10566. 'And consider that this nation is Your people' means that they alone in the world are the ones with whom the Divine, the ruler over all things, resides. This is clear from the meaning of 'Jehovah's nation' as where the Divine Himself resides, and in the spiritual sense where the Lord's Church resides; for all taken together who acknowledge the Lord in faith and love are Jehovah's nation. But the children of Israel at that time had no thoughts of the Church, only of possessing the land of Canaan and of their pre-eminence over others. It was only because Moses had been told that the name of their God, which they had not known previously, was Jehovah, Exodus 3:13-14, and because they witnessed such great miracles performed by Him in Egypt, at the Sea Suph, and in the wilderness, that they acknowledged Jehovah as their God. But even so in their heart there was no belief in Him; for they believed that there were a number of gods. This may be clearly recognized from the golden calf which, while Moses delayed [to come down from the mountain], they venerated as their god, indeed as Jehovah ¹ , and from the gods which after this they so often turned away to, as is evident from the historical narratives of the Word. From this evidence it becomes clear that they worshipped Jehovah solely on account of His miracles and not because He alone was God; and anyone who worships God solely on account of His miracles worships merely God's name, not God Himself, and turns away from that name as often as he does not attain his desires.

The Israelite nation worshipped Jehovah, but only His name, see 3732(end), 4299, 6877.

At heart they were idolaters, 4208, 4281, 4820, 5998, 6877, 7401, 8301, 8882.

They were the worst nation, 4314, 4316, 4317, 4444, 4503, 4570, 4751, 4815, 4820, 4832, 5057, 7248, 8819, 9320; and in addition, 10396.

From all this it now becomes clear what 'that this nation is Your people' means, namely that they alone were the ones with whom Jehovah resided, and so that they would be made pre-eminent over all other nations. But although this is what those words mean in the proximate sense, nevertheless in the internal sense they mean that the Divine, consequently the Church, would reside with them.

Bilješke:

4751. 'What profit is there in our killing our brother and concealing his blood?' means that no advantage would be gained, nor any supremacy, if that truth was completely destroyed. This is clear from the meaning of 'what profit?' as no advantage gained, nor any supremacy, dealt with below; from the meaning of 'killing' as destroying, in this case Divine Truth, specifically the Truth regarding the Lord's Divine Human, which 'brother', that is, Joseph, is used to mean; and from the meaning of 'concealing blood' as removing holy truth completely out of sight, 'blood' meaning holy truth, see above in 4735. The implications of all this are made plain in what follows below.

[2] The reason why 'profit' here means not only advantage but also superiority - that is, why 'what profit?' means that no advantage would be gained, nor any superiority - is that what was said was motivated by the desire for gain and by avarice. For the desire for gain and avarice hold within themselves not only the wish to possess the whole world but also, for the sake of gain, to rob and even to kill no matter whom. Indeed one who is minded in this way would kill for little return if laws did not stand in the way to deter him. Furthermore, in the gold and silver he possesses such a person sees himself as one who is very powerful, however much to outward appearance he seems to be anything but powerful. From this it is evident that avarice includes not only love of the world but also self-love, indeed the foulest self-love. But with the disgustingly avaricious the sense of superiority or arrogance is not so obvious to outward appearance - for sometimes they have no interest in wealth for the sake of show, and do not have that kind of self-love which is usually tied up with the pursuit of pleasures. Indeed the disgustingly avaricious take little interest in their body, or in food and clothing for it. Theirs is a wholly earthly love, aiming at nothing else than money which, they believe, makes them, potentially if not actually, superior to all. From this one may see that avarice holds within it the lowest and basest self-love of all, which is why the avaricious in the next life seem to themselves to live among pigs, 939. They are also opposed more than anyone else to all good whatever. They dwell as a consequence in darkness so thick that they cannot by any means see what good is or what truth is. They do not grasp at all the idea that in the human being there is something internal which lives after death, and in their hearts they mock those who say there is.

[3] The Jewish nation was like this from the start, and for that reason nothing internal could be plainly revealed to it, as is evident from the Old Testament Word. They were indeed rooted in this worst kind of self-love, and therefore, if their avarice had not removed them very far away from internal things and as a consequence had not kept them in thickest darkness, they would have defiled interior truths and goods, and in so defiling them would have rendered them profane more than anyone else did. For they are unable to profane them as long as they do not acknowledge them, 1008, 1010, 1059, 2051, 3398, 3402, 3489, 3898, 4289, 4601. This is why the Lord says of them in John,

You are from your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning. John 8:44.

And of Judas Iscariot who represented the Jewish Church He says in the same gospel,

Did I not choose you twelve, but one of you is a devil? John 6:70.

Also when he sold the Lord, Judas' representation was similar to that which Judah has here who said, Come, and let us sell Joseph.