8916. 'And the mountain smoking' means the good itself of truth, which cannot be perceived except in an outward form. This is clear from the meaning of 'the mountain', in this instance Mount Sinai, as Divine Good united to Divine Truth in heaven, dealt with in 8805; and from the meaning of 'smoking' as in an outward form. The reason why 'smoking' means this is that Divine Truth or the Word in its inward form is like the light and like a flame, whereas in its outward form it is like a cloud and like smoke. This is so because God's truth or the Word in its inward form is the nature of it as it exists in heaven, thus as it exists in the superior light of heaven, whereas the Word in its outward form is as it exists in the world, thus as it exists in the inferior light of the world; and the inferior light of the world compared with the superior light of heaven is like a cloud, or compared with its flame is like smoke. God's truth or the Word in its inward form is its internal sense, and in its outward form is its external or literal sense. The fact that the latter sense - the literal - is called 'the cloud', see Preface to Genesis 18, and 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8106, 8781; and the reason why it is called 'smoke' is that 'smoke' means obscurity of truth, 8819. The mountain was seen to be smoking before the eyes of the children of Israel not because the Divine was such there, but - since the way in which the Divine appears to anyone who beholds Him depends on the character of the individual - because the character of those who were beholding Him was such that they considered worship to consist wholly in outward things and not at all in inward realities, as a consequence of which they understood the Word solely according to its literal sense. Therefore the Divine, in respect of the truth which was being declared, could not appear to them other than as smoke, that is, as obscurity. This also explains why it says that they stood afar off, by which the fact that they were remote from internal things is meant. But more of these matters below.

8819. 'And Mount Sinai was smoking, the whole of it' means the appearance of celestial good in the greatest obscurity. This is clear from the meaning of 'Mount Sinai' as celestial good, as immediately above in 8818; and from the meaning of 'smoking' as appearance in obscurity. Obscurity is used to mean the obscurity of faith such as those belonging to the spiritual Church possess when compared with those belonging to the celestial Church, 2708 (beginning), 2715, 2718, 2831, 2935, 2937, 3241, 3833, 6289. The greatest obscurity, meant by 'Mount Sinai was smoking, the whole of it' and by the statement just below that 'its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace', means the obscurity that clouded the understanding of the Israelite nation, before whom the appearance took place. For Jehovah or the Lord appears to everyone according to their true nature, 8788, 8814, so that He appears as love and the light of truth to those governed by good, but as an enemy and avenger to those ruled by evil. His appearance as such to the Israelite people is also clear from other places in Moses,

The appearance of the glory of Jehovah was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain, before the eyes of the children of Israel. Exodus 24:16-17.

In the same author,

You came near and stood at the foot of ¹ the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire even to the heart of heaven; there was darkness and cloud and thick darkness. And Jehovah spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. Deuteronomy 4:11-12; 5:22.

And in the same author,

It happened, when you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, and the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to Me and said, Why should we die? For this great fire will devour us; if we hear the voice of Jehovah our God any more we shall die. Deuteronomy 5:23-25.

[2] The reason why this should be so is that no person can help seeing God from such things as are present in himself. The person who is ruled by hatred, for example, sees Him from hatred; and one who is ruled by ruthlessness sees Him in ruthlessness. And on the other hand, the person who is governed by charity and mercy sees Him from these virtues and in them. It is like rays of light, which are converted into hideous colours when they fall on hideous forms, but into beautiful colours when they fall on beautiful forms. The meaning of 'smoke' as the obscurity of truth, and also as the thick darkness belonging to falsity, is clear in Isaiah 9:18-19; 34:9-10; Joel 2:30-31; Hosea 13:1, 3; Revelation 9:17-18; 18:2, 18; 19:3.

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