8913. Verses 15-17. And all the people saw the voices, and the torches, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and the people saw, and they quaked, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, speak thou with us, and we will hear; and let not God speak with us, lest perchance we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not; because God is come to tempt you, and that the fear of Him may be before your faces, that ye sin not. "And all the people saw the voices, and the torches," signifies the perception of truths Divine from good; "and the voice of the trumpet," signifies the same things through heaven; "and the mountain smoking," signifies the good itself of truth not perceptible except in the external form; "and the people saw, and they quaked," signifies the tremor which there is when they are received; "and they stood afar off," signifies remoteness from internal things; "and they said unto Moses," signifies complaint; "Speak thou with us," signifies the reception of truth in an accommodated form, which in this manner they would obey; "and let not God speak with us," signifies truth in a form not accommodated; "lest perchance we die," signifies that thus the life of heaven with them would perish; "and Moses said unto the people," signifies information; "Fear not, because God has come to tempt you," signifies that the life of heaven will not perish; this is merely that it may be known that it exists, and what is its quality; "and that the fear of Him may be before your faces, that ye sin not," signifies holy fear therefrom of the Divine, and the consequent preservation of spiritual life.