5290. 'And let him place governors in charge over the land' means the ordering of general wholes within the natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'placing in charge' as setting in order; from the meaning of 'governors' as general wholes, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'the land' - in this case the land of Egypt - as the natural mind, as just above in 5288. The reason 'governors' means general wholes is that particular aspects are contained within and subordinated to those wholes, see 917, 4269, 4325 (end), 4329, 4345, 4383, 5208, whereas 'princes' means things that come first and foremost, 1482, 2089, 5044.

1738. 'And he gave him a tenth of everything' means remnants gained from victory. This is clear from the meaning of 'tenths' as remnants, dealt with already in 576. For what remnants are however, see 468, 530, 560, 561, 661, 1050, where it is shown that they are all the states of love and charity, and all the states of innocence and peace, with which a person is endowed. He is endowed with these states from earliest childhood, though that endowment gradually diminishes as he advances into adult life. But while a person is being regenerated he receives, in addition to those he has already, new remnants, and thus new life; for it is from, or by means of, remnants that a person is enabled to be human. In fact, if devoid of the state of love and charity, and if devoid of the state of innocence - states that instill themselves into all the other states of his life-a person is no longer human, but worse than any wild animal. It is remnants acquired during the conflicts brought about by temptations that are meant in the present verse. These remnants are what the tenths given to Melchizedek by Abram mean. They are also all the celestial things of love which the Lord gathered to Himself through the constant conflicts and victories by means of which He was constantly being united to the Divine Essence until the point was reached when His Human Essence as well had become Love, or the Being (Esse) of life, that is, Jehovah.