751. Verse 12. For this rejoice, ye heavens and ye that dwell in them, signifies the salvation and consequent joy of those who become spiritual by the reception of Divine truth. This is evident from the signification of "rejoicing," as being joy on account of salvation; also from the signification of "heavens," as being those who are spiritual (of which presently); also from the signification of "ye that dwell," as being those who live, here spiritually. (That "to dwell" signifies to live, see above, n. 133, 479, 662.) "The heavens" signify those who are spiritual, because all who are in the heavens are spiritual; and because men who have become spiritual are likewise in the heavens, although in respect to the body they are in the world, so "ye that dwell in the heavens" means not only angels, but also men. For every man with whom the interior mind, which is called the spiritual mind, has been opened, is in the heavens, yea, sometimes he even appears among the angels in the heavens. That this is so has not been known heretofore in the world; let it be known, therefore, that man in respect to his spirit is among spirits and angels, and even in that society of them into which he is to come after death. This is because the spiritual mind of man is formed wholly to the image of heaven, even so that it is a heaven in least form; consequently that mind, although it is still in the body, must nevertheless be where its form is. But this has been more fully illustrated in the work on Heaven and Hell 51-58, where it is shown that every angel and also every man, in respect to his interiors, if he be spiritual is a heaven in least form, corresponding to heaven in its greatest form. For this reason, where the Word treats of the creation of heaven and earth the church internal and external is meant in general, as also in particular the internal and external man, or the spiritual and natural man. From this it can be seen that "the heavens and those that dwell in them" signify all who are there, also men who are becoming spiritual by the reception of Divine truth in doctrine and life.

1963. 'Abram was a son of eighty-six years' means the Lord's state as regards celestial goods acquired through the conflicts brought about by temptations. This is clear from the meaning of 'eighty', a number that is similar to forty in what it embodies, which, as shown already in 730, 862, means temptations; from the meaning of 'six' as conflict, also dealt with already in 720, 737, 900; as well as from the meaning of 'ten' as remnants, dealt with in 576. With the Lord these remnants were acquisitions of celestial goods by which He united the Human Essence to the Divine Essence; see 1906 (end). These three numbers go to make up the number of eighty-six, which embodies such matters within it, and so means the Lord's state as regards celestial goods that had been acquired through the conflicts brought about by temptations; for all numbers in the Word mean real things, as shown already in 482, 487, 575, 647, 648, 755, 813. As the numbers mentioned here ¹ are numbers of years, and as they in fact occur in a historical narrative regarding Abram, it does seem as though they are not used to mean such things. But nothing is written in the Word that does not pass into a spiritual or celestial sense when it reaches the angels, for with angels none other than spiritual and celestial ideas exist. When the Word is being read by man, angels neither know nor perceive what eighty-six is, nor are they concerned about what age Abram was when Hagar bore him Ishmael. Rather, when such a number is read, the real things embodied in that number instantly present themselves to them, as when all other expressions are read, these present themselves as the things which they have been shown to mean in the internal sense.

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