3452. And we said, Now let there be an oath between us, between us and thee, and let us cut out a covenant with thee. That this signifies that regarded in themselves the doctrinal things of their faith should not be denied, that is, insofar as they are from the literal sense of the Word, is evident from the signification of “an oath between us,” as being the agreement of the doctrinal things with the literal sense of the Word; from the signification of “between us and thee,” as being the agreement with the internal sense; and from the signification of “let us cut out a covenant,” as being that thus there might be conjunction. (That a “covenant” is conjunction, may be seen above, n. 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 2003, 2021.) The sense hence resulting is that because this is the case, regarded in themselves the doctrinal things of their faith should not be denied; for as before said no doctrinal things whatever are denied provided they are from the Word, for they are accepted by the Lord provided that he who is in them is in the life of charity, because with this life all things of the Word can be conjoined; but the interior things of the Word are conjoined with the life which is in the interior good of charity. See what has been stated and adduced above (n. 3224).

2021. For an eternal covenant. That this signifies conjunction with these, is evident from the signification of a “covenant,” as being conjunction (explained before, n. 665, 666, 1023, 1038) and that it is with those who are called his “seed” is evident from its immediately following, and because a “covenant” is spoken of a second time in this verse. The “covenant” first spoken of refers to the union of Jehovah with the Human Essence, and the second mention of a “covenant” refers to the conjunction with those who are the seed. In order that a more distinct idea may be formed concerning the union of the Lord’s Divine Essence with His Human Essence, and concerning the Lord’s conjunction with the human race through the faith of charity, it may be well here and in what follows to call the former Union, but the latter Conjunction. Between the Lord’s Divine Essence and His Human Essence there was a Union; but between the Lord and the human race there is a Conjunction, through the faith of charity, as is evident from the fact that Jehovah or the Lord is Life, and that His Human Essence also was made Life, as shown above, and between Life and Life there is Union. Whereas man is not Life, but a recipient of life, as also has been shown before; and when Life flows into a recipient of life, there is conjunction; for it is adapted to the recipient as is the active to the passive, or as that which is in itself alive to that which is in itself dead, and which lives therefrom. The principal and the instrumental-as they are termed-do indeed appear to be conjoined together as if they were a one, but still they are not a one; for the former is by itself, and the latter is by itself. Man does not live from himself, but the Lord in mercy adjoins man to Himself and thereby causes him to live to eternity; and because the Lord and man are thus distinct, it is called conjunction.