38. And they who pierced him. That this signifies that they also will see Him who are in falsities from evil, is evident from the signification of piercing, or of they who pierce, as being those who altogether deny the Lord, for such kill and pierce Him in themselves. These also are meant by the soldier who pierced His side (John 19:34-37). By a soldier, and soldiers, are meant those who belong to the church, and who would fight for the Lord. But those of the Jewish Church, in particular, are there meant, and, in general, all who belong to the church who are in falsities from evil. And because these were signified by the soldiers, therefore they divided the Lord's garments, and cast lots upon His vesture; which means, that the Jewish Church dispersed the Divine truths of the literal sense of the Word, but that they could not do so with the interior truths, or the truths of the internal sense. (For garments signify truths in ultimates, see Arcana Coelestia 2576, 5248, 6918, 9158, 9212; to divide signifies to dissipate and disperse, see n. 4424, 6360, 6361, 9093; and the vesture interior truths, n. 9049, 9212, 9216, 9826.)

4264. 'Thirty milking camels and their colts; forty young cows and ten young bulls; twenty she-asses and ten foals' means things that are subservient, general and specific. This is clear from the meaning of 'camels and their colts', also of 'young cows and young bulls' as well as of 'she-asses and their foals' as things which belong to the natural man. These things have been referred to several times already - 'camels' in 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145; 'young bulls' in 1824, 1825, 2180, 2781, 2830; 'she-asses' in 2781; and these things which belong to the natural man, in relation to other things are subservient, see 1486, 3019, 3020, 3167. Consequently things that are subservient, general and specific, are meant by the animals mentioned here. As regards the numbers of the animals being 200 she-goats, 20 he-goats, 200 sheep, 20 rams, 30 camels and their colts, 40 young cows, 10 young bulls, 20 she-asses and 10 foals, these are arcana which cannot be revealed without much explanation and an extensive drawing of inferences. For all numbers used in the Word mean real things, 482, 487, 575, 647, 648, 755, 813, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252; and what they mean has been shown where they have occurred in previous chapters.

[2] I have sometimes been amazed that when angels' conversing together came down into the world of spirits their conversation revealed itself in various numbers, and also that when numbers have been read in the Word the angels have understood real things. For no numerical value ever penetrates into heaven since numbers belong to measurements both of space and of time, and these belong to the world and to the natural order to which, in the heavens, states and changes of states correspond. The most ancient people, who were celestial and had communication with angels, were aware of what simple numbers and also compound numbers meant. The meanings of these were conveyed from those people to their descendants and to members of the Ancient Church. These are things which find scarcely any acceptance in the member of the Church at the present day who believes that nothing holier is concealed in the Word apart from that which is seen in the letter.