760. That 'forty days and forty nights' means its duration has been shown above at verse 4. As has been stated, 'forty' means the whole duration of temptation, long or short, and indeed severe temptation involving things of the will. For it is through a whole chain of pleasures and through love of the world and self-love, and so through the desires which are the unceasing activities of those loves, that a person has acquired life to himself. Consequently his whole life consists in nothing else than things such as these. This life cannot possibly accord with heavenly life, for nobody can love worldly things and at the same time heavenly. Loving worldly things is looking downwards, loving heavenly looking upwards. Still less can anyone love himself and at the same time the neighbour, and least of all himself and at the same time the Lord. Someone who loves himself hates all who are not subservient to him, and so he who loves himself is very far removed from heavenly love or charity, which consists in loving the neighbour more than self, and the Lord above all things. From these considerations it is clear how far away man's life is from heavenly life. This being so the Lord regenerates him by means of temptations, and redirects him so that he conforms [to heavenly life]. This is the reason why this temptation is severe. In fact it impinges on, attacks, breaks down, and alters a person's essential life, which also is why it is described by 'the fountains of the great deep being split open' and by 'the floodgates of heaven being opened'.