4424. Wat de hiervoor aangevoerde woorden van de Heer in de innerlijke zin behelzen, kan zonder ontvouwing vaststaan: de Heer immers sprak daar niet zo door uitbeeldende en aanduidende dingen, maar door vergelijkingen; alleen wat de woorden van het laatste vers betekenen dient gezegd te worden, namelijk:

‘Hij zal hem verdelen en zijn deel zetten met de geveinsden; daar is wening en knersing der tanden’. Hij zal hem verdelen, betekent hun afscheiding en verwijdering van de goede en ware dingen; van hen toch die in de erkentenissen van het goede en ware zijn, zoals degenen zijn die binnen de Kerk zijn en toch in een leven van het boze, wordt gezegd dat zij worden verdeeld, wanneer zij daarvan worden verwijderd; want de erkentenissen van het goede en het ware worden in het andere leven van hen gescheiden en zij worden in de boze dingen en vandaar eveneens in de valse dingen gehouden; de oorzaak hiervan is deze dat zij niet door de erkentenissen van het goede en het ware gemeenschap zouden hebben met de hemel en door de boze dingen en de valse dingen daaruit gemeenschap met de hel en zo tussen beide hangen; en eveneens dat zij de goede en de ware dingen niet zouden ontwijden, wat plaatsvindt wanneer zij met de valse en de boze dingen worden vermengd. Iets dergelijks wordt eveneens aangeduid met de woorden van de Heer tot hem die het talent in de aarde had verborgen:

‘Neemt van hem het talent weg en geeft het aan degene die de tien talenten heeft; want eenieder die heeft, die zal gegeven worden, opdat hij overvloedig hebbe; van degene echter die niet heeft, van die zal genomen worden, ook wat hij heeft’, (Mattheüs 25:28, 29) en verder met de dingen die de Heer elders zegt bij (Mattheüs 13:12; Markus 4:25; Lukas 8:18). En zijn deel zetten met de geveinsden, betekent zijn lot, namelijk het deel, met hen die aan de buitenkant in het ware ten aanzien van de leer en in het goede ten aanzien van het leven verschijnen, maar aan de binnenkant niets van het ware geloven en niets van het goede willen, zij zijn dus de geveinsden; die zijn zo verdeeld; daarom verschijnen zij, wanneer hun de uiterlijke dingen worden afgenomen, zoals bij allen in het andere leven gebeurt, zodanig als zij zijn ten aanzien van de innerlijke dingen, namelijk zonder geloof en naastenliefde; toch hebben zij daarmee te koop gelopen om anderen te vangen ten einde eerbewijzen, gewin en roem te oogsten. Zij die binnen de verwoeste Kerk zijn, zijn bijna allen zodanig; zij hebben immers uiterlijke dingen, maar geen innerlijke; vandaar hebben zij een overstroming van de innerlijke dingen, zie nr. 4423. Daar zal een wening en knersing der tanden zijn, betekent hun staat in het andere leven: de wening de staat ten aanzien van de boze dingen en de knersing der tanden de staat ten aanzien van de valse dingen; tanden immers betekenen in het Woord de laagste natuurlijke dingen, in de echte zin de ware dingen ervan en in de tegenovergestelde zin de valse dingen ervan; de tanden stemmen ook daarmee overeen; daarom is de knersing van de tanden de botsing van de valse dingen met de ware dingen. Van degenen die in louter natuurlijke dingen zijn en in die vanuit de begoochelingen van de zinnen, en niets geloven wat zij daaruit niet zien, wordt gezegd dat zij in de knersing van de tanden zijn en in het andere leven schijnt het hun eveneens toe daarin te zijn wanneer zij vanuit hun begoochelingen gevolgtrekkingen maken ten aanzien van de ware dingen van het geloof. In een ten aanzien van het goede en het ware verwoeste Kerk wemelt het van zulke mensen. Iets eenders wordt ook elders met de knersing van de tanden aangeduid, zoals bij Mattheüs:

‘De zonen des koninkrijks zullen worden uitgeworpen in de uiterlijke duisternis; aldaar zal zijn wening en knersing der tanden’, (Mattheüs 8:12);

de zonen des koninkrijks zijn diegenen die in de verwoeste Kerk zijn; de duisternis is de valse dingen, nr. 4418; zij zijn immers in de duisternis wanneer zij in de nevelachtige wolk zijn, waarover eerder; de knersing der tanden is de botsing van de valse dingen met de ware dingen daar; evenzo elders, zoals bij, (Mattheüs 13:42, 50; 22:13; 25:30; Lukas 13:28).

64. Clothed with a garment down to the foot, signifies Divine truth proceeding from Him. This is evident from the signification of "garments" as being truths that clothe good (See Arcana Coelestia, n. 1073, 2576, 5248, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216, 9952, 10536). Here is only mentioned "a garment down to the foot," which is a general covering; by which, as the Lord is treated of, all Divine truth in general is meant. Since the Lord is here described in respect to the Divine Human, which is here the "Son of man seen in the midst of the lampstands," and it is said that He was "clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about at the paps with a golden girdle," and afterwards that "His face shone as the sun in his power," I wish to give an explanation of what is said in the Evangelists about the Lord when He was transfigured, where some similar expressions are used; and afterwards of what is said about the soldiers dividing His garments, and casting the lot upon His tunic.

[2] Of the Lord's transfiguration it is thus written:

Jesus took Peter, James, and John, into a very high mountain, and He was transfigured before them; and His face did shine as the sun, and His garments became white as the light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah speaking with Him. And behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him (Matthew 17:1-5; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36).

The Lord took Peter, James, and John, because by them the church in respect to faith, charity, and the works of charity was represented; He took them "into a high mountain," because "mountain" signifies heaven; "His face did shine as the sun," because "face" signifies the interiors, and it did shine as the sun because His interiors were Divine, for the "sun" is Divine love; "His garments became white as the light," because "garments" signify Divine truth proceeding from Him; the like is signified by "light." "Moses and Elijah" appeared, because the two signify the Word, "Moses" the historical Word, and "Elijah" the prophetical Word; "a bright cloud overshadowed them," because "a bright cloud" signifies the Word in the letter within which is the internal sense; "a voice out of the cloud said, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him," because "a voice out of the cloud" signifies Divine truth out of the Word, and "beloved Son," the Lord's Divine Human. And because Divine truth is from Him, and thence all truth of the church, it was said out of the cloud, "in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him."

[3] It was plainly the Divine Human of the Lord that was thus seen, for the Divine Itself cannot be seen by anyone, except through the Divine Human. This the Lord also teaches in John:

No man hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath brought Him forth to view (John 1:18).

And in another place:

Ye have neither heard the voice of the Father at any time, nor seen His shape (John 5:37).

(That such things are signified by these words in the Evangelists, can be seen in the Arcana Coelestia where the particulars are made known, namely, that by "Peter," "James," and "John," in the Word, are signified faith, charity, and the works of charity, n. 3750, and above, n. 8-9; by "high mountain" is signified heaven, n. 8327, 8805, 9420, 9422, 9434, 10608; by "face," the interiors which are of the mind, n. 1999, 2434, 3527, 4066, 4796, 5102, 9306, 9546; and by "the face of the Lord," mercy, peace, and every good, n. 222-223, 5585, 9306, 9546, 9888; by "the sun," Divine Love, n. 2495, 4060, 7083; and in the work on Heaven and Hell 116-125; by "garments," when the Lord is treated of, Divine truth, n. 9212, 9216; and the like by "light," n. 3195, 3222, 5400, 8644, 9399, 9548, 9684; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140. That "Moses and Elias" signify the Word; "Moses," see Arcana Coelestia 5922, 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 9372, 10234; and "Elias," see n. 2762, 5247. That "clouds" signify the Word in the letter, see above, n. 36; that "beloved Son" is the Divine Human of the Lord is evident.) From the fact that the "Lord's garments" signify Divine truth, it may be known what is signified by the soldiers dividing the garments of the Lord among them, and casting a lot upon His tunic, of which it is thus written in John:

The soldiers took His garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part, also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore one to another, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for whose it shall be; that the Scripture might be fulfilled which saith, They parted My garments among them, and upon My vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did (John 19:23-24).

[4] He who is not aware that in every particular of the Word there is an internal sense which is spiritual, cannot see any arcanum in these things; he knows only that the soldiers divided the garments and not the tunic; and beyond this he knows nothing; when not only in this fact is there a Divine arcanum, but also in every particular of what is recorded concerning the passion of the Lord. The arcanum in this fact is that the garments of the Lord signified Divine truth, thus the Word, because the Word is Divine truth; the "garments" that they divided, the Word in the letter, and the "tunic" the Word in the internal sense; to "divide them" signifies to disperse and falsify; and "the soldiers" signify those that are of the church, who should fight in behalf of Divine truth. This is why it is said, "These things therefore the soldiers did." From this it is clear that the meaning of these words in the spiritual sense is that the Jewish Church dispersed the Divine truth which is in the sense of the letter, but could not disperse the Divine truth which is in the internal sense. That the "garments of the Lord" signified Divine truth, thus the Word, was shown above; that His "tunic" signified Divine truth, or the Word, in the internal sense, see Arcana Coelestia n.9826, 9942; that to "divide" is to disperse and separate from good and truth, thus to falsify, see n. 4424, 6360, 6361, 9094; that "the soldiers" signify those that are of the church, here of the Jewish church, who should fight in behalf of Divine truth, is clear from the spiritual sense of "warfare" and of "war;" that "war" signifies spiritual combats, which are of truth against falsity, see n. 1659, 1664, 8295, 10455; it is therefore said of the Levites, whose function pertained to such things as are of the church, that they were discharging military duty and were serving in war, when they were exercising their ministry in the tent of the assembly (Numbers 4:23, 35, 39, 43, 47; 8:23, 24).