9741. And thou shalt make the court of the Habitation. That this signifies the ultimate heaven is evident from the signification of “the court of the Habitation” as being the external of heaven, thus the ultimate heaven. For there are three heavens-the inmost, the middle, and the ultimate; the inmost heaven was represented by the inmost part of the habitation, where was the ark of the Testimony; the middle heaven, by the Habitation outside the veil; and the ultimate heaven by the court, which is now treated of. This heaven is called “the court” because in it are those who are in the good of faith, and not yet in the good of charity toward the neighbor; those who are in the good of charity are in the middle heaven. Those who are in the ultimate heaven, which is called “the court,” are called “angelic spirits;” those who are in the middle heaven are called “spiritual angels;” but those who are in the inmost heaven are called “celestial angels.”

[2] Moreover, the very good of faith, which is the good of the ultimate heaven, is a court, for through it man is introduced into the good of charity toward the neighbor, which is the good of the middle heaven. Be it known that the good with a man makes his heaven, and that his heaven is such as his good is. There are three goods which follow in order: the good of faith, the good of charity toward the neighbor, and the good of love to the Lord. The good of faith, as just said, makes the ultimate or first heaven; the good of charity toward the neighbor makes the middle or second heaven; and the good of love to the Lord makes the inmost or third heaven.

[3] A few words shall be said in order to make known still better how the case is with the heavens. The heavens are distinguished into two kingdoms: the celestial kingdom, and the spiritual kingdom; and in each of these kingdoms there is an internal and an external. In the internal of the celestial kingdom are those who are in the good of love to the Lord, and in its external are those who are in the good of mutual love; but in the internal of the spiritual kingdom are those who are in the good of charity toward the neighbor, and in its external are those who are in the good of faith (see n. 9680). The external of both kingdoms is what is called the ultimate or first heaven, and was represented by the court. It was for this reason that the court around the temple was twofold, outer and inner; the outer court denotes those who are in the external things of the spiritual kingdom, and the inner court those who are in the external things of the celestial kingdom.

[4] With respect to these two courts of the temple at Jerusalem, see 1 Kings 6:3, 36; 2 Kings 21:5. With respect to the outer court of the new temple in Ezekiel, see Ezekiel 40:17, 31, 34; 42:1-20; and with respect to the inner court there, Ezekiel 40:23, 28, 32, 4 40:44; 42:3; 43:5. From this it is evident that it is the good of faith which makes the ultimate heaven that was represented by the outer court of the temple, and that it is the good of mutual love which makes the ultimate heaven that was represented by the inner court. Those who are in the good of mutual love are in the affection of good for the sake of good; but those who are in the good of faith are in the affection of truth for the sake of truth; for good rules in the celestial kingdom, but truth in the spiritual kingdom.

[5] That the ultimate heaven is signified by “the courts,” is evident from the passages in the Word where these are mentioned; as in Ezekiel:

The glory of Jehovah lifted up itself above the cherub, over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the cloud filled the inner court, and the court was full of the brightness of the glory of Jehovah. And the voice of the wings of the cherubs was heard even to the outer court (Ezekiel 10:3-5).

As the court was the representative of the ultimate heaven, therefore it was filled with the cloud and the brightness of the glory of Jehovah, as was the house itself; for “the cloud” and “the glory” denote Divine truth (that a “cloud” denotes this, see n. 5922, 6343, 6752, 8106, 8443; and also “glory,” n. 8267, 8427, 9429 ); “the voice of the wings” denotes the truth of faith from good (n. 8764, 9514).

[6] Again:

The spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court of the temple, when behold the glory of Jehovah filled the house. And I heard one speaking unto me out of the house, saying, Son of man, this is the place of My throne, and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel forever (Ezekiel 43:5-7);

here the temple together with the court is called “the place of the throne of Jehovah, and the place of the soles of His feet,” because the temple together with the court represented heaven; “the throne of Jehovah” denotes the spiritual heaven (n. 5313, 8625), and “the place of the soles of His feet” denotes the ultimate heaven.

[7] The ultimate heaven is also signified by “the court,” and by “courts,” in the following passages.

In David:

Blessed is he whom Thou choosest, and causest to approach; he shall dwell in Thy courts; we shall be sated with the good of Thy house, with the holy of Thy temple (Psalms 65:4);

it is evident that to “dwell in the courts” denotes to dwell in heaven. Again:

A day in Thy courts is better than thousands. I have chosen to stand at the door in the house of my God (Psalms 84:10).

Give unto Jehovah the glory of His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts (Psalms 96:8).

Praise ye the name of Jehovah; praise ye, O servants of Jehovah, who stand in the house of Jehovah, in the courts of the house of our God (Psalms 135:1-2).

They shall gather the grain and the new wine; they shall eat it, and praise Jehovah, and they that shall gather it shall drink it in the courts of My holiness (Isaiah 62:9).

In these passages “the courts” denote the ultimate heavens, for the interior heavens are called “the house of Jehovah” and “His temple” (n. 3720).

[8] In John:

The angel said, Arise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple cast out, and measure it not; because it hath been given unto the Gentiles; and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months (Revelation 11:1-2);

“the temple, and the altar, and they that worship therein” denote the church and the worship of the church; “the court without the temple” denotes the good of mutual love (as before said); “the Gentiles, to whom it has been given to tread under foot the holy city,” denote the evils of self-love and of the love of the world, which destroy the church (n. 6306); “forty and two months” signify the like as six weeks, and six weeks the like as the six days of one week, for six multiplied by seven makes forty-two; “a week” signifies an entire period, greater or less (n. 2044, 3845); “the six days which precede the seventh,” which is the Sabbath, signify the former church even to the end, and the setting up of a new church; “the Sabbath” denotes the conjunction of good and truth, thus the church (n. 8495, 8510, 8889, 8893, 9274).

6306. Which I took out of the hand of the Amorite. That this signifies by victory over evil, is evident from the representation of the Amorite, as being evil (see n. 1857); and from the signification of “taking out of the hand,” as being to acquire through victory. As regards the Amorites, be it known that by them is signified evil, and also by the Canaanites; and by the rest of the nations in that land which are mentioned in the Word are signified various kinds of evil and also of falsity. Such things were represented by the nations when the sons of Israel came into possession of the land of Canaan, for the reason that, while the sons of Israel represented heavenly things, those nations represented infernal things, and in this way the land of Canaan represented every state of the other life; and because the nations represented infernal things, they were given to the curse, and it was forbidden to enter into a covenant with those which remained.

[2] That the sons of Israel seized and inhabited the land of those who represented the hells was a representative that about the time of the Lord’s coming the infernals would have occupied a large part of heaven; and that by coming into the world and making the Human in Himself Divine the Lord would expel them and cast them down into the hells, and thus deliver heaven from them, and give it for an inheritance to those who would be of His spiritual kingdom.

[3] That by the Amorite nation was represented evil in general, is plain from the passages where it is mentioned, as in Ezekiel:

Jerusalem, thy tradings and thy generations were from the land of the Canaanite; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother a Hittite (Ezekiel 16:3, 45);

as in the internal sense “father” signifies the good of the church, but in the opposite sense evil; and “mother” signifies the truth of the church, but in the opposite sense falsity, therefore it is said “thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother a Hittite.”

[4] And in Amos:

I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was sturdy as the oak. I led you in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite (Amos 2:9-10);

here also the “Amorite” denotes evil, for the evil of the love of self is described by the “height of the cedars and the sturdiness of the oak.” That the “Amorite” is evil in general, is because the whole land of Canaan was called “the land of the Amorite;” for it is said, “I led you in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.” Again in the second book of Kings:

Manasseh king of Judah hath done evil above all the evil that the Amorites did, who were before him (2 Kings 21:11).

[5] That “with my sword” signifies by means of truth combating, is evident from the signification of “sword,” as being truth combating (see n. 2799, 4499). And that “with my bow” signifies by means of doctrine, is evident from the signification of “bow,” as being doctrine (n. 2686, 2709).

[6] That the words “the portion which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow” were spoken by Israel on account of the internal sense, is very manifest, because Jacob did not take that portion from the Amorite with his sword nor with his bow, but bought it of the sons of Hamor, as is plain from the words in Genesis:

Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came thither from Paddan-aram; and encamped before the city. And he bought the portion of the field, where he had spread his tent, from the hand of the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred kesitah (Genesis 33:18-19).

That this field was the portion which he gave to Joseph, is evident from these words in Joshua:

The bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in the portion of the field which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred kesitah; and they were for an inheritance to the sons of Joseph (Josh. 24:32).

From this it is plain that that portion was bought, and that it was what was given to Joseph.

[7] That the city of Shechem was not meant, which was near there, where Simeon and Leviticus slew every male, and which they took with the sword (Genesis 34), may be seen from the fact that Jacob abhorred that deed, and on that account cursed Simeon and Levi, and utterly put away from himself that deed, saying:

Let not my soul come into their secret; in their assembly let not my glory be united; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their good pleasure they unstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it was vehement; and their wrath, for it was hard: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel” (Genesis 49:5-7).

From all this it is now evident that these words, “one portion which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow,” were said by him when he was in the prophetic spirit, for the sake of the internal sense.