574. And I heard the number of them.- This signifies their quality perceived, as is evident from the signification of hearing, as denoting to perceive (see above, n. 14, 529); and from the signification of number, as denoting the quality of the thing treated of, concerning which, see above (n. 429); here, the quality of the falsities of evil that conspire against the truths of good, from which and on behalf of which are the reasonings of the sensual man, which are signified by the number of the armies of the horsemen, spoken of just above. But the quality of these is further described in the next verse in these words: "And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breast-plates fiery, and purple, and sulphurous; and the heads of the horses as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths went forth fire, smoke, and brimstone." These words are expressive of the quality that is here signified by number. Some reference to number appears to be meant here by number, but in the spiritual world numbers do not exist, for spaces and times there are not measured and determined by numbers, as in the natural world, therefore all numbers, in the Word, signify things, and the number itself signifies the quality of the thing treated of, see above (n. 203, 336, 429, 430); and in Heaven and Hell 263).

4116. 'And crossed the river' means a state in which a joining together takes place. This is clear from the meaning of 'the river', which in this case is the Euphrates, as a joining together, namely a joining to the Divine. The reason 'the river' has this meaning here is that it was the boundary separating the land of Canaan from that region, and all the boundaries of the land of Canaan were representative of and consequently meant spiritually that which came last and yet first - last because that was where it came to an end, and first because it was where it began. For all boundaries are such that they come last for those who are going out of the country but first for those who are coming in. Because Jacob was at that point coming in, that river was the first boundary that he crossed, and so means a joining together - in the highest sense a joining to the Divine; for 'the land of Canaan' in the internal sense means the Lord's heavenly kingdom, 1607, 3481, and in the highest sense the Lord's Divine Human, 3038, 3705. From all this one may see what is meant here by 'he crossed the river'. For all things in the land of Canaan were representative, with distances, positions, and boundaries determining their individual representations, see 1585, 3686; thus the rivers which served as boundaries, such as the river of Egypt, the river Euphrates, and the river Jordan, were representative, 1866.