5110. And the prince of the butlers told his dream to Joseph. That this signifies that the celestial of the spiritual perceived the event concerning the things of the sensuous subject to the intellectual part and which had hitherto been rejected, is evident from the representation of Joseph, as being the celestial of the spiritual (n. 4286, 4585, 4592, 4594, 4963); and from the signification of a “dream,” as being foresight and hence the event (of which above, n. 5091, 5092, 5104), thus the event that was foreseen or perceived; and from the signification of the “prince of the butlers,” as being the sensuous subject to the intellectual part in general (n. 5077, 5082). That it was rejected is meant by his being in custody (n. 5083, 5101). From these things it is plain that such is the internal sense of these words. Moreover that Joseph, by whom is represented the celestial of the spiritual, perceived the event, is evident from the verses that follow.

[2] It is said, “the celestial of the spiritual,” and thereby is meant the Lord; the same may also be said abstractedly of Him, because He is the celestial itself and the spiritual itself, that is, good itself and truth itself. As regards man, these cannot indeed be conceived of abstractedly from person, because what is natural is adjoined to everything of his thought; nevertheless, when we consider that everything in the Lord is Divine, and that the Divine is above all thought, and altogether incomprehensible even to the angels, consequently if we then abstract that which is comprehensible, there remains being and coming-forth itself, which is the celestial itself and the spiritual itself, that is, good itself and truth itself.

[3] Nevertheless, as man is such that he can have no idea of thought whatever about abstract things unless he adjoins something natural which has entered from the world through the senses (for without some such natural thing his thought perishes as in an abyss and is dissipated), therefore lest what is Divine should perish in man when he is wholly immersed in bodily and earthly things, and with whomsoever it remained it should be defiled by an unclean idea, and together with what is Divine everything celestial and spiritual thence derived should also perish, it pleased Jehovah to present Himself such as He actually is, and such as He appears in heaven, namely, as a Divine Man. For everything of heaven conspires to the human form, as may be seen from what has been shown at the end of the chapters concerning the correspondence of all things of man with the Grand Man, which is heaven. This Divine, or this of Jehovah in heaven, is the Lord from eternity. The same the Lord took also upon Him when He glorified or made Divine the human in Himself, as is very evident from the form in which He appeared before Peter, James, and John, when He was transfigured (Matthew 17:1-2); and also in which He at times appeared to the prophets. It is from this that everyone is able to think of the Divine Itself as of a Man, and at the same time of the Lord, in whom is all the Divine, and a perfect Trinity, for in the Lord the Divine Itself is the Father, this Divine in heaven is the Son, and the Divine thence proceeding is the Holy Spirit. That these are a one, as He Himself teaches, is hence manifest.

4584. Verses 16-20. And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was still a tract of land to come to Ephrath; and Rachel brought forth, and suffered hard things in her bringing forth. And it came to pass in her suffering hard things in her bringing forth that the midwife said unto her, Fear not, for this also is to thee a son. And it came to pass as her soul was going forth, that she was about to die; and she called his name Benoni; and his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, this is Bethlehem. And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave; this is the pillar of Rachel’s grave even to this day. “And they journeyed from Bethel, and there was still a tract of land to come to Ephrath,” signifies that now was the spiritual of the celestial (“Joseph” is the celestial of the spiritual); “and Rachel brought forth, and suffered hard things in her bringing forth,” signifies the temptations of interior truth; “and it came to pass in her suffering hard things in her bringing forth,” signifies after temptations; “that the midwife said unto her, Fear not,” signifies perception from the natural; “for this also is to thee a son,” signifies spiritual truth; “and it came to pass as her soul was in departing that she was about to die,” signifies a state of temptations; “and she called his name Benoni,” signifies the quality of this state; “and his father called him Benjamin,” signifies the quality of the spiritual of the celestial; “and Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath,” signifies the end of the former affection of interior truth; “this is Bethlehem,” signifies in place thereof the resurrection of a new spiritual of the celestial; “and Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave,” signifies the holy of the spiritual truth that would rise again there; “this is the pillar of Rachel’s grave even to this day,” signifies the state of the holy forever.