10019. And thou shalt fill the hand of Aaron and the hand of his sons. That this signifies inauguration to represent the Divine power of the Lord through Divine truth from Divine good, is evident from the signification of “filling the hand,” as being to inaugurate to represent the Lord as to Divine truth from Divine good, and as to the power thence derived. There were two things by which inauguration into the priesthood was effected-anointing, and filling the hand; by anointing was effected inauguration to represent the Lord as to Divine good, for the oil by which the anointing was done signifies the good of love (see n. 10011); and by filling the hand was effected inauguration to represent the Lord as to Divine truth from Divine good, thus as to power. For by the “hand” is signified power (n. 878, 4931-4937, 5327, 5328, 6947, 7011, 7188, 7189, 7518, 7673, 8050, 8069, 8153); and “hand” is predicated of the truth which is from good (n. 3091, 3563, 4931, 8281, 9025), because all power is of truth from good (n. 5623, 6344, 6423, 6948, 8200, 8304, 9327, 9410, 9639, 9643). And as the head and the whole body exercise their power by the hands, and power is the activity of life with man, therefore by “hand” is also signified whatever pertains to man, thus the man himself insofar as his action is concerned (n. 9133); from all which it can be seen what is signified by “filling the hand.” (That the Lord alone has all power, and that an angel, spirit, or man has none at all, save what is from the Lord, see n. 8200, 8281, 9327, 9410, 9639.) That by these two things-anointing and the filling of the hand-inauguration into the priesthood was effected, was because all things whatsoever that are and come forth in the heavens and on earth, bear relation to good and to truth.

[2] How the filling of the hand was effected is described in this chapter (verses 9 to 36), and also in Leviticus (8:22 to the end). It was effected by means of the second ram, which is therefore called “the ram of fillings.” The process of filling was that the ram should be slain, that some of his blood should be put upon the earlap of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the great toe of the right foot, of Aaron and his sons; that some of the blood from the altar, and of the oil of anointing, should be sprinkled upon Aaron and his sons, and upon their garments; that the fat, the tail, the fat upon the intestines, the caul of the liver, the kidneys and their fat, and the right shoulder, of that ram; also the bread, the cakes, and the wafers of unleavened things from the basket; should be put upon the palms of Aaron and his sons, and should be waved, and afterward be burnt upon the burnt-offering of the first ram; that the breast after it was waved, and the left shoulder, should be for Aaron and his sons, and the flesh cooked in a holy place and the bread remaining in the basket, should be eaten by them at the door of the Tent of meeting. This was the process of filling the hands; but what the particulars signified will of the Lord’s Divine mercy be told in what follows.

[3] The Divine power of the Lord, which was represented by the filling of the hands of Aaron and his sons, is the Divine power of saving the human race; and the power of saving the human race is power over the heavens and over the hells. For man is saved by this power of the Lord, and not by any other; because all the good which is of love, and all the truth which is of faith, flow in through the heavens from the Lord, and they cannot flow in unless the hells are removed, for all evil, and from this all falsity, are from the hells. Man is saved by the removal of the evils and the derivative falsities that are from the hells, and by the influx then of the good of love and of the truth of faith through heaven from the Lord. (That when the Lord was in the world He subjugated the hells, and reduced the heavens into order, and acquired to Himself Divine power over them, see n. 9486, 9715, 9809, 9937, and the places cited in n. 9528.) This power of the Lord is what was represented by the filling of the hands of the priests; for by the “priesthood” was signified all the work of the Lord’s salvation (n. 9809).

[4] That the Lord has this power He Himself teaches in plain words in Matthew:

All power has been given to Me in the heavens and on earth (Matthew 28:15).

Jesus said to the seventy who said that the demons were obedient to them, Behold I give you power to tread upon serpents and upon scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; that nothing at all shall harm you. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father (Luke 10:19, 10:22).

By these words is described the power of the Lord over the hells; “demons” denote those who are in the hells; “serpents and scorpions” denote evils and the falsities of evil; “to tread upon them” denotes to destroy these evils and falsities; the hells are also meant by “the enemy over which they were to have power.”

[5] That the Lord acquired this power when He was in the world, is evident in Isaiah:

Who is this that cometh from Edom, marching in the multitude of his strength, great to save? Mine own arm performed salvation to Me; therefore He became their Savior (Isaiah 63:1, 5 (Isaiah 63:5), 8).

That these things are said of the Lord, is known in the church. In like manner those said elsewhere in the same prophet:

His own arm performed salvation to Him, and His righteousness uplifted Him. Therefore He put on righteousness as a coat of mail, and a helmet of salvation upon His head; and the Redeemer came to Zion (Isaiah 59:16-21).

The saying of Jehovah unto my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies a stool for Thy feet. Jehovah shall send forth the scepter of Thy strength out of Zion; rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies; the Lord is at Thy right hand (Psalms 110). (Psalms 110:5)

That these things are said of the Lord, He Himself teaches in Matthew 22:43. His dominion over the hells is described by “sitting at the right hand;” for by “the right hand” is signified the power possessed by Divine truth from Divine good. The hells and the evils and falsities therefrom are the “enemies who were to be made a stool for His feet,” and also the “enemies in the midst of whom He was to rule.”

[6] That the “right hand of Jehovah” denotes Divine power, is evident from many passages in the Word; as in Moses:

Thy right hand, O Jehovah, is become great in power; Thy right hand, O Jehovah, breaketh in pieces the enemy (Exodus 15:6).

O God, Thou givest me the shield of salvation, and Thy right hand holdeth me up (Psalms 18:35).

Their arm did not save them; but Thy right hand, and Thine arm, and the light of Thy faces (Psalms 44:3);

it is said “Thy right hand, and Thine arm, and the light of Thy faces,” because the “right hand” denotes power, the “arm” denotes strength, and the “light of the faces” denotes Divine truth from Divine good. (That the “arm” denotes strength, see n. 4932, 4934, 4935, 7205; that “light” denotes Divine truth, n. 9548, 9684; and that “the faces of Jehovah” denote Divine good, n. 222, 5585, 9306) Again:

O God, Thy right hand upholdeth me (Psalms 63:8).

O Jehovah, Thou hast an arm with might; strong is Thy hand, exalted shall be Thy right hand (Psalms 89:13).

Jehovah hath sworn by His right hand, by the arm of His strength (Isaiah 62:8).

O Jehovah, let Thy hand be for the man of Thy right hand, for the son of man Thou hast made strong for Thyself; then will we not go back from Thee (Psalms 80:17-18).

[7] From all this it can now be seen what is meant by the words of the Lord in Matthew:

Jesus said, Henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power (Matthew 26:64).

Henceforth shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God (Luke 22:69).

That “the Son of man” denotes the Lord as to Divine truth, see in n. 9807; and that “the right hand” denotes Divine power, is evident from what has now been shown; therefore also it is called “the right hand of power,” and “the right hand of might.” From all this it is now evident what was represented by the anointing of Aaron and of his sons, and what by the filling of their hands; namely, by the anointing, the Divine good of the Divine love in the Lord (see n. 9954 end); and by the filling of their hands, the Divine truth and the Divine power thence derived. That Divine good has all power through Divine truth, and that the Lord alone has this power, may be seen in the passages cited above; therefore also in the Word of the Old Testament the Lord is called “Hero,” a “Man of War,” and also “Jehovah Zebaoth,” or “of armies.”

4738. That he might rescue him out of their hand, to bring him back to his father. That this signifies that it might claim it for the church, is evident from the signification of “rescuing out of their hand,” as being to set free-as above (n. 4732) and from the signification of “bringing back to his father” as being to claim for the church; for by Jacob, who is here the “father,” is represented the Jewish religion derived from the Ancient Church, as above (n. 4700, 4701). It was the Divine truth concerning the Lord’s Divine Human that it would claim for the church, for by Joseph, as before said, this truth is specifically signified.

[2] As further regards this truth, be it known that the Ancient Church acknowledged it, and also the primitive Christian Church; but after the papal sway had grown even to domination over all human souls, and had exalted itself-as is said of the King of Babylon in Isaiah, “Thou saidst in thy heart, I will ascend into the heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven, and I will sit in the mount of congregation, I will ascend above the heights of the cloud, I will become like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13-14)—then the Divine was taken away from the Lord’s Human, that is, a distinction was then made between His Divine and His Human.

[3] How this was decreed in a certain council has also been revealed to me. There appeared to me certain spirits in front to the left on the plane of the sole of the foot, at some distance from me, who were talking together, but about what I did not hear. I was then told that they were some of those who composed the council in which the decree was made regarding the Lord’s two natures, the Divine and the human. Presently it was granted me to converse with them. They said that those who had the greatest influence in the council, and who were superior to the rest in rank and authority, came together in a dark room and there concluded that both a Divine and a human nature should be attributed to the Lord; chiefly for the reason that otherwise the papal sway could not be maintained. For if they had acknowledged the Lord to be one with the Father, as He Himself says, no one could have been acknowledged as His vicar on earth; for schisms were arising at that time by which the papal power might have fallen and been dissipated unless they had made this distinction; and for the strengthening of this invention they sought out confirmations from the Word, and persuaded the rest.

[4] The spirits added that by this means they were able to rule in heaven and on earth, because they had it from the Word that to the Lord was given all power in heaven and on earth, which power could not have been attributed to any vicar if His Human also were acknowledged to be Divine; for they knew that no one was allowed to make himself equal to God, and that the Divine had this power of Itself, but not the Human, unless it had been given it, as it was afterwards to Peter. They continued, that the schismatics of that day were men of acute discernment, whom in this way they were able to quiet, and by this means the papal power was also confirmed. From all this it is evident that this distinction was invented merely for the sake of dominion; and that for this reason they were not willing to know that the power given to the Lord’s Human in heaven and on earth shows that it also is Divine. That Peter, to whom the Lord gave the keys of heaven, does not mean Peter, but the faith of charity, which, because it is from the Lord alone, is the power of the Lord alone, can be seen in the preface to the twenty-second chapter of Genesis (2760).