574. And I heard the number of them, signifies their quality perceived. This is evident from the signification of "to hear," as being to perceive (See above, n. 14, 529); also from the signification of "number," as being the quality of the thing treated of (See above, n. 429); here the quality of the falsities of evil conspiring against the truths of good, from which falsities and in favor of which are the reasonings of the sensual man, which are signified by "the number of the armies of the horsemen" (of which just above). But the quality of these is further described in the next verse in these words, "And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and those that sat on them, having breast-plates fiery, and hyacinthine, and brimstone-like; and the heads of the horses as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceeded fire, and smoke, and brimstone." These words describe the quality here signified by "number." Something of number may seem to be meant here by "number," but in the spiritual world there are no numbers, for spaces and times there are not measured and determined by numbers as in the natural world, therefore all numbers in the Word signify things, and the number itself signifies the quality of the thing (See above, n. 203, 336, 429, 430; and in the work on Heaven and Hell 263).

8753. 'They came to the wilderness of Sinai' means, they entered a state of good in which the truths of faith were to be implanted. This is clear from the meaning of 'the wilderness of Sinai' as a state of good in which the truths of faith are to be implanted. Here 'wilderness' is good in which truths have not as yet been implanted, and 'Sinai' is actual truths. For 'wilderness' has a number of meanings, 3900, in general what is uninhabited and uncultivated, 2708, so that in the spiritual sense it means good which as yet has no truths in it; for good without truths is spiritually uncultivated. Consequently 'wilderness' means a new will which has not as yet been formed by means of the truths of faith, 8457.

[2] As regards 'Mount Sinai', in the highest sense it means Divine Truth emanating from Divine Good, Divine Good being meant by 'mountain' and Divine Truth by 'Sinai'. In the internal sense it means the truth of faith springing from good, in this instance the truth of faith that is to be implanted in good since the Law had not as yet been declared from there. The reason why 'Mount Sinai' has these meanings is that the Law was declared from there by the Lord, and the Law is Divine Truth emanating from Divine Good, and also is the truth of faith springing from good, 6752, 7463, 8695. This explains why the children of Israel encamped in the wilderness beside this mountain; for not only the Ten Commandments, which are the Law in a restricted sense, were declared from there, but also all the statutes of the Church, which, being representative, held within themselves the spiritual and celestial truths and forms of good of the Lord's kingdom. The fact that the Law was declared from that mountain is clear from Chapter Exodus 20 below; and the fact that the statutes of the Church were as well is clear from Exodus 21 and following chapters; and Leviticus 7:37-38; 27:34. 'Sinai' has the same meaning in David,

O God, when You went out before Your people, when You marched in the wilderness, the earth trembled; the heavens also dropped [rain] before God. This Sinai [trembled] before God. the God of Israel. You cause a rain of blessings to drop down, O God. Psalms 68:7-9.

Here 'Sinai' stands for truth which springs from good, for these are meant by 'the heavens dropped [rain] before God' and by 'God dropped a rain of blessings'.

[3] In the Book of Judges,

O Jehovah, when You went forth from Seir, when You set out from the field of the earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, the clouds indeed dropped water, the mountains flowed down before Jehovah, Sinai itself before Jehovah God of Israel. In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the roads ceased to be, and those who went along by pathways kept to twisting roads; the streets in Israel ceased to be. They ceased until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose a mother in Israel. Judges 5:4-7.

Here also 'Sinai' stands for the Law or Divine Truth emanating from Divine Good, from which the truths of faith were implanted in the good of faith, those truths also being meant by 'the heavens dropped, and the clouds dropped water'. A lack of the truths of faith and the perversion of them is meant by 'the roads ceased to be, and those who went along by pathways kept to twisting roads', truths being meant by 'roads' or 'ways', 'pathways', and 'streets', see 627, 2333, 3123, 3477. For the theme of this prophetic song, which is the Song of Deborah and Barak, is the perversion of the Church's truth and the renewal of it.

[4] In Moses,

Jehovah came from Sinai, He dawned from Seir upon them; He shone from Mount Paran, and came out of myriads of holiness. From His right hand came a fiery law for them. Deuteronomy 33:2.

Here the children of Jacob are blessed by Moses before his death. He begins the prophetic utterance in his blessing with Jehovah came from Sinai, and in this instance 'Sinai' means the truths of faith in their entirety. The reason why he begins with these words is that all the truths and forms of the good of faith are meant by 'the children of Jacob', 3858, 3862, 3926, 3939, 6335, and in a similar way by 'the children of Israel', 5414, 5951, 5879.