Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 9614

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9614. Verses 7-14 And you shall make curtains from [she-]goatsa to be a tent over the dwelling-place; eleven curtains you shall make them. The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth four cubits; [this is what] one curtain [shall be]. The eleven curtains shall have one measure. And you shall join five curtains together by themselves, and six curtains by themselves; and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the forefront of the tent. And you shall make fifty loops on the edge of one end curtain in the joining-place, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain of the complementary joining-place. And you shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and put the clasps into the loops, and join the tent together, that it may be one. And the additional part that trails backwards in the curtains of the tent, the half of the additional curtain, shall trailb over the back of the dwelling-place. And a cubit on one side and a cubit on the other side in the additional part in the length of the curtains of the tent shall trail over the sides of the dwelling-place on this side and on that side, to cover it. And you shall make a covering for the tent from the skins of red rams, and a covering from the skins of badgers above that. 'And you shall make curtains from [she-]goats to be a tent over the dwelling-place' means the external part of heaven which consists of the truths derived from external celestial good. 'Eleven curtains you shall make them' means all the truths that it consists of. 'The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits' means the completeness of the truth derived from good. 'And the breadth four cubits' means the marriage of truth to good. '[This is what] one curtain [shall be]' means so shall it be for the individual truths. 'The eleven curtains shall have one measure' means that the state of affairs shall be the same [with each one]. 'And you shall join five curtains together by themselves, and six curtains by themselves' means unceasing communication of truth with good and of good with truth. 'And you shall double over the sixth curtain at the forefront of the tent' means the communication of all the realities of that heaven with the outermost parts there, and influx from these into the lowest heaven. 'And you shall make fifty loops on the edge of one end curtain in the joining-place' means a complete joining of one sphere to the other. 'And fifty loops on the edge of the curtain of the complementary joining-place' means a reciprocal joining of the same kind. 'And you shall make fifty clasps of bronze' means a complete ability derived from external good to join things together. 'And put the clasps into the loops' means the mode of the joining together. 'And join the tent together, that it may be one' means that the external part of the heaven is as a result altogether one. 'And the additional part that trails backwards in the curtains of the tent' means an extension. 'The half of the additional curtain, shall trail over the back of the dwelling-place' means to the last and lowest part of that heaven. 'And a cubit on one side and a cubit on the other side in the additional part in the length of the curtains of the tent shall trail over the sides of the dwelling-place on this side and on that side, to cover it' means the mode by which that last and lowest part extends from good, in order that the heaven may be rendered safe. 'And you shall make a covering for the tent' means a mantle around that heaven. 'From the skins of red rams' means [consisting of] external truths derived from good. 'And a covering from the skins of badgers above that' means outside that [another mantle], derived from external good.

Notes

a i.e. goats' wool, see 9470.
b lit. you shall cause to flow backwards


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