Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 9462

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9462. Verses 3-7 And this is the offering which you shall take from them: Gold and silver, and bronze, and violet, and purple, and twice-dyed scarlet, and fine linen, and wool of she-goats, and skins of red rams,a and skins of badgers, and pieces of shittim wood;b oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil, and for the incense of spices; shohamc stones, and stones of fillingsd for the ephod and for the breastplate.

'And this is the offering which you shall take from them' means that those requirements are altogether indispensable. 'Gold and silver' means internal good and truth in general. 'And bronze' means external good. 'And violet' means the celestial love of truth. 'And purple' means the celestial love of good. 'And twice-dyed scarlet' means mutual love. 'And fine linen' means the truth from this. 'And wool of she-goats' means the good from this. 'And skins of red rams, and skins of badgers' means the external truths and forms of good which contain them. 'And pieces of shittim wood' means good deeds worthy of merit that proceed from the Lord, and so are the Lord's alone. 'Oil for the light' means internal good present within mutual love and charity. 'Spices for the anointing oil' means internal truths belonging to the good that consecrates. 'And for the incense of spices' means for delightful perception. 'Shoham stones, and stones of fillings' means spiritual truths and forms of good in general. 'For the ephod and for the breastplate' means which should be for a covering for celestial realities, external and internal.

Notes

a The Hebrew is usually taken to mean ram skins which have been dyed red.
b i.e. wood from the shittah tree, generally thought to be a species of acacia. But see 9472.
c A Hebrew word for a precious stone, probably an onyx
d i.e. stones to be set in the ephod and the breastplate


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