889.“我要将生命水的泉源白白赐给那口渴的人喝”表给那些出于属灵的功用而渴慕真理的人，即主将从祂自己通过圣言把有助于这种功用的一切事物都赐给他们。稍后会看到，“口渴的人”表示出于属灵的功用而渴慕真理的；“生命水的泉源”表示主和圣言（384节）；“白白赐给”表示出于主，而不是出于人自己的聪明。“口渴”之所以表示为了某种属灵的功用而渴慕，是因为对来自圣言的真理知识的渴慕或渴求，会出于属世的功用，属灵的功用而赐下；出于属世的功用而赐给那些为了自己的目的而学习，以此获得名声、荣誉和利益，因而是为了自我和世界；出于属灵的功用而赐给那些目的是出于对邻之爱而服务于邻，关注他们，以及自己的灵魂，因而是为了主、邻人和救赎的人；只要有助于这个功用，真理就从“生命水的泉源”，即从主那里被赐给这些人；而其余的人不会由此被赐予真理；他们虽阅读圣言，但其中的一切教义真理，他们要么不看，要么即便看了，也会将其转为虚假，倒不是在从圣言说出它的时候会这么做，而是在关于它的思想观念上会这么做。“饥饿”表示渴慕良善，“饥渴”表示渴慕真理（323，381节）。
889. "To him who thirsts I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely." This symbolically means that to those who desire truths for some useful spiritual purpose, the Lord will give of Himself through the Word everything conducive to that useful purpose.
One who thirsts symbolizes someone who desires truth for some useful purpose, as will be seen next. The fountain of the water of life symbolizes the Lord and the Word (no. 384). To give freely means, symbolically, that it comes from the Lord, and not from any intelligence of the person's own.
Thirsting symbolizes a desire for something for some useful spiritual purpose because one may thirst for or desire concepts of truth from the Word for some natural purpose and also for some spiritual purpose. People who do so for some natural purpose have a reputation for learning as their goal, and in consequence of their learning prestige, honor and material gain. Thus they have themselves and the world in view. But people who do so for some spiritual purpose have serving the neighbor as their goal, out of a love for the neighbor, and they consider the welfare of his soul, as well as their own. Thus they have the Lord, the neighbor, and salvation in view. Such people are given truth from the fountain of the water of life, that is, from the Lord through the Word, to the extent that it is conducive to that purpose. No others are given truth from that source. They read the Word, and either they do not see any doctrinal truth in it, or if they do, they turn it into falsity - not so much in speech when reading aloud from the Word, but in the idea of their thought concerning it.
That to hunger symbolically means to desire good, and to thirst to desire truth, may be seen in nos. 323, 381.
889. 'To the thirsting one I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely' signifies that to those who desire truths on account of any spiritual use the Lord out of Himself by means of the Word is going to give all the things that conduce to that use. By 'a thirsting one' is signified one who desires truth on account of a spiritual use, concerning which [something] follows. By 'the fountain of the water of life' is signified the Lord and the Word (384); by 'to give freely' is signified out of the Lord and not out of any self-intelligence of a man. The reason why by 'to thirst' is signified to desire on account of some spiritual use is because there is given a thirst or desire for cognitions of truth out of the Word on account of a natural use, and also on account of a spiritual use. It is on account of a natural use with those who have learning as an end, and by means of learning fame, honour and gain, thus self and the world; but it is on account of a spiritual use with those who have as an end to serve the neighbour out of a love of him, to have a regard for the souls of those [who are the neighbour], also for their own, thus for the sake of the Lord, the neighbour and salvation. To the latter, out of 'the fountain of the water of life,' that is, out of the Lord by means of the Word, there is given truth so far as it conduces to that use. To the rest truth is not given thence. They read the Word, and every doctrinal truth there they either do not see or, if they do see it, they turn it into untruth, not doing this in speech when it is uttered out of the Word, but in the idea of the thought concerning it. That 'to hunger' signifies to desire good, and 'to thirst' to desire truth, may be seen (323, 381).
889. I will give unto him that thirsteth of the fountain of the water of life freely, signifies that to those who desire truths from any spiritual use, the Lord will give from Himself through the Word all things that are conducive to that use. By "him that thirsteth" is signified he who desires truth from any spiritual use will be seen presently; by "the fountain of the water of life" is signified the Lord and the Word, (384); by "giving freely" is signified from the Lord, and not from man's own intelligence. The reason why by "thirsting" is signified to desire for the sake of some spiritual use is because there is given a thirst or desire for the knowledges of truth from the Word, from natural use, and also from spiritual use, from natural use with those who have learning for their end, and by learning, fame, honor, and gain, thus self and the world; but from spiritual use with those whose end is to serve the neighbor from love to him, to consult the good of their souls, and that of their own, thus on account of the Lord, the neighbor, and salvation; truth is given to these so far as it conduces to that use, "from the fountain of the water of life," that is, from the Lord through the Word; to the rest truth is not given from thence; they read the Word, and every doctrinal truth therein they either do not see, or if they do see it they turn it into falsity, not so much in speech when it is uttered from the Word, but in the idea of their thought concerning it. That "to hunger" signifies to desire good, and "to thirst" to desire truth, may be seen, (323, 381).
889. "Ego sitienti dabo ex fonte aquae vitae gratis," significat quod Dominus illis qui desiderant vera ex aliquo usu spirituali, daturus sit ex Se per Verbum omnia quae usui illi conducunt. -Per "sitientem" significatur qui desiderat verum ex aliquo usu spirituali, de quo sequitur; per "fontem aquae vitae" significatur Dominus et Verbum (384); per "dare gratis" significatur ex Domino, et non ex aliqua propria intelligentia hominis. Quod per "sitire" significetur desiderare ex aliquo usu spirituali est quia datur sitis seu desiderium cognitionum veri ex Verbo ex usu naturali, et quoque ex usu spirituali: ex usu naturali illis qui pro fine habent eruditionem, et per eruditionem famam, honorem et lucrum, ita se et mundum; at ex usu spirituali illis qui pro fine habent servire proximo ex amore ejus, consulere animabus illorum, etiam suae, ita propter Dominum, proximum et salutem: his "ex fonte aquae vitae," hoc est, ex Domino per Verbum, datur verum, quantum usui isti conducit: reliquis non datur inde verum; legunt Verbum, et omne verum doctrinale ibi vel non vident, vel si vident vertunt in falsum; non ita in loquela dum enuntiatur ex Verbo, sed in idea cogitationis de illo. Quod "esurire" significet desiderare bonum, ac "sitire" desiderare verum, videatur 323, 381.