10176. THE INTERNAL SENSE.
Verses 1-10. And thou shalt make an altar for the burning of incense; of shittim wood shalt thou make it. A cubit the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; four square shall it be; and two cubits the height thereof; out of it shall be its horns. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, its roof and its walls round about, and its horns; and thou shalt make for it a border of gold round about. And thou shalt make for it two rings of gold from under its border, upon its two ribs; upon its two sides shalt thou make them; and it shall be for receptacles for the staves, to carry it in them. And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and shalt overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put it before the veil that is over the ark of the Testimony, before the propitiatory that is over the Testimony, whither I will come to meet thee. And Aaron shall burn thereon incense of spices morning by morning, in dressing the lamps he shall burn it. And when Aaron maketh the lamps to go up between the evenings, he shall burn it, a continual incense before Jehovah to your generations. Ye shall not make strange incense go up upon it, nor a burnt-offering, nor a meat-offering; and ye shall pour no drink-offering upon it. And Aaron shall make expiation upon the horns of it once in the year, from the blood of the sin-offering of expiations; once in the year he shall make expiation upon it to your generations; a Holy of holies is this to Jehovah. "And thou shalt make an altar for the burning of incense" signifies a representative of the grateful hearing and reception by the Lord of all things of worship which are from love and charity; "of shittim wood shalt thou make it" signifies from love Divine; "a cubit the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof" signifies equally from good and from truth; "foursquare shall it be" signifies thus perfect; "and two cubits the height thereof" signifies the degrees of good and of truth, and their conjunction; "out of it shall be its horns" signifies the powers of truth from the good of love and of charity; "and thou shalt overlay it with pure gold" signifies a representative of all things of worship from good; "its roof" signifies the inmost; "and its walls round about" signifies the interiors; "and its horns" signifies the exteriors; "and thou shalt make for it a border of gold round about" signifies a bounding from good lest they be approached and injured by evils; "and thou shalt make for it two rings of gold from under its border" signifies the sphere of Divine good, through which are conjunction and preservation; "upon its two ribs" signifies with truths on the one side; "upon its two sides shalt thou make them" signifies with good on the other side; "and it shall be for receptacles for the staves" signifies the power of truth from good there; "to carry it in them" signifies its consequent preservation in its state; "and thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood" signifies power from the good of the Lord's love; "and shalt overlay them with gold" signifies the foundation of all things upon good; "and shalt put it before the veil that is over the ark of the Testimony" signifies in the interior heaven where it is conjoined with the inmost heaven; "before the propitiatory that is over the Testimony" signifies where there is the hearing and reception by the Lord of all things of worship from the good of love; "whither I will come to meet thee" signifies in this way the presence and influx of the Lord; "and Aaron shall burn thereon" signifies the uplifting by the Lord of worship from love and charity; "incense of spices" signifies grateful hearing and reception; "morning by morning" signifies when the state of love is in clearness; "in dressing the lamps he shall burn it" signifies when truth also comes into its light; "and when Aaron maketh the lamps to go up between the evenings, he shall burn it" signifies an uplifting also in an obscure state of love when truth also is in its shade; "a continual incense before Jehovah" signifies in all worship from love from the Lord; "to your generations" signifies to eternity with those who are in faith from love; "ye shall not make strange incense go up upon it" signifies no worship from any other love than the love of the Lord; "nor a burnt-offering, nor a meat-offering" signifies no representative there of regeneration through the truths and goods of celestial love; "and ye shall pour no drink-offering upon it" signifies no representative there of regeneration through the truths and goods of spiritual love; "and Aaron shall make expiation upon the horns of it" signifies purification from evils through the truths of faith which are from the good of love; "once in the year" signifies perpetually; "from the blood of the sin-offering of expiations" signifies through the truths which are from the good of innocence; "once in the year he shall make expiation upon it" signifies the perpetual removal of evils; "to your generations" signifies those of the church who are in the truths and goods of faith; "a Holy of holies is this to Jehovah" signifies because from the Divine celestial.