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.

Footnotes:

6440. 'Benjamin' means the truth of good present in the spiritual Church, which is 'Joseph'. This is clear from the representation of 'Benjamin' as the spiritual of the celestial, dealt with in 4592. Which - the spiritual of the celestial - is the truth of good. In this instance the truth of the good present in the spiritual Church, which is represented by 'Joseph' in this prophetic utterance made by Israel, is meant; for since 'Joseph' represents the spiritual Church, 6417, he also represents the good present in that Church (a Church is a Church by virtue of good). And the truth of that good is 'Benjamin'.