9373. Come up unto Jehovah. That this signifies conjunction with the Lord, is evident from the signification of “coming up,” as being to be raised toward interior things (see n. 3084, 4539, 4969, 5406, 5817, 6007), consequently also to be conjoined (n. 8760). That it denotes conjunction with the Lord, is because by “Jehovah” in the Word is meant the the Lord, (n. 1343, 1736, 1793, 2004, 2005, 2018, 2025, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5663, 6280, 6303, 6905, 8274, 8864, 9315). A secret which also lies hidden in the internal sense of these words, is that the sons of Jacob, over whom Moses was the head, were not called and chosen; but they themselves insisted that Divine worship should be instituted among them (according to wh at has been said in n. 4290, 4293); and therefore it is here said, “and He said unto Moses, Come up unto Jehovah,” as if not Jehovah, but another, had said that he should come up. For the same reason in what follows it is said that “the people should not go up” (verse 2); and that “Jehovah sent not His hand unto the sons of Israel who were set apart” (verse 11); and that “the appearance of the glory of Jehovah was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the sons of Israel” (verse 17); and lastly that Moses, being called the seventh day, “entered into the midst of the cloud.” For by “the cloud” is meant the Word in the letter (n. 5922, 6343, 6752, 6832, 8106, 8443, 8781); and with the sons of Jacob the Word was separated from its internal sense, because they were in external worship without internal, as can be clearly seen from the fact that now, as before, they said, “all the words which Jehovah hath spoken we will do” (verse 3); and yet scarcely forty days afterward they worshiped a golden calf instead of Jehovah; which shows that this was hidden in their hearts while they were saying with their lips that they would serve Jehovah alone. But nevertheless those who are meant by “the called and the chosen” are those who are in internal worship, and who from internal worship are in external; that is, those who are in love to and faith in the Lord, and from this in love toward the neighbor.

8481. 'And it bred worms' means that it was consequently something foul. This is clear from the meaning of 'breeding worms' as producing something foul; for worms are born from what is foul and putrid. Falsity arising from evil, present in good originating in the proprium or self, is compared to a worm because they are of a similar nature to each other; for falsity gnaws away and so torments. There are two entities constituting hell, just as there are two constituting heaven. The two constituting heaven are goodness and truth, and the two constituting hell are evil and falsity. Consequently the two in heaven are what make the happiness there, and the two in hell are what cause the torment there. The torment in hell caused by falsity is compared to a worm, and the torment caused by evil there is compared to fire. This is why it says in Isaiah,

As the new heavens and the new earth which I am about to make will stand before Me, so will your seed and your name stand. At length it will happen from month to month, and from sabbath to sabbath, that they will stand before Me. They will go forth from there and will see the dead bodies of the men transgressing against Me For their worm will not die, and their fire will not be quenched. And they will be loathsome to all flesh. Isaiah 66:22-24.

Similar words were used by the Lord, in Mark,

Where their worm will not die, and the fire will not be quenched. Mark 9:44, 46, 48.

This refers to Gehenna or hell. The foulness of falsity is compared to a worm also in Moses,

You will plant and dress vineyards, but not drink wine nor gather [the fruit]; for the worm will eat it. Deuteronomy 28:39.

'Wine' stands for truth springing from good, and in the contrary sense for falsity arising from evil, 6377.