8657. 'Came to Moses in the wilderness' means a joining together in the state before regeneration when temptations take place. This is clear from the meaning of 'coming to Moses' as a joining together, that is to say, of Divine Good, represented by 'Jethro', and Divine Truth, represented by 'Moses'; and from the meaning of 'the wilderness' as a state when temptations have to be undergone, dealt with in 6828, 8098, thus the state before regeneration. There are two states which those who are being regenerated and becoming a spiritual Church pass into, during the first of which they undergo temptations, see above in 8643. The former state is described by the state of the children of Israel when in the wilderness, and the latter state by their state when in the land of Canaan under Joshua.