2577. “并众人” 表由此衍生的真理, 即记忆真理和感官真理也是如此. 这从前面所述和整个思路清楚可知. 因为经上刚才说 “看哪, 这要给你在与你一起的所有人面前作遮眼的”, 这句话是指理性真理, 理性真理对属灵真理来说, 就像幔子; 现在经上又说 “并众人”, 这句话是指源于理性真理的更为低级的真理; 这些真理正是所谓的记忆真理和感官真理. 这些真理源于理性真理, 这一事实从流注的次序明显可知: 即内在事物流入外在事物, 或也可说, 高级事物流入低级事物, 反过来不行. 事实上, 表面上看, 次序似乎不是这样, 也就是说, 人似乎通过感官印象和记忆知识而变得理性, 但这是一个错觉. 主的良善不断经由人类理性能力流入进来, 在记忆中与知识相遇, 并将这些知识融入到自己里面. 这良善越将它们融入到自己里面, 并按适当秩序排列它们, 人就越变得理性. 被称为信之良善与真理的良善与真理也一样. 主的良善流入真理, 并将这些真理融入到自己里面. 这良善越能将这些真理融入到自己里面, 人就越变得属灵. 然而, 表面上看, 似乎是这些所谓的信之真理流入进来, 并使他变得属灵. 正是由于这种表象, 如今人们才过分推崇关乎信的真理, 而不去思考关乎仁的良善.

5955. 'And to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver' means that to the intermediary a complete amount of truth from good was imparted. This is clear from the representation of 'Benjamin' as the intermediary, dealt with in 5600, 5631, 5639, 5688, 5822; from the representation of Joseph, the one who 'gave', as internal good, dealt with in 5826, 5827, 5869, 5877; from the meaning of 'three hundred' as a complete amount, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'silver' as truth, dealt with in 1551, 2954, 5658. From all this it is evident that 'to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver' means that he imparted to the intermediary a complete amount of truth from good; for the intermediary, represented by 'Benjamin', is interior truth, through an influx into it from the internal celestial, 5600, 5631. The reason why 'three hundred' means a complete amount is that this number is the product of three multiplied by a hundred - 'three' meaning what is complete, 2788, 4495, and 'a hundred' meaning much, 4400. For the meaning held by compound numbers is clear from the simple numbers that are their factors.

[2] 'Three hundred' holds a similar meaning when mentioned elsewhere in the Word, as in Genesis 6:15, where it says that Noah's ark was three hundred cubits long, also in the reference to the three hundred men whom Gideon used to strike a blow at Midian, spoken of in Judges as follows,

The number of those who lapped in their hand to their mouth was three hundred men. Jehovah said to Gideon, By the three hundred men who were lapping I will give Midian into your hand. Gideon divided the three hundred men into three lines of battle, and he put a trumpet into the hand of each one of them, and empty water-pots, and torches in the middle of the water-pots. When they sounded the blast on the three hundred trumpets, Jehovah set the sword of [each] man against his companion and against the whole camp. Judges 7:6-8, 16, 22.

By 'the three hundred men' in this description too a complete amount is meant, and the same is meant by 'three lines of battle' into which the three hundred were divided. And by 'a hundred', the number in each line of battle, is meant much or enough, consequently that there were enough men to stand against Midian. Besides, every detail in this description was representative - the selection of those who lapped the water in their hand; the trumpet given to each man; and the water-pots with the torches inside them. This was so because 'Midian', whom they were opposing, represented truth that was not truth because there was no goodness of life in it. But such details will in the Lord's Divine mercy be explained elsewhere. The fact that numbers too were representative is evident from many other places, for example the number seven in Joshua, when they were going to capture Jericho. The command was given for seven priests to carry seven trumpets of rejoicing in front of the Ark; and on the seventh day they were to go round the city seven times, Joshua 6:4.