10644. 'And tear down their groves' means that their teachings are to be totally rejected. This is clear from the meaning of 'groves' as the teachings of the Church, at this point the teachings of the type of religion that is practised by idolaters, which are teachings that consist of falsity arising from evil. The reason why teachings are meant by 'groves' is that instances of perception or awareness of what is good and true are meant by 'trees', of perception among those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom, and of awareness among those who are in His spiritual kingdom; and each species of a tree means a specific kind of perception or awareness. This accounts for the meaning of 'paradise gardens' and other 'gardens' as heavenly intelligence and wisdom, and for that of 'forests' as the knowledge which the natural man possesses. From all this it may be recognized why it is that teachings are meant by 'groves', and why it was that the ancients performed holy acts of worship in groves. For the Church among the ancients was a representative one, all of whose outward forms represented inner realities, such as they are in heaven, which have regard to the Lord, to love for Him and faith in Him, and to such things as are aspects of love and faith. The reason why groves, and also forests, gardens, and paradise gardens, as well as trees according to their species, mean such things lies in representative objects in the next life. The angels' intelligence and wisdom determine what kinds of objects appear there; for whatever makes its appearance has a celestial or spiritual origin.

Teachings are meant by 'groves', and the ancients performed holy worship in groves, see 2722, 4552.

Heavenly intelligence and wisdom is meant by 'paradise gardens', 3220, 4528, 4529.

The like is meant by other 'gardens', 100, 108, 1588, 2722.

The knowledge which the natural man possesses is meant by 'forests', 9011(end).

Instances of perception, and those of awareness (or cognitions), of goodness and truth are meant by 'trees', 103, 2163, 2682, 2972, 7692, 8326.

The Ancient Church performed worship in groves and in gardens under trees, in accord with the meanings these carried, 2722, 4552.

9388. 'And built an altar under the mountain' means a representative sign of the Lord's Divine Human in respect of Divine Good from Him. This is clear from the meaning of 'an altar' as a representative sign of the Lord's Divine Human, dealt with in 921, 2777, 2811, 4489, and therefore the chief representative of worship of the Lord, 4541, 8935, 8940; and from the meaning of 'the mountain' as the good of love, dealt with in 4210, 6435, 8327, 8658, 8758, in this instance the Divine Good of love which emanates from the Lord, since it was Mount Sinai, where the Lord was then. 'Mount Sinai' means Divine Good united to Divine Truth emanating from the Lord, see 8805.