4153. 'Laban came into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the tent of both servant-girls, and did not find them' means that within the holiness which these possessed no such truths were present. This is clear from the meaning of 'a tent' as holiness, dealt with in 414, 1102, 2145, 2152, 3210, 3312, 4128, in this case the holiness which their tents possessed since each one's tent is mentioned - Jacob's, Leah's, and the servant-girls'. The non-presence of those truths within this holiness is meant by the teraphim not being found there in those tents. In the good sense 'teraphim' means truths, see above in 4111; 'Jacob' represents the good of the natural, 'Leah' the affection for external truth, and 'the servant-girls' external affections, each of which have been dealt with already. And because the truths referred to here were not external but internal, the teraphim were not found in the tents of these persons, that is, in the holiness of any of them, but were in Rachel's tent, that is, in the holiness belonging to the affection for interior truth; for 'Rachel' represents the affection for interior truth.

3312. 'Dwelling in tents' means worship arising out of this. This is clear from the meaning of 'tents' as the holiness of love and of the worship arising out of this, 414, 1102, 2145, 2152. The reason 'tents' means the holiness of the worship arising is that in most ancient times the member of the Church with whom love to the Lord and consequently holy worship existed dwelt in tents and held his holy worship there. And because the holiness of love and the resulting holiness of worship started to be represented at that period by means of tents, they were commanded to make a Tent according to the pattern shown to Moses on Mount Sinai and to establish their Divine worship there. This was also the origin of the Feast of Tabernacles when they had to dwell in tents, which they were required to do so as to represent the holy worship which existed with the member of the celestial Church. From this it is evident that 'dwelling in tents' means worship.