9656. And they shall be twinned from beneath, and they shall be twinned together at the head of it. That this signifies conjunction from the exterior and from the interior, is evident from the signification of "being twinned," as being to be acted upon conjointly; from the signification of "from beneath," as being from the exterior (for that which is outside is expressed in the Word by "beneath," and that which is within by "above," see n. 3084, 4599, 5146, 8325, whence things deep down denote exterior things, and high things denote interior things, n. 2148, 4210, 4599); and from the signification of "the head," when it is said "from beneath unto the head," as being from the interior. That this is signified by "the head" is because the head is above the body, and as just said, by higher things are signified interior things. And besides, the interior things of man are in his head; for in the head are the beginnings of the senses and of motions, and the beginnings are the inmost things, because from them the rest are derived, the beginnings being like the veins yielding springs, from which are brooks. [2] It is for this reason also that interior things are expressed in the Word by "the head;" as in these passages:
Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day (Isa. 9:14). Neither shall there be for Egypt any work, which head and tail, branch and rush, may do (Isa. 19:15). In these passages the subject treated of is the church, the interiors of which are "the head," and the exteriors "the tail." [3] Again:
On all heads is baldness, every beard is shaved (Isa. 15:2);
"baldness on the heads" denotes no good and truth in the interiors; "the beard shaved," no good and truth in the exteriors. In Jeremiah:
Thou shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Asshur. And thy hands shall be upon thy head; in that Jehovah hath abhorred thy defenses (Jer. 2:36, 37);
thus is described shame on account of the goods and truths of the church which have been destroyed through memory-knowledges and the reasonings from them. "Egypt" denotes memory-knowledge; "Asshur," reasoning therefrom; "the hands upon the head" denotes to cover the interiors for shame. In like manner in another passage:
They were ashamed, and disgraced, and covered their head (Jer. 14:3; see also 2 Sam. 13:19).
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