335. Verse 11. And I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the animals, and the elders, signifies the acknowledgment and consequent glorification of the Lord by the angels of the lower heavens. This is evident from what has been said above (n. 322), namely, that they acknowledged and glorified the Lord in this order; first the angels of the higher heavens, then the angels of the lower heavens, and lastly those who are below the heavens; for "the four animals" and "the four and twenty elders" who first glorified signify the angels of the higher heavens (See above, n. 322), but these now mentioned, who were "round about the throne" and "round about the animals and the elders," mean the angels of the lower heavens; and by "every creature that is in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth and in the sea" (of which see just below, verse 13) those who are below the heavens are meant. That the angels of the lower heavens are here meant is clear also from this, that they are said to be "round about the throne, the animals, and the elders," and "round about" means in the Word what is in the remote borders, thus what is distant; but where heaven is treated of, it means what is distant in degree of intelligence and wisdom, thus what is below. For the heavens are higher and lower, differing from each other according to the reception of Divine truth and good, thus according to degrees of intelligence and wisdom. (But respecting the degrees according to which the heavens, and consequently the angels who are in them, are distant from each other, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 33, 34, 38, 39, 208, 209, 211, 425.) What is below in accordance with these degrees is what is signified by "round about;" in like manner also, elsewhere in the Word, "round about," "circuit," "afar," "distant," "uttermost parts," and the like, have a like signification.

5340. 'And he gathered all the food of the seven years' means the preservation of truth linked to good, multiplied in the initial phases. This is clear from the meaning of 'gathering' here as preserving (for it says that he gathered it and laid it up in the cities, in the midst of them, which means that he stored it in the interior parts and thereby preserved it; for it was put to use in the years of famine); from the meaning of 'the food' as everything by which the internal man is nourished, namely good and truth, as may be recognized from the correspondence of earthly food which nourishes the external man with spiritual food which nourishes the internal man. Here therefore truth linked to good is meant, because this is what is preserved and stored away in a person's interior parts. 'Seven years' means the initial phases, when truths become multiplied, 5339. From all this it is evident that 'he gathered all the food of the seven years' means the preservation of truth linked to good, multiplied in the initial phases.

[2] The expression 'the preservation of truth linked to good' is used, but because few are aware of what truth linked to good is, let alone of how and when truth becomes linked to good, let something therefore be said about this. Truth comes to be joined to good when a person finds joy in doing good to his neighbour for truth and goodness' own sake, and not for any selfish or worldly reason. When that affection moves a person the truths he hears or reads or thinks about become joined to good; and this can usually be seen in an affection for truth which has that end in view.