In this chapter, and the ones that follow, Joseph represents the innermost part of us – the part closest to where the Lord dwells within us, and His goodness flows into us. This love is deeper and more intense than other loves. In Swedenborg’s works it is called the inmost celestial or heavenly love.
In verse 1, “command” means there is an inflow of love from our innermost spirit represented by Joseph toward the natural or outermost, represented by his brothers. Their sacks filled with food shows this inflow is filled with the good things that truth brings. When we are led by means of truth towards good, the good consists in “putting truth into practice” (Arcana Coelestia 5733), and we only get as much good as we can put into practice, shown by the brothers getting only “as much as they can carry.” The sack’s mouth represents our natural mind becoming open, and the money being placed in the mouth is an image for truth flowing into the natural or materially-oriented part of us.
Since Joseph and Benjamin were born from Rachel, whom Jacob dearly loved, they have a special bond with each other. In this story, they correspond to the close relationship of inner things – things our natural mind is unaware of. Benjamin is the intermediary going from the deepest parts of us where the Lord flows in (Joseph), to our outermost parts (the brothers). The silver cup in verse 2 represents this inner.
Morning dawning of verse 3 indicates a state of enlightenment flowing outward. The men going with their donkeys shows that, in addition to this new state of enlightenment, factual knowledge (the donkey) is also present. The latter is the kind of knowledge the natural or material part of us can handle. The fact that this knowledge is removed from the inner realities is shown by the brothers (natural truths) being away from where Joseph (heavenly truths) was.
In verse 4, going “out of the city” shows how far removed the natural is from inmost truths. “Not yet far off” indicates there is still the possibility for connection. Joseph’s talking and interest gives a clear idea that inner things want to flow outward. Pursuing the men shows how determined these inner things are to be joined to our conscious, outer minds. Inner realities are foreign to us – similar to the way the brothers are in a foreign country. Repaying evil for good shows how deep the lack of interest is. Unchecked, our natural mind falls to evil, and “a person governed by evil spirits spurns good, that is, spiritual good” (Arcana Coelestia 5746).
The cup here in verse 5 represents spiritual or inner truth present with the natural represented by the brothers. The fact that the cup was Joseph’s shows it came from the most heavenly parts within him. This cup used for “divination” teaches that these truths reveal concealed knowledge, and the deepest of these revealed truths teach about the Lord flowing into us.
Truth imparted by the Lord is not at first accepted for the gift it is. Prior to regeneration, people believe they acquire truth all by themselves, and as long as people hold this belief, they are guilty of spiritual theft. The guilt comes from attributing good to their own righteousness and truth to their own intelligence. This takes away from the Lord what is the Lord’s. But this all serves God’s purposes because “the men were accused of theft so that a joining together might be effected” (Arcana Coelestia 5747).
“He over took them” in verse 6 shows that an indirect link was created. “And he spoke to them these same words,” shows that through this indirect link there was a flow from deeper things into natural ones.
This all shows a stirring of reflection and discernment in our natural self. “Why” is a word used when asking oneself a question implying reflection. The brothers responding with “Far be it from us. . .” shows that they did not intend to steal anything. Still, they unwittingly did. This is an example of how there is more going on in our spirit than our natural mind can even comprehend.
“Canaan” in this verse implies the presence of religious belief. “Canaan” represents the Lord’s kingdom or church – here meaning the place in a person where the Lord is known. “How then could we steal?” implies the question “why should we steal?” and it is only through reflection on things of religion that people can come “to believe they should not lay claim to truth and good as their own” (Arcana Coelestia 5757).
Those who attribute to themselves the good and truth of the Lord cannot be in heaven but are outside of heaven. Being outside of heaven is spiritual death, corresponding to the guilty brother left to die in verse 9. The others, because they were with him, will give up their personal freedom because anything associated with spiritual death also includes lack of freedom and being a slave to hell (See Secrets of Heaven 5759, 5760).
Letting it be according to the brothers’ words here means to let it be as justice demands. The steward doles out a less severe sentence because, as a person matures and grows in intelligence and faith, he or she learns that all their effort to do good and speak truth has its origin from the Lord. Before then it is not possible to know the truth of this inner reality. And just knowing it is not enough; it needs to be acknowledged in our hearts. This is made further difficult to perceive because each person needs to do what is good and speak what is true as if of their own accord, yet believe in their hearts that this comes from the Lord. The Lord has compassion on us because this is a hard concept to grasp, which is the reason why a less severe sentence is declared by Joseph’s steward.
The brothers in verse 11 were eager to prove their innocence, shown by speedily letting their sacks down. The sacks are containers. In people, the natural is a container for inner things to come down to the lowest level of the senses. Opening the sacks means making the matter clear, and the brothers were eager to do that. A person who is sincere in his or her spiritual development would not want to attribute to themselves anything belonging to the Lord.
Joseph’s steward beginning with the oldest brother in the next verse corresponds to order and the need for us to understand how things come from the Lord and flow outwards. We can almost hear the brothers groaning when the cup is found in Benjamin’s sack. We ourselves have an inner groaning in trying to comprehend these difficult inner realities.
The brothers’ grief, seen by tearing their clothes in verse 13, shows how we grieve over truths we thought were ours but which we “can no longer lay claim to” (Arcana Coelestia 5773). It is hard to acknowledge that inner things are from the Lord.
As a person develops spiritually, he or she is led by means of truth to good first, and then from good to truth. When this order is reversed there is suffering, and their mistaken thinking that truth originates from themselves is weakened and broken down. After these inner pathways are unblocked, the Lord’s goodness is able to flow outward, bringing love and truth into the natural world. A new will arises within us, and with it comes a new freedom to better understand things (See Secrets of Heaven 5773).
Returning to the city corresponds to how, during these temptations, we need to work at returning our thinking to the true source of things.
Judah is spoken of here and not Reuben, the firstborn, because Judah represents good that is with the Church – the place in a person where the Lord is known. This takes place in the deepest parts of us. Communication from there to deeper parts is brought about by good, not truth.
The brothers returning to Joseph’s house corresponds to the foresight of inner truths. They want the natural or sensual parts of us to know about inner things and arrange ways for them to be seen. The brothers fall on the ground before Joseph in grief. This act expresses the humility needed before the deepest realities (Joseph) can be consciously seen and loved by us in our natural selves.
The way Joseph speaks to his brothers in verse 15 indicates perception on the outside that there is deeper communication taking place. Joseph’s question, “What deed is this you have done?” shows that in the inner realm it is evil to lay claim to what does not belong to you, even if you are unaware of it. Preparing for heaven requires knowing and living according to things as yet unknown in our conscious outer minds. The divination practiced by Joseph corresponds to things being unveiled that can only come from the Divine flowing in, hence the divination (See Secrets of Heaven 5781).
In the next verse, Judah speaking indicates there is now perception in our natural selves that these deeper things exist. “What shall we say? What shall we speak?” shows doubting and wavering at first. “How shall we clear ourselves?” indicates the first awareness of guilt. The natural confesses the guilt of having separated itself from deeper things with the words “God has found out the iniquity of your servants”.
When a person focuses on the senses and pleasures of the body instead of heavenly things, the natural is the master and not the servant. As a result, he or she doesn’t believe anything inward exists, which results in not believing we continue to live after death. This is why we need to submit to inner things and obey them exclusively, represented by being a slave to Joseph. Then our natural freedom (which chooses evil) can be taken away and a heavenly freedom, or freedom to choose good and truth, is established in its place (See Secrets of Heaven 5786).
“The man in whose hand the cup was found” in verse 17 indicates that not everything represented by the brothers can be connected to the deep, spiritual matters. It was in Benjamin’s sack that the cup was found, and he corresponds to a special kind of truth that connects the innermost realities (Joseph) with the outer ones (the brothers).
In verse 18 Judah approaching the steward represents a communication of the natural with inner things through good. Among Joseph’s brothers, Judah represents “the good of love to the Lord,” (Arcana Coelestia 3654:2) This is essential to our spiritual life. “Hearing” corresponds to obedience. Judah’s words show our outer, natural self recognizing the need to obey deeper truths. “Do not let your anger burn against your servant,” is a plea for leniency. The good in our natural side fears the outward flow of truths will be shut off. This usually happens when we do something wrong against the Lord’s commandments
The steward telling Judah in verse 19 the question Joseph asked shows that the innermost perceives the thoughts and feelings in our outward person because everything in the natural comes from something deeper. It is a very difficult thing for the natural or sensual part of us to perceive and accept this. Asking the question shows that things in our deepest parts have great intelligence. Joseph already knows they have a father and a brother but wants his brothers to acknowledge it. “Father” and “brother,” represent what connects the natural with our deepest parts (See Secrets of Heaven 5801).
The brothers represent truths, and saying they have a father shows that inner or spiritual good (see verse 19) is the source of truths in the natural. Benjamin being a “child of his old age” shows that something new has come into existence. The new thing is that a person can now be led by good. In this way, he or she sees new truths in addition to what is already known (See Secrets of Heaven 5804). Man’s natural self, however, is not yet aware of the deeper, celestial good (represented by Joseph), corresponding to Judah saying Benjamin’s brother is dead.
Benjamin is “the only one left of his mother’s children.” “Mother” corresponds to “church” and that word can mean a lot of things. Here it has a very personal meaning. It is the place deep within us where the Lord flows in and is known. Without the truth that connects us to these deep things, we cannot know God. We can see here why Benjamin is so special. Inner good (Israel) cannot fail to love the kind of truth (Benjamin) that connects this innermost or deepest part (Joseph) of us with our natural selves (the brothers).
When Judah says to Joseph’s steward “Then you said” in verse 21, he is reminding the steward of the previous time when they came to buy grain and Joseph insisted that they “Bring him [Benjamin] down to me.” Here, the inner truths represented by Benjamin need to be in the presence of the inmost or deepest for a union to take place between good and truth. “That I may set my eyes on him” means that there will be a flowing in from Joseph to Benjamin, or from the innermost to the inner, and then to the outermost, represented by the brothers. An example of this might be that a person may know he or she needs to do good to others but may or may not do anything; “Benjamin” will see it as a truth which needs to be followed; and “Joseph” will flow in with a feeling of love and motivate a person to do live in charity.
The boy not being able to leave his father the shows that when a person is being made spiritual, or regenerated, the new truth represented by Benjamin (verse 20) cannot be separated from the inner spiritual good (Israel). At this point the person renews their life through truth joined now to good (See Secrets of Heaven 5812). Good and truth love each other and want to be together. If not, then the situation is similar to that of verse 22, “if he should leave his father, his father would die.” The inner spiritual good meant by “Israel” is not to be confused with the innermost or celestial good or love meant by Joseph.
Without this new truth that connects with good there can be no love, for love is “a spiritual joining together” (Arcana Coelestia 5816). This spiritual joining together occurs from Divine love towards the human race. If there is no connection from the Divine through the deepest parts of us to the outermost or natural, the human race is in shambles. An affection (Jacob) for this new truth (Benjamin) directs us to think of innermost realities (Joseph) where the Lord’s good is “and away from matters of a worldly and bodily nature that envelop [us] in darkness” (Arcana Coelestia 5816). The need for this joining to take place shows why, in the inner meaning of this story, Joseph demanded that Benjamin be brought to him.
Going up in verse 24 means a raising up and a movement from the outermost (Jacob’s sons) towards innermost (Joseph). Human beings are very complex, and it takes some doing to grasp the various levels within us. In addition to the natural, spiritual, and heavenly (or celestial) levels, each level has an internal and external to it. It is the internal part of our natural level that can be aware of the spiritual goods represented by Israel, while the external part of our natural level knows the truths (Arcana Coelestia 5817).
“Our father said” shows here the kind of good meant by Jacob, or Israel, is aware of the need for action. “Buying” alludes to living according to a truth and making it one’s own. Connecting with our inner nature requires a person to live according to the truths they know. If a person won’t actually live by truths they know, then they don’t will it or take any delight in doing such action. In the next life, what a person doesn’t will fades away and disappears (Arcana Coelestia 5820).
As said before, Benjamin represents an intermediary, and when spoken of with his father, he represents new truth. When with Joseph as in verse 26, the new truth connecting with innermost good. We see in the works of Swedenborg that, “A person has an internal and an external that are distinct from one another” and they need to be connected. “This is an arcanum [secret] for which no clearer explanation is possible, nor can it be understood except by those who are aware” (Arcana Coelestia 5822). The awareness occurs as we become open to spiritual things, for then heavenly light flows into our minds, and this light allows us to see the connection that Benjamin represents.
The words “my wife” in verse 27 mean having an affection for truth. This is because the person now intends to live according to the truth he or she knows. The will or intention is the most important thing, and intending good allows heaven to be present with the person. It doesn’t serve any purpose to just know the Ten Commandments and not actually live according to them. In this scenario, the truths of the decalogue do not reach our spiritual side (Arcana Coelestia 5826).
The departure of Joseph from his father referenced in verse 28 was evident since Joseph was still alive. In our minds, truth is plainly visible because it exists in the light of the world, but the innermost good represented by Joseph exists only in the light of heaven, inconceivable merely through our senses. This deepest good, though, is constantly present within us, bringing truths to life. The more spiritual we become, the more good reveals itself to us.
As soon as love from the Lord flows into our natural or sensual self it encounters evils and false thinking which – acting like wild animals – tear the good apart and annihilate it. As a result, the deepest part of our mind is closed off and not seen, in a way similar to Joseph not being seen by his father, even though he was alive.
The brothers taking “this one also from me, and calamity befalls him,” shows the fear the inner good (Israel) has that the new truths represented by Benjamin could possibly perish. Good must have its own truth and truth its own good. If they are separated and the new truth is torn to pieces by evil and falsities of thought, good and truth die. Again, we see why Israel loves Benjamin so much and would die without him.
The lives of the father (spiritual good) and the lad (new truths) in verse 30 being bound together has significance. People can see in their understanding that all the Ten Commandments are truths, yet still do not intend to live according to them. This is because the two main parts of our minds (understanding and will) are set apart from one another. The consequence of this is that when the person enters the next life, the truth in the understanding will draw him or her up towards heaven while the evil intentions in their will draw them downward toward hell “leaving them suspended between the two” (Arcana Coelestia 5835). These two mental capacities are joined to the Lord through regeneration, or the Lord opening our minds to spiritual things. The spiritual or inner good symbolized as Israel, or Jacob, will die if not joined with the new truths that make regeneration possible.
Judah becoming a servant to Joseph corresponds to a willingness to live the kind of life necessary to ensure an actual joining together of good and truth can take place. Once this happens, then there can be an outflow of deepest goods and truths into the natural. When this outflow occurs, we become consciously aware of the Lord’s presence. To “bear the blame before my father forever” in verse 32 shows the grave consequence of Benjamin not being returned.
Verse 33 shows willing submission on Judah’s part, and this corresponds to an eagerness from the good in our natural selves to live according to whatever way is needed for the interior joining of good and truth to take place. When charitable thinking and doing spring from the will, it springs from the affections. This constitutes the deepest, innermost parts of us. If not, it stays in our outer self only and has no depth or real quality to it. It can be easily ignored or brushed aside like new plants on parched land that wither and die.
Judah perceiving that his father would die in verse 34 aggrieves him so much so that he is willing to become a slave to Joseph. The kind of subservience a slave must give corresponds to the kind of continual subservience and obedience our natural self must give to our innermost spirit. Otherwise, any opportunity for good and truth to be part of our lives is lost. The “evil that would come upon my father” signifies how we are then left with a dry and parched life. It represents a life lived mainly to satisfy worldly loves and pleasures with no real inner spirit guiding and leading us to love others.
