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.

139. Internal Meaning of Ezekiel, Chapter 16

The successive states of the Jewish church. (2)

1-2 There was nothing in it but falsity and evil. (2)

3-6 It was forsaken by the Lord from the beginning, because it was without anything of the church. (2)

7-12 After a time truths and goods of every kind and species were given to it through the Word, and thus evils and falsities were removed. (2)

13-14 Thus it could have been in intelligence. (2)

15-20 It falsified all things of the Word. (2)

21-22 It extinguished truths and goods, and became as in the beginning. (2)

23-25 It turned truths into falsities (2)

26-28 by knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man, by traditions, and by reasonings from them, (2)

29-30 finally profaning [truths]. (2)

31 It exalted itself above all men. (2)

32-34 It obtruded its falsities on others. (2)

35-42 They will utterly perish by the falsities by which the truths of the Word have been destroyed. (3)

43-45 Thus they will be as in the beginning. (3)

46-52 The like has come to pass with the Israelitish church, but in a less degree. (3, 17)

53-55 Nevertheless the church in general shall be restored. (11)

56-58 It is everywhere better than in the Jewish church. (11)

59-63 A new church is to be instituted among others. (11)

3143. And there is room for the camels. That this signifies a state for all things that would be serviceable to Him, is evident from the signification of “room,” as being state (see above, n. 1273-1277, 1376-1381, 2625); and from the signification of “camels,” as being general memory-knowledges (see n. 3048, 3071). That these are things for service may be seen above (n. 1486, 3019, 3020); for all things that belong to the natural man are for no other use than to serve the spiritual; wherefore also menservants, maidservants, camels, and asses, in the internal sense chiefly signify the things which belong to the natural man.