9372. And He said unto Moses. That this signifies that which concerns the Word in general, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being the Word (of which below); and from the signification of “He said,” as involving those things which follow in this chapter, thus those which concern the Word (see n. 9370). (That Moses represents the Word, can be seen from what has been often shown before about Moses, as from the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 4859, 5922, 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 8601, 8760, 8787, 8805.) Here Moses represents the Word in general, because it is said of him in what follows, that he alone should come near unto Jehovah (verse 2); and also that, being called unto out of the midst of the cloud, he entered into it, and went up the mount (verses 16-18).

[2] In the Word there are many who represent the Lord in respect to truth Divine, or in respect to the Word; but chief among them are Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist. That Moses does so, can be seen in the explications just cited above; that so do Elijah and Elisha, can be seen in the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 2762, 5247; and that John the Baptist does so is evident from the fact that he was “Elias who was to come.” He who does not know that John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, cannot know what all those things infold and signify which are said about him in the New Testament; and therefore in order that this secret may stand open, and that at the same time it may appear that Elias, and also Moses, who were seen when the Lord was transfigured, signified the Word, some things may here be quoted which are spoken about John the Baptist; as in Matthew:

After the messengers of John had departed, Jesus began to speak concerning John, saying, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? a reed shaken by the wind? But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft things are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, even more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, Behold I send Mine angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee. Verily I say unto you, Among those who are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist; nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he. All the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye are willing to believe, he is Elias who was to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:7-15; and also Luke 7:24-28).

No one can know how these things are to be understood, unless he knows that this John represented the Lord as to the Word, and unless he also knows from the internal sense what is signified by “the wilderness” in which he was, also what by “a reed shaken by the wind,” and likewise by “soft raiment in kings’ houses;” and further what is signified by his being “more than a prophet,” and by “none among those who are born of women being greater than he, and nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he,” and lastly by his being “Elias.” For without a deeper sense, all these words are uttered merely from some comparison, and not from anything of weight.

[3] But it is very different when by John is understood the Lord as to the Word, or the Word representatively. Then by “the wilderness of Judea in which John was” is signified the state in which the Word was at the time when the Lord came into the world, namely, that it was “in the wilderness,” that is, it was in obscurity so great that the Lord was not at all acknowledged, neither was anything known about His heavenly kingdom; when yet all the prophets prophesied about Him, and about His kingdom, that it was to endure forever. (That “a wilderness” denotes such obscurity, see n. 2708, 4736, 7313.) For this reason the Word is compared to “a reed shaken by the wind” when it is explained at pleasure; for in the internal sense “a reed” denotes truth in the ultimate, such as is the Word in the letter.

[4] That the Word in the ultimate, or in the letter, is crude and obscure in the sight of men; but that in the internal sense it is soft and shining, is signified by their “not seeing a man clothed in soft raiment, for behold those who wear soft things are in kings’ houses.” That such things are signified by these words, is plain from the signification of “raiment,” or “garments,” as being truths (n. 2132, 2576, 4545, 4763, 5248, 6914, 6918, 9093); and for this reason the angels appear clothed in garments soft and shining according to the truths from good with them (n. 5248, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216). The same is evident from the signification of “kings’ houses,” as being the abodes of the angels, and in the universal sense, the heavens; for “houses” are so called from good (n. 2233, 2234, 3128, 3652, 3720, 4622, 4982, 7836, 7891, 7996, 7997); and “kings,” from truth (n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 6148). Therefore by virtue of their reception of truth from the Lord, the angels are called “sons of the kingdom,” “sons of the king,” and also “kings.”

[5] That the Word is more than any doctrine in the world, and more than any truth in the world, is signified by “what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet;” and by, “there hath not arisen among those who are born of women a greater than John the Baptist;” for in the internal sense “a prophet” denotes doctrine (n. 2534, 7269); and “those who are born,” or are the sons, “of women” denote truths (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3704, 4257).

[6] That in the internal sense, or such as it is in heaven, the Word is in a degree above the Word in the external sense, or such as it is in the world, and such as John the Baptist taught, is signified by, “he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he;” for as perceived in heaven the Word is of wisdom so great that it transcends all human apprehension. That the prophecies about the Lord and His coming, and that the representatives of the Lord and of His kingdom, ceased when the Lord came into the world, is signified by, “all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” That the Word was represented by John, as by Elijah, is signified by his being “Elias who is to come.”

[7] The same is signified by these words in Matthew:

The disciples asked Jesus, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? He answered and said, Elias must needs first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elias hath come already, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished. Even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them. And they understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:10-13).

That “Elias hath come, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished” signifies that the Word has indeed taught them that the Lord is to come, but that still they did not wish to comprehend, interpreting it in favor of the rule of self, and thus extinguishing what is Divine in it. That they would do the same with the truth Divine itself, is signified by “even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them.” (That “the Son of man” denotes the Lord as to truth Divine, see n. 2803, 2813, 3704)

[8] From all this it is now evident what is meant by the prophecy about John in Malachi:

Behold I send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh (Malachi 4:5).

Moreover, the Word in the ultimate, or such as it is in the external form in which it appears before man in the world, is described by the “clothing” and “food” of John the Baptist, in Matthew:

John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, had His clothing of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:1, 4).

In like manner it is described by Elijah in the second book of Kings:

He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins (2 Kings 1:8).

By “clothing,” or a “garment,” when said of the Word, is signified truth Divine there in the ultimate form; by “camel’s hair” are signified memory-truths such as appear there before a man in the world; by the “leathern girdle” is signified the external bond connecting and keeping in order all the interior things; by “food” is signified spiritual nourishment from the knowledges of truth and of good out of the Word; by “locusts” are signified ultimate or most general truths; and by “wild honey” their pleasantness.

[9] That such things are signified by “clothing” and “food” has its origin in the representatives of the other life, where all appear clothed according to truths from good, and where food also is represented according to the desires of acquiring knowledge and growing wise. From this it is that “clothing,” or a “garment,” denotes truth (as may be seen from the citations above; and that “food” or “meat” denotes spiritual nourishment, n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5576, 5579, 5915, 8562, 9003; that “a girdle” denotes a bond which gathers up and holds together interior things, n. 9341; that “leather” denotes what is external, n. 3540; and thus “a leathern girdle” denotes an external bond; that “hairs” denote ultimate or most general truths, n. 3301, 5569-5573; that “a camel” denotes memory-knowledge in general, n. 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145, 4156; that “a locust” denotes nourishing truth in the extremes, n. 7643; and that “honey” denotes the pleasantness thereof, n. 5620, 6857, 8056). It is called “wild honey,” or “honey of the field,” because by “a field” is signified the church (n. 2971, 3317, 3766, 7502, 7571, 9139, 9295). He who does not know that such things are signified, cannot possibly know why Elijah and John were so clothed. And yet that these things signified something peculiar to these prophets, can be thought by everyone who thinks well about the Word.

[10] Because John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, therefore also when he spoke of the Lord, who was the Word itself, he said of himself that he was “not Elias, nor the prophet,” and that he was “not worthy to loose the latchet of the Lord’s shoe,” as in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The Jews from Jerusalem, priests and Levites, asked John who he was. And he confessed, and denied not, I am not the Christ. Therefore they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? But he said, I am not. Art thou the prophet? He answered, No. They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet. They said therefore, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? He answered, I baptize with water; in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not; He it is who is to come after me, who was before me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose. When he saw Jesus, he said, Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a man who was before me; for he was before me (John 1:1, 14, 19-30).

From these words it is plain that when John spoke about the Lord Himself, who was Truth Divine itself, or the Word, he said that he himself was not anything, because the shadow disappears when the light itself appears, that is, the representative disappears when the original itself makes its appearance. (That the representatives had in view holy things, and the Lord Himself, and not at all the person that represented, see n. 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4307, 4444, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806.) One who does not know that representatives vanish like shadows at the presence of light, cannot know why John denied that he was Elias and the prophet.

[11] From all this it can now be seen what is signified by Moses and Elias, who were seen in glory, and who spoke with the Lord when transfigured, of His departure which He should accomplish at Jerusalem (Luke 9:29-31); namely, that they signified the Word (“Moses” the historic Word, and “Elias” the prophetic Word), which in the internal sense throughout treats of the Lord, of His coming into the world, and of His departure out of the world; and therefore it is said that “Moses and Elias were seen in glory,” for “glory” denotes the internal sense of the Word, and the “cloud” its external sense (see the preface to Genesis 18, and n. 5922, 8427).

581. For their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads.- That this signifies that they reason craftily from sensual scientifics, which are fallacies, is evident from the signification of tails, here the tails of horses, as denoting the scientifics which are called sensual, because they are the ultimates of the understanding (see above, n. 559); and from the signification of serpents, as denoting the craftiness of the sensual man, of which in what follows; and from the signification of having heads, as denoting to reason by means of those scientifics. For the head signifies intelligence, therefore to have a head signifies to be intelligent. Reasoning by means of those scientifics, is meant, because "head," when used in reference to the sensual man, signifies knowledge (scientia), and illusory thought thence, as may be seen above (n.577:2), consequently also reasoning by means of sensual scientifics. From these things it is evident that by the tails of the horses being like serpents, and having heads, is signified, that they reason craftily from sensual scientifics, which are fallacies. It is said, that they are fallacies, because sensual scientifics become fallacies when man reasons from them concerning spiritual things; as for example, that dignities and wealth are real blessings; that the glory possessed by the great in the world is heavenly blessedness; and that the Lord desires adoration from man for the sake of His own glory; with other things of a similar nature, and these are fallacies, when they are applied to spiritual things. For the sensual man, not being endued with intelligence, thus thinks, for he cannot possibly know otherwise.

[2] That serpents, in the Word, signify the craftiness and prudence of the sensual man, is evident from the following passages. In Moses:

"The serpent was more subtle than any wild beast of the field which Jehovah God had made" (Genesis 3:1).

Here the serpent does not mean a serpent, but the sensual man, and in a general sense, the Sensual itself, which is the ultimate of the human understanding. The man and his wife, signify the Most Ancient Church, which fell away when the men of that Church began to reason concerning Divine things from sensual scientifics, and such reasoning is signified by their eating of the tree of knowledge (scientia); their craftiness in reasoning concerning Divine things from the Sensual, is described by the reasoning of the serpent with the wife of Adam, by which they were deceived. The reason why the serpent was said to be more subtle than any wild beast of the field, is that it is poisonous, and its bite therefore deadly, and that it conceals itself in hiding places. Poison signifies craft and treachery, and thence the bite of the serpent, deadly hurt; and the lurking places from which it bites, and in which it conceals itself, signify craftiness.

[3] It must be observed, that all beasts signify affections pertaining to man, and serpents signify the affections of the sensual man, because they move over the ground upon the belly just like the Sensual of man, for this is in the lowest place, and as it were creeps upon the ground beneath the rest [of the faculties]. Sensual men also, in the spiritual world, dwell in the lower parts, for they cannot be elevated towards the higher, since they are in externals, and form their judgments and conclusions about everything from externals. The evil also, who are in the hells, are mostly sensual, and many of them crafty, wherefore when they are seen from the light of heaven, they appear like serpents of various kinds, and hence it is, that the devil is called a serpent. The reason why the infernals are also crafty, is, that evil conceals in itself every kind of craftiness and cunning, just as good conceals every kind of prudence and wisdom. More may be seen upon this subject in Heaven and Hell 576-581), where the cunning and wicked arts of infernal spirits are treated of.

[4] Hence now it is that the devil or hell is called a serpent in the following passages.

In the Apocalypse:

"The dragon, the old serpent, called the devil, and satan, which deceiveth the whole world" (12:9, 14, 15; 20:2).

And in David:

"They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; the poison of an asp is under their lips" (Psalm 140:3).

These words signify their crafty and treacherous deception.

Again:

"Their poison is like the poison of a serpent," (Psalm 58:4).

And in Job:

"He shall suck the poison of asps; the viper's tongue shall slay him" (20:16).

And in Isaiah:

"They hatched eggs of an asp, and wove the spider's web; he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and when any one crusheth it there breaketh out a viper" (59:5).

This is said of evil men, who by treachery and craft seduce others in spiritual things. The secret evils to which they allure by their craftiness, are signified by the eggs of the asp, which they are said to hatch; their treacherous falsities are signified by the spider's web which they are said to weave; the deadly hurt which they cause if they are received, is signified by "he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and when any one crusheth it there breaketh out a viper."

[5] Because the Pharisees were of such a character, therefore they are called by the Lord, "serpents, a generation of vipers" (Matthew 23:33). That the craftiness and cunning of such could inflict no injury upon those whom the Lord protects, is signified by the following words in Isaiah:

"The sucking child shall play on the hole of the viper, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the basilisk's den" (11:8).

The sucking child and the weaned child in these words signify those who are in the good of innocence, that is, those who are in love to the Lord. The hole of the viper and the den of the basilisk mean hells where treacherous and crafty spirits are, and the entrances into them also appear like dusky holes, and within, like dens.

[6] That the craftiness and cunning of infernal spirits should not hurt those whom the Lord protects, is also signified by the words of the Lord, that He would give them power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19); also that they should take up serpents; and if they drank any deadly thing, it should not hurt them (Mark 16:18). To tread on serpents, signifies to despise and make light of the treacheries, craft, and wicked arts of the infernal crew; therefore it is also said, "and over all the power of the enemy," the enemy denoting the infernal crew, and his power, craftiness.

[7] The cunning and craftiness of infernal spirits, who are called collectively the devil and satan, are also meant by serpents in the following passages.

Thus in Moses:

Jehovah God "led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, of the serpent, the fiery flying serpent, and scorpion" (Deuteronomy 8:15).

The journeyings of the sons of Israel in the wilderness, represented, and thence signified, the temptations of the faithful; the infestations which then take place from the hells by means of evil spirits and genii, are signified by the serpents, fiery flying serpents, and scorpions.

[8] Again in Isaiah:

"Rejoice not thou, whole Philisthea, that the rod of him that smote thee is broken; for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a basilisk, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent" (14:29).

Philisthea here signifies faith separated from charity; the turning aside of many by the deceptive arguments by which that faith is confirmed, is signified by out of the serpent's root shall come forth a basilisk, and his fruit shall be a flying fiery serpent.

Again in Jeremiah:

"Behold, I send serpents, basilisks, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you" (8:17).

Again:

"The voice thereof shall go like a serpent" (46:22).

And in Amos:

"Though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them" (9:3).

Craftiness is also signified in Isaiah by "Leviathan, that crooked serpent" (27:1).

[9] That serpents, in the Word, signify the craft, and also the prudence of sensual men, is evident from the words of the Lord in Matthew:

"Be ye prudent (wise) as serpents, and harmless as doves" (10:16).

Those who are in good are called prudent, and those who are in evil, are called crafty, for prudence is of truth from good, and craftiness is of falsity from evil; and since these words were spoken to those who were in truths from good, therefore by serpents, in this place, is meant prudence. Because the craftiness of the evil is diabolical, therefore those who practise it are said to eat the dust.

[10] Thus in Moses:

It was said to the serpent," Thou art cursed above every beast, and above every wild beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life" (Genesis 3:14).

And in Isaiah:

"Dust shall be the serpent's bread" (Isaiah 65:2 5).

And in Micah:

"They shall lick the dust like a serpent" (7:17).

Dust signifies what is cursed; and going upon the belly signifies the Sensual, which is the ultimate of the life of man; and since it is the ultimate of the life, it therefore does not possess intelligence and wisdom, but craft and cunning, which are contrary to intelligence and wisdom.

[11] Again, in Moses:

"Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an arrow-serpent on the path, biting the horse's heels, and its rider shall fall backwards" (Genesis 49:17).

No one can know the signification of this prophecy concerning Dan unless he understand the signification of a horse and its heels, and also of a serpent. A horse signifies the understanding of truth, and a rider, intelligence; a serpent signifies the Sensual, which is the ultimate of the intellectual life; the heels of a horse signify truths in ultimates, which are sensual scientifics. That the Sensual, by reasonings from fallacies, hurts the understanding and leads it astray, is signified by the serpent biting the heels of the horse, and the horseman falling backwards. These things are said concerning Dan, because the tribe named after him was the last of the tribes, and therefore signified the ultimates of truth and good, consequently the ultimates of the church, as may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 1710, 3923, 6396, 10335), where this prophecy is explained.

[12] The Sensual, which is the ultimate of the intellectual life, is also signified by the crooked serpent, in Isaiah (27:1); Job (26:13); also by the serpent into which the rod of Moses was turned (Exodus 4:3, 4; 7:9-12); see in the Arcana Coelestia 6949, 7293). The sensual things also, which are the ultimates of the life of man, are signified by "the fiery flying serpents" sent amongst the people, who desired to return to Egypt; but the healing of the wound made by such serpents by the Divine Sensual of the Lord, is signified by the "brazen serpent," placed upon a pole, at the sight of which they revived (Num. 21:5-9). It is said the Divine Sensual of the Lord, because the Lord, when in the world, glorified, that is made Divine, His whole Human, even to the ultimate thereof, as is evident from this fact, that He left nothing in the sepulchre, and that He said unto His disciples, that He had flesh and bones, which a spirit had not (Luke 24:39). The ultimate Sensual, which the Lord also glorified or made Divine, is signified by the brazen serpent set upon a pole, of which the Lord Himself thus spoke in John:

"As Moses lifted up the serpent, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life" (3:14, 15).

The Lord was represented by this sign before the Israelitish and Jewish people, because they were utterly sensual, and the sensual man cannot raise his thought, when directed to the Lord, beyond and above the Sensual. For every one looks at the Lord according to the elevation of his understanding; the spiritual man looks to the Divine Rational, and so on. It is evident from these considerations, that the brazen serpent also signifies the Sensual, but the glorified or Divine Sensual of the Lord.