Arcana Coelestia # 9863
9863. 'And you shall adorn it with settings of stones' means the actual truths in their proper order, all springing from the one same good. This is clear from the meaning of the breastplate, to which 'it' refers here, as Divine Truth shining forth from the Lord's Divine Good, dealt with in 9823; from the meaning of 'settings of stones' as truths in their proper order. For the breastplate was adorned with stones in accord with the names of the sons of Israel, and in a general sense truths on the lowest level of order are meant by 'stones', 114, 643, 1298, 3720, 6426, 8609, and truths shining forth from good by 'precious stones' such as those in the breastplate, 9476. The expression 'springing from the one same good' is used because there is just one good that all the truths spring from. This good is the good of love within the Lord, thus is the Lord Himself, and is consequently the good of love from the Lord, which is the good of love to the Lord. For the good which flows in from the Lord and resides with man, spirit, or angel, has all the appearance of being theirs; and so it is that love to the Lord is love received from the Lord. This good is the one and only good from which all the truths spring, and from which the order among them begins; for the truths are outward forms of the good.
[2] The fact that the precious stones in the breastplate meant Divine Truths springing from Divine Good is clear from places in the Word where precious stones are mentioned, such as in John's Revelation,
The foundations of the wall of the city, the new Jerusalem, were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. Revelation 21:19-20.
These precious stones mean the Church's truths, which are God's truths. This is clear from the meaning of 'the city, the new Jerusalem', 'the wall of it', and 'the foundations of the wall'. 'The new Jerusalem' means a new Church which will take the place of the one that is ours at the present day; for the Book of Revelation deals with the state of the Church that exists now, through to its end, and then with a new Church, which is the holy Jerusalem coming down out of heaven. 'The wall of it' means the truths of faith that serve to defend it, and 'the foundations' truths that spring from good. Those actual truths in their proper order are specified by the precious stones mentioned by name there. Anyone may see that no Jerusalem is going to come down out of heaven or that anything else mentioned there is literally going to take place, but that this description in every detail means such things as have to do with the Church. The fact that the truths of faith are meant by the foundations of its wall is clear from the consideration that they are the things which guard the Church from every attack, as walls do a city.
'Jerusalem' is the Church, see 2117, 9166.
'Walls' are the truths of faith guarding the Church, 6419.
'Foundations' are truths springing from good, 9643.
[3] In Ezekiel,
Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty, you were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering - ruby, topaz, and diamond; tarshish, shoham, and jasper; sapphire, chrysoprase, and carbuncle - and gold. You were on the mountain of the holiness of God, you walked in the midst of stones of fire. Ezekiel 28:12-14.
Here also precious stones mean truths springing from good. For 'Tyre' in the representative internal sense is one who has intelligence and wisdom arising from cognitions or knowledge of goodness and truth, 1201. This is why its king is said to be 'full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty'. 'Wisdom' has regard to good, and 'beauty' to truth; for all wisdom in heaven is derived from good, and all beauty there is derived from truths springing from good. 'The garden of Eden' means intelligence composed of good, 100, 'garden' meaning real intelligence, 100, 108, 2702. From this it is evident that the stones there mentioned by name mean truths springing from good.
[4] But precisely which truths springing from good are meant by each of the stones in the breastplate will be clear from what is to follow. The fact that they mean all truths and forms of good in their entirety is clear from the following considerations: They were twelve and had the names of the sons of Israel or the tribes inscribed on them, the forms of good and the truths of heaven and the Church in their entirety being meant by the twelve tribes, 3858, 3926, 3939, 4060, 6335, 6337, 6397; they therefore meant heaven and all the communities there, 7836, 7891, 7996, 7997; the meaning of them varied, depending on the order in which they are mentioned in the Word, 3862, 3926, 3939, 4303, 6337, 6640; and 'twelve' means all, 3272, 3858, 7973.
Joshua 15
1
The lot for the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families was to the border of Edom, even to the wilderness of Zin southward, at the uttermost part of the south.
2
Their south border was from the uttermost part of the Salt Sea, from the bay that looks southward;
3
and it went out southward of the ascent of Akrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and went up by the south of Kadesh Barnea, and passed along by Hezron, went up to Addar, and turned about to Karka;
4
and it passed along to Azmon, went out at the brook of Egypt; and the border ended at the sea. This shall be your south border.
5
The east border was the Salt Sea, even to the end of the Jordan. The border of the north quarter was from the bay of the Sea at the end of the Jordan.
6
The border went up to Beth Hoglah, and passed along by the north of Beth Arabah; and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.
7
The border went up to Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that is over against the ascent of Adummim, which is on the south side of the river. The border passed along to the waters of En Shemesh, and ended at En Rogel.
8
The border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom to the side of the Jebusite southward (the same is Jerusalem); and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lies before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the farthest part of the valley of Rephaim northward.
9
The border extended from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of Mount Ephron; and the border extended to Baalah (the same is Kiriath Jearim);
10
and the border turned about from Baalah westward to Mount Seir, and passed along to the side of Mount Jearim on the north (the same is Chesalon), and went down to Beth Shemesh, and passed along by Timnah;
11
and the border went out to the side of Ekron northward; and the border extended to Shikkeron, and passed along to Mount Baalah, and went out at Jabneel; and the goings out of the border were at the sea.
12
The west border was to the shore of the great sea. This is the border of the children of Judah according to their families.
13
To Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a portion among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of Yahweh to Joshua, even Kiriath Arba, named after the father of Anak (the same is Hebron).
14
Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak: Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.
15
He went up against the inhabitants of Debir: now the name of Debir before was Kiriath Sepher.
16
Caleb said, "He who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife."
17
Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.
18
It happened, when she came, that she had him ask her father fore a field. She got off of her donkey, and Caleb said, "What do you want?"
19
She said, "Give me a blessing. Because you have set me in the land of the South, Give me also springs of water." He gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
20
This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families.
21
The farthest cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the border of Edom in the South were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,
22
Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah,
24
Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,
25
Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (the same is Hazor),
26
Amam, Shema, Moladah,
27
Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet,
28
Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah,
30
Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah,
31
Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,
32
Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon. All the cities are twenty-nine, with their villages.
33
In the lowland, Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
34
Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam,
35
Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,
36
Shaaraim, Adithaim and Gederah (or Gederothaim); fourteen cities with their villages.
37
Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad,
38
Dilean, Mizpeh, Joktheel,
39
Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,
40
Cabbon, Lahmam, Chitlish,
41
Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages.
42
Libnah, Ether, Ashan,
43
Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib,
44
Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages.
45
Ekron, with its towns and its villages;
46
from Ekron even to the sea, all that were by the side of Ashdod, with their villages.
47
Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages; to the brook of Egypt, and the great sea with its coastline.
48
In the hill country, Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,
49
Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (which is Debir),
50
Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,
51
Goshen, Holon, and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages.
52
Arab, Dumah, Eshan,
53
Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah,
54
Humtah, Kiriath Arba (the same is Hebron), and Zior; nine cities with their villages.
56
Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,
57
Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages.
58
Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor,
59
Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages.
60
Kiriath Baal (the same is Kiriath Jearim), and Rabbah; two cities with their villages.
61
In the wilderness, Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah,
62
Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En Gedi; six cities with their villages.
63
As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah couldn't drive them out; but the Jebusites live with the children of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.
