10083. And shalt wave them a wave-offering before Jehovah. That this signifies the consequent Divine life, is evident from the signification of “waving a wave-offering,” as being to vivify, thus life; and because it is said “before Jehovah,” Divine life is signified. That “to wave a wave-offering” denotes to vivify, that is, to give Divine life, is evident from the passages in the Word where “waving a wave-offering” is mentioned, as in Moses:

When ye shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest, he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah to make you well pleasing; on the morrow of the Sabbath the priest shall wave it (Leviticus 23:10-11).

by the “harvest” is signified the state of the truth of faith from good, thus the state of good (see n. 9295); by “the sheaf of the firstfruits” is signified its state collectively; hence by “being waved by the priest” is signified being vivified to receive a blessing; for every blessing, in order to be a blessing, must have life in it from the Divine.

[2] Again:

Aaron shall wave the Levites a wave-offering before Jehovah from among the sons of Israel, that they may be for ministering the ministry to Jehovah. Thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and shalt wave them a wave-offering to Jehovah. Afterward shall the Levites come to minister in the Tent of meeting; and thou shalt purify them, and shalt wave them a wave-offering. And when the Levites were purified, and Aaron waved them a wave-offering before Jehovah; and expiated them to purify them (Numbers 8:11, 13, 15, 21).

From all this it can be seen what is meant by “waving a wave offering,” namely, that it denotes to vivify by acknowledgment, which is the first of life from the Divine with man. Knowledge does indeed precede acknowledgment, but there is nothing of Divine life in knowledge until it becomes acknowledgment, and then faith. The Levites represented truths ministering to good, and Aaron represented the good to which they ministered; therefore the Levites were “waved,” that is, were vivified; and therefore it is also said that they were to be “purified,” for life from the Divine must be in truths in order that they may minister to good, and this life first flows in by means of acknowledgment.

[3] The like is signified by the “waving of gold” in Moses:

The men came with the women, and brought a clasp, a nose-ring, gold, a girdle, all vessels of gold, every man who waved a wave-offering of gold to Jehovah (Exodus 35:22);

“to wave a wave-offering of gold to Jehovah” denotes to vivify by the acknowledgment that it was Jehovah’s, that is, the Lord’s. That “to wave a wave-offering” has such a signification is from correspondence, for all motion corresponds to a state of thought; hence progressions, journeyings, and the like, which belong to motion, in the Word signify states of life (n. 3335, 4882, 5493, 5605, 8103, 8417, 8420, 8557).

[4] In John:

At the pool of Bethesda lay a great multitude of them that were sick. And at a certain time an angel went down unto the pool, and troubled the water; whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in, was made whole, with whatever disease he was holden (John 5:2-7).

By “troubling the water” was here likewise signified vivification through acknowledgment and faith, thus also purification through truths. (That motion signifies states of life, see n. 2837, 3356, 3387, 4321, 4882, 5605, 7381, 9440, 9967; and that “waters” denote the truths of faith, n. 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976, 8568, 9323; that all purifications are effected through the truths of faith, n. 2799, 5954, 7044, 7918, 9088; and that healings represented restorations of spiritual life, n. 8365, 9031)

[5] As by the “waving upon the palms of Aaron” is signified vivification through the acknowledgment of the Lord, and that all things are from Him, therefore a few words shall be said about this acknowledgment and the faith thence derived. It was often said by the Lord, when the sick were healed, that they should “have faith,” and that it would be done to them “according to their faith” (as Matthew 8:10-13; 9:2, (Matthew 9:2) 22, 27-29; 13:57-58; 15:28; 21:21-22, 31-32; Mark 5:34, 36; 10:49, 52; Luke 7:9, 48-50; 8:48; 17:19; 18:42-43). The reason was that the first of all is to acknowledge that the Lord is the Savior of the world, for without this acknowledgment no one can receive anything of truth and good from heaven, thus no faith; and because this is the first and most essential of all, therefore in order that the Lord might be acknowledged when He came into the world, in healing the sick He questioned them concerning their faith, and those who had faith were healed. The faith was that He was the Son of God who was to come into the world, and that He had power to heal and to save. Moreover, all the healings of diseases by the Lord, when He was in the world, signified healings of the spiritual life, thus the things that belong to salvation (n. 8364, 9031, 9086).

[6] Because the acknowledgment of the Lord is the first of all things of spiritual life, and the most essential thing of the church, and because without it no one can receive from heaven anything of the truth of faith and the good of love, therefore the Lord often says that he who “believeth in Him hath eternal life,” that he who “doth not believe hath not life” (as John 1:1, 4, (John 1:4) 12-13; 3:14-16, 36; 5:39-40; 6:28-30, 34-35, 40, 47-48; 7:37-38; 8:24; 11:25-26; 20:30-31); but He also teaches at the same time that those have faith in Him who “live according to His precepts,” so that the consequent life may enter into the faith. All this has been said to illustrate and confirm the fact, that the acknowledgment of the Lord, and that from Him is all salvation, is the first of life from the Divine with man. This first of life is signified by the “wavings upon the palms of Aaron.”

1551. In silver. That this signifies truths, is evident from the signification of “silver,” as being truth. The most ancient people compared the goods and truths in man to metals; the inmost or the celestial goods, which are of love to the Lord, to gold; the truths which are from these, to silver; but the lower or natural goods, to copper; and the lower truths, to iron; nor did they simply compare them, but they likewise called them so. Hence periods of time were also likened to the same metals, and were called the golden, the silver, the copper, and the iron ages; for the ages followed one another in this order. The golden age was the time of the Most Ancient Church, which was a celestial man; the silver age was the time of the Ancient Church, which was a spiritual man; the copper age was the time of the succeeding church; and to this succeeded the iron age. Similar things are also signified by the statue seen by Nebuchadnezzar in a dream, whose “head was of good gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, the legs of iron” (Daniel 2:32-33). That this was to be the series, or that the periods of the church succeeded one another in this order, is evident from the same Prophet, and in the same chapter.

[2] That in the internal sense of the Word, “silver,” wherever named, signifies truth, and in the opposite sense falsity, is evident from the following passages.

In Isaiah:

For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron; I will also make thine officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness (Isaiah 60:17); where it is evident what each metal means. The Lord’s coming, and His celestial kingdom and church, are there treated of; “gold for brass,” is celestial good instead of natural good; “silver for iron,” is spiritual truth instead of natural truth; “brass for wood,” is natural good instead of corporeal good; “iron for stones,” is natural truth instead of sensuous truth. In the same:

Ho, everyone that thirsteth, go ye to the waters; and he that hath no silver; go ye, buy and eat (Isaiah 55:1);

“he that hath no silver,” is he who is in ignorance of truth, and yet in the good of charity, like many within the church, and the nations outside the church.

[3] In the same:

The isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish in the beginning, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of Jehovah thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 60:9).

Here a new church, or that of the Gentiles, is treated of specifically, and the Lord’s kingdom universally; “the ships from Tarshish” denote knowledges; “silver,” truths; and “gold,” goods; for these are the things which they shall “bring to the name of Jehovah.”

In Ezekiel:

Thou didst take the vessels of thine adorning of My gold and of My silver, which I had given thee, and madest for thee images of a male (Ezekiel 16:17).

Here “gold” denotes the knowledges of celestial things; “silver,” those of spiritual things. In the same:

Thou wast adorned with gold and silver, and thy raiment was fine linen and silk, and broidered work (Ezekiel 16:13).

This is said of Jerusalem, by which the Lord’s church is signified, and the adornment of which is thus described. Again:

Behold, thou art wise, there is no secret that they have hidden from thee; in thy wisdom and in thine intelligence thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures (Ezekiel 28:3-4

This is said of Tyre, and it is plain that here “gold” is the wealth of wisdom, and “silver” the wealth of intelligence.

[4] In Joel:

Ye have taken My silver and My gold, and have carried into your temples My goodly desirable things (Joel 3:5).

This is said concerning Tyre, Zidon, and Philistia; by which are signified knowledges, which are “the gold and the silver” that they have carried into their temples.

In Haggai:

The choice of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with glory; the silver is Mine and the gold is Mine; the glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former (Haggai 2:7-9); where the Lord’s church is treated of, concerning which “gold” and “silver” are predicated.

In Malachi:

He shall sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and shall purify the sons of Leviticus (Malachi 3:3); where the Lord’s coming is treated of.

In David:

The discourses of Jehovah are pure discourses, silver smelted in a crucible of earth, smelted seven times (Psalms 12:6).

The “silver purified seven times,” denotes Divine truth. In respect to the command given to the sons of Israel, when they were to go out of Egypt:

Every woman shall borrow of her neighbor, and of her that is a guest in her house, vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and garments; and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters, and shall spoil the Egyptians (Exodus 3:22; 11:2-3; 12:35-36);

everyone can see that the sons of Israel would by no means have been told thus to steal, and to spoil the Egyptians, unless some arcana were thus to be represented; but what the arcana are may be seen from the signification of “silver,” of “gold,” and of “garments,” and of “Egypt;” and it may also be seen that much the same was there represented as is here represented by Abram, who was rich in silver and gold from Egypt.

[5] As “silver” signifies truth, so in the opposite sense it signifies falsity; for they who are in falsity think that falsity is truth; as is also evident in the Prophets.

In Moses:

Thou shalt not covet the silver and the gold of the nations, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein; for it is an abomination to Jehovah thy God; detesting thou shalt detest it (Deuteronomy 7:25-26);

“the gold of the nations” denotes evils, and their “silver” falsities. Again:

Ye shall not make with Me gods of silver, and gods of gold shall ye not make unto you (Exodus 20:23);

by which in the internal sense nothing else is signified than falsities and cupidities; “gods of silver” are falsities; and “gods of gold” are cupidities.

In Isaiah:

In that day shall they cast away every man his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin (Isaiah 31:7);

“idols of silver and idols of gold,” denote similar things as before; “your own hands have made them,” means that they are from man’s Own.

In Jeremiah:

They are become brutish and foolish; a teaching of vanities is that stock; silver beaten out is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the artificer and of the hands of the founder; blue and crimson are their clothing, it is all the work of the wise (Jeremiah 10:8-9);

denoting the like things, as is very evident.