1964. 'When Hagar bore Ishmael for Abram' means when the life belonging to the affection for knowledge gave birth to the rational. This is clear from the meaning of 'Hagar' as the life belonging to the affection for knowledge, and from the meaning of 'Ishmael' as the rational conceived first, dealt with above. Because this chapter has been dealing with man's rational and has described the nature of it when composed solely of truths, and the nature of it when composed of goods and of truths derived from goods, it should be recognized that the rational cannot possibly be conceived and born, that is, formed, without facts and cognitions. But facts and cognitions must have use as their end in view, and when they do, they have life as their end in view, for all life looks to uses because it looks to ends. Unless they are learned for the sake of a life that looks to uses, they are of no value because they have no possible use.

[2] When composed solely of these, that is to say, of facts and cognitions devoid of a life that looks to use, the rational resembles the description given here - it is like a wild ass, ill-tempered, aggressive, whose life is parched and arid from a certain desire for truth that is defiled by self-love. But when facts and cognitions have use as the end in view they acquire life from the uses, though the exact nature of that life is the same as that of the use. With people who learn cognitions so as to become more perfect in faith grounded in love - for true and real faith consists in love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour - the supreme use of all is present and they are acquiring spiritual and celestial life from the Lord. And when that life exists with them they possess the ability to perceive everything that belongs to the Lord's kingdom. This life exists with all angels, and because that life exists with them, so do intelligence and wisdom themselves.

575. 'The days of man were to be a hundred and twenty years' means that he ought to have remnants of faith. At verses 3, 4 of the previous chapter it was stated that 'days' and 'years' meant periods of time and states, and that the most ancient people meant states and changes in the states of the Church by the numbers which they compounded variously. The exact nature of their computation of things that had to do with the Church is one of those matters that have been lost. Here in like manner numbers of years occur, whose meaning nobody can possibly know unless he knows what is concealed in each of the numbers 1-12, and so on. It is quite apparent that they embody some arcanum or other, for in saying that they would live a hundred and twenty years this verse contradicts those that go before it. Nor subsequently did they live a mere hundred and twenty years, as is clear from what Chapter 11 says about those who lived after the Flood - that Shem lived 500 years after he beget Arpachshad, Arpachshad 407 years after he beget Shelah, Shelah 403 years as well after he beget Eber, and Eber 430 years after he beget Peleg. Chapter 9:28 says that Noah lived 350 years after the Flood; and other examples could be given. What the number 120 embodies however is clear merely from the numbers to and 12, for 120 is the product of 10 times 12. It means remnants of faith. In the Word the number ten has the same meaning as tenths, representing remnants which are preserved by the Lord within the internal man. And since these are the Lord's alone they are holy. The number twelve means faith, that is, all things belonging to faith in their entirety. So this composite number means remnants of faith.