Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 8825

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8825. Verses 20-25 And Jehovah came down onto Mount Sinai to the top of the mountain; and Jehovah called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. And Jehovah said to Moses, Go down, warn the people so that they do not perhaps break through to Jehovah to see [Him], and many of them fall. And also the priests coming near Jehovah must sanctify themselves, so that Jehovah does not perhaps make a breach in them. And Moses said to Jehovah, The people cannot go up to Mount Sinai; for You have warned us, saying, Set bounds to the mountain and sanctify it. And Jehovah said to him, Go! go down; and you are to come up, you and Aaron with you. And do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to Jehovah, so that He does not perhaps make a breach in them. And Moses went down to the people and told them.

'And Jehovah came down onto Mount Sinai' means the Lord's presence in heaven. 'To the top of the mountain' means in the inmost. 'And Jehovah called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up' means the joining of the truth from God there. 'And Jehovah said to Moses' means admonition from the Divine. 'Go down, warn the people so that they do not perhaps break through to Jehovah to see [Him]' means that those belonging to the spiritual Church should not desire to go up to the heaven where the Divine celestial is. 'And many of them fall' means that in so doing they would perish. 'And also the priests coming near Jehovah must sanctify themselves' means that those governed by spiritual good, which has the Divine within it, are to be covered over. 'So that Jehovah does not perhaps make a breach in them' means a consequent separation from good. 'And Moses said to Jehovah' means thought engaged in by the truth from God. 'The people cannot go up to Mount Sinai' means that they are unable to raise themselves to the celestial kingdom. 'For You have warned us' means because the Divine has cautioned them. 'Saying, You are to set bounds to the mountain' means by declaring that the spiritual sphere of good comes to an end below [the celestial kingdom]. 'And sanctify it' means that they are thereby held back from the Divine. 'And Jehovah said to him' means further admonition. 'Go! go down' means influx. 'And come up, you and Aaron' means being joined to the truth from God, inward and outward. 'And do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to Jehovah' means that those governed by spiritual good and truth should not desire to go up into the celestial heaven. 'So that He does not perhaps make a breach in them' means separation from truth and good. 'And Moses went down to the people' means influx of the Divine through the truth from God. 'And told them' means admonition through it.


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