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Arcana Coelestia #9373

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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.

  
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Arcana Coelestia #3129

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3129. And Rebekah had a brother. That this signifies the affection of good in the natural man, is evident from the signification of a “brother” and a “sister” in the Word, namely, that a “brother” is the affection of good, and a “sister” is the affection of truth (see n. 367, 2360, 2508, 2524); for in the natural man, as in the rational, there are relationships by both blood and marriage of all the things therein (see n. 2556, 2739). And it also is from this that the mind, both the rational and the natural, is called a “house” (or family), where parents, brothers, sisters, kinsmen, and other relatives exist in order.

  
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Arcana Coelestia #4446

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4446. Verses 8-12 And Hamor spoke to them, saying, Shechem my son, his soul longs for your daughter; give her, I beg you, to him for a wife. And intermarry with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves. And you shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you; dwell, and carry on trade throughout it, and have possessions in it. And Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, Let me find grace in your eyes, and I will give that which you tell me. Increase the dowry and gift to any size, 1 and I will give whatever you tell me, and give me the young woman for a wife.

'Hamor spoke to them, saying' means the good of the Church among the Ancients. 'Shechem my son' means the truth derived from that good. 'His soul longs for your daughter; give her, I beg you, to him for a wife' means a longing to be joined to this new Church which in outward appearance was similar to the Ancient Church. 'And intermarry with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves' means the union of goods and truths. 'And you shall dwell with us' means life. 'And the land shall be before you; dwell' means the Church which would be one. 'Carry on trade throughout it, and have possessions in it' means matters of doctrine which, because they are communicated, would accord with one another. 'And Shechem said to her father and to her brothers' means counsel taken by the truth from the ancient Divine stock with the good and truth of this semblance of religion. 'Let me find grace in your eyes, and I will give that which you tell me' means that if they on their part were similar in mind to him on his part. 'Increase the dowry and gift to any size, and I will give whatever you tell me' means that he will accept the things which exist with them and will make those things his own. 'And give me the young woman for a wife' means provided the joining together takes place.

Footnotes:

1. literally, Multiply upon me exceedingly dowry and gift

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