10705. And the sons of Israel saw the faces of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ faces shone. That this signifies that the Israelitish nation did indeed acknowledge that there is an internal in the Word, but that they did not wish to know the nature of it, is evident from the signification of “seeing,” as being perception, understanding, faith (see n. 2150, 2325, 2807, 3764, 3863, 3869, 4403-4421, 4567, 4723, 5114, 5400, 6805, 7650, 9128; consequently also acknowledgment, n. 897, 3796); from the signification of “the faces of Moses,” as being the internal things of the Word (n. 10703); and from the signification of “the shining of the skin of his faces,” as being the shining forth of the internal in the external (see also above, n. 10703). It is known that that nation acknowledges that there is an internal in the Word, for they say that Divine secrets are stored up therein even in every syllable. But when they are told that these secrets are about the Lord, about His kingdom in the heavens and on earth, and about love to Him and faith in Him, they do not wish to know. This is meant by that nation indeed acknowledging that there is an internal in the Word, but not wishing to know the nature of it; and therefore the statement follows that “Moses drew back the veil upon his faces,” by which is signified that for this reason the internal was closed to them.

5400. And he saw. That this signifies the things which are of faith, is evident from the signification of “seeing,” as being the things which are of faith (see n. 897, 2325, 2807, 3863, 3869, 4403-4421). For spiritual sight abstracted from such things as are of the world is nothing else than a perception of truth, or of the things of faith; and therefore in the internal sense nothing else is signified by “seeing.” For the internal sense comes forth when the things of the world are removed, because the internal sense relates to such things as are of heaven. The light of heaven, by which is sight there, is Divine truth from the Lord, which appears before the eyes of the angels as light, a thousand times brighter than the midday light in the world; and as this light has life in it, therefore at the same time that it illumines the eyesight of the angels, it illumines also the sight of their understanding, and causes a perception of truth in accordance with the amount and quality of the good in which they are. As in the internal sense of this chapter are described the things of faith, or the truths of the church, therefore at the very beginning of the chapter it is said that “he saw;” and by his “seeing” are signified the things of faith.