Pots" and other large vessels in the Bible represent facts and factual ideas, which serve as containers for truth the same way pots serve as containers for water or wine. Pots fill their function because they are hard, strong and impervious; facts are also absolute and unchanging, filling their function the same way. And pots must be filled to serve any use, just as facts must be filled with truth to serve any purpose. To some extent this meaning also applies to cups, bowls and other smaller vessels, though it is a little more immediate. Generally you don't fill a cup so you can store a liquid; you fill it to drink it. Smaller vessels then often take more of their meaning from the substance they contain, and in many cases ("cup" and "wine" especially) actually mean the same thing.

492. And there was given unto him much incense, signifies truths in abundance. This is evident from the signification of "incense," as being the truths of spiritual good; also from the signification of "much," as being an abundance of truths, for "multitude" is predicated in the Word of truths, and "magnitude" of good. "Incense" signifies truths, because the offerings of incense represented worship from spiritual good, and "frankincense" signified that good, as was shown in the article above; therefore "incense-offerings" of frankincense represented what proceeds from that good, and truths are what proceed from that good; for truths are what that good, that is, what man from that good, thinks and speaks. Moreover, spiritual good is formed in man by means of truths; for truth becomes spiritual good with man when he lives according to it (See above, n. 458; thus spiritual good is in its essence truth (See also above, n. 376. But offerings of incense and their signification have been further treated of above n. 324, which see.