7619. 'Through the hand of Moses' means by means of the law from God. This is clear from the meaning of 'through the hand of someone' as through an intermediary, dealt with below; and from the representation of 'Moses' as the law from God, dealt with in 6771, 6827. The reason why 'speaking through the hand of someone' means by means of that person or through an intermediary is that 'the hand' means power, 878, 3387, 4931-4937, 5327, 5328, 5544, 6292, 6947, 7011, 7518. Thus 'the hand of someone' is power exercised vicariously, which is the same as through an intermediary; for what is done through an intermediary is done through the power that another has within him. This explains the occurrence of that way of speaking in the Word, such as in the Books of Kings, which mentions a number of times the Word that Jehovah spoke 'through the hand of someone'; for example, He spoke through the hand of Ahijah the prophet, 1 Kings 14:18; through the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite, 1 Kings 15:29; through the hand of Jehu the prophet, 1 Kings 16:7, 12; through the hand of Joshua, 1 Kings 16:34; through the hand of Elijah, 1 Kings 17:16; and through the hand of Jonah the prophet, 2 Kings 14:25.

5544. 'Give him into my hand' means insofar as it was in its power. This is clear from the meaning of 'hand' as power, dealt with in 878, 3387, 4931-4937, 5327, 5328. Correctly understood 'giving him into his hand' means entrusting him [Benjamin] to himself [Reuben]. But since faith in the understanding, represented by 'Reuben', possesses little power in which trust can be placed - for the truth of faith receives its power from the good of charity, 3563 - 'give him into my hand' therefore means insofar as it was in its power.