10. X. THE ULTIMATE SENSE OF THE WORD,* WHICH IS THE SENSE OF THE LETTER ONLY, CORRESPONDS TO THE BEARD, AND TO THE HAIRS OF THE HEAD, ON A MAN ANGEL. That the hairs of the head and the beard correspond to the Word in its ultimates, may seem strange when first said or heard, but this correspondence has its cause in this, that all things of the Word correspond with all things of heaven, and heaven with all things of man; for heaven in its complex is before the Lord as one man, concerning which correspondence see what is shown in the work on Heaven and Hell [n. 87-102, 307]. [2] That all things of the Word correspond to all things of heaven, has been given me to perceive from this, that the separate chapters in the prophetic Word correspond to individual societies of heaven; for when I read through the prophetic books of the Word from Isaiah to Malachi, it was given me to see that societies of heaven were called forth in their order and perceived the spiritual sense corresponding to them. Hence, from these and other proofs, it was, made plain to me that there is a correspondence of the whole heaven with the Word in its series. Now because there is such a correspondence of the Word with heaven, and heaven in whole and in part corresponds to man, thence it is that the ultimate of the Word corresponds to the ultimates of man. The ultimate of the Word is the sense of the letter, and the ultimates of man are the hairs of the head and beard. [3] Therefore it is that men who have loved the Word even in its ultimates, after death when they become spirits appear with becoming hair, and angels likewise. The same when they become angels also let the beard grow. But on the other hand all they who have despised the sense of the letter of the Word, after death when they become spirits appear bald. This is a sign also that they are without truths, and therefore, that they may not be in shame before others, they cover the head with a tiara. [4] Because the hairs and the beard signify the ultimate of heaven, and hence the ultimates also of Divine truth or the Word, therefore the Ancient of Days is described as having the hair of His head like clean wool (Dan. 7:9). In like manner is described the Son of man, or the Lord as to the Word (Rev. 1:14). So too the strength of Samson was in his hair, and when his hair was cut off, he became weak. Nazariteship also depended on the hair, for by a Nazarite was represented the Lord as to His ultimates, thus also heaven in ultimates. This was why the forty-two boys were torn by the bears, because they called Elisha bald (2 Kings 2:23, 24). [5] Elisha, like Elijah and the other prophets, represented the Lord as to the Word, and the Word without its ultimate sense, which is the sense of the letter, is not the Word; for the sense of the letter of the Word is like a vessel filled with noble wine, wherefore when the vessel is broken, all the wine is spilled. The sense of the letter is also like the bones and skin with man, which being taken away, the whole man would fall asunder. Therefore it is that the stability, yea the power of the whole Word rests in its ultimate sense, which is the sense of the letter, for this sense sustains and contains all the Divine truth therein. [6] Since baldness signifies no truth, because it has no ultimate, therefore they of the Jewish Church, when they left Jehovah and rejected the Word, are called bald, as in Jeremiah: