4704. Verses 12-17 And his brothers went to pasture the flock of their father, in Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, Are not your brothers pasturing [the flock] in Shechem? Go, and I will send you to them. And he said to him, Behold, here I am. And he said to him, Go now, see the peace of your brothers and the peace of the flock, ¹ and bring back word to me. And he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron and he came to Shechem. And a man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, saying, What are you looking for? And he said, I am looking for my brothers; tell me now, where they are pasturing [the flock]. And the man said, They have travelled on from here, for I heard them saying, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan.

'His brothers went to pasture the flock' means those teaching from faith. 'Of their father' means of the Ancient Church and of the Primitive [Christian] Church. 'In Shechem' means the broad outlines. 'And Israel said to Joseph' means perception from the Divine Spiritual. 'Are not your brothers pasturing [the flock] in Shechem?' means that they are teaching. 'Go, and I will send you to them' means that it would teach Divine spiritual forms of good. 'And he said, Behold, here I am' means assent. 'And he said to him, Go now, see the peace of your brothers' means every coming of the Lord, and a perception of what the situation was with those who taught. 'And the peace of the flock' means what the situation was with those who learned, that is, with the Church. 'And bring back word to me' means knowledge. 'And he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron' means going forth from the Divine Natural and Sensory degrees. 'And he came to Shechem' means knowledge of the general aspects of doctrine. 'And a man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field' means that they had fallen away from general truth known to the Church. 'And the man asked him, saying, What are you looking for?' means foresight. 'And he said, I am looking for my brothers; tell me now, where they are pasturing [the flock]' means knowledge of what the situation was and what their state was. 'And the man said, They have travelled on from here, for I heard them saying, Let us go to Dothan' means that they moved on from the general aspects to the specific details of doctrine. 'And Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan' means that they were steeped in the specific details belonging to false assumptions.

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