8407. 'Would that we had died by the hand of Jehovah in the land of Egypt' means that it would have been preferable for them to have been forsaken by the Lord when they were in the state involving molestations. This is clear from the meaning of 'would that!' as it would have been better or preferable; from the meaning of 'to have died by the hand of Jehovah' as to have been forsaken by the Lord, for 'to have died' in the spiritual sense means to be immersed in evils and the falsities arising from them, and therefore in damnation, 5407, 6119, 7494, and the expression 'dying by the hand of Jehovah' means being forsaken by the Lord, because those who are forsaken by Him, that is, who forsake Him, plunge into evils and falsities arising from them, and so into damnation (it has been shown many times before that 'Jehovah' in the Word is the Lord); and from the meaning of 'the land of Egypt' as the state involving molestations, dealt with above in 8401. For what had been happening to those belonging to the spiritual Church, who are represented by 'the children of Israel', before they were delivered by the Lord - that they had been molested by those steeped in falsities arising from evil, who are represented by 'Pharaoh' and 'the Egyptians' - see 6854, 6914, 7474, 7828, 7932, 8018, 8099, 8159, 8321.

6289. 'And he grasped his father's hand' means an influx into the power which his obscure discernment possessed. This is clear from the meaning of 'grasping the hand' as an influx into the power of discernment. For when the internal flows into the external, wishing to make it think and will something, it grasps hold of it so to speak. Here it takes hold of its power of discernment, meant by 'the hand'; for 'the hand' means power, see, 878, 3387, 4931-4937. The reason why that discernment is said to be obscure is that spiritual people, who are represented by 'Israel', dwell in obscurity compared with celestial ones, who are represented by 'Joseph'. For more about spiritual people and their dwelling in obscurity compared with celestial ones, see 2708, 2715, 2716, 2718, 2831, 2849, 2935, 2937, 3873, 4401.

[2] The fact that spiritual people dwell in obscurity is plainly evident from the consideration that prior to regeneration they are altogether in the dark about what is true and good, and that when they are being regenerated it is truth such as that contained in the teaching of their Church that they acknowledge and in which they put their trust, irrespective of whether it is true or not. Even so it is this truth that becomes good with them when it becomes part of what they will and consequently of their life. It is that good which is called the good of truth, also the good of faith, as well as spiritual good or the spiritual Church's good. Anyone who turns his mind to the matter can see what is the essential nature of this good deriving from such an origin. Nevertheless good derived from that kind of truth, even among gentiles, is acceptable to the Lord, when it has charity towards the neighbour as its chief concern and when that charity has innocence within it.