7245. 'behold, I am uncircumcised in the lips' means that it is impure, that is to say, the law of God is impure to those who are steeped in falsities.

AC 7245a. 'And how will Pharaoh hear me?' means that for that reason those steeped in falsities are not going to accept it. This is clear from what was stated above in 7224, 7225, where the same words occur. When Moses says that he is 'uncircumcised in the lips' the meaning in the internal sense, according to what has been shown in 7225, is that the law of God is seen to be impure by those steeped in falsities. In the historical sense however, in which Moses as the head stands for the descendants of Jacob and whatever there is of the Church among them, as shown above in 7041, 'uncircumcised in the lips' means that Divine worship among that nation was of such a nature. For the worship among that nation was impure, since they venerated outward things and totally rejected inner values, which are faith and charity. Indeed they spurned any actual recognition of inner realities, such as all those which religious observances served to mean and represent. And because that nation was like this their worship was impure; for they were led to worship Jehovah by self-love and love of the world, not by love to Him and love towards the neighbour. This impure worship is meant in the historical sense when Moses says that he is 'uncircumcised in the lips'; but the meaning in the internal sense is as explained above in 7225.

7225. 'And I am uncircumcised in the lips' means that to them I am impure. This is clear from the meaning of 'being uncircumcised' as being impure, for circumcision represented purification from filthy kinds of love, that is, from self-love and love of the world, see 2039, 2632, 2799, 4462, 7045, and therefore those who had not been circumcised and were called 'the uncircumcised' represented those who had not been purified from those kinds of love and so were impure, 3412, 3413, 4462, 7045; and from the meaning of 'the lips' as matters of doctrine, dealt with in 1286, 1288, so that 'uncircumcised in the lips' means being impure in those things which are matters of doctrine. For the expression 'uncircumcised' is used in reference to doctrine as well as to life. The ear is therefore spoken of as being uncircumcised in Jeremiah,

On whom shall I speak and testify and they will hear? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot listen. Behold, the Word of Jehovah has become a reproach; they have no wish for it. Jeremiah 6:10.

And the heart is spoken of as being uncircumcised, in the same prophet, All the house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart. Jeremiah 9:26.

In Ezekiel,

You are bringing in the sons of the foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary. Ezekiel 44:7, 9.

In Moses,

At that time their uncircumcised heart will be humbled. Leviticus 26:41.

[2] From these quotations it is evident that 'uncircumcised' means impure; and since all impurity springs from the impure kinds of love, which are love of the world and self-love, 'uncircumcised' means that which hinders the inflow of goodness and truth. Where those kinds of love are present inflowing goodness and truth are annihilated, for they are contrary to one another, as heaven and hell are. Therefore 'an uncircumcised ear' means disobedience, and 'an uncircumcised heart' a rejection of goodness and truth, which takes place especially when those kinds of love have fortified themselves with falsity like a wall around them.

[3] When Moses, being a stammerer, calls himself 'uncircumcised in the lips' it is on account of the internal sense. The expression is used so as to mean that those steeped in falsities, who are represented by 'Pharaoh', are not going to listen to things that might be told them from the law of God. And the reason why is that those steeped in falsities call truths belonging to the law of God falsities, and falsities that are contrary to the truths belonging to the law of God they call truths; for they are of an utterly contrary frame of mind. This being so, they view the truths taught by doctrine as altogether impure; and heavenly kinds of love are likewise seen by them as impure. And when they approach any community in heaven they emit a dreadful stench, which they imagine, when they become aware of it, to be emanating from that heavenly community, when in fact it is coming from themselves. For they are unaware of a stench until they are alongside that which is the opposite of it.