3767. And behold there three droves of the flock lying by it. That this signifies the holy things of churches and of doctrinal things, is evident from the signification of “three,” as being that which is holy (n. 720, 901); and from the signification of “droves of the flock,” as being those things which are of the church, thus doctrinal things; specifically, a “flock” signifies those who are within the church, and who learn and become imbued with the goods which are of charity, and the truths which are of faith; and in this case a “shepherd” signifies one who teaches these things; but in general a “flock” signifies all those who are in good, thus who belong to the Lord’s church in the universal world; and inasmuch as all these are introduced into good and truth by means of doctrinal things, therefore by a “flock” are also signified doctrinal things. For in the internal sense the things which determine the quality of a man, and the man himself who is of such a quality, are meant by the same expression; for the subject, which is man, is understood from that by virtue of which he is man.

[2] For this reason it has been repeatedly stated that names signify actual things, and also signify those to whom such things appertain-as that “Tyre” and “Zidon” signify the knowledges of good and truth, and also those who are in such knowledges; and that “Egypt” signifies memory-knowledge, and “Asshur” reasoning, yet there are also understood those who are in these; and so with every other name. But the speech in heaven among the angels is effected by means of actual things, without the idea of persons; thus by universals; and this for the reason that in this way they comprise countless things in their discourse; and especially is this the case because they attribute all good and truth to the Lord, and nothing to themselves; the result of which is that the ideas of their speech are not determined to any but the Lord alone. From all this we can now see whence it is that a “flock” is said to signify churches, and also doctrinal things. Droves of a flock are said to be “lying by the well,” because the doctrinal things are from the Word. (That a “well” denotes the Word, has been stated just above, n. 3765)

901. That the “seven and twentieth day” signifies what is holy, is evident from what has just been said, since it is composed of three multiplied by itself twice. Three multiplied by itself is nine, and nine multiplied again by three is twenty-seven. In “twenty-seven” therefore three is the ruling number. Thus did the most ancient people compute their numbers, and understood by them nothing but actual things [res]. That “three” has the same signification as “seven” is evident from what has been just said. There is a hidden reason why the Lord rose on the third day. The Lord’s resurrection itself involves all holiness, and the resurrection of all, and therefore in the Jewish Church this number became representative, and in the Word is holy; just as it is in heaven, where no numbers are thought of, but instead of “three” and “seven” they have a general holy idea of the resurrection and of the coming of the Lord.

[2] That “three” and “seven” signify what is holy, is evident from the following passages in the Word.

In Moses:

He that toucheth the dead shall be unclean seven days; the same shall expiate himself therefrom on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean; but if he expiate not himself on the third day, on the seventh day he shall not be clean. He that toucheth one slain with a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days; the clean shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall expiate him, and he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even (Numbers 19:11-12, 16, 19).

That these things are representative, or that the outward things signify internal ones, is very evident, as that one would be unclean who had touched a dead body, one slain, a bone of a man, a grave. All these things signify in the internal sense things proper to man, which are dead and profane. So also the washing in water and being clean at even were representative, and also the third day and the seventh day, which signify what is holy because on those days he was to be purified and would thus be clean.

[3] In like manner concerning those who returned from battle against the Midianites:

Encamp ye without the camp seven days; whosoever hath slain a soul, and whosoever hath touched one slain, ye shall expiate yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day (Numbers 31:19).If this were but a ritual, and the third day and the seventh were not representative and significative of holiness, or of expiation, it would be a dead thing, like that which is without a cause, and like a cause without an end, or like a thing separated from its cause, and this cause from its end, and thus in no way Divine. That the “third day” was representative, and thus significative, of what is holy, is very evident from the coming of the Lord upon Mount Sinai, for which it was thus commanded:

And Jehovah said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments, and be ready against the third day; for on the third day Jehovah will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:10-11, 14-15).

[4] For a similar reason Joshua crossed the Jordan on the third day:

Joshua commanded, Pass through the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals, for within three days ye are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to inherit the land (Joshua 1:11; 3:2).

The crossing of the Jordan represented the introduction of the sons of Israel, that is, of those who are regenerate, into the kingdom of the Lord; Joshua, who led them in, represented the Lord; and this was done on the third day. Because the third day was holy, as was the seventh, it was ordained that the year of tithes should be the third year, and that then the people should show themselves holy by works of charity (Deuteronomy 26:12-15); the “tithes” represented remains, which because they are of the Lord alone, are holy. That Jonah was three days and three nights in the bowels of the fish (Jonah 1:17) manifestly represented the burial and resurrection of the Lord on the third day (Matthew 12:40).

[5] That “three” signifies that holy thing is evident also in the Prophets, as in Hosea:

After two days will Jehovah revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live before Him (Hosea 6:2),where also the “third day” plainly denotes the coming of the Lord and His resurrection.

In Zechariah:

It shall come to pass that in all the land two parts therein shall be cut off and expire, but the third shall be left therein, and I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried (Zechariah 13:8-9),

where the “third part” like “three” denotes what is holy. The same is involved by the third part as by three, and also by the third part of the third part, as in the present passage, for three is the third of the third of twenty-seven.