10050. 'And its legs' means purification of the more external things belonging to the natural man. This is clear from the meaning of 'washing the legs' as purification of the natural man (for the meaning of 'washing' as purifying, see immediately above in 10049); and from the meaning of 'the legs' as the more external things belonging to the natural man. The reason why these things are meant by 'the legs' is that one must at the same time understand the feet, since an animal's four legs are closely connected to its feet, and 'the feet' by virtue of their correspondence mean the natural or external level in a person, see 2162, 3147, 3761, 4938-4952.

[2] Much the same is meant by 'the legs' in Amos,

As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs or a piece of an ear, so will the children of Israel dwelling in Samaria be rescued, on the corner of a bed and on the end of a couch. Amos 3:12.

'The lion' here means those who lay the Church waste, 'legs' the external part of it, which is also the external part of the natural man, 'a piece of an ear' its discernment, and those 'dwelling in Samaria' those whose worship is external. 'The corner of a bed and the end of a couch' is the lowest part of the natural, which is external sensory awareness and its truth and good.

[3] In Daniel's description of Nebuchadnezzar's statue - its head made of pure gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and side of bronze, legs of iron, and feet partly of iron and partly of clay, Daniel 2:32-33 - what is meant by 'the legs' is the truth of faith in the external or natural man; and the same thing is also meant by 'iron', see 10030. The reason why the legs in the description are distinguished from the feet is that human legs are by nature different from animal legs.

10032. 'And the two kidneys and the fat on them' means the more internal truth of the external or natural man, and the good of that truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'the kidneys' as more internal truths, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'the fat' as good, dealt with above in 10029, the good of that truth being meant here because it was the fat on the kidneys. The expression 'the good of that truth' is used because all good has its own truth, and all truth has its own good. There are countless kinds of good, and each has truth of the same kind. For throughout heaven there are forms of good and of truth which constitute the life there, and everywhere these are different. What type of good it is that is meant by 'the fat on the kidneys' is clear from the truths meant by 'the kidneys'. By 'the kidneys' are meant truths that serve to explore, purify, and correct; they derive this meaning from the function they perform. From this it is evident what 'the kidneys' means in the following places: In Jeremiah,

Jehovah tests the kidneys and the heart. Jeremiah 11:20.

In the same prophet,

Jehovah testing the righteous, seeing the kidneys and the heart. Jeremiah 20:12.

In David,

You test the heart and the kidneys, O righteous God. Psalms 7:9.

In the same author,

O Jehovah, explore my kidneys and my heart. Psalms 26:2.

In the same author,

O Jehovah, You possess my kidneys. Psalms 139:13.

In John,

I am He who examines closely the kidneys and the heart. Revelation 2:23.

'Examining the kidneys closely' and 'testing them' mean exploring the truths of faith, and 'examining the heart closely' and 'testing it' mean exploring forms of the good of love; for 'the heart' is the good of love, 3883-3896, 7542, 9050. The fact that the truths of faith are meant by 'the kidneys' is plainly evident in David,

O Jehovah, behold, You desire truth in the kidneys. Psalms 51:6.

The reason why more internal truth and the exploration of it is meant by 'the kidneys' is that by 'the ureters and bladder' which lead away from the kidneys is meant more external truth and the exploration of it, and also correction, 5381-5384.