4391. 'And made booths for his cattle' means a similar increase in good and truth at that time. This is clear from the meaning of 'cattle' as goods and truths in general, and from the meaning of 'making booths', which are tents, as something similar to what is meant by 'building a house', namely receiving an increase of good from truth. The two phrases differ in that 'building a house' means that which is less general, and so rather more internal, while 'making booths', or tents, means that which is more general, and so rather more external. The house was intended for themselves, that is to say, for Jacob, his womenfolk and children, the booths for the servants, flocks and herds. In the Word 'booths' or tents, strictly speaking, means the holiness of truth, and they are distinguished from tabernacles, which too are called tents, by the fact that the latter mean the holiness of good, 414, 1102, 2145, 2152, 4128. The word in the original language for booths is 'succoth', whereas that for tabernacles is 'ohalim'. The holiness of truth is the good which springs from truth.

[2] This meaning carried by the booths or tents called 'succoth' is further evident from the following places in the Word: In David,

Jehovah God rode on a cherub, and flew, and was borne on the wings of the wind. He made darkness His hiding-place, and His surroundings His tent - darkness of waters, clouds of the heavens. Psalms 18:10-11.

And elsewhere,

He bowed the heavens when He came down, and thick darkness was under His feet. And He rode on a cherub, and new, and was borne on the wings of the wind. And He made tents of darkness around Him, clusters of water, clouds of the heavens. 2 Samuel 22:10-12.

This refers to Divine revelation, or the Word. 'Bowing the heavens when He came down' stands for hiding the interior truths of the Word. 'Thick darkness under His feet' stands for the fact that compared with interior truths, those visible to man are like darkness, the literal sense of the Word being of such a nature. 'Riding on a cherub' stands for the fact that it was provided in this way. 'Making tents of the darkness around Him' or 'making His surroundings His tent' stands for the holiness of truth concealed in its hiding-place, that is to say, inwardly - within the literal sense. 'Clusters of waters and clouds of the heavens' means the Word in the letter. Regarding 'clouds of the heavens' meaning the Word in the letter, see Preface to Chapter 18 of Genesis, and 4060.

[3] The same is meant by the following in Isaiah,

Jehovah will create over every habitation of mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a covering. And there will be a tent for shade by day, and for a refuge and hiding-place from deluge and rain. Isaiah 4:5-6.

Here again 'cloud' means the literal sense of the Word and 'the glory' the internal sense, as they do in Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27. Again also 'a tent' stands for the holiness of truth. Interior truths are said to be in a hiding-place for the reason that if they had been revealed they would have been made profane, see 3398, 3399, 4289, a point that is also expressed in the following words in David,

In the hiding-place of Your face You conceal them from the treacherous plans of man; You hide them in a tent from the strife of tongues. Psalms 31:20.

[4] The fact that 'a tent' means the holiness of truth is also evident in Amos,

On that day I will raise up the tent of David that is fallen down, and I will close up the breaches, and I will raise up its destroyed places, and I will build it as in the days of old. Amos 9:11.

'Raising up the tent of David that is fallen down' stands for reestablishing the holiness of truth after it has perished. 'David' stands for the Lord as regards Divine Truth, 1888, since 'a king' means Divine Truth, 2015, 2069, 3009. Because 'tent' meant the holiness of truth and 'dwelling in tents' means worship that was the product of this, the feast of tents, called the feast of tabernacles, was established in the Jewish and Israelitish Church, Leviticus 23:34, 42-43; Deuteronomy 16:13, 16, where also that feast is called the feast of succoth, or of tents.

3400. The fact that 'guilt' means blame or imputation of sin and of transgression against good and truth becomes clear from those places in the Word where 'guilt' is mentioned and also described, as in Isaiah,

Jehovah was willing to bruise Him and make Him imperfect. If You make His soul [full of] guilt, He will see His seed, He will prolong His days, and the will of Jehovah will prosper by His hand. Isaiah 53:10.

This refers to the Lord. 'Making His soul [full of] guilt' stands for sin imputed to Him and so for blame laid on Him by those who hated Him. Not that He drew any sin at all to Himself to bear it away.

In Ezekiel,

By the blood which you have shed, you have been held guilty, ¹ and by your idols which you have made you are defiled. Ezekiel 22:4.

'Shedding blood' stands for doing violence to good, 374, 376, 1005, leading to guilt.

In David,

Those who hate the righteous will be held guilty. ² Jehovah redeems the soul of His servants, nor will all who trust in Him be held guilty. ² Psalms 34:21-22.

[2] 'Guilt' accordingly stands for all sin that remains. The separation of it by means of good from the Lord is redemption, which was also represented by the atonement made by the priest when people offered the guilt-offering, dealt with in Leviticus 5:1-19; 6:1-7; 7:1-10; 19:20-22; Numbers 5:1-8, where also types of guilt are listed, namely these: When people have heard a curse uttered but do not say they have heard it: When they have touched something unclean: When they have sworn to do evil: When they have sinned unintentionally against holy things that are Jehovah's: When they have done one of the things which they are commanded not to do: When they have refused to return to somebody his deposit: When they deny that they have found something that was lost, and have sworn falsely: When they have lain with a woman who is a slave, betrothed to another man, and not yet redeemed or made free: When they have committed any sin against another person by transgressing against Jehovah.

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