10293. 'And onycha' means an affection for truth on the more internal natural level. This is clear from the meaning of 'sweet-smelling onycha' as an affection for natural truth; 'onycha' means that truth, while 'sweet-smelling' means the perception of what is pleasing, which springs from the affection for truth, and so means the affection itself. The reason for calling it 'sweet-smelling' onycha is that it is described as such both before and after the listing of these spices, in the words, 'Take for yourself sweet-smelling spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum - sweet-smelling ones'. The reason why an affection for truth in the natural is what is meant by 'onycha' is that this spice is mentioned second; for the spices are mentioned in the order in which the different kinds of truth are present with a person, from the most external to the inmost levels of them. Consequently 'stacte' means an affection for truth on the level of the senses, which is the most external kind of truth; 'onycha' means an affection for truth on the natural level, which is interior truth within the natural man; 'galbanum' means an affection for truth on a still more internal level, which is interior truth within the spiritual or internal man; and 'frankincense' means truth on the inmost level within the internal man, which is spiritual good. They have a similar meaning to the spices that the anointing oil consisted of, which were the best myrrh, sweet-smelling cinnamon, sweet-smelling calamus, and cassia. These too mean those levels of truth in that same order, see 10252, 10254, 10256, 10258; but the difference is that the kinds of truth meant by the spices of the anointing oil belong to the celestial group, whereas those meant by the spices of the incense belong to the spiritual group, a subject dealt with above in 10254, 10291.

9874. 'Enclosed in gold shall they be in their settings' means that all of them in general and each in particular must emanate from the good belonging to the love that is received from the Lord and shown to the Lord. This is clear from the meaning of 'gold' as the good of love, dealt with in 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 8932, 9490, 9510; and from the meaning of 'being enclosed in it in their settings' as emanating from that good. For every single stone was surrounded by and so enclosed in gold, and since 'gold' means the good of love what is enclosed means that which exists or emanates from that good. The like is meant in verse 11 of the present chapter by the sockets of gold which surrounded the two shoham stones placed on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod.

[2] The implications of all this are that the breastplate and its twelve stones represented every good and truth in the heavens and so represented all heaven, as shown above. Moreover not only the heavens but also every community in the heavens, indeed each angel within a community, is surrounded by a Divine sphere, which consists of Divine Good and Truth emanating from the Lord, see where this is dealt with in 9490-9492, 9498, 9499, 9534. And since the good and truth of this sphere is received by the angels, so also every single thing present with them emanates from there; for each angel is heaven in the smallest form it takes. The actual good emanating from the Lord is what the gold around the stones and enclosing them represents.

[3] The truth that this good is the good of love that is received from the Lord and shown to the Lord may be recognized from the consideration that all good belongs to love, for what a person loves he calls good and also feels to be such. From this it is evident that heavenly good is the good of love to the Lord, for this love is what joins angel and man to the Lord; through this love they are brought to Him and enjoy all the good of heaven. It is well known in the Church that this good comes from the Lord, for the teaching of the Church is that all good originates in God and none at all in oneself. From this it is evident that the good of love shown to the Lord must come from the Lord, and that good from any other source is not good.