5941. 'And take your father and your households, and come to me' means the drawing of spiritual good and of the truths of the Church nearer to factual knowledge in the natural. This is clear from the representation of Israel, to whom 'father' refers here, as spiritual good, as in 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5837; from the representation of 'his sons' as the truths of the Church within the natural, dealt with in 5414, 5879, all of which are 'their households'; from the meaning of 'coming' as drawing nearer; and from the representation of Pharaoh, to whom 'me', the one they were to come to, refers here, as factual knowledge in general within the natural. From all this it is evident that 'take your father and your households, and come to me' means the drawing of spiritual good and of the truths of the Church nearer to factual knowledge in the natural.

5879. 'Is my father still alive?' means the presence of spiritual good from the natural. This is clear from the representation of Israel, to whom 'father' refers here, as spiritual good from the natural, dealt with in 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833 (its derivation from the natural being dealt with in 4286); and from the meaning of 'is he still alive?' as the presence of that good. For when he revealed who he was Joseph thought first about his father, whom he knew to be alive. His father was therefore present in his thought at the beginning, and also constantly after that when he talks to his brothers. The reason for this is that the internal celestial, which is 'Joseph', cannot become joined to the truths in the natural, which are 'the sons of Jacob', except through spiritual good from the natural, which is 'Israel'. And once that joining together has taken place they are no longer the sons of Jacob but the sons of Israel; for 'the sons of Israel' are spiritual truths within the natural.