4967. An Egyptian man. That this signifies natural truth, is evident from the signification of a “man,” as being truth (see n. 3134); and from the signification of “Egypt,” as being memory-knowledge in general, treated of just above (n. 4964, 4966); and because “Egypt” is memory-knowledge, it is also the natural; for all the memory-knowledge in man is natural, because it is in his natural man, even the memory-knowledge concerning spiritual and celestial things. The reason of this is that man sees these knowledges in the natural, and from it; and those which he does not see from the natural, he does not apprehend. But the regenerate man, who is called spiritual, and the unregenerate man, who is merely natural, see these knowledges in different ways; with the former the knowledges are enlightened by the light of heaven, but with the latter not so, but by the light which flows in through spirits who are in falsity and evil; which light is indeed from the light of heaven, but becomes in them opaque, like the light of evening or of night; for such spirits, and hence such men, see as owls-clearly at night, and obscurely in the daytime, that is, they see falsities clearly and truths obscurely; and hence see clearly the things of the world, and obscurely, if at all, the things of heaven. From these considerations it is evident that genuine memory-knowledge is natural truth; for all genuine memory-knowledge, such as is signified by “Egypt” in a good sense, is natural truth.

3019. Abraham said unto his servant, the elder of his house. That this signifies the arrangement in order and influx of the Lord in His natural, which is the “servant the elder of the house,” is evident from the signification here of “saying” as being to command, because it is said to a servant; and as the subject here treated of is the disposition by the Divine of the things that are in the natural man; “to say” denotes to arrange in order and to flow in; for all that is done in the natural or external man is arranged in order by the rational or internal man, and is effected by influx. That the “servant the elder of the house” is the natural, or the natural man, is evident from the signification of “servant,” as being that which is lower and which serves what is higher; or what is the same, that which is outer and serves what is inner (see n. 2541, 2567). All things that are of the natural man, such as memory-knowledges of whatever kind, are nothing but things of service; for they serve the rational by enabling it to think equitably and will justly. That the “elder of the house” is the natural man, may be seen from what follows.