6436. 'They will be on the head of Joseph' means those things with respect to the interiors. This is clear from the meaning of 'the head' as the interiors, for it is there that everything in the human being exists first and foremost. A further reason why the interiors are what are meant by 'the head' lies in correspondence. From correspondence 'the neck' means what is intermediate, 'the body' the exteriors, and 'the feet and soles of the feet' the most external parts. This correspondence has its origin in heaven's presentation of itself as the Grand Man. The inmost heaven where the Lord's celestial kingdom is situated presents itself as the head there; the middle or second heaven where His spiritual kingdom is located presents itself as the body; and the lowest or first heaven as the feet, see 4938, 4939, 5318, 6291.

5879. 'Is my father still alive?' means the presence of spiritual good from the natural. This is clear from the representation of Israel, to whom 'father' refers here, as spiritual good from the natural, dealt with in 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833 (its derivation from the natural being dealt with in 4286); and from the meaning of 'is he still alive?' as the presence of that good. For when he revealed who he was Joseph thought first about his father, whom he knew to be alive. His father was therefore present in his thought at the beginning, and also constantly after that when he talks to his brothers. The reason for this is that the internal celestial, which is 'Joseph', cannot become joined to the truths in the natural, which are 'the sons of Jacob', except through spiritual good from the natural, which is 'Israel'. And once that joining together has taken place they are no longer the sons of Jacob but the sons of Israel; for 'the sons of Israel' are spiritual truths within the natural.