25. 'Spreading out the earth and stretching out the heavens' is a common expression in the Prophets when the subject is man's regeneration, as in Isaiah,

Thus said Jehovah, your Redeemer, He who formed you from the womb, I am Jehovah who makes all things, who stretches out the heavens Alone, and who spreads out the earth by Myself. Isaiah 44:24.

Also, when it is speaking of the Lord's Coming,

A bruised reed He does not break off and a smoking wick He does not quench; He brings forth judgement towards truth; that is, He neither shatters man's illusions nor stifles his desires. Instead He bends them towards truth and good. This verse in Isaiah continues,

The God Jehovah creates the heavens and stretches them out: He spreads out the earth and what comes from it: He gives breath ¹ to the people upon it, and spirit to those who walk on it. Isaiah 42:3-5.

Such phrases recur several times elsewhere.

Voetnoten:

In Genesis 9:13, this signifies the state of light in obscurity of the regenerate spiritual man. (Arcana Coelestia 1042)

In Exodus 13:21, this signifies a state of enlightenment tempered by obscurity in respect to truth. (Arcana Coelestia 81-86)

In Psalm 147:8, this signifies that the Lord defends and preserves the spiritual meanings of the Word by the natural truths in through the Bible's literal sense. (Apocalypse Explained 594[12])

In Isaiah 60:8, this signifies to search and investigate truth from the Word's literal sense. (Apocalypse Explained 282[5])

In Isaiah 19:1, the phrase 'Jehovah rides upon a light cloud, and comes into Egypt', signifies the visitation of the natural man from spiritual-natural Divine Truth, for a visitation is an examination into the quality of a man, and examination is made by means of Divine Truth. A light cloud denotes the spiritual-natural Divine Truth from which the quality of man as to his natural-self becomes evident.

(Referenties: Apocalypse Explained 654)