9863. 'And you shall adorn it with settings of stones' means the actual truths in their proper order, all springing from the one same good. This is clear from the meaning of the breastplate, to which 'it' refers here, as Divine Truth shining forth from the Lord's Divine Good, dealt with in 9823; from the meaning of 'settings of stones' as truths in their proper order. For the breastplate was adorned with stones in accord with the names of the sons of Israel, and in a general sense truths on the lowest level of order are meant by 'stones', 114, 643, 1298, 3720, 6426, 8609, and truths shining forth from good by 'precious stones' such as those in the breastplate, 9476. The expression 'springing from the one same good' is used because there is just one good that all the truths spring from. This good is the good of love within the Lord, thus is the Lord Himself, and is consequently the good of love from the Lord, which is the good of love to the Lord. For the good which flows in from the Lord and resides with man, spirit, or angel, has all the appearance of being theirs; and so it is that love to the Lord is love received from the Lord. This good is the one and only good from which all the truths spring, and from which the order among them begins; for the truths are outward forms of the good.

[2] The fact that the precious stones in the breastplate meant Divine Truths springing from Divine Good is clear from places in the Word where precious stones are mentioned, such as in John's Revelation,

The foundations of the wall of the city, the new Jerusalem, were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. Revelation 21:19-20.

These precious stones mean the Church's truths, which are God's truths. This is clear from the meaning of 'the city, the new Jerusalem', 'the wall of it', and 'the foundations of the wall'. 'The new Jerusalem' means a new Church which will take the place of the one that is ours at the present day; for the Book of Revelation deals with the state of the Church that exists now, through to its end, and then with a new Church, which is the holy Jerusalem coming down out of heaven. 'The wall of it' means the truths of faith that serve to defend it, and 'the foundations' truths that spring from good. Those actual truths in their proper order are specified by the precious stones mentioned by name there. Anyone may see that no Jerusalem is going to come down out of heaven or that anything else mentioned there is literally going to take place, but that this description in every detail means such things as have to do with the Church. The fact that the truths of faith are meant by the foundations of its wall is clear from the consideration that they are the things which guard the Church from every attack, as walls do a city.

'Jerusalem' is the Church, see 2117, 9166.

'Walls' are the truths of faith guarding the Church, 6419.

'Foundations' are truths springing from good, 9643.

[3] In Ezekiel,

Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty, you were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering - ruby, topaz, and diamond; tarshish, shoham, and jasper; sapphire, chrysoprase, and carbuncle - and gold. You were on the mountain of the holiness of God, you walked in the midst of stones of fire. Ezekiel 28:12-14.

Here also precious stones mean truths springing from good. For 'Tyre' in the representative internal sense is one who has intelligence and wisdom arising from cognitions or knowledge of goodness and truth, 1201. This is why its king is said to be 'full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty'. 'Wisdom' has regard to good, and 'beauty' to truth; for all wisdom in heaven is derived from good, and all beauty there is derived from truths springing from good. 'The garden of Eden' means intelligence composed of good, 100, 'garden' meaning real intelligence, 100, 108, 2702. From this it is evident that the stones there mentioned by name mean truths springing from good.

[4] But precisely which truths springing from good are meant by each of the stones in the breastplate will be clear from what is to follow. The fact that they mean all truths and forms of good in their entirety is clear from the following considerations: They were twelve and had the names of the sons of Israel or the tribes inscribed on them, the forms of good and the truths of heaven and the Church in their entirety being meant by the twelve tribes, 3858, 3926, 3939, 4060, 6335, 6337, 6397; they therefore meant heaven and all the communities there, 7836, 7891, 7996, 7997; the meaning of them varied, depending on the order in which they are mentioned in the Word, 3862, 3926, 3939, 4303, 6337, 6640; and 'twelve' means all, 3272, 3858, 7973.

9643. 'And forty bases of silver' means complete support received through truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'forty' as completeness, dealt with in 9437; from the meaning of 'bases' as support, since bases serve as supports; and from the meaning of 'silver' as truth, dealt with in 1551, 2954, 5658, 6112, 6914, 6917, 7999. The bases were made from silver and the boards overlaid with gold because good is meant by 'the boards', 9634, and truth by 'the bases', and good possesses power and on this account lends support through truth. As regards good, that it possesses power through truth, see 6344, 6423, 9327, 9410, and that 'gold' means good and 'silver' truth, 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 8932, 9490, 9510. Good possesses power through truth because truth gives shape to good, which means that good also possesses specific quality; for outward shape exists where specific quality does so. The good can then be a real influence among things, in one way or another. So it is that the ability resides potentially in good, but that this cannot be exercised except through truth. Ability so exercised is actual power, consequently power that provides support.

[2] Bases also correspond to a person's feet and soles of the feet; in general they correspond to the bones, which lend support to all the fleshy parts in the body. By the feet and likewise the bones truth that provides support is meant, and by the fleshy parts in the body good which supports itself by means of truth.

All things on the natural level resemble the human form, and carry the same meaning as the parts of it they resemble, see 9496.

'Flesh' means good, 3813, 6968, 7850, 9127.

'Feet' means the natural, thus truth that has power from good within it, 5327, 5328.

'Body' means good, 6135.

'Bones' means truth that provides support, 3812 (end), 8005.

[3] So it is also that by 'foundations', which are a general base, the truth of faith and faith itself are meant, as becomes clear from places in the Word where 'foundations' are mentioned, for example in Isaiah,

Do you not know, do you not hear, do you not understand the foundations of the earth? Isaiah 40:21.

A person unacquainted with what 'the foundations' and what 'the earth' mean inevitably takes 'the foundations of the earth' here to denote the inner depths of the planet, even though he may realize, if he stops to think about it, that something other than them is meant; for what meaning can knowing, hearing, and understanding the foundations of the earth have? From this it becomes clear that by 'the foundations of the earth' such things as have to do with the Church are meant. The fact that 'the earth' in the Word means the Church is plainly evident from places in the Word where 'the earth' is mentioned, see those quoted in 9325. And the fact that its foundations are the truths of faith, for these truths serve the Church as foundations, becomes clearer still from the following places: In David,

They do not acknowledge, neither do they understand; they walk in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are unstable. Psalms 82:5.

It is not the foundations of the earth that are unstable but, as is self-evident, it is the truths of the Church with those who neither acknowledge nor understand them and walk in darkness. In the same author,

The earth quaked and trembled, and the foundations of the mountains shook and quaked. Psalms 18:7.

'The mountains' are forms of the good of love, 795, 4210, 6435, 8327, their 'foundations' are the truths of faith. In Isaiah,

The floodgates from on high have been opened, and the foundations of the earth have been shaken. Isaiah 24:18.

Since 'the foundations' means the truth of faith, and 'city' doctrine based on it, therefore also the Word speaks of 'the foundations of the city' when the truth of doctrine is meant. For the meaning of 'city' as doctrinal teachings based on truth, see 402, 2449, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493.

[4] This goes to show what the meaning is of 'the foundations of the city, the holy Jerusalem' in John,

The wall of the city, the holy Jerusalem, had twelve foundations, and on them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of precious stone. Revelation 21:14, 19-20.

A person unacquainted with what 'the holy Jerusalem', 'the city', 'the wall', 'the foundations', and 'the twelve apostles' mean cannot see any arcanum at all that lies within this description. Nevertheless 'the holy Jerusalem' means the Lord's New Church which will take the place of the one that is ours at the present day; ¹ 'the city' doctrinal teachings; 'the wall' the truth protecting and defending, and 'its foundations' the truths of faith; and 'the twelve apostles' all forms of the good of love and the truths of faith in their entirety. From this it becomes clear why it says that there will be twelve foundations, adorned with every kind of precious stone; for 'precious stone' means the truth of faith springing from the good of love, 114, 3858, 6640, 9476, and 'the twelve apostles' all aspects of love and faith in their entirety, 3488, 3858 (end), 6397.

[5] From all this it is evident what is meant by 'the foundations' in those verses in John and also by 'the foundations' in Isaiah,

Behold, I am arranging your stones with antimony, and will lay your foundations in sapphires. Isaiah 54:11.

'Sapphires' are interior truths, 9407. In the same prophet,

Jehovah will strike Asshur with a rod. At that time every stroke ² will be that of the rod of the foundation on which Jehovah will cause [him] to rest. Isaiah 30:31-32.

'The rod of the foundation' is the power of truth. For the meaning of 'the rod' as power, see 4013, 4015, 4876, 4936, 6947, 7011, 7026. And in Jeremiah,

They shall not take from you a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations. Jeremiah 51:26.

'A stone for foundations' stands for the truths of faith.

[6] In Job,

Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. ³ Who determined the measures of it, if you know? Onto what [were] its bases [fastened]? Or who laid its corner-stone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God bellowed? Job 38:4-7.

A person unacquainted with what 'the earth', 'its measures', and 'its bases' mean in the internal sense, and also what 'corner-stone', 'morning stars', and 'the sons of God' mean, sees no arcanum at all in this description. He will suppose that the actual earth, and also the foundations, measures, bases, and corner-stone of it are what is meant. Nor will he have any idea at all of what is meant by 'the morning stars sang' and 'the sons of God bellowed'. But a person will pass from darkness to light if he knows that 'the earth' is the Church, 'its foundations' are the truth of faith, 'its measures' the state of good and truth, 'its bases' the actual truths that provide support, 'the corner-stone' the power of truth, 'the morning stars' cognitions or knowledge of good and of truth springing from good, and 'the sons of God' God's truths. These sons are said 'to bellow' when they come into existence, those stars 'to sing' when they rise.

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