9266. 'For a gift blinds those whose eyes are open' means that gain prevents truths from being seen. This is clear from the meaning of 'a gift' as any kind of gain, dealt with immediately above in 9265; from the meaning of 'blinding', when it refers to truths, as preventing them from being seen; and from the meaning of 'those whose eyes are open', or those who can see, as those who have a knowledge of truths and can see clearly what the truth is. For 'seeing' means knowing, understanding, and acknowledging truths, and also possessing faith, 897, 2150, 2325, 2807, 3764, 3863, 3869, 4403-4421, 5114, 5286, 5400, 6805, 8688, 9128. This explains why 'those whose eyes are open' are elsewhere called 'the wise',

A gift ¹ blinds the eyes of the wise. Deuteronomy 16:19.

Mga talababa:

4403. THE GRAND MAN AND CORRESPONDENCE - continued

IN THIS SECTION CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE EYE AND WITH LIGHT

I have also been allowed to become aware of and get to know the character of spirits and which province of the body they belonged to from their position and place in relation to myself, and also from the level they were on, and from how far away they were on that level. Those I saw close to me were for the most part the subordinates of whole communities, for communities send spirits from themselves to other spirits, and through these they perceive others' thoughts and affections, and in this manner communicate with others. But those subordinates so-called, or emissary spirits, will in the Lord's Divine mercy be taken as a separate subject. Concerning them I have made the following observations. Those to be seen over and close to my head are ones who teach and also readily allow themselves to be taught. Those beneath the back of my head are ones who act quietly and with circumspection, and those just away from my back act in a similar yet differing manner to these. Those close to my chest or breast are ones who are moved by charity; those close to the loins ones moved by conjugial love; those close to the feet ones who are natural; and those close to the soles of the feet are more inferior members of this last kind. But those close to my face vary in disposition, that variation being determined by their correspondence with the sensory organs located there. Those close to the nostrils, for example, excel in perception; those close to the ears are the obedient; those close to the eyes are the intelligent and wise; and so on.