2252. That 'perhaps there may be fifty righteous persons in the midst of the city' means that the truths may be full of goods is clear from the meaning of 'fifty' as full, from the meaning of 'righteous' as good, dealt with in 612, 2235, from [the meaning] of 'midst' as that which is within, 1074, and from [the meaning] of 'the city' as truth, 402. Thus 'fifty righteous persons in the midst of the city' in the internal sense means that the truths may be full of goods. That this meaning exists within these words cannot be seen by anyone from the letter, for the historical details of the literal sense lead the mind in an altogether different direction or to think in a different way; but that these words are nevertheless perceived according to that meaning by those who possess the internal sense, I know for certain. Moreover the actual numbers mentioned, such as fifty here, and forty-five, forty, thirty, twenty, and ten in what follows, are never perceived as numbers by those who possess the internal sense but as real things or as states, as shown in 482, 487, 575, 647, 648, 755, 813, 1963, 1988, 2075.

[2] Indeed the ancients also used numbers to mark off one from another the states of their Church; and the nature of such numbers worked out by them becomes clear from the meaning of the numbers in the paragraphs that have just been mentioned. The meaning possessed by numbers was received by those people from the representatives which manifest themselves in the world of spirits. There when anything appears as that which is numbered, it does not mean something defined by means of numbers but means some real thing or else a state, as becomes clear from what has been presented in 2129, 2130, and also in 2089, regarding 'twelve' meaning all things of faith. It is similar with the numbers that now follow. This shows what the nature of the Word is in the internal sense.

[3] The reason 'fifty' means that which is full is that it is the number which comes after seven times seven, or forty-nine, and so marks the completion of the latter number. This explains why in the representative Church the feast of the seven sabbaths ¹ was held on the fiftieth day, and why a jubilee was held in the fiftieth year. Regarding the feast of the seven sabbaths the following is said in Moses,

You shall count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath; from the day you bring the sheaf of the wave-offering, seven sabbaths shall there be complete. Until the day after the seventh sabbath you shall count fifty days, and offer a new gift to Jehovah. Leviticus 23:15-16.

Regarding the jubilee in the same book,

You shall count for yourself seven sabbaths of years, seven times seven years, and you shall have a time of seven sabbaths of years, forty-nine years. And you shall sanctify the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty in the land to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you. Leviticus 25:8, 10.

From this it is evident that 'the fiftieth' means that which marks the full completion of the sabbaths.

[4] What is more, whenever 'fifty' is mentioned in the Word it means that which is full, as in the case of the numbering of the Levites aged thirty years and over up to fifty years of age, Numbers 4:23, 35, 39, 43, 47; 8:25. Here 'fifty' stands for the full or final state of that period of ministerial service. A man found lying with a young woman who was a virgin had to give to the young woman's father fifty pieces of silver, and she had to be his wife; nor could he divorce her, Deuteronomy 22:29. Here 'fifty pieces of silver' stands for a full fine and a full recompense. David's giving to Araunah fifty pieces of silver for the threshing-floor, where he built an altar to Jehovah, 2 Samuel 24:24, stands for a full price and a full payment. Absalom's making ready for himself a chariot and horses, and his having fifty men running before him, 2 Samuel 15:1, and Adonijah's likewise having chariots and horsemen, and fifty men running before him, 1 Kings 1:5, stand for their full dignity and majesty. For these people received from the ancients certain numbers which were representative and carried spiritual meanings and which were observed by them. Those numbers were also commanded in their religious observances, though the majority of the people did not know what was meant by them.

[5] In the same way, because 'fifty' means that which is full and this number was also representative, as has been stated, the same thing is meant in the Lord's parable concerning the steward, who said to the man owing oil,

How much do you owe my master? He said, A hundred baths of oil. Then he said to him, Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty. Luke 16:5-6.

'Fifty' stands for the full discharge of the debt. Being a number it does indeed seem to imply nothing more than a number, when in fact in the internal sense this number is used in every case to mean that which is full, as also in Haggai,

One came to the winevat to draw fifty measures from the winevat, and there were only twenty. Haggai 2:16.

This means that instead of a full amount there was not much. 'Fifty' would not have been mentioned in the prophet if it had not carried this meaning.

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612. 'Noah was a righteous and blameless man among members of his own generation' means that he was such as could be endowed with charity. This is clear from the meaning of 'righteous' and 'blameless', 'righteous' having regard to the good of charity, and 'blameless' to the truth of charity; also from the fact that the essential element of that Church was charity, in the Lord's Divine mercy to be dealt with later on. That 'righteous' has regard to the good of charity and 'blameless' to the truth of charity is clear from the Word, as in Isaiah,

They will seek Me daily, and will desire the knowledge of My ways, as a nation that does righteousness and does not forsake the judgement of their God. They will ask of Me the judgments of righteousness, they will desire the approach of God. Isaiah 58:2.

Here 'judgement' stands for things that have to do with truth, and 'righteousness' for those that have to do with good. 'Doing judgement and righteousness' became so to speak a stock phrase for truth and good, as in Isaiah 56:1; Jeremiah 22:3, 13, 15; 23:5; 33:15; Ezekiel 33:14, 16, 19. And the Lord said,

The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Matthew 13:43.

This stands for people who are endowed with charity. Also in reference to the close of the age the Lord said,

The angels will come out and separate the evil from the midst of the righteous. Matthew 13:49.

Here also it stands for people who receive the good that stems from charity.

[2] 'Blameless' however means the truth that stems from charity. For truth can come from one of many other origins, but that which stems from the good of charity deriving from the Lord is called 'blameless' and 'a blameless man', as in David,

Who will sojourn in Your tent? Who will dwell on Your holy mountain? He who walks blameless and does righteousness and speaks truth in his heart. Psalms 15:1-2.

This describes a person who is blameless. In the same author,

With the holy You behave in a holy way, and with a blameless man (vir). You show Yourself blameless. Psalms 18:15.

Here 'a blameless man' is one who is so by reason of what is holy, that is, good stemming from charity. In the same author,

Jehovah will withhold no good thing from those walking blamelessly. Psalms 84:11.

[3] A 'blameless' person is one who is true by reason of good, that is, one who speaks and does what is true from charity. This is clear from the fact that so many times the words 'walking', 'way', and also 'upright' or 'uprightness', words used in connection with truth, are applied to someone who is blameless or to blamelessness, as in David,

I will instruct the blameless in the way how far he shall come towards me. I will walk in the blamelessness of my heart within my house. Psalms 101:2.

And in verse 6 of the same Psalm,

He who walks in the way of the blameless will serve Me.

In the same author,

Blessed are the blameless in the way, walking in the law of Jehovah. Psalms 119:1.

In the same author,

Blamelessness and uprightness will protect me. Psalms 25:21.

In the same author,

Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright, for the latter end of that man is peace. Psalms 37:37.

From these quotations it is clear that someone who does what is good is called 'righteous', while someone who does truth deriving from it, which is the same as 'doing righteousness and judgement', is called 'blameless'. 'Holiness and righteousness' belongs on the celestial side of faith, 'blamelessness and judgement' on the derivative spiritual side.