8814. And a heavy cloud upon the mountain. That this signifies a Divine state in respect to those who were about to receive, is evident from the signification of “a cloud,” as being truth accommodated to those who are about to receive, thus the Word in the letter (see n. 8443, 8781); here truth Divine accommodated to the people descended from Jacob; and because this people was in great darkness as to truths Divine, it is therefore called “a heavy cloud,” and above (verse 9) “the density of a cloud,” and below (verse 18) “smoke of fire as the smoke of a furnace.” In what great darkness they were, can be seen from what has been related above (n. 8788) about that nation, and also from the fact that the things which pertain to the internal man were not revealed to them, but only those which pertain to the external man. For they did not apprehend internal things, nor were they willing to apprehend them, because these were contrary to their loves, which were that they might be the most exalted of all peoples in the world, and also the most opulent of all, and that all other nations might be as nothing in comparison with them. Where these loves are, there heavenly loves cannot be received, for these are extinguished and suffocated by the worldly loves. This is the reason why Jehovah, that is, the Lord, appeared to them in a dense and heavy cloud, in like manner as is the case in the other life, where they who are in falsities from evil are encompassed with a dense and black cloud in accordance with the quality and the amount of the falsities. This appears to everyone there before the eyes, and yet the sun there is continually shining. (On this subject see what has been said above, n. 6832, 8137, 8138.) Speaking generally, the Divine in the other life appears to everyone according to the quality of his faith and love.

8443. And behold the glory of Jehovah was seen in the cloud. That this signifies the presence of the Lord in truth accommodated to the perception, is evident from the signification of “the glory of Jehovah,” as being the presence and the advent of the Lord (see above, n. 8427); and from the signification of “the cloud,” as being the literal sense of the Word (see the preface to Genesis 18,and in4391, 5922, 6343 at the end, 6752, 8106), thus truth accommodated to the perception, for the Word in the letter is such truth. But “the glory which is in the cloud” denotes Divine truth which is not so accommodated to the perception, because it is above the fallacies and appearances of the senses, thus it also denotes the internal sense of the Word (see the preface to Genesis 18, and5922,8427,). That “glory” denotes the internal sense of the Word, is because in this sense the Lord’s church and kingdom are treated of, and in the supreme sense the Lord Himself, in which sense also is the veriest Divine truth. Truth Divine is not of one degree, but of many. Truth Divine in the first degree, and also in the second, is that which proceeds immediately from the Lord; this is above the angelic understanding. But truth Divine in the third degree is such as is in the inmost or third heaven; this is such that it cannot in the least be apprehended by man. Truth Divine in the fourth degree is such as is in the middle or second heaven; neither is this intelligible to man. But truth Divine in the fifth degree is such as is in the ultimate or first heaven; this can be perceived in some small measure by man provided he is enlightened; but still it is such that a great part of it cannot be expressed by human words; and when it falls into the ideas, it produces the faculty of perceiving and also of believing that the case is so. But truth Divine in the sixth degree is such as is with man, accommodated to his perception; thus it is the sense of the letter of the Word. This sense, or this truth, is represented by the cloud, and the interior truths are represented by the glory in the cloud. This is the reason why Jehovah (that is, the Lord) so often appeared to Moses and to the sons of Israel in a cloud (see Exodus 24:15-16; 40:34-35;1 Kings 8:10-11; Matthew 24:30; and other places). The appearing of the Lord is by means of Divine truth, and moreover is Divine truth. That a “cloud” denotes truth accommodated to the perception, is from the representatives in the other life, where angelic speech of the higher heavens appears to those who are beneath as light, and also as the brightness from light; whereas the speech of the angels of a lower heaven appears as a bright cloud, in form various, and in density or rarity according to the quality of the truths. From all this it can be seen that by “the glory of Jehovah seen in the cloud” is signified the presence of the Lord in truth accommodated to the perception.