7619. By the hand of Moses. That this signifies by means of the law from the Divine, is evident from the signification of "by the hand of" anyone as being by means of (of which below); and from the representation of Moses, as being the law from the Divine (see n. 6771, 6827). That "to speak by the hand of" anyone denotes by his means, or mediately, is because by the "hand" is signified power, thus by the "hand" of another, vicarious power, which is the same as mediately, for what is done mediately is done by the power of another in one's self. This is the reason why there is this form of speech in the Word, as in the Books of Kings, where it is sometimes said, "the word which Jehovah spoke by the hand of" some one, as "by the hand of Ahijah the prophet" (1 Kings 14:18), "by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite" (1 Kings 15:29), "by the hand of Jehu the prophet" (1 Kings 16:7, 12), "by the hand of Joshua" (1 Kings 16:34), "by the hand of Elijah" (1 Kings 17:16), "by the hand of Jonah the prophet" (2 Kings 14:25).