3
הבקר אור והאנשים שלחו המה וחמריהם׃
Arcana Coelestia # 5741
5741. 'And the men were sent away, they and their asses' means the external natural man was to some extent removed, together with its truths and factual knowledge. This is clear from the representation of Jacob's ten sons, to whom 'the men' refers here, as truths known to the Church which are present in the natural, dealt with in 5403, 5419, 5427, 5458, 5512, and therefore the external natural man, 5680; from the meaning of 'asses' as factual knowledge, dealt with in 5492; and from the meaning of 'sent away and 'not far distant' as the fact that it - the external natural man - was to some extent removed. From all this it is evident that 'the men were sent away, they and their asses, not far distant' means that the external man was to some extent removed, together with its truths and factual knowledge - removed from the internal celestial, which is represented by 'Joseph'.
[2] As to the meaning of 'asses', it should be realized that something different is meant by them when they served as animals that were ridden on; for judges, kings, and their sons used to ride on asses, she-asses, and also mules. At such times 'asses' were a sign of rational truth and good, and also of natural truth and good, see 2781. This explains why, when as judge and king the Lord entered Jerusalem, He rode on a she-ass with her colt, this being a sign indicating His offices of judge and king. But 'asses' had another meaning when they served as beasts of burden, as they did here. In this case they were a sign of factual knowledge. Factual knowledge is just like such a beast of burden. Anyone who, when he thinks about what constitutes a person interiorly, looks no further than factual knowledge contained in a person's memory, presumes that there is no more to a human being than such knowledge. He does not know that factual knowledge constitutes the lowest level of the human personality and is such that most of it becomes hidden from view when the body dies, 2475-2477, 2479, 2480. But What the knowledge contains within itself remains, namely truth and goodness, together with affections for them, or in the case of evil people, falsity and evil, together with affections for these. Factual knowledge is so to speak the body for those things. As long as a person is living in the world, these things - truth and goodness, or else falsity and evil - are held within his factual knowledge since it is their container. And because factual knowledge contains and thus so to speak carries interior things with it, that is therefore meant by asses that serve to carry burdens.
Genesis 44
1
He commanded the steward of his house, saying, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in his sack's mouth.
2
Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, with his grain money." He did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.
3
As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.
4
When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, "Up, follow after the men. When you overtake them, ask them, 'Why have you rewarded evil for good?
5
Isn't this that from which my lord drinks, and by which he indeed divines? You have done evil in so doing.'"
6
He overtook them, and he spoke these words to them.
7
They said to him, "Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they should do such a thing!
8
Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again to you out of the land of Canaan. How then should we steal silver or gold out of your lord's house?
9
With whoever of your servants it be found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondservants."
10
He said, "Now also let it be according to your words: he with whom it is found will be my bondservant; and you will be blameless."
11
Then they hurried, and each man took his sack down to the ground, and each man opened his sack.
12
He searched, beginning with the eldest, and ending at the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
13
Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey, and returned to the city.
14
Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, and he was still there. They fell on the ground before him.
15
Joseph said to them, "What deed is this that you have done? Don't you know that such a man as I can indeed divine?"
16
Judah said, "What will we tell my lord? What will we speak? Or how will we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are my lord's bondservants, both we, and he also in whose hand the cup is found."
17
He said, "Far be it from me that I should do so. The man in whose hand the cup is found, he will be my bondservant; but as for you, go up in peace to your father."
18
Then Judah came near to him, and said, "Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord's ears, and don't let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even as Pharaoh.
19
My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have you a father, or a brother?'
20
We said to my lord, 'We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother; and his father loves him.'
21
You said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.'
22
We said to my lord, 'The boy can't leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'
23
You said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will see my face no more.'
24
It happened when we came up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.
25
Our father said, 'Go again, buy us a little food.'
26
We said, 'We can't go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down: for we may not see the man's face, unless our youngest brother is with us.'
27
Your servant, my father, said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons:
28
and the one went out from me, and I said, "Surely he is torn in pieces;" and I haven't seen him since.
29
If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.'
30
Now therefore when I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us; since his life is bound up in the boy's life;
31
it will happen, when he sees that the boy is no more, that he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to Sheol.
32
For your servant became collateral for the boy to my father, saying, 'If I don't bring him to you, then I will bear the blame to my father forever.'
33
Now therefore, please let your servant stay instead of the boy, a bondservant to my lord; and let the boy go up with his brothers.
34
For how will I go up to my father, if the boy isn't with me?--lest I see the evil that will come on my father."
