10292. Stacte. That this signifies the affection of sensuous truth, is evident from the signification of “stacte,” as being sensuous truth; that it denotes the affection of this truth, is from its fragrance, for “odor” signifies perceptivity; a fragrant odor, the perceptivity of what is grateful; and an offensive odor, the perceptivity of what is ungrateful; and all gratefulness and ungratefulness of perception are from the affection which is of love, and according to it (see n. 925, 1514, 1517-1519, 3577, 4624-4634, 4748, 5621, 10054). In general be it known that all things in the vegetable kingdom, whatever they may be, whether the produce of the forest, or that of gardens, fields, and plains, such as trees, crops, flowers, grasses, and vegetables, both in general and in particular, signify spiritual and celestial things, for the reason that universal nature is a theater representative of the Lord’s kingdom (see at the places cited in n. 9280).

[2] That “stacte” denotes the affection of sensuous truth is because it is mentioned first; for there are four spices of which the incense was prepared, as there were also four of which the oil of anointing was prepared; and that which is mentioned in the first place is the most external, as is also that which is mentioned in the first place for the preparation of the oil of anointing, which was best myrrh (that this denotes the perception of sensuous truth, see n. 10252).

[3] That four spices were taken for the preparation of both the oil and the incense, was for the reason that they signified truths in their order from external to inmost; and they are in the same succession with man; for man has an external which is called the external man, and an internal which is called the internal man, in each of which there is an exterior and an interior; the most external is called the sensuous, and this is therefore signified by “stacte” (what the sensuous is, and its quality, see n. 9996, 10236).

[4] That “stacte” denotes the affection of sensuous truth, cannot be confirmed from other passages in the Word, because it is nowhere else mentioned; but stacte of another kind, expressed in the original tongue by another word, is mentioned among those spices which were brought down into Egypt (Genesis 37:25; 43:11), and which involve such things as are in the external or natural man, because by “Egypt” is signified the memory-knowledge that is of the natural man (see at the places cited in n. 9391).

5079. Against their lord the king of Egypt. That this signifies that they—namely, the external sensuous things, or those of the body, signified by “the butler and the baker”—were contrary to the new state of the natural man, is evident from the signification of the “king of Egypt” as being memory-knowledge in general (see n. 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 4749, 4964, 4966). For the same is signified by the “king of Egypt” as by “Egypt,” the king being the head of the nation; and it is the same in other passages also where mention is made of the “king” of any nation (n. 4789). As memory-knowledge in general is signified by the “king of Egypt,” the natural man is also signified thereby, because all memory-knowledge is the truth of the natural man (4967): the good itself of the natural man is signified by “lord” (n. 4973).

That a new state of the natural man is here signified, is because in the preceding chapter there was described the making new of the interiors of the natural, and in the supreme sense, which relates to the Lord, that they were glorified; but the subject here treated of is the exteriors of the natural, which were to be reduced to harmony or correspondence with the interiors. Those interiors of the natural which were new, or what is the same thing, the new state of the natural man, is what is signified by “their lord the king of Egypt;” and the exteriors which were not reduced into order, and hence were contrary to order, are what are signified by “the butler and the baker.”

[2] There are interiors and there are exteriors of the natural, the interiors of the natural being memory-knowledges and the affections of them, while its exteriors are the sensuous things of both kinds, spoken of above (n. 5077). When a man dies he leaves behind him these exteriors of the natural, but carries with him into the other life the interiors of the natural, where they serve as a plane for things spiritual and celestial. For when a man dies he loses nothing except his bones and flesh; he has with him the memory of all that he had done, spoken, or thought, and he has with him all his natural affections and desires, thus all the interiors of the natural. Of its exteriors he has no need; for he does not see, nor hear, nor smell, nor taste, nor touch, what is in this world, but only such things as are in the other life, which indeed look for the most part like those which are in this world; but still are not like them, for they have in them what is living, which those things which properly belong to the natural world have not. For all and each of the things in the other life come forth and subsist from the sun there, which is the Lord, whence they have in them what is living; whereas all and each of the things in the natural world come forth and subsist from its sun, which is elementary fire, and hence have not in them what is living. What appears living in them is from no other source than the spiritual world, that is, through the spiritual world from the Lord.