Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 9526

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9526. Verses 23-30 And you shall make a table of shittim wood; two cubits shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. And you shall overlay it with pure gold; and you shall make for it a rim of gold round about. And you shall make for it a rail of a hand's breadth round about; and you shall make a rim of gold for its rail round about. And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and you shall put the rings on the four corners which are on its four feet. The rings shall be close to the rail, as houses for the poles to carry the table. And you shall make the poles from shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and the table shall be carried with them. And you shall make its dishes, and its cups, and its small dishes, and its small brushes, with which it shall be covered; from pure gold you shall make them. And you shall put on the table the bread of faces, towards My faces unceasingly.a

'And you shall make a table' means a receptacle of heavenly blessings that belong to the good of love. 'Of shittim wood' means out of mercy. 'Two cubits shall be its length' means all so far as the joining to good is concerned. 'And a cubit its breadth' means somewhat so far as the joining to truth is concerned. 'And a cubit and a half its height' means what is complete so far as degrees are concerned. 'And you shall overlay it with pure gold' means a representative sign of that good out of mercy. 'And you shall make for it a rim of gold round about' means the sphere of good emanating from the Lord's Divine Good. 'And you shall make for it a rail of a hand's breadth round about' means the joining there to truth from the Divine. 'And you shall make a rim of gold for its rail round about' means the border of the sphere of Divine Good. 'And you shall make for it four rings of gold' means the outermost receptacle of the heavenly marriage, which is that of Divine Good to Divine Truth. 'And you shall put the rings on its four corners' means the resulting firmness. 'Which are on its four feet' means in the natural sphere. 'The rings shall be close to the rail, as houses for the poles' means the power from this. 'To carry the table' means in order to bring into being and keep in being. 'And you shall make the poles from shittim wood' means the power that truth derived from good possesses. 'And overlay them with gold' means a representative sign of good. 'And the table shall be carried with them' means being thereby held firmly in being. 'And you shall make its dishes, its cups, and its small dishes, and its small brushes, with which it shall be covered' means cognitions of celestial good and truth. 'From pure gold you shall make them' means that they are derived from good. 'And you shall put on the table the bread of faces' means the Lord there in respect of celestial good. 'Towards My faces unceasingly' means the Lord's presence thereby with peace and heavenly joy flowing from His mercy.

Notes

a i.e. you shall set the bread of the Presence (or the showbread) on the table before Me unceasingly


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