7429. And the magicians said unto Pharaoh. That this signifies perception and communication with those who were in evils, is evident from the signification of “saying,” as being perception (see n. 1791, 1815, 1819, 1822, 1898, 1919, 2080, 2619, 2862, 3509, 5743), and also communication (n. 3060, 4131, 6228, 7291, 7381); from the signification of “magicians,” as being those who pervert Divine order and portray the like in the external form (of which just above, n. 7426); and from the representation of Pharaoh, as being those who are in falsities and infest (n. 6651, 6679, 6683, 7107, 7110, 7126, 7142, 7317), here those who are in evils, because they are now in a state of evil, after false reasonings have been taken away, as is plain from what goes before.

6651. And there arose a new king over Egypt. That this signifies separated memory-knowledges which are opposed to the truths of the church, is evident from the representation of Pharaoh, who is here the “king,” as being memory-knowledge in general (see n. 6015). He is called a “king,” because a “king” in the genuine sense signifies truth (n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3670, 4581, 4966, 5044, 6148), and in the opposite sense falsity; and when by the “king” is meant Pharaoh, false memory-knowledge is signified, that is, memory-knowledge which is opposed to the truths of the church. From this also a “new king” is mentioned, for he who was king in Joseph’s time represented memory-knowledge that was in agreement with the truths of the church. (That “Egypt” denotes memory-knowledge, here in particular, see above, n. 6638)