9375. Nadab and Abihu. That hereby is signified doctrine drawn from both senses, is evident from the fact that they were sons of Aaron; and therefore when by “Aaron” is signified the Word, by his “sons” is signified doctrine; by the elder son, doctrine drawn from the internal sense of the Word; and by the younger son, doctrine drawn from the external sense of the Word. Doctrine drawn from the internal sense of the Word, and doctrine drawn from the external sense of the Word, are one doctrine, because those who are in the internal are also in the external. For the Lord’s church is everywhere internal and external. The internal church is of the heart, and the external is of the mouth; that is, the internal church is of the will, and the external is of the action. When in a man the internal makes one with the external, then that which is of the heart is also of the mouth; or that which is of the will is also of the action; or what is the same thing, then the heart is speaking in the mouth, and the will is acting in the action, without any disagreement; thus also faith is speaking, and love or charity is acting; that is, the Lord, from whom are faith and charity.

[2] As Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, represented doctrine from the Word, they were slain when they instituted worship from some other doctrine than that which is from the Word. This was represented by what is written of them in Moses:

Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and thus offered strange fire unto Jehovah, which He had not commanded them. Therefore there went forth fire from before Jehovah, and devoured them, that they died before Jehovah. And Moses said unto Aaron, This is that which Jehovah spoke, saying, I will be sanctified in them that are nigh Me (Leviticus 10:1-3).

By “strange fire in the censer” is signified doctrine from some other source than the Word; for “fire” denotes the good of love, and “incense” the truth of faith thence derived; and the good of love and the truth of faith are what enter into the doctrine which is from the Word, and make it. From this it is evident why they were devoured by fire from before Jehovah. “To be sanctified in them that are nigh,” denotes with those who have been conjoined with the Lord through the good of love and the truth of faith from the Word. (That “fire” denotes the good of heavenly love, see n. 934, 4906, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 6834, 6849, 7324, 7852, 9055; and that “incense” denotes faith from the good of love, will be shown elsewhere.)

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.