Genesis 46

1. So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac.

“Israel took his journey” tells us that he was starting the process of being rejoined with his son, Joseph. Because this is moving towards a heavenly connection, Beersheba has a good meaning: charity and faith. By practicing charity, or kindness towards others in our thoughts and actions, and believing in God, we are worshiping Him, which is the inner meaning of offering sacrifices. (See Secrets of Heaven 5995)

2. Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” And he said, “Here I am.”

When God speaks to Israel at night, it connotes darkness, or that Jacob is in a state of obscurity about God, perhaps not really sure of his visions. This can further be seen by God calling him “Jacob” which denotes natural truth, or God’s way as seen in natural truths. When Jacob says, “Here I am”, it shows that he was starting to understand the things of God.

3. And He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.

Because Jacob is starting to understand, “the God of your father” denotes that divine intelligence is flowing into the truths that Jacob is seeing, in a natural way. “Not fearing to go down to Egypt” shows us, in our natural way, that we shouldn’t fear learning about God’s ways for us, but should instead feel confident that the Lord will guide us. This can be seen in what follows immediately — the great nation that the Lord will make from Jacob means that the truths will turn out good, or that we will be led to good things because of the truths we learn.

4. “I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”

We are assured of the Lord’s presence with us, because He tells Jacob, “I will go down with you to Egypt,” and then He will “surely bring you up again.” The mention of Joseph means that there will be truths from the deeper, inmost parts of us that will come and put a “hand on your eyes,” or help Jacob to see things in a deeper, more inward way (Secrets of Heaven 6008). This is the Lord saying that he will help all of us who believe in Him and live in charity to see truths with more detail and clarity.

5. Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

Being enlightened by natural truths is meant by Jacob arising from Beersheba (Secrets of Heaven 6009).

His sons carrying him can mean that truths from a more spiritual origin (the sons) bring light into our natural truths and enlighten our minds (see below for the meanings of the names of Jacob’s sons.) “Their little ones” brings to mind the innocence in this, especially since the children are named before “their wives,” the latter denoting charity. In other words, there begins to be innocence within our kind and gentle intentions towards others.

Jacob being put into the carts sent by Pharaoh shows that this further progression is enlightening things obtained from factual knowledge meant by Pharaoh (Secrets of Heaven 6009).

6. So they took their livestock and their goods which they had acquired in the land of Canaan and went to Egypt, Jacob and his descendants with him.

Taking their livestock and goods which they already possessed denotes the things of good and truth which a person already has before starting on the journey -- things of faith and natural truths. Faith belonging to natural truths is how we follow the commandments literally, without any sense of a deeper meaning. An example is we do not commit murder, but don't understand that to hate another person is, in our spirits, also to commit murder. (Again, refer to Secrets of Heaven 6009).

7. His sons and his son’s sons, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.

“Sons” in the Word symbolize truths and “daughters” goods, so his sons' daughters would mean good things that spring from truths already known.

8. Now these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn.

In the Word “names” indicate “qualities,” so the listing of all the names of the sons of Jacob plus their offspring indicates spiritual qualities which the Lord is providing for us as He takes us on the journey of being made spiritual. Reuben means faith in the understanding, so it occupies first place.

To understand the complexity of the things the Lord is doing for us, it helps to know the meanings of the names of Jacob’s descendants:

9. The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi.

Reuben’s sons mean teachings about faith (Secrets of Heaven 6024).

10. The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.

The sons of Simeon mean faith in the will, or a willingness to do the things that faith teaches.

11. The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

Levi represents spiritual love, which is why his descendants were priests, meaning they represent teachings about spiritual things.

12. The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zehar (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

Judah means celestial or the innermost love, so his sons indicate teachings regarding it. For example, a spiritual love is to love others as ourselves, but a celestial or innermost love is to love others more than ourselves.

13. The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job and Shimron.

Since Issachar represents heavenly married love (conjugial love), his sons indicate true teachings about married love.

14. The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon and Jahleel.

Zebulun and his sons mean the heavenly marriage and teachings regarding it. By the heavenly marriage is meant the joining of love and wisdom, or good and truth together in a marriage, meaning that wisdom gives guidance to our love, and love motivates our wisdom.

15. These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the persons, his sons and his daughters, were thirty-three.

“Leah,” being female, represents an affection or love--here the spiritual affection flowing into the natural part of us. “Padan Aram” means that we “must be born anew or made spiritual,” (Secrets of Heaven 6025) and that process begins with knowing things, or having knowledges, about it.

That all of Jacob’s sons so far were born there represents new births or new insights into this process.

16. The sons of Gad were Ziphon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.

They represent the good actions which are the result of us having faith, and the teachings from it.

17. The sons of Asher were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah and Serah, their sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel.

These mean the happiness of eternal life, the delight of it, and teachings about it.

18. These were the sons of Zilpah whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons.

Gad and Asher, being born of Zilpah, a handmaid of Leah and not a wife, shows that they represent outer or external qualities or things in the natural part of us. Doing the things faith teaches us needs to occur in our natural life, while thinking of the happiness and delight of living forever is a truth that buoys us up. With this truth we are inspired to continue living the life of being born anew (Secrets of Heaven 6024).

19. The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife, were Joseph and Benjamin.

Contrasted with the sons of Zilpah, who represent outer or external qualities, the sons of Rachel represent inner or spiritual qualities, Joseph representing good of our inner life and Benjamin, the truth of it.

20. And to Joseph in the land of Egypt there were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah, priest of On, bore to him.

To Joseph in the land of Egypt means that inmost and inner heavenly qualities are flowing down into the natural part of us. Asenath was a priest’s daughter, and their marriage must represent a quality of the marriage of good and truth. The priest was Egyptian, and Egypt represents truths in the natural needed to receive the inner good represented by Joseph. Joseph’s children, Manasseh and Ephraim, symbolize a new area of the will and a new associated area of the understanding which the Lord is creating in those being prepared for heaven.

21. The sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.

The sons of Benjamin represent the deeper spiritual part of us, and teachings regarding it.

22. These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons in all.

Mentioning that these were the descendants of Rachel shows that they were born from affection — Rachel, a female, representing a love within us. Since she is Joseph’s mother, her name represents a love for the innermost, or celestial qualities.

23. The son of Dan was Hushim.

We are back to the sons of Jacob, now talking about Dan and Naphtali.

Dan represents the first state of a person who is about to be regenerated, but in the outer, or most external part of him or her (Secrets of Heaven 3923).

Dan’s son, Hushim, means the holiness of faith and the good of life, and teachings regarding them. When we believe right things, then they show us how to live a better life.

24. The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.

Naphtali represents victory over temptations, and also a perception of usefulness after temptation (Apocalypse Revealed 354).

Naphtali’s sons represent temptations in which victory is won, and teachings regarding them. As soon as we start to live a better life, thoughts and desires wanting to lead us astray are not far behind.

25. These were the sons of Bilhah whom Laban gave to Rachel, his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob seven persons in all.

Bilhah was a handmaid, so she signifies things which belong to Rachel, which are a love for the deepest or innermost qualities God opens up in us. The seven in “Seven persons in all” shows us a completion as these states flow into us from the Lord. This is further shown by the next sentence, which is a short summation of this.

26. All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, were sixty-six persons in all.

The people going with Jacob to Egypt represent all the truths and forms of good introduced into the natural or external part of us. His sons' wives didn't come from Jacob, so they represent things that aren’t really serving good things of love coming from the Lord into our natural life (Secrets of Heaven 6024).

27. And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.

The sons of Joseph born in Egypt signify innermost heavenly, or celestial, and inner spiritual qualities flowing down into the natural part of us, as in verse 20 where it says they were born to Joseph. That they were “two persons” means that new areas of the will and understanding were opening up. “Seventy” means all and in its proper order (Secrets of Heaven 6024).

28. Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out before him the way to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen.

Judah going before Joseph means forms of good that are intermediary, or in the middle between the good in innermost parts of us (Joseph) and the good in outermost or natural (Jacob). “Goshen,” the land they were going to, signifies inner things within our natural person.

29. So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while.

Joseph making his chariot ready means truth and teachings about innermost things, like loving the Lord above all or not looking for personal credit when doing something good. Joseph presenting himself to his father, Israel, tells us there is an inflowing from our deeper self into our outer self, and our conscious mind is perceiving it. Joseph falling on his father's neck shows the immediacy with which our innermost self wants to be joined with our outermost or natural self. Weeping shows the depth of mercy in this joining, and Joseph weeping for a good while shows the depth of love the Lord has for this joining of our inner and outer selves.

(Refer to Secrets of Heaven 6026).

30. And Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive.”

“Israel said to Joseph” means spiritual good is now present within our natural self. “Now let me die” tells us an old way of life is ending and a new way is beginning. "Since I have seen your face,” means that mercy has been discerned in our outermost or conscious self. “Because you are still alive” explains the outer parts discern there are much better things flowing in now, showing better ways to live.

31. Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, 'My brothers and those of my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.

"Joseph said to his brothers" indicates that our conscious mind understands some of the celestial or deepest things represented by Joseph. “His father’s household” means that it understands in the way that it can. "I will go up and tell Pharaoh" shows communication even to the point where innermost things are flowing into our factual knowledges about the life we must live to be in heaven. Joseph’s brothers and his father’s house coming to him means all the truths and forms of good that we have are going to be infilled with the deeper, celestial love that Joseph brings.

32. And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds and all that they have.'

“The men are shepherds” means that the truths represented by his brothers leads to good. That all their flocks and herds are with them shows that good things of the interior and the exterior, and whatever is dependent on them, are all present. An example of this is that we are supposed to do useful things for one another. The innermost or celestial person does good things because he or she loves the Lord; the spiritual or inner person because they love the neighbor; and the outermost or natural person does good things for others out of obedience.

33. “So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, 'What is your occupation?'

“When Pharaoh calls you,” represents the natural part of us where factual knowledge about heavenly things resides. “What is your occupation?” shows the natural is interested and wants to know about the good that will be flowing into it.

34. “That you shall say, ‘Your servants’ occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,’ that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.

This verse shows that truths leading to good have been present and are present now. “That you may dwell in the land of Goshen” shows that spiritual truths will be in the center of natural things from now on. Since they’re in Egypt it shows they will be inflowing into the factual knowledge that teaches about a heavenly life.

“Every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians,” signifies the separation between the false outer knowledge we knew (the Egyptians), and the new things which are true and teaching us the way to heaven (Joseph's brothers). (Secrets of Heaven 6039).

3021. 'Put now your hand under my thigh' means being bound, as regards its power, to the good of conjugial love. This is clear from the meaning of 'the hand' as power, dealt with in 878, and from the meaning of 'the thigh' as the good of conjugial love, dealt with in what follows. A binding of this good to that power is indeed the meaning, as is clear from the consideration that those who were bound by an obligation to carry out some matter connected with conjugial love put their hand, according to ancient custom, under the thigh of the one to whom they were so bound, and in so doing swore by him. This was done because 'the thigh' meant conjugial love, and 'the hand' power, or the full extent of whatever one's capability might be. For all parts of the human body correspond to spiritual and celestial things in the Grand Man, which is heaven, as shown in 2996, 2998, and will in the Lord's Divine mercy be shown more extensively later on. The thighs themselves, together with the loins, correspond to conjugial love. Those things were well known to the most ancient people, and for that reason so many customs came down from them, including that of putting their hands under the thigh when being bound by an obligation to carry out something connected with the good of conjugial love. Their knowledge of such things, which was valued most highly by the ancients, and belonged among the chief things that constituted their knowledge and intelligence, is totally lost today, so much so that not even the existence of any such correspondence is known, and for this reason people will probably be astounded that such things are meant by that custom. Here, because the subject is the betrothal of Isaac his son to another member of Abraham's family, and the oldest servant was called on to perform that task, this custom was therefore followed.

[2] It has been stated that 'the thigh', because of its correspondence, means conjugial love, and this may also be seen from other places in the Word, for example, from the procedure to be followed when a woman was accused by her husband of adultery, in Moses,

The priest shall make the woman take the oath of a curse, and the priest shall say to the woman, Jehovah will make you a curse and an oath in the midst of your people, when Jehovah makes your thigh fall away and your belly swell. When he has made her drink the water, then it will happen, if she has defiled herself and committed a trespass against her husband, that the water causing the curse will enter into her and become bitter, and her belly will swell, and her thigh will fall away; and the woman will be a curse in the midst of her people. Numbers 5:21, 27.

'The falling away of the thigh' means the evil of conjugial love, which is adultery. Every other detail in the same procedure had some specific meaning, so that not even the smallest detail fails to embody something, though anyone reading the Word who has no concept of its sacredness will wonder why such things are included there. It is because 'the thigh' means the good of conjugial love that the expression 'those coming out of the thigh' is used frequently, as in a reference to Jacob,

Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations will be from you, and kings will go out from your thighs. Genesis 35:11.

And elsewhere in the same author,

Every soul coming with Jacob to Egypt, who came out of his thigh. Genesis 46:26; Exodus 1:5.

And in a reference to Gideon, Gideon had seventy sons, who came out of his thigh. Judges 8:30.

[3] Since 'the thigh' and 'the loins' mean the things that belong to conjugial love they also mean those that belong to love and charity, the reason being that conjugial love underlies every other kind of love, see 686, 2733, 2737-2739. These all have the same source - the heavenly marriage - which is a marriage of good and truth, regarding which see 2727-2759. For 'the thigh' means the good of celestial love and the good of spiritual love, as may be seen from the following places: In John,

He who sat on the white horse had on His robe and on His thigh the name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords. Revelation 19:16.

'He who sat on the white horse' is the Word, and so the Lord, who is the Word, see 2760-2762. 'Robe' means Divine Truth, 2576, and for that reason He is called 'King of kings', 3009. From this it is evident what 'the thigh' means, namely the Divine Good which flows from His love, on account of which He is also named 'Lord of lords', 3004-3011. And this being the Lord's essential nature, it is said that He had a name written on His robe and on His thigh, for 'name' means essential nature, 1896, 2009, 2724, 3006.

[4] In David,

Gird Your sword on Your thigh, O Mighty One, in Your glory and honour! Psalms 45:3.

This refers to the Lord. 'Sword' stands for truth engaged in conflict, 2799, 'thigh' for the good of love. 'Girding the sword on the thigh' means that the truth which He was to use in the fight was allied to the good of love. In Isaiah,

Righteousness will be the girdle of His loins, and truth the girdle of His thighs. Isaiah 11:5.

This too refers to the Lord. Because 'righteousness' has reference to the good that flows from love, 2235, it is called 'the girdle of His loins', while 'truth' because it comes from good, is called 'the girdle of His thighs'. Thus 'loins' is used in reference to the love within good, and 'thighs' to the love within truth.

[5] In the same prophet'

None will be weary, and none will stumble in Him. He will not slumber nor sleep. Nor has the girdle of His thighs been loosed, nor the thong of His shoes torn away. Isaiah 5:27.

This refers to the Lord. 'The girdle of His thighs' stands, as above, for the love within truth. In Jeremiah Jehovah told the prophet to buy a linen girdle and put it over his loins but not dip it in water. He was then told to go away to the Euphrates and hide it in a cleft of the rock. When he went back at a later time to retrieve it from that place it was spoiled, Jeremiah 13:1-7. 'A linen girdle' stands for truth, but the placing of it over his loins was representative of the fact that truth was the outward expression of good. Anyone may see that these actions are representative. Their meaning however cannot be known except from correspondences, which will in the Lord's Divine mercy be dealt with at the ends of certain chapters further on.

[6] It is similar with the meaning of the things seen by Ezekiel, Daniel, and Nebuchadnezzar: Ezekiel saw,

Above the firmament that was above the heads of the cherubim, in appearance like a sapphire stone, there was the likeness of a throne, and above the likeness of a throne, there was a likeness, as the appearance of a Man (Homo) upon it above. And I saw as it were the shape of fiery coals, as the shape of fire, within it round about. From the appearance of His loins and upwards, and from the appearance of His loins and downwards, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, whose brightness was round about it like the appearance of the rainbow which is in the cloud on the day of rain; so was the appearance of the brightness round about, thus was the appearance of the likeness of the Glory of Jehovah. Ezekiel 1:26-28.

This scene was clearly representative of the Lord and His kingdom. 'The appearance of His loins upwards and the appearance, of His loins downwards' is descriptive of His love, as is evident from the meaning of 'fire' as love, 934, and from the meaning of 'brightness' and of 'the rainbow' as wisdom and intelligence from that love, 1042, 1043, 1053.

[7] Daniel saw,

A man clothed in linen whose loins were girded with gold of Uphaz, and whose body was like tarshish, ¹ and whose face was like the appearance of lightning and whose eyes were like fiery torches, and whose arms and feet were like the shine of burnished bronze. Daniel 10:5-6.

What each of these expressions means - the loins, the body, the face, the eyes, the arms, and the feet - does not become clear to anyone except from representations and correspondences involved in these. From these it is evident that in what Daniel saw the Lord's heavenly kingdom was represented, in which Divine Love constitutes the loins, and 'the gold of Uphaz' with which He was girded, the good resulting from wisdom that is grounded in love, 113, 1551, 1552.

[8] In Daniel: Nebuchadnezzar saw a statue whose head was fine gold, breast and arms silver, belly and thighs bronze, feet partly iron, partly clay, Daniel 2:32-33. This statue represented consecutive states of the Church. The head of gold represented the first state, which was celestial because it was a state of love to the Lord; the breast and arms of silver represented the second state, which was spiritual because it was a state of charity towards the neighbour; the belly and thighs of bronze represented the third state, which was a state of natural good meant by 'bronze', 425, 1551 - natural good being love or charity towards the neighbour as this exists on a lower level than spiritual good - while the feet of iron and clay were the fourth state, which was a state of natural truth meant by 'iron', 425, 426, and also a state involving complete lack of cohesion with good, which is meant by 'clay'.

From all this one may see what is meant by the thighs and loins, namely conjugial love primarily, and from this love every genuine kind of love, as is evident from the places quoted and also from Genesis 32:25, 31-32; Isaiah 20:2-4; Nahum 2:1; Psalms 69:23; Exodus 12:11; Luke 12:35-36. The thighs and loins also mean in the contrary sense those loves that are the reverse of conjugial love and all genuine loves, namely self-love and love of the world, 1 Kings 2:5-6; Isaiah 32:10-11; Jeremiah 30:6; 48:37; Ezekiel 29:7; Amos 8:10.

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