A "house" is essentially a container -- for a person, a family, several families or even a large group with shared interests (think of the term "houses of worship.") In the Bible, a "house" is also a container, but for spiritual things rather than natural things. In various uses a "house" can represent part of the mind, the whole mind, a whole person or even a church. The other nuance to the word "house" is that it is generally used in regards to our affections and desires rather than our thoughts and principles. This makes sense; we tend to engage our thoughts and rationality when we are out in the world doing our work, but when we are inside our houses we are driven most by love for our families and the desire to be good to those we love. So "house" tends to represent the things we want and care about -- which are ultimately the things that define us.

5073. THE INTERNAL SENSE

Verses 1-4 And so it was after these words, ¹ that they sinned - the cupbearer of the king of Egypt, and the baker - against their lord the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was incensed with his two courtier-ministers, with the chief of the cupbearers and with the chief of the bakers. And he put them into the custody of the house of the chief of the attendants, at the prison-house, the place where Joseph was bound. And the chief of the attendants set Joseph over them and he ministered to them; and they were in custody for days. ²

'And so it was' means a new state and the things that followed. 'After these words' means after the things prior to this. 'That they sinned' means that order had become turned around. 'The cupbearer of the king of Egypt' means among the things of the body which are subject to the understanding part of the mind. 'And the baker' means among the things in the body which are subject to the will part. 'Against their lord the king of Egypt' means that these were contrary to the new state in the natural man. 'And Pharaoh was incensed' means that the new natural man turned away. 'With his two courtier-ministers' means from both kinds of sensory powers in the body. 'With the chief of the cupbearers and with the chief of the bakers' means in general from the sensory powers subordinate to the understanding part and to the will part. 'And he put them into the custody' means a casting aside. 'Of the house of the chief of the attendants' means the things that are first and foremost in explanations. 'At the prison-house' means among falsities. 'The place where Joseph was bound' means the state of the celestial of the natural now in relation to these things. 'And the chief of the attendants set Joseph over them' means that under the influence of the things first and foremost in explanations the celestial of the natural taught those bodily senses. 'And he ministered to them' means that it instructed them. 'And they were in custody for days' means that they lay in a state when they were cast aside for a long time.

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