352. Of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed. This symbolizes useful life endeavors, which are the exercises of wisdom springing from the aforesaid love, also in those people who will be in the New Heaven and in the Lord's New Church.

In the highest sense Gad symbolizes omnipotence; in the spiritual sense, goodness of life, which also is useful endeavor; and in the natural sense, work. Here he symbolizes useful life endeavors, because he comes after Reuben and Judah, and celestial love by means of wisdom produces useful endeavors.

There are three things that hang together and cannot be separated: love, wisdom and useful life endeavor. If one is taken away, the other two collapse. (See Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Love and Wisdom, nos. 241 297, 316.)

That Gad symbolizes useful life endeavors, called also fruits, can be seen from the derivation of his name from a word meaning a troop or accumulation (Genesis 30:10-11, Joshua 13:24-28). It can be seen, too, from his symbolism in an opposite sense (Isaiah 65:11, Jeremiah 49:1-3).

It should be known that the tribes of Israel here are all distinguished into four groups, as they were in the Urim and Thummim, and as they were in their encampment, and that each group contains three tribes, because the three go together as a unit, like love, wisdom and useful service, and like charity, faith and work. For, as we said, if one is missing, the other two have no reality.