6556. Verses 15-21 And Joseph's brothers saw that their father had died, and they said, Perhaps Joseph will hate us and will fully return to us all the evil with which we repaid him. And they gave a command to Joseph, saying, Your father commanded before he died, saying, Thus you are to say to Joseph, I beg you, forgive - I beg you - the transgression of your brothers, and their sin, for the evil with which they repaid you; and now forgive, I beg you, the transgression of the servants of your father's God. And Joseph wept as they spoke to him. And his brothers also went and fell down before him, and said, Behold, we are your slaves. And Joseph said to them, Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? And you thought evil against me; God thought [to turn] it into good, in order to do what is in accord with this day, to bestow life on a great people. And now, do not be afraid; I will sustain you and your young children. And he consoled them and spoke to their heart.

'And Joseph's brothers saw that their father had died' means the things which had become alienated from truth and good, and a discernment that the Church had been restored to life. 'And they said, Perhaps Joseph will hate us' means that they rejected the internal. 'And will fully return to us all the evil with which we repaid him' means that a punishment as merited is therefore impending. 'And they gave a command to Joseph, saying' means influx from the internal and the consequent perception. 'Your father commanded before he died, saying' means that it is by the command of the Church. 'Thus you are to say to Joseph' means perception from the internal about what was to be done. 'I beg you, forgive - I beg you - the transgression of your brothers, and their sin' means supplication and repentance. 'For the evil with which they repaid you means that they had become turned away from inflowing goodness and truth. 'And now forgive, I beg you, the transgression of the servants of your father's God' means repentance, and an acknowledgement of the Divine things of the Church. 'And Joseph wept as they spoke to him' means reception brought about by love. 'And his brothers also went and fell down before him' means the submission of the things in the natural to the internal. 'And said, Behold, we are your slaves' means that they will not be their own master. 'And Joseph said to them, Do not be afraid' means renewal by the internal. 'For am I in the place of God?' means that God will provide. 'And you thought evil against me' means that the things which have become alienated intend nothing but evil. 'God thought [to turn] it into good' means that the Divine turns it into good. 'In order to do what is in accord with this day' means that this is in accord with order from eternity. 'To bestow life on a great people' means that life is thereby imparted to those governed by the truths of good 'And now, do not be afraid' means that they should not be anxious. 'I will sustain you and your young children' means that they will have life from the Divine by way of the internal, through truth which is of the understanding and good which is of the will. 'And he consoled them' means hope. 'And spoke to their heart' means trust.