10399. 'Rise, make [us] gods to go before us' means producing falsities that figure in religious teachings and worship, thus producing things of an idolatrous nature. This is clear from the meaning of 'gods' as truths, dealt with in 4295, 4402, 7010, 7268, 7873, 8301, and in the contrary sense as falsities, 4402(end), 4544, 7873, so that 'making gods' means producing falsities that figure in religious teachings, or teachings composed of falsities; and from the meaning of 'to go before us' as falsities for them to follow, thus falsities according to which they may establish their worship. The fact that 'making gods to go before us' means producing things of an idolatrous nature is self-evident. Idolatry furthermore consists in worshipping external things devoid of internal ones, see 4825, 9424. But something brief must be stated here regarding this kind of idolatry. The externals of the Church to be established among the Israelite nation consisted of all those things the Lord told Moses to make, when he was on Mount Sinai. These were the tent of meeting together with the ark there, the mercy-seat above it, the table on which the loaves of the Presence were laid, the lampstand, the altar of incense, also the altar of burnt offering, and the garments of Aaron and his sons, in particular the ephod with the breastplate over it. In addition, the anointing oil, the incense, the blood of burnt offerings and of sacrifices, the wine for drink-offerings, the fire on the altar, and much more besides. The Israelite and Jewish nation venerated all these elements as things that were holy, yet without any respect for the holiness they represented. They had no thought at all of the Lord, heaven, love, faith, regeneration, nor thus of the realities meant by those elements. Since their worship was like this it was a worship of pieces of wood, loaves of bread, wine, blood, oil, fire, and garments, but not of the Lord within those objects. That worship as practised by them is not Divine but idolatrous worship, as is self-evident.

7010. 'And you will be for him as a god' means Divine Truth that goes forth directly from the Lord. This is clear from the representation of 'Moses' as the Lord in respect of Divine Truth, dealt with in 6752. Its being the Divine Truth which goes forth directly from the Lord is what is meant by the declaration that he was to be for Aaron as a god. For in the Word 'God' is used to mean the Lord with regard to Divine Truth, and 'Jehovah' to mean the Lord with regard to Divine Good.

In the Word the Lord is called 'God' when the subject is truth, but 'Jehovah' when the subject is good, see 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921 (end), 4402.

Angels are called 'gods' because of the truths from the Lord which guide them, 4402.

And in the contrary sense 'the gods of the nations' are falsities, 4402 (end), 4544.