8835. 'The people cannot go up to Mount Sinai' means that they are unable to raise themselves to the celestial kingdom. This is clear from the meaning of 'the people', or the children of Israel, as those belonging to the spiritual kingdom; from the meaning of 'going up' as raising oneself up; and from the meaning of 'Mount Sinai' as the celestial kingdom, dealt with above in 8827. For what all this implies, see above in 8794, 8797.

8827. 'To the top of the mountain' means in the inmost, that is to say, the inmost heaven. This is clear from the meaning of 'the mountain' as heaven, as immediately above in 8826. The reason why 'the top of the mountain' means the inmost heaven is that the top of a mountain is its highest point, and 'highest' means inmost, 1735, 2148, 4210, 4599, 8153. There are three heavens, which are the lowest, called the first; the middle, called the second; and the inmost, called the third. This heaven has what is Divine in it more fully than in the two lower ones; for those there are directly beneath the Lord's sight, because they are governed by love to the Lord, and consequently possess greater peace and innocence than all others. Angels there are called celestial angels, whereas angels in the second heaven are called spiritual angels. Therefore what is Divine in the third heaven is called the Divine celestial, and what is Divine in the second is called the Divine spiritual. From all this one may see what Jehovah's coming down onto the top of the mountain means.