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Genesis 41

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1 And it was, from the end of two·​·years of days, and Pharaoh dreamed, and behold, he stood by the river.

2 And behold, from the river there came·​·up seven cows, beautiful in appearance and nourished in flesh; and they pastured in the sedge.

3 And behold, seven other cows came·​·up after them out·​·of the river, evil of appearance and thin in flesh, and stood beside the cows upon the lip of the river.

4 And the cows, bad of appearance and thin in flesh, did eat up the seven cows, beautiful of appearance and nourished. And Pharaoh awoke.

5 And he slept and dreamed a second time, and behold, seven ears of grain came·​·up upon one reed, nourished and good.

6 And behold, seven ears thin and scorched by the east·​·wind grew after them.

7 And the thin ears swallowed·​·up the seven nourished and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.

8 And it was, in the morning, and his spirit was disquieted; and he sent and called all the magicians of Egypt, and all her wise men; and Pharaoh told· them ·of his dream; and no·​·one interpreted these things to Pharaoh.

9 And spoke the prince of the cupbearers with Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my sins today.

10 Pharaoh was·​·enraged against his servants, and put me under guard in the house of the prince of the guards, me and the prince of the bakers;

11 and we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed a man according·​·to the interpretation of his dream.

12 And there was with us there a Hebrew lad, servant to the prince of the guards; and we recounted to him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to a man according·​·to his dream he did interpret.

13 And it was, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he returned to my position, and him he hanged.

14 And Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they hurried him* from the pit; and he trimmed his hair, and changed his raiment, and came to Pharaoh.

15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it; and I have heard concerning thee, saying, thou hearest a dream to interpret it.

16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, Not to me; God shall answer peace to Pharaoh.

17 And Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, In my dream behold, I stood on the lip of the river;

18 and behold, from the river there came·​·up seven cows, nourished in flesh and beautiful of form; and they pastured in the sedge.

19 and behold, seven other cows came·​·up afterwards, poor and very bad in form, and slender in flesh; they were as I have not seen in all the land of Egypt for badness;

20 and the slender and bad cows did eat·​·up the first seven nourished cows;

21 and they came·​·in to their inward·​·parts, and it was not known that they had come·​·in to their inward·​·parts; and their appearance was bad, as in the beginning. And I awoke.

22 And I saw in my dream, and behold, seven ears came·​·up upon one reed, full and good;

23 and behold, seven ears, shriveled, thin, and scorched by the east·​·wind, grew up after them;

24 and the thin ears swallowed·​·up the seven good ears; and I say it to the magicians; and no·​·one tells it to me.

25 And Joseph said to Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh, it is one; what God is doing He has told to Pharaoh.

26 The seven good cows, they are seven years, and the seven good ears, they are seven years; the dream, it is one.

27 And the seven slender and evil cows that came·​·up after them, they are seven years, and the seven empty ears scorched with the east·​·wind shall be seven years of famine.

28 This is the word*, that I spoke to Pharaoh; what God does He has caused Pharaoh to see.

29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty in all the land of Egypt;

30 and there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume·​·all the land;

31 and the plenty shall not ·be known in the land from the faces of that famine after it, for it shall be very heavy.

32 And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh two·​·times, for the word is established by God, and God is hastening to do it.

33 And now let Pharaoh see a man with understanding and wisdom, and put him over the land of Egypt.

34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take the fifth of the land of Egypt in the seven years of plenty.

35 And let them bring·​·together all the food of those good years that come, and pile·​·up grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them guard it.

36 And the food shall be for a deposit for the land for the seven years of the famine that shall be in the land of Egypt; and the land shall not be cut·​·off in the famine.

37 And the word was·​·good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.

38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, Shall we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the spirit of God?

39 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Since God has caused thee to know all this, there is no·​·one so with understanding and wisdom as thou.

40 Thou shalt be over my house, and upon thy mouth shall all my people kiss; only in the throne will I be·​·greater than thou.

41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, See, I have put thee over all the land of Egypt.

42 And Pharaoh removed his ring from upon his hand, and put it upon the hand of Joseph, and clothed him in garments of fine·​·linen, and set a necklace of gold upon his neck;

43 and he had him ride in the second chariot that he had; and they proclaimed before him, Abrech*; and he put him over all the land of Egypt.

44 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and besides thee shall no man lift·​·high his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.

45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneach; and he gave him Asenath the daughter of Potiphera priest of On for a woman; and Joseph went·​·out over the land of Egypt.

46 And Joseph was a son of thirty years when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went·​·out from before Pharaoh, and passed into all the land of Egypt.

47 And the land made a gathering* by handfuls in the seven years of plenty.

48 And he brought·​·together all the food of the seven years that were in the land of Egypt, and put the food in cities; the food of the field of the city, that which was all around her, he put in the midst of her.

49 And Joseph piled·​·up grain as the sand of the sea, multiplying it exceedingly, until he stopped numbering, for it had no number.

50 And to Joseph was·​·born* two sons before the year of famine came, to whom Asenath the daughter of Potiphera priest of On gave·​·birth for him.

51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh; For God has made me forget all my labor, and all the house of my father.

52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim; For God has made· me ·fruitful in the land of my affliction.

53 And the seven years of plenty, which was in the land of Egypt, were completed.

54 And the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said; and there was famine in all the lands; and in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

55 And all the land of Egypt was·​·hungry, and the people cried to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all Egypt, Go to Joseph; what he says to you, do.

56 And the famine was on all the faces of the land; and Joseph opened all that was in them*, and rationed to Egypt; and the famine held·​·firm in the land of Egypt.

57 And all the land came to Egypt to purchase, to Joseph; for the famine held·​·firm in all the land.

   


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

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Arcana Coelestia # 6145

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6145. 'And the land was Pharaoh's' means that all things were made subject to the natural, which was under the control of the internal. This is clear from the meaning of 'the land was his' as the making its own of all things, meant by 'the land', and the subjection of them to itself; and from the representation of 'Pharaoh' as the natural in general, dealt with in 5160, 5799, 6015, into which factual knowledge, meant by 'Egypt', was gathered, 6115. The reason this was under the control of the internal is that the entire natural, both in general and in every part, was under it. Being under the control of the internal is meant by Joseph's being lord over all the land of Egypt, and also by his having been placed in charge over Pharaoh's house, Genesis 41:40-43; also Chapter 45 where it says,

Joseph said to his brothers, God has established me as father to Pharaoh, and lord for all his house; and I have dominion in all the land of Egypt. Genesis 45:8.

This now explains why it is said of the natural that it was under the control of the internal.

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

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Arcana Coelestia # 6015

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6015. 'In the carts which Pharaoh sent to carry him' means the matters of doctrine obtained from the Church's factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of 'the carts' as matters of doctrine, dealt with in 5945; and from the representation of 'Pharaoh' as the Church's factual knowledge in general. For 'Egypt' means the Church's factual knowledge, 1462, 4749, 4964, 4966, and therefore the king of that land means such knowledge in general, as he does elsewhere in the Word, though in the majority of places perverted factual knowledge is meant by Egypt and so also by Pharaoh. The representation of 'Pharaoh' as factual knowledge in general is evident in Isaiah,

The princes of Zoan are foolish, the wise counsellors of Pharaoh; counsel has become brutish. How do you say to Pharaoh, I am a son of the wise, a son of the kings of old? Isaiah 19:11.

Here 'Pharaoh' stands for the Church's factual knowledge in general, which was why he was called 'a son of the wise' and 'a son of the kings of old'. 'The wise' and 'the kings of old' stand for the truths that the Ancient Church possessed. But that factual knowledge made nonsensical is meant, for it says 'The princes of Zoan have become foolish; counsel has become brutish'.

[2] In the same prophet,

They depart to go down to Egypt but have not asked at My mouth, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt. Therefore the strength of Pharaoh will become shame for you, and trust in the shadow of Egypt ignominy. Isaiah 30:2-3.

'Strengthening themselves in the strength of Egypt, and trusting in the shadow of Egypt' stands for relying in matters of faith on factual knowledge and having no belief in any spiritual truth unless it is what factual knowledge and sensory evidence so declare. But that is a perversion of order. The truths of faith must occupy first place, and supporting factual knowledge must take second place; for if the latter occupy first place, no belief in any truth whatever exists.

[3] In Jeremiah,

Jehovah Zebaoth, the God of Israel, said, Behold, I am making a visitation upon Amen in No, and upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt, and upon its gods, and upon its kings - especially upon Pharaoh and those trusting in him. Jeremiah 46:25.

Here also 'Pharaoh' stands for factual knowledge in general. 'Those trusting in him' stands for people who rely on factual knowledge but do not rely on the Word, that is, on the Lord in the Word. Such a reliance leads to a complete perversion in the things people are taught to believe, which in turn leads to falsity and also to the refusal to accept that what is Divine and heavenly is anything at all. These people in particular are all too ready to say, Let me see these things with my own eyes; or, Produce the facts to prove the truth of it, and then I will believe it. But even if they did see them or such proof was produced they would not believe, because an unaccepting attitude of mind governs everything.

[4] In the same prophet,

Against Pharaoh. 1 Behold, waters rising out of the north which will become a deluging stream, and they will deluge the land and all that fills it, the city and those who dwell in it, so that men cry out and every inhabitant of the land wails because of the sound of the beat of the hoofs of the horses his mighty ones and the noise of his chariot, the rumble of its wheels. Jeremiah 47:1-3.

It is plain from every detail stated here regarding Pharaoh that 'Pharaoh' is factual knowledge in general, existing in this instance in a perverted state of order, which destroys the truths of faith. 'A deluging stream' is factual knowledge destroying an understanding of truth, and so is knowledge that lays waste. 'They will deluge the land and all that fills it' is the entire Church. 'The city and those who dwell in it' is the truth the Church possesses, and the good this truth leads to. 'The beat of the hoofs of the horses' is the lowest kind of factual knowledge gained directly from sensory impressions. 'The noise of his chariot' is false teaching derived from that knowledge. 'The rumble of its wheels' is sensory impressions and the false notions going with them that advance themselves.

[5] In Ezekiel,

The Lord Jehovih said, Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster who is lying in the midst of his rivers, who has said, The river is mine and I have made myself. Therefore I will put hooks in your jaws, and cause the fish of your rivers to stick to your scales. Ezekiel 29:2-4.

Here also 'Pharaoh' stands for factual knowledge in general, which in a similar way is evident from each detail that is stated regarding him.

[6] In the same prophet,

Raise a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt. You are like monsters in the seas, and you have come forth with your rivers, and have troubled the waters with your feet; you have stirred up their rivers. When I have blotted you out, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars, I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light. All the bright lights [in the heavens] I will darken over you, and I will put darkness over your land. Ezekiel 32:1, 3, 7-8.

The details of this description, like many more in the Prophets, cannot be understood by anyone, it is evident, without the internal sense. No one can understand what is meant when it says that Pharaoh is like monsters in the seas, has come forth with 2 his rivers, and has troubled the waters with his feet. Nor can anyone know what is meant when it says that the heavens will be covered above him, the stars will be darkened, and all the bright lights will be darkened; also that the sun will be covered with a cloud, the moon will not give its light, and darkness will be put over his land. But the internal sense shows what all these details mean; it shows that factual knowledge perverts the truths of the Church if a person uses it to enter the mysteries of faith without believing anything unless factual knowledge, indeed sensory evidence, causes him to see it. This is the internal sense of this description, as the explanation of each separate detail shows.

[7] Pharaoh is called 'king of Egypt' by virtue of the truth factual knowledge holds within it. For factual knowledge is truth as it exists in the natural, and 'king' is truth, see 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, 3009, 3670, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044; also, much the same is meant by the king of a people as by the people themselves, 4789, so that much the same is meant by 'Pharaoh' as by 'Egypt', but the same thing in general. ('Egypt' has been shown many times to mean factual knowledge.) Pharaoh is compared to 'monsters in the seas' because 'a monster' or 'a sea monster' means general sources of facts, 42, While 'seas' means gatherings together of them, 28. Then it is said that he has come forth with his rivers because ideas displaying intelligence are meant by 'rivers', 108, 109, 2702, 3051, but here ideas displaying insanity since they flow from sensory impressions and factual knowledge, 5196. After this it is said that he troubled the waters with his feet and stirred up their rivers because 'waters' means spiritual truths, 680, 739, 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976, 5668, and 'feet' things belonging to the natural, 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952, so that 'troubling the waters with one's feet' is defiling and perverting the truths of faith by means of factual knowledge which the natural possesses. And 'stirring up their rivers' is doing the same to intelligence.

[8] Finally it is said that when he is blotted out the heavens will be covered, because 'the heavens' means a person's interiors, since these are his heavens. They are 'closed' when factual knowledge holds sway over the truths of faith, that is, when the natural holds sway over the spiritual. When this is the situation the cognitions or knowledge of truth and good perish, meant by 'I will darken the stars of the heavens, and all the bright lights'; for 'the stars' are those cognitions, see 2495, 2849, 4697, and 'the lights' are forms of good and truth, 30-38. The inability of the good of love to flow in any longer at that time is meant by 'I will cover the sun with a cloud', and the inability of the good of faith to flow in by 'the moon will not give its light' - 'the sun' being the good of love, and 'the moon the good of faith, see 1519, 1530, 2120, 2495, 3636, 3643, 4060, 4696. The occupation therefore of the natural mind by falsities alone is meant by 'I will put darkness over your land' - 'darkness' being falsities, 1839, 1860, 4418, 4531, and 'Pharaoh's land' or 'the land of Egypt' being the natural mind, 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5701. From all this one may now see what the meaning is within the details of this prophecy. Since 'Pharaoh' means factual knowledge in general he also means the natural in general, 5799.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. These verses in Jeremiah 47 refer to the Philistines, though Pharaoh is mentioned in verse 1. Chapter Jeremiah 46 deals specifically with Egypt and Pharaoh.

2. Reading cum (with) for ex (from)

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