69. Verse 15. And His feet like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace, signifies the ultimate of Divine order, which is the natural, full of Divine love. This is evident from the signification of "feet," as being the natural (See Arcana Coelestia 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952); therefore, in reference to the Lord, as meaning the ultimate of Divine order, because that is the natural; also from the signification of "burnished brass," or brass polished, as being natural good (of which presently); and from the signification of "glowing," as being, in reference to the Lord, what is from Divine love (See n. 10055). It is said, "as if glowing in a furnace," in order that the Divine love in the greatest degree and in its fullness may be represented, for the Divine is in its fullness when it is in its ultimate, and the ultimate is the natural (See above, n. 66).

From this it is clear that by "His feet like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace," is signified the ultimate of Divine order, which is the natural, full of Divine love. These things, as well as the preceding, are described by comparisons; as that "His head and His hairs were white as white wool, as snow," and that "His feet were like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace;" but it is to be noted, that all comparisons in the Word are significative, for they are from correspondences in like manner as the things themselves (See Arcana Coelestia 3579, 4599, 8989).

[2] In reference to the Lord, "feet" signify the ultimate of Divine order, and this is the natural, because heaven is heaven from the Lord's Divine Human, and from this it is that heaven in the whole complex represents one man; and as there are three heavens, that the highest heaven represents the head, the middle heaven the body, and the lowest heaven the feet. The Divine that makes the highest heaven is called the celestial Divine, but the Divine that makes the middle heaven is called the spiritual Divine, and the Divine that makes the lowest heaven is called the natural Divine from the spiritual and celestial. This makes it evident why the Lord is here described in respect to His Divine Human, which is the Son of man seen in the midst of the lampstands, not only as regards His garments, but also as to His head, breast, and feet. (That the Son of man is the Lord as to His Divine Human, see above, n. 63; and that the "lampstands" are heaven, see n. 62, 63. But since these things are arcana hitherto unknown in the world, and yet must be understood in order that the internal sense of this and the following parts of this prophetical book may be comprehended, the particulars have been explained specifically in the work on Heaven and Hell; as

That the Divine Human of the Lord makes Heaven, n. 7-12, 78-86, seq.;

That on this account Heaven in the whole Complex represents one Man, n. 59-77;

That there are Three Heavens, and that the highest refers to the head, the middle to the body, and the lowest to the feet, n. Heaven and Hell 29-40.)

When this is understood it can be seen what is signified in the Word by "the feet of Jehovah" or "of the Lord," namely, the ultimate of Divine order, or the natural; and since the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word is the ultimate of Divine order in the church, and is the natural, this is specifically signified by "the feet of Jehovah" or "of the Lord."

[3] Because of this signification of "the feet of Jehovah" or "of the Lord," therefore when the Lord was seen as an Angel by the prophets elsewhere, He appeared in like manner.

Thus by Daniel:

I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with gold of Uphaz; His body was like the tarshish stone, and His eyes as lamps of fire, and His arms and His feet like the brightness of polished brass (Daniel 10:5-6).

In like manner the cherubs, by which is meant the Lord in respect to providence and protection (See Arcana Coelestia 9277, 9509, 9673), were seen by Ezekiel:

Their feet sparkled like the brightness of polished brass (Ezekiel 1:7).

The Lord was seen in like manner as an Angel as described further on in Revelation:

I saw an Angel coming down out of heaven, arrayed with a cloud, and a rainbow was about His head, and His face was as the sun, and His feet as pillars of fire (Revelation 10:1).

As the Lord appeared in this manner as to His feet, therefore under His feet there was seen by some of the sons of Israel:

As it were a work of sapphire stone, and as it were the substance of heaven for clearness (Exodus 24:10).

Their vision of the Lord was not as to the feet, but "under the feet," because they were not in, but under, the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word (See The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 248).

[4] Since "the feet of Jehovah" or "of the Lord" signify the ultimate of Divine order, and this specifically is the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word, therefore this external is called in the Word "His footstool," as in Isaiah:

The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; I will make the place of My feet honorable. And they shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet (Isaiah 60:13-14).

In the same:

Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool (Isaiah 66:1).

In Jeremiah:

God doth not remember His footstool in the day of anger (Lamentations 2:1).

In David:

Worship Jehovah at His footstool (Psalms 99:5).

We will go into His tabernacles; we will worship at His footstool (Psalms 132:7).

In Nahum:

Of Jehovah, the clouds are the dust of His feet (Nahum 1:3).

"Cloud" is the external of the Word, or the Word in respect to the letter (See above, n. 36). Because "cloud" is the external of the Word, it is also the external of the church and of worship; for the church and worship are from the Word. "Clouds" are called "dust of His feet," because those things that are in the sense of the letter of the Word, which is natural, appear scattered.

8395. Exodus 16

1. And they travelled on from Elim, and all the assembly of the children of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their coming out ¹ of the land of Egypt.

2. And all the assembly of the children of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness.

3. And the children of Israel said to them, Would that we had died ² by the hand of Jehovah in the land of Egypt, when we sat by a pot of flesh, eating bread to the full! For you have brought us out to this wilderness, to kill all this congregation with hunger.

4. And Jehovah said to Moses, behold, I am causing it to rain bread from heaven for you; and the people will go out and gather the thing of a day in its day, ³ in order that I may test them [to see] whether they walk in My law or not.

5. And it shall be on the sixth day, that they are to prepare what they have brought in; and it shall be double to what they shall gather day by day.

6. And Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, At evening you will know that Jehovah has brought you out of the land of Egypt.

7. And in the morning you will see the glory of Jehovah; He hears your grumblings against Jehovah, and what are we, that you grumble against us?

8. And Moses said, Jehovah is giving you flesh to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; Jehovah hears your grumblings which you make against Him. What are we? Your grumblings are not against us, but against Jehovah.

9. And Moses said to Aaron, Say to all the assembly of the children of Israel, Come near before Jehovah, for He has heard your grumblings.

10. And so it was, as Aaron was speaking to all the assembly of the children of Israel, that they looked back towards the wilderness, and behold, the glory of Jehovah was seen in the cloud.

11. And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

12. I have heard the grumblings of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, At evening ⁴ you will eat flesh, and in the morning you will be filled with bread; and you will know that I am Jehovah your God.

13. And it happened in the evening, that the selav ⁵ came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a deposit of dew around the camp.

14. And the deposit of dew went up, and behold, on the face of the wilderness a tiny round thing, tiny like hoar frost on the earth.

15. And the children of Israel saw it and said, a man to his brother, Man ⁶ is it? because they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, It is the bread which Jehovah has given you to eat.

16. This is the thing ⁷ which Jehovah has commanded: Gather from it, each according to the mouth of his eating, an omer a head, [according to] the number of your souls; take it, each for whoever is in his tent.

17. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered it, [each] collecting it for a large number or for a few.

18. And they measured it with an omer, and no large number had more than enough and no few had less; they gathered, each according to the mouth of his eating.

19. And Moses said to them, Let no one leave any of it ⁸ until the morning

20. And they did not hear ⁹ Moses, and some did leave part of it ¹⁰ until the morning; and it bred worms and became putrid. And Moses was incensed with them.

21. And they gathered it morning by morning, each according to the mouth of his eating; and the sun grew hot, and it melted.

22. And so it was, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one; and all the princes of the assembly came and told Moses.

23. And he said to them, This is what Jehovah has spoken: [A day of] rest, a holy sabbath to Jehovah shall tomorrow be. Bake what you will bake, and boil what you will boil; and all that is left over put aside for yourselves to keep until the morning.

24. And they put it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not become putrid, and there was no worm in it.

25. And Moses said, Eat it today, because today is a sabbath to Jehovah, today you will not find it in the field.

26. Six days you shall gather it; and on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be none in it.

27. And so it was on the seventh day, that some of the people went out to gather, and did not find.

28. And Jehovah said to Moses, How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?

29. See! Because Jehovah has given you the sabbath, therefore on the sixth day He gives you the bread of two days; rest, each of you in his place, ¹¹ let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.

30. And the people rested on the seventh day.

31. And the house of Israel called its name Man; ¹² and it was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like that of a cake with honey.

32. And Moses said, This is the thing ¹³ which Jehovah has commanded: Fill an omer with it to be kept for your generations, in order that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.

33. And Moses said to Aaron, Take a jar, and put an omerful of man[na] in it, and lay it up before Jehovah, to be kept for your generations.

34. As Jehovah commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.

35. And the children of Israel ate the man[na] forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the man[na] until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

36. And an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.

CONTENTS

The previous chapter dealt with the second temptation of those belonging to the spiritual Church, which arose because truth was perceived to be unpleasant. The present chapter deals in the internal sense with the third temptation, which arises because good is lacking. The lack of bread and flesh, which the children of Israel grumbled about, means a lack of good. Comfort after temptation is meant and described by the manna they received, and by the selav, the manna being spiritual good. The Lord constantly conferred this good on them, and without any care and aid on their part, which is meant by their receiving the manna every day and by the breeding of worms in it if they gathered too much.

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