10344. 'And the altar of burnt offering and all its vessels' means that which is representative of worship springing from the good of love and its truths. This is clear from the meaning of 'the altar of burnt offering' as that which is representative of the Lord and of worship of Him that springs from the good of love, dealt with in 9714, 9964, 10123, 10151, 10242, 10245; and from the meaning of 'its vessels' as the truths which serve that good, dealt with in 9723, 9724.

9724. 'And shovels, and basins, and its forks, and its tongs' means known facts that act as containers and serve every purpose. This is clear from the meaning of vessels generally as the items of knowledge or known facts that the external memory possesses, dealt with in 3068, 3069, and - in regard to things of a holy nature - as the cognitions of good and truth which serve as means by which to worship the Lord, 9544. Such also is what the vessels for ministry around the altar mean. But each particular vessel there means the known facts that relate to some specific purpose, so that all the vessels there mean the known facts that serve every purpose.