7031. 'And you are to do them before Pharaoh' means against molesting falsities. This is clear from the representation of 'Pharaoh' as falsity molesting the truths of the Church, dealt with in 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692. The reason why 'you are to do them before Pharaoh' means against those falsities is that this command follows in sequence the words that come before it. For these words - 'see all the portents which I have put in your hand' - mean the means used by power from the spiritual, that is, used against molesting falsities. In the internal sense the matters to which the words of the sense of the letter are applied follow one another in sequence.

6651. 'And a new king arose over Egypt' means separated factual knowledge, which is opposed to the Church's truths. This is clear from the representation of Pharaoh, to whom 'king' refers here, as factual knowledge in general, dealt with in 6015. The word 'king' is used because in the genuine sense 'king' means truth, 1672, 2015, 2069, 3670, 4581, 4966, 5044, 6148, and in the contrary sense falsity; and since 'king' refers here to Pharaoh, false factual knowledge is meant, that is, factual knowledge that is opposed to the Church's truths. This also explains why the expression 'new king' is used, for the one who lived in Joseph's time represented factual knowledge that accorded with the Church's truths. For the meaning of 'Egypt' as factual knowledge, here that knowledge in particular, see above in 6638.