5597. 'And they said, The man questioned us closely about ourselves' means the clear perception this had regarding what existed within the natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'questioning' as perceiving another's thought, dealt with below; and from the representation of the ten sons of Jacob, to whom 'us' refers here, as the truths known to the Church which were present in the natural, dealt with in 5403, 5419, 5427, 5458, 5512. The reason 'questioning' means perceiving another's thought is that in heaven all thoughts are communicated, so clearly that no one needs to ask another what he thinks. This is why 'questioning' means perceiving another's thought; for things as they exist on earth become in the internal sense things as they exist in heaven.

5419. 'And Joseph's brothers came' means the general truths known to the Church which were without any intermediary. This is clear from the meaning of 'Joseph's brothers' as general truths known to the Church, dealt with above in 5409. They lacked any intermediary because Benjamin who was the intermediary was not with them. As regards 'Benjamin' being that intermediary, see above in 5411, 5413.