7201. 'Therefore say to the children of Israel' means that the law of God will enable those who belong to the Lord's spiritual kingdom to discern. This is clear from the representation of Moses, the one who is told to 'say to the children of Israel', as the law of God, dealt with in 6723, 6752; from the meaning of 'saying' as discerning, dealt with in 1791, 1815, 1819, 1822, 1898, 1919, 2080, 2506, 2515, 2619, as enabling to discern, since the command 'say' has reference to the law of God; and from the representation of 'the children of Israel' as those who belong to the Lord's spiritual kingdom, dealt with in 6426, 6677.

2619. 'As He had spoken' means as He had thought. This is clear from the meaning of 'speaking' as thinking, dealt with in 2271, 2287. Perception, which is meant by 'Jehovah said', flowed from the Divine celestial, but thought, which is meant by 'Jehovah spoke', flowed from the Divine celestial by way of the Divine spiritual. This explains why in the sense of the letter there occurs an apparent repetition, namely 'as He had said' and 'as He had spoken'. But what perceiving from the Divine celestial is, and what thinking from the Divine celestial by way of the Divine spiritual, does not come within the range of even the most enlightened capacity to understand by means of the things which belong to the light of the world. This shows how infinite everything else [in the Word] must be. The fact that thought stems from perception, see 1919, 2515. With man the position is that good is the source from which he perceives, but truth the means by which he thinks. Good exists in love and its affections, and for that reason is the source of perception, whereas truth exists in faith, and for that reason faith goes with thought. The former is meant in historical parts of the Word by 'saying', but the latter by 'speaking'. When only the expression 'saying' is used however, it sometimes means perceiving and sometimes thinking, because 'saying' includes both.