5584. 'He said, The man issued a solemn warning to us' means the turning away from them of the spiritual from the internal. This is clear from the meaning of 'issuing a solemn warning' as the turning away of [the spiritual from the natural], for Joseph had warned them that they would not see his face unless their brother was with them (this warning is the threat of a turning away, for 'not seeing his face' means that no compassion will show itself, dealt with in the next paragraph); and from the representation of 'Joseph' as the Divine Spiritual, or what amounts to the same, truth from the Divine, dealt with in 3969, which at this point is the spiritual or truth flowing in from the internal since the expression 'the man' is used.

5034. That his anger flared up' means an aversion to spiritual truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'anger' as a departure from the good of charity, dealt with in 357, and so an aversion, in this case an aversion to spiritual truth since that truth is the subject here. The reason 'anger' means an aversion is that as long as a person is angry with another he feels averse to him; for anger arises or is aroused in someone when the love linking him to some other person, or to some particular object, is offended by that person or object. When the link is broken, that person flares up or becomes angry, as though something in his life that gives him delight, and thus something of his own life, has been lost. This sorrow turns into grief, and the grief into anger.