To “dwell” somewhere, then, is significant – it’s much more than just visiting – but is less permanent than living there. And indeed, to dwell somewhere in the Bible represents entering that spiritual state and engaging it, but not necessary permanently. A “dwelling,” meanwhile, represents the various loves that inspire the person who inhabits it, from the most evil – “those dwelling in the shadow of death” in Isaiah 9, for example – to the exalted state of the tabernacle itself, which was built as a dwelling-place for the Lord and represents heaven in all its details. Many people were nomadic in Biblical times, especially the times of the Old Testament, and lived in tents that could be struck, moved and raised quickly. Others, of course, lived in houses, generally made of stone and wood and quite permanent. In between the two were larger, more elaborate tent-style structures called tabernacles or dwellings; the tabernacle Moses built for the Ark of the Covenant is on this model.

In Genesis 4:10, this is a common formula in the Word, and applies to any annoyance, noise, disturbance, or even joyous acclamation. Here it signifies an accusation. (Arcana Coelestia 375)

In Exodus 5:8, this signifies thought. (Arcana Coelestia 7119)

In Exodus 11:6, this signifies interior greiving. (Arcana Coelestia 7782)

In Exodus 15:25, this signifies supplication to the Lord from grief. (Arcana Coelestia 8353)

In Jeremiah 48:31, this signifies to have mercy and to grieve. (Arcana Coelestia 5480)

(Odkazy: Exodus 32:17-18; Isaiah 65:19; Jeremiah 48:3; Zephaniah 1:9-10)