7353. And they shall go up and come into thy house, and into thy bed-chamber. That this signifies that they shall fill the mind, even to its interiors, is evident from the signification of a “house,” as being the mind of man (seen. 3538, 4973, 5023); and from the signification of a “bed-chamber” as being the interiors of the mind. That “bed-chambers” denote the interiors of the mind is because they are in the inner part of the house. By “chambers” are signified things interior, and by “bed-chambers” things still more interior, in the following passages, in Isaiah:

Go, My people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut the door after thee; hide thyself as for a little moment, until the anger be overpast (Isaiah 26:20).

He said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the elders of the sons of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his image (Ezekiel 8:12).

Without shall the sword bereave, and terror from the chambers (Deut 32:25).

Elisha the prophet that is in Israel telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bed-chamber (2 Kings 6:12).

The ancients compared the mind of man to a house, and those things which are within man to chambers. The human mind is indeed like this; for the things therein are distinct, scarcely otherwise than as a house is divided into its chambers; those things which are in the middle are like the inmost parts; those which are at the sides are like the outer parts, these being compared to the courts; and those which while outside are connected with the inside parts, being compared to the porches.

5022. And she laid up his garment by her. That this signifies that it retained ultimate truth, is evident from the signification of “laying up by her,” as being to retain; and from the signification of a “garment,” as being ultimate truth (of which above, n. 5006, 5008), which truth being taken away, the spiritual man has no longer anything with which to defend himself against those who are merely natural (n. 5008e, 5009), and in this event injury is done to him; for whatever the spiritual man then speaks, merely natural men say that they do not perceive, and also that it is not so. And if what is internal or spiritual is but mentioned, they either ridicule it or call it mystical; wherefore all conjunction between them is then broken, and when this is broken, the spiritual man suffers hard things among the merely natural, which is represented by Joseph’s being cast into prison, after the wife had testified by the garment in the presence of her husband.