Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 10607

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10607. And no man shall come up with thee. That this signifies that the Israelitish nation cannot be in Divine truth, is evident from the signification of "not coming up," here into Mount Sinai with Moses, as being not to be in heaven from which is the revelation of Divine truth, thus not to be able to be in Divine truth, for by "Mount Sinai" is signified heaven from which comes the revelation of Divine truth (see n. 8805, 8931, 9420, 10605); and by Moses is represented that external of the church, of worship, and of the Word, which receives Divine truth. It is evident that the Israelitish nation is meant, because it is said of it, "no man shall come up with thee," and "neither let any man be seen in the whole mountain." [2] That Moses here represents that external of the Word, of the church, and of worship, which receives Divine truth, is evident from every detail of this chapter, as that Moses should go up into Mount Sinai, and should stand there on the head of it, and that the people should be removed therefrom. In what follows also Jehovah speaks unto Moses as unto him, and not unto the people; as in verse 10, "All the people in the midst of whom thou art shall see that this is a wonderful thing that I do with thee;" in verse 11, "Keep thou that which I command thee this day; behold I drive out from thy faces;" in verse 12, "Take heed to thyself, lest perchance thou make a covenant with the inhabitant of the land upon which thou comest;" in verse 14, "Thou shalt not bow thyself to another god;" in verse 15, "Lest perchance thou make a covenant with the inhabitant of the land, and he call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;" in verse 16, "Take thou not of his daughters for thy sons;" and so on. Afterward it is said that the skin of Moses' face shone; and that the people were afraid to come near him; and that on this account he put a veil on his face when he spoke with the people. [3] From all this it is evident that Moses in this chapter represents that external of the Word, of the church, and of worship which receives Divine truth, thus through which internal Divine truth shines. That Moses represents this external, and not the internal, is also evident from everything in this chapter; as that Jehovah descended in the cloud, and stood with him, for by a "cloud" is signified the external of the Word; and then that Jehovah commanded to him the external things of the church and of worship, which were to be observed, and not the internal things. The like external was represented by Moses in the preceding chapter, as is evident from verses 7 to 11, and from verses 17 to 23 (n. 10563, 10571). But the external which did not receive the internal appertained to the Israelitish nation.


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