3254. In a good old age, an old man and sated. That this signifies something new in the representation, is evident from the signification in the internal sense of “old age,” as being to put off what is old and put on what is new (see n. 1854, 2198, 3016). The reason why what is new, or a new state, is signified in the internal sense by “old age,” is that with the angels, for whom is the internal sense of the Word, there is no idea of time, thus no idea of such things as belong to time, as the ages of man-infancy, childhood, youth, adult age, and old age. But instead of all these they have an idea of states, thus instead of the time of infancy they have an idea of the state of innocence; instead of the time of childhood and youth they have an idea of the state of the affection of good and truth; instead of adult age they have an idea of the state of intelligence; and instead of old age an idea of the state of wisdom (n. 3183); and as at this time of life man passes from the things of time to those that are of a life without time, and thus puts on a new state, by “old age” is signified what is new, and in this case a new representative, because it is in relation to this with Abraham that “old age” is predicated, and also that he was “an old man and sated,” as can be seen from what has just been said.

1854. Thou shalt be buried in a good old age. That this signifies the enjoyment of all goods by those who are the Lord’s, is evident from the fact that those who die and are buried do not die, but pass from an obscure life into a clear one. For the death of the body is merely the continuation and also the perfection of the life, and they who are the Lord’s then first come into the enjoyment of all goods, which enjoyment is signified by “a good old age.” The expressions that they “died,” were “buried,” and were “gathered to their fathers,” are often met with, but in the internal sense these do not signify the same as in the sense of the letter. In the internal sense are such things as are of the life after death and are eternal; but in the sense of the letter are such as are of the life in the world and belong to time.

[2] Consequently they who are in the internal sense (as the angels are) when such expressions are met with never abide in ideas of death and burial, but in such as relate to the continuance of life, for they regard death as nothing but the putting off of those things which are of grossest nature and of time, and as being a continuation of the real life; in fact they do not know what death is, for they think nothing about it. And the like is the case with the ages of man, so that when it is here said “in a good old age,” the angels have no perception at all of old age, indeed they do not know what old age is, for they are constantly verging toward the life of early manhood and of youth. Such life, and consequently the celestial and spiritual things of it, are what are meant when “a good old age” and similar expressions occur in the Word.