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Arcana Coelestia #9372

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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).

  
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Arcana Coelestia #8562

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8562. And there was no water for the people to drink. That this signifies a lack of truth and of the consequent refreshment, is evident from the signification of “water,” as being the truth of faith (see n. 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976, 5668); and from the signification of “drinking,” as being to be instructed in the truths of faith and to receive them (n. 3069, 3772, 4017, 4018), here, to be refreshed; for as water and drink refresh the natural life, so truths and the knowledges of truth refresh the spiritual life. For he who is in spiritual life longs for the sustenance thereof from such things as are called heavenly food and drink, which are the goods and truths of faith; in like manner as he who is in natural life longs for sustenance from such things as are natural food and drink.

[2] That temptation as to truth is now treated of, is because temptation as to good was treated of just before, after which temptation they received the manna, by which is signified good. For when man is endowed with good by the Lord, he comes into a longing for truth, and this longing is kindled according to the lack of truth, because good continually strives after truth. All the genuine affection of truth is from good. The case herein is like food, which without drink cannot nourish the natural life; and it is also like it in that food longs for drink, with which it may be conjoined so as to serve for use. This then is the reason why temptation as to truth follows immediately after temptation as to good. Temptation attacks that which a man loves and longs for (n. 4274, 4299).

  
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Arcana Coelestia #9209

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9209. 'If you lend silver to [My] people, to the needy one with you' means giving instruction to those who have no knowledge of truth and still have a desire to learn it. This is clear from the meaning of 'silver' as truth, dealt with in 1551, 2048, 2954, 5658, 6112, 6914, 6917, 7999, 8932; from the meaning of 'lending' as communicating the good things of heaven in a spirit of charity and affection, dealt with in 9174, thus giving instruction; from the meaning of 'people' as those in possession of truths, in this instance those with no knowledge of truth since the people referred to are 'needy' (for the use of the word 'people' to mean those in possession of truths, see 1259, 1260, 2928, 3295, 3581, 7207); and from the meaning of 'the needy one' as those who have no knowledge of truth and still have a desire to learn it. For they are people in spiritual need and should be given instruction.

[2] The Word talks frequently about aiding the poor and needy. People in possession of external truths who have not yet been brought to internal truths believe that anyone at all in need of any kind of help should be aided, especially beggars who call themselves the poorest of all. Those who give such aid in a spirit of obedience, because they are commanded to act in that way, do well; for through that outward action they are brought to the inward aspect of charity and mercy. The inward aspect of charity and mercy consists in seeing clearly who exactly they are who should receive aid, what their character is, and in what way each is to be given it. Those who are brought eventually to the inward aspect of charity and mercy know that the inward aspect consists in desiring the welfare of and aiding the internal man, thus with gifts such as are beneficial to spiritual life, and that the outward aspect consists in aiding the external man, thus with gifts such as are beneficial to bodily life. But care must nevertheless always be taken to ensure that when aid is given to the external man, it is at the same time beneficial to the internal; for no one who aids the external but harms the internal is exercising charity. Therefore when one kind of aid is offered, the other must be kept in sight.

[3] The outward aspect of charity is what the external or literal sense of the Word describes when it says that aid should be given to the poor and needy, but the inward aspect of charity is what the internal or spiritual sense of the Word describes. For in the spiritual sense the internal man who is in a state of poverty and need and should be aided is meant, because in that sense 'the poor and needy' is used to mean those who lack good and have no knowledge of truth, and still have a desire for them. How these people are to be helped the letter of the Word also teaches, especially the Word taught by the Lord Himself when He was in the world. At that time the Lord revealed such things as have to do with the internal man, as is evident throughout the Gospels. Nevertheless He spoke in such a way that every detail had at the same time an inner meaning, intended for angels and at the same time for those in the internal Church. For the inner meaning contains such things as the authentic teachings of the Church present.

[4] Let what the Lord said to the disciples sent by John the Baptist to ask whether He was the One who must come serve to exemplify this,

Go and report to John the things you have seen and heard, that the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the poor have the gospel preached to them. Luke 7:20, 22.

These words were spoken for the external man and at the same time for the internal man. For the external man they declared that such miracles were being performed, for the internal man that the Church is being established among the kind of people who in a spiritual sense are blind, lame, lepers, deaf, and poor, thus among gentiles who have no knowledge of good or truth, and still have a desire for them. For 'the blind' describes those who have no knowledge of truth, 6990; 'the lame' those who are governed by good, but not genuine good because they have no knowledge of truth, 4302; 'lepers' those who are unclean, and still have a desire to be made clean; and 'the deaf' those without any belief in truth because they have no perception of it.

[5] But 'the poor' describes those who do not possess the Word and so know nothing about the Lord, and still have a desire to receive instruction, which is why it says that the gospel is preached to them. By 'the poor and needy' are meant in the internal sense those outside the Church who have no knowledge of truth because they do not possess the Word, but nevertheless have a desire to receive instruction, and who by virtue of what they do know are governed still by a little good; also those within the Church who for one reason or another are ignorant of truth, but are still moved by some good to desire it. All this is clear from places in which 'the poor and needy' are mentioned in the Word, as in David,

I am needy and poor; make haste to me, O God! [You are] my help and my deliverer, O Jehovah. Psalms 70:5.

These words were spoken by David who was not poor and needy, from which it is evident that spiritual poverty and need were meant. Similar words occur elsewhere,

I am needy and poor, O Lord; remember me. [You are] my help and my deliverer. Psalms 40:17.

In the same author,

The king will judge Your people in righteousness, and Your needy ones in judgement. 1 The mountains will bring peace to the people, and the hills, in righteousness. He will judge the needy ones of the people, save the children of the poor, and break in pieces the oppressor. Psalms 72:2-4.

'Needy ones' here are those who are in spiritual need and for that reason are hungry, that is, they have a desire to receive instruction in truths.

[6] In the same author,

Let all my bones say, O Jehovah, who is like You, delivering the needy from him who is too strong for him, and the needy and poor from those who despoil him? Psalms 35:10.

'Bones' are factual knowledge of truth, 8005. 'The needy' here stands for those with little truth, and 'the poor' for those with little good, who are molested by evils and falsities. Because of such molestation 'the needy' in the original language are also 'the afflicted'; for 'being afflicted' means being molested by falsities, 9196. Similarly in the same author,

The wicked lies in wait 2 to catch the needy; he catches the needy and draws him into his net. Psalms 10:9.

In Isaiah,

Is not this the fast, to break bread for the hungry, and to bring into the house needy outcasts? Isaiah 58:6-7.

In the same prophet,

Jehovah has comforted His people, and will have mercy on His needy ones. Isaiah 49:13.

In Zephaniah,

I will leave in your midst a needy and lean people, who hope in the name of Jehovah. Zephaniah 3:12.

In these places 'the needy' are those who have no knowledge of truth and desire to receive instruction.

Footnotes:

1. The Latin means God will judge His people in righteousness, and His needy ones in judgement but the Hebrew means He [i.e. the king] will judge Your people in righteousness, and Your needy ones in judgement.

2. Following Sebastian Schmidt Swedenborg adds two words here meaning in the tent, but the Hebrew does not support the inclusion of those words.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.