236. (Verse 17) Because thou sayest I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing. That this signifies their faith, that they believe themselves to be in truths more than others, is evident from the signification of thou sayest, as involving what is believed by them; and because those are here treated of who are in faith alone, therefore thou sayest signifies their faith. Moreover, to say, in the spiritual sense, signifies to think, because what is said goes out from the thought; and thought is spiritual, because it belongs to man's spirit, and saying and discourse therefrom are natural, because they belong to the body. It is from this that to say, in the Word, has significations varying according to the subject treated of. And from the signification of I am rich, as being to possess the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good, and thence to be intelligent and wise, which will be seen in what follows. Also from the signification of and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing, as being to know all things, so that nothing is wanting.

[2] That those who hold the doctrine of faith alone and justification thereby thus believe, or are of such a character, is not known to those who are not in that faith, although amongst them there are such; nevertheless it has been granted me to know by much experience that they are of such a character.

I have conversed with many who, in the world, believed themselves to be more intelligent and wise than others, from the fact of their knowing so many things concerning faith alone and justification thereby, and indeed such things as the simple were not acquainted with, which they also called interior things, and mysteries of doctrine; and they believed they knew and understood all things, so that they lacked nothing. Amongst these were many who had written concerning faith alone, and justification by that faith; but it was shown them that they knew nothing of truth, and that those who lived the life of faith, which is charity, and did not understand justification by faith alone were far more intelligent and wise than they. It was also shown them that the things which they knew were not truths but falsities, and that to know and think these is not to be intelligent and wise, because intelligence is concerned with truth, and wisdom with the life therefrom. The reason of this was also made known to them, namely, that they were in no spiritual affection of truth, but only in the natural affection of knowing those things which are taught by the learned, or their rulers, some for the sake of employment, others for the reputation for erudition; also that those who are in the latter and not in the former affection, believe that when they know those things they know everything, and especially those who have confirmed themselves in them by the sense of the letter of the Word, and have laboured by fallacies of reasoning to connect them with other falsities.

[3] I will state something here also from experience concerning these persons. Some spirits, who, when they lived as men in the world, were then believed by others to be learned men, were examined to see whether they knew what spiritual faith is. They said that they did know; therefore when communication with those who held that faith had been granted, they perceived that they had not faith, and did not know what faith is. Upon this it was asked them what they now believed concerning faith alone, on which the whole doctrine of their church is founded; but they were ashamed and struck dumb. There were also many from amongst the learned of the church, who were asked whether they knew what regeneration is. They answered that they knew it to be baptism, because the Lord declares that unless a man be born by water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God; but when it was shown them that baptism is not regeneration, but that by water and the Spirit are meant truths and a life according to them, and that no one can enter into heaven unless he is thereby regenerated, they retired, confessing their ignorance. Moreover, when asked about angels, heaven and hell, the life of man after death, and many other things, they were found to be quite ignorant respecting them, such things being all like thick darkness in their minds: they then confessed that they had, indeed, believed that they knew everything, but now they were convinced that they knew scarcely anything.

By knowing something, in the spiritual world, is meant to know something of truth; but to know falsities is to know nothing, because in such knowledge there is neither intelligence nor wisdom. It was afterwards told them that this state is meant by the words of the Lord,

"Thou sayest, I am rich, and become wealthy; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."

[4] The reason why the rich in the Word signify those who are in truths is, that spiritual riches mean nothing else; hence also in the Word, by riches are signified the knowledges of truth and good, and by the rich, those who are intelligent by their means. This is evident from the following passages. In Ezekiel:

"In thy wisdom and in thine intelligence thou hast made to thyself riches, gold and silver in thy treasures; by the multitude of thy wisdom thou hast multiplied to thyself riches" (28:4, 5).

These things are said to the prince of Tyre, by whom, in the spiritual sense, are meant those who are in the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth; by riches are meant those knowledges in general. By gold in thy treasures are meant the knowledges of good and truth. That knowledges are signified by these expressions is quite clear; for it is said, "In thy wisdom and in thine intelligence thou hast made to thyself riches; and by the multitude of thy wisdom thou hast multiplied to thyself riches."

(The reason why by the prince of Tyre are meant those who are in the knowledges of truth is, that prince signifies primary truths (see Arcana Coelestia 1482, 2089, 5044), and Tyre the knowledges of truth, n. 1201: that by treasures are signified possessions of knowledges, may be seen n. 1694, 4508, 10227; and that by gold is signified good, and by silver truth, n. 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658.)

[5] In Zechariah:

"Tyre collecteth silver as dust, and gold as the mire of the streets; behold the Lord shall impoverish her, and shall shake her wealth into the sea" (9:3, 4).

Here also by Tyre are signified those who procure to themselves knowledges, which are denoted by silver, gold and wealth.

In David:

The daughter of Tyre shall bring to thee a gift," the king's daughter; "the rich of the people shall flatter thy faces" (Psalms 45:12).

The church is here described as to the affection of truth, which is meant by the daughter of Tyre; for daughter denotes the church as to affection (see Arcana Coelestia 3262, 3963, 6729, 9059); and king denotes truth (n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3670, 4575, 4581, 4966, 6148). On this account it is said that the daughter of Tyre shall bring to thee a gift, and that the rich of the people shall flatter thy faces; the rich of the people are those who abound in truths.

[6] In Hosea:

"Ephraim hath said, Truly I am rich; I have found me wealth; all my labours shall not find me iniquity which is sin; but yet I will speak to the prophets, and I will multiply visions" (12:8, 10).

By becoming rich and finding wealth is not meant being enriched in worldly, but in heavenly, riches and wealth, which are the knowledges of truth and good; for by Ephraim is meant the Intellectual of those who belong to the church, which is enlightened when the Word is read (see Arcana Coelestia 5354, 6222, 6238, 6267). Hence it is said, "I will speak to the prophets, I will multiply visions." By prophets are signified truths of doctrine, and also by visions.

[7] In Jeremiah:

"I, Jehovah, giving to every man according to his ways, according to the fruits of his doings. As the partridge gathereth but bringeth not forth, he maketh riches but not with judgment; in the midst of his days he shall forsake them, in the end he shall become a fool" (17:10, 11).

The subject here treated of is those who acquire knowledges (cognitiones) merely as knowledge, when yet the life is that to which they should be subservient. This is what is meant by gathering as a partridge and not bringing forth, by making riches but not with judgment, and by becoming a fool in the end. And because the knowledges of truth and good are intended to be subservient to the life, for this is perfected by them, therefore it is said that Jehovah gives to every man according to his ways, and according to the fruits of his doings.

[8] In Luke:

"Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all his possessions, he cannot be my disciple" (14:33).

He who does not understand that in the Word possessions denote knowledges from the Word, which are spiritual riches and wealth, may suppose that he ought to deprive himself of all wealth in order to be saved, although no such thing is meant by those words. By possessions are meant everything belonging to man's own intelligence, for no one can be wise from himself, but from the Lord alone; hence to forsake all his possessions, is to attribute nothing of wisdom and intelligence to himself; and he who does not do this, cannot be instructed by the Lord, that is, be His disciple.

[9] Those who do not know that by the rich are meant those who possess the knowledges of truth and good, thus who have the Word, and that by the poor are meant those who do not possess knowledges, yet desire them, cannot but suppose that by the rich man who was clothed in crimson and fine linen, and by the poor man who was laid at his gate (Luke 16) are meant the rich and the poor in the common sense of those words, when notwithstanding by the rich man is there meant the Jewish nation, which had the Word, in which all the knowledges of truth and good are contained; by the crimson with which he was clothed, is meant genuine good (see Arcana Coelestia 9467), and by fine linen genuine truth (see Arcana Coelestia 5319, 9469, 9596, 9744), and by the poor man who was laid at his gate are meant the nations which were outside the church, and had not the Word, and yet desired the truths and goods of heaven and the church. Hence also it is clear, that by the rich are meant those who have the Word, consequently who possess the knowledges of truth and good; for these are contained in the Word.

[10] As also in the prophecy of Elizabeth in Luke:

God "hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away" (1:53).

The hungry are those who desire knowledges; such were the Gentiles who received the Lord and doctrine from Him; but the rich are those who have knowledges, because they have the Word; such were the Jews, but still they were not willing to know truths therefrom, therefore they did not receive the Lord and doctrine from Him. The latter are the rich who were sent empty away; the former are the hungry who were filled with good things.

4211. 'And called his brothers to eat bread' means [an invitation] to make the good from the Lord's Divine Natural their own. This is clear from the meaning of 'brothers' as those who were now to be joined together by the covenant, that is, by friendship, and in the internal sense as those who are governed by good and truth (for such people are called 'brothers', see 367, 2360, 3303, 3459, 3803, 3815, 4121, 4191); from the meaning of 'eating' as making one's own, dealt with in 3168, 3513 (end), 3832 (for meals taken together and feasts among the ancients meant making things their own and being joined together by means of love and charity, 3596); and from the meaning of 'bread' as good that stems from love, dealt with in 276, 680, 1798, 3478, 3735, and in the highest sense means the Lord, 2165, 2177, 3478, 3813. Since 'bread' in the highest sense means the Lord it therefore means everything holy which comes from Him, that is, it means everything good and true. And since no other good exists which is good except the good of love and charity, 'bread' therefore means love and charity. Sacrifices in former times had no other meaning, and for that reason were referred to by the single word 'bread', see 2165. And some of the flesh of the sacrifices was eaten so that the heavenly feast - that is, a joining together through good flowing from love and charity - might be represented. The same is meant today by the Holy Supper, for this has replaced sacrifices and feasts of consecrated things. The Holy Supper is in the Church an external practice that has an internal reality within it, and by means of this reality it joins one who is governed by love and charity to heaven, and by means of heaven to the Lord. For in the Holy Supper too 'eating' means making one's own - 'the bread' being celestial love and 'the wine' spiritual love - so much so that while it is being eaten by one in a state of holiness nothing else is perceived in heaven.

[2] The reason why the phrase 'making the good from the Lord's Divine Natural their own' is used is that the subject is the good that exists with the gentiles, for it is this good that 'Laban' represents now, 4189. When man is joined to the Lord he is not joined to His Supreme Divine itself but to His Divine Human, for man cannot have any idea at all of the Lord's Supreme Divine, because this lies so far beyond anything he can conceive of that it fades from view altogether and ceases to mean anything to him. But he is able to have an idea of His Divine Human. For everyone is joined through thought and affection to one of whom he can have some idea but not to one of whom he cannot have any idea. If, when a person thinks about the Lord's Human, holiness is present in his ideas he also thinks of the holiness which comes from the Lord and fills heaven, and at the same time he thinks of heaven, since heaven in its entirety corresponds to a complete human being, which correspondence has its origin in the Lord, 684, 1276, 2996, 2998, 3624-3649. This explains why it is not possible to be joined to the Lord's Supreme Divine, only to His Divine Human, and through that Divine Human to His Supreme Divine. Hence the statement in John 1:18 about nobody, except the only begotten Son, ever having seen God, also the statement about there being no way to the Father except through Him; as well as from the statement that He is the Mediator. The truth of all this can be plainly recognized from the fact that all within the Church who declare their belief in a Supreme Being and yet set the Lord at nought are people who have no belief in anything at all, not even in the existence of heaven or of hell, and who worship nature. And if such people are ready to learn from experience it will be clear to them that the wicked, even those who are extremely so, declare a like belief.

[3] But the way in which people think of the Lord's Human varies, one person's ideas being different from another's, and one person's more holy than another's. Those within the Church are able to think that His Human is Divine, and also that He is one with the Father, as He Himself says that the Father is in Him and He is in the Father. But those outside the Church are unable to do this, for one thing because they do not know anything about the Lord and for another because their idea of the Divine is gained solely from visible images and tangible idols. Nevertheless the Lord joins Himself to them by means of the good they do from the charity and obedience present within their crude notions of Him. And this is why mention is made here about them making the good from the Lord's Divine Natural their own. For when the Lord is joined to man the state of thought and consequent affection in him determines the exact nature of that conjunction. Those who have an entirely holy conception of the Lord and who at the same time have a true knowledge of and affections for what is good and true - as those within the Church are able to have - have been joined to the Lord as to His Divine Rational. Those however who do not have so holy a notion of Him and who do not have so interior a notion and affection, and yet the good of charity exists with them, have been joined to the Lord as regards His Divine Natural. And those whose holiness is cruder still are joined to the Lord as to His Divine Sensory Perception. This last type of joining is what is represented by 'the bronze serpent', in that those who looked at it recovered from serpent-bites, Numbers 21:9. This is the type of joining together which those among the gentiles have who worship idols and yet lead charitable lives in accordance with their own religion. From these considerations one may now see what is meant by making the good from the Lord's Divine Natural their own, meant by 'Jacob called his brothers to eat bread'.