6661. And it built cities of store-houses for Pharaoh. That this signifies doctrines from falsified truths in the natural where alienated memory-knowledges are, is evident from the signification of “cities,” as being doctrines in both senses (see n. 402, 2449, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493); from the signification of “storehouses” as being falsified truths (of which presently), and from the representation of Pharaoh, as being the natural (n. 5160, 5799, 6015); that alienated memory-knowledges are there, may be seen above (n. 6651, 6652). That the cities of storehouses which the people of Israel built for Pharaoh denote doctrines from falsified truths, is because they who are in memory-knowledges alienated from truth, who are here signified by Pharaoh and the Egyptians, pervert and falsify all the truths of the church, and make for themselves doctrines from the truths so perverted and falsified.

[2] The word by which in the original tongue “store-houses” are expressed, signifies also “arsenals,” and likewise “treasuries,” which, in the internal sense, are of a nearly like signification. For storehouses are places where produce is collected, and by “produce” is signified truth (n. 5276, 5280, 5292, 5402), and, in the opposite sense, falsity; and arsenals are places where arms of war are stored, by which are signified such things as pertain to truth fighting against falsities, and in the opposite sense to falsity fighting against truths (n. 1788, 2685). Treasuries are places where wealth is stored, and by “wealth” and “riches” are signified the knowledges of good and truth (see n. 4508), in the opposite sense the knowledges of evil and falsity; thus by “cities of storehouses” or “of arsenals” or “of treasuries” are signified, in general, doctrines from falsified truths.

5402. That there was produce in Egypt. That this signifies a disposition to procure truths by means of memory-knowledges which are “Egypt,” is evident from the signification of “produce,” as being the truths of the church, or the truths which are of faith (that “abundance of produce” denotes the multiplication of truth may be seen above, n. 5276, 5280, 5292); and from the signification of “Egypt,” as being memory-knowledges (n. 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462), and in the genuine sense the memory-knowledges of the church (see n. 4749, 4964, 4966). That a disposition to procure these things is involved, is plain from what presently follows. By the memory-knowledges of the church, which here are “Egypt,” are meant all knowledges of truth and good, before they have been conjoined with the interior man, or through the interior man with heaven, and thus through heaven with the Lord. The doctrinals of the church and its rituals, as also the knowledges of what spiritual things these represent and how, and the like, are nothing but memory-knowledges until the man has seen from the Word whether they are true, and in this way has made them his own.

[2] There are two ways of procuring the truths which are of faith-by means of doctrinal things, and by means of the Word. When man procures them only by doctrinal things, he then has faith in those who have drawn them from the Word, and he confirms them in himself to be true because others have said so; thus he does not believe them from his own faith, but from that of others. But when he procures them for himself from the Word, and thereby confirms them in himself to be true, he then believes them because they are from the Divine, and thus believes them from faith given from the Divine. Everyone who is within the church first procures the truths which are of faith from doctrinal things, and also must so procure them, because he has not yet sufficient strength of judgment to enable him to see them himself from the Word; but in this case these truths are to him nothing but memory-knowledges. But when he is able to view them from his own judgment, if he then does not consult the Word in order to see from it whether they are true, they remain in him as memory-knowledges; while if he does consult the Word from the affection and end of knowing truths, he then, when he has found them, procures for himself the things of faith from the genuine fountain, and they are appropriated to him from the Divine. These and other like things are what are here treated of in the internal sense; for “Egypt” denotes these memory-knowledges, and “Joseph” is truth from the Divine, thus truth from the Word.