Spiritual Meaning of

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That pairs signify things relatively profane, is evident from the signification of the number two. A pair, or two, not only signifies marriage (and is, when predicated of the heavenly marriage, a holy number), but it also signifies the same as six. That is to say, as the six days of labor are related to the seventh day of rest, or the holy day, so is the number two related to three; and therefore the third day in the Word is taken for the seventh, and involves almost the same, on account of the Lord's resurrection on the third day. And hence the Lord's coming into the world, and in glory, and every coming of the Lord, is described equally by the seventh and by the third day. For this reason the two days that precede are not holy, but relatively are profane. Thus in Hosea:--

And in Zechariah:--

And that silver was most pure when purified seven times appears in (Psalms 12:6); from all of which it is plain that as seven does not signify seven, but things that are holy, so by pairs are signified not pairs, but things relatively profane; and therefore the meaning is not that the unclean beasts, or evil affections, in comparison with the clean beasts, or good affections, were few in the proportion of two to seven, for the evils in man are far more numerous than the goods.

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