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.

1488. 'And his house' means which He had gathered together. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'house' here as facts that are gathered together. Gathering facts together and by means of them raising and building up the external man is not unlike building a house, and therefore similar ideas are meant in various parts of the Word by 'building', and by 'building houses', as in Isaiah,

I am creating new heavens and a new earth. They will build houses and inhabit them; and they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They will not build and another inhabit. Isaiah 65:17, 21-22.

Here 'houses' means where there are wisdom and intelligence, thus where there are the cognitions of good and truth, for the Lord's kingdom is the subject, that is, 'new heavens and a new earth'. In Jeremiah,

Build houses and inhabit them; and plant gardens and eat their fruit. Jeremiah 29:5.

Here the meaning is similar. In David,

Blessed is the man who fears Jehovah, who delights greatly in His commandments! Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness stands for ever. Psalms 112:1, 3.

Here 'wealth and riches' stands for the wealth and riches of wisdom and intelligence, thus for cognitions, which are 'in his house', that is, residing with him.

[2] 'House' is also used in the contrary sense: in Zephaniah,

I will visit those who say in their hearts, Jehovah has not done good nor has He done evil; and their wealth will be for plunder, and their houses for desolation, and they will build houses and not inhabit them, and they will plant vineyards and not drink [their] wine. Zephaniah 1:12-13.

In Haggai,

Go up into the mountain and bring wood and build the house. You looked for much, and behold it was little; and when you brought it home ¹ I blew it away. For what reason? said Jehovah. Because of My house which has been left derelict while you run each to his own house. Therefore above you the heavens have withheld their dew. Haggai 1:8-10.

'Houses' stands for facts through which, by means of reasoning, falsities come. In Isaiah,

The vineyard of Jehovah is the house of Israel. ² Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field until there is no room and you dwell alone in the midst of the land! Will not many houses be a desolation, large and good ones, without inhabitant? Isaiah 5:7-9.

Here also 'houses' stands for facts through which come falsities. In Amos,

Behold, Jehovah commands, and He will smite the great house with breaches and the little house with clefts. Will horses run upon the rock? Will one plough there with oxen? that you turn judgement into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood. Amos 6:11-12.

Here similarly 'houses' stands for falsities and derivative evils, 'horses' for reasoning, 'judgement' for truths which are 'turned into poison', and 'the fruits of righteousness' for goods which are 'turned into wormwood'.

[3] Thus in various parts of the Word 'houses' stands for human minds in which intelligence and wisdom ought to be present. Here 'the house of Pharaoh' stands for facts by means of which comes intelligence and by means of this wisdom. Similar things were also meant by 'the house which Solomon built for Pharaoh's daughter', 1 Kings 7:8 and following verses. Because 'a house' stands for minds that have intelligence and wisdom within them, and that have within them affections that belong to the will, therefore the word 'house' in the Word has a wide range of meaning, but what it means in a specific instance becomes clear from the things to which it has reference. In addition man himself is called 'a house'.

Фусноте: