4678. Verses 4-11. And his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren; and they hated him, and could not speak for peace unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brethren, and they added yet to hate him. And he said unto them, Hear I pray this dream which I have dreamed; and behold we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field, and lo my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and behold your sheaves came round about, and bowed down themselves to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? Or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they added yet to hate him for his dreams, and for his words. And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold I have dreamed yet a dream, and behold the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down themselves to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren; and his father rebuked him, and said to him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him, but his father kept the word. “And his brethren saw,” signifies those things which are of faith, and in the proximate sense the posterity of Jacob; “that their father loved him more than all his brethren,” signifies that it was conjoined with the Divine natural, and in the proximate sense with the ancient church, which is the “father;” “and they hated him, and could not speak for peace unto him,” signifies contempt and aversion; “and Joseph dreamed a dream,” signifies preaching concerning the Divine human; “and he told it to his brethren,” signifies in the presence of those who are of faith separate; “and they added yet to hate him,” signifies still greater contempt and aversion; “and he said unto them, Hear I pray this dream which I have dreamed,” signifies the contents of the preaching; “and behold we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field,” signifies that they were teaching from doctrine; “and lo my sheaf arose, and also stood upright,” signifies what is doctrinal concerning the Lord’s Divine Human; “and behold your sheaves came round about,” signifies those who were in faith; “and bowed down themselves to my sheaf,” signifies adoration; “and his brethren said to him,” signifies those who are of faith separate; “shalt thou indeed reign over us? Or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us?” signifies were they to be subject as to the things of the understanding and of the will; “and they added yet to hate him for his dreams and for his words,” signifies still greater contempt and aversion because of the preaching of the Word; “and he dreamed yet another dream,” signifies again a preaching; “and told it to his brethren, and said,” signifies in the presence of those who are of faith separate; “behold I have dreamed yet a dream,” signifies the contents; “and behold the sun and the moon,” signifies natural good and natural truth; “and eleven stars,” signifies the knowledges of good and of truth; “bowed down themselves to me,” signifies adoration; “and he told it to his father and to his brethren,” signifies that it was given to know it; “and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed?” signifies indignation; “father” here is the Jewish religion derived from the ancient; “shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?” signifies whether the church will adore; “and his brethren envied him,” signifies their aversion; “and his father kept the word,” signifies that the truth remained in their religiosity.

2953. But if thou wilt, I pray thee, hear me. That this signifies more interior influx, is evident from the series of the discourse. That Abraham’s speaking to Ephron signified influx, was stated just above (n. 2951); and here the discourse is continued and the attention aroused by its being said, “but if thou wilt, I pray thee, hear me;” wherefore a more interior influx is signified. The internal sense is of such a nature that the expressions and words are almost nothing; but their sense flowing from the series presents an idea, and indeed before the angels a spiritual idea, to which the external or literal sense serves as the object ex quo; for it is the ideas of man’s thought which are the objects of spiritual thoughts with the angels; and in fact chiefly those ideas of thought with man that are from the Word, for the reason that all things in the Word are representative, and the words in both general and particular are significative; and it is at once observed that they are from the Word, because the spiritual and celestial things therein follow in their order in the most regular manner; and in both there is what is holy from the inmost sense, which treats solely of the Lord and His kingdom.