5265.“七只好母牛是七年”表当内层属世层里面的真理增多时的状态。这从“母牛”和“年”的含义清楚可知：“母牛”在正面意义上是指内层属世层的真理（参看5198节）；“年”是指状态（482，487，488，493，893节）。之所以有七只，是因为“七”表示神圣之物，因此给所论述的主题增添了神圣的观念（395，433，716，881节）；它还含有从开始直到结束的一整个时期的意思（参看728节）。这解释了为何梦见的是七只母牛和七个穗子，之后为何有七个丰年和七个荒年。这也解释了为何第七日被尊为圣，为何在代表性教会，第七年是安息年，为何七个七年后是一个禧年。
“七”表示神圣事物，这是由于灵人界中的数字所具有的含义；在那里，每个数字都含有某种属灵的真实事物在里面。数字，无论简单的，还是复合的，有时会出现在我眼前，有一次还出现了一长串；我想知道它们表示什么，于是被告知，它们来源于天使的对话；时不时地用数字来表达属灵的真实事物，这是他们的习惯。这些数字在天堂看不见，只在灵人界才能看见；在灵人界，这类事物会呈现给视觉。上古之人了解这一切，他们是属天之人，与天使交谈；这就是为何他们用数字来估算教会。他们所用的数字传达了一个总体概念，而话语则用来详细描述它。但每个数字里面所包含的意义在这些人的后代当中却不再继续为人所知；只有一些简单数字的意义得以保留，也就是说，只保留了2、3、6、7、8、12的意义，以及从这些所得知的24、72、77的意义。他们的后代尤其知道“七”表示最神圣的事物，也就是说，在至高意义上表示神性本身，在代表意义上表示爱的属天元素。这就是为何“第七日”表示属天之人的状态（84-87节）的原因。
数字表示属灵的真实事物，这一点从圣言中的大量数字明显看出来，如启示录：
凡有聪明的，可以算计兽的数目，因为这是人的数目。他的数目是六百六十六。（启示录13:18）
又：
天使又量了圣耶路撒冷的城墙，按着人的尺寸，就是天使的尺寸，共有一百四十四肘。（启示录21:17）
“144”这个数字是12的平方和72的两倍。
Potts(1905-1910) 5265
5265. The seven good kine are seven years. That this signifies states of the multiplication of truth in the interior natural, is evident from the signification of "kine," as being in a good sense truths of the interior natural (see n. 5198); and from the signification of "years," as being states (n. 482, 487, 488, 493, 893). That there were seven is because "seven" signifies what is holy, and hence adds holiness to the subject treated of (n. 395, 433, 716, 881); and it also involves an entire period from beginning to end (see n. 728). Hence it is that seven kine and seven ears of corn were seen in the dream, and afterward that there were seven years of plenty, and seven years of famine. Hence also it is that the seventh day was hallowed, and that in the representative church the seventh year was the sabbatical year, and that after seven times seven years was the jubilee. [2] That "seven" signifies holy things comes from the signification of numbers in the world of spirits, where every number involves some thing. Numbers, simple and compound, have sometimes appeared to my sight, and once in a long series; and when I wondered what they signified, I was told that they came forth from angelic speech, and that sometimes real things are wont to be expressed by numbers. These numbers do not appear in heaven, but in the world of spirits, where such things are presented to view. This was known to the most ancient people who were celestial men and conversed with angels, and hence they formed an ecclesiastical reckoning by means of numbers, by which they expressed universally the things they expressed particularly by words. But what each number had involved did not remain with their posterity, except only what was signified by the simple numbers, two, three, six, seven, eight, twelve; and derivatively by twenty-four, seventy-two, and seventy-seven-especially that by "seven" was signified what is most holy, in the supreme sense the Divine Itself, and in the representative sense the celestial of love. This is the reason why the state of the celestial man was signified by the "seventh day" (n. 84-87). That numbers signify real things, is obvious from very many numbers in the Word, as from these in Revelation:
Let him that hath intelligence compute the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is six hundred and sixty-six (Rev. 13:18). And again:
The angel measured the wall of the holy Jerusalem, a hundred and forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a man, that is of an angel (Rev. 21:17);
the number a hundred and forty-four is from twelve multiplied into itself, and from this comes seventy-two.
Elliott(1983-1999) 5265
5265. 'The seven good cows are seven years' means a state when truth within the interior natural is multiplied. This is clear from the meaning of 'the cows' in the good sense as the truths belonging to the interior natural, dealt with in 5198; and from the meaning of 'years' as states, dealt with in 482, 487, 488, 493, 893. There were seven because 'seven' means that which is holy and therefore adds the idea of holiness to the matter under discussion, dealt with in 395, 433, 716, 881, as well as implying a whole period from start to finish, 728. This explains why in the dream seven cows and seven heads of grain were seen, and after that why there were seven years of abundance of corn and seven years of famine. It also explains why the seventh day was made holy, why in the representative Church the seventh year was a sabbatical year, and why after seven times seven years there was a Jubilee.
[2] 'Seven' means things that are holy because of the meanings that numbers have in the world of spirits. Each number there holds some spiritual reality within it. Visual indications of numbers have appeared to me frequently, simple and compound ones, and also on one occasion a long sequence of them, when I have wondered what meanings they possessed. I have been told that they have their origin in conversations held by angels, and that it is customary from time to time to use numbers to express spiritual realities too. These numbers are not seen in heaven but in the world of spirits, where the visual presentation of such things takes place. The most ancients, who were celestial people and who talked to angels, knew all about this, which was why they used numbers to express an evaluation of the Church. The numbers used by them conveyed a general overall idea of matters for which words served to provide a detailed description. The meaning contained within every number did not however continue to be known among the descendants of these people; only the meanings of the simple numbers survived, that is to say, the meanings of two, three, six, seven, eight, twelve, and from these the meanings of twenty-four, seventy-two, and seventy-seven. In particular their descendants knew that 'seven' meant that which was most holy - that is to say, that in the highest sense 'seven' meant the Divine Himself, and in the representative sense the celestial element of love - and that the state of the celestial man was therefore meant by 'the seventh day', 84-87.
[3] It is quite evident from the numbers used plentifully in the Word that numbers mean spiritual realities, such as the following ones in John,
Let him who has intelligence reckon the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, that is, its number is six hundred and sixty-six. Rev 13:18.
And elsewhere in the same book,
The angel measured the wall of the holy Jerusalem, a hundred and forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. Rev 11:17.
The number one hundred and forty-four is twelve squared and twice seventy-two.
Latin(1748-1756) 5265
5265. `Septem vaccae bonae septem anni eae': quod significet status multiplicationis veri in interiore naturali, constat ex significatione `vaccarum' quod in bono sensu sint vera interioris naturalis, de qua n. 5198; et ex significatione `annorum' quod sint status, de qua n. 482, 487, 488, 493, 893; quod septem fuerint, est quia `septem' significant sanctum et inde adjiciunt sanctitatem rei de qua agitur, n. 395, 433, 716, 881; et quoque involvunt integram periodum a principio ad finem, n. 728; inde est quod septem vaccae et septem aristae in somnio visae sint, et dein quod septem anni abundantiae annonae, et septem anni famis fuerint; inde quoque est quod septimus dies sanctificatus sit, et quod septimus annus in Ecclesia repraesentativa fuerit annus sabbatarius, et quod post septies septem annos Jubilaeum; [2] quod `septem' significent sancta est ex {1}significatione numerorum in mundo {2}spirituum; unusquisque numerus ibi aliquam rem involvit; aliquoties mihi ad visum apparuerunt numeri, simplices et compositi, semel etiam in longa serie, et miratus quid significarent; et dictum quod existerent ex loquela angelica, et quod res quoque per numeros quandoque soleant exprimi; qui numeri non apparent in caelo sed in mundo spirituum, ubi talia ad visum sistuntur; hoc antiquissimi qui caelestes homines fuerunt et cum angelis locuti sunt, norunt, et inde computum ecclesiasticum per numeros formarunt, per quos exprimebant universaliter illa quae per voces singulariter; sed quid unusquisque numerus involverat, non mansit apud posteros, solum quid significarent numeri simplices, nempe duo, tria, sex, septem, octo, duodecim, et inde viginti quatuor, septuaginta duo, et septuaginta septem; imprimis quod per `septem' significaretur sanctissimum, nempe in supremo sensu Ipsum Divinum, et in sensu repraesentativo caeleste amoris; inde est quod status hominis caelestis significatus sit per diem septimum, n. 84-87. [3] (m)Quod numeri significent res, patet manifeste a numeris quamplurimis {3}in Verbo, ut ab his apud Johannem, Qui habet intelligentiam, computato numerum bestiae, numerus enim hominis est, nempe, numerus ejus est sexcenta sexaginta sex, Apoc. xiii 18:et alibi apud eundem, Angelus mensus est murum {4}sanctae Hierosolymae centum quadraginta quatuor cubitorum, quae est mensura hominis, hoc est, angeli, Apoc. xxi 17;
numerus centum quadraginta quatuor est ex duodecim in se multiplicatis, et ex {5}bis septuaginta duo.(n) @1 significativo$ @2 spirituali$ @3 i qui$ @4 civitatis sanctae$ @5 his I$