Secrets of Heaven · Volume 8 · §§ 5968–6047

5968. And he is ruler in all the land of Egypt. That this signifies that the natural mind is under its authority, is evident from the signification of “being ruler,” as being to be under its authority; and from the signification of the “land of Egypt,” as being the natural mind (see n. 5276, 5278, 5280, 5301).

5969. And his heart failed, because he believed them not. That this signifies a lack of life of the natural, and thence of understanding, is evident from the signification of the “heart failing,” as being a lack of life; and because it is said of Jacob, by whom is represented natural good (see n. 5965), it signifies a lack of life of the natural; and from the signification of “not believing,” as being a lack of understanding. The reason why it is said thence, is that the life which is of the will always precedes, and the life of the understanding follows. The reason is that in the will alone is life, and not in the understanding except from the will. It is evident from the good which is of the will and from the truth which is of the understanding, that life is in good, but not in truth except from good; for it is manifest that what lives is always prior, and that what lives therefrom is posterior. This is the reason why it is said a lack of life of the natural and thence of understanding, which is signified by his “heart failing, because he believed them not.”

5970. And they spake unto him all the words of Joseph which he spake unto them. That this signifies influx from the celestial of the spiritual, is evident from the signification of “speaking,” as being influx (see n. 2951, 5481, 5797); and from the representation of Joseph, as being the celestial of the spiritual (n. 4286, 4592, 4963, 5307, 5331, 5332, 5417).

5971. And he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him. That this signifies doctrinal things thence derived which might persuade, is evident from the signification of “carts,” as being doctrinal things (see n. 5945, 5952); from the signification of “which Joseph had sent,” as being which were from the internal celestial; and from the signification of “to carry him,” as being which might persuade; for to carry him to Joseph that he might see him denotes to persuade. Moreover that he was persuaded by seeing the carts is evident from the words which now follow, namely, “the spirit of Jacob their father revived; and Israel said, It is much; Joseph my son is yet alive.”

5972. And the spirit of Jacob their father revived. That this signifies new life, is evident from the signification of the “spirit reviving,” as being new life; and from the representation of Jacob, as being natural good (see n. 5965). Thus by “the spirit of Jacob revived” is signified new life to natural good. Life becomes new when what is spiritual flows in from the internal and acts from within in those things which are in the natural. Thereby natural good becomes spiritual, adjoined to the spiritual good which is represented by Israel, for which reason also Jacob is now called “Israel,” for it is said, “the spirit of Jacob revived, and Israel said.”

5973. And Israel said. That this signifies spiritual good now, is evident from the representation of Israel, as being spiritual good (see n. 5801, 5803, 5807, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5832, 5833). (What is meant by the spiritual good which is “Israel,” and what by the natural good which is “Jacob,” may be seen above, n. 5965.) He who is unacquainted with the internal sense of the Word cannot possibly know why Jacob is sometimes called “Jacob,” and sometimes “Israel;” for in the same chapter, and even in the same verse, now one name is used and now the other. Hence it is very evident that there is an internal sense in the Word, as here where it is said, “the spirit of Jacob their father revived, and Israel said;” and in like manner in other passages:

Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; and the sons of Israel came in the midst of those who came (Gen. 42:4, 5).

Israel journeyed; God said to Israel in the visions of the night, Jacob, Jacob; and he said, Behold me (Gen. 46:1, 2).

Jacob rose up from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father (Gen. 46:5).

All the souls of the house of Jacob that came into Egypt were seventy; Joseph harnessed his chariot, and went up to meet Israel; and Israel said unto Joseph (verses 27, 29, 30).

Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; and the days of Israel drew near to die (Gen. 47:27-29).

And one told Jacob and said, Behold thy son Joseph cometh unto thee; and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed; and Jacob said unto Joseph (Gen. 48:2, 3).

Jacob called his sons, and said, Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; listen to Israel your father (Gen. 49:1, 2).

Cursed be their anger, for it was vehement, and their wrath, for it was hard; I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel (Gen. 49:7).

The arms of his hands shall be made strong by the hands of the strong one of Jacob; from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel (Gen. 49:24);

besides frequently in the prophets.

5974. It is much; Joseph my son is yet alive. That this signifies joy that the internal had not perished, is evident from the representation of Joseph, as being the internal celestial; and from the signification of “being alive,” as being not to have perished, nor to have been rejected (see above, n. 5967); that joy is denoted is manifest.

5975. I will go and see him before I die. That this signifies a longing for conjunction previous to what is new, is evident from the signification of “going and seeing,” as being to be conjoined. The reason why “to see” denotes to be conjoined is that in the spiritual world interior sight conjoins. For interior sight is thought, and in a society there when many act as a one (and also in choirs), what the one thinks the other also thinks; thus thought conjoins. And likewise when anyone thinks of another, he is presented to view; in this way also thought conjoins. Hence it is that by “going and seeing” is signified conjunction. That a longing for conjunction is signified, follows from the joy spoken of just above (n. 5974). And from the signification of “before I die,” as being previous to what is new, namely, to what is new of representation. For in the Word representatives succeed each other in such a manner that when one person dies, there follows either a like representative by another person, or another representative; thus what is new (see n. 3253, 3259, 3276); as when Abraham died, a representative by Isaac succeeded; and when he died, a representative by Jacob succeeded; and when he died, a representative by his posterity succeeded. This is the new thing here meant.

5976. Continuation concerning the angels and spirits with man.

At the end of the preceding chapter it was shown that there are with every man two spirits from hell and two angels from heaven, who effect communication both ways, and also that the man is in freedom.

5977. That there are two, is because there are two kinds of spirits in hell and two kinds of angels in heaven, to which the two faculties in man, namely, the will and the understanding, correspond. Spirits of the one kind are called simply spirits and act into what is of the understanding. Those of the other kind are called genii and act into what is of the will. The two kinds are also most distinct from each other. They who are called simply spirits infuse falsities, for they reason against truth and are in the delight of their life when they can make what is true appear as false, and what is false appear as true. But they who are called genii infuse evils, act into the affections and concupiscences of a man, and scent in a moment what the man desires. If this is good, they bend it most cunningly into evil, and are in the delight of their life when they can make good to be perceived as evil, and evil as good. It was permitted them to act into my desires, that I might know of what nature they are and how they act, and I can avouch that unless the Lord had guarded me by angels they would have perverted my desires into concupiscences of evil, and this in a manner so hidden and silent that I should scarcely have noticed anything about it. These latter, who are called genii, have nothing at all in common with those who are called spirits. The genii have no concern as to what a man thinks, but only as to what he loves; whereas the spirits have no concern about what a man loves, but about what he thinks. The genii vest their delight in being silent, but the spirits in speaking. The two are also altogether separated from each other. The genii are in the hells deep down behind, and are invisible there to the spirits; and when anyone looks in there, they appear like flitting shadows. But the spirits are in the hells at the sides and in front. This then is the reason why there are with man two spirits from hell.

5978. That there are two angels with every man is because of these also there are two kinds, of which one act into what is of man’s will, and the other into what is of his understanding. They who act into what is of man’s will, act into his loves and ends, consequently into his goods. But they who act into what is of man’s understanding, act into his faith and principles, consequently into his truths. These two kinds also are most distinct from each other. They who act into what is of man’s will are called celestial, and they who act into what is of his understanding are called spiritual. To the celestial are opposed the genii, and to the spiritual the spirits. These things it has been given me to know by much experience, for I am continually in company and discourse with them both.

5979. A man who is in faith believes that none but angels from heaven are with him, and that diabolical spirits are altogether removed from him. But I can assert that in the case of a man who is in the concupiscences and delights of the love of self and of the world, and regards these as the end, diabolical spirits are so near him as to be in him, and to rule both his thoughts and his affections. Angels from heaven cannot possibly be within the sphere of such, but are without; and therefore the angels recede as the infernal spirits approach nearer. Nevertheless the angels from heaven in no case recede altogether from a man, for then all would be over with him, because if he should be without communication with heaven by means of angels, he could not live.

[2] That there are infernal spirits and heavenly angels with man is also in some measure taught by the doctrine of faith of Christian Churches; for this declares that all good is from God, and that evil is from the devil; and preachers confirm this by their prayers in the pulpit that God may direct their thoughts and their words, and by their saying that in justification all endeavors, even the least, are from God; and also that when a man lives well he suffers himself to be led by God; and likewise that angels are sent by God to minister to man. And on the other hand, when a man has committed any enormous evil, they say he has suffered himself to be led by the devil, and that such evil is from hell. They would also have said that spirits from hell were flowing into the interior evils which are of the will and the thought, if they had acknowledged these evils to be so great.

5980. The angels attentively and continually observe what the evil spirits and genii with a man are intending and attempting; and insofar as the man suffers it, they bend evils into goods, or to goods, or toward goods.

5981. There sometimes appears to view with infernal spirits and genii things shameful and filthy, and in fact such things as an evil man thinks and speaks. Lest on account of such things the angels should flee away altogether, these shameful and filthy things are perceived by them as being milder than they really are. In order that I might know how such things are perceived by the angels, when shameful things presented themselves there was given me the angelic perception, which was such that I felt no horror. The shameful things were turned into a mildness such as cannot be described, but can only be compared to things angular and pungent when the angularity and pungency are taken away from them. In this way the shameful and filthy things of infernal spirits and genii are dulled with the angels.

5982. By means of evil spirits on the one hand and angels on the other, the Lord places a man in equilibrium between evils and goods, and between falsities and truths, so that the man may be in freedom. For in order that a man may be saved he must be in freedom, and in freedom be drawn away from evil and led to good. Whatever is not effected in freedom does not remain, because it is not appropriated. This freedom is from the equilibrium in which the man is kept.

5983. That man has communication with hell and with heaven through the two spirits and the two angels, may be seen from the fact that in the other life one society cannot have communication with another, or with anyone, except through spirits who are sent forth by the societies. These emissary spirits are called Subjects, for through them as subjects the societies speak. To send forth subjects to other societies, and in this way to get communication, is one of the familiar things of the other life, and is very well known to me from the fact that subjects have been sent to me a thousand times, and that without them the societies could not know anything appertaining to me, and could communicate to me nothing appertaining to themselves. This shows that the spirits and genii with man are nothing but subjects through whom he has communication with hell, and that the celestial and spiritual angels are subjects through whom he has communication with the heavens.

5984. When the spirits who are in the world of spirits desire to have communication with a number of societies, they are wont to send forth subjects, one to each society. And I have observed that evil spirits sent out many round about and stationed them like a spider setting its web, the senders being in the middle. And to my surprise they know how to do this as from a kind of instinct; for they who had known nothing of such things in the life of the body, do it at once in the other life. From this also it is evident that communications are effected through emissary spirits.

5985. A Subject is one in whom are concentrated the thoughts and speech of many, and in this way many are presented as one. And as a subject thinks and speaks nothing whatever from himself, but from others, and the thoughts and speech of others are there presented to the life, therefore they who flow in suppose that the subject is as it were nothing and scarcely animate, being merely a receptive of their thought and speech. But on the other hand the subject supposes that he does not think and speak from others, but from himself alone. Thus fallacies delude both. It has often been given me to say to a subject that he thinks and speaks nothing from himself, but from others; and also that those others suppose that a subject cannot think and speak anything from himself; thus that he appears to them like one in whom there is nothing of life from himself. Upon hearing this the spirit who was the subject was very indignant. But in order that he might be convinced of the truth, it was given to speak with the spirits who were flowing in, who then confessed that a subject thinks and speaks nothing whatever from himself, and thus that he appears to them to be something scarcely animate. It also once happened that he who said that a subject is nothing, himself became a subject, and then the rest said of him that he was nothing, at which he was greatly enraged, and yet was thereby instructed how the case is.

5986. It is worthy of mention (for it has often happened and thus been shown) that no one either in heaven or in hell thinks, speaks, wills, and acts from himself, but from others, and thus at last all and each do so from the general influx of life, which is from the Lord. When I have heard the spirits saying that a spirit does not think and speak anything from himself, and yet the subject supposed he did so solely from himself, it has then been frequently given to speak with those who were flowing into the subject; and when they persisted in the assertion that they thought and spoke from themselves, but not so the subject from himself, and because they supposed that they so thought and spoke, it was further given to tell them that this is a fallacy, and that they as well as the subject were thinking and speaking from others. In order to confirm this point, it was also given to speak with those who were flowing into these latter, and when they also made a like confession, it was further given to speak with those who were flowing into these, and so on in a continued series. Thus it became plain that everyone was thinking and speaking from others. This experience excited in the spirits the utmost indignation, for every one of them desires to think and speak from himself. But because they were thereby instructed how the case is, they were told that everything of thought and also of will flows in, because there is but one only life, from which are these faculties of life; and that this life flows in from the Lord through a wonderful form, which is the heavenly form, not only in a general way into all, but also particularly into each; and that it is varied everywhere according to the form of each subject, as this agrees or disagrees with the heavenly form. From all this it is also evident how the case is with man, of which more will be said in what follows, when treating of influx.

5987. The more there are who concentrate their look into one subject, the stronger is the subject’s power of thinking and speaking. The power is increased according to the increase in number of the concordant looks. This was also shown by the withdrawal of some who were flowing in, for then the subject’s power of thinking and speaking was diminished.

5988. There were subjects with me near the head, who spoke as if they were asleep, but still spoke well, as do they who are not in a state of sleep. It was observed that evil spirits were flowing into these subjects with malignant deceits, but that the influx into them was instantly dissipated; and as the evil spirits knew that these spirits had previously been their subjects, they complained that they were no longer so. The reason was that being asleep good spirits could act into them, and thus by their influx the malignities of the evil spirits were dispelled. Nevertheless the evil spirits were compelled to flow into these subjects and not into others. This shows that there are subjects of different kinds and natures, and that the variations are in accordance with the Lord’s disposal.

5989. The most deceitful, who are above the head, once took subjects and sent them forth to me, in order that they might flow in with their deceits; but they were much disappointed. One, when made a subject, writhed back and closed himself, and folded himself as in a roll, in order thus to reject the influx. In this way he extricated himself from them. Then they took another, but neither could they force him to speak, he being more deceitful than they, which he showed by rolling himself as it were into the form of a spiral. In this way they were cheated. Moreover evil spirits do not always send forth subjects from their own body, but observe what spirits are with others, and also where are those who are simple and obedient, and these they make their subjects. This is effected by directing their thoughts into the subject spirit, and infusing into him their own affections and persuasions, whereby he is no longer his own master, but serves them as a subject. Of this he is sometimes unaware.

5990. There are very many spirits at this day who desire to flow not only into man’s thoughts and affections, but also into his speech and actions, thus even into the things of his body; when yet the things of the body are exempt from the particular influx of spirits and angels, and are directed by general influx. In other words, when what is thought is determined into speech, and what is willed is determined into acts, the determination and transition into the body are according to order, and are not directed by any spirits in particular; for to flow into man’s bodily things is to obsess him. The spirits who will and intend this are those who in the life of the body had been adulterers, that is, who had perceived delight in adulteries and had persuaded themselves that they are allowable; and also those who had been cruel. The reason is that both the former and the latter are more corporeal and sensual than all others, and have rejected all thought about heaven, attributing all things to nature and nothing to the Divine. In this way they have closed up interior things against themselves, and have opened external things; and because in the world they had been solely in the love of these, therefore in the other life they long to return into them through man by obsessing him.

[2] But it is provided by the Lord that such infernals should not come into the world of spirits; they being kept in their hells, well shut up. Therefore there are no external obsessions at this day, but still there are internal ones, also the work of the infernal and diabolical crew; for evil men think such things as are filthy and also cruel towards others, and also such as are adverse and malignant toward what is Divine; and unless such thoughts were kept in check by fear of the loss of honor, of gain, and of reputation on account of these, of legal penalties, and of the loss of life, they would burst forth openly, and thus such men would rush more than the obsessed into the destruction of others, and into blasphemies against the things of faith. But these external bonds cause them not to seem to be obsessed, although they are so as to their interiors, but not as to their exteriors. This is very manifest from such as they in the other life, where external bonds are removed. There they are devils, being continually in the delight and desire of ruining others and destroying whatever is of faith.

5991. I saw spirits who must be called bodily spirits. They rose up from the deep, at the side of the sole of the right foot. They appeared to the sight of my spirit as if in a gross body; and when I asked who they are that are like this, it was said that they are those who in the world have excelled in talent, and also in the sciences, and have thereby utterly confirmed themselves against the Divine, thus against those things which are of the church; and because they have fully persuaded themselves that all things are of nature, they have more than others closed their interiors, thus all that belongs to the spirit. Hence they appear grossly corporeal. Among them was one whom I had known during his life in the world, and who then was celebrated for his talents and his learning. But these gifts, which are means of thinking well about Divine things, were to him means of thinking against them, and of persuading himself that they are of no account; for he who excels in talent and learning excels also in the means of confirmation. Hence he had been interiorly obsessed, but in the external form he had appeared as a man of civic and moral virtues.

5992. The angels, through whom the Lord leads and also protects a man, are near his head. It is their office to inspire charity and faith, and to observe in what direction the man’s delights turn, and insofar as they can, without interfering with the man’s freedom, moderate them and bend them to good. They are forbidden to act with violence and thus break the man’s cupidities and principles; but are enjoined to act gently. It is also their office to rule the evil spirits who are from hell, which is done in innumerable ways, of which the following only may be mentioned. When the evil spirits pour in evils and falsities, the angels insinuate truths and goods, which, if not received, are nevertheless the means of tempering. Infernal spirits continually attack, and the angels protect; such is the order.

[2] The angels especially regulate the affections, for these make the man’s life, and also his freedom. The angels also observe whether any hells are open that were not open before, and from which there is influx with the man, which takes place when the man brings himself into any new evil. These hells the angels close so far as the man allows, and remove any spirits who attempt to emerge therefrom. They also disperse strange and new influxes that produce evil effects.

[3] Especially do the angels call forth the goods and truths that are with a man, and set them in opposition to the evils and falsities which the evil spirits excite. Thus the man is in the midst, and does not perceive either the evil or the good; and being in the midst, he is in freedom to turn himself either to the one or to the other. By such means do angels from the Lord lead and protect a man, and this every moment, and every moment of a moment; for if the angels were to intermit their care for a single moment, the man would be precipitated into evil from which he could never afterward be brought out. These things the angels do from the love they have from the Lord, for they perceive nothing more delightful and happy than to remove evils from a man, and lead him to heaven. That this is a joy to them, see Luke 15:7. Scarcely any man believes that the Lord takes such care of a man, and this continually from the first thread of his life to the last of it, and afterward to eternity.

5993. From all this it is now evident that for a man to have communication with the spiritual world there must be joined to him two spirits from hell and two angels from heaven, and that without these he would have no life whatever. For a man cannot possibly live from general influx, as do animals void of reason (of which n. 5850), because his whole life is contrary to order; and being in this state, if a man were acted on by general influx only, he would necessarily be acted on by the hells only, and not from the heavens; and if he were not acted on from the heavens he would have no interior life, thus no life of thought and will such as is proper to man, and not even such as is proper to a brute animal, because a man is born without any use of reason, and can be initiated into it solely through influx from the heavens.

[2] From all that has been advanced it is also evident that a man cannot live without communication with the hells through spirits from them, for the whole of his life which he derives from his parents by inheritance, and all that he himself adds from his own, is of the love of self and of the world, and not of the love of the neighbor, and still less of love to God. And as the whole of man’s life from his own is of the love of self and of the world, it is therefore a life of contempt for others in comparison with self, and of hatred and revenge against all who do not favor self. Thus it is also a life of cruelty; for he who hates, desires to kill, and is therefore most highly delighted with the destruction of others. Unless spirits of a like nature were applied to these evils (and such spirits must be from hell), and unless the man were led by them in accordance with the delights of his life, he could not possibly be bent toward heaven. At first he is bent by means of his delights themselves; and by these is also set in freedom, thus at last in the faculty of exercising choice.

Genesis 46

1. And Israel journeyed, and all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and sacrificed sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

2. And God said to Israel in the visions of the night, and He said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Behold me.

3. And He said, I am God; the God of thy father; fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will there make of thee a great nation.

4. I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will cause thee to go up, even in going up; and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.

5. And Jacob rose up from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their babes, and their women, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

6. And they took their cattle, and their acquisition which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him:

7. His sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed, brought he with him into Egypt.

8. And these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt, of Jacob and of his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.

9. And the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, and Pallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.

10. And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman.

11. And the sons of Levi: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.

12. And the sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

13. And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Puvah, and Iob, and Shimron.

14. And the sons of Zebulun: Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.

15. These are the sons of Leah, whom she bare unto Jacob in Paddan-aram, and his daughter Dinah; all the souls of his sons and of his daughters were thirty and three.

16. And the sons of Gad: Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.

17. And the sons of Asher: Imnah, and Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah, and Serah their sister; and the sons of Beriah: Ber, and Malchiel.

18. These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare to Jacob: sixteen souls.

19. The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife: Joseph and Benjamin.

20. And to Joseph were born in the land of Egypt, whom Asenath the daughter of Potiphera priest of On bare unto him, Manasseh and Ephraim.

21. And the sons of Benjamin: Bela, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard.

22. These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.

23. And the sons of Dan: Hushim.

24. And the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.

25. These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and these she bare to Jacob; all the souls were seven.

26. All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, that came out of his thigh, besides Jacob’s sons’ women, all the souls were sixty and six.

27. And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two souls. All the souls of the house of Jacob, that came into Egypt, were seventy.

28. And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to show before him unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.

29. And Joseph harnessed his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen; and he was seen of him, and fell upon his necks, and wept upon his necks a long while.

30. And Israel said unto Joseph, Let me die, after that I have seen thy faces, that thou art yet alive.

31. And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father’s house, I will go up, and will tell Pharaoh, and will say unto him, My brethren, and my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;

32. And the men are shepherds of the flock, for they are men of cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.

33. And it may be that Pharaoh will call you, and will say, What are your works?

34. And ye shall say, Thy servants have been men of cattle from their youth even until now, both we, and our fathers; in order that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd of the flock is an abomination of the Egyptians.

5994. The Contents.

In this chapter the subject treated of in the internal sense is the conjunction of the internal celestial which is “Joseph,” with spiritual good from the natural which is “Israel.” There are then enumerated the truths and goods of the church in their order, wherewith conjunction must afterward be effected. The truths and goods of the church are Israel’s sons and grandsons, who came into Egypt.

5995. The Internal Sense.

Verse 1. And Israel journeyed, and all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and sacrificed sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. “And Israel journeyed, and all that he had,” signifies the beginning of conjunction; “and came to Beersheba,” signifies charity and faith; “and sacrificed sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac,” signifies worship therefrom, and influx from the Divine intellectual.

5996. And Israel journeyed, and all that he had. That this signifies the beginning of conjunction, is evident from the signification of “journeying,” as being what is successive and continuous (see n. 4375, 4882, 5493); here, what was continuous and successive in the glorification of the Lord, who in the supreme sense is “Israel” and “Joseph;” but in the internal sense, what is continuous and successive in the regeneration of man. And as in this chapter the subject of the conjunction of the natural man with the spiritual, or of the external with the internal, now succeeds and is continued, therefore by the words “Israel journeyed, and all that he had” is signified the beginning of this conjunction.

5997. And came to Beersheba. That this signifies charity and faith, is evident from the signification of “Beersheba,” as being the doctrine of charity and of faith (see n. 2858, 2859, 3466), but here, charity and faith, and not their doctrine, for it is predicated of spiritual good, which is “Israel.” Spiritual good is more than doctrine, doctrine being from this good; and therefore he who has arrived at spiritual good has no more need of doctrinal things, which are from others; for he is in the end whither he was tending, and is no longer in the means thereto; and doctrinal things are nothing but the means of arriving at good as the end. This is the reason why by “Beersheba” is signified charity and faith.

5998. And sacrificed sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. That this signifies worship therefrom and influx from the Divine intellectual, is evident from the signification of “sacrificing sacrifices,” as being worship (see n. 922, 923, 2180); and from the representation of Isaac, as being in the supreme sense the Divine rational or intellectual of the Lord (n. 1893, 2066, 2072, 2083, 2630, 3012, 3194, 3210). That influx therefrom into worship is signified, follows, for the worship meant is that from charity and faith, which are signified by “Beersheba” (n. 5997), where he sacrificed. That Jacob sacrificed to the God of his father Isaac, shows what was the nature of the fathers of the Jewish and Israelitish nation, namely, that each of them worshiped his own God. That the God of Isaac was a God other than Jacob’s, is evident from the fact that he sacrificed to him, and that in the visions of the night it was said unto him, “I am God, the God of thy father;” and also from the fact that he swore by the same in these words: “The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us; and Jacob sware by the Dread of his father Isaac” (Gen. 31:53). And it is also evident that at first Jacob did not acknowledge Jehovah, for he said, “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way in which I walk, and will give me bread to eat, and garment to put on, and I return in peace to my father’s house, then shall Jehovah be my God” (Gen. 28:20, 21). Thus he acknowledged Jehovah conditionally.

[2] It was their custom to acknowledge the gods of their fathers, but their own in especial. This custom they derived from their fathers in Syria; for Terah, Abram’s father, and also Abram himself when there, worshiped other gods than Jehovah (n. 1356, 1992, 3667). Their posterity, who were called “Jacob” and “Israel,” were consequently of such a disposition that at heart they worshiped the gods of the Gentiles, and Jehovah only with the mouth and in name alone. The reason why they were such was that they were in externals alone without any internal, and such men can believe no otherwise than that worship consists merely in uttering the name of God and in saying that He is their God, and this so long as He is their benefactor; and that worship does not at all consist in a life of charity and faith.

5999. Verses 2-4. And God said to Israel in the visions of the night, and He said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Behold me. And He said, I am God, the God of thy father; fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will there make of thee a great nation. I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will cause thee to go up, even in going up; and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. “And God said to Israel in the visions of the night,” signifies obscure revelation; “and He said, Jacob, Jacob,” signifies to natural truth; “and he said, Behold me,” signifies notice; “and he said, I am God, the God of thy father,” signifies the Divine intellectual from which is the influx; “fear not to go down into Egypt,” signifies that natural truth with all things appertaining to it must be initiated into the memory-knowledges of the church; “for I will there make of thee a great nation,” signifies that truths shall become good; “I will go down with thee into Egypt,” signifies the presence of the Lord in that state; “and I will cause thee to go up, even in going up,” signifies elevation afterward; “and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes,” signifies that the internal celestial shall vivify.

6000. And God said to Israel in the visions of the night. That this signifies obscure revelation, is evident from the signification of “God said in the visions” as being revelation. For revelations were made either by dreams, or by night visions, or by day visions, or by speech within the man, or by speech without him from angels that were seen, and also by speech without him from angels that were not seen. By all these are signified in the Word various kinds of revelations, and by a “vision of the night,” obscure revelation; for “night” signifies what is obscure (see n. 1712, 2514), and obscurity in the spiritual sense is that truth does not appear. Moreover in the Word “night” signifies falsity from evil, for they who from evil are in falsity are in the obscurity of night. Thus all who are in hell are said to be in night. They indeed are in a kind of light there, for they see one another; but this light is like the light from a hard-coal fire, and is turned into darkness and thick darkness when heavenly light flows in. Hence it is that they who are in hell are said to be in night, and that they are called angels of night and of darkness; and on the other hand they who are in heaven are called angels of day and of light.

[2] That “night” denotes what is obscure, and likewise what is false, may also be seen from the following passages in the Word. In John:

Jesus said, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walk in the day, he stumbleth not. But if anyone walk in the night, he stumbleth, because the light is not in him (John 11:9, 10);

“twelve hours” denote all states of truth; “walking in the day,” denotes to live in truth; and “walking in the night,” to live in falsity.

[3] Again:

I must work the works of Him that sent Me while it is day; the night cometh when no one can work (John 9:4);

“day” denotes truth from good; and “night,” falsity from evil. It is the first time of the church which is meant by “day,” for then truth is received, because men are in good; and it is the last time of the church which is meant by “night,” for then nothing of truth is received, because men are not in good. For when man is not in good, that is, when he is not in charity toward the neighbor, then even if the veriest truths are told him, he receives them not, for then it is not at all perceived what is true, because the light of truth falls into such things as are of the body and the world, which alone are attended to, and alone are loved and estimated as real; but not into such things as are of heaven, because with such men these are relatively of little or no account. Thus the light of truth is absorbed and smothered in what is densely dark, as is the light of the sun in what is black. This is signified by “the night cometh when no one can work.” It is also such a time at this day.

[4] In Matthew:

While the bridegroom tarried, all the virgins slumbered and slept. But at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh (Matt. 25:5, 6);

“midnight” also denotes the last time of an old church, when there is nothing of faith because nothing of charity, and also the first time of a new church. In Luke:

I say unto you, In that night there shall be two upon one bed; the one shall be accepted, and the other shall be left (Luke 17:34);

here in like manner “night” denotes the last time of an old church and the first of a new one.

[5] In Matthew:

Jesus said to the disciples, All ye shall be scandalized against Me in this night. And to Peter, In this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice (Matt. 26:31, 34);

that it pleased the Lord to be taken at night, signified that with them at that time Divine truth was in the obscurity of night, and that falsity from evil was in its place. And that Peter denied the Lord thrice in that night, also represented the last time of the church, when the truth of faith is indeed taught, but is not believed. Such a time is “night,” because the Lord is then utterly denied in the hearts of men; for the twelve apostles, like the twelve tribes of Israel, represented all things of faith (n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3354, 3488, 3858, 3913, 3926, 3939, 4060), and Peter represented the faith of the church (see the preface to Gen. 18; also to Gen. 22; and also n. 3750, 4738). Therefore it was that the Lord said unto Peter that “in that night he should deny Him thrice;” and to the disciples, “all ye shall be scandalized against Me in this night.”

[6] In Isaiah:

One calleth unto me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night 12);

speaking of the coming of the Lord, which is the “morning,” which coming was when there was no longer any spiritual truth in the earth, and which is “night.”

[7] In Zechariah:

It shall be one day which is known to Jehovah; not day nor night; for about the time of evening there shall be light. It shall come to pass in that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; and Jehovah shall be king over all the earth; in that day shall Jehovah be one, and His name one (Zech. 14:7-9);

speaking here likewise of the Lord and also of a new church. “Jehovah who shall be king, and Jehovah being one and His name one,” is the Lord as to the Divine Human, which should be one with the Divine Itself which is called the “Father.” Before the coming of the Lord the Divine Human was Jehovah in the heavens, for by passing through the heavens He presented Himself as a Divine Man before many on earth. But at that time the Divine Human was not so completely one with the Divine Itself which is called the “Father,” as when the Lord made it in Himself altogether one. That before this they were as it were distinct, is plain from the nineteenth chapter of Genesis, where it is said, “Jehovah caused it to rain upon Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from Jehovah out of heaven” (verse 24; see n. 2447). The “day when it was not day nor night,” is when the Lord was born; for it was then “evening,” that is, the end of the representatives of the church; the “light about the time of evening” is the Divine truth which would then appear.

[8] In Isaiah:

Surely in the night Ar has been laid waste, Moab has been cut off; surely in the night Kir of Moab has been laid waste (Isa. 15:1);

“Moab” denotes natural good, and in the opposite sense adulterated good (n. 2468); its vastation is here treated of. Vastations are said to be effected “in the night,” because truth is then obscured, and falsity enters. In Jeremiah:

The great city weeping shall weep in the night, and her tear shall be on her cheek (Lam. 1:2);

describing the desolation of truth; “night” denotes falsity.

[9] In David:

Thou shalt not be afraid of the dread of night, of the arrow that flieth by day, nor of the death that wasteth at noonday (Ps. 91:5, 6);

the “dread of night” denotes falsities of evil which are from hell; the “arrow that flieth by day,” falsity which is openly taught, whereby good is destroyed; the “death that wasteth at noonday,” evil which is lived in openly, whereby truth is destroyed. In John:

The gates of the holy Jerusalem shall not be shut by day; for there is no night there (Rev. 21:25).

There shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light (Rev. 22:5).

“There shall be no night there” denotes that there shall be no falsity. In Daniel:

Daniel said, I saw in my vision when it was night. After this I saw in the visions of the night 7);

“visions of the night” here also denote obscure revelation, for in this passage the four beasts are treated of, and their horns, and many things which belong to obscure revelation. It is similar with the horses of various colors which Zechariah saw “in the night” (Zech. 1:8, and following verses).

6001. And He said, Jacob, Jacob. That this signifies to natural truth, is evident from the representation of Jacob, as being natural truth (see n. 3305, 3509, 3525, 3546, 3599, 3775, 4009, 4234, 4520, 4538). The reason why it is said “Jacob,” and not “Israel,” is that natural truth with all belonging to it must be initiated into the memory-knowledges of the church, which is signified by Jacob with his sons going down into Egypt (see below, n. 6004).

6002. And he said, Behold me. That this signifies notice, is evident without explication.

6003. And He said, I am God, the God of thy father. That this signifies the Divine intellectual from which is the influx, is evident from the representation of Isaac, who is here the “father,” as being the Divine rational or intellectual of the Lord (see above n. 5998); for it is said, “God, the God of thy father.” That the influx is from this is because all truth is of the intellectual, thus also natural truth, which is represented by Jacob (n. 6001). (What the Divine rational or intellectual is which is represented by Isaac, see n. 1893, 2066, 2072, 2083, 2630, 3012, 3194, 3210.) In the original tongue, “God” is named in the first place in the singular, but in the second place in the plural; that is, in the first the name is “El,” and in the second it is “Elohim.” The reason is that by “God” in the first place is signified that there is one God and only one, and by “God” in the second place that He has many attributes. Thus arises the name “Elohim” or “God” in the plural, as in the Word almost everywhere. As there are many attributes, and the Ancient Church assigned a name to each, therefore its descendants, with whom the knowledge of such things was lost, believed there were many gods, and each family chose one of them for its God-as Abraham, Shaddai (n. 1992, 3667, 5628), and Isaac, the God who was called “Pachad” or “Dread.” And as the God of each was one of the Divine attributes, therefore the Lord said unto Abram, “I am God Shaddai” (Gen. 17:1), and here unto Jacob, “I am the God of thy father.”

6004. Fear not to go down into Egypt. That this signifies that natural truth with all things appertaining to it must be initiated into the memory-knowledges of the church, is evident from the representation of Jacob, who is he that was to go down into Egypt, as being natural truth (of which just above, n. 6001); and from the signification of “going down,” as being to be initiated, for in order that this initiation might be represented, Jacob with all that appertained to him went down into Egypt; and from the signification of “Egypt,” as being the memory-knowledges of the church (n. 1462, 4749, 4964, 4966).

[2] In regard to truth being initiated into the memory-knowledges of the church, the case is this. The memory-knowledges of the church were at that time the representatives and significatives of their rituals, for all the rituals of the church were from such things, as also were the memory-knowledges which served as their doctrinals of charity. From these memory-knowledges they knew who are meant by the poor, the needy, the miserable, the afflicted, the oppressed, widows, orphans, sojourners, the bound in prison, the naked, the sick, the hungry, the thirsty, the lame, the blind, the deaf, the maimed, and by many other classes into which they distinguished the neighbor, and thus taught how charity was to be exercised. Such were the memory-knowledges of that time. That at this day these are altogether blotted out of remembrance is evident from the fact that where the above are mentioned in the Word, scarcely anyone knows but that such are meant as are so called-as that widows are meant where “widows” are mentioned, sojourners where “sojourners” are mentioned, the bound in prison where these are mentioned, and so on. Such memory-knowledges flourished in Egypt; and therefore by “Egypt” are signified memory-knowledges. That natural truth which is “Jacob” was to be initiated into such memory-knowledges, is represented by Jacob’s going down into Egypt with all that belonged to him.

[3] Truths are said to be initiated into such memory-knowledges when they are brought into them, so as to be in them. This is effected for the reason that when a memory-knowledge comes into the thought, the truths which have been brought into it may come at the same time into remembrance; as for example, when a sojourner is presented to the thought, seeing that by him are signified those who are to be instructed, that there should instantly come into thought all the exercises of charity toward such, thus truths. In like manner in all other cases. When memory-knowledges are thus filled, then when anyone is thinking from them, the thought extends and diffuses itself far and wide, and indeed to many societies in the heavens at the same time. For such a memory-knowledge, consisting as it does of so many truths within itself, unknown to the man, unfolds itself in this way; but it is necessary that truths be in them.

[4] It is also of Divine order for interior things to bestow themselves in exterior ones, or what is the same, prior things in posterior ones, thus at last all prior things in the ultimates, and for them to be together there. This is the case in universal nature. Unless this is done the man cannot be fully regenerated, for by such a bringing of truths into memory-knowledges, things interior and exterior agree together and make a one which otherwise would be in disagreement; and if they are in disagreement, the man is not in good, because he is not in what is sincere. Moreover memory-knowledges are in a light nearly the same as that in which is the sensual of man’s sight, and this light is such that unless it is enlightened within by the light which is from truths, it leads into falsities, especially into those derived from the fallacies of the senses; and also into evils from falsities. That this is the case will be seen from the experience about influx that is related at the close of the chapters.

6005. For I will there make of thee a great nation. That this signifies that truths shall become good, is evident from the representation of Jacob, of whom these words are spoken, as being natural truth (see above n. 6001); and from the signification of “nation,” as being good (n. 1259, 1260, 1416, 1849). “Nations” and “peoples” are often mentioned in the Word, but everywhere with this difference: that by “nations” are signified goods or evils, and by “peoples,” truths or falsities.

6006. I will go down with thee into Egypt. That this signifies the presence of the Lord in that state, is evident from the signification of “going down with thee,” as being the presence of the Lord, for by the God who spoke with Jacob in the visions of the night is meant the Lord.

6007. And I will cause thee to go up, even in going up. That this signifies elevation afterward, is evident from the signification of “going up,” as being elevation (see n. 3084, 4539, 5406, 5817). The elevation which is here signified is from memory-knowledges to things more interior. For after memory-knowledges have been filled with truths (according to what was said above, n. 6004), the man is elevated from memory-knowledges toward things more interior, and then the memory-knowledges serve him as the ultimate plane of his mental activities (intuitionum). To be elevated toward things more interior is to think more interiorly, and at last as a spirit and as an angel; for the more interiorly thought proceeds, the more perfect it is, because it is nearer the influx of truth and good from the Lord. (That thought is more interior and more exterior may be seen, n. 5127, 5141.)

6008. And Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. That this signifies that the internal celestial shall vivify, is evident from the representation of Joseph, as being the internal celestial (see n. 5869, 5877); and from the signification of “putting the hand upon the eyes,” as being to vivify.

For by “putting the hand upon the eyes” is meant that the external sensual, or that of the body, shall be closed, and the internal sensual shall be opened; thus that elevation shall be effected, and thus vivification. It was customary to lay the hand upon the eyes of a dying person, because by “death” was signified resuscitation into life (n. 3498, 3505, 4618, 4621). For when a man dies, he does not die, but only lays aside the body which had served him for use in the world, and he passes into the other life in a body which serves him for use there.

6009. Verses 5-7. And Jacob rose up from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their babes, and their women, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. And they took their cattle, and their acquisition which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him: his sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed, brought he with him into Egypt. “And Jacob rose up,” signifies the enlightening of natural truth; “from Beersheba,” signifies from the doctrine of charity and faith; “and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father,” signifies that truths which are spiritual caused natural truth to advance; “and their babes,” signifies together with those things which are of innocence; “and their women,” signifies and those things which are of charity; “in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him,” signifies doctrinals from the memory-knowledges of the church; “and they took their cattle,” signifies the goods of truth; “and their acquisition which they had acquired in the land of Canaan,” signifies truths procured from prior truths which are of the church; “and came into Egypt,” signifies initiation into the memory-knowledges of the church; “Jacob, and all his seed with him,” signifies of natural truth and of all things of faith appertaining thereto; “his sons, and his sons’ sons with him,” signifies truths in order; “his daughters, and his sons’ daughters,” signifies goods in order; “and all his seed” signifies everything of faith and of charity; “brought he with him into Egypt,” signifies that they were brought into the memory-knowledges which are of the church.

6010. And Jacob rose up. That this signifies the enlightening of natural truth, is evident from the signification of “rising up,” as being elevation into a state of light, thus an enlightening (see n. 4881); and from the representation of Jacob, as being natural truth (see above, n. 6001).

6011. From Beersheba. That this signifies from the doctrine of faith and of charity, is evident from the signification of “Beersheba,” as being the doctrine of faith and charity (see n. 2858, 2859, 3466).

6012. And the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father. That this signifies that truths which are spiritual caused natural truth to advance, is evident from the representation of the sons of Israel, as being spiritual truths (see n. 5414, 5879); and from the representation of Jacob, as being natural truth (n. 3305, 3509, 3525, 3546, 3599, 3775, 4009, 4234, 4520, 4538). The reason why “they carried” denotes that they caused to advance, is that it is predicated of spiritual truths relatively to natural truth, and natural truth cannot be advanced from any other source than spiritual truth, for its life and force of acting are thence derived. It is for this reason that the sons of Jacob are here called the “sons of Israel,” and that Jacob is called “Jacob.”

6013. And their babes. That this signifies together with those things which are of innocence, is evident from the signification of “babes,” as being innocence (see n. 3183, 5608). It is said “with those things which are of innocence,” also “which are of charity,” for the reason that without innocence and charity, natural truth cannot be caused to advance by spiritual truths; for in order that truth may be genuine, it must derive its essence and life from charity, and charity from innocence. For the interior things which vivify truth succeed one another in the following order: inmost is innocence; next lower is charity; and lowest is work of charity from truth or according to truth. The reason why they succeed one another in this order is that they so succeed one another in the heavens. For the inmost or third heaven is the heaven of innocence; the middle or second heaven is the heaven of charity, within which is innocence from the inmost heaven; and the ultimate or first heaven is the heaven of truth, within which is charity from the second heaven, and within this is innocence from the third. All these must be in the same order with man, for in respect to his interiors man is formed after the image of the three heavens; and therefore a regenerated man is a heaven in particular or in the least form. But in respect to his exteriors, especially the body, he is formed after the image of the world, and therefore he was called by the ancients a microcosm. For the ear is formed after the whole nature of air and sound; the eye after the whole nature of ether and light; the tongue after the whole sense of the solvent and fluent parts in liquids; the nostrils after the sense of things fluent in the atmosphere; the touch after the sense of cold and heat, also of things of the earth that have weight; and so on. As man’s external senses are formed after the whole image of the natural world, so his internal senses, which belong to his understanding and will, are formed after the whole image of heaven, to the end that every man may be in particular a recipient of Divine good from the Lord, as heaven is in general.

6014. And their women. That this signifies and those things which are of charity, is evident from the signification of “women,” as being goods, when their “men” are truths (see n. 4823), consequently the things which are of charity; for all spiritual goods are of charity toward the neighbor, and all celestial goods are of love to the Lord.

6015. In the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. That this signifies doctrinals from the memory-knowledges of the church, is evident from the signification of “carts,” as being doctrinal things (see n. 5945); and from the representation of Pharaoh, as being the memory-knowledge of the church in general; for by “Egypt” is signified the memory-knowledge of the church (n. 1462, 4749, 4964, 4966), and therefore by its “king” is signified this memory-knowledge in general, as also elsewhere in the Word; but in most passages, as by “Egypt,” so also by “Pharaoh,” is signified perverted memory-knowledge. That “Pharaoh” is memory-knowledge in general, is evident in Isaiah:

Fools are the princes of Zoan, the wise ones of the counselors of Pharaoh; counsel has become brutish; how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of the kings of antiquity? (Isa. 19:11);

here “Pharaoh” is the memory-knowledge of the church in general, and therefore he is called the “son of the wise,” and the “son of the kings of antiquity;” the “wise,” and the “kings of antiquity,” denote the truths of the Ancient Church. But such knowledge made foolishness is here meant, for it is said, “fools are the princes of Zoan; the counsel is become brutish.”

[2] Again:

They depart to go down into Egypt, but they have not asked at My mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt. Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh become to you for a shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt for a reproach (Isa. 30:2, 3);

“to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt” denotes to trust to memory-knowledges in the things of faith, and not to have faith in any spiritual truth, unless memory-knowledge and what is sensuous dictate it, which nevertheless is of perverted order; for the truths of faith ought to be in the first place, and confirming memory-knowledges in the second place, because if these are in the first place nothing whatever of truth is believed.

[3] In Jeremiah:

Hath said Jehovah Zebaoth the God of Israel, Behold I visit upon Amon in No, and upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt, and upon its gods, and upon its kings; especially upon Pharaoh, and them that trust in him (Jer. 46:25);

here also “Pharaoh” denotes memory-knowledge in general; “they that trust in him” are those who trust in memory-knowledges, but not in the Word, that is, in the Lord in the Word. Thus everything is perverted in the doctrinals of faith, and hence comes falsity, and also denial that the Divine and heavenly is anything. Such especially are in the habit of saying, “Make me see these things with the eye, or show me scientifically that it is so, and then I will believe.” And yet if they were to see, and if it were shown, they would not believe, because what is negative reigns universally.

[4] In the same:

Against Pharaoh: Behold waters rise up from the north, which shall become an overflowing stream, and shall overflow the land and the fullness thereof, the city and them that dwell therein; so that the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl, at the voice of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses, and at the tumult of his chariot, the rumbling of his wheels (Jer. 47:1, 2, 3);

from each of the things here said about Pharaoh, it is clear that “Pharaoh” is memory-knowledge in general, here in perverted order, which destroys the truths of faith. An “overflowing stream” is memory-knowledge destroying the understanding of truth, and thus vastating; “they shall overflow the land and the fullness thereof” denotes that this is done to the whole church; “the city and them that dwell therein” denotes to the truth of the church and the good thence derived; “the stamping of the hoofs of the horses” denotes the lowest memory-knowledges, which are direct from things of sense; “the tumult of the chariot” denotes the derivative false doctrine; “the rumbling of the wheels” denotes things of sense and their fallacies, which cause to advance.

[5] In Ezekiel:

Hath said the Lord Jehovih; Behold I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great whale that lieth in the midst of his rivers, that saith, The river is mine, and I have made myself. Therefore I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick to thy scales (Ezek. 29:3, 4);

here also “Pharaoh” denotes memory-knowledge in general, as in like manner is evident from all that is said of him.

[6] Again:

Take up a lamentation upon Pharaoh king of Egypt. Thou art as whales in the seas; and thou hast come forth with thy streams, and troubled the waters with thy feet, and fouled their streams. When I shall extinguish thee I will cover the heavens, and make the stars thereof black; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not make her light to shine; all the luminaries of light will I make black over thee, and will set darkness upon thy land (Ezek. 32:2, 3, 7, 8);

that these things, like many in the prophets, cannot be comprehended by anyone without the internal sense, is evident, as that Pharaoh is as whales in the seas, that he came forth from his streams, and troubled the waters with his feet; that over him the heavens should be covered, the stars should be made black, and all the luminaries of light; that the sun should be covered with a cloud, the moon not give her light, and darkness be set upon his land. But the internal sense teaches what these things signify, namely, that memory-knowledges pervert the truths of the church if a man enters by their means into the secrets of faith and believes nothing unless he sees it from them, nay, unless he sees it from things of sense. That this is the internal sense is evident from the explication of each expression.

[7] Pharaoh is called “king of Egypt” from memory-truth; for memory-knowledge is truth in the natural (that a “king” denotes truth, see n. 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, 3009, 3670, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044), and that the king of a people has the like signification as the people (n. 4789); thus “Pharaoh” has the like signification as “Egypt,” but in general. That “Egypt” is memory-knowledge has been frequently shown. Pharaoh is compared to “whales in the seas,” because a “whale” or “sea-monster” signifies the generals of memory-knowledges (n. 42), and “seas” signify collections of memory-knowledges (n. 28). It is also said that he “came forth with his streams,” because by “streams” are signified the things of intelligence (see n. 108, 109, 2702, 3051), here of insanity, because derived from things of sense and memory-knowledges (see n. 5196). It is then said that he “troubled the waters with his feet, and fouled their streams,” because by “waters” are signified spiritual truths (n. 680, 739, 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976, 5668), and by “feet,” the things of the natural (n. 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952), thus “to trouble the waters with his feet” denotes to defile and pervert the truths of faith through the memory-knowledges of the natural; and “to foul their streams” is to do thus to intelligence.

[8] It is finally said that “when he shall be extinguished the heavens shall be covered,” because by the “heavens” are signified the interiors of man, since these are indeed his heavens. These are closed when memory-knowledges have dominion over the truths of faith, or the natural over the spiritual. That then the knowledges of truth and of good perish, is signified by the words, “I will make the stars of the heavens black, and all the luminaries of light” (that the “stars” are these knowledges see n. 2495, 2849, 4697; and that “luminaries” are goods and truths, n. 30-38). That then neither can the good of love anymore flow in, is signified by “I will cover the sun with a cloud;” and that neither can the good of faith flow in, is signified by “the moon shall not make her light to shine” (that the “sun” is the good of love, and the “moon” the good of faith, see n. 1529, 1530, 2120, 2495, 3636, 3643, 4060, 4696). And that thus only falsities will have possession of the natural mind, is signified by “I will set darkness upon thy land” (that “darkness” is falsities, see n. 1839, 1860, 4418, 4531; and that the “land of Pharaoh” or the “land of Egypt” is the natural mind, n. 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5301). From all this it is now evident what is the sense contained in these prophetic words. As by “Pharaoh” is signified memory-knowledge in general, by him is also signified the natural in general (n. 5799).

6016. And they took their cattle. That this signifies the goods of truth, is evident from the signification of “cattle,” as being the good of truth; for by “cattle” are meant both flocks and herds, and also horses, camels, mules, and asses. And as “flocks” in the internal sense are interior goods, and “herds” exterior goods, but “horses,” “camels,” “mules,” and “asses” such things as are of the intellectual, all of which bear relation to truths, therefore by “cattle” is signified the good of truth.

6017. And their acquisition which they had acquired in the land of Canaan. That this signifies truths procured from prior truths which are of the church, is evident from the signification of “acquisition,” as being truth procured (see n. 4105), and also good procured (n. 4391, 4487); and from the signification of the “land of Canaan,” as being the church (n. 3686, 3705, 4447, 4517, 5136). That they were procured from prior truths of the church, follows, because when truths multiply themselves from good, they are multiplied from prior truths.

6018. And came into Egypt. That this signifies initiation into the memory-knowledges of the church, is evident from the signification of “coming” or “going down, into Egypt,” as being the initiation of truth into the memory-knowledges of the church (see n. 6004).

6019. Jacob, and all his seed with him. That this signifies of natural truth and of all things of faith appertaining thereto (that is, their initiation into the memory-knowledges of the church), is evident from the representation of Jacob, as being natural truth (see n. 3305, 3509, 3525, 3546, 3599, 3775, 4009, 4234, 4520, 4538); and from the signification of “seed,” as being the faith of charity (n. 255, 1025, 1447, 1610, 1940, 2848, 3310). Thus “all his seed with him” denotes all things of faith appertaining to natural truth.

6020. His sons, and his sons’ sons, with him. That this signifies truths in their order, is evident from the signification of “sons,” as being truths (see n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373), thus also “sons’ sons,” but truths which are from the former in their order.

6021. His daughters, and his sons’ daughters. That this signifies goods in order, is evident from the signification of “daughters,” as being goods (see n. 489-491, 2362, 3963), thus also “sons’ daughters,” but the goods which are from the former, thus in their order (as just above in the case of the sons).

6022. And all his seed. That this signifies everything of faith and of charity, is evident from the signification of “seed,” as being the faith of charity (as above, n. 6019), thus both faith and charity; for where the one is, there is the other.

6023. Brought he with him into Egypt. That this signifies that they were brought into the memory-knowledges of the church, is evident from the signification of “coming” or “going down, into Egypt,” as being to initiate and bring truths into the memory-knowledges of the church (of which above, n. 6004, 6018). The same is also signified by “bringing with him into Egypt” (n. 5373, 6004). Truths are initiated and brought in when memory-knowledges are ruled by truths; and they are ruled by truths when truth is acknowledged because the Lord has so said in the Word, and the memory-knowledges which affirm it are accepted, but those which oppose it are removed. Thus truth becomes lord over those memory-knowledges which are affirmative of it, while those not affirmative are rejected. When this is the case, then the man in thinking from memory-knowledges is not led into falsities, as is the case where truths are not within. For memory-knowledges are not true from themselves, but from the truths within them, and such as are the truths in them, such a general truth is the memory-knowledge. For a memory-knowledge is merely a vessel (n. 1469, 1496), which is capable of receiving both truths and falsities, and this with endless variety.

[2] As for example the memory-knowledge of the church that every man is the neighbor. Into this memory-knowledge may be initiated and brought truths in endless abundance; as that every man is indeed the neighbor, but each one with a difference; that he is most the neighbor who is in good, and this also with a difference according to the quality of the good; that the origin of the neighbor is from the Lord Himself, so that the nearer any are to Him, that is, the more they are in good, the more they are the neighbor; and the more remote they are from Him, the less; and also that a society is more the neighbor than an individual man, and a kingdom in general more than a society, but our own country more than other kingdoms; that the church is still more the neighbor than our country, and the Lord’s kingdom still more; and also that the neighbor is loved when anyone discharges his office aright for the good of others, or of his country, or of the church; and so on. This shows how many truths can be brought into this one memory-knowledge of the church, for they are so many that it is difficult to distribute them into genera, and to assign to each genus some specific truths, in order that it may be distinguished and recognized. This was a study in the ancient churches.

[3] That the same memory-knowledge can be filled with falsities in endless abundance, may also be seen by inverting the above truths, and saying that everyone is neighbor to himself, and that in every instance the origin of the neighbor is from self; and that therefore a man’s nearest neighbor is he who most favors him, and makes one with him, and thereby presents himself in him as an image of himself; nay, that neither is his country the neighbor, except insofar as concerns his own advantage; and so on without end. Yet the memory-knowledge remains the same: that every man is the neighbor. But by one this is filled with truths, by another with falsities. The case is similar with all other memory-knowledges.

6024. Verses 8-27. And these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt, of Jacob and of his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn. And the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, and Pallu, and Hezron, and Carmi. And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman. And the sons of Levi: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari. And the sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Puvah, and Iob, and Shimron. And the sons of Zebulun: Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel. These are the sons of Leah, whom she bare unto Jacob in Paddan-aram, and his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and of his daughters were thirty and three. And the sons of Gad: Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli. And the sons of Asher: Imnah, and Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah, and Serah their sister; and the sons of Beriah: Ber, and Malchiel. These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare to Jacob: sixteen souls. The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife: Joseph and Benjamin. And to Joseph were born in the land of Egypt, whom Asenath the daughter of Potiphera priest of On bare unto him, Manasseh and Ephraim. And the sons of Benjamin: Bela, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard. These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen. And the sons of Dan: Hushim. And the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem. These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and these she bare to Jacob: all the souls were seven. All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, that came out of his thigh, besides Jacob’s sons’ women, all the souls were sixty and six. And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two souls. All the souls of the house of Jacob, that came into Egypt, were seventy.

[2] “And these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt,” signifies the quality of truths from the spiritual in order, which were brought into the memory-knowledges of the church; “of Jacob and his sons,” signifies the truth of the natural in general, and the truths of the natural in particular; “Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn,” signifies faith in the understanding, which is apparently in the first place. “And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Pallu, and Hezron, and Carmi,” signifies the doctrinals of faith in general. “And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar,” signifies faith in the will and its doctrinals in general; “and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman,” signifies a doctrinal not from a genuine origin. “And the sons of Levi; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari,” signifies spiritual love and its doctrinals in general. [3] “And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Perez, and Zerah,” signifies celestial love and its doctrinals; “but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan,” signifies that falsity and evil were extirpated. “And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul,” signifies the truths of that good, which are goods of charity. “And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Puvah, and Iob, and Shimron,” signifies celestial conjugial love and its doctrinals. “And the sons of Zebulun; Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel,” signifies the heavenly marriage and its doctrinals. “These are the sons of Leah, whom she bare unto Jacob in Paddan-aram,” signifies that these doctrinals were from spiritual affection in the natural through the knowledges of good and truth; “and his daughter Dinah,” signifies the church; “all the souls of his sons and of his daughters were thirty and three,” signifies the state of spiritual life and its quality.

[4] “And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli,” signifies the good of faith and the derivative works and their doctrinals. “And the sons of Asher; Imnah, and Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah, and Serah their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Ber, and Malchiel,” signifies the happiness of eternal life and the delight of the affections and their doctrinals. “These are the sons of Zilpah,” signifies that these are of the external church; “whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter,” signifies from the affection of external good; “and these she bare to Jacob,” signifies that they were from the natural; “sixteen souls,” signifies their state and quality.

[5] “The sons of Rachel Jacob’s wife,” signifies which were from celestial affection; “Joseph and Benjamin,” signifies the internal of the church, “Joseph” its good and “Benjamin” the truth thence derived. “And to Joseph were born in the land of Egypt,” signifies internal celestial and spiritual things in the natural; “whom Asenath the daughter of Potiphera priest of On bare unto him,” signifies from the marriage of good with truth and of truth with good; “Manasseh and Ephraim,” signifies the new will and its intellectual, which are of the church. “And the sons of Benjamin; Bela, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard,” signifies the spiritual internal and its doctrinals. “These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob,” signifies that they were from celestial affection; “all the souls were fourteen,” signifies their state and quality.

[6] “And the sons of Pan; Hushim,” signifies the holy of faith and good of life, and the doctrinal of these. “And the sons of Naphtali; Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem,” signifies temptations in which is victory and the doctrinals about them. “These are the sons of Bilhah,” signifies that these are of the internal church; “whom Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter,” signifies from the affection of internal good; “all the souls were seven,” signifies their state and quality.

[7] “All the soul that came with Jacob into Egypt,” signifies all the truths and goods initiated into the memory-knowledges of the church; “that came out of his thigh,” signifies that were from the marriage; “besides Jacob’s sons’ women,” signifies except the affections of those things which were not from this marriage; “all the souls were sixty and six,” signifies their state and quality; “and the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt,” signifies things celestial and spiritual in the natural; “were two souls,” signifies the will and the intellectual thence derived, which are of the church; “all the souls of the house of Jacob, that came into Egypt, were seventy,” signifies what is full in order.

6025. The further explication of these words will be omitted, because they are mere names. What they signify may be seen from the general explication given just above (n. 6024). And what the sons of Jacob themselves signify may be seen in the explication where their birth is treated of. This is worthy of note: that no son was born to the sons of Jacob in Egypt, whither they came, although they were still young; but their sons were all born in the land of Canaan, while they themselves were born in Paddan-aram, except Benjamin. This was of the Lord’s special Divine providence, in order that the things of the church might be represented by them from their very birth. The sons of Jacob being born in Paddan-aram represented that the man of the church must be born anew or regenerated by means of the knowledges of good and truth; for “Paddan-aram” signifies the knowledges of good and truth (n. 3664, 3680, 4107), and their birth represented the new birth through faith and charity (n. 4668, 5160, 5598), thus at first through the knowledges of these. But that their sons were all born in the land of Canaan represented that from thence are such things as are of the church, for the “land of Canaan” denotes the church (n. 3686, 3705, 4447, 4454, 4516, 5136, 5757). But that to Joseph were born sons in Egypt, was in order that there might be represented the dominion of the internal man in the external, especially the dominion of the celestial spiritual in the natural, “Manasseh” being the will, and “Ephraim” the intellectual, of the church, in the natural.

6026. Verses 28-30. And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to show before him unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen. And Joseph harnessed his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen; and he was seen of him, and fell upon his necks, and wept upon his necks a long while. And Israel said unto Joseph, Let me die this time, after that I have seen thy faces, that thou art yet alive. “And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph,” signifies the communication of the good of the church with the internal celestial; “to show before him unto Goshen,” signifies with respect to the midst in the natural; “and they came into the land of Goshen,” signifies the residence of life there; “and Joseph harnessed his chariot,” signifies doctrine from the internal; “and went up to meet Israel his father,” signifies influx; “to Goshen,” signifies into the midst in the natural; “and he was seen of him,” signifies perception; “and fell upon his necks,” signifies conjunction; “and wept upon his necks a long while,” signifies mercy; “and Israel said unto Joseph,” signifies the perception of spiritual good; “Let me die this time,” signifies new life; “after that I have seen thy faces,” signifies after the noticing of mercy; “that thou art yet alive,” signifies the noticing of the consequent life in himself.

6027. And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph. That this signifies the communication of the good of the church with the internal celestial, is evident from the representation of Judah, as being the good of the church (see n. 5583, 5603, 5782, 5794, 5833); and from the representation of Joseph, as being the internal celestial (n. 5869, 5877); that “to send before him” denotes to communicate, is plain. The reason why Judah was sent, and not another, was that there might be signified the communication of good with good, which is immediate; namely, the communication of external good, which Judah represents, with internal good, which Joseph represents. For the good which is of love to the Lord and of charity toward the neighbor flows in from the Lord through the internal into the external; and so much is received in the external as there is of good there. But if in the man’s external there is only the truth of faith, and not good, then the influx of good from the Lord through the internal is not received in the external; for immediate communication with truth is not possible, but only mediate communication through good. This is the reason why no other than Judah was sent by Jacob unto Joseph.

6028. To show before him unto Goshen. That this signifies with respect to the midst in the natural, namely, that there was communication, is evident from the signification of “Goshen,” as being the midst (that is, the inmost) in the natural (see n. 5910). By the midst or the inmost in the natural is signified the best therein, for what is best is in the midst, that is, in the center or inmost, and round about it on all sides are goods, arranged in the heavenly form, nearer and more remote according to the gradations of goodness from the best in the midst. Such is the arrangement in order of goods in the regenerate. But with the wicked the most evil things are in the midst, and goods are relegated to the extremes, where they are continually being pushed outside. This is the form with the wicked individually, and in the hells in general. Thus it is the infernal form. From what has been said about the best in the midst and about goods being arranged in order toward the sides, it is evident what is meant by the communication of the good of the church with the internal celestial, with respect to the midst in the natural.

6029. And Joseph harnessed his chariot. That this signifies doctrine from the internal, is evident from the representation of Joseph, as being the internal (as often above); and from the signification of “chariot,” as being doctrine (n. 5321).

6030. And went up to meet Israel his father. That this signifies influx, namely, from the internal celestial into spiritual good from the natural, is evident from the representation of Joseph, who “goes up to meet,” as being the internal celestial (see n. 5869, 5877); and from the representation of Israel, as being spiritual good (see n. 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833). Thus it follows that “to go up to meet him” denotes influx, for “to go up to meet,” here, is to betake himself and come unto him.

6031. To Goshen. That this signifies into the midst in the natural, is evident from what has been said just above about Goshen (n. 6028).

6032. And he was seen of him. That this signifies perception, is evident from the signification of “to see,” as being to understand and to perceive (see n. 2150, 3764, 4567, 4723, 5400), and also to have faith (n. 2325, 2807, 3863, 3869, 4403, 4421, 5400). In regard to “seeing” as denoting to understand and thence to perceive and also to have faith, be it known that there are two things with man which make his life, namely, Spiritual Light and Spiritual Heat. Spiritual light makes the life of his understanding, and spiritual heat the life of his will. Spiritual light is from its first origin Divine truth from the Divine good of the Lord, and hence is the truth of faith from the good of charity. And spiritual heat is from its first origin the Divine good of the Divine love of the Lord, and hence is the good of celestial love, which is love to the Lord, and the good of spiritual love, which is love toward the neighbor. These two, as before said, constitute the whole life of man.

[2] As regards spiritual light, it is with this in the understanding of man as it is with natural light in his external sight; namely, in order that the eye may see, it is necessary that there be light to illumine, and then the eye sees in the light all things which are round about outside of it. So the intellectual mind, which is man’s internal eye-in order that this eye may see, it is necessary for the light of heaven, which is from the Lord, to illumine it; and when this eye is illumined by this light, it then sees the things which are round about outside of itself; but the objects which it sees are spiritual, namely, memory-knowledges and truths. But when this light does not illumine, the intellectual mind or internal eye of man, like the external or bodily eye, is in darkness and sees nothing, that is, from memory-knowledges nothing of truth, and from truths nothing of good. The light which illumines the intellectual mind is in very truth light, and such light that it a thousand times surpasses the midday light of the world, which I bear witness to because I have seen it. By this light all the angels in the heavens see the things which are round about outside of themselves, and also by the same light they see and perceive the truths which are of faith, and their quality. Hence then it is that by “seeing” is signified in the spiritual sense not only the understanding, but also whatever is of the understanding, as thought, reflection, observation, prudence, and many such things; likewise not only faith, but also whatever is of faith, as truth, doctrine from the Word, and the like.

[3] But as regards spiritual heat, it is with this in the will of man as it is with natural heat in the body, in that it vivifies. But in its first origin, which origin is from the Lord, spiritual heat is nothing else than the Divine love toward the universal human race, and from this the reciprocal love of man to Him and also toward the neighbor. And this spiritual heat is in very truth heat, which gladdens the bodies of the angels with heat, and at the same time their interiors with love. Hence it is that by “heat,” “flame,” and “fire” in the Word are signified in the genuine sense those things which are of love, as the affections of good and of truth, and also good itself.

6033. And fell upon his necks. That this signifies conjunction, is evident from the signification of “falling upon the necks,” as being conjunction close and intimate (see n. 5926). That “to fall upon the necks” signifies conjunction is because the neck joins together the head and the body, and by the “head” are signified the interiors, and by the “body” the exteriors. Hence the “neck” denotes the conjunction of the interiors with the exteriors, and thus the communication of the interiors with the exteriors, and also of celestial things with spiritual (see n. 3542, 5320, 5328), which communication is by virtue of conjunction also signified by these same words, for “Joseph” is the internal, and “Israel” is relatively the external.

6034. And wept upon his necks a long while. That this signifies mercy, is evident from the signification of “weeping,” as being mercy (see n. 5480, 5873, 5927). It is said “upon his necks a long while,” because the beginning and also the continuance of conjunction is mercy, namely, the mercy of the Lord who in the supreme sense is “Joseph.”

6035. And Israel said unto Joseph. That this signifies the perception of spiritual good, namely, from the internal celestial, is evident from the signification of “saying,” in the historicals of the Word, as being perception; from the representation of Israel, upon whose necks Joseph wept, as being spiritual good; and from the representation of Joseph, as being the internal celestial; all of which have been frequently spoken of above.

6036. Let me die this time. That this signifies new life, is evident from the signification of “dying,” as being resurrection into life, thus new life (see n. 3326, 3498, 3505, 4618, 4621, 6008). The reason why “dying” signifies newness of life, has also been shown in the sections just quoted; namely, that when a man dies, there immediately begins a newness of his life; for he is raised up into life, the material body being cast off which had served him for use in the world. New life is here signified by “dying,” because it comes from influx by the internal (which is signified by Joseph’s going up to meet Israel his father, see n. 6030), and from conjunction, which is signified by Joseph’s falling on the necks of Israel (n. 6033).

6037. After that I have seen thy faces. That this signifies after the noticing of mercy, is evident from the signification of “to see,” as being a noticing (of which above, n. 6032); and from the signification of the “faces,” when predicated of the Lord, as being mercy (see n. 222, 223, 5585, 5816).

6038. That thou art yet alive. That this signifies the perception of the consequent life in himself, is evident from the signification of “being alive,” as in the internal sense being spiritual life (n. 5890). That the perception of this life in himself is signified, follows from what goes before (that he had new life from influx and conjunction, n. 6036), and from the affection of joy at seeing him. This affection gives the perception of life in himself.

6039. Verses 31-34. And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father’s house, I will go up, and will tell Pharaoh, and will say unto him, My brethren, and my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me; and the men are shepherds of the flock, for they are men of cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have. And it may be that Pharaoh will call you, and will say, What are your works? And ye shall say, Thy servants have been men of cattle from their youth even until now, both we, and our fathers; in order that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd of the flock is an abomination of the Egyptians.

“And Joseph said unto his brethren,” signifies the perception of truths in the natural; “and unto his father’s house” signifies of goods there; “I will go up and will tell Pharaoh” signifies communication with the natural where are the memory-knowledges of the church; “and will say unto him, My brethren, and my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me,” signifies in respect to the truths and the goods of the church, that they are to be initiated; “and the men are shepherds of the flock,” signifies that they lead to good; “for they are men of cattle,” signifies that they have good from truths; “and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have,” signifies that good interior and exterior, and whatever is thence, is present; “and it may be that Pharaoh will call you,” signifies if the natural in which are the memory-knowledges of the church wills to be conjoined; “and will say, What are your works?” signifies and to know your goods; “and ye shall say, Thy servants have been men of cattle from their youth even until now,” signifies that from the beginning and as yet they have truths from which is good; “both we, and our fathers” signifies that it was so from the first goods; “in order that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen,” signifies so shall your residence be in the midst of the natural where are the memory-knowledges of the church; “for every shepherd of the flock is an abomination of the Egyptians,” signifies separation thus from perverted memory-knowledges which are opposed to the memory-knowledges of the church.

6040. And Joseph said unto his brethren. That this signifies the perception of truths in the natural, is evident from the signification of “saying,” as being perception (of which often above); from the representation of the sons of Israel, as being spiritual truths in the natural (n. 5414, 5879); and from the representation of Joseph, as being the internal celestial (n. 5869, 5877). Hence it is evident that by “Joseph said unto his brethren” is signified the perception of truths in the natural from the internal celestial. That by “Joseph said,” is not signified his perception, is because Joseph is the internal, and all perception flows in through the internal into the external or natural. For of itself the natural perceives nothing whatever, but its perceiving is from what is prior to itself; nay, neither does the prior perceive from itself, but from what is still prior to itself, thus finally from the Lord, who Is of Himself. Such is the nature of influx, and therefore such is the nature of perception. It is with influx as it is with coming forth (exsistentia) and subsistence.

Nothing comes forth (exsistit) of itself, but from what is prior to itself, thus finally all things from the First, that is, from the Esse and the Existere of Itself. And also from the same all things subsist, for it is with subsistence as with coming forth, for to subsist is perpetually to come forth. The reason why it is said “the perception of truths in the natural,” but not “the perception of those who are in these truths,” is that such is the nature of spiritual speech. For in this way ideas of thought are abstracted from persons, and are determined to things; and things, that is, truths and goods, are what live with man and cause man to live, for they are from the Lord, from whom is everything of life. In this way also the thought is withdrawn from attributing truths and goods to the person. By such speech also a general idea is had, which extends itself more widely than if the idea of person is adjoined to it; as for instance if it is said “the perception of those who are in these truths,” the ideas are at once determined to such persons, as is usually the case, and thus they are withdrawn from the general idea; and in this way the enlightenment from the light of truth is diminished. Moreover in the other life thought about persons excites those who are being thought of; for in the other life all thought is communicated. These are the reasons why an abstract form of speech is used, as here: “the perception of truths in the natural.”

6041. And unto his father’s house. That this signifies of goods therein, that is, the perception of these, is evident from the signification of “house,” as being good (see n. 3128, 3652, 3720, 4982); and from the signification of “father,” as also being good (n. 2803, 3703, 3704, 5581, 5902).

6042. I will go up, and will tell Pharaoh. That this signifies communication with the natural where are the memory-knowledges of the church, is evident from the signification of “telling,” as being communication (see n. 4856); and from the representation of Pharaoh, as being the natural where are the memory-knowledges of the church (n. 5799, 6015).

6043. And will say unto him, My brethren, and my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me. That this signifies in respect to the truths and goods of the church, that they are to be initiated, is evident from the representation of the sons of Israel, who are here his “brethren,” as being spiritual truths in the natural (of which just above, n. 6040); from the signification of “father’s house,” as being goods therein (of which also just above, n. 6041); from the signification of the “land of Canaan,” as being the church (n. 3686, 3705, 4447, 4517, 5136); and from the signification of “coming unto Joseph,” or to Egypt where Joseph was, as being to be initiated into memory-knowledges which are of the church (of which above, n. 6004, 6018). (As to the initiation of truths which are of the church into memory-knowledges which are of the natural, see above, n. 6023; and as to their conjunction, see below, n. 6047.)

6044. And the men are shepherds of the flock. That this signifies that they lead to good, is evident from the signification of “shepherds of the flock,” as being those who lead to good (see n. 343, 3795, 5201). For he is a “shepherd” who teaches and leads, and that is the “flock” which is taught and led. But in the internal sense are meant truths which lead to good, for by the sons of Israel, who here are the “men, shepherds of the flock,” are represented spiritual truths (n. 6040). Moreover with those who teach it is truths that lead. That truths which are of faith lead to good which is of charity, was shown above; and the same is evident from the fact that all things both in general and in particular have relation to an end, and look to it, and those which do not look to an end cannot subsist. For the Lord has created nothing whatever except for the sake of an end; in so much that it may be said that the end is the all in all things that have been created; and all things that have been created are in such an order that as the end from the First through the intermediates looks to the last or ultimate, so the end within the last or ultimate has regard to the end in the First. Hence comes the connection of things. In its first origin the end itself is nothing but the Divine good of the Divine love; thus it is the Lord Himself. Wherefore also in the Word He is called the “First and the Last,” the “Alpha and Omega” (Isa. 41:4; 44:6; 48:12; Rev. 1:8, 11, 17; 2:8; 21:6; 22:13). This being the case, it is necessary that each and all things which pertain to the life with man should have relation to an end and should look to it. He who has any rational ability can see that the memory-knowledges with a man look to truths as their end, and that the truths look to goods, and that the goods look to the Lord as the last and the first end; as the last end when they look at Him from truths, and as the first end when they look at Him from good. Such is the case with the truths of the church that they lead to good, which is signified by the “men being shepherds of the flock,” and by their being “men of cattle,” as now follows.

6045. For they are men of cattle. That this signifies that they have good from truths, is evident from the signification of “cattle,” as being the good of truth, or good from truths (see n. 6016). This is said of the sons of Israel, who are spiritual truths in the natural (n. 5414, 5879); thus it is said of truths, here that they lead to good (of which just above, n. 6044).

6046. And they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have. That this signifies that good interior and exterior, and whatever is therefrom, is present, is evident from the signification of “flock,” as being interior good; from the signification of “herd,” as being exterior good (see n. 5913); from the signification of “all that they have,” as being whatever is therefrom (n. 5914); and from the signification of “they have brought,” as being to be present.

6047. And it may be that Pharaoh will call you. That this signifies, if the natural in which are the memory-knowledges of the church wills to be conjoined, is evident from the signification of “to call to himself,” as being to will to be conjoined; for to call to himself from the affection that they should dwell in his land and become one nation with his own, is to will to be conjoined; and from the representation of Pharaoh, as being the natural in which are the memory-knowledges of the church (as above, n. 6042). By Pharaoh’s calling is signified what is reciprocal of initiation and conjunction, namely, of the memory-knowledges of the church with truths and goods in the natural; for all conjunction needs reciprocity, whereby there is consent on both sides.

[2] The conjunction of the truths of the church with its memory-knowledges is here treated of, but it is necessary to know in what manner they are to be conjoined. For indeed the start must not be made from memory-knowledges, and through these an entrance be made into the truths of faith, because the memory-knowledges with a man are derived from things of sense, thus from the world, from which spring innumerable fallacies. But the start must be made from truths of faith, in this way. First there must be learned the doctrinal things of the church, and then the Word must be examined to see whether these are true; for they are not true because the heads of the church have said so and their followers confirm it, because in this way the doctrinal things of all churches and religions would have to be called true, merely because they exist in the country, and men hold them from their birth; and in this wise not only would the doctrinal things of Papists and also of Quakers be true, but also those of Jews and even of Mohammedans, because their leaders have said so and their followers confirm it. This shows that the Word must be searched, and there it must be seen whether the doctrinal things are true. When this is done from the affection of truth, then the man is enlightened by the Lord so as to perceive, without knowing whence, what is true; and he is confirmed therein in accordance with the good in which he is. If these truths disagree with the doctrinal things, let him take heed not to disturb the church.

[3] Afterward, when he has been confirmed, and is thus in the affirmative from the Word that the doctrinal things are truths of faith, it is then allowable for him to confirm them by all the memory-knowledges he possesses, of whatsoever name and nature; for then, because what is affirmative reigns universally, he accepts the memory-knowledges which agree, and rejects those which by reason of the fallacies they contain disagree; for faith is strengthened by means of memory-knowledges; and therefore no one is forbidden to search the Scriptures from the affection of knowing whether the doctrinal things of the church within which he was born, are true; for in no other way can he be enlightened. After doing this no one is forbidden to fortify himself by means of memory-knowledges; but he may not do so before. This is the way and the only way of conjoining the truths of faith with memory-knowledges; not only with the memory-knowledges of the church, but also with any memory-knowledges whatever. Yet very few at this day proceed in this way; for most persons who read the Word do not read it from the affection of truth, but from the affection of confirming therefrom the doctrinal things of the church within which they were born, no matter what these may be.

[4] In the Word there is described the Lord’s kingdom, in that the spiritual, the rational, and memory-knowledge are therein conjoined together; but this is described by names which signify these; namely, by “Israel,” “Assyria,” and “Egypt.” By “Israel” is described the spiritual, by “Assyria” the rational, and by “Egypt” memory-knowledge, in these words of Isaiah:

In that day there shall be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar near the border thereof to Jehovah. And it shall be for a sign and for a witness thereof to Jehovah Zebaoth in the land of Egypt; for they shall cry unto Jehovah because of the oppressors, and He shall send them a savior, and a prince, and he shall deliver them. And Jehovah shall become known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know Jehovah in that day, and shall offer sacrifice and meat offering, and shall vow a vow to Jehovah, and shall perform it. In that day there shall be a path from Egypt unto Assyria, and Assyria shall come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and Egypt shall serve Assyria. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the land; which Jehovah Zebaoth shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance (Isa. 19:19-25).

[5] Everyone can see that Egypt is not meant here, nor Assyria, nor yet Israel, but something else by each of them. (That by “Israel” is meant the spiritual of the church, has already been shown, n. 3654, 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833; and by “Assyria,” the rational, n. 119, 1186; and by “Egypt,” memory-knowledges, n. 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 4749, 4964, 4966, 5700, 6004, 6015.) These three conjoined together in the man of the church are described in the prophet by the words, “there shall be a path from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria shall come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and Egypt shall serve Assyria; in that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the land.” For in order that a man may be a man of the church, it is necessary for him to be spiritual, and also rational, with memory-knowledge subservient to these. From all this it is now evident that memory-knowledge is by no means to be rejected from the truths of faith, but that it is to be conjoined with them; but by the prior way, that is, by the way from faith; and not by the posterior way, that is, by the way from memory-knowledges. (See also what has been already shown, n. 128-130, 195, 196, 232, 233, 1226, 1911, 2568, 2588, 4156, 4760, 5510, 5700.)