9428. Verses 16-18 And the glory of Jehovah lay over Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and He called to Moses on the seventh day from the middle of the cloud. And the sight of Jehovah's glory was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into ¹ the mountain; and Moses was in the mountain forty days and forty nights.

'And the glory of Jehovah lay over Mount Sinai' means the more internal levels of the Lord's Word in heaven. 'And the cloud covered it' means the lowest level of the Word, which is obscure, comparatively so. 'Six days' means when passing through the state of truth. 'And He called to Moses on the seventh day' means the Lord's coming when truth has been joined to good. 'From the middle of the cloud' means from the obscurity which existed before. 'And the sight of Jehovah's glory was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel' means Divine Truth beaming brightly with the good of love in heaven itself, but harmful and ruinous with those restricted to its outward level, separated from the inward. 'And Moses went into the midst of the cloud' means the Word in its outward sense. 'And went up into the mountain' means being raised up to heaven. 'And Moses was in the mountain forty days and forty nights' means the instructions given and influx in their completeness.

Footnotes:

9861. 'It shall be square when doubled' means that which is righteous and perfect. This is clear from the meaning of 'square' as that which is righteous, dealt with in 9717. The reason why that which is also perfect is meant is that the breastplate was doubled, and that which is doubled implies all aspects of good and all aspects of truth. What is on the right side implies the good from which truth springs, and what is on the left implies the truth springing from good, 9495, 9604 (end), 9736, thus also the two perfectly joined to each other. This accounts furthermore for the meaning of 'two' as things joined together, 8423, also every single aspect of them, 9166, and their completeness as well, 9103.