9390. 'And he sent boys of the children of Israel' means those things that belong to innocence and charity. This is clear from the meaning of 'boys of the children of Israel' as things which belong to innocence and charity among members of the Church. For 'sucklings', 'young children', and 'boys' mean those who have innocence and charity, or in the abstract sense, without reference to persons, those things which belong to innocence and charity, 430, 5236; and 'the children of Israel' means members of the Church, or in the abstract sense, without reference to persons, the Church itself, 9340.

9319. 'Nor do according to their works' means that evils of life must not be pursued. This is clear from the meaning of 'works' as evils of life. The fact that 'not doing according to them' means not following or pursuing them is self-evident.

8818. 'And they stood at the foot of the mountain' means a long way off from the good of celestial love. This is clear from the meaning of 'Mount Sinai' as heaven, and so as God's good united to Divine Truth there, dealt with in 8805; and from the meaning of 'standing at the foot of it' as a long way off or far away from that good. The meaning here in the internal historical sense is the Israelite nation, which was devoid of the good of celestial love, see above in 8788, 8806, and was therefore a long way off from it, which also accounts for what is said below, in verses 21-22, 24-25, that Moses warned the people and also the priests not to break through the bounds, nor to touch the mountain, and so die. But in the internal sense, which refers to those belonging to the spiritual Church, the meaning of the people's standing at the foot of the mountain is that they were not allowed to go up in arrogant self-confidence to a higher heaven, or if they did they would die, regarding which see 8794, 8797.