5314. Verses 41-44 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from upon his hand and put it onto Joseph's hand, and clothed him in robes of fine linen, and placed a chain of gold onto his neck. And he made him ride in the second chariot that he had; and they cried out before him, Abrek! and he set him over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without you no man shall lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.

'And Pharaoh said to Joseph' means a further perception present in the natural but received from the celestial of the spiritual. 'See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt' means dominion over both parts of the natural. 'And Pharaoh took off his ring from upon his hand' means a confirmation regarding the power which belonged at first to the natural. 'And put it onto Joseph's hand' means that it yielded all that power to the celestial of the spiritual. 'And clothed him in robes of fine linen' means an outward sign denoting the celestial of the spiritual, 'robes of fine linen' being truths going forth from the Divine. 'And placed a chain of gold onto his neck' means an outward sign denoting the joining of interior things to exterior ones, good being that which effects that joining together. 'And he made him ride in the second chariot' means an outward sign that the celestial of the spiritual was the source of all the teaching about goodness and truth. 'That he had' means which is imparted through the natural. 'And they cried out before him, Abrek!' means acknowledgement coming through faith, and homage. 'And he set him over all the land of Egypt' means that its authority was as described. 'And Pharaoh said to Joseph' means further perception still. 'I am Pharaoh' means that this made the natural what it was. 'And without you shall no man lift up his hand' means that all power in the spiritual was received from the celestial of the spiritual. 'Or his foot' means all power in the natural. 'In all the land of Egypt' means in both parts of the natural.

5194. 'And it happened at the end of two years of days' means after the state when the joining together took place, that is to say, when the powers of the senses belonging to the exterior natural and those belonging to the interior natural were joined together, both of which powers are dealt with in the previous chapter. This is clear from the meaning of 'two years of days', that is, a period of two years, as a state involving a joining together; for 'two' means a joining together, 1686, 3519, while 'years' means states, as does 'days'. For the meaning of years' as states, see 487, 488, 493, 893, and for that of 'days', 27, 487, 488, 497, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850. The reason 'two' means a joining together is that every single thing in the spiritual world, and consequently in the natural world, has two forces associated with it - goodness and truth. Good is an active inflowing force, truth a passive, recipient one. Also, because everything has these two forces associated with it, and because nothing can ever be brought forth unless the two are made one by becoming so to speak married to each other, a joining together is therefore meant by them.

[2] This type of marriage exists in every single thing within the natural order and its three kingdoms; without it nothing whatever can come into existence. For anything to come into existence within the natural order there needs to be heat and light, heat in the natural world corresponding to the good of love in the spiritual world, and light corresponding to the truth of faith. These two - heat and light - must act as one if anything is to be brought forth. If they do not act as one, as is the case in winter-time, nothing at all is brought forth. The same holds true on a spiritual level, as is quite evident with the human being, who has two mental powers - will and understanding. The will has been formed so that it may receive spiritual heat, that is, the good of love and charity, while the understanding has been formed so that it may receive spiritual light, that is, the truth of faith. Unless these two residing with a person make one nothing is brought forth, for the good of love devoid of the truth of faith cannot give definition and particular character to anything, while the truth of faith devoid of the good of love cannot bring anything into effect. So that the heavenly marriage may exist in a person therefore, or rather so that a person may be in the heavenly marriage, those two entities must make one in him. This explains why the ancients likened every single thing in the world, and every single thing within the human being, to a marriage, 54, 55, 568, 718, 747, 917, 1432, 2173, 2516, 2731, 2739, 2758, 3132, 4434, 4875, 5138. From all this one may see why it is that 'two' means a joining together.