9414. And Jehovah said unto Moses. That this signifies instruction from the Lord for those who are in the external sense, is evident from the signification of “saying,” as being instruction, when it involves the things which follow and give instruction (see also n. 7186, 7241, 7267, 7304, 7380, 7517, 7769, 7793, 7825, 8041); that it is from the Lord is because by “Jehovah” in the Word is meant the Lord (see n. 1343, 1736, 1793, 2004, 2005, 2018, 2025, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5663, 6280, 6281, 6303, 6905, 8274, 8864, 9315); and from the representation of Moses, as being that which mediates between the Lord and the people, thus the Word in respect to its holy external, for this is what mediates. That Moses now begins to have this representation, is evident from the series of what follows. For that people was in the external of the Word, and from this in the external of worship separate from what is internal (n. 9380). They who are of such a character cannot possibly have holy communication with the Lord, still less conjunction, except through an intermediate. How the case is in regard to this, will be unfolded more fully below (n. 9419).

[2] That this people was in the external sense of the Word separate from the internal, and consequently in the like worship, is very manifest from what follows. For after forty days they fell back altogether and worshiped a golden calf instead of Jehovah. Wherefore also Moses then cast away the tables out of his hand, and broke them; and afterward he was commanded to hew out other tables, upon which the same words should be written. By this was signified that this people was by no means willing to acknowledge any doctrinal thing from the internal sense of the Word, such as there is in heaven; but only from its external sense separate from the internal, such as is even at this day among them. Wherefore also that people was no longer called the “people of Jehovah,” but the “people of Moses,” as in the following passages:

Jehovah spoke unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou madest to come up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves (Exodus 32:7).

Jehovah spoke unto Moses, Depart, go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast made to come up out of the land of Egypt (Exodus 33:1).

On this account also they were afterward removed from the mountain: “No man shall come up with thee, and also no man shall be seen in the whole mountain; and no flock or herd shall feed over against this mountain” (Exodus 34:3); for by “Mount Sinai” is signified the law, or Divine truth, and the Word, such as it is in heaven; thus also heaven (n. 8399, 8753, 8793, 8805). The reason why Moses previously represented the Word in general, that is, both as to its internal sense and as to its external sense, was that the subject there treated of was the promulgation of the law, which signified the revelation of Divine truth in general; for it was the beginning of revelation, seeing that everything else in the Word was written afterward.