5013. See, he hath brought us a Hebrew man. That this signifies a servant, is evident from the signification of a “Hebrew man” as being predicated of service (n. 1703), and as is also clear from what is said later, where Joseph is called a “Hebrew servant,” and also simply a “servant:” “the Hebrew servant whom thou hast brought to us came to me” (verse 17); “according to these words did thy servant to me” (verse 19). That a “Hebrew man” here is a servant, is chiefly for the reason that those who are in truth and good natural not spiritual, who are here represented by Potiphar and his wife, regard spiritual truth and good, which is represented by Joseph, no otherwise than as a servant; for in both life and doctrine they are in inverted order, because with them the natural rules and the spiritual serves; when yet it is according to order that the spiritual should rule and the natural serve; for the spiritual is prior, interior, and higher, and nearer the Divine; while the natural is posterior, exterior, and lower, and more remote from the Divine. For this reason the spiritual in man and in the church is compared to heaven, and is also called heaven; and the natural is compared to earth, and is also called earth. Hence also it is that they who are spiritual, that is, in whom the spiritual has ruled, appear in the other life in the light of heaven with the head upward toward the Lord, and with the feet downward toward hell; whereas they who are natural, that is, they in whom the natural has ruled, appear in the light of heaven with the feet upward and the head downward, however differently they may appear in their own light, which is a fatuous light resulting from the evil affections and consequent phantasies in which they are (n. 1528, 3340, 4214, 4418, 4531, 4532). That natural men regard spiritual things as subservient, was also represented by the Egyptians regarding the Hebrews no otherwise than as servants; for by the Egyptians were represented those who are in natural knowledge and who therefore are natural, but by the Hebrews, those who are of the church and are therefore relatively spiritual. Moreover the Egyptians regarded the Hebrews as being so vile-as servants-that it was an abomination to them to eat with the Hebrews (Genesis 43:32); and the sacrifices offered by the Hebrews were also an abomination to them (Exodus 8:26).

665. That to “set up a covenant” signifies that he would be regenerated, is very evident from the fact that there can be no covenant between the Lord and man other than conjunction by love and faith, and therefore a “covenant” signifies conjunction. For it is the heavenly marriage that is the veriest covenant; and the heavenly marriage, or conjunction, does not exist except with those who are being regenerated; so that in the widest sense regeneration itself is signified by a “covenant.” The Lord enters into a covenant with man when He regenerates him; and therefore among the ancients a covenant represented nothing else. Nothing can be gathered from the sense of the letter but that the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and so many times with their descendants, was concerned with them personally, whereas they were such that they could not be regenerated; for they made worship consist in external things, and supposed the externals of worship to be holy, without internal things being adjoined to them. And therefore the covenants made with them were only representatives of regeneration. It was the same with their rites, and with Abraham himself, and with Isaac, and Jacob, who represented the things of love and faith. Likewise the high priests and priests, whatever their character, even those that were wicked, could represent the heavenly and most holy priesthood. In representatives the person is not regarded, but the thing that is represented. Thus all the kings of Israel and of Judah, even the worst, represented the royalty of the Lord; and even Pharaoh too, who set Joseph over the land of Egypt. From these and many other considerations-concerning which, of the Lord’s Divine mercy hereafter-it is evident that the covenants so often entered into with the sons of Jacob were only religious rites that were representative.