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).

740. Called the devil and Satan.- That this signifies because they were interiorly in evils and in falsities from hell, is evident from the signification of the devil and Satan, as denoting hell as to evils and falsities, of which we shall speak presently. It means those who were interiorly in evils and falsities therefrom, because those who are here meant by the dragon, and are called the devil and Satan, are not outwardly, but interiorly such; for outwardly they talk like men of the church, and some like angels of heaven, about God, the Lord, faith in and love to Him, and about heaven and hell, and they gather many things from the Word by which they confirm their dogmas. Thus by means of these exterior things they are conjoined to heaven, and yet interiorly they are not influenced by them, much less delighted with them; but they are influenced by and delighted with bodily and worldly things only, and even regard heavenly things as respectively of no account. In a word, they love above all things bodily and worldly affairs, but heavenly things merely as subservient matters, so that the things which belong to the body and the world are made the head, and heavenly things the feet. They are such because they make no account of life, saying that faith alone saves, and not any good of life. Therefore they are devils and satans; for a man is such as he is interiorly, and not such as he is merely outwardly except when he speaks and acts outwardly from the interior. Moreover, a man continues to be such after death; for such as a man is interiorly, such also he is as to the spirit, and the spirit of man is affection, from which is the will and the life therefrom. From this it follows that those who make no account of life are interiorly devils and satans, and also become devils and satans when their life in the world is ended and they become spirits.

[2] The reason why they are called the devil and Satan is, that the devil and Satan signify hell, the devil signifying that hell from which evils come, and Satan that hell from which falsities come; the latter hell is called Satan, because all who are in it are called satans, and the former hell is called the devil because all who are in it are called devils. That there was no devil or Satan who before the creation of the world had been an angel of light, and was afterwards cast down with his crew into hell, is evident from what has been said in Heaven and Hell 311-316), under the head "Heaven and hell are from the human race."

[3] It must be understood that there are two kingdoms into which the heavens are divided, namely, the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom, as may be seen in Heaven and Hell 20-28). To these two kingdoms correspond oppositely the two kingdoms into which the hells are divided; to the celestial kingdom corresponds oppositely the infernal kingdom, which consists of devils, and is therefore called the devil; and to the spiritual kingdom corresponds oppositely the infernal kingdom, which consists of satans, and is therefore called Satan. And as the celestial kingdom consists of angels who are in love to the Lord, so the infernal kingdom corresponding oppositely to the celestial kingdom consists of devils, who are in the love of self, and therefore from that hell evils of every kind flow forth. And as the spiritual kingdom consists of angels who are in charity towards the neighbour, so the infernal kingdom, which corresponds oppositely to the spiritual kingdom, consists of satans, who are in falsities from the love of the world, and therefore from that hell falsities of every kind flow forth.

[4] From these things it is evident what the devil and Satan signify in the following passages in the Evangelists:

"Jesus was led into the wilderness, that he might be tempted of the devil" (Matthew 4:1 and following verses; Luke 4:1-13).

The signification of the wilderness, and of the Lord's temptations for forty days and forty nights, may be seen above (n. 730:41). He is said to have been tempted by the devil, to signify that He was tempted by the hells whence evils come, thus by the worst of the hells; for these were the hells that chiefly fought against the Lord's Divine Love, the love reigning in those hells being the love of self, and this love is the opposite of the Lord's love and thus of the love which is from the Lord.

[5] In Matthew:

"The tares are the sons of the evil; the enemy who soweth them is the devil" (13:38, 39).

Tares signify the falsities of doctrine, of religion and of worship, which are from evil, wherefore also they are called the sons of the evil [one]; and since evil produces them, it is said that it is the devil who soweth them.

[6] In Luke:

"Those upon the way are they that hear, then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their heart, that they may not believe and be saved" (8:12).

And in Mark:

"These are they upon the way, where the word is sown; and when they have heard, immediately Satan cometh and taketh away the word which hath been sown in their hearts" (4:15).

Respecting this the term devil is used in Luke, and Satan in Mark, for the reason that the seed which fell upon the way signifies truth from the Word, received in the memory only and not in the life, and as this is taken away both by evil and falsity, therefore both the devil and Satan are mentioned. And in Luke it is said "that the devil cometh and taketh away the word out of their heart, that they may not believe and be saved; while in Mark, "that Satan cometh and taketh away the word which hath been sown in their hearts."

[7] In Matthew:

"The king shall say to them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (25:41).

The term devil is here used because these words are said of those who did not do good works, and therefore did evil works. For those who do not do good works do evil works, and the works which they did not do are recounted in the preceding verses; for when goods are lightly esteemed, evils are loved.

[8] And the Lord called Judas Iscariot a devil (6:70); and it is said that "the devil put into his heart" (John 13:2); and that after he had taken the sop "Satan entered into him" (John 13:27; Luke 22:3). This is said because Judas Iscariot represented the Jews, who were in falsities from evil, therefore from evil he is called a devil, and from falsities Satan. It is therefore said that "the devil put into his heart," to put into the heart meaning into the love which is of the will. Also it is said that "after he had taken the sop Satan entered into him," to enter into him with the sop meaning to enter into the belly, and to enter into the belly signifies into the thought, and falsities from evil belong to the thought.

[9] In John:

Jesus said to the Jews, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father ye will do; he was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, because the truth was not in him; when he speaketh a lie, he speaketh from his own (ex proprio)" (8:44).

The Jewish nation is here described as to what it had been from the beginning, namely, that it was in evil and in falsities therefrom. Their father the devil means evil from hell, in which their fathers were in Egypt and afterwards in the wilderness. That they wished to remain in the evils of their own desires is signified by "the desires of your father ye will do"; that they destroyed every truth of the understanding is signified by "he was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, because the truth was not in him"; as man signifies the truth of intelligence, so a murderer signifies its destruction. Falsities from their evil are signified by When he speaketh a lie he speaketh from his own (ex proprio), his own signifying the evil of the will, and a lie the falsity therefrom.

[10] In Matthew:

The Pharisees said of Jesus, "He doth not cast out demons but by Beelzebub, the prince of the demons. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, If Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand? If I in the spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come unto you" (12:24, 25, 26, 28).

Here the term satan, and not devil, is used because Beelzebub, who was the god of Ekron, means the god of all falsities, for Beelzebub, by derivation, means the lord of flies, and flies signify the falsities of the sensual man, thus falsities of every kind. This is why Beelzebub is called Satan; therefore the Lord also said, "If I in the spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come unto you," the spirit of God meaning Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, and the kingdom of God, heaven and the church which is in Divine truths.

[11] In the Evangelists:

Peter rebuking Jesus for desiring to suffer, Jesus "turned and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me Satan, thou art a stumbling-block, because thou savourest not the things which are of God, but the things which are of men" (Matthew 16:22, 23; Mark 8:32, 33).

The Lord spoke these words to Peter, because in a representative sense Peter signified faith; and as faith is of truth, and also of falsity, as in the present case, therefore Peter is called Satan; for as already said, Satan denotes that hell from which falsities arise. Peter represented faith in both senses, namely, faith from charity, and faith without charity; and faith without charity is the faith of falsity. Those also who are in faith without charity find a stumbling-block in the Lord's suffering Himself to be crucified, therefore this is called a stumbling-block. As the passion of the cross was the Lord's last temptation, and the complete victory over all the hells, and also the full union of His Divine with the Divine Human, and as this is unknown to those who are in a faith of falsity, the Lord said, Thou savourest not the things which are of God, but the things which are of men.

[12] In Luke:

Jesus said to Simon, "Lo, Satan hath demanded you, that he may sift you as wheat; but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not; when, therefore, thou hast turned again, strengthen thy brethren" (22:31, 32).

Here also Peter represents faith without charity, which faith is a faith of falsity, for this was said to him by the Lord, just before he denied Him thrice. Because he represented faith, therefore the Lord says, "I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not"; that he represented the faith of falsity is evident from the fact that the Lord said to him, "When therefore thou hast turned, strengthen thy brethren." As the faith of falsity is like chaff before the wind, therefore it is said that "Satan hath demanded them, that he may sift them as wheat," wheat denoting the good of charity separated from the chaff. It is therefore evident why the term satan is here used.

[13] In the same:

"I saw Satan as lightning falling from heaven" (10:18).

Here Satan has a similar signification to that of the dragon who was also seen in heaven, and was cast down out of heaven; but it is the dragon that is properly meant by the devil, while his angels are meant by Satan. That the angels of the dragon mean the falsities of evil will be seen in a subsequent paragraph. By Satan falling down from heaven, in the above passage, is signified that the Lord, by means of Divine Truth, which He then was, expelled all falsities out of heaven, and subjugated those hells which are called Satan; and this has a similar meaning to that of Michael casting down the dragon and his angels, concerning which see above (n. 737).

[14] In Job:

"There was a day when the sons of God came to stand near Jehovah, and Satan came in the midst of them. And Jehovah said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking through it. And Jehovah gave into the hand of Satan all things belonging to Job, but he was not to put forth his hand upon him; although afterwards he might touch his bone and his flesh" (1:6-12; chap. 2:1-7).

That this is composed in the form of history is evident from many things in this book. The book of Job is a book of the Ancient Church, full of correspondences, according to the mode of writing at that time, and yet it is a book of great excellence and use. Angels at that time were called the sons of God, because the sons of God, the same as the angels, mean Divine truths, while Satan means infernal falsities. And as the hells tempt man by means of falsities, as Job was afterwards tempted, and as infernal falsities are dispersed by Divine Truths, therefore it is said that Satan stood in the midst of the sons of God. What the rest signifies will not be explained here, since those things must examined in their connection.

[15] In David:

"They lay upon me evil for good, and hatred for my love; set thou a wicked one over him, and let Satan stand at his right hand" (Psalm 109:5, 6).

This, like most things in the Psalms of David, is a prophecy concerning the Lord and His temptations; and He, above all, endured the most terrible temptations. And as the Lord, in His temptations, fought from Divine Love against the hells, and these were most hostile to Him, it is said, "They lay upon me evil for good, and hatred for my love"; and as infernal evil and falsity prevail in the hells, it is said, "Set thou a wicked one over him, and let Satan stand at his right hand," to stand at the right hand signifying to be completely beset, while Satan signifies infernal falsity with which he was beset.

[16] In Zechariah:

"Afterwards he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Jehovah, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary; and Jehovah said unto Satan, Jehovah rebuke thee, he who chooseth Jerusalem; is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? And Joshua was clothed in filthy garments, and thus stood before the angel" (3:1-3).

What these words involve can be seen only from the things which in their connection precede and follow; and it is evident that here the manner in which the Word was falsified was represented. Joshua, the high priest, here signifies the law or the Word, and falsification of it is signified by his standing before the angel in filthy garments. It is therefore plain that Satan there means falsity of doctrine from the falsified Word; and as this began to prevail at that time, it appeared to Zechariah that Satan stood at his right hand, to stand at the right hand signifying to fight against Divine Truth. Since only the sense of the letter of the Word can be falsified, because those truths are only apparently truths, and since those who interpret the Word according to the letter can with difficulty be convinced of falsities, therefore Jehovah said, "Jehovah rebuke thee," as above (n. 735), where it is explained what is signified by the words "Michael disputed with the devil about the body of Moses, and said to the devil, The Lord rebuke thee" (Jude, verse 9). Because truth of doctrine from the Word which has been falsified is here meant, it is said, Jehovah who chooseth Jerusalem; is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" Jerusalem signifying the doctrine of the church, and a brand plucked out of the fire signifying that there was but little of truth remaining.

[17] In these passages in the Old Testament, Satan only is mentioned, and nowhere the devil, but instead of the latter the terms foe, enemy, hater, adversary, accuser, demon, also death and hell, are made use of. From these things it is evident that the devil signifies the hell whence evils arise, and Satan the hell which is the source of falsities; as also in the following passage in the Apocalypse:

"Afterwards I saw an angel coming down out of heaven having the key of the abyss, and a great chain upon his hand, and he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are consummated, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison," and shall seduce the nations; "and the devil who seduced them was cast into a lake of fire and sulphur" (20:1, 2, 7, 8, 10).

But what demons, demoniacs, and spirits of demons signify may be seen above (n. 586).