675. And the tenth part of the city fell.- That this signifies that no truths of doctrine existed any longer in those who remained, is evident from the signification of ten, as denoting all persons and all things, also many persons and many things; and of the tenth part, as denoting all and much, concerning which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of city, as denoting doctrine, and also the truth of doctrine, for doctrine, in order to be the doctrine of the church, must consist of truths from the Word (that a city signifies doctrine may be seen above, n. 223); and from the signification of to fall, as denoting to be separated, consequently not to exist; for to be separated and not to exist is said of truths of doctrine, while to fall is predicated of a city.

[2] For every particular thing has its own proper and analogous expression, according to the correspondence of the subject in the natural sense and of the subject in the spiritual sense; and the subject in the natural sense here is a city, and the subject in the spiritual sense is the truth of doctrine. That no truths existed with those who remained, follows from what was said in the preceding article, namely, that, when the good were removed from the society in which the good and evil were intermingled, and were taken up into heaven, then, truths of doctrine no longer remained with the evil, because they were cut off from that communication with the good by which they could be as it were in truths as to their external and thus speak concerning truths from doctrine.

[3] For in the spiritual world there is a communication of affections, and thence of thoughts; and from such communication, one is held by another, thus all in the same society are mutually held in a similar affection, consequently in a similar good; so also the evil are held by the good. But these evil were of such a nature as to be able to put on an external appearance of sanctity, piety, intelligence, and zeal for the church and its doctrine; and also in the life an appearance of being just and sincere from the heart, although interiorly in themselves they had none of these things. These are the evil, with whom truths of doctrine no longer existed, after the good meant by the two witnesses who ascended by command into heaven, had been taken away.

[4] It is to be observed that there were in the spiritual world many societies formed of such, and that these societies taken together are meant by the first heaven (prius coelum) which passed away (Apoc. 21:1).

In regard to these societies or this heaven, many things have been related in the small work concerning the Last Judgment. Such of the evil as are described above, and, at the same time, the good associated with them, were in those societies, and so long as they were united in one society, the evil as to externals appeared like the good, but when they were separated, then the external good in them, which was only simulated and hypocritical, was separated, and their interiors, which were infernal, abounding with mere evils and falsities therefrom were laid open. Such a separation, and such a consequent state existed in the spiritual world a little before the Last Judgment, this, therefore, is the state which is here described; for the subject here treated of is the last time of the church, when a general judgment is at hand.

[5] That ten signifies all persons and all things, and also many persons and many things, is evident from passages in the Word where that number occurs.

As in Moses:

Jehovah "hath commanded you his covenant, which he covenanted with you to do, the ten words, which he wrote upon the two tables of stone" (Deuteronomy 4:13).

And again:

"Jehovah wrote upon the tables, according to the former writing, the ten words which he spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire." (Deuteronomy 10:4).

There were ten words or ten commandments forming the decalogue, because ten signifies all things, and therefore by ten words is meant the law in its whole extent.

[6] Since ten signifies all persons, therefore the Lord compared the kingdom of the heavens to ten virgins having lamps, going forth to meet the bridegroom, of whom five were wise (prudentes) and five foolish" (Matthew 25:1, 2, and following verses). The ten virgins to whom the kingdom of the heavens is likened signify all who are of the church, ten signifying all, and virgins the church. But five signifies some or some part, for some of [the virgins] were wise and some foolish. Such is the signification of the number five in the Word. Lamps signify knowledges of truth and good, in this case, from the Word, also, the truths of doctrine and of faith. Oil signifies the good of love and of charity; the bridegroom means the Lord, and the wedding heaven and the church, which are called a wedding from the marriage of good and truth. And because where that marriage does not exist, there neither heaven nor the church exists, therefore those are called foolish who know the truths of faith and have not the good of love, while those who possess this are called wise. For, as stated, lamps there denote the truths of faith, and oil, the good of love. Virgins signify the church, because virgin and daughter, in the Word, signify the affection for good and truth; and a church is a church from that affection. For this reason mention is made in very many places of the virgin or the daughter of Zion, the virgin or daughter of Jerusalem, the virgin and daughter of Israel and of Judah, and by these expressions the church is everywhere meant.

[7] Whereas ten signifies all and many, therefore the Lord said of the nobleman who went into a far country, that "he called his ten servants, and gave them ten pounds (minas) to trade with. And after they had traded, one said that his pound had gained ten pounds; to him he said, thou shalt have power over ten cities; and the second said, thy pound hath made five pounds; to him he said, be thou over five cities; and of the third, who laid his pound in a napkin, and did not trade with it, he said, take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds" (Luke 19:12-14, 16-20, 24). The numbers ten and five are also used here, because ten signifies all persons and all things, and five signifies some persons and some thing. The ten servants, whom the nobleman called to himself when he went into a far country, mean all who are in the world, and in particular, all who are of the church. For by the nobleman is meant the Lord, and by His departure into a far country is meant His departure out of the world, and His apparent absence. By the ten pounds which He gave to the ten servants to trade with are signified all the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, with the power to perceive them; for a pound [mina], which was silver and money, signifies knowledges of truth and the power to perceive them, and to trade signifies to procure intelligence and wisdom by means of these; those who procure for themselves much, are meant by the servant who from a pound gained ten pounds; and those who procure for themselves some, are meant by him who from a pound gained five pounds. The cities which are there said to be given to them signify the truths of doctrine, and possessing them signifies intelligence and wisdom, and life and felicity therefrom; the signification of ten cities and five cities is therefore evident. Because those who procure for themselves nothing of intelligence are like the foolish virgins spoken of above, who possess truths in the memory only, and not in the life, therefore they are deprived of these after their departure out of this world; but those who possess truths both in the life and in the memory, become rich in intelligence to eternity, and therefore it is said, that they should take the pound from him who had gained nothing with it, and give it to him who had ten pounds.

[8] The case is similar with those to whom talents were given, to one five, to another two, and to a third one; the first of whom from his five talents gained other five; and the second from two talents gained other two; and the third hid his talent in the earth, of whom the Lord said, take from him that hath not traded and gained, and give to him that hath ten talents,

"for to every one that hath shall be given, that he may abound, and from him who hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath" (Matthew 25:14-30).

Five and ten here also signify something and much, and thus, that the first from some knowledges of truth and good procured for himself much wisdom. It is taken away from him who has procured nothing of intelligence for himself, and given to him who has much, because when a man, after death, becomes a spirit, he carries with him every single thing that he has drawn from the Word, and from the doctrine of the church. But those who by means of these have procured nothing of intelligence for themselves, are interiorly evil, and therefore pervert the truths and goods of heaven and the church - which they possessed in the memory only - for the purpose of ruling over and doing evil to the simple-good who are in the ultimate heaven. This is the reason why those truths and goods are taken away from them, and given to those who have many, since the latter do not pervert them, but perform uses with them.

[9] That those who in the world do not procure for themselves spiritual intelligence by means of knowledges of truth and good from the Word, are evil, is evident from this fact, that all are born into evils of every kind, and that these cannot be removed, except by means of Divine truths from the Word, that is, by the application of these to uses, and thus to reception in the life. To those therefore who have gained, it is said, "Good and faithful servants, ye have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things, enter ye into the joy of your Lord" (verses 21, 23); and to him who had gained nothing, "Cast ye out the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth" (verse 30).

[10] Because ten signifies all and much, that number is therefore used by the Lord in other passages, where all and much is to be understood, as of the woman having ten pieces of silver (drachmas); if she lost one piece, would she not light a candle and sweep the house, and seek carefully till she found it? (Luke 15:8). Ten here signifies much. This is said of a woman, and of her lighting a candle, and sweeping the house, on account of the spiritual sense in every detail of the Word. In that sense woman signifies the church as to the affection for truth, thus also, affection for the truth which pertains to the church. A piece of silver (drachma) signifies truth, and losing the piece of silver signifies to lose one of the truths or of the cognitions of truth. Lighting a candle signifies self-examination from affection; sweeping the house signifies to go over the whole mind, and to examine everything therein, where the truth lies hidden. Such is the spiritual sense of these words. A hundred like ten signifies much; therefore a similar parable speaks of a hundred sheep, if one were lost (Matthew 18:12, 13; Luke 15:3-7).

[11] Ten signifies all and much also in the following passages.

In Isaiah:

"Many houses, great and fair, shall be a devastation, without inhabitant; for ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath" (5:9, 10).

This is said of the desolation of truth with those who are of the church; many houses which shall be a desolation signify the men of the church, in particular these as to truths from good; great and fair, that is, houses, signify the affection for good and the understanding of truth; for great is used in reference to good and affection for it, and fair is used in reference to truth and the understanding of it. Ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath signifies that in all things pertaining to the church with man, there is scarcely any truth from good, for bath has a signification similar to that of wine, that is, truth from good; therefore ten acres of vineyard signify all things of the church with man.

[12] In Moses:

If ye will go contrary to me, "I will break the staff of bread, that ten women shall bake your bread in one oven; and I will deliver your bread by weight" (Leviticus 26:23, 26).

To break the staff of bread signifies to take away spiritual food, and thus spiritual nourishment; for bread signifies everything that nourishes the soul, and in particular the good of love, therefore by ten women shall bake your bread in one oven is signified that in all things of the church with man there is so little of good and truth, as to be scarcely anything. Ten women signify all things of the church; bread signifies good and truth which nourish the soul; and oven signifies where spiritual food is prepared, thus the man in whom it is; to deliver the bread by weight signifies the failure and want of such things as spiritually nourish.

[13] In Zechariah:

"Many peoples and numerous nations shall come to seek Jehovah Zebaoth in Jerusalem, and to supplicate the faces of Jehovah; in those days ten men out of all the tongues of the nations shall take hold of the skirt of a man that is a Jew, saying, we will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you" (8:22, 23).

These things are said concerning the calling together of the nations and their admission to the church by the Lord. Ten men out of all tongues signify all of whatever religion, that is those who come to seek Jehovah Zebaoth in Jerusalem, in other words, who wish to be added to the church, and to confess the Lord; therefore ten men denote all such, and the tongues of the nations their religions. But this together with the rest of the passage may be seen explained above (n. 433:26), where it is shewn that Jerusalem does not mean Jerusalem, nor "Jew" any Jew.

[14] In Amos:

"Jehovah said, I hate the pride of Jacob, and his palaces, therefore I will shut up the city, and the fulness thereof; if there be left ten men in one house they shall die" (6:8, 9).

The pride of Jacob, and his palaces, which Jehovah hates, signify the love and faith of falsity with those who are of the church, pride signifies the love of falsity, and palaces signify falsities themselves, and these are called palaces because they belong to the proud, and because their falsities are embellished in the external form, so as to appear magnificent, although they are most vile, like cottages full of rubbish and filth. By shutting up the city and the fulness thereof is signified to condemn the doctrine, because it is full of and possessed by falsities of evil, city denoting doctrine, and fulness the falsities of evil. If there be left ten men in one house they shall die, signifies therefore that all truths of good with every one shall perish, ten men denoting all truths, house man as to good, while to die denotes to perish.

[15] In Zechariah:

The prophet saw a flying roll, "the length thereof twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits; this is the curse that goeth forth over the faces of the whole earth" (5:2, 3).

The flying roll, which signified the curse that goeth forth over the faces of the whole earth, was in length twenty cubits, and in breadth ten, because twenty and ten signify all, in this place, all good changed into evil, and all truth into falsity, twenty being said of good and everything belonging to it, and ten of truth and everything belonging to it; length also signifies good, and breadth truth, as may be seen above (n. 355:28, 627:4, 629:4, and in Heaven and Hell 197).

[16] Because ten signifies all things and many things, therefore, ten times signifies so often, how often, and always, in the following passages.

In Daniel:

"Among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; in every word of wisdom and intelligence, which the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the astrologers and diviners that were in all his kingdom" (1:19, 20).

In Moses:

"All the men, who have seen my glory and my signs, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and who tempted me these ten times, shall not see the land" (Numbers 14:22, 23).

In Job:

"Ten times have ye reproached me, ye are not ashamed, ye harden yourselves" (19:3).

[17] Ten times, in these passages, signifies at all times or always, and so often, how often. In Daniel and the Apocalypse, horns are attributed to the beasts, to some ten, to some seven, and to some three, and by the horns of the beasts is signified the power of falsity against truth, and of evil against good, and by ten horns, the highest power.

In Daniel:

"The fourth beast" coming up out of the sea "had ten horns; as to the ten horns out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise" (7:7, 20, 24).

The ten horns of the beast here signify the highest power of falsity against truth; ten kings signify falsities in their whole extent, and kingdom signifies that church perverted.

In the Apocalypse:

"The dragon had seven heads and ten horns, and upon the heads seven diadems" (12:3).

Again:

The beast coming up out of the sea "had seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten diadems" (13:1).

And again:

"The woman sitting upon the scarlet beast full of names of blasphemy, had seven heads and ten horns; the ten horns, which thou sawest, are ten kings, which have not yet received a kingdom; yet they shall receive power as kings one hour with the beast" (17:3, 7, 12).

The signification of the particulars of these passages will be seen in the explanations below.

[18] Because ten signifies all persons and all things, it follows that the tenth part signifies everything. Tenths and tithings derived their origin from this, and signified that everything was holy and blessed when the tenth part of the threshing floor and of the wine-press, or of the corn and the wine, was given to the Levites; similarly for the Levites, when the tenth part was again tithed and given to Aaron. It is thus written concerning this in the Word:

"Tithing thou shalt tithe all the produce of thy seed, which is brought forth into the field year by year" (Deuteronomy 14:22).

And again:

"Say unto the Levites, that the tenths shall be given to them for an inheritance, and that they shall take therefrom a heave-offering to Jehovah, tenths of the tenths, and this from the corn of the threshing floor, and from the fulness of the wine-press; and the tenth of the tenth shall they give to Aaron the priest" (Numbers 18:24-28).

[19] That the tenths signified blessings in all things, thus that everything was holy and blessed, is evident in Malachi:

"Bring all the tenths to the treasure house, that there may be food in my house; then prove ye me in this, if I will not open to you the windows of heaven, and pour out a blessing upon you, until there shall not be room enough" (3:10).

To open the windows and pour out a blessing signifies the Divine influx, which is the source of intelligence and eternal life; the same is signified by rain (above, n. 644); this is properly meant by the blessing which would be given if the tenths were brought; tithes therefore signify that everything was thus blest.

"In order that everything that Abraham took from his enemies might be blessed it is said, that he gave to Melchisedek, who was king in Salem, and at the same time priest to God most high, tenths of all" (Genesis 14:18, 19).

Similarly Jacob promised

"that if he should return in peace unto the house of his father, of everything that Jehovah gave him, he would give a tenth unto Him" (Genesis 28:21, 22).

From these passages, and many others, the signification of ten and the tenth part in the Word is evident.

[20] The reason why ten signifies all things, is derived from heaven itself; for heaven in the whole and every part has reference to man, and therefore it is called the Grand Man (Maximus Homo). All the forces of the life of that Grand Man or of heaven terminate in the two hands and two feet, and the hands terminate in ten fingers, the feet in ten toes; therefore all things of man, as to power and support, are finally brought together into ten fingers and toes, hence these signify all things pertaining to him; and moreover ultimates, in the Word, signify all things.

3858. Since the subject in the verses that follow now is the twelve sons of Jacob, and since the twelve tribes of Israel were named after them as their fathers, let an introductory statement be made here about what the tribes mean and why there were twelve. Nobody as yet has known the arcanum lying within these considerations, for people have believed that the historical descriptions of the Word are purely history and hold nothing more of the Divine within them than their ability to be made to apply to matters of a holy nature when these are under discussion. Consequently they have also believed that the twelve tribes meant nothing else than the divisions of the Israelitish people into so many separate nations or general families, when in fact Divine realities are implied in those tribes. That is to say, those tribes mean so many universal divisions of faith and love and so mean things that constitute the Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth, each tribe in particular meaning some universal division. But what exactly each tribe means will be evident from the verses that follow directly after this, where the subject is the sons of Jacob after whom the twelve tribes were named. In general the twelve tribes meant everything constituting the doctrine of truth and good, that is, of faith and love; for these - that is to say, truth and good, or faith and love - constitute the Lord's kingdom, since what are essentially matters of truth or faith constitute the whole of thought there, and what are essentially matters of good or love constitute the whole of affection. And because the Jewish Church was established so as to represent the Lord's kingdom the divisions of that people into twelve tribes therefore meant those things of His kingdom. This is an arcanum which has not previously been disclosed.

[2] Twelve means all things in general, as shown already in 577, 2089, 2129, 2130 (end), 3272, while 'tribes' means matters of truth and good, or of faith and love, so that 'the twelve tribes' means all of these. Let this meaning of 'the twelve tribes' be substantiated here from the Word before each one is dealt with individually. In John,

The holy city New Jerusalem, having twelve gates, and above the gates twelve angels, and names written which are those of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. He measured the city with the measuring rod, twelve thousand stadia. And he measured its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Revelation 21:12, 14, 16-17, 21.

'The holy city', or the New Jerusalem, means the Lord's new Church, as is evident from each detail of this description. Previous chapters refer to what the condition of the Church was going to be like before its end; this chapter refers to a new Church. That being so, 'the gates', 'the wall', 'the foundations' mean nothing else than things constituting the Church, which are those of charity and faith since these constitute the Church.

[3] From this it may be clear to anyone that 'twelve' used so many times in that description, also 'tribes', and 'apostles' too, are not used to mean twelve, or tribes, or apostles, but that 'twelve' is used to mean all things in their entirety; see what has been shown in 577, 2089, 2129, 2130 (end), 3272. The same is true of the number 'a hundred and forty-four', for this is twelve twelves. And since 'twelve' means all things it is evident that 'the twelve tribes' means all things constituting the Church, which, as stated above, are truth and good, or faith and love. The same is also true of 'the twelve apostles' who as well represented all things constituting the Church, that is, all things of faith and love, see 2129, 3354, 3488, 3857. That number is therefore called 'the measure of a man, that is, of an angel', by which is meant a state of truth and good. For 'measure' means state, see 3104, and 'man' means that which constitutes the Church, as is evident from things said about the meaning of 'man' in 478, 479, 565, 768, 1871, 1894, and also from the fact that the Lord's kingdom is called the Grand Man, which it is called by virtue of good and truth which come from the Lord, dealt with at the ends of chapters in 3624-3649, 3741-3750. And 'angel' has the same meaning, 1705, 1754, 1925, 2821, 3039.

[4] As in John, so also in the Prophets, in the Old Testament Word, is the new Jerusalem referred to, where in a similar way the Lord's new Church is meant, as in Isaiah 65:18-19, and following verses; in Zechariah 14; and in particular in Ezekiel, Chapters 40-48, where the new Jerusalem, the new Temple, and a new earth describe in the internal sense the Lord's kingdom in heaven, and the Lord's kingdom on earth, which is the Church. The contents of those chapters, plainer than anywhere else, show what 'earth', 'Jerusalem', 'Temple', and everything in them meant, and also what 'the twelve tribes' means. For the subject of those chapters is the division of the land and the inheritance of it according to tribes, as well as the city and its walls, foundation, and gates, and everything that was to go with the Temple there. From those chapters let simply matters relating to the tribes be quoted here,

The Lord Jehovih said, This is the boundary of your inheritance of the land, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. You shall divide this land according to the tribes of Israel. But you shall divide it by lot as an inheritance, and for sojourners sojourning in your midst. They shall cast lots with you for an inheritance in the midst of the tribes of Israel. Ezekiel 47:13, 21-23.

As regards the land, it will be for the prince as a possession in Israel. And the princes will no longer oppress My people, and the land they will give to the house of Israel according to their tribes. Ezekiel 45:8.

Concerning inheritances and how they were assigned to individual tribes which are also referred to there by name, see Ezekiel 48:1 and following verses; and concerning the gates of the city which are named after the tribes of Israel, verses 31-34 of the same chapter.

[5] Quite plainly, when the tribes are spoken of here it is not the tribes who are meant, for by that time ten tribes had long since been scattered throughout the whole world, and had not subsequently returned. Nor can they possibly return, for they have become gentiles. And yet reference is made to each individual tribe, and to how it was to inherit the land and what its boundary was to be. What the boundary for the tribe of Dan was to be is stated in verse 2; what the boundary for the tribe of Asher was to be in verse 3; what those of Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, and Judah were to be, and concerning the inheritance of the Levites; and what the boundaries of Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad were to be in verses 4-29. In addition to all this that chapter declares that the city was to have twelve gates named after the tribes of Israel - three gates facing north, those of Reuben, Judah, and Levi; three gates facing east, those of Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan; three gates facing south, those of Simeon, Issachar and Zebulun; and three gates facing west, those of Gad, Asher, and Naphtali, in verses 31-34.

[6] From all this it is evident that 'the twelve tribes' means all things that belong to the Lord's kingdom, and so all that are matters of faith and love, for these constitute the Lord's kingdom, as stated above. Because the twelve tribes meant all things of the Lord's kingdom they also represented that kingdom by their encampments and by their travellings. In Moses it is said that they were to encamp according to the tribes around the Tent of Meeting - to the east, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; to the south, Reuben, Simeon, and Gad; to the west, Ephraim Manasseh, and Benjamin; and to the north, Dan, Asher, and Naphtali, and as they were encamped so they travelled, Numbers 2:1-end. In all this they represented the Lord's kingdom, as is quite evident from Balaam's prophecy,

When Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel dwelling according to tribes, the Spirit of God came upon him and he delivered his utterance, and said, How good your tabernacles are, O Jacob; your dwelling-places, O Israel! They are like valleys that are planted, like gardens beside a river, like aloes Jehovah has planted, like cedars beside the waters. Numbers 24:2-3, 5-6.

The fact that Balaam received from Jehovah these words spoken by him is explicitly stated in Numbers 22:8, 18-19, 35, 38; 23:5, 12, 16, 26; 24:2, 13.

[7] From this also it is evident what the inheritances of the land of Canaan according to tribes represented, in connection with which it is said in Moses that he was to take a census of the congregation of the children of Israel, according to their fathers' houses; a census of those twenty or more years old, everyone going into the army of Israel. The land was to be distributed by lot; according to the names of their fathers' tribes they were to receive an inheritance, Numbers 26:2, 7-56; 33:54; 34:19-29. And Joshua's actual division of the land by lot according to tribes is described in Chapters 13, 15, 19 of the Book of Joshua. From these particular details it is evident that the Lord's kingdom was represented, as has been stated; for the land of Canaan meant that kingdom, see 1585, 1607, 3038, 3481, 3705.

[8] The reason why they are called 'armies' and why it is said that 'they encamped according to their armies and travelled according to their armies', Numbers 2:4, 6, 8, 11, 13, 15, 19, 21-23, 26, 28, 30, is that 'an army' had the same meaning [as 'a tribe'], namely truths and goods, see 3448. And the Lord is called Jehovah Zebaoth or 'Jehovah of Armies (or Hosts)' 3448. They were for these reasons called 'the armies of Jehovah' when they departed from Egypt, as in Moses,

It happened at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, on that same day it happened that all the armies of Jehovah were to come out of the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:41.

Anyone may recognize that such people in Egypt, and after that in the wilderness, were not called 'the armies of Jehovah' except in a representative sense, for no good or truth was present in them, the worst of all nations.

[9] From this it is also quite evident what was meant by the names of the twelve tribes on Aaron's breastplate, which was called the Urim and Thummim. Concerning the breastplate the following is said in Moses,

There shall be four rows in it and twelve stones. These stones shall be according to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve according to their names. The engravings of a signet, for each one over its name, there shall be for the twelve tribes. Exodus 28:17, 21; 39:14.

For 'Aaron' represented the Lord's Divine priesthood, and therefore all the vestments worn by him as high priest meant Divine celestial and spiritual things. But the exact meaning of those vestments will in the Lord's Divine mercy be clear where they are the subject. Since the breastplate itself was most holy, the names of it were representations of all the essential characteristics of love and faith in the Lord. These are the Urim and Thummim. The reason why the names were engraved on the precious stones was that 'stones' in general meant truths, 1298, 3720, and 'precious stones' truths shining through from good, 114. And because the name of each individual tribe meant some essential characteristic, a specific stone was also allocated for each tribe, Exodus 28:17-20; 39:10-13, which expressed by means of its colour and transparence the characteristic meant by that tribe. This was how Jehovah or the Lord gave answers by means of the Urim and Thummim.

[10] The two shoham stones which were on the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod had a similar representation but in a lesser degree than the twelve stones on the breastplate. For 'the shoulders' meant all power, and so the Lord's omnipotence, 1085, whereas 'the breast' or heart and lungs meant Divine celestial and spiritual love - 'the heart' Divine celestial love, 'the lungs' Divine spiritual love, see 3635 and the end of the present chapter where the Grand Man and its correspondence with the province of the heart and the province of the lungs is the subject. The two stones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod are referred to in Moses as follows,

You shall take two shoham stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, six of the names on one stone and the remaining six names on the other stone, according to their births. You shall put two stones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. Exodus 28:9-12; 39:6-7.

[11] Because 'the tribes' meant what are essentially matters of truth and good, or faith and love, and each tribe meant some universal aspect of these, and since the tribe of Levi meant love, as will be evident from the explanation at verse 34 below, one can therefore recognize what was meant by their placing rods, one for each tribe, in the Tent of Meeting and by Levi's rod alone blossoming with almonds. All this is described in Moses as follows,

He was told to take twelve rods, one rod for each head of their fathers' houses, and these were to be left in the Tent of Meeting, the name of Aaron being written on the rod of Levi. Aaron's rod was placed in the middle of them. And the next day, behold, Aaron's rod for the tribe of Levi had blossomed; it had produced buds, ¹ so that it flowered and produced almonds. Numbers 17:2-8.

These occurrences meant that love was the essential, also the first and foremost, thing of all in the Lord's kingdom and that love is the source of all fruitfulness. And the reason why Aaron's name was on the rod was that Aaron represented the Lord as regards His Divine priesthood. For by the Lord's priesthood is meant Divine Good, which essentially is His love and mercy, and by the Lord's kingship is meant Divine Truth which stems from Divine Good, see 1728, 2015 (end), 3670.

[12] From what has been introduced so far one may now see what 'tribes' and 'the twelve tribes' mean in the following places: In John,

I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand sealed out of every tribe of Israel - twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Benjamin. Revelation 7:4-8.

In Moses,

Remember the days of old, understand the years of generation after generation.

When the Most High gave to the nations an inheritance, when He separated the sons of man, He fixed the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. Deuteronomy 32:7-8.

In David,

Jerusalem, built as a city which is closely compacted together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of Jah, a testimony to Israel, to confess the name of Jehovah. Psalms 122:3-4.

[13] In Joshua, who was told,

The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass over before you into the Jordan. Take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from each tribe. And it will happen when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the Ark of Jehovah, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan will be cut off. They will stand in one heap. Joshua 3:11-17.

And further,

Take out of the midst of the Jordan, from the places where the priests' feet stood, twelve stones which you are to prepare and carry with you. And let each man take a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, that it may be a sign that the waters of the Jordan were cut off. Moreover Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, beneath the places where the feet of the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant had stood. Joshua 4:1-9.

Also in the description about Elijah,

Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word had come, Israel shall be your name; and he built an altar to the name of Jehovah. 1 Kings 18:31-32.

[14] That 'the tribes' means the goods of love and the truths of faith is also clear from the Lord's words in Matthew,

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory. Matthew 24:30.

Here 'all the tribes of the earth will mourn' means that the acknowledgement of truth and the life of good will not exist any longer, for the subject in that chapter is the close of the age. Similarly in John,

Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, and those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will wail over Him. Revelation 1:7.

What 'coming in the clouds of heaven' means, see Preface to Genesis 18. See in addition what I have been shown from experience about the number 'twelve', in 2129, 2130.

[15] The reason why all things of faith and love are called 'tribes' is that the same expression in the original language also means a sceptre and a rod. For 'a sceptre' and also 'a rod' mean power, as will in the Lord's Divine mercy be shown elsewhere. For this reason the noun 'tribe' entails the idea that forms of good and truth possess within them all power from the Lord. And angels too are therefore referred to as 'powers' and also 'principalities', for 'princes' means the first and foremost aspects of charity and faith, such as the twelve princes descended from Ishmael, Genesis 25:16, see 2089, as well as the princes who were leaders of the tribes, Numbers 7; 13:4-16.

[16] From what has been said up to now about the twelve tribes one can recognize why the Lord's disciples, who later on were called apostles, were twelve in number, and that like the tribes they represented the Lord's Church as regards goods and truths, 2129, 3354, 3488, 3857. 'Peter' represented faith, 'James' charity, and 'John' the works that flow from charity, see the Prefaces to Genesis 18, 22, and also 3750. This is also quite evident from the things which the Lord said about them and to them.

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