5275. Behold there come seven years. That this signifies states of providence, is evident from the signification of “years,” as being states (see n. 487, 488, 493, 893); and from the signification of “coming,” as being of providence. For “coming” and “coming to pass,” when predicated of the Divine or of that which God does, denotes that which happens in accordance with providence, and consequently is of providence. (That what God does is providence may be seen above, n. 5264, 5273.) The seven years of abundance of produce and the seven years of famine are treated of in the following verses, and there by “years” are signified states-by the “years of abundance of produce,” states of the multiplication of truth in the natural, and by the “years of famine,” states of the lack and privation of truth in the natural. In general by the seven years of abundance of produce and the seven years of famine in the land of Egypt are described in the internal sense the states of man’s reformation and regeneration, and in the supreme sense the states of the glorification of the Lord’s Human. It was in order that these things might be represented that such events took place in the land of Egypt; and they took place there because by the land of Egypt and by Pharaoh is meant in the internal sense the natural, the glorification of which in the Lord is here treated of.

[2] Be it known that the things which came to pass at that time, and which are described in the Word, were representative of the Lord Himself, of the glorifying of His Human, and in the representative sense of His kingdom, consequently of the church in general and of the church in the singular, and thus of the regeneration of man; for by regeneration a man is made the church in the singular. That what took place at that time was representative of such things, was chiefly for the sake of the Word, that it might be written, and thus might contain such things as would represent Divine, celestial, and spiritual things in continuous series, and thus might be of service not only to the man of the church, but also to the angels in heaven; for the angels perceive from it Divine things, and thereby are affected with holy feelings that are communicated to the man who reads the Word with affection, whence he also feels the holiness. This is the reason why such events took place in the land of Egypt.