10543. 'At Mount Horeb' means within the external things of worship, the Church, and the Word. This is clear from the meaning of 'Mount Horeb' as Divine Truth present in external things. For Horeb was the mountainous region surrounding Mount Sinai, and 'Mount Sinai' means Divine Truth; consequently 'Horeb', being the mountainous region round about, means Divine Truth present in external things. For what is in the middle and higher than the outlying parts around it means that which is internal, and therefore what is around and below it means that which is external.

'Mount Sinai' means Divine Truth, see 8805, 9420.

The middle means that which is internal, 1074, 2940, 2973, 5897, 6084, 6103, 9164, and so does what is high, 2148, 4210, 4599, 9489, 9773, 10181.

What is round about means that which is external, 2973, and so does what is below.

Since the people's interest lay in external things and not in what was internal, when the Law was declared from Mount Sinai they stood in Horeb at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain was fenced off all the way round to prevent the people from touching it, Exodus 19:12-13, 21, 23-24; 20:21; Deuteronomy 4:10-12. The external of worship, the Church, and the Word is spoken of because the external of one is the external of another; for worship is performed by the Church, and the Church's truths and forms of good, and its worship, are derived from the Word. Those therefore who are interested in only the external things of worship and the Church are interested in only the external things of the Word.

923. 'And he offered burnt offerings on the altar' means all worship stemming from those goods and truths. This is evident from what has been stated up to now. Burnt offerings were the chief features of the worship of the representative Church, as at a later time were sacrifices. These will in the Lord's Divine mercy be dealt with later on. That burnt offerings taken as a whole mean representative worship is also clear from the Prophets, as in David,

Jehovah will send your help from the Sanctuary, and give you support from Zion. He will remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt offering as fat. Psalms 20:2-3.

And in Isaiah,

Whoever keeps the sabbath from profaning it, I will bring them to My holy mountain. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar. Isaiah 56:6-7.

Here 'burnt offerings and sacrifices' stands for all worship, 'burnt offerings' for worship stemming from love, 'sacrifices' for worship stemming from faith derived from love. As is common in the Prophets, internal things are here being described by those that are external.