9601. 'And the breadth four cubits' means the marriage of truth to good. This is clear from the meaning of 'the breadth' as truth, dealt with in 1613, 3433, 3434, 4482, 9487; and from the meaning of 'four' as a joining together, dealt with in 1686, 8877, and so a marriage since truth and good joined together is called the heavenly marriage, 2173, 2618, 2728, 2729, 2803. 'Four' means a joining together or a marriage because this number is the product of two multiplied by itself, and 'two' means a joining together, 5194, 8423, multiple numbers being similar in meaning to the simple ones that are their factors, as stated immediately above in 9600. All numbers in the Word mean spiritual realities, see the places referred to in 9488.

8877. 'On the third and on the fourth [generations]' means in a long sequence, and joined together. This is clear from the meaning of 'three' as what is complete from start to finish, dealt with in 2788, 4495, 7715, thus a long sequence, so that 'the third [generation on sons' is falsities in a long sequence (for the meaning of 'sons' as falsities, see immediately above in 8876); and from the meaning of 'four', like two, as joined together, dealt with in 1686, 5194, 8423, so that 'the third and the fourth [generations of] sons' are falsities joined together in a long sequence. This explanation of 'the third and the fourth [generations of] sons' must inevitably seem to be nonsensical or foreign to the meaning of the Word; but it should be remembered that in the internal sense numbers do not mean numbers but real things, see 482, 487, 575, 647, 648, 755, 813, 1963, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 4495, 4670, 5265, 6175.