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.

5569. As there is a correspondence of the bones and the skins, so there is of the hairs; for these push forth from roots in the skins. Whatever has a correspondence with the Grand Man is possessed by angels and spirits; for each one as an image represents the Grand Man; therefore the angels have hair arranged becomingly and in order. Their hair represents their natural life and its correspondence with their spiritual life. That “hair” signifies the things of natural life, may be seen above (n. 3301); and also that “to poll the hair” is to accommodate natural things so that they may be becoming and thus comely (n. 5247).

2784. 'And split the pieces of wood for the burnt offering' means the merit of righteousness. This is clear from the meaning of 'the pieces of wood' and of 'splitting them' 'Pieces of wood' means goods which are the product of one's own works, and those which are the product of righteousness; and 'splitting pieces of wood' means placing merit in the goods which are the product of one's own works. But as regards 'splitting the wood for the burnt offering' meaning the merit of righteousness, this seems too remote for anyone to know without revelation. The fact that 'splitting pieces of wood' means placing merit in the goods which are the product of one's own works has been made clear to me from the incidents I have witnessed and described in Volume One, in 1110, about hewers of wood being those who, through the goods which they have done, wish to merit salvation. In addition there are others up above, in front and slightly to the right, who come from some other planet. These in the same way have claimed for themselves all good and are seen in like manner to be hewing and splitting wood. Sometimes, when they seem to themselves to be hard at work, their faces shine from the light shed by some ignis fatuus, which is the meritorious good that they attribute to themselves. The reason for such an appearance is that 'wood' is representative of good, as was all the wood in the Ark and in the Temple, and also all the wood placed on the altar when burnt offerings and sacrifices were made. But people who attribute good to themselves and make it meritorious are also said in the Word to worship wood or a graven image made of wood.