Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 8816

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8816. And all the people that were in the camp trembled. That this signifies a holy tremor on the part of those who were about to receive, is evident from the signification of "trembling," as being a holy tremor; and from the signification of "the people that were in the camp," as being those who were about to receive the Divine truth. It is said in the Word in various places that when Jehovah comes down, "the earth trembles, and the mountains melt" (as in Ps. 77:17, 18; 97:4, 5; 104:32, and elsewhere); whereby is signified the commotion of all at the presence of the Divine; for the Divine is such that no one can endure it unless he is in a kind of cloud, and thus is accommodated to its reception; for it is like the fire which is in the sun, which if it were to fall naked on anyone, would consume him in a moment. But the reception is according to the good with each person. They who are in good do indeed tremble at the presence of the Divine, but it is a holy tremor which precedes reception. But they who are in evil are in terror at the presence of the Divine, and therefore flee away, and are then enveloped in their falsities as in a dusky cloud, and are hidden. These things are signified by the "caves of the rocks" into which they then betake themselves. From all this it can be seen what is signified by "all the people that were in the camp trembled."


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