3405. And found in that year a hundred measures. That this signifies abundance, is evident from the signification of “year,” as being the entire state that is treated of (n. 487, 488, 493, 893); from the signification of a “hundred,” as being much and full (n. 2636); and from the signification of “measure,” as being the state of a thing as to truth (n. 3104). All these things collected into a one signify the abundance of truth. In the supreme sense here, as everywhere, the subject treated of is the Lord-that He too when in the maternal human was in appearances of truth; but that as He put off this human, He put off the appearances also, and put on the infinite and eternal Divine Itself. But in the internal or relative sense the subject is appearances of a higher degree which exist with the angels, as above stated, the abundance of which is signified by the finding in that year of a hundred measures. With appearances of truth, or with truths from the Divine, the case is that such as are of a higher degree immeasurably surpass those which are in a lower degree, both in abundance and in perfection; for myriads, nay myriads of myriads of things which are distinctively perceived by those who are in a higher degree, appear only as one thing to those who are in a lower degree; for lower things are nothing but the composites of higher things, as may be inferred from the memories in man, the interior of which, because in a higher degree, so immeasurably excels the exterior one which is in a lower degree (n. 2473, 2474). From this we can see how great is the angelic wisdom in comparison with that of man; the angels of the third heaven being in the fourth degree above man; concerning which wisdom therefore nothing can be told except that it is incomprehensible, nay, ineffable.

493. That by “days” and “years” are signified times and states needs no further explication, except to say that in the world there must needs be times and measures, to which numbers may be applied because they are in the ultimates of nature; but whenever they are applied in the Word, the numbers of the days and years, and also of the measures, have a signification abstractedly from the times and measures, in accordance with the signification of the number; as where it is said that there are six days of labor, and that the seventh is holy, of which above; that the jubilee should be proclaimed every forty-ninth year, and should be celebrated in the fiftieth; that the tribes of Israel were twelve, and the apostles of the Lord the same; that there were seventy elders, and as many disciples of the Lord; and so in many other instances where the numbers have a special signification abstractedly from the things to which they are applied; and when thus abstracted, then it is states that are signified by the numbers.