5409. 'Joseph's ten brothers' means such truths known to the Church as were in agreement with one another. This is clear from the meaning of 'brothers' as truths known to the Church. These truths are called 'Joseph's brothers' ('Joseph' representing truth received from the Divine) by virtue of their agreement with one another; for that agreement causes them to exist joined together like one brother to another. 'The sons of Jacob' means all the truths of faith or the truths as a general whole that are known by the Church, 5403; and the expression 'Joseph's brothers' has a similar meaning, though this is because of their agreement with one another. Jacob's ten sons by Leah mean the truths known to the external Church, but Jacob's two sons by Rachel mean the truths known to the internal Church, as is evident from what has been shown regarding Leah and Rachel. That is to say, it has been shown that 'Leah' is the affection for exterior truth and 'Rachel' the affection for interior truth, both dealt with in 3758, 3782, 3793, 3819. Also, the internal Church and the external Church are 'brothers', see 1221. The Lord Himself therefore uses the word 'brothers' to describe truths and resulting forms of good which exist in agreement with one another by virtue of charity and faith, that is, to describe people who know truths and from these desire what is good: In Matthew,

The king will say to them, Truly I say to you, Insofar as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers you did it to Me. Matthew 25:40.

And elsewhere,

Jesus answered them, saying, Who is My mother, or My brothers? And looking round about He said, Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother, and My sister, and My mother. Mark 3:33-35; Matthew 12:49; Luke 8:21.

3819. 'The name of the elder was Leah' means the nature of the affection for external truth; 'and the name of the younger Rachel' means the nature of the affection for internal truth. This is clear from the representation of 'Leah' as the affection for external truth, and of 'Rachel' as the affection for internal truth, both dealt with in 3793; and from the meaning of 'the name' as the nature of, dealt with in 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 2724, 3006. Leah is called 'the elder' because external truth is learned first, and Rachel 'the younger' because internal truth is learned from then on after that; or what amounts to the same, a person first of all feels an affection for external truths, and from then on after that an affection for internal truths. external truths provide the basic outline for internal truths, for they are the general outlines into which particular details are added. Unless a person has a general outline of the idea of a thing he does not make sense of any particular aspect of it. This explains why the literal sense of the Word contains general truths but the internal sense particular truths. General truths are called external, but particular truths internal. And because truths devoid of affection are not truths because there is no life to them, the affections for them are therefore meant when external and internal truths are referred to.