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Genesis 39

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1 And Joseph was brought·​·down to Egypt; and Potiphar, the chamberlain of Pharaoh, prince of the guards, an Egyptian man, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites*, who had brought· him ·down thither.

2 And Jehovah was with Joseph, and he was a man who prospered; and he was in the house of his lord the Egyptian.

3 And his lord saw that Jehovah was with him, and that Jehovah made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

4 And Joseph found grace in his eyes, and he ministered to him; and he appointed him over his house, and all that he had he gave into his hand.

5 And it was, from the·​·time that he appointed him over his house, and over all that he had, that Jehovah blessed the house of the Egyptian because·​·of Joseph; and the blessing of Jehovah was in all that he had, in the house and in the field.

6 And he left all that he had in the hand of Joseph; and he knew not anything that was with him, except the bread which he ate. And Joseph was beautiful in form, and beautiful in appearance.

7 And it was, after these words*, and the wife of his lord lifted·​·up her eyes to Joseph, and she said, Lie with me.

8 And he refused, and said to his lord’s wife, Behold, my lord knows not what is with me in the house, and all that he has he has given into my hand.

9 He is not greater in this house than I; and he has not kept·​·back from me anything but thee, because thou art his wife; and how shall I do this great evil, and sin to God?

10 And it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not to her, to lie beside her, to be with her.

11 And it was as this day, and he came·​·into the house to do his work*; and no man of the men of the house was there in the house.

12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me; and he forsook his garment in her hand, and fled, and went·​·forth outside.

13 And it was as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and had fled outside,

14 that she called to the men of her house, and said to them, saying, See, he has brought us a Hebrew man to mock us; he came to me to lie with me, and I called with a great voice;

15 and it was, when he heard that I lifted·​·high my voice and called, that he left his garment beside me, and fled, and went·​·forth outside.

16 And she placed his garment beside her, until his lord came to his house.

17 And she spoke to him according·​·to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant whom thou hast brought to us, came to me to mock me;

18 and it was, as I lifted·​·high my voice and called, that he left his garment beside me, and fled outside.

19 And it was, when his lord heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, According·​·to these words did thy servant to me; that his anger was·​·fierce.

20 And Joseph’s lord took him, and put him into the jail house, the place where the king’s bound ones were bound; and he was there in the jail house.

21 And Jehovah was with Joseph, and stretched·​·out mercy to him, and gave him grace in the eyes of the prince of the jail house.

22 And the prince of the jail house gave into Joseph’s hand all the bound ones that were in the jail house; and all that they did there, he was the doer.

23 Nor did the prince of the jail house see anything of all that was in his hand, because Jehovah was with him; and that which he did, Jehovah made prosper.

   


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

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Arcana Coelestia # 5023

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5023. 'Until his lord came to his house' means so that it might communicate with natural good. This is clear from the meaning of 'lord' as unspiritual natural good, dealt with in 4973, 4988. 'House' in the internal sense is the natural mind, for the natural mind, like the rational mind also, resembles a house. 'The husband' in it is good, 'the wife' truth; 'the daughters and sons' are affections for good and truth, as well as being forms of good and truth which are begotten from that aforesaid good and truth as their parents, while 'the women servants and the men servants' are the desires and the known facts that minister to and support them. Here therefore 'until his lord came to his house' means when natural good comes to its own dwelling-place, where also there is the truth that is joined to it, though in this case it is falsity which convinces the good that it is truth. For unspiritual natural good is easily convinced that falsity is truth and that truth is falsity. The expression 'his lord' is used because the unspiritual natural looks on the spiritual as something servile, 5013.

[2] The fact that a person's natural mind, like his rational mind, is called 'a house' is evident from the following places:

In Luke,

When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person he passes through dry places seeking rest; and if he does not find any he says, I will return to my house out of which I came. And if when he comes he finds it swept and decorated, he goes away and brings seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there. Luke 11:24-26.

'House' here stands for the natural mind, which is called a house that is 'empty and swept' 1 when there are no forms of good and truth in it meant by 'husband and wife', no affections for good and truth meant by 'daughters and sons', nor anything such as supports these meant by 'women servants and men servants'. The person himself is 'the house' because the rational mind together with the natural mind constitutes a human being. Without the inhabitants just mentioned - that is, without the forms of good and truth, and without the affections for these, and the service rendered by those affections - a person is not a human being but a beast.

[3] The human mind is again meant by 'a house' in the same gospel,

Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and house falls upon house. Luke 11:17.

And in Mark,

If a kingdom is divided against itself, this kingdom cannot stand. Also, if a house is divided against itself, this house cannot stand. No one can go into the house and plunder the vessels of a strong man unless he first binds the strong man, and then he may plunder his house. Mark 3:14, 25, 27.

'Kingdom' means truth, 1672, 2547, 4691, and 'house' good, 2233, 2234, 3720, 4982, 'house' meaning good on account of its greater importance.

[4] In Luke,

If the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming he would certainly have been awake and would not have permitted his house to be broken into. Luke 12:39.

In the same gospel,

From now on there will be in one house five divided, three against two, and two against three. Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother. Luke 12:52-53.

This refers to the spiritual conflicts which members of the Church enter into once the internal or spiritual contents of the Word have been opened up to them. 'House' stands for the actual person or his mind, while the 'father', 'mother', 'son', and 'daughter' in it are forms of good and truth together with affections for these, or in the contrary sense evils and falsities together with affections for these, which are the source of conflict and the things to be grappled with in such conflict.

[5] The Lord commanded His disciples, in Luke,

Whatever house you enter, first say, Peace be to this house! And if indeed a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest on it; but if not, it shall return to you. But remain in the same house; eat and drink what they have there. Do not pass on from house to house. Luke 10:5-7.

This represented the requirement for them to remain with genuine good, that is, with the good of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbour, and not to pass on to any other kind. For more about the actual person or his mind being meant by 'a house', see also 3538, 4973.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. empty and swept belongs to Matthew 12:44.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.