9206. 'And your wives will become widows' means that forms of good with them will perish. This is clear from the meaning of 'wives' (mulier) as forms of good, dealt with in 6014, 8337, the reason why they mean forms of good being that the marriage of a man (vir) and a woman (mulier) represents truth and good joined together ('a man' means truth, and 'a woman' good, see 4510, 4823); and from the meaning of 'widows' as those who have good but not truths, and still have a desire for truths, 9198. But those who have no desire for truths are meant here, since the evil who afflict widows are the subject. So it is that 'widows' is used here to mean those with whom forms of good perish.

[2] The situation is that the good of people who have good but no desire for truth is not real good, because truths are what make good real good. For good receives its specific quality from truths, see 9154. Good joined to truth is what is meant by spiritual good; therefore when truth perishes with a person, so too does good, and conversely when good perishes, so too does truth. For the bond between them is severed and dissolved, see 3804, 4149, 4301, 4302, 5835, 6917, 7835, 8349, 8356. Consequently good is recognized from this, that it has a desire and an affection for truth for the sake of good and useful service, thus for life's sake. Regarded in itself, the actual desire or affection for truth for life's sake is an affection for being joined to it. It is like food or bread that desires water or wine for the sake of combining with it; for combined with each other they provide nourishment. It is also like heat and light. Light combined with heat causes all things on the planet to spring forth and grow up; but if the combination is dissolved that which has sprung forth and grown up dies.

[3] As it is with good, so it is with all delight, pleasantness, sweetness, agreement, and harmony; these joys are such not of themselves but by virtue of the things they hold within them. Good and truth joined together make them such and determine their specific character. But what it is within them that has connection with good and what with truth is something that people who have understanding may recognize if they ponder on the matter; for everything whatever in the world, and everything whatever in heaven, thus in the whole of creation, has connection with good and with truth. Everything that has sprung forth from them has connection with both at the same time, thus with both joined together. This explains why all things were likened by the ancients to marriages, see 54, 55, 1432, 5194, 7022, and why every detail of the Word has the marriage of goodness and truth within it, 683, 793, 801, 2516, 2712, 4138 (end), 5138, 5502, 6343, 7945, 8339 (end).

55. Verse 28 And God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, ¹ and over every living thing that creeps upon the earth.

Because the most ancient people applied the term Marriage to understanding and will, or faith and love, when joined together, they gave the name Fruitfulness to any good resulting from that marriage, and Multiplication to any truth. For this reason similar expressions occur in the Prophets, as in Ezekiel,

I will multiply upon you man and beast, and they will multiply and be fruitful, and I will resettle you ² to be as in your ancient times, and I will bless you more than in your former times, and you will know that I am Jehovah, and I will cause man to walk upon you, even My people Israel. Ezekiel 36:8-11.

Here 'man' is used to mean the spiritual man, who is also called Israel, 'ancient times' the Most Ancient Church, 'former times' the Ancient Church which came after the Flood. The reason why 'multiplying', which relates to truth, comes first and why 'being fruitful', which relates to good, follows is that the subject is the person who is to be regenerated, not one who has been regenerated.

[2] When the understanding is coupled to the will, or faith to love, the individual is called by the Lord in Isaiah 'a married land',

Your land will no more be called Desolate, but you will be named My-good-pleasure-is-in-her, and your land, Married; for Jehovah will take His pleasure in you, and your land will be married. Isaiah 62:4.

The resulting fruits which are matters of truth are called 'sons', and the fruits which are matters of good are called 'daughters'. This recurs very frequently in the Word.

[3] The earth is 'being filled' when there are many goods and truths, for when the Lord is 'blessing' and 'saying' - that is, when He is at work - the increase of good and truth is limitless, as the Lord says,

The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is indeed the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of all plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air ³ come and nest in its branches. Matthew 13:31-32.

'A grain of mustard seed' is the good a person has before he becomes spiritual. It is 'the smallest of all seeds' because he imagines that he himself is the source of the good he does. In reality what he does of himself is nothing but evil, yet because he is in a state of being regenerated there is some element of good, though it is quite 'the smallest of all'. Later on when faith is being joined to love it grows larger and becomes 'a plant'. Once it has finally been joined to love it develops into a tree, and at that point 'the birds of the air, ³ which here are truths or intellectual concepts, 'nest in its branches', which are facts.

[4] A person is involved in conflict not only when becoming spiritual, but also when he is spiritual. Hence the statement, 'Subdue the earth, and have dominion over it'.

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