Air" in the Bible represents thought, but in a very general way – our capacity to perceive ideas and the way we tend to think, rather than our specific ideas about specific things. We see the world around us through the air, and seeing corresponds to understanding. We hear through the air, and hearing corresponds to being taught and obeying. Birds fly in the air, and they represent specific thoughts and ideas. And breathing itself – taking in air and passing oxygen to the blood – represents our understanding of true spiritual ideas.

In Genesis 1:26, when used with fowls or birds of the air refers to the air we breathe, but sky, or heavens where are stars, and together these terms refer to both the spiritual and natural man, and to their food, or goods and truths. (Arcana Coelestia 57, 58)

In Genesis 3:8, the only Old Testament reference to air is in the phrase "cool of the day" (at the time of the evening breeze) which signifies the period when the church still had some spiritual perception. (Arcana Coelestia 221)

In Revelation 9:2; 16:17, air signifies the divine truth, darkened by infernal falsities. (Apocalypse Explained 541, Apocalypse Revealed 423)

In Revelation 16:17, everyone in the spiritual world breathes air according to his faith. (Apocalypse Revealed 708, Apocalypse Explained 1012, Apocalypse Revealed 708)

221. 'Breeze, or breath, ¹ of the daytime' means a time when the Church still had a residue of perception. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'day' and of 'night'. The most ancient people compared states of the Church to the times of the day and of the night. States when the Church still had light they compared to times of the day; therefore this verse speaks of 'the breath' or breeze of the daytime' as when they still had some residue of perception, from which they knew that they were fallen. The Lord too calls a state in which there is faith 'the daytime' and one in which there is none 'the night', as in John,

I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; night is coming when nobody will be able to work. John 9:4.

The consecutive states of man's regeneration for the same reason were called 'days' in Chapter Genesis 1.

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