38. And they who pierced him. That this signifies that they also will see Him who are in falsities from evil, is evident from the signification of piercing, or of they who pierce, as being those who altogether deny the Lord, for such kill and pierce Him in themselves. These also are meant by the soldier who pierced His side (John 19:34-37). By a soldier, and soldiers, are meant those who belong to the church, and who would fight for the Lord. But those of the Jewish Church, in particular, are there meant, and, in general, all who belong to the church who are in falsities from evil. And because these were signified by the soldiers, therefore they divided the Lord's garments, and cast lots upon His vesture; which means, that the Jewish Church dispersed the Divine truths of the literal sense of the Word, but that they could not do so with the interior truths, or the truths of the internal sense. (For garments signify truths in ultimates, see Arcana Coelestia 2576, 5248, 6918, 9158, 9212; to divide signifies to dissipate and disperse, see n. 4424, 6360, 6361, 9093; and the vesture interior truths, n. 9049, 9212, 9216, 9826.)

9488. 'And a cubit and a half its breadth' means what is complete so far as truth is concerned. This is clear from the meaning of 'one and a half' as what is complete, the reason why this number means what is complete being that 'three' has this meaning (for the half of a number is similar in meaning to the whole number, because a number that results from multiplication keeps the same meaning as a simple number of which it is the product through multiplication, 5291, 5335. Regarding 'three', that it means what is complete, see 2788, 7715, 9198; and that all numbers in the Word mean spiritual realities, 482, 487, 575, 647, 648, 755, 813, 1963, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 4495, 4670, 5265, 5291, 5335, 5708, 6175, 7973); and from the meaning of 'breadth' as truth, dealt with immediately above in 9487.