4866. 'Because she had covered her face' means that interior things were hidden from them. This is clear from the representation of 'Tamar' as the representative Church, dealt with in 4829, 4831; from the meaning of 'covering' as being hidden; and from the meaning of 'the face' as internal things, dealt with in 358, 1999, 2434, 3527, 3573, 4066, 4326, 4796-4799. From this it is evident that 'she covered her face' means that the interior things of the Church were hidden from them. Regarding these, see above in 4859, 4865.

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.