6964. 'And He said' means providence showing what those who belonged to the spiritual Church were going to be like if they did possess faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'Jehovah said' as providence, as above in 6951. The fact that it was providence showing what they were going to be like if they did possess faith is evident from the things that follow in the narrative. For the restoration of his hand like his [other] flesh means that then spiritual good would reside with them, and this is the opposite of his hand's becoming leprous when he put it into his bosom, which means that the profanation of truth would exist with those who belonged to the spiritual Church if they were not in possession of faith, dealt with above in 6959, 6963.