8563. 'And the people wrangled with Moses' means bitter complaining against God's truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'wrangling' as bitter complaining, for one who wrangles in temptation complains bitterly; and from the representation of 'Moses' as God's truth, dealt with in 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382.

4796. When angels manifest themselves visually, all their interior affections are seen clearly in their faces and shine out of them, so that the face is the external form and a representative image of those affections. To have any other face than that expressing their affections is not allowed in heaven. Those who deceitfully wear any other face are expelled from that community. From this it is evident that the face corresponds to everything in general present interiorly - both to a person's affections and to his thoughts, that is, to the affections in his will and to the thoughts in his understanding. This also explains why in the Word 'face', whether a singular or a plural noun, means affections; and when it is said that the Lord lifts up His face on someone, the meaning is that out of Divine Affection belonging to His Love He has compassion on him.