6983. 'Neither since yesterday, nor since the day before' means that he has lacked it - the gift of speech - from eternity. This is clear from the meaning of 'since yesterday and since the day before' as from eternity. The reason why 'since yesterday and since the day before' means from eternity is that a period of time is meant by these words, in particular past time; but time spoken of in connection with the Lord or the Divine does not mean a period of time but what is eternal. There are two things proper to the natural order which have no existence in heaven, and even less in the Divine, namely space and time. For their non-existence in heaven and the existence of states instead - states of being instead of 'space', and states of coming-into-being or manifestation instead of 'time' - see 2625, 3938; and for the fact that areas of space and periods of time in heaven are states, 1274, 1382, 2625, 2788, 2837, 3254, 3356, 3387, 3404, 3827, 4321, 4814, 4882, 4901, 4916, 5605, 6110. But within the Divine which is above the heavens the absence of space and time is even more complete; for not even states exist within Him. Instead of space there is what is infinite, and instead of time what is eternal. These two are what periods of time or areas of space in the world correspond to, and are what states of being and of coming-into-being in the heavens correspond to.
[2] The fact that in the Word 'yesterday' and 'the day before' do not mean yesterday and the day before but past time in general is clear from places where those words are used, as in Joshua,
The waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went as yesterday [and] the day beforea over all its banks. Josh 4:18.
In the first Book of Samuel,
It happened, when all who knew Saul from yesterday and the day beforeb saw that, behold, he prophesied with the prophets . . . 1 Sam 10:11.
In the second Book of Samuel,
The tribes of Israel said to David, Both yesterday and the day before,c when Saul was king over us, you were the one bringing Israel out and back. 2 Sam 5:1, 2.
In these places and elsewhere 'yesterday [and] the day before' stands for previously or past time. Now since 'yesterday and the day before' means time past, and the subject in the highest sense is the Lord, who in respect of the Divine Law or Divine Truth is represented by 'Moses', it is evident that 'since yesterday and since the day before' means from eternity. Eternity, meant by 'yesterday', is described in David as follows,
A thousand years in Your eyes are but as yesterday when it is past. Ps 90:4.
This page is part of 
© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church