9007. He that smiteth a man, and he die. That this signifies the injuring of the truth of faith and the consequent loss of spiritual life, is evident from the signification of “smiting,” as being to injure by falsity (see n. 7136, 7146); from the signification of “a man” [vir] as being the truth of faith (of which below); and from the signification of “dying,” as being the loss of spiritual life (n. 5407, 6119, 7494); for in the internal sense no other life is meant, but in the external sense natural life is meant. The reason why spiritual life perishes by the injuring of the truth of faith, is that good united to truth constitutes that life; and therefore when truth is stolen away, good, and thus spiritual life, falls to the ground. That “a man” denotes the truth of faith, is because in heaven no attention is paid to person, or to anything of person; but to things abstracted from person (n. 4380, 8343, 8985); consequently where “a man” is mentioned in the Word, they do not perceive a man, because a man is a person; but instead they perceive that faculty of his by virtue of which he is a man, namely, the intellectual faculty; and when they perceive this faculty, they perceive the truth of faith, because the truth of faith belongs to it, and not only enlightens it, but also forms it. And as by “a man” [vir] there is perceived in heaven the intellectual of man, so by “a man” [homo] there is perceived his will; because man is man [homo] from the will; but is man [vir] from the understanding. And as the will is the man himself, therefore the good of love is the man, for this belongs to the will, and perfects, and makes it. (That “man” [vir] denotes the intellectual, and therefore the truth of faith, see n. 158, 265, 749, 1007, 2517, 3134, 3309, 3459, 4823, 7716; and that “man” [homo] denotes the good of love, n. 768, 4287, 7523, 8547, 8988)