Spiritual Meaning of GENESIS 50:4-6
previous  -  next  -  text  -  summary  -  Genesis  -  BM Home  -  Full Page

AC 6509. Verses 4-6. And the days of weeping for him passed away, and Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If I pray I have found grace in your eyes, speak I pray in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die; in my sepulchre which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me; and now I pray let me go up, and bury my father, and I will return. And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear. "And the days of weeping for him passed away," signifies that the states of sorrow were accomplished; "and Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh," signifies the influx of the internal into the natural mind; "saying, If I pray I have found grace in your eyes," signifies that it may be well received; "speak I pray in the ears of Pharaoh, saying," signifies entreaty for consent; "My father made me swear," signifies that he has the church at heart; "saying, Lo, I die," signifies that it had ceased to be; "in my sepulchre which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me," signifies that it was to be resuscitated where the former church had been; "and now I pray let me go up, and bury my father," signifies the resuscitation of the church there by the internal; "and I will return," signifies presence in the natural mind; "and Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father," signifies affirmation that the church will be resuscitated; "according as he made thee swear," signifies because this is at heart.

AC 6510. And the days of weeping for him passed away. That this signifies that the states of sorrow were accomplished, is evident from the signification of "passed away," as being to be accomplished; and from the signification of "the days of weeping," as being states of sorrow (n. 6500); and "days" are states, (n. 6505).

AC 6511. And Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh. That this signifies the influx of the internal into the natural mind, is evident from the signification of "speaking," as being influx (n. 2951, 5481, 5743, 5797); from the representation of Joseph, as being the internal (n. 6499); from the representation of the house, as being the mind (n. 4973, 5023); and from the representation of Pharaoh, as being the natural (n. 5160, 5799, 6015). Hence it is evident that by "Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh" is signified the influx of the internal into the natural mind.

AC 6512. Saying, If I pray I have found grace in your eyes. That this signifies that it may be well received, is evident from the signification of "finding grace in your eyes," as being a form of insinuation, thus that it may be well received (n. 4975, 6178).

AC 6513. Speak I pray in the ears of Pharaoh, saying. That this signifies entreaty for consent, is evident from the signification of "speak I pray," as being entreaty; and from the signification of "ears," as being obedience (n. 2542, 3869, 4551, 4652-4660), here consent, because it is said to the king. Obedience is also consent; but is called obedience when applied to inferiors, and consent when applied to superiors.

AC 6514. My father made me swear. That this signifies that he has the church at heart, is evident from the representation of Israel, who is here the "father," as being the spiritual church (n. 4286, 6426); and from the signification of "making to swear," as being to bind inwardly; here to have at heart, for he who binds inwardly, and thus by conscience, does it because he has it at heart; hence this is here signified by "making to swear."

AC 6515. Saying, Lo, I die. That this signifies that it, namely, the church, ceased to be, is evident from the signification of "dying," as being no longer to be (n. 494); and as being the last time of the church, when it expires (n. 2908, 2917, 2923).

AC 6516. In my sepulchre which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. That this signifies that the church was to be resuscitated where a former church had been, is evident from the signification of a "sepulchre," and of "burying," as being resuscitation (n. 5551); and from the signification of the "land of Canaan," as being the Lord‘s kingdom and church (n. 1413, 1437, 1607, 1866, 3038, 3481, 3705, 4240, 4447). The reason why Jacob desired to be buried in the land of Canaan, where Abraham and Isaac were buried, and not elsewhere, was that his descendants were to possess that land, and he would lie among his own. In the internal sense however, not this, but something else was signified, namely, regeneration and resurrection, because therein is the church; for in the internal sense by "burial" is signified regeneration and resurrection (n. 2916, 2917, 1621, 5551); and by the "land of Canaan" is signified the church, as is evident from the passages cited just above; and by "Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" is signified the Lord as to the Divine Itself and the Divine Human, and in the relative sense the Lord’s kingdom as to its internal and external (n. 1965, 1989, 2011, 3245, 3305, 4615, 6098, 6185, 6276). Such then is the signification in the internal sense of their burial there; and hence with the Jews who believe in a resurrection the opinion still survives that although they may be buried elsewhere, they will rise again there.

[2] The reason why it is said that the church will be revived "where the former church had been," is that from the most ancient times the Lord‘s church had been in the land of Canaan (n. 3686, 4447, 4454, 4516, 4517, 5136). It was for this reason that Abraham was ordered to go there, and that the descendants of Jacob were brought into it; and this not because that land was more holy than all other lands, but because from the most ancient times all the places there--provinces, and cities, and mountains, and rivers--had been representative of such things as belong to the Lord’s kingdom; and the very names that were given them involved such things. For every name given from heaven to any place, and also to any person, involves what is celestial and spiritual; and when it has been given from heaven, it is perceived there; and it was the Most Ancient Church, which was celestial and had communication with heaven, that gave the names. The reason therefore why the church was to be there again, was that the Word was to be given, in which all things were to be representative and significative of things spiritual and celestial, and thus the Word might be understood in heaven as well as on earth; which could not possibly have been done unless the names of places and of persons were significative. For this reason the descendants of Jacob were brought in there; and prophets were there raised up by whom the Word was written; and for this reason also the representative of a church was instituted among the descendants of Jacob. Hence it is plain why it is said that a church was to be resuscitated where the former church had been.

[3] That the names which are in the Word signify things, may be seen above, (n. 1224, 1264, 1876, 1888, 4442, 5225), and in many other places where the signification of names is explained; but that the names in the Word are perceived in heaven as to their signification, and this without instruction, is a secret which no one has hitherto known, and therefore it must be told. When the Word is being read, the Lord flows in and teaches; and Wonderful to say there are writings in the spiritual world also, which I have sometimes seen, and have been able to read, but not to understand; yet they are clearly understood by good spirits and angels, because they are in accord with their universal language; and it has been given me to know that every word therein, down to the very syllables, involves such things as belong to that world, thus spiritual things; and that they are there perceived from the breathing, and from the affection resulting from their utterance, thus from a softer or harsher modifying forth; but this perhaps scarcely anyone will believe. This has been disclosed in order that it may be known that the names in the Word, having been written in heaven, are at once perceived there in respect to their signification.

AC 6517. And now I pray let me go up and bury my father. That this signifies the resuscitation of the church there by the internal, is evident from the signification of "burying," as being resuscitation (n. 6516); from the representation of Israel, who here is the "father," as being the church (n. 6514); and from the representation of Joseph, who says this of himself, as being the internal (n. 6499).

AC 6518. And I will return. That this signifies presence in the natural mind, is evident from the signification of "returning," as being presence; for in the internal sense "to set forth" and "to go" signify to live (n. 3335, 4882, 5493, 5605), hence "to return" or "come again" is the presence of the life at the place of departure, for the mind is still present there. That the presence is in the natural mind, is because by the "land of Egypt" to which he was to return is signified the natural mind (n. 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5301).

AC 6519. And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father. That this signifies affirmation that the church will be resuscitated; is evident from what was said above (n. 6517), where like words occur. That affirmation is denoted is obvious.

AC 6520. According as he made thee swear. That this signifies because this is at heart, is evident from the signification of "making to swear," as being to have at heart (n. 6514).

Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.

www.BibleMeanings.info