9471. And skins of red rams, and badgers' skins.* That this signifies the external truths and goods by which they are held together, is evident from the signification of "skins," as being external things (see n. 3540); from the signification of "rams," as being spiritual things which are of truth (n. 2830, 4170); from the signification of "red" as being good (n. 3300); thus "skins of red rams" denote the external truths that are from good; and from the signification of "badgers," as being goods. That "badgers" have this signification is evident from the fact that in the Word, where truth is spoken of, good also is spoken of, by reason of the heavenly marriage of truth and good (see n. 9263, 9314). Consequently as "skins of red rams" signify external truths which are from good, "badgers' skins" signify the goods themselves. The reason why they denote the truths and goods by which [internal truths and goods] are held together, is that all external things keep internal things together, as is also here evident from the use of these skins, in that they served for coverings; the skins of badgers, for coverings over things more holy than the skins of rams (Exod. 26:14; Num. 4:6, 8, 10-12, 14).
* Latin, pelles melium. "Badgers" is the usual rendering of meles. But in Adversaria, Exodus, n. 1297, Swedenborg says that these meles are mares haedorum, "the males of kids," which would agree with what is here said of them. It is difficult to believe that a badger has a higher signification than a ram. [Reviser]