Spiritual Meaning of GENESIS 45:24-28
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AC 5961. Verses 24-28. And he sent his brethren away, and they departed; and he said unto them, Contend not in the way. And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father. And they told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is ruler in all the land of Egypt. And his heart failed, because he believed them not. And they spake unto him all the words of Joseph which he spake unto them; and he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, and the spirit of Jacob their father revived; and Israel said, It is much; Joseph my son is yet alive; I will go and see him before I die. "And he sent his brethren away, and they departed," signifies concealment; "and he said unto them, Contend not in the way," signifies a perception given that they should be in tranquillity; "and they went up out of Egypt," signifies a receding from the memory-knowledges of the church; "and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father," signifies a dwelling where was natural good but not spiritual good; "and they told him, saying," signifies influx and notice; "Joseph is yet alive," signifies that the internal was not rejected; "and he is ruler in all the land of Egypt," signifies that the natural mind is under its authority; "and his heart failed, because he believed them not," signifies a lack of life of the natural and thence of understanding; "and they spake unto him all the words of Joseph which he spake unto them," signifies influx from the celestial of the spiritual; "and he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him," signifies doctrinal things thence derived which might persuade; "and the spirit of Jacob their father revived," signifies new life; "and Israel said," signifies spiritual good now; "It is much: Joseph my son is yet alive," signifies joy that the internal had not perished; "I will go and see him before I die," signifies a longing for conjunction previous to what is new.

AC 5962. And he sent his brethren away, and they departed. That this signifies concealment, is evident from the signification of "sending away," as being to remove from himself, consequently to be no more present with them as before; and from the signification of "going" or "departing," as being to live, also to live more remotely, and also to leave (n. 3335, 3416, 3690, 4882, 5493, 5696); thus it denotes to be concealed. That removal from the internal celestial and thus the concealment of it, is now treated of, is evident from the things which follow in their internal sense.

[2] He who does not know how the case is with the state of life of spirits, and of the angels in the heavens, cannot know why the concealment of truth and of good should now be treated of, seeing that just before they had been in the light of these. In heaven this state is that spirits and angels have their morning, midday, and evening, also twilight, and again morning, and so on. It is their morning when the Lord is present and blesses them with manifest happiness: they are then in the perception of good. It is their midday when they are in the light of truths; and it is their evening when they are removed therefrom, and then it appears to them that the Lord is more remote and is hidden from them. All who are in heaven undergo and pass through these alternations, and cannot otherwise be continually perfected, for thereby they have relatives, and from the relatives a more perfect conception, since they thereby know what is not happy, because they thereby know what is not good and what is not true.

[3] It is worthy of admiration that to eternity one state is never exactly like another, and also that one spirit and angel does not pass through the like changes of state as another, for the reason that one is not exactly like another in respect to good and truth; just as neither is one man exactly like another in the face. Nevertheless out of these varieties the Lord makes a one. It is a general canon that every one that has any quality comes forth from various things which are reduced into such unanimity that by agreement of harmony they all appear as a one. In the heavens the unity thus formed, or union, is effected through love and charity (n. 3241, 3267, 3744, 3745, 3986, 4005, 4149, 4598).

[4] The concealment which is signified by "Joseph’s sending his brethren away and their departing," is called in the Word "evening," and occurs with the angels at the times when they do not perceive the Lord to be present; for there is in heaven a continual perception of the Lord. When they are in a state of non-perception they are not then affected with good, neither do they see truth, as before; this troubles then‘, but shortly afterward the dawn comes, and so the morning.

AC 5963. And he said unto them, Contend not in the way. That this signifies a perception given that they should be in tranquillity, is evident from the signification of "saying unto them," as being a perception given by the internal, which is "Joseph"; and from the signification of "not contending in the way," as being to be in tranquillity; for contention with others is intranquillity, because it is a disturbance of the lower mind. The varying states in the other life of which mention has been made just above (n. 5962), are according to the perception of good and truth with those who are there, thus according to their perception of the Lord’s presence. According to this perception they have tranquillity; for they who are in the perception of the Lord‘s presence are in the perception that each and all things which befall them tend to their good, and that evils do not reach them; hence they are in tranquillity. Without such faith or confidence in the Lord no one can possibly come to the tranquillity of peace, thus neither to the bliss in joy, because this bliss dwells in the tranquillity of peace.

AC 5964. And they went up out of Egypt. That this signifies a receding from the memory-knowledges of the church, is evident from the signification of "going up" thence, as being to recede (mention is made of "going up out of Egypt into the land of Canaan," and of "coming down from that land into Egypt," for a reason several times stated above: here by "going up" is signified departing); and from the signification of "Egypt," which in the proper sense denotes the memory-knowledges of the church (n. 4749, 4964, 4966). That these memory-knowledges are here signified is because they were in them when in Egypt with Joseph (n. 5958). Removal from those things which are of good and of truth, thus from those things which are of the church, is here treated of down to the last verse of this chapter, which removal is meant by the concealment mentioned above (n. 5962), and here by receding. In the Word this state is signified by "evening." When men are in this state, they recede from things heavenly and spiritual, and accede to such as contain nothing spiritual and heavenly. But this concealment or receding does not come to pass by the Lord’s concealing Himself or receding, but by they themselves doing so; for they can no longer be withheld from their own, because to do so is not fitting; and therefore this state arrives when they are left to themselves or their own; and in so far as they are thus left, or are immersed therein, so far they recede from those things which are of heaven, and so far good becomes imperceptible to them, and truth obscure. From this it is evident that the Lord does not conceal Himself, but that the man, spirit, or angel conceals himself.

AC 5965. And came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father. That this signifies a dwelling where there was natural good but not spiritual good, is evident from the signification of the "land of Canaan," as being the church (n. 3686, 3705, 4447, 4517, 4736), thus the dwelling of those who represented the church, who, it is known, were the descendants of Jacob; and from the representation of Jacob, as being natural good (n. 3305, 3659, 3775, 4009, 4073, 4234, 4538), but not spiritual good, for this is represented by Israel. Jacob represents the external of the church and Israel the internal, (n. 4286, 4570). Whether you say natural good, or the external of the church; and whether spiritual good, or the internal of the church, it is the same; for natural good constitutes the external of the church, and spiritual good the internal of the church.

[2] That is called spiritual which is in the light of heaven, for that which is in this light has in it the affection of good and the perception of truth. These are in this light because this light is from the Lord; and therefore they who are in spiritual good and truth are in the internal of the church, for as to their heads they are within heaven. But that is called natural which is in the light of the world, and that which is in this light has no affection of good and perception of truth in itself,butout of itself;for the light of heaven flows in and illumines what is round about; thus what is without, not what is within; and causes good to be known as good and truth to be known as truth because it is so said, and not because it is perceived to be so; and therefore they who are in natural good are in the external of the church, for as to their heads they are not in heaven, but their heads are illumined thence from without. Jacob is now called "Jacob," not "Israel," for the reason that now they are in externals; as is plain from what has been said above.

AC 5966. And they told him saying. That this signifies influx and notice, is evident from the signification of "telling," as being to be communicated and conjoined (n. 4856, 5596), thus also influx, for that which is told flows into the thought; and from the signification of "saying" in the historicals of the Word, as being perception, and thus also notice.

AC 5967. Joseph is yet alive. That this signifies that the internal was not rejected, is evident from the representation of Joseph, as being internal good (n. 5805, 5826, 5827, 5869, 5877); and from the signification of "being alive," as being as yet to be, thus not rejected. That "being alive" is not to be rejected, is because the internal which is represented by Joseph was at first rejected by the sons of Jacob, and because their father had then believed that he had perished by evils and falsities (n. 5828); thus now by "being alive" is signified that it is not so.

AC 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 (n. 5276, 5278, 5280, 5301).

AC 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 (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."

AC 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 (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).

AC 5971. And he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him. That this signifies doctrinal things thence derived which night persuade, is evident from the signification of " carts," as being doctrinal things (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."

AC 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 (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."

AC 5973. And Israel said. That this signifies spiritual good now, is evident from the representation of Israel, as being spiritual good (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," see (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:

besides frequently in the prophets.

AC 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 (n. 5967); that joy is denoted is manifest.

AC 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 (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.