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).

1672. And the kings that were with him. That this signifies the apparent truth which is of that good, is evident from the signification of “kings” in the Word. “Kings,” “kingdoms,” and “peoples,” in the historical and the prophetical parts of the Word, signify truths and the things which are of truths, as may be abundantly confirmed. In the Word an accurate distinction is made between a “people” and a “nation;” by a “people” are signified truths, and by a “nation” goods, as before shown (n. 1259, 1260). “Kings” are predicated of peoples, but not so much of nations. Before the sons of Israel sought for kings, they were a nation, and represented good, or the celestial; but after they desired a king, and received one, they became a people, and did not represent good or the celestial, but truth or the spiritual; which was the reason why this was imputed to them as a fault (see 1 Samuel 8:7-22, concerning which subject, of the Lord’s Divine mercy elsewhere). As Chedorlaomer is named here, and it is added, “the kings that were with him,” both good and truth are signified; by “Chedorlaomer,” good, and by “the kings,” truth. But what was the quality of the good and truth at the beginning of the Lord’s temptations has already been stated.

548. But that they should torment them five months.- That this signifies that the understanding should be darkened by the falsities of evil, and be drawn away from seeing truth, so long as they are in that state, is evident from the signification of tormenting, which denotes to darken as to the understanding, and to be withdrawn from seeing truth, of which we shall treat presently; and from the signification of five months, as denoting so long as they remain in that state. To torment here signifies to darken as to the understanding, and to be drawn away from seeing truth, because it is stated of the locusts, and their power of hurting like scorpions, and by the locusts is meant the ultimate of the life of man, which is called the Sensual, and by the power of hurting like scorpions is signified the persuasive [power], which is of such a nature, as to take away from the understanding the light of truth, and bring on infernal darkness; therefore it now follows, that their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when he strikes a man, for the scorpion signifies such a persuasive [power], as may be seen above (n. 544). This is said to torment, because it is said above, that the locusts should hurt men, but should not kill them; and he who hurts, and does not kill, torments. The persuasive [power] also in the sensual man, that is in the falsities of evil, hurts the understanding by darkening and drawing it away from seeing truth, although it does not deprive it of the power of understanding and perceiving; and because it is compared with the pain inflicted by a scorpion when it strikes a man, it is said to torment.

[2] The reason why five months signify so long as men are in that state, is, that a month signifies a state, and the number five signifies somewhat, and hence also, so long as. Months signify states, because all times, in the Word, as ages, years, weeks, days, and hours, signify states of life; hence also months, see the Heaven and Hell 162-169).

That five signifies somewhat, is evident from those passages in the Word, where that number occurs. For the numbers 10, 100, 1000, signify much and all, hence five signifies somewhat. For those numbers which signify much, arise from the number five, which signifies somewhat, and the numbers that are compounded and derived, take their signification from the simple numbers, from which, by multiplication, they are compounded and derived, see above (n. 429, 430:2). The number five also signifies so long as, because it is said, five months, and by five months is there signified a state of duration. This signification of five months appears to be a remote one, from this fact, that man so long as he lives in the world, is in natural thought, and natural thought derives its ideas from spaces and times, and also from numbers and measures; for these things are proper to nature, because all things in nature are determined by them. But spiritual thought is without any fixed idea of space, time, number, and measure; and therefore it appears far fetched and strange to man in the world, that five months should signify "so long as that state continues," that is to say, so long as the state of the persuasion of falsity continues, for so long is the understanding darkened, and drawn away from seeing the truth; but when the persuasion of falsity is removed, man comes into the faculty of seeing truth, if he desire to see it, and this faculty is given to every man.

[3] That five, in the Word, signifies somewhat and some, also all of such a quality, and similar things, is clear from the following: Jesus said that the kingdom of the heavens is like to ten virgins of whom "five were wise, and five were foolish" (Matthew 25:1, 2). The Lord compared the kingdom of the heavens to ten virgins, because the kingdom of the heavens signifies the church, and a virgin has a similar signification; and ten virgins signify all who are of the church. It is said, that five were wise and five foolish, because five signifies some of them, or all who are of such a quality on one part. That a virgin signifies the church, is evident from many passages in the Word, where mention is made of the virgin of Zion, the virgin of Jerusalem, the virgin of Israel, for these signify the church.

[4] The same is signified by ten, and by five, in the parable of the Lord concerning the nobleman who gave talents (minoe, mna [Greek]) to his servants to trade with, and one made of his talent ten talents, and another made five talents of his talents, and therefore they had authority over as many cities (Luke 19:13-20). The numbers ten and five were mentioned by the Lord, because ten signifies much, and five, somewhat; but by their trading is signified the acquisition and procuring of heavenly intelligence; and by their having authority over cities, is signified intelligence and wisdom, for a city signifies in the Word, doctrine, and to have authority over it, signifies to be intelligent and wise, and over ten cities, signifies much, and over five, signifies some.

[5] Also some, and all who are of such quality, are signified by the number five in the parable of the Lord concerning the rich man and Lazarus, in which it is said that the rich man told Abraham that he had five brethren, and he besought that Lazarus might be sent to them (Luke 16:27, 28). The rich man said that he had five brethren because by five are signified all who are of such a quality.

Similarly, in the parable of the Lord concerning those who were invited to the great supper, one of them excused himself on the ground that he had bought five yoke of oxen, and must go to prove them (Luke 14:19). By oxen in the Word are signified the natural affections, and by five yoke of oxen are signified all those affections or disorderly desires that lead away from heaven; heaven and the church, in regard to spiritual nourishment or instruction, are signified by the great supper to which they were invited. Who cannot see that the number five in these four parables involves some interior truth, since it is used by the Lord?

[6] So again, in Isaiah:

"In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt speaking with the lips of Canaan, and swearing to Jehovah of hosts. In that day shall there be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt" (19:18, 19).

In that day, signifies the coming of the Lord; "five cities in the land of Egypt speaking with the lips of Canaan," signifies, that some who are then natural shall become spiritual, and shall acknowledge the truths of genuine doctrine, and shall worship the Lord from the good of charity. These things are explained in detail above (n. 223:14). Here, therefore, mention is made of five cities, as some at that time are meant, and also some truths of doctrine.

[7] So again:

"Gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two-three berries in the top of the bough, four-five in the branches of the fruitful tree" (17:6).

And Jesus said in Luke:

"From henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three" (12:52).

That in these passages five also signifies some, and all who are of such a quality, may be seen above (n. 532), where both these passages are explained.

A law was given to the Israelites that he who stole, or slew, or sold an ox, should restore five oxen (Exodus 22:1). Here an ox, in the spiritual sense, means the good of the natural man; by restoring five oxen for an ox, is signified that he shall sufficiently amend what he had perverted and extinguished. To steal means to take away, to kill is to extinguish, and to sell is to pervert.

[8] By the fifth part also is signified as much as is sufficient in the following passages: Leviticus 5:16; 6:5; 22:14; 27:13, 15, 19, 27, 31; Num. 5:6-8. The same is also signified by the fifths which Pharaoh took up from the land of Egypt during the seven years of plenty (Genesis 41:34; 47:24). Again, the same is signified by Abner's smiting Asahel with the hinder end of his spear at the fifth [rib] (2 Sam. 2:23); at the fifth rib signifies as much as was sufficient for death; for the same number that signifies somewhat, and the all of one part, also signifies as much as is sufficient, when it is used of quantity, and so long as, when it is used of time.

[9] Since this number signifies some, and the all of one part, therefore it also signifies little and few, when a great quantity, which is also marked by numbers, follows or precedes; for then the all of one part is respectively few.

Thus in Isaiah:

"One thousand at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee" (30:17).

And in Moses it is said among the curses that five should chase a hundred, and a hundred, ten thousand (Leviticus 26:8). And in the Evangelists it is stated that the Lord fed five thousand men with five loaves and two fishes (Matthew 14:15-22; Mark 6:38-43; Luke 9:13-16; John 6:9-13). The taking up of twelve baskets of the fragments on that occasion signifies fulness, thus fulness of instruction, and also full benediction.

[10] In Luke by five are signified few, where it is said,

"Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? Fear not therefore; ye are of more value than many sparrows" (12:6, 7).

Here five sparrows are mentioned, because five denotes what is few and of little value compared to men, for it is afterwards said, "ye are of more value than many sparrows." Any one can see that this number would not have been mentioned so often by the Lord unless it had been significative. Since five signifies all of one part, therefore it was also commanded that over the tabernacle they should make ten curtains, five curtains to be coupled together one to another, and five curtains to be coupled one to another (Exodus 26:1, 3). That ten signifies all in the aggregate, and five the all of one and of the other part, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 9595, 9604).