10692. 'And Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses' means what is discerned by those whose interest lies in things of the Church, worship, and the Word on an outward level devoid of those on the inward level. This is clear from the meaning of 'seeing' as discerning, dealt with in 2150, 3764, 4567, 4723, 5400; and from the representation of 'Aaron and the children of Israel', in this and the two previous chapters, as those interested solely in things of the Church, worship, and the Word on an outward level and not in those on an inward one.

For this representation of Aaron, see 10397.

For this representation of the children of Israel, see in the places referred to in 9380, 10396; and in addition what is said in 10430, 10453-10457, 10461-10466, 10492, 10498, 10500, 10526, 10531, 10533, 10535, 10549-10551, 10566, 10570, 10575, 10603, 10629, 10632.

10533. 'Perchance I might consume you on the way' means that this nation would be destroyed if what is Divine were to flow in and reside with it. This is clear from the meaning of 'consuming' as being destroyed. It is self-evident that that nation would be destroyed if what is Divine were to flow in and reside with it, for the words that are used are, 'I will not go up in your midst, perchance I might consume you on the way'. The implications of this are that people whose interest lies in external things and not in what is internal, and so who are ruled by self-love and love of the world, are utterly incapable of receiving anything Divine. For that reason their internal is kept closed. If their internal were opened and what is Divine were to flow in they would be completely destroyed, since their life consists of self-love and love of the world, and unceasing opposition and repugnance exists between these loves and heavenly loves, heavenly loves consisting in what is Divine. Consequently their life would be snuffed out by anything Divine flowing in. The fact that the interest of the Israelite nation lay in external things and not in what was internal has been shown frequently above.