77. And I fell at His feet, signifies adoration from humiliation of heart in presence of the Divine. This is evident from the signification of "falling at the feet," as being adoration from humiliation. Humiliation of heart is meant, because humiliation that springs from the heart in presence of the Divine produces that prostration. All affections, whatsoever they are, have corresponding gestures in the body. Into these gestures the body is borne and falls as of itself, when man is interiorly in the affection. Humiliation before a man produces a bowing down, according to the estimation of him; but in presence of the Divine it produces total prostration, especially when man thinks that the Divine in respect to power and wisdom is everything, and man in comparison is nothing, or that from the Divine is all good and from man nothing but evil.

When man is in this acknowledgment from the heart he comes as it were out of himself, and thence falls upon his face, and when he is thus out of himself he also is removed from the proprium [what is his own], which in itself is wholly evil; when this is removed, the Divine fills him and raises him up; not that the Divine desires such humiliation on its account, but because evil is then removed, and so far as evil is removed with man so far the Divine flows in; for evil alone stands in the way. (An example of such humiliation may be seen in the little work on the Earths in the Universe 91 .) Man's state when the Divine presence with him removes proprium [what is his own], and afterwards infills him, is thus described in this verse: "When I saw Him I fell at His feet as dead; and He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not." This state is more fully described in Daniel:

I lifted up mine eyes and looked, and behold a Man clothed in linen, His face as the appearance of lightning, and His eyes as lamps of fire, and His feet like the splendor of burnished brass. I alone saw the vision; but the men that were with me saw it not; but great fear fell upon them, and they fled. And there remained no strength in me; and I came into a deep sleep, and my face upon the ground. But lo, a hand touched me, and set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands, and He said, Fear not (Daniel 10:5-12).

This state is also described in Ezekiel, when he saw the cherubs, by which is signified the Lord in respect to Providence:

When I saw the glory of Jehovah, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of One that spoke. And He said unto me, son of man, stand upon thy feet, that I may speak to thee. And the spirit entered into me when He spoke unto me, and set me upon my feet, and I heard Him that spake unto me (Ezekiel 1:28; 2:1-2; 3:24).

Likewise also, when Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, of which it is thus written in Matthew:

While Peter was yet speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him. And when the disciples heard these things they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes they saw no one save Jesus only (Matthew 17:5-8).

From this it is apparent of what nature is the presence of the Divine Human of the Lord with man, when man is in a state of humiliation of heart, namely, that he falls upon his face, and by the touch of the Lord's hand is raised upon his feet. It was plainly the presence of the Lord in respect to the Divine Human; since it was the "Son of man" who was in the midst of the lampstands that appeared in this way before John; and the "Son of man" is the Lord as to the Divine Human, see above n. 63. It was similar with the disciples when the Lord was transfigured; it is therefore also said that "when they lifted up their eyes they saw no one save Jesus only." That it was also the Lord as to the Divine Human who was seen by Daniel and Ezekiel, is evident from the words of the Lord himself, that:

No one hath heard the Father's voice at any time, nor seen His form (John 5:37; see also John 1:18).

Moreover, that men worshiped the Lord when He was in the world, by falling upon the face at His feet, may be seen in Matthew 28:9; and in Mark 7:25-26; Luke 8:41; 17:15-16, 18; and in John 11:32.

8443. 'And behold, the glory of Jehovah was seen in the cloud' means the Lord's presence within truth adjusted to their discernment. This is clear from the meaning of 'the glory of Jehovah' as the presence and arrival of the Lord, dealt with above in 8427; and from the meaning of 'the cloud' as the literal sense of the Word, dealt with in the Preface to Genesis 18, and in 4391, 5922, 6343 (end), 6752, 8106, thus truth adjusted to people's discernment, for the Word in the letter is that kind of truth. But 'the glory that is in the cloud' is Divine Truth, which is not adjusted in that way to people's discernment, because it is above illusions and appearances of the senses; so it is also the internal sense of the Word, Preface to Genesis 18, and 5922, 8427. The reason why 'the glory' is the internal sense of the Word is that this sense deals with the Church and the Lord's kingdom, and the highest sense with the Lord Himself, which sense also contains Divine Truth in its absolute form.

[2] There are many levels of God's truth, not just one. The first level of God's truth, and also the second, is that truth going forth directly from the Lord; it is above angels' understanding. But the third level of God's truth is that truth as it exists in the inmost or third heaven; its nature is such that man can grasp nothing whatever of it. The fourth level of God's truth is as it exists in the middle or second heaven; this is not intelligible to man either. But the fifth level of God's truth is that truth as it exists in the lowest or first heaven; this may to some small extent be perceived by man, but only if he is enlightened, though even then it is such that human language is incapable of expressing a large part of it. When it passes into ideas it generates the ability to perceive it and also to believe that it is indeed the truth. But the sixth level of God's truth is as it exists with man; it is adjusted to his discernment, thus it is the sense of the letter of the Word. This sense or kind of truth is represented by 'the cloud' and inner truths by 'the glory in the cloud'.

[3] This explains why Jehovah, that is, the Lord, appeared so many times to Moses and the children of Israel in a cloud, as at Exodus 24:15-16; 40:34-35; 1 Kings 8:10-11; Matthew 24:30; and elsewhere. When the Lord is making His appearance He does so through Divine Truth; indeed what is appearing is Divine Truth. The meaning of 'a cloud' as truth adjusted to human discernment has its origin in representatives in the next life. There the speech of angels in the higher heavens manifests itself to those below as light and also as the brilliance of light; but the speech of angels belonging to a lower heaven manifests itself as a bright cloud, the shape of which varies, and the thick or thin texture of which is determined by the character of truths. From all this it becomes clear that 'the glory of Jehovah was seen in the cloud' means the Lord's presence within truth adjusted to their discernment.