In general, men are driven by intellect and women by affections, and because of this men in the Bible generally represent knowledge and truth and women generally represent love and the desire for good. This generally carries over into marriage, where the man's growing knowledge and understanding and the woman's desire to be good and useful are a powerful combination. In many cases in the Bible, then, "husband" refers to things of truth and understanding, much as "man" does. Magnificent things can happen in a true marriage, though, when both partners are looking to the Lord. If a husband opens his heart to his wife, it's as though she can implant her loves inside him, transforming his intellectual urges into a love of growing wise. She in turn can grow in her love of that blooming wisdom, and use it for joy in their married life and in their caring for children and others in their life. Many couples, even in heaven, stay in that state -- called "Spiritual" -- growing deeper and deeper to eternity. There is the potential, though, for the couple to be transformed: through the nurturing love of his wife the husband can pass from a love of growing wise to an actual love of wisdom itself, and the wife can be transformed from the love of her husband's wisdom into the wisdom of that love -- the actual expression of the love of the Lord they have built together. In that state -- called "Celestial" -- the husband represents love and the desire for good, and the wife represents truth and knowledge.

2526. 'And in the blamelessness of my hands have I done this' means the product of the affection for truth and thus of all that enables one so to think. This is clear from the meaning of 'blamelessness' and also of 'hands'. The original language expresses 'blamelessness' by means of a word which also means cleanliness and purity. 'Hands' has reference to truth and means power, and thus means an ability so to think, 878. The reason why 'in the uprightness of my heart and in the blamelessness of my hands have I done this' therefore means that such thinking had been the product of innocence and simple good, and of the affection for truth, and thus of an entire ability so to think, is that it is innocence which causes good to be good, and good which causes truth to be truth. And when these are present in their proper order an entire ability so to think is present too. It is evident that these things are embodied in these words, for an upright or whole or perfect heart, which means good, does not exist unless innocence lies within the good, as stated, thereby making it simple good. And blameless or clean or pure hands, which has reference to truths, do not exist unless good is contained within the truths, as has also been stated, that is, unless the affection for truth exists. When thinking is a product of these it is also a product of an entire ability or power so to think, which is likewise meant by the hands, 878.