Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 10534

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10534. Verses 4-6. And the people heard this evil word, and they mourned; and they put not any man his ornament upon him. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Say unto the sons of Israel, Ye are a stiff-necked people; I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and will consume thee; therefore now bring down thine ornament from upon thee, and I shall know what I will do to thee. And the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornament by Mount Horeb. "And the people heard this evil word, and they mourned," signifies their grief at not being pre-eminent to others; "and they put not any man his ornament upon him," signifies the quality of their external, that it was devoid of what is Divine; "and Jehovah said unto Moses," signifies instruction; "Say unto the sons of Israel, Ye are a stiff-necked people," signifies that that nation would not receive influx from the Divine; "I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and will consume thee," signifies that they would perish if what is Divine were to flow in with them; "therefore now bring down thine ornament from upon thee," signifies the quality of their external, that it was devoid of what is Divine; "and I shall know what I will do to thee," signifies that in this way something may come forth with them; "and the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornament," signifies the deprivation of Divine truth in the external things with them; "by Mount Horeb," signifies in the external things of worship, of the church, and of the Word.


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