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Exodus 19

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1 In the third month, when the children of Israel had gone forth from the land of Egypt, the same day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.

2 For they had departed from Rephidim, and had come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mount.

3 And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;

4 Ye have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to myself.

5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure to me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

6 And ye shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak to the children of Israel.

7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.

8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people to the LORD.

9 And the LORD said to Moses, Lo, I come to thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people to the LORD.

10 And the LORD said to Moses, Go to the people, and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash their clothes,

11 And be ready against the third day: for on the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

12 And thou shalt set bounds to the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up upon the mount, or touch the border of it: whoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:

13 There shall not a hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through: whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.

14 And Moses went down from the mount to the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.

15 And he said to the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.

16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that were in the camp trembled.

17 And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.

18 And mount Sinai was altogether in a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke of it ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount trembled greatly.

19 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice.

20 And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.

21 And the LORD said to Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.

22 And let the priests also who come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.

23 And Moses said to the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.

24 And the LORD said to him, Away, go down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: But let not the priests and the people break through, to come up to the LORD, lest he break forth upon them.

25 So Moses went down to the people, and spoke to them.

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 8106

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8106. By day in a pillar of cloud. That this signifies that when there was a state of enlightenment it was tempered by obscurity of truth, is evident from the signification of “by day,” or “in the day,” as being in a state of enlightenment; for the times of day, as morning, noon, evening, and night, correspond to the various degrees of enlightenment which belong to intelligence and wisdom in the other life (see n. 5672, 5962, 6110); whence “day” denotes a state of enlightenment or clear perception, and “night” a state of no enlightenment, or of obscure perception (n. 7680); and from the signification of “cloud,” as being obscurity of truth, because a cloud takes away the brightness of light from the sun, and also tempers it.

[2] In the Word throughout it is said that Jehovah appeared “in a cloud,” and that He was “girded with a cloud,” also that “beneath His feet was a cloud;” in which passages by “cloud” is meant obscurity of truth, specifically, the literal sense of the Word, for relatively to the internal sense this sense is obscurity of truth (see the preface to Genesis 18; also n. 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752). This was signified by the “cloud” when the Lord was seen by Peter, James, and John in glory (Luke 9:34); when from Mount Sinai by the people; and when by Moses upon his entering to Him there (Exodus 19:9; 20:18; 24:15-18; 34:5); and also by the circumstance that the Lord so often said that He “would come in the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 24:30; 26:63-64; Mark 13:26; 14:61-62; Luke 21:27).

[3] The literal sense of the Word is called a “cloud,” because the internal sense, which is called “glory,” cannot be comprehended by man, except one who is regenerated, and is also enlightened. If the internal sense of the Word, or truth Divine in its glory, were to appear before a man who is not regenerated, it would be like thick darkness, in which he would see nothing at all, and by which he would also be blinded, that is, would believe nothing. From all this it can be seen what is signified by a “cloud by day,” namely, obscurity of truth; and when the Word is treated of, the literal sense.

[4] It is said “in a pillar of cloud and of fire,” because by “a pillar” is signified a prop which supports (see Jeremiah 1:18 , Psalms 75:3 , Revelation 3:12; Job 9:6); and it is predicated of the natural, because the natural is like a prop or base to the spiritual; for the spiritual closes in the natural, and there rests. Hence it is that the feet of the angel descending from heaven appeared “as pillars of fire” (Revelation 10:1); for by “feet” is signified the natural (see n. 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952, 5327, 5328).

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.