In general, men are driven by intellect and women by affections, and because of this men in the Bible generally represent knowledge and truth and women generally represent love and the desire for good. This generally carries over into marriage, where the man's growing knowledge and understanding and the woman's desire to be good and useful are a powerful combination. In many cases in the Bible, then, "husband" refers to things of truth and understanding, much as "man" does. Magnificent things can happen in a true marriage, though, when both partners are looking to the Lord. If a husband opens his heart to his wife, it's as though she can implant her loves inside him, transforming his intellectual urges into a love of growing wise. She in turn can grow in her love of that blooming wisdom, and use it for joy in their married life and in their caring for children and others in their life. Many couples, even in heaven, stay in that state -- called "Spiritual" -- growing deeper and deeper to eternity. There is the potential, though, for the couple to be transformed: through the nurturing love of his wife the husband can pass from a love of growing wise to an actual love of wisdom itself, and the wife can be transformed from the love of her husband's wisdom into the wisdom of that love -- the actual expression of the love of the Lord they have built together. In that state -- called "Celestial" -- the husband represents love and the desire for good, and the wife represents truth and knowledge.

8234. 'And the children of Israel went on dry ground into the middle of the sea' means that those governed by the good of truth and guided by the truth of good passed through that hell in safety without suffering molestation. This is clear from the explanation above in 8185, where similar words occur. The expression 'those governed by the good of truth and guided by the truth of good' is used to mean the spiritual Church; for members of that Church are first governed by the good of truth, then later on are guided by the truth of good. At first they do good because truth lays down that it should be done; therefore they act out of obedience to it. But subsequently they do good out of affection for it, at which time truth is seen and also practiced by them from the standpoint of good. From this it is evident that before a member of the spiritual Church receives a new will from the Lord, that is, before he has been regenerated, he practices truth out of obedience to it. But after he has been regenerated he practices it out of affection for it, at which time truth comes for him to be good since it now resides in his will. For to act out of obedience is to act from the understanding, but to act out of affection is to act from the will. This also is the reason why those who practice truth out of obedience to it are members of the external Church, whereas those who practice it out of affection for it are members of the internal Church. From all this it is evident that those who belong to the spiritual Church are meant when the expression 'those governed by the good of truth and guided by the truth of good' is used.