10705. And the sons of Israel saw the faces of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ faces shone. That this signifies that the Israelitish nation did indeed acknowledge that there is an internal in the Word, but that they did not wish to know the nature of it, is evident from the signification of “seeing,” as being perception, understanding, faith (see n. 2150, 2325, 2807, 3764, 3863, 3869, 4403-4421, 4567, 4723, 5114, 5400, 6805, 7650, 9128; consequently also acknowledgment, n. 897, 3796); from the signification of “the faces of Moses,” as being the internal things of the Word (n. 10703); and from the signification of “the shining of the skin of his faces,” as being the shining forth of the internal in the external (see also above, n. 10703). It is known that that nation acknowledges that there is an internal in the Word, for they say that Divine secrets are stored up therein even in every syllable. But when they are told that these secrets are about the Lord, about His kingdom in the heavens and on earth, and about love to Him and faith in Him, they do not wish to know. This is meant by that nation indeed acknowledging that there is an internal in the Word, but not wishing to know the nature of it; and therefore the statement follows that “Moses drew back the veil upon his faces,” by which is signified that for this reason the internal was closed to them.