1020. That these things are meant becomes clear from the fact that everything put together as history from Genesis 1 down to Eber in Chapter 11 means something different from what appears in the letter, and from the consideration that the historical narratives there are purely made-up history customary among the most ancient people. When attesting the truth of some matter they would say that 'Jehovah said it'. Here however 'God' is used because the subject is the spiritual Church. And they did the same when anything true was being, or had been, put into effect.

10241. 'Their hands and their feet' means the person's interiors and exteriors. This is clear from the meaning of 'hands' as a person's interiors, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'feet' as a person's exteriors, thus his natural things since these are exterior; for natural things, thus those belonging to the exterior man, are meant by 'feet', see 2162, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952, 9406. But the reason why interior things are meant by 'hands' is that the higher parts of the body extend into the hands and come to an end in them, so that whatever exists with a person, also the power he possesses, is meant by 'hands', see the places referred to in 10019. But when both hands and feet are spoken of, whatever exists in the internal man and also in the external man, or spiritual things and natural things, is meant. This explains why 'lifting up the hand' means power in the spiritual, while 'lifting up the foot' means power in the natural, 5327, 5328. Furthermore the extremities of a person mean everything within him, 10044, and the hands and feet are extremities. From all this it becomes clear why it was that Aaron and his sons had to wash their hands and feet whenever they went into the tent of meeting or approached the altar to minister.