1464. 'For the famine in the land was serious' means a great lack in His External Man. This is clear from the meaning of 'famine' as presented above in this verse. The arcana contained here are more than can be enumerated briefly. The Lord's ability to learn was superior to that of any other person, but because He was to receive instruction in celestial things before doing so in spiritual things, unlike others, reference is made to this point here. A further reason for such a reference is that there was hereditary evil from the mother in His External Man which He was to fight against and to overcome. And there are countless other considerations besides these.

1379. These considerations also show that when spirits walk or are removed and advance from one place to another - occurrences witnessed very frequently - nothing else than changes of state are taking place. That is, such changes appear in the world of spirits as changes of place, but in heaven as changes of state. The same applies to many other things that are representative and present themselves visually there. In the Lord's Divine mercy these will be dealt with later on.