6537. 'And they came to the threshing-floor of Atad' means the initial state. This is clear from the meaning of 'the threshing-floor' as the place where the good of truth exists, for what lies on a threshing-floor is grain, and by 'grain' is meant good which is derived from truth, 5295, 5410, and also the truth of good, 5959; and from the meaning of 'Atad' as the essential nature of that state, just like place-names in other parts of the Word. The reason why 'the threshing-floor of Atad' means that state - the state leading to goodness and truth existing within the Church - is that it was at the crossing of the Jordan, and by that crossing is meant introduction into cognitions of good and truth, dealt with in the next paragraph. For the Jordan served as the frontier leading into the land of Canaan; and since 'the land of Canaan' means the Church, 'the Jordan' accordingly means the initial things of the Church, that is, those through which lies entrance into the Church.

[2] Thus it is that 'the threshing-floor of Atad' means the initial state. And because the initial state was meant, the mourning took place next to a threshing-floor; for this was situated on the nearer side of the Jordan, from which position one had a view of the land of Canaan, which means the Church. The fact that 'a threshing-floor' means a place where the good of truth and the truth of good exist, thus where things of the Church exist, is clear in Joel,

Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in Jehovah your God. The threshing-floors are full of grain, and the presses overflow with new wine and oil. Joel 2:23-24.

'The children of Zion' stands for truths deriving from good, 'threshing-floors full of grain' for the fact that there is an abundance of truth and good.

[3] In Hosea,

Do not rejoice, O Israel, for you have committed whoredom under your God; you have taken delight in a harlot's reward on every threshing-floor. Threshing-floor and wine-press will not feed them, and new wine will be deceptive to her. Hosea 9:1-2.

'Committing whoredom' and 'taking delight in a harlot's reward' stands for falsifying truths and loving falsified truths; 'threshing-floors' stands for truths of good that have been falsified.

[4] Since 'a threshing-floor' meant good and also truth, they used to celebrate the feast of tabernacles at the time when they gathered in from the threshing-floor. Regarding that feast it says in Moses,

You shall celebrate the feast of tabernacles seven days, when you gather in from your threshing-floor, and from your wine-press. Deuteronomy 16:13.

The feast of tabernacles meant holy worship, thus worship springing from what was good and true, 3312, 4391.

4391. 'And made booths for his cattle' means a similar increase in good and truth at that time. This is clear from the meaning of 'cattle' as goods and truths in general, and from the meaning of 'making booths', which are tents, as something similar to what is meant by 'building a house', namely receiving an increase of good from truth. The two phrases differ in that 'building a house' means that which is less general, and so rather more internal, while 'making booths', or tents, means that which is more general, and so rather more external. The house was intended for themselves, that is to say, for Jacob, his womenfolk and children, the booths for the servants, flocks and herds. In the Word 'booths' or tents, strictly speaking, means the holiness of truth, and they are distinguished from tabernacles, which too are called tents, by the fact that the latter mean the holiness of good, 414, 1102, 2145, 2152, 4128. The word in the original language for booths is 'succoth', whereas that for tabernacles is 'ohalim'. The holiness of truth is the good which springs from truth.

[2] This meaning carried by the booths or tents called 'succoth' is further evident from the following places in the Word: In David,

Jehovah God rode on a cherub, and flew, and was borne on the wings of the wind. He made darkness His hiding-place, and His surroundings His tent - darkness of waters, clouds of the heavens. Psalms 18:10-11.

And elsewhere,

He bowed the heavens when He came down, and thick darkness was under His feet. And He rode on a cherub, and new, and was borne on the wings of the wind. And He made tents of darkness around Him, clusters of water, clouds of the heavens. 2 Samuel 22:10-12.

This refers to Divine revelation, or the Word. 'Bowing the heavens when He came down' stands for hiding the interior truths of the Word. 'Thick darkness under His feet' stands for the fact that compared with interior truths, those visible to man are like darkness, the literal sense of the Word being of such a nature. 'Riding on a cherub' stands for the fact that it was provided in this way. 'Making tents of the darkness around Him' or 'making His surroundings His tent' stands for the holiness of truth concealed in its hiding-place, that is to say, inwardly - within the literal sense. 'Clusters of waters and clouds of the heavens' means the Word in the letter. Regarding 'clouds of the heavens' meaning the Word in the letter, see Preface to Chapter 18 of Genesis, and 4060.

[3] The same is meant by the following in Isaiah,

Jehovah will create over every habitation of mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a covering. And there will be a tent for shade by day, and for a refuge and hiding-place from deluge and rain. Isaiah 4:5-6.

Here again 'cloud' means the literal sense of the Word and 'the glory' the internal sense, as they do in Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27. Again also 'a tent' stands for the holiness of truth. Interior truths are said to be in a hiding-place for the reason that if they had been revealed they would have been made profane, see 3398, 3399, 4289, a point that is also expressed in the following words in David,

In the hiding-place of Your face You conceal them from the treacherous plans of man; You hide them in a tent from the strife of tongues. Psalms 31:20.

[4] The fact that 'a tent' means the holiness of truth is also evident in Amos,

On that day I will raise up the tent of David that is fallen down, and I will close up the breaches, and I will raise up its destroyed places, and I will build it as in the days of old. Amos 9:11.

'Raising up the tent of David that is fallen down' stands for reestablishing the holiness of truth after it has perished. 'David' stands for the Lord as regards Divine Truth, 1888, since 'a king' means Divine Truth, 2015, 2069, 3009. Because 'tent' meant the holiness of truth and 'dwelling in tents' means worship that was the product of this, the feast of tents, called the feast of tabernacles, was established in the Jewish and Israelitish Church, Leviticus 23:34, 42-43; Deuteronomy 16:13, 16, where also that feast is called the feast of succoth, or of tents.