'Spreading themselves on the earth,' as in Genesis 8:17, signifies the internal self operating on the external.

(References: Arcana Coelestia 913)

5740. 'Morning dawned' means a state of enlightenment at this point. This is clear from the meaning of 'morning' and 'dawning' as a state of enlightenment. In the highest sense 'morning' means the Lord, see 2405, 2780, and therefore when the expression 'morning dawned' is used, a state of enlightenment is meant, since the Lord is the source of all enlightenment. 'Rising up in the morning' likewise means a state of enlightenment, see 3458, 3723.