9916. As the mouth of a coat of mail it shall be, that it be not rent. That this signifies thus strong and safe from injury, is evident from the signification of “a coat of mail,” as being what is strongly woven together; wherefore it is said, “that it be not rent,” that is, that it be safe from injury. Something thus woven together is signified by this term in the original tongue. An idea of what is thus woven together can be had from correspondence; for in the internal sense there is here treated of the influx of celestial good into spiritual good. It is this influx which is signified by “the mouth of the head of the robe,” and is described by “the work of the weaver,” and “of a coat of mail;” and to this influx from the heavens corresponds in man the influx of life from the head through the neck into the body (n. 9913, 9914). And because to this influx corresponds the woven fabric of the neck which is of strong sinews; and lower down a kind of interwoven circle of bones; through both of which the influx is rendered safe from all injury, therefore, as before said, an idea can be had of the several expressions in this verse, namely, of what is signified by “the mouth of the head of the robe in the midst,” by “the lip which is round about” it, by “the work of the weaver,” and by “the mouth of the coat of mail” which it had, lest it should be rent. Be it known that all the representatives in nature bear relation to the human form, and have their signification according to this relation (n. 9496); and that all clothing derives its signification from that part of the body which it covers (n. 9827); consequently so also does this upper part of the robe which encompasses and covers the neck.