Moses’s name appears 814 times in the King James Bible, third-most of any one character (Jesus at 961 actually trails David at 991). It is commonly believed that he wrote the first five books of the Bible — more than any other one person — and his life dominates four of those five books. So to say he’s significant would be a bit of an understatement.
So it is perhaps not suprising that his spiritual meaning, as offered in Swedenborg, is complex and important, and evolves throughout the course of his life. To understand it, it helps to understand the meaning of the events in which he was involved.
On an external level, of course, Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt through 40 years in the wilderness to the border of the homeland God had promised them. Along the way, he established and codified their religious system, and oversaw the creation of its most holy objects.
Swedenborg says these stories have several layers of deeper meaning. Most profoundly, they are about the Lord himself, and his spiritual development during his human life as Jesus. Because we are also human, it is also a depiction of our potential spiritual development.
Swedenborg only offers glimpses of that meaning, however, devoting more time to the stories’ intermediate meaning, about the establishment of the third church to serve as a container of knowledge of the Lord.
The first such church – the Most Ancient Church, represented by Adam and centered on love of the Lord – had fallen prey to human pride. The second – the Ancient Church, represented by Noah and the generations that followed him – was centered on love of the neighbor, wisdom from the Lord and knowledge of correspondences between natural and spiritual things. It fell prey to the pride of intelligence, however – represented by the Tower of Babel – and at the time of Moses was in scattered pockets that were sliding into idolatry.
Through Moses the Lord established a third church, one more external than its predecessors but one that could preserve some knowledge of the Lord and could, through worship that represented spiritual things, make it possible for the Bible to be written and passed to future generations. That church was among the people of Israel.
Moses’s role, then, was to establish those forms of worship and to make the people obedient. As such, his primary representation is as what Swedenborg calls “the Law of God”: the rules God gave the people of Israel to follow in order to represent spiritual things. This can be interpreted narrowly as the Ten Commandments, more broadly as the books of Moses, or most broadly as the entire Bible.
Those rules and the forms of worship they created were given as containers for deeper ideas about the Lord, deeper truth, and at some points – especially when he was first leading his people away from Egypt, a time before the rules had been written down – Moses takes on the deeper representation of Divine Truth itself, truth from the Lord. At other times – especially after Mount Sinai – he has a less exalted meaning, representing the people of Israel themselves due to his position as their leader.
Passages from Swedenborg
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6719
- ‘And bore a son’ means the law of God at its earliest stages. This is clear from the meaning of ‘bearing’ as manifestation, dealt with in 2621, 2629, and so the earliest stages; and from the meaning of ‘a son’ as truth, dealt with in 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373, here the law of God because by ‘a son’ one understands Moses, who represented the Lord in respect of the law of God, which is the Word, as will be shown in what follows.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 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.
* Following the Latin version of Sebastian Schmidt Sw. adds a word meaning secretly, which does not represent any word in the Hebrew.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6753
- ‘And said, Because I drew him out of the water’ means a deliverance from falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the water’, here the water of the river of Egypt, as falsities, dealt with in 6693; and from the meaning of ‘drawing out’ as a deliverance. These words contain the essential nature of the state meant by Moses’ name; and the meaning in the highest sense is this: The nature of the state was such that, in order to make His Human the law of God the Lord delivered it from all falsity that clung to the Human He received from His mother. He continued doing this until He became the Divine Law, which is Divine Truth itself, and after that, having been glorified, became Divine Goodness, which is the Essential Being (Esse) of Divine Truth, that is, Jehovah.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6771
- ‘And Pharaoh heard of this matter and sought to kill Moses means that having discerned this matter false factual knowledge wished to destroy the truth which the law from God possessed. This is clear from the meaning of ‘hearing’ as discerning, dealt with in 5017; from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as factual knowledge which is opposed to the Church’s truths, and so is false, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6687; from the meaning of ‘killing’ as destroying, dealt with in 6767, so that ‘seeking to kill’ is wishing to destroy; and from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the law of God and God’s truth, dealt with in 6752, and so the truth which the law of God possessed. The expression ‘the truth which the law of God possessed’, and not simply ‘the law of God’, is used because the subject is still the development of the law of God within the Lord’s Human. From all this it is clear that ‘Pharaoh heard of this matter and sought to kill Moses’ means that having discerned this matter false factual knowledge wished to destroy the truth that the law of God possessed.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6789
- ‘And where is he? Why is it that you left the man?’ means, In what way without that truth could they be joined to the good of the Church? This is clear from the meaning of an Egyptian man, to whom ‘the man they left’ refers here, as true factual knowledge, dealt with above in 6784; and from the meaning of ‘Why is it that you left the man?’ as, In what way without that truth could they be joined to good? For ‘leaving the man’ here is not being able to be joined.
[2] But the nature of all this needs to be explained. True factual knowledge, represented here by ‘Moses’, is truth as the external Church knows it. This truth depends for its existence on the truth which the law from God possesses, which too ‘Moses’ represents, 6771, 6780; and the truth that the law from God possesses is truth as the internal Church knows it. Unless external truth springs from internal truth it cannot be joined to good. Let the Word serve to illustrate this. But for the influence of the inner spirit of the Word received by those who read the Word and yet confine themselves to the literal sense, truth from the Word does not become joined to good. The inner spirit of the Word influences a person and becomes joined to good when he considers the Word to be holy; and he considers it to be holy when he is governed by good.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6827
- ‘And Moses was feeding the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian’ means that the law from God instructed those who were guided by the truth that went with simple good, ‘the priest of Midian’ being the good of the Church where those people were. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Lord in respect of the law of God, dealt with in 6752 (initially ‘Moses’ represented the Lord in respect of the truth that the law from God possessed, 6771, but here he represents Him in respect of that law itself – one is allowed to speak in this way of stages of development that took place in the Lord before He became the law of God itself in respect of His Human. The whole of the Word deals in its inmost or highest sense solely with the Lord and the glorification of His Human; but since that inmost or highest sense goes far beyond human understanding, let it be the internal sense of the Word that is explained here, the sense in which the subject is the Lord’s kingdom, the Church and the establishment of it, and also the regeneration by the Lord of members of the Church. These are the subject in the internal sense because human regeneration is an image representative of the Lord’s glorification, see 3138, 3212, 3245, 3246, 3296, 3490, 4402, 5688);
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6864
- ‘And now, go, I will send you to Pharaoh’ means the Holy influence going forth from the Lord’s Human, by which molesting falsities would be dispelled. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’, who was to go and who was being sent, as the Lord in respect of the law of God, dealt with in 6713, 6752, 6771, 6827, and so in respect of the Human (for when the Lord was in the world He first made His Human Divine Truth, which is the same as the law of God, then after that He completely glorified His Human and made it Divine Good, the difference between Divine Truth and Divine Good being like that between the light radiated from the sun and the fire within the sun); from the meaning of ‘being sent’ as going forth, dealt with in 2797, 4710, 6831, in this instance holy truth (regarding the use of the word ‘holy’ in reference to truth, see 6788); and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as falsity, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 7010
- ‘And you will be for him as a god’ means Divine Truth that goes forth directly from the Lord. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Lord in respect of Divine Truth, dealt with in 6752. Its being the Divine Truth which goes forth directly from the Lord is what is meant by the declaration that he was to be for Aaron as a god. For in the Word ‘God’ is used to mean the Lord with regard to Divine Truth, and ‘Jehovah’ to mean the Lord with regard to Divine Good.
In the Word the Lord is called ‘God’ when the subject is truth, but ‘Jehovah’ when the subject is good, see 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921 (end), 4402.
Angels are called ‘gods’ because of the truths from the Lord which guide them, 4402.
And in the contrary sense ‘the gods of the nations’ are falsities, 4402 (end), 4544.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 7014
- ‘And Moses went and returned’ means a resumption of the former life. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going’ as life, dealt with in 4882, 5493, 5605; from the meaning of ‘returning’, or going back, as living where he had done so formerly; and from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Lord in respect of the law or truth from God, dealt with in 6771, 6827. When Moses was on Mount Horeb with Jehovah, who appeared in a flame of fire, he represented the Lord in respect of Divine Truth; but now that he is with Jethro his father-in-law, who is the good of the Church which is guided by the truth that goes with simple good, he represents the Lord in respect of truth from God. Here and elsewhere in the Word the internal sense describes how, during all the states of life which the Lord passed through in the world, He was making His Human Divine. These states followed one after another, as may be recognized from the fact that when He was a young child the Lord was like a young child, and after that grew in intelligence and wisdom, all the time instilling Divine Love into them till at length His Human too became Divine Love, which is Divine Being (Esse) or Jehovah. And this being the way in which the Lord put on the Divine – that is, in one state after another – He therefore first made Himself truth from God, after this Divine Truth, and finally Divine Good. These were the stages in the glorification of the Lord that are described here and elsewhere in the internal sense of the Word.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 7041
- ‘And he was on the way in the lodging-place’ means that the attention of the descendants of Jacob was focused on outward forms without their inner meaning. This becomes clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ here. In what has gone before and in what will follow the subject in the internal sense is the spiritual Church, meant by ‘the children of Israel’; but the three verses here deal with how the Church was to have been established among Jacob’s descendants but could not in fact be established among them because their attention was focused on outward forms without their inner meaning. Here therefore Moses does not represent the Law or the Word; instead he represents that nation, descendants of Jacob, whose leader he was to become, and so represents that nation’s worship as well. For everywhere in the Word a leader, judge, or else king represents the nation or people whose leader, judge, or king he is since he is its head, see 4789.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 7089
- ‘And afterwards Moses and Aaron came’ means the Divine Law and the teachings derived from it. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Lord in respect of the Divine Law, dealt with in 6752; and from the representation of ‘Aaron’ as teachings that present what is good and true, dealt with in 6998. The expression ‘Divine Law’, which Moses represents, is used to mean the Word as it is in its internal sense, thus as it is in heaven, whereas the expression ‘teaching’ is used to mean the Word as it is in its literal sense, thus as it is on earth.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 8241
- ‘In Jehovah and in Moses His servant’ means the Lord in respect of Divine Goodness, and in respect of Divine Truth going forth from Him and ministering. This is clear from the consideration that in the Word ‘Jehovah’ is used to mean the Lord, see 1343, 1736, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5663, 6281, 6303, 6945, 6956, and in particular the Lord in respect of Divine Goodness, 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 4402, 6905; from the representation of ‘Moses’ as Divine Truth going forth from Him, dealt with in 6752, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382 (the expression ‘the Lord in respect of Divine Goodness and in respect of Divine Truth’ is used because Divine Goodness exists within the Lord and Divine Truth goes forth from the Lord, for the situation with Divine Goodness and Divine Truth is like that with the fire of the sun and the light radiating from it; the light is not within the sun but comes forth from the sun); and from the meaning of ‘servant’ as ministering. The word ‘servant’ is used to describe one who serves, that is, who ministers, see 7143. This is why the Lord in respect of His Divine Human when He was in the world is called ‘a servant’ in the Word, 3441; for during that time He ministered, as also He Himself says,
Whoever has the wish to become great among you must be your minister, and whoever has the wish to become first must be your servant, even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered to but to minister.
Matt. 20:26-28; Luke 22:26, 27; Mark 10:43-45.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 8760
- ‘And Moses went up to God’ means the truth from God which was below heaven joining itself to Divine Truth in heaven. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the truth from God, dealt with in 6771, 6827, 7014, at this point the truth from God which was below heaven, since he now represents the children of Israel as their head, and so represents those belonging to the spiritual Church not yet in heaven because they are not as yet governed by good formed from truths, 8753, 8754; and from the meaning of ‘going up’ as joining oneself to, for someone who goes up to the Divine joins himself to Him, even as the words ‘going up into heaven’ mean man’s being joined to the Lord, and the words ‘coming down from heaven’ mean His being joined to man. Divine Truth in heaven, to which the other was joined, is what ‘God’ is used to mean; for in the Word the Lord is called ‘God’ by virtue of Divine Truth, and Jehovah’ by virtue of Divine Good, 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921 (end), 4402, 7010, 7268, 7873, 8301. And since the joining of Divine Truth to Divine Good is the subject here, this verse first says ‘God’, then ‘Jehovah’ just after, in these words, And Moses went up to God, and Jehovah called to him from the mountain.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 9414
- ‘And Jehovah said to Moses’ means instructions from the Lord for those restricted to the outward sense. This is clear from the meaning of ‘saying’ as instructions, when it includes the things stated after it that make up the instructions, as also in 7186, 7241, 7267, 7304, 7380, 7517, 7769, 7793, 7825, 8041 (the instructions come from the Lord because ‘Jehovah’ is used in the Word to mean the Lord, 1343, 1736, 1793, 2004, 2005, 2018, 2025, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5663, 6280, 6281, 6303, 6905, 8274, 8864, 9315); and from the representation of ‘Moses’ as that which acts as the intermediary between the Lord and the people, thus the Word in respect of its outward holiness since this acts as an intermediary. The fact that ‘Moses’ begins now to represent this intermediary is clear from the train of thought in all that follows. For that people was restricted to the external level of the Word, and as a consequence their worship was external, separated from anything internal, see 9380. Those who are like this cannot have any holy contact at all with the Lord, let alone be joined to Him, except through an intermediary. This matter will be explained more fully below in 9419.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 9435
- ‘And Moses went into the midst of the cloud’ means the Word in its outward sense. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Word, at this point the Word in its outward sense since it says that he went ‘into the midst of the cloud’, and ‘the cloud’ means the outward sense of the Word. For the representation of ‘Moses’ as the Word, see above in 9414, and for the meaning of ‘the cloud’ as its outward sense, in 9430. Moses remained at the foot of the mountain for six days, and then on the seventh day he received the call and went into the cloud, up into the mountain. This happened in order that he might represent that which acted as an intermediary between the people and the Lord, in keeping with what has been stated above in 9414. Degrees of ascent from the people to the Lord are described by this. When Moses went eventually into the mountain he first represented the outward holiness of the Word, which acted as an intermediary; for that mountain means heaven, where holiness dwells. But he was allowed no further in than the outermost part of heaven, where the outward holiness of the Word comes to an end. His being allowed only that far in has been demonstrated to me in a representative manner by means of a spirit, the upper part of whose face down to the chin appeared in the light of heaven, while the lower part from the chin downwards, together with the whole of the body, was in a cloud. This showed me how much of the outward holiness, which acted as an intermediary, Moses represented. The reason why the six days that Moses remained at the foot of the mountain has meant the state of truth, and the seventh day when he went up into the mountain means the state of good, in keeping with the explanation above in 9431, 9432, is that those who are being regenerated by the Lord mount by like degrees of ascent from the world into heaven. The person is raised from outward things to inward ones, because he is raised from the level of natural man, where outward things exist, to that of the spiritual man, where inward things exist. This kind of raising or ascent was also represented by Moses when he took on the representation of the outward holiness that acted as an intermediary. For the outward holiness of the Word is the gateway to the state of good, and so to heaven.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 10556
- ‘And he returned to the camp’ means going back to the external in which the interest of that nation lay. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the camp’ as the external aspect of the Word, the Church, and worship, in which the interest of the Israelite nation lay, dealt with in 10546. Now, when Moses has returned to the camp, he no longer represents the Word but the head of the Israelite nation; for being in the camp with those whose interest lay in external things separated from what was internal means being in a similar state. It was different when he was outside that camp and pitched his tent there, far from the camp. How therefore Moses represents the head of that nation becomes clear from the internal sense of what follows through to the end of the chapter. Because Moses now takes on this representation it says that his minister Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not move away from the midst of the tent, meaning that what is being represented nevertheless continues in the tent that is outside the camp.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 10571
- ‘And Jehovah said to Moses, I will also do this thing that you have spoken’ means that the Divine will be present within that external aspect of the Church, worship, and the Word which exists with them. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’, in his capacity as head of that nation, as the external aspect of the Church, worship, and the Word which was not so separate from the internal as the external aspect of them among the nation itself was, dealt with above in 10557, 10563; and from the meaning of ‘doing the thing that Moses has spoken’, when said by Jehovah, as the promise that the Divine will be present within the external aspect. For ‘doing this thing’ implies going with them and leading them into the land of Canaan, and going with them and leading them into the land of Canaan means that the Divine will show Himself among them, see above in 10569.
The arcanum that lies concealed in these verses and in those which follow them can scarcely be described unless people have an idea of that external aspect of the Church, worship, and the Word which Moses represents, and of that external aspect of the Church, worship, and the Word which existed with the nation itself. The one is distinguished from the other by this, that the external that Moses represents is not so separate from the internal as the external existing with the nation itself is. This accounts for the use sometimes of the words ‘Moses and the people’, at other times of ‘Moses’ without ‘the people’, or ‘the people’ without ‘Moses’, and for Moses’ saying, when he speaks to Jehovah, ‘I and the people’, whereas Jehovah, when speaking to Moses, refers to Moses alone, as in verses 12, 14, 17-23, or to the people separately from him, as in verse 2 of the next chapter* and elsewhere.
* This reference is incorrect; possibly Exod. 34:10 is intended.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 10607
- ‘And no one shall come up with you’ means that the Israelite nation is incapable of standing in Divine Truth. This is clear from the meaning of ‘not coming up’, in this instance of not coming up with Moses onto Mount Sinai, as not going into heaven from which Divine Truth is revealed, thus as being incapable of standing in Divine Truth. For ‘Mount Sinai’ means heaven, from which the revelation of Divine Truth comes, see 8805, 8931, 9420, 10605; and ‘Moses’ represents the outward form taken by the Church, worship, and the Word, which is where Divine Truth is received. The fact that the Israelite nation is meant is self-evident, for the prohibitions ‘no one shall come up with you’ and ‘no one shall be seen on all the mountain’ refer to members of that nation.
[2] The fact that ‘Moses’ at this point represents the outward form taken by the Word, the Church, and worship, which is where Divine Truth is received, is clear from all the details in the present chapter, such as these:
1 The requirement that Moses should go up onto Mount Sinai and stand there at the top of it, and that the people should be moved back from it.
2 Jehovah’s talking to Moses, in the verses that follow, as if He were doing so only to him and not to the people* – All the people in whose midst you are will see that this is a marvel which I am doing with you, verse 10. Observe that which I command you this day. Behold, I am driving out from your face, verse 11. Take care, lest by chance you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land onto which you come, verse 12. You shall not bow down to any other god, verse 14. Lest by chance you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they call you, and you eat of their sacrifice, verse 15. You are not to take their daughters for your sons, verse 16. And so on in verses after these.
3 The gleaming of the skin on Moses’ face, described later on in this chapter, and the people’s fear to approach him, so that he put a veil over his face whenever he talked to the people.
[3] From all these details it is evident that in the present chapter Moses represents the outward form taken by the Word, the Church, and worship, which is where Divine Truth is received and so is that through which the Divine Truth within shines out. The fact that Moses represents that outward form and not what it holds within it is likewise evident from all the details in the present chapter, such as the reference to Jehovah’s descending in the cloud and His standing with him (for ‘the cloud means the outward form which the Word takes) and then His commanding him what the external observances of the Church and worship were to be, but not what the internal ones were. Something similarly external or outward was represented by Moses in the previous chapter, as is evident in verses 7-11 and verses 17-23, see 10563, 10571. But an external unreceptive of anything internal existed among the Israelite nation.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 10691
- ‘That Moses did not know that the skin of his face gleamed while he talked to Him’ means the inward level or aspect of the Word within the outward, shining forth without any perception of it by the outward. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the outward form of the Word containing what is inward, dealt with in 10563, 10571, 10607, 10614; from the meaning of ‘not knowing’ as not perceiving; from the meaning of ‘gleaming’ as shining forth, for the gleaming of the skin of Moses’ face is a shining forth from what is inward; from the meaning of ‘the skin’ as the outward level of truth and good, dealt with in 3540, 5554, 8980; from the meaning of ‘face’ as interior things, dealt with in the places referred to 9546, so that ‘the gleaming of the skin of the face’ means a shining forth of the interior things within what is external or outward, at this point within the outward form the Word takes, which is its literal sense, since Moses represents the outward form of the Word containing what is inward; and from the meaning of ‘talking’ as influx, for ‘talking’, when it has regard to Jehovah, means influx, see 2951, 5743, 5797, 7270, 8128, 8660. From all this it is evident that ‘Moses did not know that the skin of his face gleamed while he talked to Him’ means the inward level of the Word within the outward, shining forth without any perception of it by the outward. It should be recognized that by a shining forth of the interiors of the Word within what is outward the internal sense within the external should be understood. The internal sense shines forth unceasingly and gleams within the external, yet it is discerned only by those whose affection is for inward things. It is not discerned by those whose affection is for the outward that contains what is inward, that is, by those people who are called members of the external Church. Nevertheless that sense is present with them, without their awareness, and exerts an influence on them.
Apocalypse Revealed (Rogers) n. 662
- 15:3 They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb. This symbolizes a confession springing from charity, thus from a life in accordance with the precepts of the Law contained in the Ten Commandments, and from a faith in the Divinity of the Lord’s humanity.
To sing a new song means to joyfully confess from the heart and affection that the Lord alone is the Savior and Redeemer and the God of heaven and earth, as may be seen in nos. 279, 617 above. Here, however, the song is called not a new song, but the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb; and the song of Moses symbolizes a confession springing from a life in accordance with the precepts of the Law that constitute the Ten Commandments, thus from charity, while the song of the Lamb symbolizes a confession springing from a faith in the Divinity of the Lord’s humanity. For the Lamb means the Lord in respect to His Divine humanity (nos. 269, 291, 595), while Moses in a broad sense means all the law written in his five books, and in a strict sense, the Law called the Ten Commandments; and because this serves people in the way they live, the song of Moses is called the song of Moses, the servant of God. For in the Word a servant means someone or something that serves (no. 380), in this case for the way one is to live.
[2] Moses in a broad sense is called the Law because his five books are called the Law. All the commandments, judgments and statutes given through him in his five books are called the Law, as may be seen in no. 417 above. That everything written in those books is called Moses and the Law of Moses can be seen from the following passages:
Philip…said…, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law, and of whom the prophets, wrote, Jesus….” (John 1:45)
In the law Moses commanded us to stone such. (John 8:5)
…the days of their purification according to the Law of Moses were completed…. (Luke 2:22)
…all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets…concerning Me. (Luke 24:44, cf. 24:27)
Did not Moses give you the Law? …Moses…gave you circumcision…so that the Law of Moses should not be broken…. (John 7:19, 22, 23)
Abraham said to (the rich man in hell), “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 should rise from the dead.” (Luke 16:29, 31)
The curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God has been poured out on us…. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this evil has come upon us. (Daniel 9:11, 13)
Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him…. (Malachi 4:4)
Jehovah said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in the mist of a cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and also believe you forever.” (Exodus 19:9)
[3] It can be seen from this that Moses in a broad sense means the Word written by him, called the Law. That Moses means the Law that constitutes the Ten Commandments also then follows, and the more so because Moses hewed out the tablets after he broke the first ones (Exodus 34:1, 4); and when he brought them down, his face shone (Exodus 34:29-35). That is why Moses in paintings is depicted holding the tablets in his hand. Moreover, we are told in Mark, “Moses said, Honor your father and your mother” (Mark 7:10). And Joshua “wrote on the stones (of the altar) a copy of the Law of Moses” (Joshua 8:32). That Law was the Ten Commandments.
It can be seen from this that in the present case, the song of Moses, the servant of God, means nothing else than a confession springing from charity, thus from a life in accordance with the precepts of the Law contained in the Ten Commandments.