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).

491. The same things are signified by “sons” and “daughters” in this chapter (verses 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 26, 30), but such as is the church, such are the “sons and daughters” that is, such are the goods and truths; the truths and goods here spoken of are such as were distinctly perceived, because they are predicated of the Most Ancient Church, the principal and parent of all the other and succeeding churches.

179. Verse 28. And I will give him the morning star, signifies intelligence and wisdom from the Lord's Divine Human. This is evident from the signification of "stars," as being the knowledges of good and truth (See above, n. 72); and as they signify the knowledges of good and truth, they also signify intelligence and wisdom, for all intelligence and wisdom come by means of the knowledges of good and truth. It is evident also from the signification of "morning" as being the Lord in respect to His Divine Human, therefore "the morning star" means intelligence and wisdom from Him. "Morning" is often mentioned in the Word, and its signification varies according to the connection in the internal sense; in the highest sense it signifies the Lord, and also His coming; in the internal sense it signifies His kingdom and church, and their state of peace. Moreover, it signifies the first state of a new church, and also a state of love, and a state of illustration, consequently a state of intelligence and wisdom, and also a state of the conjunction of good and truth, the state in which the internal man is conjoined to the external. "Morning" has such various significations, because in the highest sense it signifies the Lord's Divine Human; it therefore also signifies all things that proceed from the Divine Human, for the Lord is in those things that proceed from Him, even so that it is He there.

[2] The Divine Human of the Lord in the highest sense is meant by "morning," because the Lord is the sun of the angelic heaven, and the sun of that heaven does not advance from morning to evening, or from rising to setting, as the sun of the world apparently does, but remains constantly in its place, in front above the heavens; consequently the sun is always in the morning there, and never in the evening. And since all the intelligence and wisdom that the angels have comes from the Lord as their sun, their state of love, and state of wisdom and intelligence, and in general their state of illustration is signified by "morning;" for these proceed from the Lord as a sun, and what proceeds from Him is Himself, for from the Divine nothing but what is Divine goes forth, and everything Divine is Himself. (That the Lord is the sun of the angelic heaven, and that from Him as a sun there exist all love, wisdom, and intelligence, and in general all illustration in respect to Divine truths, from which is wisdom, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 116-125, 126-143, 155, 156.)

[3] From this it can he seen why "morning" is so often mentioned in the Word when Jehovah or the Lord, His coming, His kingdom and church, and the goods thereof are treated of; as in the following passages, which I will cite by way of illustration. In the second book of Samuel:

The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me. He is as the light of the morning; the son riseth, a morning without clouds (2 Samuel 23:3, 4).

"The God of Israel" and "the Rock" is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human and Divine truth proceeding therefrom; "the God of Israel" because Israel is His spiritual church, and "the Rock" because His Divine in the spiritual church is Divine truth (See Arcana Coelestia 3720, 6426, 8581, 10580). As the Lord in the angelic heaven is a sun, and as all the light that angels have is therefrom, and as the sun there is continually in its morning, it is said, "He is as the light of the morning; the sun riseth, a morning without clouds."

[4] In David:

From the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth; thou art a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek (Psalms 110:3, 4).

This is said of the Lord as about to come into the world; "from the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth" is conception from the Divine Itself, and the glorification of His Human thereby; "a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek," means that Divine good and Divine truth proceed from Him, for the Lord as priest is Divine good, and as king of holiness, who is, "Melchizedek," is Divine truth (See Arcana Coelestia 1725).

[5] In Ezekiel:

The cherubim stood at the east entrance of the gate of the house; the glory of the God of Israel was over them above (Ezekiel 10:19).

"Cherubim" signify the Lord in respect to providence and as to guard lest He be approached otherwise than by the good of love; "the east entrance of the gate of the house" signifies approach; "the house of God" is heaven and the church; the "east" is where the Lord appears as a sun, thus where He is continually as the morning; therefore it is said "the glory of the God of Israel was over them above."

[6] In the same:

The angel brought me to the gate that looketh towards the east; and behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east; and the earth was enlightened by His glory. And the glory of Jehovah came into the house by the way of the gate whose face is toward the east (Ezekiel 43:1, 2, 4).

Here, in the internal sense, the influx of the Lord into those who are in His kingdom and church is described; "the God of Israel" is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human and the Divine truth proceeding therefrom; "the house of God" is His kingdom and the church; "glory" is Divine truth as it is in heaven; "to come by the way of the east into the house" means from the sun, where it is continually in its morning. (That "glory" is Divine truth as it is in heaven, see Arcana Coelestia 4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 9429; that "the house of God" is heaven and the church in respect to good, and "temple" is the same in respect to truth, n. 3720; and that the "east," in the highest sense, is the Lord, because He is the sun of heaven, which is always in its rising and morning, consequently the "east" is the good of love from Him, see n. 3708, 5097, 9668)

[7] In the same:

The angel afterwards brought me back to the entrance of the house, where behold, waters issuing out from under the threshold of the house towards the east, they shall descend into the plain and come towards the sea, being sent forth into the sea that the waters may be healed; whence it comes to pass that every living soul that creeps, whithersoever the rivers come, shall live, whence there are exceeding many fishes, because these waters shall come thither, and they are healed, that everything may live whither the river shall come (Ezekiel 47:1, 8, 9).

Here also, the influx of the Lord from His Divine Human with those who are of His kingdom and church is described by pure correspondences. By "waters issuing out from under the threshold of the house towards the east," Divine truth proceeding from the Lord and flowing in with those that are in the east, that is, that are in the good of love to Him, is described. "The waters shall descend into the plain" and "into the sea," and "thereby the waters of the sea are healed," signifies influx into the natural man and into the knowledges which are therein; the "fishes therefrom" signifies many scientific truths in the natural man; that "everything shall live whither the river shall come" signifies that they should have life from Divine truth. That such thing are hereby signified there, no one can see except from the internal sense of the Word, yet every single expression therein involves arcana of man's regeneration by the Lord; but what is involved in each expression here will be disclosed in explainingRevelation 22:1, 2, of Revelation, where like things are mentioned.

[8] In David:

I have waited for Jehovah, my soul doth wait, my soul waiteth for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning, the watchmen for the morning; for with Him is much redemption, and He will redeem Israel (Psalms 130:5-8).

Here the Lord's coming into the world, and His reception by those that are in the good of love are treated of. The Lord's coming is signified by "I have waited for Jehovah, my soul doth wait for the Lord, for with Him is much redemption, and He shall redeem Israel;" and His reception by those that are in the good of love is signified by "more than watchmen for the morning, the watchmen for the morning." Here "morning" in the highest sense signifies the Lord, and in the internal sense His kingdom and church; and "watchmen for the morning" signify those who wait for the Lord's coming, who are those that are in the good of love, since to those the Lord is "coming."

[9] That "morning" signifies the Lord's coming into the world and then a new church is evident from the following passages.

In Daniel:

Unto evening and morning, two thousand three hundred, then the holy (sanctum) shall be justified. The vision of the evening and the morning, which has been told, is truth (Daniel 8:14, 26). "Evening" signifies the last time of the former church, and "morning" the first time of the new church, thus the Lord's coming.

In Isaiah:

Crying to me from Seir, Watchman, ¹ what of the night? watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night (D an. Isaiah 21:11, 12).

Here also the Lord's coming is treated of; "night" is the last time of the former church, and "morning" the first of the new. (What is signified by "calling out of Seir," see Arcana Coelestia 4240, 4384.) In Ezekiel:

The end is come, the end is come, the morning is come upon thee, O inhabitant of the land; behold the day cometh, the morning is gone forth (Ezekiel 7:6, 7, 10).

Here likewise the Lord's coming and the end of the former church and the beginning of a new one are treated of. In Zephaniah, where similar things are meant:

Jehovah in the morning, in the morning, He shall bring His judgment to light, nor shall He fail (Zephaniah 3:5).

[10] As "morning" signifies the Lord, His coming, also His kingdom and church, as also the good of love from Him, what is meant by "morning" in the following passages can be seen.

In David:

Cause me to hear Thy mercy in the morning (Psalms 143:8).

In the same:

I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning (Psalms 59:16).

In the same:

O satisfy us in the morning with Thy mercy; that we may sing aloud and be glad all our days (Psalms 90:14).

In the same:

O Jehovah, in the morning shalt Thou hear my voice; in the morning I will set myself in order for Thee (Psalms 5:3).

In the same:

God is in the midst of her; God shall help him ² at the turning of the morning (Psalms 46:5).

In the same:

O God, my God, in the morning do I seek Thee (Psalms 63:1).

In Isaiah:

In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to blossom (Isaiah 17:11).

In the same:

Jehovah is ³ their arm every morning (Isaiah 33:2).

In the same :

Jehovah ⁴ hath given me the tongue of the learned; he hath awakened me every morning (Isaiah 50:4).

In Jeremiah:

I speak unto you every morning (Jeremiah 7:13; 11:7; 25:3, 4). From the signification of "morning" it can be seen what is meant by the following:

That manna fell in the morning (Exodus 16:12, 13, 21).

That Jehovah descended in the morning from Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16);

That the priest kindled wood upon the altar every morning and placed thereon the whole burnt-offering (Leviticus 6:12). Also what is involved in the command respecting the sacrifice of the passover:

Thou shalt sacrifice the passover at the going down of the sun. Then thou shalt eat it; and thou shalt turn in the morning and go into thy tents (Deuteronomy 16:6, 7).

"They should sacrifice the passover when the sun went down," because "the setting of the sun" signified the last time of the church; that "they should turn in the morning," signified the establishment of a new church, thus the Lord's coming. These things are cited that it may be known what is signified by the "morning star," which the Son of man would give, namely wisdom and intelligence from the Lord's Divine Human. And as those who receive wisdom and intelligence from the Lord also receive Him, for the Lord is in the wisdom and intelligence that are from Him, even so that He is the wisdom and intelligence with them, the Lord Himself also is called "the Morning Star" in Revelation:

I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and Morning Star (Revelation 22:16).

He is likewise called a Star (Numbers 24:17).

Footnotes: