905. 21:16 The city is laid out as a square. This symbolizes justice in the New Church.

The city was seen as square because a square or quadrilateral form symbolizes justice, inasmuch as a triangle symbolizes rectitude, all of these being symbols on the lowest level, which is the natural one.

A square or quadrilateral layout symbolizes justice because it has four sides, and the four sides face the four cardinal points of the compass; and to face the four cardinal points equally is to regard everything equitably. That is why there were three gates on each side giving entrance into the city, and why it is said in Isaiah,

Open the gates, that a righteous nation which keeps its fealties may enter in. (Isaiah 26:2)

The city was laid out as a square in order that its length and breadth might be equal, the length symbolizing the goodness of the New Church, and the breadth its truth, and when goodness and truth are in balance, then there is justice.

It is because a square has this symbolic meaning that we say in everyday speech that this or that man deals squarely, meaning a man who does not incline unjustly to either one party or the other.

Because a square symbolizes justice, therefore the altar of burnt offering was square (Exodus 27:1), which symbolized a worship springing from a celestial goodness and consequent truth. The altar of incense, too, was square as well (Exodus 30:1-2). And other objects also were square.

9717. 'Square shall the altar be' means that which for this reason is righteous. This is clear from the meaning of 'square' as what is righteous, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'the altar' as what is representative of the Lord and of the worship of Him, so that 'square shall the altar be' means what is righteous within the Lord, and consequently within worship. Worship is called righteous when the good and the truth contained within it spring from the Lord and not from the person, for the Lord alone is the source of that which is righteous, 9263. The meaning of 'square' as what is righteous has its origin in representative signs in the next life. There forms of good present themselves as round shapes, and forms of good belonging to the external man, which are called righteous acts, as square shapes. Truths and right ideas however present themselves as linear and triangular ones. So it is then that 'square' means what is righteous, as does the squareness of the altar of incense, Exodus 30:2; also the squareness of the breastplate of judgement when doubled, Exodus 28:16; as well as the new Jerusalem's being square-shaped, Revelation 21:16. The new Jerusalem there is the Lord's New Church which will take the place of the one that is ours at the present day, its external good, which is righteous, being meant by 'square-shaped'.