5415. For the famine was in the land of Canaan. That this signifies that there was desolation as to the things of the church in the natural, is evident from the signification of “famine,” as being a lack of knowledges, and the consequent desolation (see n. 3364, 5277, 5279, 5281, 5300, 5349, 5360, 5376); and from the signification of the “land of Canaan,” as being the church (n. 3686, 3705, 4447); and because it is the church, it is also that which is of the church. Hence it is that by the “famine being in the land of Canaan” is signified desolation as to the things of the church. That the desolation was in the natural, is because these things are predicated of the sons of Jacob, by whom are signified the things of the external church (n. 5409), consequently those of the church in the natural.

3364. And there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. That this signifies a lack of the knowledges of faith, is evident from the signification of “famine,” as being a lack of knowledges (n. 1460). That it is a lack of the knowledges of faith, is evident from what presently follows, that is, from the representation of Abimelech, and from the signification of “Gerar,” as being that which is of faith. The “famine” in the days of Abraham, mentioned in the twelfth chapter (verse 10), and explained above (n. 1460), denoted a lack of the knowledges which are of the natural man; but the “famine” here spoken of denotes a lack of the knowledges which are of the rational man; and therefore it is said that “there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham.” In the internal sense the subject here treated of is the Lord, in that from His Divine are all the doctrinal things of faith; for there is no doctrinal thing, nor the smallest part of one, that is not from the Lord, because the Lord is doctrine itself. Hence it is that the Lord is called the “Word,” because the “Word” is doctrine; but as everything that is in the Lord is Divine, and the Divine cannot be comprehended by any created being, therefore insofar as they appear before created beings, the doctrinal things that are from the Lord are not truths purely Divine, but are appearances of truth; nevertheless within such appearances there are truths Divine; and because they have these truths within them, the appearances also are called truths; and these are now treated of in this chapter.