427. [verse 5] 'And to them it was given that they should not kill those, but that they should torment them five months' signifies that it is of the Lord's Divine Providence that they are not able to take away from those who are not in faith and charity the faculty of understanding and willing what is true and good, but that they are only able for a short time to induce stupefaction. By 'to them it was given' is signified that it is of the Lord's Divine Providence, as just above. 'Not to be able to kill them' signifies not to be able to take away from those who are not in the faith of charity the faculty of understanding and willing what is true and good, for when this faculty is taken away a man is killed spiritually. By 'to torment them five months' is signified to induce stupefaction for a short time, 'five' signifying something little or for a short time, and 'to torment' signifying to induce stupefaction, because this is signified by 'a scorpion' (n. 425) and by 'as the torment of a scorpion', as it follows on (n. 428). That the faculty of understanding what is true and of willing it, or rationality and freedom, cannot be taken away from a man, has been shown many times in ANGELIC WISDOM CONCERNING DIVINE PROVIDENCE (n. 73, 74, 82-86, 92-99, 138-149, 322). [2] That 'five months' signify something little and for a short time, is because this is signified by 'five', for times, whether they be hours, days, weeks, months or years, do not signify a time but a state, and the numbers determine the quality thereof (n. 4, JO, 348, 947). That 'five' signify something, and also a little, can be established from these passages:-