10335. 'And I, behold, I have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, belonging to the tribe of Dan' means those in whom the good and truth of faith are present, among whom the Church is to be established. This is clear from the representation of 'Aholiab' as those in whom the good and truth of faith are present. The reason why these are represented by Aholiab is that he was from the tribe of Dan, and that tribe means those in whom the good and truth of faith are present, see 3923, 6396. And the reason why these two - Bezalel from the tribe of Judah, and Aholiab from the tribe of Dan - were chosen to carry out the work, by which Divine celestial and spiritual realities would be represented, was that by Bezalel all those in whom the good of love is present should be understood, and by Aholiab all those in whom the good and truth of faith are present. Thus those who are in the inmost parts of heaven and the Church should be understood by Bezalel, and those who are in the last and lowest parts of them by Aholiab. And when they who are inmost and those who are last and lowest are referred to by name, all who are within the whole of heaven and within the whole of the Church should be understood. For this matter, see above in 10329; and when reference is made to what is first and what is last all things should be understood, 10044.

[2] The tribe of Judah was also in reality the first of the tribes, and the tribe of Dan the last of them. The fact that the tribe of Judah was in reality the first of the tribes is clear from father Israel's blessing of his sons in Genesis 49, where Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, who were the firstborn, are cursed, and Judah is blessed. See regarding Reuben there, verses 3, 4; regarding Simeon and Levi, verses 5-7; and regarding Judah, verses 8-12. And the fact that Dan was the last of the tribes, see 1710, 3923, 6396. The inmost heaven furthermore is inhabited by those in whom the good of love to the Lord exists, and the lowest by those in whom the truth of faith springing from good is present. The expression 'in whom the truth of faith springing from good is present' is used because the truth of faith is not the truth of faith present in a person unless it springs from good; for truth is born from good. Therefore unless good resides within truth there is no soul and so no life within it. Those in whom the truths of faith springing from good are present inhabit the lowest parts of heaven, but not those in whom the truths of faith are devoid of good; the latter do not inhabit heaven. Since the truth of faith acts as a servant to the good of love, as what is last does to what is first, it says of Aholiab that Jehovah appointed him to be with Bezalel, that is, to be his assistant; and of Bezalel it says that Jehovah filled him with the spirit of God in wisdom, and in intelligence, and in knowledge, and in all [manner of] work, verse 3.

627. 'For all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth ¹ ' means that man's bodily-mindedness destroyed all understanding of truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'flesh', dealt with already at verse 3, as in general the whole of mankind, and in particular the bodily-minded man, or everything of a bodily nature; and from the meaning of 'way' as the understanding of truth, or truth itself. The fact that 'way' has reference to the understanding of truth, or to truth itself, becomes clear from the examples already quoted in several places as well as from the following,

Jehovah said, Get up, go down quickly from here, for your people have corrupted themselves. They have suddenly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have cast for themselves a metal image. Deuteronomy 9:11, 16.

This means that they forsook His commandments, which are truths.

[2] In Jeremiah,

Whose eyes have been opened upon all the ways of the sons of man, giving to every man (vir) according to his ways and according to the fruit of his works. Jeremiah 32:19.

'Ways' means life according to the commandments, 'fruit of his works' life based on charity. 'Way' accordingly has reference to truths, which comprise commandments and ordinances, and so do 'son of man' and 'man' (vir), as shown above. Jeremiah 7:3; 17:10, also contain similar usages.

In Hosea,

I will visit upon him his ways, and require him for his works. Hosea 4:9.

In Zechariah,

Return from your evil ways and from your evil works. As Jehovah Zebaoth thought to deal with us for our ways and for our works. Zechariah 1:4, 6.

Similar phrases appear here, yet they are the contrary in meaning to those mentioned before them, since they are 'evil ways' and 'evil works'.

In Jeremiah,

I will give them one heart and one way. Jeremiah 32:39.

'Heart' stands for goods, 'way' for truths. In David,

Make me understand the way of Your commandments. Take from me the way of untruth, and graciously grant me Your law. I have chosen the way of truth. I will run in the way of Your precepts. Psalms 119:26-27, 29-30, 32, 35.

Here 'the way of the commandments and precepts' is called 'the way of truth', and the contrary of this, 'the way of untruth'.

[3] In the same author,

Make Your ways known to me, O Jehovah, teach me Your paths, guide my way in Your truth, and teach me. Psalms 25:4-5.

This in like manner plainly stands for the truth. In Isaiah,

With whom did Jehovah consult, and he instructed Him, and taught Him the path of judgement, and taught Him knowledge, and made Him know the way of understanding? Isaiah 40:14.

This plainly stands for an understanding of truth. In Jeremiah,

Thus said Jehovah, Stand upon the highways and look, and ask concerning the paths of old, which is the good way, and go in it. Jeremiah 6:16.

This in like manner stands for an understanding of truth. In Isaiah,

I will lead the blind in a way they do not know; and in paths they do not know I will guide them. Isaiah 42:16.

The expressions way, by-path, pathway, road, and street all have reference to truths because they lead to what is true, as also in Jeremiah,

They have caused them to stumble in their ways, in the pathways of old, going into by-paths and not the highway. Jeremiah 18:15.

Similarly in the Book of Judges,

In the days of Jael pathways ceased to be. And those who went along the paths kept to twisting pathways; the streets in Israel ceased to be. Judges 5:6-7.

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