10395. THE INTERNAL SENSE.
Verses 1-6. And the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain; and the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Rise, make us gods which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that made us come up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what hath become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Tear off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your women, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people tore off the golden earrings that were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them from their hand, and formed it with a graving tool, and made it a molten calf; and they said, These are thy gods, O Israel, which made thee come up out of the land of Egypt. And Aaron saw, and built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, Tomorrow is a feast to jehovah.* And they rose up in the morning on the morrow, and offered burnt-offerings, and brought-peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. "And the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain" signifies the Israelitish nation when it did not notice in the Word anything from heaven; "and the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron" signifies that they turned themselves to the externals of the Word, of the church, and of worship, separate from what is internal; "and said unto him" signifies exhortation; "Rise, make us gods which shall go before us" signifies falsities of doctrine and of worship, thus things idolatrous; "for as for this Moses, the man that made us come up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what hath become of him" signifies that it is altogether unknown what other Divine truth there is in the Word, which raises man from what is external into what is internal; "and Aaron said unto them" signifies the external of the Word, of the church, and of worship, without what is internal; "Tear off the golden earrings that are in the ears of your women, of your sons, and of your daughters" signifies the drawing out from the sense of the letter of the Word of such things as favor external loves and the principles thence derived; "and bring them unto me" signifies a bringing together into a one; "and all the people tore off the golden earrings that were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron" signifies the effect; "and he received them from their hand" signifies things that favor what is their own; "and formed it with a graving tool" signifies from their own intelligence; "and made it a molten calf" signifies according to the delight of the loves of that nation; "and they said, These are thy gods, O Israel" signifies which is to be worshiped above all things; "which made thee come up out of the land of Egypt" signifies which had led them; "and Aaron saw" signifies approval; "and he built an altar before it" signifies worship; "and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a feast to jehovah*" signifies that this is a very essential of the church which is to be celebrated, and a very divine* which is to be perpetually adored; "and they rose up in the morning on the morrow" signifies incitement by their loves; "and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings" signifies the worship of their loves, thus of the delights of these loves, and of the falsities thence derived; "and the people sat down to eat and to drink" signifies the appropriation of these things; "and rose up to play" signifies the consequent festivity of their interiors, and consent.
* The name "jehovah" is in this connection given by Swedenborg with a small initial letter, doubtless because as applied to the golden calf the name is profane and unworthy of veneration. The same remark applies to "divine" as here used, for contrary to his usual custom Swedenborg here writes this word with a small initial letter. See also n. 10566, 10603. [REVISER.]