9637. And a cubit and half a cubit the breadth of one plank. That this signifies the truth from it which conjoins, as much as is sufficient, is evident from the signification of “one and a half,” as being what is full (see n. 9487-9489), thus also as much as is sufficient, for this is what is full. The reason why this truth is from it, that is, from the good which is signified by “the planks of shittim wood” (n. 9634, 9635), is that every good has its truth, and every truth its good. Good without truth does not appear, and truth without good does not exist, for truth is the form of good, and good is the being of truth. It is from form that good appears, and it is from being that truth exists. The case herein is like that of flame and light; flame without light does not appear, and therefore it emits from itself light that it may appear; and light without flame does not exist. It is the same with man’s will and his understanding; the will does not appear without the understanding, and the understanding does not exist without the will. As it is with good and truth, or with flame and light, or again with the will and understanding, even so it is with love and faith, for all good is of love, and all truth is of faith from love; and man’s will has been allotted to the reception of the good which is of love, and his understanding to the reception of the truth which is of faith. Moreover, love is the flame or fire of life, and faith is the light of life.

5956. And five changes of garments. That this signifies much of truth from the natural, is evident from the signification of “five,” as being much (n. 5708); and from the signification of “changes of garments,” as being truths initiated in good. That it is from the natural, is because “garments” are predicated of the natural. That the intermediate which is represented by Benjamin had truth from the natural, is because in order to be an intermediate it partakes of the internal and of the external (n. 5822). That which is from the internal is meant by the intermediate having fullness of truth from good, which is signified by the “three hundred pieces of silver” (of which just above, n. 5955). That which is from the external is meant by much of truth from the natural, which is signified by the “five changes of garments.”