10584.“然后我要将我的手掌收回，你就得见我的背，却不得见我的面”表他们将看见圣言、教会和敬拜的外在事物，却看不见内在事物。这从“耶和华的背”和“耶和华的面”的含义清楚可知：“耶和华的背”是指圣言、教会和敬拜的外在事物，如下文所述；“耶和华的面”是指这些的内在事物，如前所述（10578节）。因此，“得见耶和华的背，却不得见祂的面”表示看见圣言、教会和敬拜的外在事物，却看不见内在事物。以色列和犹太民族就是这样，如今仍是这样，这一事实在本章和前一章的所有内容中得到证明。
“耶和华的背”之所以表示圣言、教会和敬拜的外在事物，是因为“面或脸”表示内在事物（参看10578节）。那些相信并崇敬圣言，然而仅止于外在之物，也就是字义的人可以说“得见耶和华的背，却不得见祂的面”。他们没有像那些被光照，并为自己从圣言获利教义，凭此教义能看到它的真正含义，从而看到它的内义之人那样更深入地研究它。没有教义，圣言是无法理解的，被光照的人从圣言所取的教义必须作为一盏灯来服务于理解（参看9382，9409，9410，9424，9430，10105，10324，10400，10431节）；圣言的内义提供这些教义（9430节）。由此可见“得见耶和华的背，却不得见祂的面”表示什么。
但那些不信圣言的人甚至连耶和华的背都看不见；相反，他们背离耶和华，只看见自己和世界。他们就是那些背向圣殿、崇拜太阳的人，论到他们，以西结说：
我被领进耶和华房屋的院子，看哪，有二十五个人，背向耶和华的殿，面向东方；这些人向升起的太阳下拜。（以西结书8:16）
“太阳和它的升起”是指世界的太阳和它在那里的升起，这太阳表示自我之爱，这爱与对主之爱完全相反。这就是为何在天使的思维观念中，世界的太阳呈现为在背后处于完全黑暗之中的某种事物；而主，也就是天堂的太阳，则在脸前（7078节）。论到这些人，经上说，他们“背向殿”，在耶利米书中还说他们“退后”：
你弃绝了耶和华，转身退后。（耶利米书15:6）
别处：
他们竟随从自己顽梗的恶心，退后不向前。（耶利米书7:24）
Potts(1905-1910) 10584
10584. And I will remove the palm of My hand, and thou shalt see My back parts, and My faces shall not be seen. That this signifies that they should see the external things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, but not the internal things; is evident from the signification of the "back parts of Jehovah," as being the external things of the Word, of the church, and of worship (of which in what follows); and from the signification of the "faces of Jehovah," as being the internal things of these (of which above, n. 10578); consequently by "seeing the back parts and not the faces of Jehovah" is signified seeing the external things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, and not the internal things. That such was the Israelitish and Jewish nation, and that such it is at this day also, has been shown in all that precedes of this chapter, and of the preceding one. [2] The reason why the "back parts of Jehovah" signify the external things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, is that the "faces" signify the internal things (see n. 10578). And those are said to "see the back parts of Jehovah and not the faces," who believe and adore the Word; but only its external, which is the sense of the letter, and do not penetrate more interiorly, as do those who have been enlightened, and who make for themselves doctrine from the Word, by which they may see its genuine sense, thus its interior sense. (That the Word cannot be apprehended without doctrine, and that doctrine drawn from the Word by one who is enlightened must be for a lamp to the understanding, see n. 9382, 9409, 9410, 9424, 9430, 10105, 10324, 10400, 10431; and that the internal sense of the Word teaches this doctrine, n. 9430.) From all this it can be seen what it is to "see the back parts of Jehovah and not His faces." [3] But those who do not believe in the Word, do not even see the back parts of Jehovah; but turn themselves backward from Jehovah, and see only themselves and the world. These are they who are meant by those in the Word who are said to "turn their back parts to the temple, and to adore the sun," of whom it is written in Ezekiel:
I was brought into the court of the house of Jehovah, and behold five and twenty men, whose back parts were toward the temple of Jehovah, and their faces toward the east; and the same bowed themselves toward the rising of the sun (Ezek. 8:16);
by "the sun and its rising" is meant the sun of the world and its rising, and thereby is signified the love of self, which love is diametrically opposite to love to the Lord. From this it is that the sun of the world is presented in the idea of the angels as something at the back quite dark; whereas the Lord, who is the sun of heaven, appears before the face (n. 7078). Of such men it is said that they "turn their back parts to the temple," and also that they "go backward," in Jeremiah:
Thou hast forsaken Jehovah, thou art gone backward (Jer. 15:6). They have gone away in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and have come backward, and not forward (Jer. 7:24).
Elliott(1983-1999) 10584
10584. 'And I will take My palm away, and you will see My back parts; and My face will not be seen' means that they would see the external things of the Word, the Church, and worship, but not the internal. This is clear from the meaning of 'Jehovah's back parts' as the external things of the Word, the Church, and worship, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'Jehovah's face' as the internal ones, dealt with above in 10578. Consequently 'seeing Jehovah's back parts and not His face' means seeing the external things of the Word, the Church, and worship, and not the internal. The fact that the Israelite and Jewish nation was like this, and still is at the present day, has been shown in all that has gone before in the present chapter and the one before it.
[2] The reason why the external things of the Word, the Church, and worship are meant by 'Jehovah's back parts' is that internal things are meant by 'the face', 10578. And people are said 'to see Jehovah's back parts and not His face' when they believe and revere the Word, yet no more than what is external, that is, the literal sense. They do not go more deeply into it in the way that those who have been enlightened do, deriving religious teachings from the Word which enable them to see its true meaning, thus its inner one.
The Word cannot be understood without religious teachings, and teachings drawn from the Word by one who has been enlightened must serve the understanding as a lamp, see 9382, 9409, 9410, 9424, 9430, 10105, 10324, 10400, 10431. The internal sense of the Word provides those teachings, 9430.
From all this it may be recognized what 'seeing Jehovah's back parts and not His face' means.
[3] But those who have no belief in the Word do not even see Jehovah's back parts; instead they turn themselves around, away from Jehovah, and see only themselves and the world. These are the ones who are meant in the Word by those who are said to turn their back parts towards the temple and worship the sun, of whom Ezekiel says,
I was brought into the court of Jehovah's house, and behold, twenty-five men, whose back parts were towards Jehovah's temple, and their faces towards the east; and the same bowed down towards the rising of the sun. Ezek 8:16.
By 'the sun and its rising' one should understand the sun in the world and its rising there, and by that sun self-love is meant, which is the complete opposite of love to the Lord. This is why in angels' ways of thinking the sun of the world is presented as something in complete obscurity, behind the back, whereas the Lord, who is the Sun of heaven, is before the face, see 7078. Regarding these people it is said that they turn their back parts towards the temple, and also - in Jeremiah - that they go backwards,
You have forsaken Jehovah, you have gone backwards. Jer 15:6.
And elsewhere in the same prophet,
They went away in the obstinacy of their evil heart, and wenta backwards but not forwards. Jer 7:24.
Latin(1748-1756) 10584
10584. `Et removebo volam eam, et videbis posteriora Mea, et facies Meae non videbuntur': quod significet quod externa Verbi, Ecclesiae, et cultus visuri, non autem interna, constat ex significatione `posteriorum Jehovae' quod sint externa Verbi, Ecclesiae, et cultus, de qua sequitur, et ex significatione `facierum Jehovae' quod sint interna eorum, de qua supra n. (x)10,578; inde per `videre posteriora et non facies Jehovae' {1}significatur videre externa Verbi, Ecclesiae, et cultus, et non interna; quod gens Israelitica {2} et Judaica talis fuerit, et quoque hodie sit, in Omnibus Praecedentibus hujus capitis et prioris ostensum est. [2] Quod posteriora Jehovae significent externa Verbi, Ecclesiae, et cultus, est quia `facies' significant interna, n. (x)10,578; et illi dicuntur `videre Jehovae posteriora et non facies' qui Verbum credunt et adorant, sed solummodo externum ejus, quod est sensus litterae et non interius vadunt, sicut illi qui illustrati sunt, et sibi doctrinam ex Verbo faciunt per quam videant genuinum ejus sensum, ita interiorem; quod Verbum absque doctrina non capi possit, et quod doctrina e Verbo ab illustrato facta erit intellectui pro lucerna, videatur n. 9382, 9409, (x)9410, 9424, 9430, 10,105, 10,324, (x)10,400, 10,431, et quod sensus internus Verbi illam doctrinam doceat, n. 9430. [3] Ex his constare potest quid sit `videre posteriora Jehovae et non facies Ipsius.' At qui non credunt Verbo, illi ne quidem vident posteriora Jehovae, sed vertunt se retro a Jehovah ac vident solum se et mundum; hi sunt qui intelliguntur per illos in Verbo, qui (x)dicuntur vertere posteriora ad templum et adorare solem, de quibus apud Ezechielem, Introductus sum in atrium domus Jehovae, et ecce viginti et quinque viri, quorum posteriora versus templum Jehovae, et facies eorum versus orientem; iidemque incurvaverunt se versus orientem solis, viii 16;per `solem et ejus orientem' intelligitur sol mundi et ejus oriens, et per illum significatur amor sui, qui amor prorsus est oppositus amori in Dominum; inde est quod sol mundi sistatur in idea angelorum ut prorsus obscurum quid a tergo, at Dominus, Qui est Sol caeli, a facie, videatur n. 7078; de his dicitur quod posteriora vertant ad templum, et quoque quod eant retrorsum, apud Jeremiam, Tu deseruisti Jehovam, retrorsum ivisti, xv 6:
et alibi apud eundem, Abiverunt in obfirmatione cordis sui mali, et facti sunt retrorsum, non autem antrorsum, vii 24. @1 est$ @2 See p. ix preliminary note 1. A ends here.$ De Quarta Tellure in Caelo Astrifero