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.

6770. Verses 15-19 And Pharaoh heard of this matter and sought to kill Moses. And Moses fled from before Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he dwelt next to a well. And the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away; and Moses rose up and helped them, and watered their flock. And they came to Reuel their father, and he said, Why have you hastened to come today? And they said, An Egyptian man delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds; and he even drew water for us, and watered the flock.

'And Pharaoh heard of this matter and sought to kill Moses' means that having discerned this matter false factual knowledge wished to destroy the truth which the law from God possessed. 'And Moses fled from before Pharaoh' means that it was separated from falsities. 'And dwelt in the land of Midian' means a life led in the Church among those in whom simple good was present. 'And he dwelt next to a well' means an eagerness there for the Word. 'And the priest of Midian had seven daughters' means holy things belonging to that Church. 'And they came and drew water' means that they received instruction in truths from the Word. 'And filled the troughs' means that from there they enriched teachings about charity. 'To water their flock' means to the end that those governed by good might receive instruction from there. 'And the shepherds came and drove them away' means that teachers steeped in evils set themselves against them. 'And Moses rose up and helped them' means aid brought by truths which the law from God possesses. 'And watered their flock' means that those governed by good received instruction from it. 'And they came to Reuel their father' means a joining to the actual good of that Church. 'And he said, Why have you hastened to come today?' means a perception that now it was a certain joining together. 'And they said, An Egyptian man delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds' means because true factual knowledge that was [attached] to the Church prevailed over the power of the teachings that presented falsity arising from evil. 'And he even drew water for us' means that the instruction it gave came from the Word. 'And watered the flock' means those who belonged to the Church there.