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688. Fell upon their faces and adored God.- That this signifies, their adoration of the Lord from a most humble heart is evident from the signification of falling upon their faces, as denoting the deepest humiliation of heart, for it is a posture of the body corresponding to humiliation of the heart, thus a posture representative of the humiliation of the whole man. It is adoration of God that flows forth at such times from such a heart, and is various according to the subject which engages the mind.
[2] To fall upon the face before God is the representative gesture of deepest humiliation because the face is the form of man's affections, consequently of the interiors pertaining to his mind (mens) and disposition (animus); for the affections shine forth in the face as in their type, and this is why the face is called the index and image of the mind. When therefore man acknowledges that all things in him are turned away from God, and therefore damned, and that thus he neither is able nor dares look to God, who is holiness itself, and that if he should from himself in such a condition look to Him, he would spiritually die, then a man from such thought and acknowledgment falls upon his face to the earth; and because man's proprium is thus removed, therefore he is then infilled by the Lord, and raised up so as to be able to look to Him.
[3] It is said that they adored God, for the reason that God, in the Word, means the proceeding Divine which is called Divine Truth. And as this Divine is truth in the angels - for they are its recipients, and it constitutes their wisdom - therefore angels, are called gods in the Word, and signify Divine Truths. Also in the Hebrew, God is called Elohim, in the plural, therefore God, in the Word, means the Divine which is with the angels of heaven and men of the church, and which is the proceeding Divine. And because the higher heavens were now in enlightenment and power, on account of the separation of the evil from the good in the lower [parts], and on account of the Last Judgment which was shortly to take place, therefore it is said that they adored God, from which it is evident that the Lord was then with them, for they possessed enlightenment and power from the more intense and powerful influx of the Divine Truth that proceeds from the Lord.
688. Fell upon their faces and worshipped God, signifies the adoration of the Lord with them from a most humble heart. This is evident from the signification of "to fall upon the face," as being the deepest humiliation of heart, for it is a gesture of the body corresponding to humiliation of heart, thus a gesture that is representative of the humiliation of the whole man. Worship of God at such a time is what flows forth from such a heart, which varies according to the matter that engages the mind.
[2] To fall upon the face before God is a gesture representative of deepest humiliation, because the face is the form of man's affections and thus of the interiors that pertain to his mind and disposition, for the affections shine forth in the face as in their type, and this is why the face is called an index and image of the mind. When, therefore, a man acknowledges that all things in him are turned away from God, and are consequently damned, and that thus he is neither able nor dares to look to God, who is essential Holiness, and if he should look to Him from such a self he would spiritually die, then from such thought and acknowledgment man falls upon the face to the earth; and because what is man's own [proprium] is thus removed, he is then filled by the Lord and so raised up as to be able to look to Him.
[3] They are said to have "worshipped God," for the reason that "God" means in the Word the Divine proceeding which is called the Divine truth. And as this Divine is truth with the angels, for they are the recipients of it and it constitutes their wisdom, so in the Word angels are called "gods," and signify Divine truths. Moreover, in the Hebrew, God is called "Elohim," in the plural, therefore "God" means in the Word the Divine that is with the angels of heaven and the men of the church, which is the Divine proceeding. And as the higher heavens were now in enlightenment and power, because of the separation of the evil from the good in the lower parts, and because of the Last Judgment which was to come shortly, therefore they are said "to worship God," from which it is evident that the Lord was then with them; for from a more intense and powerful influx of the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord they had enlightenment and power.
688. "Ceciderunt super facies suas, et adoraverunt Deum." - Quod significet adorationem Domini apud illos ex humillimo corde, constat ex significatione "cadere super facies", quod sit summa humiliatio cordis, nam est gestus corporis humiliationi cordis correspondens, ita gestus repraesentativus humiliationis totius hominis; adoratio Dei tunc est quae ex corde illo profluit, quae varia est secundum objectum rei quod versat animum.
[2] Quod cadere super facies coram Deo sit gestus repraesentativus summae humiliationis, est quia facies est forma affectionum hominis, proinde interiorum quae sunt mentis et animi ejus, affectiones enim elucent in facie sicut in earum typo; inde est quod facies dicatur index et imago animi: quapropter cum homo agnoscit quod omnia apud se aversa a Deo sint et ideo damnata, et quod sic non possit nec ausit spectare ad Deum, qui est ipsum Sanctum, et si ex se tali spectaret quod spiritualiter moreretur, tunc homo ex tali cogitatione et agnitione cadit super facies ad terram; et quia sic removetur proprium hominis, ideo tunc impletur a Domino, ac elevatur ut ad Ipsum spectare possit.
[3] Dicitur quod "adoraverint Deum", ex causa quia per "Deum" in Verbo intelligitur Divinum procedens, quod vocatur Divinum Verum: et quia Divinum hoc Verum est apud angelos, sunt enim recipientes ejus, et id facit sapientiam illorum, ideo angeli in Verbo dicuntur "dii", et significant Divina vera; et quoque Deus in lingua Hebraea nominatur Elohim, in plurali; quare per "Deum" in Verbo intelligitur Divinum quod est apud angelos caeli et apud homines ecclesiae, quod est Divinum procedens: et quia nunc caeli superiores in illustratione et in potentia sunt propter separationem malorum a bonis in inferioribus, et propter ultimum judicium brevi venturum, ideo dicitur quod "adorarent Deum"; per quod patet quod Dominus tunc apud illos esset; nam ex influxu intensiori et fortiori Divini Veri, quod a Domino procedit, illis fuit illustratio et potentia.