10452. 'The tablets were written on across them both, from the edge of one and from the edge of the other they were written on' means through which the Lord was joined to the human race, or heaven to the world. This is clear from the meaning of 'the tablets on which the Law had been inscribed' as the Word in its entirety, dealt with immediately above in 10451. As regards the writing extending across both sides, from one edge and from the other, that this means the Lord's being joined to the human race, see the explanation in 9416, 10375. This also explains why those tablets were called the tablets of the covenant, for 'a covenant' means a joining together, 665, 666, 1023, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 6804, 8767, 8778, 9396.

[2] Since the Lord's being joined to the human race or heaven to the world through the Word is spoken of here, what this really is must be stated. Those who have no knowledge of the true nature of the Word cannot possibly believe that through it the Lord is joined to the human race, and heaven to the world; less still can those who spurn the Word or think it is worthless believe it. But let such people know that the heavens are kept in being through Divine Truth and that without that Truth they would not be heavens, and that the human race is kept in being through heaven. For unless heaven were flowing in to be present with a person no person could even begin to think or therefore desire anything in a rational manner. In order therefore that heaven may be kept in being, and the human race by being joined to it, the Lord has provided the Word, in which there is Divine Truth for angels in heaven and for people in the world. For the nature of the Word in its spiritual and celestial senses is such that they hold angelic wisdom itself within them, in a so highly exalted degree that a person can have scarcely any notion of its exalted nature, though in the letter it appears to be exceedingly simple and crude.

[3] From all this it is evident that when a person reads the Word heaven has the enjoyment of the wisdom it derives from the Word, and that at the same time the person is joined to heaven. This is the end for which such a Word has been given to mankind. From this it follows that if this means of joining together did not exist in the world the connection with heaven would perish, and with it all the good present in a person's will and all the truth in his understanding, and with these that essential human quality which enables one person to live in a community with another. Consequently evil and falsity would take possession of everything, as a result of which one community after another would be destroyed. For the situation would be like that when a person moves about in thick darkness and stumbles wherever he goes. It would be like that when the head is deranged and the body consequently behaves in a foolish and insane manner that leads to self-destruction. Or it would be like that when the heart is weak and internal organs and members consequently cease performing their functions until the whole is dead.

[4] This is what the condition of the human being would be if heaven were not joined to him; and heaven would not be joined to him if the Word did not exist, or else Divine Truth were not conveyed to him directly through angels, as it had been in ancient times. When the word 'heaven' is used that which is Divine should also be understood; for that which is Divine and the Lord's composes heaven. Thus being joined to heaven entails being joined to the Lord, and being separated from heaven entails being separated from the Lord; and being separated from the Lord entails destruction. For all ordering of things for good, which is called Providence, arises from there; and when Providence is taken away everything quickly deteriorates and goes to ruin. From all this it becomes clear what purpose the Word serves; but few will believe that the Word serves so great a purpose as that described above.

8778. 'And Moses brought back the people's words to Jehovah' means correspondence and being joined together. This is clear from the meaning of 'bringing words back to Jehovah' as correspondence and consequently being joined together. For the subject is the covenant that is to be made with the people; and since covenants are made through agreement on both sides, something that resembles the making of a covenant takes place here. That is to say, Jehovah proposes and the people respond, at this point through Moses, who represents the truth from God when it has been joined to Divine Truth as it exists in heaven, 8760, which is intermediary. But the only way that the covenant is made with mankind is through being receptive of the influx of truth from the Divine, and through correspondence at that time; for when higher things flow into lower they are not received in any other way.

[2] What correspondence and receptivity through correspondence are becomes clear from what has been shown at the ends of quite a number of chapters regarding the correspondence of all things present in the human being with the things that exist in heaven. It has also been shown in those places that all joining of natural things to spiritual ones, and in general of lower things to higher ones, is accomplished through correspondence. Such correspondence does not exist unless the lower things are placed in subordinate positions and made subject to the higher ones; and when the lower have been made subject, the higher ones act on them altogether as a cause does on its effect. From all this one may see what reciprocity on man's side is when the Divine flows in, and what the consequent joining together is, which is described in the sense of the letter here by the method used to make covenants, which is that Jehovah speaks to the people through a messenger, and the messenger brings their reply back to Jehovah. For this is how a person can grasp the concept of being joined to the Divine.