. And he shut them up in custody. That this signifies separation from itself, is evident from the signification of "shutting up in custody," as being rejection, thus separation (n. 5083, 5101).
. Three days. That this signifies to the full, is evident from the signification of "three days," as being from beginning to end, thus what is full (n. 2788, 4495); for it is a new state that is now described. This entire state is signified by "three days;" and the last of it, and thereby what is new, is signified by the "third day," as presently follows.
. And Joseph said unto them in the third day. That this signifies the perception of the celestial of the spiritual concerning these truths separated from itself, when there was fulfilment, is evident from the signification of "saying," as being perception (n. 1791, 1815, 1819, 1822, 1898, 1919, 2619, 3509); and from the representation of the sons of Jacob, as being the truths of the church in general, here these truths separated from the celestial of the spiritual (n. 5436); from the representation of Joseph, as being the celestial of the spiritual; and from the signification of the "third day," as being the last of a state when what is new begins (n. 5159, 5457), thus when there was fulfilment. From this it is plain that by "Joseph‘s saying unto them in the third day," is signified the perception of the celestial of the spiritual concerning these truths separated from itself, when there was fulfilment.
. This do, and live; I fear God. That this signifies that so it shall be if they have life from the Divine, is evident from the signification of "this do," as being that so it shall be; and from the signification of "and live," as being that they, namely the truths here signified by the "sons of Jacob," shall have life and from the signification of "I fear God," as being from the Divine. For by Joseph is represented the Lord as to truth from the Divine, which is the same as the celestial of the spiritual; wherefore by "I" is here signified in the supreme sense truth from the Divine Itself which is in the celestial of the spiritual, or the Divine which is in truth. By "fearing," in the supreme sense, when predicated of the Lord, is not signified fear, but love; and moreover the "fear of God" occasionally in the Word signifies love to God. For love to God is according to the subjects of it; it becomes fear with those who are in external worship without internal, it becomes holy fear with those who are in spiritual worship, and it becomes love in which is holy reverence with those who are in celestial worship; but in the Lord there was not fear, but pure love. From this it may be seen that by "I fear God," when predicated of the Lord, is signified Divine love, thus the Divine.
. If ye be upright. That this signifies if they are truths in themselves, is evident from the signification of "being upright," as being that they are truths in themselves (n. 5434, 5437).
. Let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your custody. That this signifies that faith in the will must be separated, is evident from the representation of Simeon, who is "one of their brethren who was to be bound" (verse 24), as being faith in the will (n. 3869-3872, 4497, 4502, 4503); and from the signification of "being bound in the house of your custody," as being to be separated (n. 5083, 5101, 5452, 5456). The case herein is that when faith in the will, or the will of doing the truth of faith, is separated from those who are in the truths of the church, then connection with the Divine is so slight that it is hardly more than acknowledgment; for the influx of the Divine from the Lord with the regenerate man is into good and thence into truth, or what is the same, into the will and thence into the understanding. In so far therefore as the man who is in the truths of faith receives good from the Lord, so far the Lord forms in him a new will in his intellectual part. It is in the intellectual part, (n. 927, 1023, 1043, 1044, 2256, 4328, 4493, 5113), and so far the Lord flows in, and produces the affection of doing what is good, that is, of exercising charity toward the neighbor. From all this it is evident what is meant by faith in the will (represented by Simeon) being separated before the intermediate, which is Benjamin," became present.
. And go ye, bring produce for the famine of your houses. That this signifies that in the meantime they are free to look out for themselves, is evident from the signification of " go ye," after their being bound and one of them being held in their stead, as being that in the meantime they were free; from the signification of "produce," as being truth (n. 5276, 5280, 5292); from the signification of "famine," as being a lack of knowledges and desolation (n. 5360, 5376); and from the signification of "your houses," as being the abodes where were the truths of each in particular, thus the natural mind. A "house" denotes the natural mind, (n. 4973, 5023); and the truths here represented by the sons of Jacob are of the external church, thus in the natural, (n. 5401, 5415, 5428). From these significations taken together it is evident that by "bringing produce for the famine of your houses" is signified that in the desolation of truth in which they are, they may look out for themselves and their own.
. And bring your youngest brother unto me. That this signifies until an intermediate is present, is evident from the representation of Benjamin, as being an intermediate between the celestial of the spiritual and the natural (n. 5411, 5443).
. And your words shall be verified. That this signifies that then it will be with truths as had been declared, is evident without explication. What they had declared about themselves, and consequently about the truths of the church which they represented, may be seen above (n. 5434-5444). The case herein is that they who are in the truths of the church merely for the sake of their own advantage, can, equally with others, declare how the case is with truths, as for example that truths are not appropriated to anyone unless they are conjoined with the interior man, nay, that they cannot be conjoined therewith except by means of good, and that until this is done truths have no life. These and like things they sometimes see equally as well as others, and sometimes apparently more clearly than others; but this is only when they are talking about them. But when they are speaking to themselves, thus to their interior man (that is, when they are thinking), then they who are in the truths of the church merely for the sake of their own advantage see the contrary; and though they see the contrary and at heart deny truths, they can nevertheless persuade others that the case is so, and even that they themselves are in this way in truths. The cupidity of gain, honor, and reputation for their own sake, imbibes all means of persuading, and none more readily than such things as in themselves are true; for these have within them a hidden power of attracting minds. Every man whatever, unless densely stupid, is endowed with the capacity to understand whether things are true, to the end that by means of the intellectual part he may be reformed and regenerated. But when he has wandered into perverse ways, and has completely rejected the things of the faith of the church, he then indeed has the same faculty of understanding truths, but no longer desires to understand them, being averse to them as soon as he hears them.
. And ye shall not die. That this signifies that in this way truths will have life, namely, when the truths are as declared, is evident from the signification of "ye shall not die," as being ye shall live, thus that the truths represented by them will have life.
. And they did so. That this signifies the end of this state, is evident from the signification of "doing," or "done," as being the end of a prior state, and as involving the beginning of a following one (n. 4979, 4987, 4999, 5074). It is needless to explain these matters more at length, for the same reason that was given above (n. 5454). Be it known however that they contain within them unutterable arcana, which shine forth from the several words in the heavens, though not the least of them appears before man. The holiness sometimes perceived with a man when he is reading the Word has many such arcana within it; for in the holiness by which man is affected lie hidden innumerable things that are not manifest to him.
GENESIS 42:17-20previous
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