8715. And princes of tens. That this signifies primary truths in the third place, is evident from the signification of "princes," as being primary things (as above); and from the signification of "tens," as also being many, but in a less degree, because under "hundreds" (that "tens," or "ten," also denotes many, see n. 3107, 4638). Princes being set in order over a thousand, over a hundred, and over ten, abstractedly from all number represented many things in the first degree, in the second, and in the third, in like manner as in other passages in the Word, as where the Lord said of the servant that he "owed ten thousand talents," and that the fellow-servant "owed him a hundred pence" (Matt. 18:24, 28); in like manner where He spoke of "a king about to wage war with another king, as consulting whether he was able with ten thousand to meet the other who was coming with twenty thousand" (Luke 14:31). In like manner in John:
An angel coming down from heaven laid hold on the dragon, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the abyss, that he should seduce the nations no more, until the thousand years should be consummated. The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were consummated: this is the first resurrection (Rev. 20:1-3, 5).
in this passage by "a thousand" is not signified a thousand, but much, without any number. In like manner in Moses:
Jehovah doing mercy to a thousand generations that love Him (Exod. 20:5, 6; Deut. 5:9, 10; 7:9; also in Jer. 32:18).
In David:
The word He commanded to a thousand generations (Ps. 105:8).
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; it shall not come nigh thee (Ps. 91:7)
The chariots of God are twenty thousand, thousands of peaceful ones (Ps. 68:17).
Our flocks thousands, and ten thousands in our streets (Ps. 144:13).
A thousand years in Thy sight are as a day (Ps. 90:4).
It is similar with "a hundred" and with "ten," for lesser numbers signify the like with the greater that result from multiplication by a like number (see n. 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973); (that "a hundred" and also "ten" signify much, see n. 3107, 4400, 4638).
