8975. 'He shall serve for six years' means a state of labour and some conflict, and of consequent strengthening of truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'six years' as states of labour and conflict. For the meaning of 'six' as labour and conflict, see 737, 900, 8888, and 'years' as states, 487, 488, 493, 893, 7839. The reason why strengthening of truth is also meant is that spiritual truth, which is called the truth of faith, is strengthened through labour and conflict. The words 'some conflict' are used because those imbued with the truth of faith and not with complementary goodness of life are not allowed to experience any serious conflict, that is, temptation, since they would go under; for the Lord cannot flow in through good with them and so cannot protect them from the evils and falsities which attack in temptations. They are merely external people, and whatever flows in from the Lord must do so by way of the internal man into the external. When people are not imbued with the good of charity, the internal man does not lie open; for good is what opens the internal man, and is what dwells there.

5138. 'For which they should put me in the pit' means a casting away among falsities. This is clear from the meaning of 'the pit' as falsity, dealt with in 4728, 4744, 5038. In what appears above evil was the subject, that is to say, the fact that evil caused celestial things to become alienated, 5174, 5135; but now falsity is the subject, for when the one is mentioned in the Word, so also is the other. That is to say, when evil is mentioned, so also is falsity, for the reason that when good is mentioned there, so also is truth, in order that a marriage may exist in every individual part of the Word. The heavenly marriage is a marriage of good and truth, but the hellish marriage is one of evil and falsity. For where evil exists, so also does falsity, falsity linking itself to evil like a wife to her husband; and where good exists, so also does truth, truth joining itself to good like a wife to her husband. Consequently one can see from a person's life the essential nature of his faith, for good, or else evil, is the inner essence of his life, and truth, or else falsity, is the inner essence of his faith. As regards a marriage existing in every individual part of the Word, see 683, 793, 801, 2173, 2516, 2712, 4138 (end).