Arcana Coelestia # 1618
1618. 'And there he built an altar to Jehovah' means worship as the outcome of that state. This is clear from the meaning of 'an altar' as the representative of all worship in general, dealt with already in 921. Worship in the internal sense means all conjunction by means of love and charity. A person is worshipping all the time if love and charity abide in him, external worship being only the outward expression of it. Such is the worship of angels, and therefore with them the sabbath never comes to an end; and this in turn explains why in the internal sense 'the sabbath' means the Lord's kingdom. While a person is in the world however he ought certainly to participate in external worship as well; for it is by external worship that internal things are aroused, and by means of external worship external things are kept holy so as to enable internal to flow in. Furthermore a person is endowed with cognitions by this means, and is made ready to receive celestial things, and also has states of holiness conferred on him, though he is not conscious of this. These states of holiness are preserved by the Lord for his use in eternal life; in fact all the states of his life reappear in the next life.
Exodus 36:8-37
8
All the wise-hearted men among those who did the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twined linen, blue, purple, and scarlet, with cherubim, the work of the skillful workman, they made them.
9
The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains had one measure.
10
He coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled one to another.
11
He made loops of blue on the edge of the one curtain from the edge in the coupling. Likewise he made in the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the second coupling.
12
He made fifty loops in the one curtain, and he made fifty loops in the edge of the curtain that was in the second coupling. The loops were opposite one to another.
13
He made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to another with the clasps: so the tabernacle was a unit.
14
He made curtains of goats' hair for a covering over the tabernacle. He made them eleven curtains.
15
The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits the breadth of each curtain. The eleven curtains had one measure.
16
He coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves.
17
He made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the coupling, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain which was outmost in the second coupling.
18
He made fifty clasps of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be a unit.
19
He made a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of sea cow hides above.
20
He made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing up.
21
Ten cubits was the length of a board, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each board.
22
Each board had two tenons, joined one to another. He made all the boards of the tabernacle this way.
23
He made the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side southward.
24
He made forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board for its two tenons.
25
For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards,
26
and their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.
27
For the far part of the tabernacle westward he made six boards.
28
He made two boards for the corners of the tabernacle in the far part.
29
They were double beneath, and in the same way they were all the way to its top to one ring. He did thus to both of them in the two corners.
30
There were eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; under every board two sockets.
31
He made bars of acacia wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
32
and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the hinder part westward.
33
He made the middle bar to pass through in the midst of the boards from the one end to the other.
34
He overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold for places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
35
He made the veil of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubim. He made it the work of a skillful workman.
36
He made four pillars of acacia for it, and overlaid them with gold. Their hooks were of gold. He cast four sockets of silver for them.
37
He made a screen for the door of the tent, of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer;
