9777. '[And] all its pins and all the pins of the court, [they shall be made] from bronze' means everything that joins together and strengthens the two heavens, the middle and the lowest, through good. This is clear from the meaning of 'pins' as things that serve to join and strengthen, dealt with below; from the meaning of the dwelling-place, to which 'its' relates here, as heaven, in particular the middle heaven, dealt with in 9594, 9596, 9632; from the meaning of 'the court' as the lowest heaven, dealt with in 9741; and from the meaning of 'bronze' as external good, dealt with in 425, 1551.

[2] The reason why things that serve to join and strengthen are meant by 'pins' or pegs is that these articles do so. They have a similar meaning wherever else they are mentioned in the Word, as in Isaiah,

Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwelling-places; do not stop [them]. Lengthen your ropes, and make your pegs firm. Isaiah 54:2.

This refers to the New Church founded by the Lord. 'Enlarging the place of the tent, and stretching out the curtains of the dwelling-places' stands for the enhancement of teachings that present what is good and true, and worship that springs from them, 9596. 'Long ropes' and 'the pegs' stand for a far-reaching connection among truths and full corroboration of them. As for the court, that this too had ropes, see Exodus 35:18; Numbers 3:37; 4:32.

[3] In Isaiah,

Look upon Zion. May your eyes see Jerusalem, a quiet dwelling-place, a tabernacle which is not overthrown. Its pegs will never be removed, and none of its ropes will be pulled away. Isaiah 33:20.

'Pegs' and 'ropes' here stand in like manner for what serves to corroborate or strengthen and join together. 'Peg' again stands for strengthening and joining together in Isaiah 41:7 and Jeremiah 10:4; but these verses refer to idols, by which teachings of what is false are meant, because they are the product of self-intelligence, 8941, 9424. A peg however on which something is hung means affixing and joining [one thing to another], in Isaiah 22:23-24, and in Ezekiel 15:3.

4492. 'All who went out of the gate of his city' means that they departed from the doctrine of the Church among the Ancients. This is clear from the meaning of 'going out' here as departing from, and from the meaning of 'the gate of the city' as doctrine, dealt with in 2943, 4477, here the doctrine of the Church among the Ancients, since it was the gate of 'his', that is, Shechem's, city. For 'Shechem' represents the truth of the Church among the Ancients, 4454, the phrase 'the Church among the Ancients' being used to mean that which descended from the Most Ancient Church, as also stated already. The implications of this will be evident from what follows next.