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.

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.

10566. 'And consider that this nation is Your people' means that they alone in the world are the ones with whom the Divine, the ruler over all things, resides. This is clear from the meaning of 'Jehovah's nation' as where the Divine Himself resides, and in the spiritual sense where the Lord's Church resides; for all taken together who acknowledge the Lord in faith and love are Jehovah's nation. But the children of Israel at that time had no thoughts of the Church, only of possessing the land of Canaan and of their pre-eminence over others. It was only because Moses had been told that the name of their God, which they had not known previously, was Jehovah, Exodus 3:13-14, and because they witnessed such great miracles performed by Him in Egypt, at the Sea Suph, and in the wilderness, that they acknowledged Jehovah as their God. But even so in their heart there was no belief in Him; for they believed that there were a number of gods. This may be clearly recognized from the golden calf which, while Moses delayed [to come down from the mountain], they venerated as their god, indeed as Jehovah ¹ , and from the gods which after this they so often turned away to, as is evident from the historical narratives of the Word. From this evidence it becomes clear that they worshipped Jehovah solely on account of His miracles and not because He alone was God; and anyone who worships God solely on account of His miracles worships merely God's name, not God Himself, and turns away from that name as often as he does not attain his desires.

The Israelite nation worshipped Jehovah, but only His name, see 3732(end), 4299, 6877.

At heart they were idolaters, 4208, 4281, 4820, 5998, 6877, 7401, 8301, 8882.

They were the worst nation, 4314, 4316, 4317, 4444, 4503, 4570, 4751, 4815, 4820, 4832, 5057, 7248, 8819, 9320; and in addition, 10396.

From all this it now becomes clear what 'that this nation is Your people' means, namely that they alone were the ones with whom Jehovah resided, and so that they would be made pre-eminent over all other nations. But although this is what those words mean in the proximate sense, nevertheless in the internal sense they mean that the Divine, consequently the Church, would reside with them.

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