If you think about laws, it’s easy to see that they are an attempt to take general principles of kindness, caring and fairness and crystallize them into specific written statements that are (relatively speaking) easy to interpret and apply. That might seem disingenuous given the complexity that laws can have, but consider the difference between “don’t go too fast here; there are houses along the road” and “the speed limit here is 35 mph.” The latter is a lot easier to follow, and to enforce.
So it makes sense that when the Bible mentions “the law” it means (according to Swedenborg) the crystallized, written expression of divine principles of spiritual kindness, caring and fairness: The Word. It is the container of the guidance we need to live good lives and become angels, just as natural laws guide us to live good natural lives.
Swedenborg says that in a general sense “law” means all of the Bible; in a more specific sense it means the five books of Moses (or the law as given through Moses to the people of Israel, as we can see in the expression “the law and the prophets”); and in a most specific sense it means the Ten Commandments, given by the Lord to Moses directly.
Passages from Swedenborg
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6752
6752. ‘And she called his name Moses’ means the essential nature of the state then. This is clear from the meaning of ‘name’ and ‘calling the name as the essential nature, dealt with in 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 2714, 3006, 3421, 6674, at this point the essential nature of a state because when someone’s name is mentioned, that particular name used then means the state, 1946, 2643, 3422, 4298. This essential nature of a state that is meant is the nature of the state of the law of God as it was in the beginning with the Lord, and the nature of the state of God’s truth as it is in the beginning with a person who is being regenerated. There are two people primarily who represent the Lord with respect to the Word, namely Moses and Elijah. Moses represents the Lord with respect to the historical books, Elijah with respect to the Prophets. In addition to those two there is Elisha, and lastly John the Baptist, who is therefore the one who is meant by ‘the Elijah who is to come’, Matt. 17:10-13; Luke 1:17. But before one can show that Moses represents the law of God, one must say what the law of God is. In a broad sense God’s law means the whole Word; in a narrower sense it means the historical section of the Word; in a restricted sense it means what was written through Moses; and in a very restricted sense it means the Ten Commandments written upon Mount Sinai on tablets of stone. Moses represents the law in the narrower sense as well as in the restricted sense and also in the very restricted.
[2] In a broad sense the Law is the whole Word, both the historical section and the prophetical part. This is clear in John,
We have heard from the Law that the Christ (the Messiah) remains forever. John 12:34.
The fact that ‘the Law’ here is used to mean the prophetical part as well is self-evident, for this is a reference to what is written in Isaiah 9:6, 7; in David, Ps. 110:4; and in Daniel 7:13, 14. In the same gospel,
In order that the Word written in the Law might be fulfilled, They hated Me without a cause. John 15:25.
Much the same applies here, for it is a reference to what is written in David, Ps. 35:19. In Matthew,
Truly I say to you, Even until heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one small part of a letter will not pass from the Law till all things are done. Matt. 5:18.
Here ‘the Law’ in a broad sense stands for the whole Word.
[3] The Law in a narrower sense is the historical section of the Word. This is clear in Matthew,
All things whatever you wish people to do to you, do also to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets. Matt. 7:12.
Here the Word is divided into ‘the Law’ and ‘the Prophets’; and as the Word has been divided into the historical section and the prophetical part, it follows that ‘the Law’ is used to mean the historical section of the Word, and ‘the Prophets’ to mean the prophetical part. A similar example occurs in the same gospel,
On these two commandments hang the Law and the Prophets. Matt. 22:40.
And in Luke,
The Law and the Prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God is proclaimed. Luke 16:16; Matt. 11:13.
[4] In a restricted sense the Law is the Word that was written through Moses. This is clear in Moses,
When Moses had finished writing the words of this Law in a book, even until he had completed them, Moses commanded the Levites carrying the ark of Jehovah, saying, Take the book of this Law, and put it at the side of the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God. Deut. 31:14-26.
‘The book of the Law’ stands for the Books of Moses. In the same book,
If you do not take care to do all the words of this Law which are written in this book, Jehovah will send* upon you every sickness and every plague that is not written in the book of this Law, until you are destroyed. Deut. 28:58, 61.
The meaning is similar here. In David,
In the Law of Jehovah is his delight, and in His Law he meditates day and night. Ps. 1:2.
‘The Law of Jehovah’ stands for the Books of Moses, for the prophetical books had not yet been written; nor had the historical books apart from the Book of Joshua and the Book of Judges. In addition this restricted meaning of ‘the Law’ occurs in places containing the expression ‘the Law of Moses’, which are dealt with immediately below.
[5] In a very restricted sense the Law is the Ten Commandments written upon Mount Sinai on the tablets of stone, as is well known, see Josh. 8:32. This Law is also called the Testimony, Exod. 25:16, 21.
[6] Moses represents the Law in the narrower sense, which is the historical section of the Word, also the Law in the restricted sense, and in the very restricted sense too. This is clear from those places in the Word in which the name Moses is used instead of the Law, and those in which the Law is called the Law of Moses, as in Luke,
Abraham said to him, They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them. If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead. Luke 16:29, 31.
Here ‘Moses and the Prophets’ has the same meaning as ‘the Law and the Prophets’, which is the historical section and the prophetical part of the Word. From this it is evident that ‘Moses’ is the Law or historical section of the Word. In the same gospel,
Jesus beginning at Moses and all the prophets explained in all the scriptures the things that concerned Himself. Luke 24:27.
In the same chapter,
All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me. Luke 24:44.
In John,
Philip said, We have found him of whom Moses wrote in the Law – Jesus. John 1:45.
In the same gospel,
In the Law Moses commanded us. John 8:5.
In Daniel,
The curse and the oath which was written in the Law of Moses the servant of God has come down onto us, because we have sinned against Him. As it is written in the Law of Moses, All this evil has come upon us. Dan. 9:11, 13.
In Joshua,
Joshua wrote on the stone of the altar a copy of the Law of Moses. Josh. 8:32.
[7] The expression ‘the Law of Moses’ is used because Moses represents the Lord with respect to the Law, that is, the Word, and in a narrower sense the historical section of the Word. This explains why what is the Lord’s is ascribed to Moses, as in John,
Moses gave you the Law, Moses gave you circumcision. If a man (homo) receives circumcision on the sabbath, so that the Law of Moses may not be broken… John 7:19, 22, 23.
In Mark,
Moses said, Honour your father and your mother. Mark 7:10.
In the same gospel,
Jesus answering said to them, What did Moses command you? They said, Moses permitted him to write a certificate of divorce, and to put her away. Mark 10:3, 4.
And because what is the Lord’s is ascribed to Moses on account of his representation, both ‘the Law of Moses’ and ‘the Law of the Lord’ are used in Luke,
When the days of their purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it has been written in the Law of the Lord, that every male opening the womb is to be called holy to the Lord) and to offer a sacrifice according to what has been stated in the Law of the Lord, A pair of turtle doves and two young pigeons. Luke 2:22-24, 39.
[8] Because Moses represented the Law he was allowed to go in to the Lord on Mount Sinai, not only to receive there the tablets containing the Law but also to hear the statutes and judgements belonging to the Law, and to enjoin these commands on the people. It is also said that the people should therefore believe in Moses forever,
Jehovah said to Moses, Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak to you, and also may believe in you forever. Exod. 19:9.
The expression ‘in a thick cloud’ is used because ‘cloud’ means the letter of the Word. Here also is the reason why it says, when Moses went in to the Lord on Mount Sinai, that he went ‘into the cloud’, Exod. 20:21; 14:2, 18; 34:2-5. For the meaning of ‘the cloud’ as the literal sense of the Word, see the Preface to Genesis 18, and also 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343 (end).
[9] And since Moses represented the Law or the Word, it also says that when he came down from Mount Sinai the skin on his face shone whenever he spoke, and so he would put a veil over his face, Exod. 34:28-end. ‘The shining of his face’ meant the inner spirit of the Law, for this dwells in the light of heaven and is therefore called the glory, 5922. While ‘the veil’ meant the outward form of the Law. The reason why he veiled his face whenever he spoke to the people was that the inner spirit was concealed from them, and had become so obscure to that people that they could not bear any light from it. For the meaning of ‘the face’ as that which is internal, see 1999, 2434, 3527, 7577, 4066, 4796-4805, 5102, 5695. Since ‘Moses’ represented the Lord with respect to the historical section of the Word and ‘Elijah’ represented the Lord with respect to the prophetical part, Moses and Elijah were therefore seen talking to the Lord at His transfiguration, Matt. 17:3. No others except those who represented the Word could have talked to the Lord when He manifested His Divinity in the world; for talking to the Lord is done through the Word. Regarding Elijah’s representation of the Lord with respect to the Word, see 1762, 5247 (end).
[10] And since these two together, both Moses and Elijah, represented the whole Word, both are mentioned in Malachi where the sending of Elijah before the Lord is referred to,
Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel – the statutes and judgements. Lo, I am sending you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrifying day of Jehovah comes. Mal. 4:4-6.
These words imply that one was to go before who was to announce the [Lord’s] Coming, in accordance with the Word.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 7463
7463. ‘And Moses said, Behold, I go out from you’ means the removal of the appearance of God’s truth among them. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the law of God, dealt with in 6723, 6752, thus God’s truth also, 7014, 7381; and from the meaning of ‘going out’ as a removal, as above in 7404. For ‘Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron’ means the presence of God’s truth, 7451, and therefore ‘going out from him’ here means a removal. In considering the presence and removal of God’s truth among the evil, one should realize that truth from God sometimes appears to them, and that it does so through the presence of an angel near them. But with them truth from God does not come in by way of their interiors, as it does with the good, because their interiors are closed. It has an effect only on their exteriors. When this happens they are filled with fear and consequently self-abasement, for the presence of truth from God perturbs them and strikes fear into them that is like the fear of death. But when the truth from God is removed they return to their previous state of mind and have no fear. This is what is meant by the presence of the appearance of God’s truth and its removal. It was also represented by Pharaoh, by his self-abasement while Moses was present with him, and his promise to send the people away to sacrifice to Jehovah, and by his ‘making his heart stubborn after Moses had gone out from him’, verse 28. For as shown above, ‘Moses’ represented the law of God or God’s truth.
[2] The law of God and God’s truth are one and the same because the law of God means the Word, and accordingly God’s truth. The fact that ‘the law means the Word and accordingly God’s truth is clear from the following places: In John,
Jesus said, Is it not written in your law, I said, You are Gods? If He called them gods, with whom the Word came to be, and the Scripture cannot be broken . . . John 10:34, 35.
‘Written in the law’ stands for the presence of those words in the Word, for they are written in David. In the same gospel,
The crowd said, We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. John 12:34.
These words too are written in David. In the same gospel,
Jesus said, In order that the Word written in the Law might be fulfilled, They hated Me without a cause. John 15:25.
This as well is found in David. In Luke,
It is written in the Law of the Lord that every male opening the womb should be called holy to the Lord; and that they should offer a sacrifice, in keeping with what is written in the Law of the Lord, of a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons. Luke 2:23, 24, 39.
This command is contained in Moses. In the same gospel,
A lawyer testing Jesus said, What must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said to him. What is written in the Law? What is your reading of it? Luke 10:25, 26.
[3] In the same gospel,
The Law and the Prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God is proclaimed. It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the Law to fall. Luke 16:16, 17.
There are other places besides this in which the Word is called the Law and the Prophets, such as Matt. 5:18; 7:12; 11:13; 22:36, 40. In Isaiah,
Bind up the testimony, seal the Law for the benefit of My disciples. Isa. 8:16.
‘The Law’ stands for the Word. In the same prophet,
. . . lying sons, sons who did not wish to hear the Law of Jehovah. Isa. 30:9.
In the same prophet,
He will set judgement on the earth, the islands hope for His Law. Isa. 42:4.
This refers to the Lord, ‘His Law’ standing for the Word. In the same prophet,
Jehovah will magnify His Law. Isa. 42:21.
In Jeremiah,
Thus said Jehovah, If you do not obey Me, to go in My Law which I have set before you, in order that you may hear the Word of My servants the prophets . . . Jer. 26:4, 5.
Here ‘the Law’ stands for the Word, and in very many other places besides. From this it is evident that ‘the Law’ is the Word, and since it is the Word it is God’s truth, as in Jeremiah,
This is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, said Jehovah: I will put [My] Law in the midst of them, and will write it on their heart. Jer. 31:33.
Here ‘Jehovah’s Law’ stands for God’s truth.
[4] In a broad sense ‘the Law’ is the whole Word, in a narrower sense the historical section of the Word, in an even narrower sense the Word written through Moses, and in a restricted sense the Ten Commandments, see 6752.
From all this one may now see why Moses is said to represent both the law of God and God’s truth.
True Christian Religion (Rose) n. 288
288
The Word often mentions “the law.” I will now say what that means in a narrow sense, in a broader sense, and in the broadest sense. In a narrow sense, “the law” means the Ten Commandments. In a broader sense, “the law” means the rules that Moses gave to the children of Israel. In the broadest sense, “the law” means the entire Word.
People know that in a narrow sense “the law” means the Ten Commandments.
In a broader sense, “the law” means the rules that Moses gave to the children of Israel. This becomes clear from the individual rules laid out in Exodus – they are called “the law:”
This is the law of the trespass offering. (Leviticus 7:1)
This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings. (Leviticus 7:11)
This is the law of the grain offering. (Leviticus 6:14 and following)
This is the law of the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sacrifices for sin and guilt, and the consecrations. (Leviticus 7:37)
This is the law of the animals and the birds. (Leviticus 11:46 and following)
This is the law for a woman who has given birth to a son or a daughter. (Leviticus 12:7)
This is the law of leprosy. (Leviticus 13:59; 14:2, 32, 54, 57)
This is the law for someone who has a discharge. (Leviticus 15:32)
This is the law of jealousy. (Numbers 5:29, 30)
This is the law of the Nazirite. (Numbers 6:13, 21)
This is the law of cleansing. (Numbers 19:14)
This is the law of the red heifer. (Numbers 19:2)
[This is] the law for a king. (Deuteronomy 17:15-19)
In fact, the entire five books of Moses are called “the Law” (Deuteronomy 31:9, 11, 12, 26). They are called this in the New Testament as well (Luke 2:22; 24:44; John 1:45; 7:22, 23; 8:5; and elsewhere).
When Paul says, “We are justified by faith apart from the works of the Law” (Romans 3:28), by “the works of the Law” he means the rules just mentioned. This is clear from the words that follow this passage in Romans, as well as from Paul’s words to Peter chiding him for making others follow Jewish religious practices. In the latter context, Paul says three times in one verse, “No one is justified by the works of the Law” (Galatians 2:14, 16).
In the broadest sense, “the law” means the entire Word. This is clear from the following passages: “Jesus said, ‘Is it not written in your law, You are gods?'” (John 10:34, referring to something written in Psalms 82:6). “The crowd answered, ‘We have heard from the law that Christ remains forever'” (John 12:34, referring to something written in Psalms 89:29; 110:4; and Daniel 7:14). “This was to fulfill the Word that was written in their law, ‘They hated me for no reason'” (John 15:25, referring to something written in Psalms 35:19). “The Pharisees said, ‘Do any of the rulers believe in him? But the crowd does, who do not know the law'” (John 7:48, 49). “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for the tip of one letter of the law to fall” (Luke 16:17). In these passages, “the law” means the entire Sacred Scripture. There are a thousand passages like this in [the Psalms of] David.