10129. 'And the altar shall be the holy of holies' means the celestial kingdom, where the Lord is present in the good of love. This is clear from the meaning of 'the altar' as that which is representative of the Lord in respect of Divine Good, dealt with in 9388, 9389, 9714, 9964, at this point in respect of Divine Good in heaven and in the Church, 10123; and from the meaning of 'the holy of holies' as celestial good or the good of love from the Lord. The reason why it is the celestial kingdom that is meant here by 'the altar' and the good there that is meant by 'the holy of holies' is that the good received in that kingdom is the good of love which comes from and is offered back to the Lord, which is celestial good. For there are two kingdoms into which the heavens are divided, the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom. The celestial kingdom receives the good of love coming from and offered back to the Lord, whereas the spiritual kingdom receives from the Lord the good of charity towards the neighbour, see the places referred to in 9277, and what is stated in 9680, 10068.

[2] 'The altar' represents the celestial kingdom, or what amounts to the same thing, it represents the Lord where He is present in the good of love; and 'the tent of meeting outside the veil' represents the spiritual kingdom, or what amounts to the same thing, it represents the Lord where He is present in the good of charity towards the neighbour. The spiritual kingdom's good, or spiritual good, is called the holy place, but the celestial kingdom's good, or celestial good, is called the holy of holies. The reason why celestial good, which is the good of love received from and offered back to the Lord, is referred to as the holy of holies is that this good is a channel through which the Lord flows directly into the heavens; but spiritual good - the good of charity towards the neighbour - is a channel through which He does so indirectly, by way of celestial good, see 9473, 9683, 9873, 9992, 10005. The term 'flow in' is used because the Lord, being the Sun of heaven, is above the heavens and flows in from there, 10106; yet He is still as one present within the heavens.

[3] The fact that celestial good, which is the good of love received from and offered back to the Lord, is meant by 'the holy of holies' is clear from places in the Word where the expression 'the holy of holies' occurs, as in Moses,

The veil shall be for you a divider between the holy place and the holy of holies. And you shall put the mercy-seat onto the ark of the Testimony in the holy of holies. Exodus 26:33-34.

From this it is evident that 'the holy place' refers to that part of the tent which was outside the veil, and 'the holy of holies' to the part within the veil. Regarding the tent or the dwelling-place outside the veil, that it represented the Lord's spiritual kingdom, or the middle heaven, and regarding the tent or dwelling-place within the veil, that it represented the Lord's celestial kingdom, or the inmost heaven, see 9457, 9481, 9485, 10001, 10025. The part of the tent within the veil is also called the holy sanctuary ¹ , Leviticus 16:33. Since the ark, which had the Testimony within it and the mercy-seat above it, represented the inmost heaven, where celestial good reigns, the innermost part of the temple, where the ark of the covenant was, is also called the holy of holies, 1 Kings 6:16; 8:6.

[4] Since the bread and the minchah were signs of the good of love received from and offered back to the Lord, which is celestial good, they too are called 'the holy of holies' in Moses,

The bread of faces (or of the presence) shall be eaten by Aaron and his sons in a holy place; for it is the holy of holies of the fire offerings to Jehovah. Leviticus 24:9.

'The bread of faces (or of the presence)' means celestial good, see 9545. In the same book,

That which remains of the minchah shall be for Aaron and his sons, the holy of holies of the fire offerings to Jehovah. Leviticus 2:3, 10.

'The minchah', which consisted of unleavened bread, unleavened cakes, and unleavened wafers mixed with oil, means celestial good or the good of love, see 4581, 9992, 10079; and 'a fire offering to Jehovah' means Divine Love, 10055.

[5] In the same author,

Every minchah - a sacrifice of sin offering and a sacrifice of guilt offering - which is for Aaron and his sons, is the holy of holies to Jehovah. Numbers 18:9-10.

Such minchahs too were called 'the holy of holies' because those sacrifices were signs of purification from evils, and all purification from evils is accomplished in a state of the good of innocence; and this good as well is celestial good. This explains why in sacrifices of sin offering or guilt offering female or male lambs, or rams, or young bulls, or turtle doves were offered, as is clear from Chapters 4, 5 of Leviticus, that good being meant by these creatures. For its being meant by 'lambs', see 3994, 3519, 7840, by 'rams', 10042, by 'young bulls', 9391; and its being meant by 'turtle doves' is evident from the places in the Word where such birds are mentioned. As regards purification from evils and regeneration, that they are accomplished in a state of innocence, see 10021. Therefore those sacrifices are called 'the holy of holies' also in Leviticus 6:25; 7:6; 10:17; 14:13.

[6] In the same author,

The minchah shall be eaten beside the altar; for it is the holy of holies. Leviticus 10:12.

It has been shown above that the altar of burnt offering represented the Lord in respect of the good of love, and reception by angels and men. This accounts for the use of the following words concerning it in Moses,

You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its vessels, its laver, and its pedestal. And you shall sanctify them, that they may be the holy of holies; everyone who touches them will make himself holy. Exodus 30:28-29.

[7] The incense too, some of which was placed before the Testimony in the tent of meeting, is called the holy of holies, Exodus 30:36, because it meant celestial good in last and lowest things, and also meant the things that emanate from that good, 9475. In Ezekiel,

This is the law of the house ² : On the top of the mountain shall its whole border round about be, the holy of holies. Ezekiel 43:12.

The reason why 'the house' together with the border around it is called 'the holy of holies' is that 'God's house' means the celestial kingdom, and in the highest sense the Lord in respect of the good of love, 3720. This is why the words 'on the top of the mountain' are also used, for 'the top of the mountain' has the same meaning, 6435, 9422, 9434.

[8] In Daniel,

Seventy weeks have been decreed concerning the people and concerning the holy city to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the holy of holies. Daniel 9:24.

This refers to the Coming of the Lord, who alone is Jehovah's Anointed and who alone is the Holy One, and who also as to His Human is the Divine Good of Divine Love, and so is the holy of holies.

The Lord alone as to His Divine Human is Jehovah's Anointed, see 9954.

He alone is the Holy One, 9229.

He is the Divine Good of Divine Love, see the places referred to in 9199(end).

[9] The reason why celestial good is meant by 'the holy of holies' but spiritual good by 'the holy place' is that celestial good is inmost good, and therefore also is the inmost heaven's good, whereas spiritual good is good emanating from that celestial good and is therefore the middle heaven's good. And this good is good and consequently holy to the extent that it has celestial good within it; for celestial good flows into spiritual, conceives it, and begets it as a father does his child. The words 'celestial good' are used to mean the good of love received from and offered back to the Lord, and 'spiritual good' to mean the good of charity towards the neighbour received from the Lord.

[10] The good of love to the Lord received from the Lord is 'the holy of holies' because the Lord joins Himself directly to others through it. But the good of charity towards the neighbour is 'the holy place' because He joins Himself through it indirectly; and He joins Himself to the extent that it has the good of love from the Lord within it. The good of love to the Lord received from the Lord is present within all genuine good of charity, and also within all genuine good of faith; for such good flows in from the Lord. No one by his own strength, only by the Lord's, can love the neighbour and in love do good to him; and no one by his own strength, only by the Lord's, can believe in God. When therefore the Lord is acknowledged and the neighbour is loved, the Lord is present within the love towards the neighbour, however unaware the person may be of it. This also is what the Lord's words in Matthew serve to mean,

The righteous will answer, Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? But the King will say to them, Truly I say to you, Insofar as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers you did it to Me. Matthew 25:37-40.

From these words it is evident that the Lord is within the good of charity, indeed is that good, even though those governed by this good are unaware of it. 'Brothers' is used in the proximate sense ³ to mean those governed by the good of charity; and in the abstract sense, without reference to persons, 'the Lord's brothers' are the good of charity itself, in all its forms, see 5063-5071.

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4665. Genesis 37

1. And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan.

2. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, a son of seventeen years, was pasturing the flock with his brothers; and he, still a boy, was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's womenfolk; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father.

3. And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, for he was the son of his old age; and he made him a tunic of various colours.

4. And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

5. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him all the more. ¹

6. And he said to them, Hear now this dream which I have dreamed.

7. Behold, we were binding sheaves in the middle of the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood up, and behold, your sheaves gathered round it and bowed down to my sheaf.

8. And his brothers said to him, Are you indeed going; to reign over us? Or are you indeed going to have dominion over us? And they hated him all the more ¹ for his dreams and for his words.

9. And he dreamed yet another dream, and he recounted it to his brothers, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream again, and behold, the sun and the moon, and the eleven stars were bowing down to me.

10. And he recounted it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall we indeed come - I and your mother, and your brothers - to bow down to you to the earth?

11. And his brothers envied him; and his father kept the matter ² [in mind].

12. And his brothers went to pasture the flock of their father, in Shechem.

13. And Israel said to Joseph, Are not your brothers pasturing [the flock] in Shechem? Go, and I will send you to them. And he said to him, Behold, here I am.

14. And he said to him, Go now, see the peace of your brothers and the peace of the flock, ³ and bring back word to me. And he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

15. And a man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field and the man asked him, saying, What are you looking for?

16. And he said, I am looking for my brothers; tell me now, where they are pasturing [the flock].

17. And the man said, They have travelled on from here, for I heard them saying, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.

18. And they saw him from a distance; and before he drew near to them they plotted against him, to put him to death.

19. And they said, a man to his brother, Behold, that dreamer ⁴ is coming.

20. So now come, and let us kill him, and let us throw him into one of the pits, and let us say, An evil wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what his dreams are going to be.

21. And Reuben heard it and rescued him out of their hands, and said Let us not strike him, [as to his] soul. ⁵

22. And Reuben said to them, Do not shed blood; throw him into this pit in the wilderness and do not lay a hand on him - so that he might therefore rescue him out of their hands, to return him to his father.

23. And it happened, when Joseph came to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of various colours that was on him.

24. And they took him and threw him into the pit, and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

25. And they sat down to eat bread; and they lifted up their eyes and saw, and behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites came from Gilead, and their camels bearing spices, and resin, and stacte, ⁶ taking them down to Egypt.

26. And Judah said to his brothers, What profit is there in our killing our brother and concealing his blood?

27. Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, because he is our brother, our flesh. And his brothers hearkened.

28. And men passed by, Midianites, who were traders; and they drew Joseph out and caused him to come up out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they led Joseph to Egypt.

29. And Reuben resumed to the pit, and behold, there was no Joseph in the pit; and he rent his clothes.

30. And he resumed to his brothers and said, The lad is no more; and I, where do I go?

31. And they took Joseph's tunic and killed a he-goat of the she-goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood.

32. And they sent the tunic of various colours, and brought it to their father, and said, We have found this; recognize now whether this is your son's tunic or not.

33. And he recognized it, and said, My son's tunic! An evil wild animal has devoured him; Joseph has been torn to pieces.

34. And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned over his son many days.

35. And all his sons rose up, and all his daughters, to comfort him; and he refused to comfort himself, and said, For I will go down to my son, to the grave mourning. And his father wept for him.

36. And the Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh's bedchamber-servant, the chief of the attendants.

CONTENTS

This chapter deals in the internal sense with the eventual rejection, within the Church, of Divine truths received from the Lord's Divine Human, and the acceptance at length of falsities instead. Specifically the chapter deals with the opposition to the Lord's Divine Human of those governed by faith separated from charity.

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