6690. 'That He made them houses' means that it - true factual knowledge in the natural - was arranged into a heavenly pattern. This is clear from the meaning of 'house' as the natural mind, dealt with in 4973, 5023, thus the things that compose the natural mind. But because what is said here refers to the midwives, those things are true factual knowledge in the natural, 6687. 'Making them houses' therefore means arranging that knowledge into order, and it is arranged into order when arranged into a heavenly pattern. It is not at all easy to see that these things are meant by 'making them houses' unless one knows the situation with true factual knowledge that belongs to the natural mind. Something must therefore be said briefly about this. Known facts in the natural are arranged into continuous series, one series tying in with another, so that they all hang together according to the varying relationships and close associations they have with one another. They are not unlike families and their generations; for one is born from another, and in that manner they are brought into existence. This explains why things of the mind, which are forms of good and truth, were spoken of by the ancients as 'houses', the form of good that ruled there being called the father, the truth linked to it the mother, and the derivations from them the sons, daughters, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, and so on. But the way in which true factual knowledge in the natural is arranged varies from person to person, since the pattern it assumes is imposed on it by the ruling love. That love is at the centre and arranges each fact into position around it. It positions nearest to itself the facts most compatible with it, and the rest are arranged according to their degrees of compatibility. And in this way factual knowledge is given a pattern. If heavenly love rules, then the Lord arranges them all into a heavenly pattern, a pattern like that assumed by heaven itself, thus the pattern assumed by the good of love itself. Such is the pattern into which truths are arranged; and once arranged into it they act in unison with good. At this point when the one is stimulated by the Lord, so is the other; that is to say, when items of belief are stimulated, so are charitable desires, and vice versa. This kind of arrangement is what is meant by the statement that God made the midwives houses.

10536. 'And no one put on his finery' means the nature of their external which is such that it lacks what is Divine. This is clear from the meaning of 'finery' as the presence of what is Divine in external things, so that 'not putting on his finery' means the absence of what is Divine in those things. The reason why 'finery' has this meaning is that 'finery' relates to clothing, and Divine Truths are meant by clothing generally. The reason why Divine Truths are meant by clothing generally lies in things in the next life that are representative. All there, both angels and spirits, appear clothed in garments, each one in garments that accord with his truths. Those in possession of truths that are authentic and come from God appear clothed in brilliantly white garments; others appear in others different from these. Spirits indeed do not know where their garments come from; they are clothed without their knowing how. And also the garments they wear are varied, as determined by the changes of state they undergo in respect of truths. In short, the character of their understanding is what is revealed and represented by their garments; for everyone's understanding is shaped by truths and comes to have the same nature as the truths which compose it. The understanding which angels in heaven possess resides on an inner level with them, as a consequence of which their garments are brilliant and white. The brilliance is due to Divine Good, and the whiteness to the light of heaven, which is Divine Truth. But the garments of those whose interest lies in external things and not in what is internal are drab and torn, like those of beggars in the streets or robbers in the forests. From all this what is meant by 'finery' may be seen, namely the Church's holy truths, and therefore 'not putting on finery' means the absence of the Church's holy truths, and in reference to the Israelite nation, whose interest lay in external things and not in what was internal, means the nature of their external which was such that it lacked truths from God.

Truths are meant by 'garments', see 2132, 2576, 4545, 4763, 5248, 5319, 5954, 6378, 6914, 6917, 6918, 9093, 9158, 9212, 9216, 9814, 9827, 9952.

What is meant by the garments of Aaron and his sons, 9814, 10068.

'Finery' in the Word means the Church's holy truths, see below in 10540.