196. And they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy, signifies their spiritual life, which they have by means of the knowledges of truth and good from the Word. This is evident from the signification of "to walk," as being to live (See above, n. 97 [1-2]); from the signification of "in white," as being in truths, for "whiteness" and "brightness" in the Word are predicated of truths (of which presently); therefore by these words, "they shall walk with me in white," is signified spiritual life, since spiritual life is the life of truth, that is, a life according to truths, or according to the precepts of the Lord in the Word. This is evident also from the signification of "for they are worthy," as being because they have spiritual life from the Lord. So far as anyone receives from the Lord he is worthy; but so far as he receives from self, that is, from what is his, or from what is his own [proprium] he is not worthy. Nothing else constitutes spiritual life with man but the knowledges of truth and good from the Word applied to life; and they are applied to life when man holds them as the laws of his life, for he then looks to the Lord in everything, and with such the Lord is present, and gives intelligence and wisdom and an affection for them and delight in them. For the Lord is in His truths with man, since every truth proceeds from the Lord, and what proceeds from the Lord that is His, even so that it is He; therefore the Lord says:

I am the truth and the life (John 14:6).

He that doeth the truth cometh to the light, [that his works may be made manifest] that they have been wrought in God (John 3:21).

The Word was with God, and God was the Word. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. That was the true light, that lighteth every man. And the Word was made flesh (John 1:1, 4, 9, 14).

The Lord is called "the Word" because the Word signifies Divine truth; He is also called "the Light" because Divine truth is the light in the heavens; He is also called "the Life," because everything that lives, lives from that life; from that also angels have intelligence and wisdom, in which their life consists. He who would derive life from any other source than from the Divine that proceeds from the Lord, which in heaven is called Divine truth and is there seen as light, is greatly mistaken. From this it can be seen how it is to be understood that "God was the Word," and that "in Him was life, and that the life was the light of men. "

[2] "White" in the Word is predicated of truths, because Divine truth is the light of heaven, as was just said, and whiteness and brightness are from the light of heaven. From this it was:

That when the Lord was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, His face appeared as the sun, and His garments as the light (Matthew 17:2);

And as white, dazzling (Luke 9:29);

And glistering as snow, so as no fuller on earth could whiten (Mark 9:3);

That the angels at the Lord's sepulcher had raiment white as snow (Matthew 28:3);

(Luke 24:4)

And shining (Luke 24:4);

That there appeared to John seven angels from the temple clothed in linen clean and shining (Revelation 15:6);

That those who stood before the throne of the Lamb were clothed in white robes (Revelation 6:11; 7:9, 13-14; 19:8);

That the armies of the One sitting upon the white horse followed Him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean (Revelation 14:14).

From this also it was:

That Aaron had garments of linen, and that he put them on when he went within the veil before the mercy-seat (Leviticus 16:1-5, 32).

"Linen" also signifies truth, because of its whiteness (Arcana Coelestia 7601, 9959). As "white" signifies truth, and truths are what disclose falsities and evil with man and thus purify him, it is said in David:

Behold, Thou desirest truth in the reins, and in the hidden part Thou makest me to know wisdom. Thou shalt purge me with hyssop that I may be made clean; Thou shalt wash me and I shall be whiter than snow (Psalms 51:6-7).

[3] Because the Nazirites represented the Lord in respect to Divine truth in ultimates, which on earth is the Word in the sense of the letter, and this with the Jews was falsified and perverted, it is said of them in Lamentations:

The Nazirites were whiter than snow, they were brighter than milk, their bones were more ruddy than pearls, their polishing was sapphire; but their form is darkened, that they are not known in the streets (Lamentations 4:7-8

(That "Nazirites" represented the Lord in respect to Divine truth, see Arcana Coelestia 6437; that "the crown of the head of the Nazirites" means Divine truths in ultimates, or the Word in the letter, n. 6437, 9407. That the "hair" which was of the Naziriteship, and was called "the crown of the head of the Nazirite," is Divine truth in ultimates, n. 3301, 5247, 10044. That Divine truth in ultimates has strength and power, n. 9836; that therefore the strength of Samson was in his hair, n. 3301.)

[4] From this it is clear what is signified by "the Nazirites were whiter than snow and brighter than milk," and "sapphire was the polishing of their bones; but their form was darkened, that they were not known in the streets;" for "whiteness" and "brightness" signify Divine truth in its light (as was said above); and "bones," as they are man's ultimates, being the supports of his whole body, correspond to ultimates in heaven. (For all things of man correspond, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 87-102; consequently "bones" signify the ultimates in the spiritual world, which are also the ultimates of Divine truth or the Word, Arcana Coelestia 5560-5564, 8005; that "sapphire" signifies what is translucent from truths, n. 9407; and "not to be known in the streets" signifies that Divine truth is no more seen, since "streets" signify where there are truths of doctrine, n. 2336.)

4551. 'And the jewels which were in their ears' means realized in actions. This is clear from the meaning of 'jewels' as symbols representative of obedience, for the reason that by 'the ears' is meant obedience, 2542, 3869, and acts of obedience are realizations in actions; for obeying implies carrying into action. Here the expression 'realized in actions' has reference to the falsities which were to be cast aside. But this matter of the casting aside of falsities, which are realized also in actions - the subject at this point in the internal sense - must be discussed briefly here. Before a person through being regenerated by the Lord arrives at good and is moved by good to do what is true, he possesses very many falsities mixed up with truths. Indeed he is led into regeneration by means of the truths of faith, about which in the first stage of life he has no ideas other than those learned in infancy and childhood. These ideas are formed from external things in the world and from the experiences of the physical senses, and therefore they cannot be anything but illusions and consequently falsities, which are also realized in actions; for what a person believes he puts into practice. It is these falsities that are meant here. They remain with him until he has been regenerated, that is, until good is the source of his actions. Once this is the situation, good - that is, the Lord by means of good - imposes order on the truths which he has learned up to then; and while this is being done the falsities are separated from the truths and taken away.

[2] A person is totally unaware of this happening to him, yet that kind of removal and casting aside of falsities is going on from earliest childhood to the last stage of his life. This activity goes on in everyone, but it does so in a particular manner in one who is being regenerated. In one who is not being regenerated a similar activity is taking place, for when he becomes grown up and he matures in judgement that belongs to that stage in life, he regards his childhood judgements as unintelligent and absurd, thus very far removed from what he now thinks. But the difference between one who is regenerate and one who is not is that the regenerate regards as being remote from his thinking those things which do not accord with the good of faith and charity, whereas the unregenerate regards as being remote from his thinking those which do not accord with the delight he takes in what he loves. The unregenerate therefore, for the most part, regards truths as falsities, and falsities as truths. As regards jewels there were two kinds - those fastened above the nose to the forehead and those fastened to the ears. Those fastened above the nose to the forehead were symbols representative of good and were called nose-jewels, dealt with in 3103, whereas those fastened to the ears were symbols representative of obedience and are ear-jewels. But in the original language the same word is used to describe both nose-jewel and ear-jewel.