Hands in the Bible represent power, the force with which things are put into action. To be specific, they represent the power of spiritual good -- which is the love of others and serving others -- expressed through spiritual truth -- which is an understanding and knowledge of what it is to love and serve others. This is in contrast to the feet, which represent power on the natural level, and a “rod,” which represents the power of the hand passed down into external or natural ideas. In a few cases in the Bible, hands also represent communication and a drawing together. This is true when people lift their hands to heaven or to Jehovah, and also when the Lord touches children or touches people to heal them.

6289. 'And he grasped his father's hand' means an influx into the power which his obscure discernment possessed. This is clear from the meaning of 'grasping the hand' as an influx into the power of discernment. For when the internal flows into the external, wishing to make it think and will something, it grasps hold of it so to speak. Here it takes hold of its power of discernment, meant by 'the hand'; for 'the hand' means power, see, 878, 3387, 4931-4937. The reason why that discernment is said to be obscure is that spiritual people, who are represented by 'Israel', dwell in obscurity compared with celestial ones, who are represented by 'Joseph'. For more about spiritual people and their dwelling in obscurity compared with celestial ones, see 2708, 2715, 2716, 2718, 2831, 2849, 2935, 2937, 3873, 4401.

[2] The fact that spiritual people dwell in obscurity is plainly evident from the consideration that prior to regeneration they are altogether in the dark about what is true and good, and that when they are being regenerated it is truth such as that contained in the teaching of their Church that they acknowledge and in which they put their trust, irrespective of whether it is true or not. Even so it is this truth that becomes good with them when it becomes part of what they will and consequently of their life. It is that good which is called the good of truth, also the good of faith, as well as spiritual good or the spiritual Church's good. Anyone who turns his mind to the matter can see what is the essential nature of this good deriving from such an origin. Nevertheless good derived from that kind of truth, even among gentiles, is acceptable to the Lord, when it has charity towards the neighbour as its chief concern and when that charity has innocence within it.