n. 236, 241) tones express affections, as words express ideas of
thought from the affections; and for this reason the things heard in
heaven are said to be ineffable. So, too, the angels are able to
express in a few words every least thing written in an entire volume,
and give to every word meanings that elevate the mind to interior
wisdom; for their speech is such as to be in accord with their
affections, and each word is in accord with their ideas; and their
words are varied in infinite ways in accord with the series of things
which in complex are in the thought. [2] Still again, the interior
angels are able to perceive from the tone and from a few words the
entire life of one speaking; for from the tone as varied by the ideas
in the words they perceive his ruling love upon which, as it were,
every particular of his life is inscribed.{1} All this makes clear
the nature of angelic wisdom. In comparison with human wisdom it is
as a myriad to one, or as the moving forces of the whole body, which
are numberless, to the activities from them which appear to human
sense as a single thing, or as the thousand particulars of an object
seen under a perfect microscope to the one obscure thing seen by the
naked eye. [3] Let me illustrate the subject by an example. An angel
from his wisdom was describing regeneration, and brought forward
arcana respecting it in their order even to some hundreds, filling
each of them with ideas in which there were interior arcana, and this
from beginning to end; for he explained how the spiritual man is
conceived anew, is carried as it were in the womb, is born, grows up
and is gradually perfected. He said that the number of arcana could
be increased even to thousands, and that those told were only about
the regeneration of the external man, while there were numberless
more about the regeneration of the internal man. From these and other
like things heard from the angels it has been made clear to me how
great is their wisdom, and how great in comparison is the ignorance
of man, who scarcely knows what regeneration is, and is ignorant of
every least step of the process when he is being regenerated.

{Footnote 1} That which universally rules or is dominant in man
is in every particular of his life, thus in each thing and all
things of his thought and affection (n. 4459, 5949, 6159, 6571,
7648, 8067, 8853-8858). A man is such as his ruling love is (n.
917, 1040, 8858); illustrated by example