Spiritual Meaning of EXODUS 13:11-16
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AC 8071. Verses 11-16. And it shall be when Jehovah shall have brought thee in to the land of the Canaanite, as He sware to thee and to thy fathers, and shall have given it thee, that thou shalt cause to pass over to Jehovah all that openeth the womb; and all that openeth of the offspring of a beast, which shall be to thee males, shall be for Jehovah. And all that openeth of an ass thou shalt redeem with one of the flock; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck: and every firstborn of man among thy sons shalt thou redeem. And it shall be when thy son shall ask thee to-morrow, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say, unto him, In strength of land Jehovah led us forth from Egypt, from the house of servants. And it was that Pharaoh hardened himself against letting us go, and Jehovah slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt; from the firstborn of man and even to the firstborn of beast; therefore I sacrifice to Jehovah all that openeth the womb, being males; and all the firstborn of thy sons I redeem. And it shall be for a sign upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes; because in strength of hand Jehovah led us forth out of Egypt. "And it shall be when Jehovah shall have brought thee in to the land of the Canaanite," signifies the region of heaven occupied by those who are in evil and falsity; "as He sware to thee and to thy fathers, and shall have given it thee," signifies which was promised by the Divine to those who are in good and truth; "that thou shalt cause to pass over to Jehovah all that openeth the womb," signifies that the faith of charity which is of regeneration the Lord‘s; "and all that openeth of the offspring of a beast," signifies all charity which is of the new begetting; "which shall be to thee, males," signifies which is of the truth of faith,"shall be for Jehovah," signifies that it is the Lord’s; "and all that openeth of an ass thou shalt redeem with one of the flock," signifies that faith merely natural must not be ascribed to the Lord, but the truth of innocence which is therein; "and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck," signifies that if the truth of innocence is not therein, it must be separated and cast out; "and every firstborn of man among thy sons thou shalt redeem," signifies that the truths of faith are not to be ascribed to the Lord, but the goods there-of; "and it shall be when thy son asketh thee," signifies perception from the truth which is of conscience; "tomorrow," signifies always when this takes place; "saying, What is this?" signifies inquiry why this is so; "that thou shalt say unto him," signifies the answer; "In strength of hand Jehovah led us forth from Egypt, from the house of servants," signifies that by the Divine power of the Lord they were liberated from spiritual captivity; "and it was that Pharaoh hardened himself against letting us go," signifies when they who were infesting by means of falsities were determined that they should not he liberated; "and Jehovah slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt," signifies that all were damned who were in faith separate from charity; "from the firstborn of man and even to the firstborn of beast," signifies the falsity of faith separate interior and exterior; "therefore I sacrifice to Jehovah all that openeth the womb, being males," signifies that therefore the faith of charity which is of the new begetting must be ascribed to the Lord; "and all the firstborn of my sons I redeem," signifies that the truths of faith are not to be ascribed to the Lord, but the goods of faith; "and it shall be for a sign upon thine hand," signifies that it must be constantly in the will; "and for frontlets between thine eyes," signifies that it must be constantly in the understanding; "because in strength of hand Jehovah led us forth out of Egypt," signifies that they were liberated by the Lord‘s Divine power.

AC 8072. And it shall be when Jehovah shall have brought thee in to the land of the Canaanite. That this signifies the region of heaven occupied by those who are in evil and falsity, is evident from what was stated above (n. 8054).

AC 8073. As He sware to thee and to thy fathers, and shall have given it thee. That this signifies which was promised by the Divine to those who are in good and truth, is evident from what was said above (n. 8055), where like words occur.

AC 8074. That thou shalt cause to pass over to Jehovah all that openeth the womb. That this signifies that the faith of charity which is of regeneration is the Lord’s, is evident from the signification of "causing to pass over," as being to ascribe, in like manner as "to sanctify" (n. 8042), and "to sacrifice." (n. 8042); and from the signification of "that openeth the womb," as being faith from charity, which belongs to the regenerate man (n. 8042, 8043). That "Jehovah" denotes the Lord, see (n. 8046).

AC 8075. And all that openeth of the offspring of a beast. That this signifies all charity which is of the new begetting, is evident from the signification of "that openeth the womb," as being faith from charity, which belongs to the new begetting (n. 8043); and from the signification of "the offspring of a beast," as being the affection of good (n. 45, 46, 142, 143, 246, 714, 715, 719, 776, 1823, 2179, 2180, 3218, 3519, 5198), thus the good of charity.

AC 8076. Which shall be to thee, males. That this signifies which is of the truth of faith, is evident from the signification of "males," as being the truth of faith (n. 2046, 4005, 7838).

AC 8077. Shall be for Jehovah. That this signifies that it is the Lord‘s, is because by "Jehovah" in the Word no other is meant than the Lord (n. 1343, 1736, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5041, 5663, 6281, 6303, 6905, 6945, 6956). The contents of these two verses are not further unfolded here, because they have been already unfolded in (verse 2) of this chapter (n. 8042-8045).

AC 8078. And all that openeth of an ass thou shalt redeem with one of the flock. That this signifies that faith merely natural must not be ascribed to the Lord, but the truth of innocence which is therein, is evident from the signification of "that openeth," as being that which is born first from a regenerate one, that is, the firstborn, thus faith; and from the signification of "an ass," as being the natural, for by "an ass" is signified memory-knowledge (n. 5492, 5741), also service (n. 5958, 6389), thus also the natural, for memory-knowledges belong to the natural, and relatively to the spiritual the natural is service, consequently now by "that which openeth of an ass" is signified faith merely natural; and from the signification of "redeeming" as being to give something else in its place. That "redeeming" has this signification is clear from the full meaning of the words, namely, of these, "that which openeth of an ass thou shalt not cause to pass ever to Jehovah, but shalt redeem with one of the flock."

[2] That "to cause to pass over to Jehovah" denotes to ascribe to the Lord, in like manner as "to sanctify," and "to sacrifice," has been shown just above (n. 8074); thus "not to cause to pass over, but to redeem" denotes not to ascribe, but to give something else in its place. And from the signification of "one of the flock," as being the truth of innocence. That "one of the flock" denotes the truth of innocence, is because by "one of the flock" is meant a lamb or a kid, and by these is signified innocence (n. 3519, 3994, 7840), here, the truth of innocence, because it is not said "a lamb," or "a kid," but "one of the flock." From all this it is evident that by "all that openeth of an ass thou shalt redeem with one of the flock" is signified that faith merely natural must not be ascribed to the Lord, but the truth of innocence which is therein.

[3] Faith merely natural is faith which is insinuated by an external and not by an internal way, such as sensuous faith, which consists in believing a thing to be so because the eye has seen, and the hand has touched. This is the faith concerning which the Lord said to Thomas, "Because thou hast seen, Thomas, thou hast believed; blessed are they who do not see, and believe" (John 20:29); and also is like the faith of miracles, which consists in believing a thing to be so merely from the miracles, concerning which faith see above (n. 7290); as also the faith of authority, which consists in believing a thing to be so because another, in whom one has faith, has said it.

[4] But spiritual faith is that which is insinuated by an internal and at the same time by an external way; the insinuation by the internal way causes it to be believed, and then that which is insinuated by the external way causes it to be confirmed. The spiritual of faith is the affection of charity, and from this the affection of truth for the sake of good use and for the sake of life; these make faith to be spiritual. The insinuation of faith by the internal way is effected by the reading of the Word, and by enlightenment then from the Lord, which is granted according to the quality of the affection, that is, according to the end sought in knowing the truth.

[5] From all this it can now be seen what faith merely natural is; and that this faith, because it is not spiritual, cannot be ascribed to the Lord, that is, be acknowledged and believed to be from the Lord; for the Lord flows in through the affection of truth and good. Faith is an internal affection, (n. 8034). The truth of innocence, which can be in this faith and be accepted by the Lord, is that which from innocence is believed to be so. From all this it is now evident how it is to be understood that faith merely natural must not be ascribed to the Lord, but the truth of innocence which is therein.

AC 8079. And if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck. That this signifies that if the truth of innocence is not therein, it must be separated and cast out, is evident from the signification of "not redeeming," as being not to ascribe to the Lord, but to give something else in its place (n. 8078); and from the signification of "breaking the neck," as being to separate and cast out. "Breaking the neck" has this signification because the "neck" signifies the conjunction of the interiors with the exteriors (n. 3542, 3603, 3695, 3725, 5320, 5328, 5926, 6033), thus the breaking of the neck signifies separation and casting out, namely, of faith merely natural, if the truth of innocence is not therein.

AC 8080. And every firstborn of man among thy sons shalt thou redeem. That this signifies that the truths of faith are not to be ascribed to the Lord, but the goods of faith, is evident from the signification of the "firstborn," as being faith (n. 352, 2435, 6344, 7035, 8042);from the signification of "sons," as being truths (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373); and from the signification of "redeeming," as being to give something else in its place (n. 8074, 8078). That it denotes that these are not to be ascribed, follows from the full meaning of these words: "and every firstborn of man among thy sons thou shalt not cause to pass over" (that is, shalt not sacrifice), but shalt redeem." "Not to cause to pass over" denotes not to ascribe (n. 8074, 8078). From all this it is evident that by "every firstborn of man among thy sons thou shalt redeem" is signified that the truths of faith are not to be ascribed to the Lord, but something else in their place; that this is the good of faith can be seen from the fact that by the "firstborn" in general is signified the good of faith (n. 8042, 8043); but that when it is said "the firstborn of man among his sons" it denotes the truth of faith; for there is the truth of faith, and there is the good of faith.

[2] That the good of faith, or charity, is this something else which is to be ascribed to the Lord instead of the truths of faith, can also be seen from the fact that the firstborn of the sons of Israel were not accepted; but in their place the Levites, and this for the reason that by Levi was represented the good of faith, or charity (n. 3875, 4497, 4502, 4503); that the tribe of Levi was accepted in place of all the firstborn, (Num. 3:12, 13, 40; 8:16-18). That the good of faith is this something else which is to be ascribed to the Lord, can also be seen from the fact that faith is not faith without charity (n. 654, 724, 1162, 1176, 2231, 2343, 2349, 2429, 2839, 2982, 3146, 3325, 3849, 3865, 4368, 5351, 7039, 7082-7084, 7342, 7950); and also from the fact that the good of faith is actually in the first place, but the truth of faith only apparently so (n. 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603, 3701, 4925, 4926, 4928, 4930, 4977, 5351, 6256, 6269, 6272, 6273); thus that charity is the firstborn (n. 3325, 3494, 4925, 4926, 4928, 4930).

[3] That regarded in itself the truth of faith without its good is not to be ascribed to the Lord, that is, given to Him, or acknowledged to be from Him, is because no truth of faith has any life in it until it becomes the good of faith; and the truth of faith becomes the good of faith by willing it and doing it (n. 7835). When therefore it becomes the good of faith, then it is acknowledged by the Lord as being His, for the Lord gives faith mediately through its good. Moreover with the man of the spiritual church all the truth of faith becomes the good of faith when he is being regenerated, and then for the first time it becomes the Lord’s.

[4] The law concerning the redemption of the firstborn of man was delivered to the end that they should not sacrifice their sons, which came into use among the nations with whom there remained the statutes of the Ancient Church, which was a representative church, but which in course of time were wholly adulterated. That the firstborn were to be sanctified to God was one of the statutes of the Ancient Church; but by "sanctifying" they began to understand sacrificing. The descendants of Jacob also inclined to do likewise; and therefore this law was unfolded before them; and to prevent their doing this the Levites were accepted in place of the first born, as has been said. In the spiritual world this law was unfolded according to its correspondent sense, which is that the truths of faith are not holy, thus are not to be sanctified or ascribed; but the goods of faith. Moreover sanctification was afterward understood in this manner-that they should give or present the firstborn to Jehovah, and offer a sacrifice for him, according to these words in Luke:--

AC 8081. And it shall be when thy son asketh thee. That this signifies perception from the truth which is of conscience, is evident from the signification of "to ask," as being knowledge from perception (n. 5597, 5800, 6250); and from the signification of "soil," as being truth (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373); that it denotes perception from the truth which is of conscience, is evident from what has been unfolded above (n. 7935), where like words occur. It is said "from the truth which is of conscience," because the conscience of those who are of the spiritual church is a conscience of truth, for it is procured from the doctrinal things of the church which are believed to be true, whether they are true or not; but they then become truths of conscience when they become also of the life.

AC 8082. To-morrow. That this signifies always when this takes place, is evident from the signification of "to-morrow," or "the day of the morrow," as being what is eternal (n. 3998), thus also what is constant, or always, here always when this takes place.

AC 8083. Saying, What is this? That this signifies inquiry why this is so; and that thou shalt say unto him signifies the answer, is evident without explication.

AC 8084. In strength of hand Jehovah led us forth from Egypt, from the house of servants. That this signifies that by the Divine power of the Lord they were liberated from spiritual captivity, is evident from what was said above (n. 8049, 8050).

AC 8085. And it was that Pharaoh hardened himself against letting us go. That this signifies when they who were infesting by means of falsities were determined that they should not be liberated, is evident from the signification of "to harden himself," as being to be determined (n. 7272, 7300, 7305); from the representation of Pharaoh, as being those who infested by means of falsities (n. 7107, 7110, 7126, 7142, 7220, 7228, 7317); and from the signification of "letting go," as being to liberate.

AC 8086. And Jehovah slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. That this signifies that all were damned who were in faith separate from charity, is evident from the signification of "the firstborn of Egypt," as being faith separate from charity (n. 7039, 7779); that by their death is signified the damnation of those who were in this faith and in a life of evil, see (n. 7766, 7778).

AC 8087. From the firstborn of man and even to the firstborn of beast. That this signifies the falsity of faith separate, interior and exterior, is evident from the signification of "the first born of Egypt," as being faith separate from charity (n. 8086), thus what is false of faith, for they who separate faith from charity both in doctrine and in life must needs be in falsity, because evil of life continually operates and persuades to falsity that is similar to itself, and if truth is brought forward it causes it by a wrong application to shape itself accordingly, and in this manner it falsifies it; and from the signification of "man and beast," as being that which is interior and exterior (n. 4724, 7523).

AC 8088. Therefore I sacrifice to Jehovah all that openeth the womb, being males. That this signifies that therefore the faith of charity which is of the new begetting must be ascribed to the Lord, is evident from the signification of "sacrificing to Jehovah," as being to ascribe to the Lord. By "sacrificing" is here signified the like as by "sanctifying" in (verse 2) of this chapter, and by "causing to pass over" in (verse 12); that "to sacrifice to Jehovah" denotes to ascribe to the Lord, (n. 8042), and so does "to cause to pass over," (n. 8074); by "ascribing" is meant not to claim to one‘s self, but to confess and acknowledge that it is from the Lord from the signification of "that openeth the womb," as being the things which are of faith from charity (n. 8043). These are of the new begetting, (n. 8042); and from the signification of "male" as being the truth of faith (n. 2046, 4005, 7838).

AC 8089. But all the firstborn of my sons I redeem. That this signifies that the truths of faith are not to be ascribed to the Lord, but the goods of faith, is evident from what was shown above (n. 8080), where similar words occur.

AC 8090. And it shall be for a sign upon thine hand. That this signifies that it must be constantly in the will, and that for frontlets between thine eyes signifies that it must be constantly in the understanding, and that because in strength of hand Jehovah led us forth out of Egypt signifies that they were liberated by the Lord’s Divine power, is evident from what was unfolded above at the ninth verse of this chapter, where similar words occur (n. 8066, 8067, 8069).

Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.

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