3312. 'Dwelling in tents' means worship arising out of this. This is clear from the meaning of 'tents' as the holiness of love and of the worship arising out of this, 414, 1102, 2145, 2152. The reason 'tents' means the holiness of the worship arising is that in most ancient times the member of the Church with whom love to the Lord and consequently holy worship existed dwelt in tents and held his holy worship there. And because the holiness of love and the resulting holiness of worship started to be represented at that period by means of tents, they were commanded to make a Tent according to the pattern shown to Moses on Mount Sinai and to establish their Divine worship there. This was also the origin of the Feast of Tabernacles when they had to dwell in tents, which they were required to do so as to represent the holy worship which existed with the member of the celestial Church. From this it is evident that 'dwelling in tents' means worship.

2145. 'He was sitting at the tent door' means the holiness which existed with Him at that time, namely the holiness of love, which is meant by 'as the day was getting warmer', dealt with in what follows next. This is clear from the meaning of 'a tent' as holiness, dealt with in 414, 1102, 1566. And for the reason why 'tents' meant forms of holiness, see the same paragraphs. Since the Lord at this time had the perception meant by the oak-groves of Mamre, which is a lower rational perception, yet more interior than that meant by the oak-grove of Moreh, dealt with in 1442, 1443, it is here represented and so is meant by his sitting at the tent door, that is, at the entrance to holiness. As regards perceptions being more interior or less interior, this may be illustrated from the perceptions which the most ancient people had. From these people I have heard that the more they were immersed in mere facts acquired from the objects of hearing and sight the lower their perceptions became; but the more they were raised up from them towards the celestial things of charity and love the more interior these perceptions became, as they were then closer to the Lord.