6143. 'And the Egyptians sold, each one his field' means a renunciation and surrender of everything of service to the Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'selling' as alienating so that it no longer belongs to that person, dealt with in 4098, 4751, 4758, 5886, thus renouncing and surrendering; and from the meaning of 'field' as doctrine taught by the Church, and in a general sense the Church itself, dealt with in 368, 2971, 3310, 3766. From this it is evident that 'the Egyptians sold, each one his field' means a renunciation and surrender of everything of service to the Church.

4758. 'And sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites' means the acceptance of it by those in whom simple good is present and the alienation of it from those adhering to faith separated from charity. This is clear from the meaning of 'selling' as alienation in the case of the adherents to faith separated from charity, who are meant here by 'Joseph's brothers', it being these who sold him, and as acceptance in the case of those in whom simple good was present, who are meant here by 'the Ishmaelites', it being these who bought him. It has been shown above in 3263, 4747, that by 'the Ishmaelites' are meant those in whom simple good is present. For these matters, see what has been mentioned already in 4756.