3827. And they were in his eyes as a few days, for the love he had to her. That this signifies a state of love, namely, that it was free from tedium, is evident from the signification of “to be in his eyes,” as being to so appear; and from the signification of “days,” as being states (see n. 893, 2788, 3462, 3785). Hence, “as a few days for the love he had to her,” denotes a state of love. When man is in a state of love, or of celestial affection, he is in an angelic state, that is to say, as if not in time, provided there is no impatience in the affection; for impatience is a corporeal affection, and insofar as man is in it, so far he is in time; but insofar as man is not in it, so far he is not in time. This appears in a kind of image from all the delights and gladnesses that belong to affection or love, in that when man is in them, he takes no note of time, for he is then in the internal man. By the affection of genuine love man is withdrawn from bodily and worldly things, for his mind is elevated toward heaven, and thus is withdrawn from the things of time. The reason why time appears to be something is that we reflect upon things that do not belong to the affection or love, thus which are tedious. From this we can see what is signified by the seven years being in his eyes as a few days for the love he had to her.