'Being sent' means coming forth, (or going forth), in the internal sense, as in John 17:8. In similar manner, it is said of the holy of the spirit, that it was 'sent,' that is, it goes forth from the divine of the Lord, as in John 15:26, 16:5, 7.

So, too, the prophets were called 'the sent,' because the words which they spoke went forth from the holy of the spirit of the Lord.

'To be sent,' as in Genesis 37:13, signifies teaching.

(Verweise: Arcana Coelestia 2397; John 15:7)

5279. 'And the famine will consume the land' means even to the point of despair. This is clear from the meaning of 'famine' as an absence of religious knowledge or cognitions and a consequent deprivation of truth, dealt with above in 5277, 5278; and from the meaning of 'the land', in this case the land of Egypt, as the natural mind, also dealt with above, in 5276, 5278. The reason even to the point of despair is meant is that the words 'the famine will consume the land' are used. Since 'the land' means the natural mind, and 'famine' the deprivation of truth, nothing else than despair is meant, for at that time, in a spiritual manner, a consuming takes place. The description here is of a state of desolation owing to a deprivation of truth, the final stage of that state being despair. The reason despair is the final stage of that state is that despair is the means by which the delight that belongs to self-love and love of the world is removed, and the delight connected with the love of what is good and true is instilled in place of it. The despair experienced by those who are to be regenerated has to do with the attainment of spiritual life and with being deprived of truth and good. For when such people are deprived of truth and good they are in despair about the attainment of spiritual life; consequently they have feelings of delight and bliss when they come out of their despair.