8799. 'For he will surely be stoned' means that [as a result] the truths of faith which they possess will be destroyed. This is clear from the meaning of 'being stoned' as the punishment for falsity and for the violation of truth, dealt with in 5156, 7456, 8575. The reason why that is the punishment suffered by those who in arrogant self-confidence ascend to the Divine in a heaven above is that when they do this all the intelligence they possessed previously is destroyed; for they are seized then by blindness, see just above in 8797.

8575. 'Yet a little, and they stone me' means that they are not far from doing violence to the truth from God. This is clear from the meaning of 'yet a little' as not far from; and from the meaning of 'stoning' as punishing for the violation of truth that relates to worship, dealt with in 7456, though here it is used in the contrary sense and so means doing violence to the truth from God, which 'Moses' represents. The fact that 'Moses' represents the truth from God has been shown rather often.