Spiritual Meaning of GENESIS 50:22-23
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AC 6579. Verses 22, 23. And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father’s house; and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years. And Joseph saw Ephraim‘s sons of the third generation: the sons also of Machir the son of Manasseh were born upon Joseph’s knees. "And Joseph dwelt in Egypt," signifies the life of the memory-knowledges of the church from the internal; "he and his father‘s house," signifies from the internal and its good; "and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years," signifies the state and quality; "and Joseph saw Ephraim’s sons of the third generation," signifies the setting up again of the church in respect to the intellectual, and its derivatives; "the sons also of Machir the son of Manasseh," signifies, and in respect to the will and its derivatives; "were born upon Joseph‘s knees," signifies that they were from good conjoined with truth from the internal.

AC 6580. And Joseph dwelt in Egypt. That this signifies the life of the memory-knowledges of the church from the internal, is evident from the signification of "dwelling," as being life (n. 1293, 3384, 3613, 4451, 6051); from the representation of Joseph, as being the internal (n. 6499); and from the signification of "Egypt," as being the memory-knowledges of the church (n. 4749, 4964, 4966, 6004). In the preceding verses of this chapter the subject treated of is the spiritual church that was to be set up again; and after the external or natural has been made completely submissive to the internal or spiritual-- which is signified by Joseph’s brethren falling down before him and offering themselves to him for servants--the subject now treated of is this church when set up again, which is described in these verses by Joseph‘s dwelling in Egypt, and by sons being born of Ephraim, and of Machir the son of Manasseh. With the man who is a spiritual church there is life from the internal in the memory-knowledges of the church; for the memory-knowledges with him are made subordinate, and reduced into such order that they receive the influx of good and of truth, so as to be receptacles of influx from the internal. It is otherwise with those who are not a church, the memory-knowledges with these persons being so disposed that things confirmatory of truth and good have been rejected to the sides, thus far removed from the light of heaven; and thereafter the things that remain are receptive of falsity and evil.

AC 6581. He and his father’s house. That this signifies from the internal and its good, is evident from the representation of Joseph, who here is "he," as being the internal (n. 6499); and from the signification of "house," as being good (n. 2048, 3720, 4982).

AC 6582. And Joseph lived a hundred and ten years. That this signifies the state and quality, is evident from the signification of numbers in the Word, as being things (n. 575, 1963, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 5265, 6175); and indeed the state and quality of the thing (n. 4670). So also it is with the number a "hundred and ten," which contains the state and quality of the life of memory-knowledges from the internal.

AC 6583. And Joseph saw Ephraim‘s sons of the third generation. That this signifies the setting up again of the church in respect to the intellectual and its derivatives, is evident from the representation of Ephraim, as being the intellectual of the church (n. 3969, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267); and from the signification of "sons of the third generation," as being derivatives; for as sons and the sons of sons descend from a parent, they denote the derivatives of that which is represented by the parent. The setting up again of the church from the internal, that is, through the internal from the Lord, is signified by "Joseph saw." What the intellectual of the church represented by Ephraim is, see (n. 6222).

AC 6584. The sons also of Machir the son of Manasseh. That this signifies and in respect to the will and its derivatives, is evident from the representation of Manasseh, as being the will of the church (n. 5351, 5353, 5354, 6222, 6238, 6267, 6296); and from the signification of his "sons" and sons’ sons, here the "sons of Machir," as being the derivatives (n. 6583); the derivatives of the will of the church-signified by the "sons of Machir"-are goods conjoined with truths, thus also truths from good, for the truths that have been derived from good are forms of good. That the "sons of Machir" denote goods conjoined with truths is signified by their being "born on Joseph‘s knees," as presently follows; and that they denote truths from good is signified in the book of Judges: "Out of Machir shall come down lawgivers" (Judges 5:14); "lawgivers" denote truths from good (n. 6372).

AC 6585. Were born upon Joseph’s knees. That this signifies that they were from good conjoined with truth from the internal, is evident from the signification of "bringing forth on the knees," as being the conjunction of good and truth (n. 3915); and from the representation of Joseph, as being the internal (n. 6499). The sons of Machir being born upon Joseph‘s knees involves that Joseph acknowledged them as his own, for when it is so said, it is signified that they are adopted as his own, as may be seen from the sons born of Bilhah the maidservant of Rachel, concerning whom Rachel says:--

The reason why these sons were acknowledged by Joseph as his own, was that by Manasseh is represented the will of the church, thus its good; and the internal which is represented by Joseph flows in with good, but not with truth except through good; hence it is that these are said to be "born upon Joseph’s knees."

Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.

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