Genesis 48
1
And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2
And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
3
And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
4
And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.
5
And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.
6
And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.
7
And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.
8
And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these?
9
And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.
10
Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.
11
And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.
12
And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
13
And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him.
14
And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15
And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,
16
The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
17
And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.
18
And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
19
And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
20
And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
21
And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
22
Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.
Apocalypse Explained # 19
19. Verse 4. John signifies the Lord in respect to doctrine. This is evident from the representation of "John," as being the good of love (of which above, n. 8). Because he represents the good of love, he also in the highest sense represents the Lord, since all the good of love is from the Lord. Man, spirit, and angel, are only recipients, and they who are recipients are said to signify that which is from the Lord. It is similar with many others in the Word, as with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Elijah, Elisha, John the Baptist, Peter, and the other apostles; each one of whom signifies some good or truth of heaven and the church, yet all of them, in the highest sense, signify the Lord. For instance, "David," in the internal sense, signifies Divine truth in the spiritual kingdom, which is called the royalty of the Lord; for this reason, David in the highest sense signifies the Lord in respect to that truth and in respect to royalty; on which account it is said of David in the Word, that he is to come and reign over the sons of Israel (Ezekiel 37:24, 25; Hosea 3:5).
In like manner Elijah and Elisha, who, because in the internal sense they signify the Word, in the highest sense signify the Lord, from whom the Word is. (That "Elijah" and "Elisha" signify the Word, thus the Lord in respect to the Word, see Arcana Coelestia 2762, 5247; likewise "John the Baptist," who is therefore called "Elijah," n. 7643, 9372. That "Peter" signifies faith, and therefore the Lord in respect to faith, because faith is from the Lord, see above, n. 9) From this it can be seen why "John" signifies the Lord. He signifies the Lord in respect to doctrine because it is said, "John to the seven churches," and by "the seven churches," in the internal sense, are meant all who are in truths from good, or in faith from charity; for it is these that constitute the church; and doctrine is what teaches these truths. From this it is that as the Lord is the Word, so is He also the doctrine of the church, for all doctrine is from the Word. (That the Lord is the doctrine of the church, because all truth that is of doctrine is from the Word, thus from the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia 2531, 2859, 3712)
