48. Because a person’s life varies in accordance with his state, therefore by spirit is meant the varying life’s affection in a person. For example:

1. The life of wisdom:

(Bezalel was filled) with the spirit of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.... (Exodus 31:3).

You shall speak to all the wise of heart, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom.... (Exodus 28:3)

Joshua was filled with the spirit of wisdom (Deuteronomy 34:9).

Nebuchadnezzar said of Daniel that an excellent spirit, of knowledge, understanding and wisdom was found in him (Daniel 5:12, 14).

The erring in spirit will know understanding.... (Isaiah 29:24)

[2] 2. The arousal of life:

Jehovah has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. (Jeremiah 51:11)

Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel...and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. (Haggai 1:14)

...I am putting (into the king of Assyria) a spirit..., that he may hear a rumor and return to his own land. (Isaiah 37:7)

...Jehovah...hardened (the) spirit (of the king of Sihon).... (Deuteronomy 2:30)

What has come up upon your spirit shall never be.... (Ezekiel 20:32)

[3] 3. Liberty of life: The four creatures, which were cherubim, seen by the prophet went “wherever they had a spirit to go” (Ezekiel 1:12, 20).

[4] 4. Life in a state of fear, distress, and anger:

...that every heart may melt, and all hands be feeble, and every spirit shrink.... (Ezekiel 21:7)

...my spirit was faint within me, my heart within me is stunned.... (Psalms 143:4, cf. 142:3)

My spirit has been consumed! (Psalms 143:7)

As for me, Daniel, my spirit grieved.... (Daniel 7:15)

(Pharaoh’s) spirit was troubled. (Genesis 41:8)

(Nebuchadnezzar said,) “...my spirit is troubled....” (Daniel 2:3)

I went bitterly in the wrath of my spirit. (Ezekiel 3:14)

[5] 5. Life in a state of various evil affections:

“...provided there is no deceit in his spirit.” (Psalms 32:2)

Jehovah has mingled a spirit of perversity in her midst. (Isaiah 19:14)

...said (He)...to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit.... (Ezekiel 13:3)

The prophet is a fool, the man of the spirit is insane. (Hosea 9:7)

Be observant by your spirit, and do not deal treacherously. (Malachi 2:16)

...the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray.... (Hosea 4:12)

...a spirit of harlotry is in their midst.... (Hosea 5:4)

When a spirit of jealousy comes upon him.... (Numbers 5:14)

...a man who is a wanderer in spirit, and he prattles falsehood.... (Micah 2:11)

...a generation...whose spirit was not steadfast with God. (Psalms 78:8)

...poured out on (them) a spirit of drowsiness.... (Isaiah 29:10)

Conceive chaff, bring forth stubble; as for your spirit, fire shall shall devour you. (Isaiah 33:11)

[6] 6. Hellish life:

I will...cause...the unclean spirit to depart from the land. (Zechariah 13:2)

When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places.... And then he...attaches to himself seven worse spirits than himself, and they enter and dwell there. (Matthew 12:43-45)

...Babylon...has become a dwelling place of...a foul spirit.... (Revelation 18:2)

[7] 7. In addition, the spirits of hell themselves who torment mankind: Matthew 8:16, 10:1, 12:43-45; Mark 1:23-27, 9:17-29; Luke 4:33, 36, 6:17-18, 7:21, 8:2, 29, 9:39, 42, 55, 11:24-26, 13:11; Revelation 13:15, 16:13-14.

4966. 'The chief of the attendants' means which facts come first and foremost in explanations. This is clear from the meaning of 'the chief of the attendants' as the facts which come first and foremost in explanations, dealt with in 4790. Ones which come first and foremost in explanations are those which are pre-eminently suitable for explaining the Word, and so for coming to understand teachings drawn from the Word about love to God and charity towards the neighbour. It should be recognized that the factual knowledge of the people of old was entirely different from that existing at the present day. As stated above, the factual knowledge of the people of old had to do with the correspondences of things in the natural world with realities in the spiritual world. Knowledge which at the present day is called philosophical knowledge, such as Aristotelian systems and their like, did not exist among them. This is also evident from the books written by ancient authors, most of which consisted of descriptions of such things as were signs of, represented, and corresponded to more internal realities, as may be seen from the following evidence, and ignoring all else.

[2] They envisaged Helicon on a mountain and took it to mean heaven, and Parnassus on a hill below that, and took it to mean factual knowledge. They spoke of a flying horse, called Pegasus by them, which broke open a fountain there with its hoof; they called branches of knowledge virgins; and so on. For with the help of correspondences and representatives they knew that 'a mountain' meant heaven, 'a hill' the heaven beneath this, which is heaven as it exists among men, a horse' the power of understanding, 'its wings with which it flew' spiritual things, 'its hoof' that which was natural, 'a fountain' intelligence, while three virgins called 'the Graces' meant affections for good, and virgins who were named 'the Heliconians and 'the Parnassians' meant affections for truth. To the sun they likewise allotted horses, whose food they called ambrosia and whose drink they called nectar; for they knew that 'the sun' meant heavenly love, 'horses' powers of the understanding which sprang from that love, while 'food' meant celestial things and 'drink' spiritual ones.

[3] The Ancients are also the originators of customs that are still followed when kings are crowned. The king has to sit on a silver throne, wear a purple robe, and be anointed with oil. He has to wear a crown on his head, while holding in his hands a sceptre, a sword, and keys. He has to ride in regal splendour on a white horse shed with horseshoes made of silver; and he has to be waited on at table by the chief nobles of the kingdom. And many other customs are followed besides these. The Ancients knew that 'a king' represented Divine Truth that is rooted in Divine Good, and from this they knew what was meant by a silver throne, a purple robe, anointing oil, crown, sceptre, sword, keys, white horse, horseshoes made of silver, and what was meant by being waited on at table by the chief nobles. Who at the present day knows the meaning of any of these customs, or where the information exists to show him their meaning? People refer to them as symbols, but they know nothing at all about correspondence or representation. All this evidence shows what the factual knowledge possessed by the Ancients was like, and that this knowledge gave them a discernment of spiritual and heavenly realities, which at the present day are scarcely known to exist.

[4] The factual knowledge that has replaced that of the Ancients, and which strictly speaking is called philosophical knowledge, tends to draw the mind away from knowing such things because such knowledge can also be employed to substantiate false ideas. Furthermore, even when used to substantiate true ones it introduces darkness into the mind, because for the most part mere terms are used to substantiate them, which few people can understand and which the few who do understand them argue about. From this it may be seen how far the human race has departed from the learning of the Ancients, which led to wisdom. Gentiles received their factual knowledge from the Ancient Church, whose external worship consisted in representatives and meaningful signs and whose internal worship consisted in the realities represented and meant by these. This was the kind of factual knowledge that is meant in the genuine sense by 'Egypt'.