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.

4736. Cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness. That this signifies that they should conceal it meanwhile among their falsities, that is, that they should regard it as false, but still retain it because it was of importance to the church, is evident from the signification of a “pit,” as being falsities (see n. 4728); and from the signification of a “wilderness,” as being where there is no truth. For the word “wilderness” has a wide signification, it means where the land is uninhabited, and thus not cultivated; and when predicated of the church, it denotes where there is no good, and consequently no truth (n. 2708, 3900). Thus by a “pit in the wilderness” are here meant falsities in which there is no truth, because no good. It is said in which there is no truth because no good; for when anyone believes that faith saves without works, truth may indeed exist, but still it is not truth in him, because it does not look to good, nor is it from good. This truth is not alive, because it has in it a principle of falsity, consequently with anyone who has such truth, the truth is but falsity from the principle which rules in it. The principle is like the soul, from which the rest have their life. On the other hand there are falsities which are accepted as truths, when there is good in them, especially if it is the good of innocence, as with the Gentiles and also with many within the church.

6767. Sayest thou to kill me? That this signifies “wouldest thou destroy my faith?” is evident from the signification of “killing,” as being to destroy (of which below); and from the signification of a “Hebrew man,” here meant by “me,” as being one who is of the church, thus also faith, for faith is of the church, and these two things are so united that he who destroys faith with anyone, destroys the church with him. This also is “killing” him, for he who takes away faith, takes away spiritual life, the life which remains being that which is called “death.” Hence it is evident that by, “Sayest thou to kill me?” is signified “wouldest thou destroy my faith?”

[2] That “to kill” denotes to take away spiritual life, is clear from many passages in the Word, as in Jeremiah:

Drag them away as a sheep for the slaughter, and devote them for the day of killing. How long shall the land mourn and the herb of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? The beasts and the bird will be consumed (Jeremiah 12:3-4);

“the day of killing” denotes the time of the vastation of the church, when there is no longer any faith, because no charity; “the land which shall mourn” denotes the church; “the herb of every field” denotes every true memory-knowledge of the church; “the beasts and the bird will be consumed” denotes that goods and truths will be so. (That the “land” is the church, see n. 566, 662, 1067, 1262, 1413, 1607, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 2928, 3355, 4335, 4447, 5577; that “herb” is true memory-knowledge is evident from the passages in the Word where “herb” is mentioned; that “field” is that which is of the church, n. 2971, 3310, 3766; that “beasts” are affections of good, thus goods, n. 45, 46, 142, 143, 246, 714, 715, 719, 1823, 2179, 2180, 3218, 3519, 5198; and “birds” affections of truth, n. 5149.) Hence it can be seen what is the meaning of the above words, and also that there is a spiritual sense in every detail. Everyone can see that without an interior sense it could not be understood what is meant by “a day of killing,” by “the earth mourning,” by “every herb of the field withering for the wickedness of those who dwell therein,” and by “the beasts and the bird being consumed.”

[3] In Zechariah:

Thus said Jehovah my God, Feed the sheep of killing, which their possessors kill (Zech. 11:4-5); where “the sheep of killing” plainly denotes those whose faith the possessors destroy.

In Ezekiel:

Thou hast profaned Me with My people, for handfuls of barley, and for pieces of bread, to kill the souls which ought not to die, and to keep the souls alive which ought not to live (Ezekiel 13:19);

here also “to kill” plainly denotes to destroy spiritual life, that is, faith and charity.

In Isaiah:

What will ye do in the day of visitation and of vastation? Beneath the bound, and beneath the killed shall they fall (Isaiah 10:3-4); where the “killed” denote those who are in hell, thus who are in evils and falsities.

[4] Again:

Thou art cast out of thy sepulchre like an abominable shoot, the raiment of the killed, of one pierced with the sword. Thou shalt not be united with them in the grave, because thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast killed thy people (Isaiah 14:19-20);

“the killed” denote those who are deprived of spiritual life; “thou hast killed thy people” denotes that he has destroyed the truths and goods of faith.

In John:

The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they may have life (John 10:10);

“to kill” denotes to destroy the life of faith, and therefore it is said, “I am come that they may have life.”

In Mark:

The brother shall deliver the brother to death, and the father the children, and children shall rise up against their parents and shall kill them (Mark 13:12); speaking of the last times of the church, when there is no longer any charity, and therefore not any faith; “brother,” “children,” and “parents,” in the internal sense, are the goods and truths of the church, and “to kill” is to destroy them.

[5] As by “one killed” was signified one deprived of spiritual life, and by “field” the church, therefore it was a statute in the representative church, that

If anyone touched on the surface of a field anyone pierced with a sword, or killed, he should be unclean seven days (Numbers 19:16).

That “one pierced with a sword” is truth extinguished by falsity, see above, n. 4503, for “sword” denotes falsity which extinguishes truth, n. 2799, 4499, 6353.

In like manner this was a statute: If anyone was found killed in the land of inheritance, upon a field, and it should not be known who had killed him, the elders and judges were to measure between the cities round about, and having thus found the nearest city, they were to take a calf and were to head it by a running stream; besides other particulars (Deuteronomy 21:1-10).