6417. Joseph is the son of a fruitful one. That this signifies the spiritual church, in the supreme sense the Lord as to the Divine spiritual, is evident from the representation of Joseph, as being in the supreme sense the Lord as to the Divine spiritual, in the internal sense the spiritual kingdom and the good of faith, and in the external sense fruitfulness and multiplication (see n. 3969, 3971); and because “Joseph” denotes the fruitfulness of good and the multiplication of truth, he is called the “son of a fruitful one.” By “Joseph” is here described the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, and above by “Judah” His celestial kingdom; for there are two kingdoms which constitute heaven, the celestial and the spiritual. The celestial kingdom constitutes the inmost or third heaven; the spiritual kingdom, the middle or second heaven. To the spiritual kingdom the Lord appears as a moon; but to the celestial kingdom as a sun (n. 1053, 1521, 1529-1531, 4060). It is said that by Joseph in the supreme sense is represented the Lord as to the Divine spiritual, but the case is this. The Lord is nothing else than Divine good; that which proceeds from His Divine good and flows into heaven, in His celestial kingdom is called the “Divine celestial,” and in His spiritual kingdom the “Divine spiritual;” thus the Divine celestial and the Divine spiritual are so called relatively to the receptions.

3971. And it came to pass when Rachel had borne Joseph. That this signifies the acknowledgment of the spiritual represented by Joseph, is evident from the signification of “bearing,” as being to acknowledge (see n. 3905, 3911, 3915, 3919); from the representation of Rachel, as being the affection of interior truth (n. 3758, 3782, 3793, 3819); and from the representation of Joseph, as being the spiritual kingdom, thus the spiritual man (n. 3969), and consequently the Spiritual; for the Spiritual, being from the Lord, is that which makes the spiritual man, and also the spiritual kingdom. In what is related of Jacob’s sons by the handmaids and Leah, the reception and acknowledgment of general truths has been treated of, and at last their conjunction with the interior man, and thus man’s regeneration even till he is made spiritual; “Joseph” being this spiritual man. In what now immediately follows, the fructification and multiplication of truth and good are treated of, which are signified by the “flock” that Jacob procured for himself by means of the flock of Laban; for after there has been effected the conjunction of the interior man with the external, or of the spiritual man with the natural, there takes place a fructification of good and a multiplication of truth; for this conjunction is the heavenly marriage in man, and these are born from it. From this also it is that fructification and multiplication are signified by “Joseph” in the external sense (n. 3965, 3969). (“Fructification” is said of good; and “multiplication” of truth, n. 43, 55, 913, 983, 2846, 2847.)