5318. 'And put it onto Joseph's hand' means that it yielded all that power to the celestial of the spiritual. This is clear from the meaning of 'putting a ring onto another's hand' as a confirmation that one yields to another the power belonging to oneself, 5317; and from the representation of 'Joseph' as the celestial of the spiritual, often dealt with already.

1262. From this it now becomes clear that 'the earth' here also means the Church; for when the earth is mentioned, one's only perception is of the nation or people there, and when a nation or people is envisaged one's only perception is of their character. Consequently 'the earth' means nothing other than the Church, as shown already in 662, 1066.