3254. 'In a good old age, an old man and full [of years]' means a new state of representation. This is clear from the meaning of 'old age' in the internal sense as laying aside the old and taking up the new, dealt with in 1854, 2198, 3016. The reason why that which is new, or a new state, is meant by 'old age' in the internal sense is that with angels for whose sake the internal sense of the Word exists there is no concept of time, and so no concept of things that belong to time, such as the ages of man, which are those of infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. Instead of all these they have the concept of states - instead of the time of infancy they have the concept of the state of innocence; instead of the time of childhood and adolescence the concept of the state of affection for goodness and truth; instead of adulthood the concept of the state of intelligence; and instead of old age the concept of the state of wisdom, 3183. And since, when he dies, a person passes from things belonging to time into those of the life where time does not exist, and in so doing he assumes a new state, 'old age' means that which is new, here a new representative; for it is to this representation involving Abraham that 'old age', and also 'an old man and full [of years]' have reference, as may become clear from what has been stated just above.

3016. 'Abraham, being old, was advanced in years' means when the state was reached in which the Lord's Human could become Divine. This is clear from the representation of 'Abraham' as the Lord, dealt with in 1893, 1965, 1989, 2011, 2172, 2198, 2501, 2833, 2836, and many times elsewhere; from the meaning of 'old' or old age as casting off what is human and putting on what is heavenly, dealt with in 1854, 2198, and when it has reference to the Lord, putting on what is Divine; and from the meaning of 'day' as state, dealt with in 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, and therefore from the meaning of 'advanced in years' as the point when a state has been reached. The reason why 'old' and 'advanced in years' mean these things is that with angels the notion of old age does not exist, nor that of getting older, meant by 'advanced in years', only the notion of state as regards the life that is theirs. Consequently when getting older or old age is mentioned in the Word the angels present with man can have no other idea than that of the state of life that is theirs or that is men's as they pass through the different stages of life until they reach the last, that is to say, as they accordingly cast off what is human and put on what is heavenly. For man's life from infancy to old age is nothing else than an advance from the world towards heaven, the last stage of which is death and the actual transition from one life to the next. Burial therefore is also resurrection since the casting-off process is completed then, 2916, 2917. Such being the idea that angels have, nothing else can be meant by 'advanced in years' and by 'old age' in the internal sense - the sense which exists primarily for angels and for men who have minds like those of angels.