken away through anger from the affection of evil.