18
인자야 바벨론 왕 느부갓네살이 그 군대로 두로를 치게 할 때에 크게 수고하여 각 머리털이 무지러졌고 각 어깨가 벗어졌으나 그와 군대가 그 수고한 보수를 두로에서 얻지 못하였느니라
에스겔 29:18
Arcana Coelestia # 114
114. The truth of faith was also meant and represented in the Word precious stones, for example, those in the breast plate of judgement, and upon the shoulder-pieces of Aaron's ephod. in the breastplate, the gold, blue, purple, double-dyed scarlet, and fine-twined linen represented matters of love, while the precious stones represented matters of faith deriving from love, as did the two stones of remembrance on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod which were made from shoham encompassed with settings of gold, Exodus 28:9-22. The same point, that the truth of faith is meant and represented by precious stones, is plainly stated in Ezekiel when the subject is the person who possesses the heavenly riches of wisdom and intelligence,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty, you were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering ruby, topaz, diamond, tarshish, shoham, and jasper, sapphire, chrysoprase, and emerald. And gold, the work of your drums and of your pipes, was within you. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created. Ezekiel 28:12-13, 15.
Anyone may see that celestial and spiritual things of faith, and not just stones, are meant. Indeed each stone represented a particular essential element of faith.
Exodus 28:9-22
9
You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the children of Israel:
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six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the six that remain on the other stone, in the order of their birth.
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With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones, according to the names of the children of Israel: you shall make them to be enclosed in settings of gold.
12
You shall put the two stones on the shoulder straps of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before Yahweh on his two shoulders for a memorial.
13
You shall make settings of gold,
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and two chains of pure gold; you shall make them like cords of braided work: and you shall put the braided chains on the settings.
15
"You shall make a breastplate of judgment, the work of the skillful workman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, you shall make it.
16
It shall be square and folded double; a span shall be its length of it, and a span its breadth.
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You shall set in it settings of stones, four rows of stones: a row of ruby, topaz, and beryl shall be the first row;
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and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald;
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and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
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and the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be enclosed in gold in their settings.
21
The stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, everyone according to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes.
22
You shall make on the breastplate chains like cords, of braided work of pure gold.
