6287. 'And Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim's head' means a discernment that he considered truth to occupy the first place. This is clear from the meaning of 'seeing' as understanding and discerning, dealt with in 2150, 2807, 3764, 4567, 4723, 5400; from the representation of 'Joseph' as the internal celestial, dealt with in 5869, 5877, 6224; from the representation of Israel, to whom 'father' refers here, as spiritual good from the natural; from the meaning of 'placing the right hand on the head' as considering to occupy the first place, dealt with above in 6269; and from the representation of 'Ephraim' as truth present in the understanding part within the natural, dealt with above in 6234, 6238, 6267. From all this it is evident that 'Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim's head' means a discernment by the internal celestial that spiritual good from the natural considered truth to occupy the first place. See what has been stated and shown above on these matters in 6256, 6269, 6272, 6273.

4243. 'With Laban I have sojourned, and have stayed until now' means that it had taken to itself the good meant by 'Laban'. This is clear from the representation of 'Laban' as intermediate good, that is, good which is not genuine good but nevertheless serves to introduce genuine truths and goods, dealt with in 3974, 3982, 3986 (end), 4063; from the meaning of 'sojourning' as receiving instruction, dealt with in 1463, 2025; and from the meaning of 'staying' or 'staying wish' as that which has reference to the life of truth when accompanied by good, dealt with in 3613, at this point as taking to oneself. From this it is evident that the words 'With Laban I have sojourned, and have stayed until now' mean that it had taken to itself the good meant by 'Laban'.

[2] The implications of all this are as follows: Truth cannot be implanted in good unless means exist to effect this. Those means were the subject in previous chapters, where Jacob's sojourning and staying with Laban, and the flock he acquired there, are referred to. The present chapter deals with the process by which truth and good are joined together, and so with an inversion of state, when order is turned around so that truth is made subordinate to good. Truth seemingly occupies the first position during the time a person is learning truth from an affection for it, though he is not as yet living in accordance with it to any real extent. But good occupies the first position when he does live in accordance with the truth he has learned from an affection for it, for in that case truth becomes good since that person now believes that good consists in acting in accordance with truth. People who are regenerate are governed by this good, as also are those who possess conscience, that is, who no longer reason whether it is the truth but do it because it is the truth, and so who have taken it to themselves in faith and in life.