8560. 'At the mouth of Jehovah' means in the Lord's providence. This is clear from the meaning of 'the mouth of Jehovah' as God's truth in accordance with which they were led; for 'the mouth of Jehovah' here is taken to mean Divine utterance and being led in accordance with it, which is providence. God's providence is different from any other kind of leading or guidance in that it constantly has in view what is eternal and is constantly leading to salvation. It does so through various states, sometimes joyful and at other times miserable; and though these are beyond the person's comprehension they all nevertheless make a contribution towards his life into eternity. These things are meant by 'travels at the mouth of Jehovah', 'Jehovah' in the Word being the Lord, see 1343, 1736, 2004, 2005, 2018, 2025, 2156 2329, 2447, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5041, 5663, 6281, 6303, 6905.

5041. 'And Jehovah was with Joseph' means that the Divine was inwardly present, that is, present within the Lord, who is represented in the highest sense by 'Joseph'. At this point the Divine presence in temptations is meant, temptations being the subject here. For the Divine itself is Jehovah, whose existence or presence within the Lord is meant by 'Jehovah was with Joseph'. Because the sense of the letter is dealing with Joseph the expression 'with Joseph' is used, but in the internal sense, where the Lord is the subject, 'within the Lord' is meant. Anybody within the Church can recognize this from the consideration that the Lord was conceived from Jehovah and for that reason calls Him His Father on so many occasions. A person's essential being (esse) and consequently the inmost centre of life in him is received from his father, its coverings or outward clothing from his mother. Therefore the Lord's Essential Being (Esse) and consequently the inmost centre of life in Him was the Divine because it was Jehovah Himself, while its coverings or outward clothing constituted the human which He took upon Himself from His mother by being born from her. The nature of this human was such that it could undergo temptation, for it was defiled by hereditary evil received from His mother. But because the inmost centre of Him was the Divine, He was able by means of the power that was His own to cast out that hereditary evil received from His mother. This casting out took place in succeeding stages by means of temptations, until He underwent the final temptation, that on the Cross, at which point He fully glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine. From this one may see what is meant when it is said that the Divine was inwardly present.