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.

6917. Vessels of silver, and vessels of gold. That “vessels of silver” signify the memory-knowledges of truth, and “vessels of gold” the memory-knowledges of good, is evident from the signification of “vessels,” as being memory-knowledges (see n. 3068, 3079); memory-knowledges are called “vessels” because they are generals, and can contain within them innumerable truths and manifold goods; from the signification of “silver” as being truth, and of “gold” as being good (n. 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658). (That the “silver” of Egypt denotes true and suitable memory-knowledge may be seen above, n. 6112.) As to the “vessels of silver and gold” with the Egyptians being the memory-knowledges of truth and the memory-knowledges of good, when yet by the “Egyptians” both here and in what precedes, and also in what follows, are signified false memory-knowledges, be it known that in themselves these knowledges are not truths, neither are they falsities, but that they become truths with those who are in truths, and falsities with those who are in falsities, this being the effect of their application and use. It is with man’s memory-knowledges as with his riches and wealth. Riches and wealth are hurtful to those who are in evil, because they apply them to evil uses; but they are useful to those who are in good, because they apply them to good uses. If therefore the riches and wealth which pertain to the evil are transferred to the good, they become good.

[2] The same is true of memory-knowledges. For example: with the Egyptians there remained many things from the representatives of the Ancient Church, as is manifest from their hieroglyphics, but as they applied those things to magic, and hence made an evil use of them, therefore to them they were not true memory-knowledges, but false memory-knowledges; yet the same in the Ancient Church were true memory-knowledges, because they applied them rightly to Divine worship.

To take also as an example, altars and sacrifices; these with the Hebrew nation, and afterward with the Jewish and Israelitish nation, were true rituals, because they applied them to the worship of Jehovah; but with the nations in the land of Canaan they were false rituals, because they applied them to the worship of their idols, and therefore also it was commanded that the altars of these nations should everywhere be destroyed. It is the same with numberless other things. Therefore by those who are in evils and falsities many memory-knowledges can be acquired which are capable of being applied to good uses, and thus of becoming good.

[3] Such are also signified by the spoiling of the nations in the land of Canaan and by the wealth, the herds, the cattle, the houses, the vineyards, which the sons of Israel there took for spoil. This is still plainer from the gold and silver taken from the nations for spoil being also applied to a holy use, as is evident from the second Book of Samuel:

There were in his hand vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass: these also did King David sanctify unto Jehovah, with the silver and gold which he had sanctified of all the nations which he subdued; of the Syrians, of Moab, and of the sons of Ammon, and of the Philistines, and of Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah (2 Samuel 8:10-12).

And the merchandise of Tyre and her harlot hire shall be holiness to Jehovah; it shall not be stored up, nor kept back; but her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before Jehovah, to eat till they are sated, and for the ancient to cover himself (Isaiah 23:18).

These things also which the women of the sons of Israel borrowed from the Egyptians, and thus took for spoil, were afterward applied to the use of constructing the ark and many other of the holy things of their worship.

5406. Get you down thither, and buy for us from thence. That this signifies appropriation by means of them, is evident from the signification of “going down,” as being said of going toward exterior things (of which in what follows); and from the signification of “buying,” as being appropriation (n. 4397, 5374); that this is effected by means of memory-knowledges is signified by “from thence,” that is, from Egypt (that “Egypt” denotes memory-knowledges has been shown above). In the Word we often read of “going up” and “going down,” when going from one place to another is spoken of-not because one place was more elevated than the other, but because “going up” is predicated of going toward what is interior or higher, and “going down” of going toward what is exterior or lower; that is to say “going up” is predicated of going toward spiritual and celestial things, for these are interior, and are also believed to be higher, and “going down” is predicated of going toward natural and earthly things, for these are exterior and are also in appearance lower. For this reason it is that not only here but also everywhere else in the Word, we read of “going down” from the land of Canaan to Egypt, and of “going up” from Egypt to the land of Canaan; for by the “land of Canaan” is signified what is heavenly, and by “Egypt” what is natural. For the land of Canaan in the representative sense is the heavenly kingdom, and consequently celestial and spiritual goods and truths, which also are interiorly in the man who is a kingdom of the Lord; while Egypt in the representative sense is the natural kingdom, and consequently the goods and truths which are of the external church, and are for the most part memory-knowledges. (That “going up” is predicated of going toward interior things may be seen above, n. 4539)