113. Nothing is more common in the Word than for gold to symbolize and represent the goodness that belongs to wisdom or to love. All the gold used for the ark, the Temple, the golden table, the lampstands, the utensils, and Aaron's garments had this symbolism and representation. 1
The prophets use gold in a similar way. In Ezekiel, for instance:
In your wisdom and in your understanding you made yourself riches, and you made gold and silver for your treasuries. (Ezekiel 28:4)
This explicitly states that gold and silver (goodness and truth) come from wisdom and understanding. Silver here symbolizes truth, as does the silver in the tabernacle and the Temple. 2 In Isaiah:
A horde of camels will blanket you, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; they will all come from Sheba. Gold and frankincense they will carry, and Jehovah's praises they will proclaim. (Isaiah 60:6)
The sages from the East did the same when they came to Jesus at his birth and fell on their faces and worshiped him:
And they opened their treasure chests and offered him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:1, 11)
Here too gold symbolizes goodness. Frankincense and myrrh symbolize things that are pleasing [to the Lord], because they spring from love and faith. This is why they are called "Jehovah's praises." So in David it says:
And [the poor] will live, and [God] will give them some of Sheba's gold and pray for them continually; every day he will bless them. (Psalms 72:15)
Footnotes:
1. It is possible that "Temple" (templo) here is an error for "tabernacle" (tabernaculo), because the other items listed, and especially Aaron's garments, are more closely associated with the tabernacle than with Solomon's temple. But see note 2 in §113 as well. By the tabernacle here Swedenborg would mean specifically the main tent, or "dwelling place." For the use of gold in the tabernacle, its furniture, and Aaron's garments, see Exodus 25, 26, 28, 30. For its use in Solomon's temple, see 1 Kings 6, 7; 1 Chronicles 28, 29; 2 Chronicles 3, 4. [LHC]
2. The translation here is based on reading Tabernaculo (tabernacle) for Arca (ark), as suggested in the third Latin edition. See Exodus 26, 27 for the use of silver in the tabernacle. See 1 Chronicles 28, 29 for its use in the Temple. It is worth noting, however, that in §296 Swedenborg treats the ark as standing for the structure in which it was housed; the discussion of the ark there starts off with a description of the coverings for the dwelling place and proceeds through all the other furniture and the utensils. This may also explain the difficulty discussed in note 1 in §113 just above. A similar problem occurs in §2784. [LHC]
