4671. 'Was pasturing the flock with his brothers' means its presence among those governed by faith who were teachers. This is clear from the meaning of 'pasturing the flock' as teaching those within the Church, in particular from matters of doctrine. For one who pastures the flock, or a shepherd, means one who teaches, see 343, 3772, 3795. In this case the meaning is presence among those who taught, because the words 'pasturing the flock with his brothers' are used - Joseph's brothers in this chapter representing the Church which turned aside from charity to faith, and at length to faith separated from charity and so to falsities, as will be evident in what follows below.

3252. 'A hundred and seventy-five years' means the things constituting that state. This becomes clear from the fact that every number used in the Word means some real thing, see 482, 487, 575, 647, 648, 1963, 1988, 2075, 2252, and so with this particular number which consequently means the things which constitute the state that is the subject here. As long as the mind confines itself to the historical sense it seems as though numbers, such as these ¹ which give Abraham's age, do not hold any interior meaning within them. The fact that they do nevertheless hold such meaning within them is evident from all that has been shown already concerning numbers, and becomes clear from the consideration that no number as to its numerical value contains anything holy, and yet the smallest detail of all in the Word is holy.

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