Every word of the Word is Divine

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

And He said, Behold I make a covenant; before all thy people I will do wonderful things, such as have not been created in all the earth, and in all nations; and all the people in the midst of whom thou art shall see the work of Jehovah, because this is a wonderful thing that I do with thee. Exodus 34:10

The Primary Things Whereby There is
The Conjunction of The Lord with The Human Race by Means of The Word

That this is the case is also evident from the connection of the things in the internal sense.

The subject treated of in what precedes was the law that was delivered and promulgated from Mount Sinai, by which law in an extended sense is signified the Word.

Moreover, this law was the beginning of the Word, for the Word was promulgated afterward, first through Moses, and then through all the others.

The subject next treated of was the Israelitish nation, in that it was not such that the Word could be written among them as it would otherwise have been written, because a church could not be instituted among them; and where the church is, there is the Word.

But because Moses insisted that Jehovah should be in the midst of that people, and that they should be received as an inheritance, and should thus be brought into the land of Canaan, by all which things in the internal sense is signified that the church was to be instituted among that people, and thus that the Word would be written there.  Because this was now granted for the reason that Moses insisted upon it, therefore now the primary precepts, which were altogether to be observed in order that this might be effected, are treated of. These primary precepts were: -

that the Lord alone is to be worshiped, and no other, and that acknowledgment must be made that all good and truth are from Him; besides many other things in what presently follows.

It is said that they are treated of in what presently follows, but be it known that these precepts are contained in the internal sense.

In the external sense, however, which is the sense of the letter, are contained such things as represent these precepts, thus which signify them, as can be seen from the explication of what follows.

It is said that by this covenant which Jehovah made with Moses, is signified the conjunction of the Lord with the human race by means of the Word, and therefore it shall be here told how the case is in regard to this conjunction.

In the most ancient times there was not the Word, but [immediate] revelation before the man of the church, and thereby conjunction. For when there is [immediate] revelation, there is the conjunction of heaven with man. The conjunction of heaven with man is the conjunction of the Lord with him, because the Divine of the Lord with the angels makes heaven.

When this [immediate] revelation ceased, as was the case when man turned away from the good in which he had been, then another revelation succeeded, which was by means of [representatives], whereby the man of the church then knew what is true and good. Hence this church was called a representative church. In this church there was also a Word, but one that was of service to this church only. But when this church also was vastated, as was the case when they began to worship idolatrously the things by means of which there was at that time the conjunction of the church with heaven; and when in some lands they began to turn them into magic, it was then provided by the Lord that a Word should be written which should be Divine in each and all things, down to every syllable; and which should consist of [pure correspondences]; and that in this way it might be accommodated to the perception of the angels in all the heavens, and at the same time to men; to the end that thereby there might be the conjunction of the Lord with the human race; for without conjunction by means of such a Word, heaven would have completely departed from man, and so man would have perished.

In what follows therefore the subject treated of is conjunction by means of the Word, and the primary precepts are disclosed which must be observed, in order that a man may be in this conjunction by means of the Word.

• the most ancient people had immediate revelation
• the representative church that afterward succeeded, and its Word
• the conjunction of the Lord with the human race is by means of the Word, at the places cited

Before all thy people I will do wonderful things.

That this signifies the Word, in that it is Divine in each and all things for the sake of the church, is evident from the signification of the "people of Moses," as being where the church is, because the church was to be instituted among them; and from the signification of the "wonderful things" that Jehovah was about to do, as being the Divine things in each and all things of the Word. For the Word is wonderful in this respect, that it is Divine as to every jot, for every word corresponds to some spiritual thing which may be said to be stored up within it, because the spiritual of the Word is made manifest with the angels, when the Word is read by man. The case herein is this. Each and all things in the natural world have a correspondence with those which are in the spiritual world, and this down to every word. And the Word has been so written that its words in their series involve series of spiritual things, which do not appear to a man unless he is acquainted with correspondences. In this way what is Divine lies hidden in the Word. From this the Word is spiritual, as also it is called. This therefore is what is here meant by a "wonderful thing," because the subject treated of is the Word which was to be written among that people.

Such as have not been created in all the earth and in all nations.

That this signifies that there never has been such a Divine in the world where the church is, and where the church is not, is evident from the signification of "wonderful things," as being the Divine things of the Word, which are said to be "created" when they are Divine from inmosts to outermosts, or from primes to ultimates; from the signification of "in all the earth," as being wherever is the church, for by "earth" in the Word is signified the church; and from the signification of "in all nations" as being where the church is not, for by "nations" [or "Gentiles"] in the Word are signified those who are outside the church, because not in the light of truth from the Word.

It is said that "Jehovah will do wonderful things such as have not been created in all the earth," because by "creation" is signified that which is Divine from inmosts to outermosts, or from primes to ultimates; for everything which is from the Divine begins from Himself, and advances according to order down to the ultimate end, thus through the heavens down to the world, and there rests as in its ultimate, because the ultimate of Divine order is in the nature of the world. That which is such is said to be "created."

In such an order has come forth, and in such an order subsists, everything in the world that has been created.

And in such an order also is the man of the church who by means of truths from the Word has been regenerated by the Lord.

From this the Lord is called in the Word "the Creator," and a man who has been regenerated is said to be "created anew". In such an order also is the Word, and because it is such, it is therefore said of its wonderful things that they are "created."

By these same words, namely, "before all thy people I will do wonderful things such as have not been created in all the earth and in all nations," in the historical sense is signified that Jehovah was about to do miracles among the Israelitish people such as had not been heard of in all the earth. But in the internal sense miracles are not meant, but wonderful things which the Lord was about to do by giving such a Word, whereby there would be the conjunction of heaven with the church; and whereby there would be universally the conjunction of the Lord with the human race. That the Word is so wonderful is not apprehended by those who do not know anything of the correspondence of natural things with spiritual, and who do not know anything about the spiritual thought in which the angels are. Such persons do not know either that there is something within every detail of the Word that has heaven in it, thus that has Divine life in it; when nevertheless every word of the Word is by its correspondence perceived spiritually by the angels, when it is perceived naturally by men. It is from this, and from no other source, that the Word is Divine, and is so wonderful that nothing is more so.

(from Arcana Coelestia 10632-10634)