8586. Verse 7. And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the sons of Israel, and because of their tempting Jehovah, saying, Is Jehovah in the midst of us, or not? “And he called the name of the place Massah,” signifies the quality of the state of the temptation; “and Meribah,” signifies the quality of the complaining; “because of the quarreling of the sons of Israel,” signifies a complaining from the grievousness of the temptation even so that they nearly yielded; “and because of their tempting Jehovah,” signifies that it was against the Divine whose aid they despair of; “saying, Is Jehovah in the midst of us?” signifies that they almost believed that the Lord does not bring aid to His own.

5569. As there is a correspondence of the bones and the skins, so there is of the hairs; for these push forth from roots in the skins. Whatever has a correspondence with the Grand Man is possessed by angels and spirits; for each one as an image represents the Grand Man; therefore the angels have hair arranged becomingly and in order. Their hair represents their natural life and its correspondence with their spiritual life. That “hair” signifies the things of natural life, may be seen above (n. 3301); and also that “to poll the hair” is to accommodate natural things so that they may be becoming and thus comely (n. 5247).