349. Sealed out of every tribe* of Israel signifies the Lord's heaven and church from them. By a "tribe" is signified religion as to the good of life, and by "every tribe" is signified the church as to every good of love and as to every truth from that good, from which is the good of life; for there are two things which make the church, the good of love and the truth of doctrine; the marriage of these is the church. The twelve tribes of Israel represented, and thence signified the church as to that marriage, and each tribe some universal truth of good or good of truth therein. But what each tribe signifies has not hitherto been revealed to anyone, nor could it be revealed, lest, by an ill-connected explanation, the sanctity which lies concealed in their several conjunctions into one, should be profaned, for their signification is determined by their conjunction. [2] They have one signification in the series in which they are named according to their nativities (Genesis 29; 30; 35:18); where the series of them is as follows:
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulon, Joseph, Benjamin (Gen.35:23-26). They have another signification in the series in which they are mentioned when they came to Egypt, which is as follows:
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon, Gad, Asher, Joseph, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali (Gen. 46:8-24). Another, in the series in which they are blessed by their father Israel, which is this:
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulon Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, Benjamin (Gen. 49). Another, in the series in which they are blessed by Moses, which is:
Reuben, Judah, Levi, Benjamin, Joseph, Ephraim, Manasseh, Zebulon, Gad, Dan, Naphtali, Asher (Deut. 33). Here Ephraim and Manasseh are mentioned, and not Simeon and Issachar. [3] Another, in the series in which they encamped and journeyed, which was this:
The tribe of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulon to the east; the tribe of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad to the south; the tribe of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin to the west; the tribe of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali to the north; and the tribe of Levi in the middle (Num. 2:1 to the end). Another, in the series in which they are mentioned in other places; as Genesis 35:23-26; Num. 1:5-16; 7:1 to the end; 13:4-15; 26:5-57; 34:17-28; Deut. 27:2, 13; Josh. 15-19; Ezekiel 48:1 to the end. So, therefore, when "Balaam saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes," he said:
How good are thy tabernacles, O Jacob, and thy habitations, O Israel (Num. 24:1-4 seq.). [4] In the breastplate of judgment, which was the Urim and Thummim, wherein were twelve precious stones, according to the names of the sons of Israel (Exod. 28:15-21), the signification of the tribes in their series was determined by the interrogation, to which they returned an answer. But what they signify in the series in which they are here mentioned in Revelation, this being different also, shall be explained presently. That "tribes" signify religion, and "the twelve tribes" the church as to all things relating to it, is, because "tribe" and "scepter," in the Hebrew language, are one word, and "the scepter" is the kingdom, and the Lord's kingdom is heaven and the church. * The original Latin omits "of the sons."
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