2114. That 'all the men of his house, he that was born in the house and he that was the purchase of silver' means all those at that time inside the Church is clear from meaning of those 'born in the house' as celestial people, and from the meaning of 'those purchased with silver' as spiritual people, dealt with above in 2048, 2051, 2052. The fact that they are people inside the Church has also been stated in those paragraphs, for all who are inside the Church, that is, all who constitute the Church, are either celestial or spiritual. But who exactly are celestial and who spiritual, see above in 2088. This final verse of this chapter sums up all that has been stated above, namely that those who have been purified from self-love and love of the world, those inside the Church and also those outside, are made righteous by the Lord. Both groups of people are called 'men of the house' because 'house' in the internal sense means the Lord's kingdom, 2048.

2048. That 'he who is born in the houses means celestial people, and 'he who is the purchase of silver' spiritual people, and so those who are inside the Church, is clear from the meaning of 'him born in the house' as those inside the house. In the Word 'a house' means that which is celestial because this is inmost. Consequently 'the house of God' means in the universal sense the Lord's kingdom, in a less universal sense the Church, and in a particular sense the individual himself in whom the Lord's kingdom or Church exists. When a person is called 'a house' it means the celestial side of faith with him, but when he is called 'a temple' it means the truth of faith with him. So 'he who is born in the house' here means celestial people. That 'the purchase of silver' or one bought with silver means spiritual people however is clear from the meaning of 'silver' as truth, and so the spiritual side of faith, dealt with in Volume One, in 1551.

[2] The expression celestial is used of those who are governed by love to the Lord, and because the Most Ancient Church which existed before the Flood was governed by that love it was a celestial Church. The expression spiritual is used of those who are governed by love towards the neighbour and so by the truth of faith. This was the character of the Ancient Church that existed after the Flood. The difference between celestial people and spiritual has been dealt with many times in Volume One. Anyone may see that there are heavenly arcana here, that is to say, in the requirement to circumcise those born in the house and those bought with silver, also sons who were foreigners, and in the fact that those persons are mentioned repeatedly, for example, in verses 13, 23, 27, that follow. These arcana are not apparent however except from the internal sense, that is to say, that those born in the house and those bought with silver mean celestial people and spiritual, and so those inside the Church - while 'the son who is a foreigner and not of your seed' means those outside the Church.