3016. Abraham being old was come into days. That this signifies when the state was at hand that the Lord’s Human should be made Divine, is evident from the representation of Abraham, as being the Lord (see n. 1893, 1965, 1989, 2011, 2172, 2198, 2501, 2833, 2836, and many other places); and from the signification of “old,” or of “old age,” as being to put off what is human, and put on what is heavenly (see n. 1854, 2198); and when predicated of the Lord, as being to put on the Divine. The same is evident also from the signification of “day,” as being state (see n. 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788); and hence from the signification of “coming into days,” as being when the state was at hand. Such things are signified by “old” and “coming into days,” for the reason that the angels have no idea of old age, or of the advancing age which is meant by “coming into days;” but an idea of state in regard to the life in which they are; and therefore when mention is made in the Word of advancement in age, and of old age, the angels who are with man can have no other idea than of the state of life in which the persons are, and in which men are while passing through their ages even to the last; namely, that they thus successively put off what is human and put on what is heavenly. For human life, from infancy to old age, is nothing else than a progression from the world to heaven; and the last age, which is death, is the transition itself. Therefore burial is resurrection, because it is a complete putting off (see n. 2916, 2917). As the angels are in such an idea, nothing else can be signified by “coming into days” and by “old age” in the internal sense which is principally for angels and for men who are angelic minds.

487. That by “days” are signified times and states in general, was shown in the first chapter, where the “days” of creation have no other signification. In the Word it is very usual to call all time “days” as is manifestly the case in the present verse, and in those which follow, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 27, 31 (5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 27, 31); and therefore the states of the times in general are likewise signified by “days;” and when “years” are added, then by the seasons of the years are signified the qualities of the states, thus states in special. The most ancient people had their numbers, by which they signified various things relating to the church, as the numbers “three” “seven” “ten” “twelve” and many that were compounded of these and others, whereby they described the states of the church; wherefore these numbers contain arcana which would require much time to explain. It was an account or reckoning of the states of the church. The same thing occurs in many parts of the Word, especially the prophetical. In the rites of the Jewish Church also there were numbers, both of times and measures, as for instance in regard to the sacrifices, meat-offerings, oblations, and other things, which everywhere signify holy things, according to their application. The things here involved, therefore, in the number “eight hundred” and in the next verse, in the number “nine hundred and thirty” and in the numbers of years in the verses following-namely, the changes of state of their church as applied to their own general state-are too many to be recounted. In a future part of this work, of the Lord’s Divine mercy we shall take occasion to show what the simple numbers up to “twelve” signify, for until the signification of these is known, it would be impossible to apprehend the signification of the compound numbers.