This is probably a clarification of what it means to be Ariya Puggala. However the word Ariya comes from the Aryans who invaded north India around 1500 BC and became the ruling clases in northern India, so it really refers to the nobility. Of course the Buddha twists the term to say nobility isn't about birth, conquest, or riches, but about being and acting in accordance with reality and following the eightfold path.