9532. 'And you shall overlay it with [pure] gold' means a representative sign of that good out of mercy. This is clear from the meaning of 'overlaying with gold' as a representative sign of good; for 'gold' means the good of love, 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, and therefore that good was represented by the gold where it was applied as a gilding. The reason why it is out of mercy is that all the good of love arises out of mercy, which too is meant by the shittim wood that was overlaid with gold, 9528.

1552. 'And gold' means goods deriving from truths. This is clear from the meaning of 'gold' as celestial good, or the good of wisdom and love, as is clear from what has just been shown and also from what was shown previously in 113. That here they are goods deriving from truths follows from what was stated in the previous chapter about the Lord's joining intellectual truths to celestial things.