9881. 'From pure gold' means through celestial good. This is clear from the meaning of 'gold' as the good of love, dealt with in 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 8932, 9490, 9510; and since the words 'pure gold' are used celestial good is what is meant. For there is celestial good and there is spiritual good, both of which may be internal or external, celestial good being the good of love to the Lord, and spiritual good the good of love towards the neighbour. In the Word all those kinds of good are called 'gold'. But they are distinguished from one another by being called gold 'from Uphaz', 'from Ophir', 'from Sheba' and 'Havillah', and also 'from Tarshish' - gold from Uphaz in Jeremiah 10:9; Daniel 10:5, by which celestial good is meant; gold from Ophir in Isaiah 13:12; Psalms 45:9; Job 22:24; 28:16, by which spiritual good is meant; gold from Sheba in Isaiah 60:6; Ezekiel 27:22; Psalms 72:15, by which good on the level of religious knowledge is meant, as it is by gold from Havillah in Genesis 2:11-12; and also silver and gold from Tarshish, in Isaiah 60:9, by which truth and good on the level of factual knowledge are meant.

9490. 'And you shall overlay it with pure gold' means that all those aspects must be founded on good. This is clear from the meaning of 'overlaying' - when the subject is heaven, meant by 'the ark' - as founding on, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'gold' as good, dealt with in 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917. The reason why 'overlaying' means founding on is that good emanating from the Lord as the Sun (for the heat from that Sun is the good of love) surrounds heaven not merely as a general whole but also every heavenly community within heaven specifically, and each angel individually too, and thereby protects them from the intrusion of evil from hell. That which surrounds in heaven serves to stabilize it; for heaven rests against it like a house on its foundation and like the surfaces of the body against the lower and upper layers of air bearing down around them. For that which surrounds also bounds, confines, and contains, and in so doing supports and sustains. From all this it is evident that 'overlaying' means founding on, and 'overlaying with gold' founding on good.