AR 287 - ten thousands and thousands

AR 287

And the number of them was

ten thousand times ten thousand,

and thousands of thousands.

(Revelation 5:11)

This symbolizes all possessing truths and goods.

The meaning of a number in its natural sense

has relation to measure or weight,

while the meaning of a number in its spiritual sense

has relation to character;

and here the people's character is described

by there being

ten thousand times ten thousand of them

and thousands of thousands;

for ten thousand is predicated of truths,

while a thousand is predicated of goods.

Ten thousand is predicated of truths

and a thousand of goods

because ten thousand is the greater number,

and a thousand the lesser,

and truths are complex,

while goods are not;

also because where the subject in the Word is truths,

it deals as well with goods,

owing to the marriage of truth and goodness

in every part of the Word.

Without that marriage

the text could have said only

ten thousand times ten thousand.