9534. 'And you shall make for it a rail of a hand's breadth round about' means the joining there to truth from the Divine. This is clear from the meaning of 'a rail', since this lay outside the rim, as the outermost part of the border, and so the joining to truth from the Divine. None can know that this is what 'a rail' means unless they know about the sphere of good from the Lord which surrounds and thereby protects heaven, and about the extension of and border to it. Regarding the sphere of Divine Good which surrounds heaven and all the communities in heaven and thereby protects them from the intrusion of evils from hell, see above in 9490, 9492, 9498.

[2] This Divine sphere extends even into the hells and also guards them. So it is that the Lord reigns in the hells also, yet with this difference, that the Divine sphere which surrounds and protects heaven is the sphere of Divine Truth joined to Divine Good, whereas that which guards hell is the sphere of Divine Truth separated from Divine Good. The reason why the latter sphere exists in hell is that all in that place reject Divine Good, and reject the Lord's mercy. Such a sphere reigns in outward form in hell; but still the sphere of Divine Truth joined to Divine Good does so in inward form. By means of it those in hell are guarded, so that none does excessive harm to another.

[3] From all this it is evident that the sphere of Divine Good in outward form comes to an end where heaven does so, and the sphere of Divine Truth separated from Divine Good begins where hell begins, and in the gap between there is a joining together, meant by 'the rail of a hand's breadth round about'.

113. Nothing is more common in the Word than for the good that belongs to wisdom or else to love to be meant and represented by 'gold'. All the gold of the Ark, the Temple, the golden table, ¹ the lampstands, the vessels, and on Aaron's vestments, meant and represented good that belongs to wisdom or else to love. Similarly in the Prophets, as in Ezekiel,

In your wisdom and in your intelligence have made wealth for yourself, and you have made gold and silver in your treasures. Ezekiel 28:4.

Here it is plainly stated that gold and silver, or good and truth, are the products of wisdom and intelligence, for 'silver' here means truth, as also does the silver of the Tabernacle ² and the Temple. In Isaiah,

A multitude of camels will cover you, dromedaries of Midian and Ephah, all those from Sheba will come. They will bring gold and frankincense, and will proclaim the praises of Jehovah. Isaiah 60:6.

So too the wise men from the east who came to Jesus after His birth,

And they fell down and worshipped Him, and they opened their treasures, and offered Him gifts - gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:1, 11.

Here also 'gold' means good, 'frankincense and myrrh' those things that are pleasing, because they derive from love and faith, and are consequently called 'the praises of Jehovah'. 'Gold' is for the same reason mentioned in David,

He will live, and He will give to him from the gold of Sheba, and will pray for him continually, and bless him every day. Psalms 72:15.

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