860. From these considerations it also becomes clear that all regeneration advances from evening to morning, as is mentioned six times in Genesis 1 where the regeneration of man is the subject. Here the evening is described in verses 2-3, the morning in verses 4-5. The present verse describes the first ray of light or the morning of this state as 'the tops of the mountains appearing'.

6231. 'And he said to me, Behold, I am making you fruitful and will cause you to be multiplied' means a bestowal of life through the good of charity and the truth of faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'being made fruitful' as that which has regard to the good of charity, and of 'being multiplied' as that which has regard to the truth of faith, dealt with in 43, 55, 913, 983, 2846, 2847. Since these are what bestow life on a person, the expression 'a bestowal of life through them' is used.