9206. And your women shall become widows. That this signifies that the goods with them will perish, is evident from the signification of “women,” as being goods (see n. 6014, 8337); that “women” denote goods is because by the marriage of a man and a woman is represented the conjunction of truth and good (that by “a man” is signified truth, and by “a woman” good, see n. 4510, 4823); and from the signification of “widows,” as being those who are in good and not in truths, but who nevertheless long for truths (n. 9198); but here those who do not long for truths, because the evil are spoken of who afflict widows, consequently those are meant with whom goods are perishing.

[2] The case herein is this. Those who are in good, and do not long for truth, are not in good. The reason is that good becomes good by means of truths, for good receives its quality from truths (n. 9154). It is good conjoined with truth that is meant by “spiritual good;” and therefore when truth perishes with a man, good also perishes; and conversely, when good perishes, truth also perishes; for the conjunction is drawn asunder and dispersed (n. 3804, 4149, 4301, 4302, 5835, 6917, 7835, 8349, 8356). Thus good is known from the fact that it longs for truth and is affected with truth for the sake of a good use, thus for the sake of life. Regarded in itself the very longing, that is, the very affection of truth for the sake of life, is the affection of conjunction. This is like the longing of food or bread for water or wine, for the sake of conjunction; for when they are conjoined they nourish. It is also like light and heat, in that light conjoined with heat produces all things on the earth, and causes them to grow; but if the conjunction is severed, that which has been produced and has grown, perishes.

[3] As it is with good, so it is with all delight, pleasantness, sweetness, consent, and harmony. These things are not such from themselves, but from the things which are in them, the conjunction causing them to be such, and they being such according to the conjunction. But what things therein bear relation to good, and what to truth, may be known to the intelligent if they consider. For all things whatsoever that are in the world and that are in heaven, thus that are in the universe, bear relation to good and truth; and everything produced by these bears relation to both together, and thus to their conjunction. For this reason the ancients likened all things to marriage (n. 54, 55, 1432, 5194, 7022); and in each particular of the Word there is the marriage of good and truth (n. 683, 793, 801, 2516, 2712, 4138, 5138, 5502, 6343, 7945, 8339).