6077. 'We have come to sojourn in the land' means a seeking to live in factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of 'sojourning' as receiving instruction, and also living, dealt with in 1467, 2025, so that 'coming to sojourn' means a seeking to live; and from the meaning of 'the land', in this case the land of Egypt, as the place where factual knowledge exists, and so as factual knowledge itself (it has been shown quite a number of times that 'Egypt' means factual knowledge). As to the idea that the life of truth exists within factual knowledge or that truths seek to live in factual knowledge, it should be recognized that all things in the spiritual world, and consequently all those in the natural world, seek something beyond themselves in which they can exist, acting as the cause within the effect, to the end that they may be producing something constantly. That something beyond them is so to speak the body, and what seeks to exist within it is so to speak the soul. This endeavour comes to an end only in the lowest aspects of the natural order in which inert substances occur. In the natural world this can be seen in specific examples; and it can also be seen in the spiritual world, in that there good seeks to live in truths, truths seek to live in factual knowledge, factual knowledge to live in sensory impressions, and sensory impressions in the world.

[2] As regards the specific matter of the presence of truths within factual knowledge, it should be recognized that interior truths can indeed be introduced into factual knowledge; but those truths do not have life until good exists within them. Good has life in it, but truths receive theirs from good; thus factual knowledge receives its life from good through truths. Good is in that case a kind of soul for truths, and through truths for factual knowledge, which is a kind of body. In short, charity towards the neighbour gives faith its life and soul, and through faith gives them to factual knowledge belonging to the natural mind.

[3] At the present day there are few who know that truths are distinct and separate from factual knowledge. The reason for this is that truths of faith which are rooted in charity exist with only few, and truths of faith that have no charity in them are no more than factual knowledge since they exist in the memory, no different from anything else there. But when truths of faith are rooted in charity, that is, have charity within them, they make themselves clearly distinct and separate from factual knowledge. Sometimes they lift themselves above it, in which case they look down on factual knowledge below them. This may be seen primarily from a person's state after death. In that state he can think and speak in a rational manner about the truths and goods of faith, and in a far more clear-sighted way than during his lifetime; yet he cannot draw out any factual knowledge from his memory. That knowledge exists with him as things that lie forgotten and removed from sight, even though he retains it all, see 2475-2477, 2479, 2480-2486. From this it may be seen that the truths of faith, which are essentially spiritual, are distinct and separate from factual knowledge, which is essentially natural, and that the truths of faith are lifted up from factual knowledge towards heaven by means of an affection for the good of charity.

4293. In the internal historical sense 'for as a prince you have contended with God and with men, and have prevailed' means on account of the stubborn perverseness which was a product of their false delusions and evil desires. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'God' and the meaning of 'men' as truths and goods, dealt with above in 4287, though here the selfsame words have the opposite meaning because in this internal historical sense they are expressions used in reference to the descendants of Jacob, with whom no truths or goods were present interiorly, as shown above, only falsities and evils. Falsities are false delusions because they are the product of such delusions, and evils are evil desires because they are the product of such desires.

[2] As regards that nation's insistence that they should play the representative part, that is, that they themselves should constitute the Church in preference to all nations throughout the whole world, see above in 4290. More than this it is the fact that they were allowed to do so on account of the stubborn perverseness which was a product of their false delusions and of their evil desires that is meant here. No one can know the nature of those delusions and desires unless he has some contact with them in the next life. To enable me to know, such contact has been granted to me, for I have talked on several occasions to those people there. They love themselves and worldly wealth more than anybody else does, and above all they fear loss of position as well as loss of gain more than anybody else does. Consequently today as in former times they despise everyone else in comparison with themselves; they are also utterly intent on the acquisition of wealth, and in addition are full of fear. Because that nation has been like this since ancient times they were better able than others to be kept in external holiness devoid of all internal holiness, and so in outward form to represent things that constituted the Church It was these false delusions and evil desires that produced such stubborn perverseness.

[3] This is also apparent from many things which are mentioned regarding them in the historical narratives of the Word. After being punished they were able to demonstrate an external humility such as no other nation could do, for they were able for whole days to lie prostrate on the ground and to roll themselves in the dust and not get up until the third day. They were also able for many days to beat their breasts, and to go around in sackcloth, in tattered garments, with ashes or dust sprinkled over their head. They were able to fast continuously for many days, and during that time to burst into bitter tears. But these were the expressions solely of bodily and earthly love, and a fear of losing their pre-eminence and worldly wealth. For there was not anything internal which moved them since they did not know at all, and did not even wish to know, what the internal was, such as the matter of a life after death, or that of eternal salvation.

[4] From this it may be seen that because their nature was such they had to be dispossessed of all internal holiness, for this holiness accords in no way at all with the kind of external holiness that has just been described; indeed the two are utterly contrary to each other. It may also be seen that they were better able than others to play the part of a representative of the Church, that is to say, to represent holy things in external form, devoid of all internal holiness; and that thus by means of that nation some kind of communication with the heavens was possible, see 4288.