9887. And shalt put them on the shoulders of the ephod. That this signifies in this way the support of heaven, and the preservation of good and truth there with all exertion and power, is evident from the signification of “putting on the shoulders of the ephod,” as being the support and preservation of good and truth in the heavens. (That it denotes support, see just above, n. 9886; and that it denotes preservation with all exertion and power, n. 9836.) That it denotes the support of heaven by means of the Divine that proceeds from the Lord, and also the preservation of good and truth there, is because by “the breastplate,” which was fastened by the cords to the shoulderpieces of the ephod, and thereby supported, is signified the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord’s Divine good (n. 9823), thus all the goods and truths in the complex which make heaven (n. 9879).