9930. And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold. That this signifies enlightenment from the Lord’s Divine good, is evident from the signification of “a plate,” as being enlightenment; and from the signification of “gold,” as being the good of love, here the Lord’s Divine good, because there was inscribed upon it, “Holiness to Jehovah.” (That “gold” denotes the good of love, see n. 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 8932, 9490, 9510, 9874, 9881.) That “the plate” denotes enlightenment, was from its brightness, for it was resplendent from gold upon Aaron’s forehead, and all brightness signifies enlightenment such as is in the heavens from the Lord as the Sun. Enlightenment in the heavens is wisdom and intelligence from the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord from that Sun, for this enlightens their interiors. Their interiors correspond to the understanding with man, which is enlightened by the Lord when the truth and good of the church and heaven are perceived; for the understanding is the recipient subject; because without a subject there is no reception. That this “plate” denotes enlightenment from the Lord’s Divine good, is because upon it was inscribed “Holiness to Jehovah,” and it was placed upon the front of the miter, which was upon Aaron’s head. The “holiness” which is from Jehovah denotes the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord’s Divine good (n. 6788, 8302, 8330, 9229, 9680, 9820). In order that this plate might represent the shining forth, that is, the enlightenment, from which come wisdom and intelligence, it was bound on the forefront of the miter.

[2] As by “the plate” was signified enlightenment from the Lord’s Divine good, it was also called “the plate of the crown of holiness,” and likewise “the crown of holiness;” for a crown is a representative of Divine good, and “holiness” denotes the Divine truth thence proceeding, as was said above. That it was called “the plate of the crown of holiness,” is plain in what follows in this book of Exodus:

Lastly they made the plate of the crown of holiness of pure gold, and wrote upon it with the writing of the engravings of a signet, Holiness to Jehovah (Exodus 39:30).

That it was also called “the crown of holiness,” is evident from another passage in Exodus:

Thou shalt set the miter upon his head, and put the crown of holiness upon the miter (Exodus 29:6).

He set the miter upon his head; and upon the miter, opposite the faces of it, did he set the plate of gold, the crown of holiness (Leviticus 8:9).

[3] That a crown represented Divine good from which is Divine truth, is evident from the crowns of kings; for kings represented the Lord in respect to Divine truth (see n. 2015, 2069, 3009, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068, 6148); wherefore they had a crown on the head, and a scepter in the hand; for government from Divine good was represented by a crown, and government from Divine truth by a scepter.

[4] That a “crown” has this signification is evident from the following passages.

In David:

I will make a horn to bud unto David; I will set in order a lamp for Mine anointed. His enemies will I clothe with shame; but upon Himself shall His crown flourish (Psalms 132:17-18);

“David” here denotes the the Lord, (n. 1888, like the “anointed” (n. 3008, 3009); his “horn” denotes power (n. 2832, 9081); “a lamp” denotes the Divine truth from which is intelligence (n. 9548, 9783); the “crown” denotes the Divine good from which is wisdom, and from which is also His government; the crown, which denotes wisdom, is said “to flourish” because in respect to the Human He acquired wisdom in the world by means of combats against and victories over the hells (n. 9548, 9783), which are the “enemies that shall be clothed with shame.”

[5] Again:

Thou art angry with Thine anointed, Thou hast condemned His crown even to the earth (Psalms 89:38-39); where also “the anointed” denotes the Lord; “anger” denotes a state of temptations which existed when He was in combats with the hells; the lamentation at that time is described by “anger” and “condemnation;” as for instance the last lamentations of the Lord on the cross, that He was “forsaken;” for the cross was the last of the temptations, that is, of the combats with the hells; and after this last temptation He put on Divine good, and in this way united His Divine Human to the Divine Itself that was in Him.

[6] In Isaiah:

In that day shall Jehovah Zebaoth be for a crown of adornment, and for a diadem of comeliness, to the remains of His people (Isaiah 28:5); where “a crown of adornment” denotes the wisdom which is of good from the Divine; “a diadem of comeliness,” the intelligence of truth from this good; this is predicated of Divine things with the people; the “people” here denote the church, because it was there.

[7] In the same:

For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation burn as a lamp; and thou shalt be a crown of comeliness in the hand of Jehovah, and a miter of the kingdom in the hand of thy God (Isaiah 62:1, 3).

By “Zion” and “Jerusalem” is meant the church, by “Zion” the celestial church, and by “Jerusalem” the spiritual church thence derived; “a crown of comeliness” denotes the wisdom which is of good, and “a miter of the kingdom,” the intelligence which is of truth; and as by “a crown” is signified the wisdom which is of good, therefore it is said to be “in the hand of Jehovah;” and as by “a miter” is signified the intelligence which is of truth, therefore it is said to be “in the hand of God;” for where good is treated of, the name “Jehovah” is used, and where truth is treated of, the name “God” (n. 2586, 2769, 6905).

[8] In Jeremiah:

Say thou to the king and to the mistress, Renounce yourselves, sit down; for the adornment of your head is come down, even the crown of your comeliness (Jeremiah 13:18); where “the crown of comeliness” denotes the wisdom which is of good from Divine truth, for “comeliness” denotes the Divine truth of the church (n. 9815). In the same:

The joy of our heart hath ceased; our dance is turned into mourning; the crown of our head is fallen (Lam. 5:15-16).

“The crown of the head” denotes the wisdom which those who are of the church have from Divine truth, by virtue of which they are more excellent than the rest of the peoples, and hence have a kind of government.

[9] In Ezekiel:

He put a jewel upon thy nose, and earrings in thine ears, and a crown of adornment upon thine head (Ezekiel 16:12).

The subject here treated of is the setting up of the church; “a jewel upon the nose” denotes the perception of good; “earrings in the ears” denote the perception of truth, and obedience; “a crown upon the head” denotes the wisdom thence derived.

In Job:

He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken away the crown of my head (Job 19:9); where “glory” denotes the intelligence which is of Divine truth (n. 9429); “the crown of the head” denotes the wisdom thence derived.

[10] In Revelation:

Upon the thrones I saw four and twenty elders, clothed in white garments; who had upon their heads golden crowns. They fell down before Him that was sitting upon the throne, and worshiped Him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne (Revelation 4:4, 10).

The “four and twenty elders” signify all those who are in good from truths, and in the abstract sense all goods from truths (n. 6524, 9404); the “thrones” denote truths from the Divine (n. 5313, 6397, 8625, 9039); the “golden crowns on their heads” are representatives of wisdom from the Divine, and because this is from the Divine, therefore they cast them before Him that was sitting upon the throne.

[11] As the good of wisdom is acquired by means of temptation combats, which are carried on by means of the truths of faith, therefore crowns were assigned to those who fought against evils and falsities and overcame; and for this reason also the crowns of martyrdom were badges of command from the Lord over evils. That “crowns” denote the rewards of victory over evils, and that for this reason they denote the goods of wisdom, because these are the rewards, is also evident from Revelation:

I saw, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon it had a bow; and there was given unto him a crown; and he went forth conquering, and to conquer (Revelation 6:2).

The “white horse and he that sat upon it” signify the Lord as to the Word (n. 2760-2762); “a bow” denotes the doctrine of truth, by means of which the combat is waged (n. 2686, 2709); from this it is evident that the “crown,” because said of the Lord, denotes the Divine good, which is the reward of victory.

[12] And in another passage:

Afterward I saw, and behold a white cloud; and upon the cloud one sitting like unto the Son of man, having upon his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle (Revelation 14:14).

“A white cloud” denotes the literal sense of the Word (n. 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8781); “the Son of man” denotes the Divine truth which is from the the Lord, (n. 9807); “a golden crown,” the Divine good from which is the Divine truth; “a sharp sickle” denotes the dispersing of evil and falsity. And again:

Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life (Revelation 2:10).

Behold I come quickly; hold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy crown (Revelation 3:11).

The “crown” denotes good from truths, thus wisdom; for this belongs to the good of love from the truths of faith. From all this it can now be seen what is signified by a “crown,” and what by “the crown of holiness,” which was the plate of gold on which was engraved “Holiness to Jehovah.”

4592. And his father called him Benjamin. That this signifies the quality of the spiritual of the celestial, is evident from the representation of Benjamin, as being the spiritual of the celestial. What this is was explained above (see n. 4585), namely, that it is the intermediate which exists between the spiritual and the celestial, or between the spiritual man and the celestial man. In the original language “Benjamin” means “the son of the right hand;” and by a “son of the right hand” is signified spiritual truth which is from celestial good and the consequent power, for good has power by means of truth (n. 3563). A “son” is truth (see n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373), and the “hand” is power (n. 878, 3091, 3563); hence the “right hand” is the highest power. Hence it is evident what is signified by “sitting at the right hand of God,” namely, a state of power by virtue of the truth which is from good (n. 3387), which when predicated of the Lord is omnipotence, and also the Divine truth which proceeds from the Lord’s Divine good (as in Psalms 110:1; Matthew 22:44; 26:63-64; Mark 14:61-62; 16:19; Luke 22:69); and whereas it denotes Divine power - that is, omnipotence - it is therefore said, “at the right hand of the power” (or virtue) “of God.”

[2] It is manifest from this what in the genuine sense is signified by “Benjamin,” namely, the spiritual truth which is from the celestial good which is “Joseph.” Both together therefore are that intermediate which as before said is between the spiritual man and the celestial man (n. 4585). But this good and this truth are distinct from the celestial which is represented by “Judah,” and the spiritual which is represented by “Israel,” of which the former is higher or more interior, and the latter is lower or more external, for as before said they are an intermediate. But no one can have an idea of the good which is represented by Joseph, and of the truth which is represented by Benjamin, except the man who is enlightened by the light of heaven. The angels have a clear idea of them, because all the ideas of their thought are from the light of heaven which is from the Lord, in which they see and perceive illimitable things which man cannot possibly comprehend, still less utter. As an illustration take the following.

[3] All men whatever are born natural, with the power of becoming either celestial or spiritual; but the Lord alone was born spiritual celestial, and for this reason He was born at Bethlehem, where is the boundary of the land of Benjamin, for by “Bethlehem” is signified the spiritual of the celestial, and by Benjamin is represented the spiritual of the celestial. The reason why the Lord alone was born spiritual celestial is that the Divine was in Him. These things cannot possibly be comprehended by anyone who is not in the light of heaven; for he who is in the light of the world, and has his perception therefrom, scarcely knows what truth is and what good is, still less what it is to ascend through degrees to the interior things of truth and good; thus he is in complete ignorance of those innumerable things of truth and good in every degree which are manifest before the angels as in noonday light. Hence it is evident of what nature is the wisdom of angels relatively to that of men.

[4] There are six names which frequently occur in the prophets where the church is treated of, namely, “Judah,” “Joseph,” “Benjamin,” “Ephraim,” “Israel,” and “Jacob.” He who does not know what of the good and truth of the church is meant by each one of these in the internal sense cannot possibly know anything of the Divine arcana of the Word there. Nor can he know what of the church is meant, unless he knows what the celestial is which is “Judah,” what the celestial of the spiritual is which is “Joseph,” what the spiritual of the celestial is which is “Benjamin,” what the intellectual of the church is which is “Ephraim,” what the internal spiritual is which is “Israel,” and what the external spiritual is which is “Jacob.”

[5] As regards Benjamin specifically, as he represents the spiritual of the celestial, and Joseph the celestial of the spiritual, and thus both together the intermediate between the celestial and the spiritual man, and as they are consequently most closely conjoined, therefore also their conjunction is described in the history of Joseph as follows:

Joseph told his brethren that they must bring their youngest brother, lest they should die (Genesis 42:20).

When they returned with Benjamin, and Joseph saw Benjamin his brother, he said, Is this your youngest brother? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. And Joseph made haste, for his bowels did yearn toward his brother; and he sought where to weep, and he therefore entered into his chamber, and wept there (Genesis 43:29-30).

He multiplied Benjamin’s portion fivefold above the portions of them all (Genesis 43:34).

After he had made himself known to his brethren, he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s necks and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his necks (Genesis 45:14).

He gave changes of garments to them all, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of garments (Genesis 45:22).

[6] From all this it is evident that Joseph and Benjamin were most closely conjoined, not because they were of one mother, but because by them is represented the spiritual conjunction which exists between the good which is “Joseph” and the truth which is “Benjamin,” and because both are intermediate between the celestial and the spiritual man. For this reason Joseph could not be conjoined with his brethren, nor with his father, except by means of Benjamin, for without an intermediate no conjunction is possible, and this was the reason why Joseph did not reveal himself sooner.

[7] Moreover, by “Benjamin” in other parts of the Word, especially the prophetic, is signified the spiritual truth which is of the church, as in the prophecy of Moses concerning the sons of Israel:

To Benjamin he said, The beloved of Jehovah, He shall dwell confidently upon him, covering upon him all the day, and He shall dwell between his shoulders (Deuteronomy 33:12);

“the beloved of Jehovah” is spiritual truth which is from celestial good; it is said of this good that it “dwells confidently” with that truth, “covers it the whole day,” and also “dwells between its shoulders,” for in the internal sense the “shoulders” denote all power (n. 1085), and good has all its power by means of truth (n. 3563).

[8] In Jeremiah:

Flee ye sons of Benjamin out of the midst of Jerusalem, and sounding sound with the trumpet, and take up a prophecy upon the house of the vineyard; for evil looks forth from the north, and a great shattering (Jeremiah 6:1);

“the sons of Benjamin” denote spiritual truth from the celestial; “Jerusalem” denotes the spiritual church; the “house of the vineyard,” or “Bethhaccherem,” the same; the “evil out of the north,” man’s sensuous and the derivative memory-knowledge. Again:

It shall come to pass if ye hallow the sabbath day they shall enter in from the cities of Judah, and from the circuits of Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountain, and from the south, offering burnt-offering and sacrifice, and meat-offering, and frankincense, and offering thanksgiving, unto the house of Jehovah (Jeremiah 17:24, 26).

[9] And again elsewhere:

In the cities of the mountain, in the cities of the plain, in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the circuits of Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks yet pass over beside the hands of him that numbereth them (Jeremiah 33:13);

here also the “land of Benjamin” denotes the spiritual truth of the church; for all the things of the church, from the first degree to the last, are signified by the “cities of Judah,” the “circuits of Jerusalem,” the “land of Benjamin,” the “plain,” the “mountain,” and the “south.”

[10] In Hosea:

Sound ye with the horn in Gibeah, with the trumpet in Ramah, shout ye Bethaven, after thee Benjamin, Ephraim shall become solitudes in the day of rebuke (Hos. 5:8-9);

“Gibeah,” “Ramah,” and “Bethaven” denote the things of that spiritual truth from the celestial which is “Benjamin,” for Gibeah was in Benjamin (Judges 19:14), and Ramah also (Josh. 18:25), and likewise Bethaven (Josh. 18:12); “to sound with the horn and with the trumpet,” and “to shout,” denote to announce that the intellectual of the church, which is “Ephraim,” is made desolate.

[11] In Obadiah:

The house of Jacob shall become a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, the house of Esau for stubble; and they of the south shall inherit the mountain of Esau, and those who are in the plain the Philistines; and they shall inherit the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria; and Benjamin, Gilead (Obad. 1:18-19).

That names signify things is very evident here, as in other places, for unless it is known what is signified by the “house of Jacob,” the “house of Joseph,” the “house of Esau,” the “mountain of Esau,” the “Philistines,” the “field of Ephraim,” the “field of Samaria,” “Benjamin,” and “Gilead,” and moreover what by “them of the south,” by a “house,” a “plain,” a “mountain,” and a “field,” nothing here can possibly be comprehended; nor were the things done that are here historically related. But the man who knows what each expression involves, will find heavenly arcana therein. Here also “Benjamin” is the spiritual from the celestial.

[12] In like manner these words in Zechariah:

Jehovah shall be king upon the whole earth; in that day there shall be one Jehovah, and His name one; the whole earth shall encompass as a plain from Gibeah even to Rimmon, and she shall dwell under herself thence from Benjamin’s gate even unto the place of the first gate, even unto the gate of the corners, and from the tower of Hananeel even unto the king’s wine presses (Zech. 14:9-10).

So in David:

Give ear, O Shepherd, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock, Thou that sittest upon the cherubim; before Ephraim, and Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up Thy power, and come to save us (Psalms 80:1-2).

So in the prophecy of Deborah and Barak:

Jehovah shall rule for me among the mighty; out of Ephraim whose root is in Amalek, after thee Benjamin in thy peoples, out of Machir shall come down lawgivers, and out of Zebulun they that draw the scepter of the scribe (Judges 5:13-14).

[13] In John:

I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand sealed out of every tribe of Israel; of the tribe of Zebulun were sealed twelve thousand, of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand, of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand (Revelation 7:4, 8); where by the “tribes of Israel” are signified those who are in goods and truths, and therefore in the Lord’s kingdom; for “tribes” and “twelve,” or what is the same, “twelve thousand,” are all things of love and faith, or all things of good and truth (n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913, 3926, 3939, 4060). These things are here distributed into four classes, the last of which is the twelve thousand sealed of Zebulun, and of Joseph, and of Benjamin, because by the tribe of Zebulun is signified the heavenly marriage (n. 3960, 3961), in which is heaven, thus in which are all things; “Joseph” here is the celestial of the spiritual, or the good of truth; and “Benjamin” is the truth of this good, or the spiritual of the celestial. This is the conjugial in heaven, and therefore these are named last.

[14] As Benjamin represented the spiritual of the celestial in the church, or the truth of good, which is the intermediate between celestial good and spiritual truth, therefore Jerusalem fell as an inheritance to the sons of Benjamin; for before Zion was built there, “Jerusalem” signified the church in general. (That Jerusalem fell to Benjamin may be seen in Joshua 18:28; and also in Judges 1:21)