8985. And if saying the servant shall say. That this signifies thought then from the implanted truth, is evident from the signification of “saying,” as being thought (see n. 7094, 7107, 7244); and from the signification of “manservant,” as being truth without the corresponding good (n. 8974); here, this truth confirmed and implanted, because it is said of that servant when he was about to go forth (n. 8984). It is said that “manservant” denotes truth, but there is meant the man who is in truth without the corresponding good. The reason why truth is called a “manservant,” and not the man who is in such truth, is that abstract speech, that is, speech separate from man, is angelic speech. For in heaven they think about a thing apart from the person, because when the person also is there thought of, the society which is in the thing in question is excited, and thus the thought is determined thither, and is fixed. For in heaven where the thought is, there the presence is; and presence would bend to itself the thoughts of those who are in the society, and would thus disturb the influx from the Divine there. It is otherwise when they think abstractedly about a thing; in this case the thought diffuses itself in every direction according to the heavenly form which the influx proceeding from the Divine produces, and this without the disturbance of any society. For it insinuates itself into the general spheres of the societies, and in this case does not touch or move anyone in the society; thus does not divert anyone from the freedom of thinking according to the influx from the Divine. In a word, abstracted thought can pervade the whole heaven without stopping anywhere; but thought determined to person, or to place, is fixed and stays.

5397. GENESIS 42

1. And Jacob saw that there was produce in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, Why do ye look at one another?

2. And he said, Behold I have heard that there is produce in Egypt; get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; and we shall live, and not die.

3. And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn from Egypt.

4. And Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Peradventure mischief may befall him.

5. And the sons of Israel came to buy in the midst of those that came; for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

6. And Joseph he was the governor over the land; he it was that sold to all the people of the land; and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves to him with their faces to the earth.

7. And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spoke hard things with them; and he said unto them, Whence came ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.

8. And Joseph knew his brethren; but they knew not him.

9. And Joseph remembered the dreams that he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

10. And they said unto him, Nay my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.

11. We are all one man's sons; we are upright; thy servants are no spies.

12. And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

13. And they said, We thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.

14. And Joseph said unto them, This is it that I spoke unto you, saying, ye are spies.

15. Hereby ye shall be proved; by the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.

16. Send one of you, and let him get your brother, and ye shall be bound, and your words shall be proved, whether there be truth with you; or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.

17. And he shut them up in custody three days.

18. And Joseph said unto them in the third day, This do, and live; I fear God.

19. If ye be upright, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your custody; and go ye, bring produce for the famine of your houses.

20. And bring your youngest brother unto me; and your words shall be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.

21. And they said a man to his brother, We are surely guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come unto us.

22. And Reuben answered them, saying, Spoke I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hearken? Moreover, behold his blood is searched for.

23. And they knew not that Joseph heard them; for there was an interpreter between them.

24. And he turned about from upon them, and wept; and he returned to them, and spoke unto them, and took Simeon from them, and bound him before their eyes.

25. And Joseph commanded, and they filled their vessels with corn, and to restore their silver everyone's into his sack, and to give them provision for the way; and he did thus to them.

26. And they lifted their produce upon their asses, and went thence.

27. And one opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, and he saw his silver; and behold it was in the mouth of his bag.

28. And he said unto his brethren, My silver is restored, and lo it is even in my bag; and their heart went forth, and they trembled a man to his brother, saying, What is this that God hath done to us?

29. And they came unto Jacob their father to the land of Canaan, and told him all that had befallen them, saying,

30. The man, the lord of the land, spoke hard things with us, and took us for spies of the land.

31. And we said unto him, We are upright; we are no spies.

32. We are twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.

33. And the man, the lord of the land, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are upright; let one of your brethren remain with me, and take for the famine of your houses, and go.

34. And bring your youngest brother unto me, then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are upright; I will give you your brother, and ye shall go about trading in the land.

35. And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, and behold everyone's bundle of silver was in his sack; and they saw the bundles of their silver, they and their father, and they were afraid.

36. And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved, Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin; all these things be come upon me.

37. And Reuben spoke unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons if I bring him not to thee; give him upon my hand, and I will bring him unto thee again.

38. And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left; and mischief will befall him in the way wherein ye shall go, and ye will make my gray hairs go down in sorrow to the grave.

5396a. The Contents.

In the latter part of the last chapter the subject treated of was the influx and conjunction of the celestial of the spiritual with the memory-knowledges in the natural; and now the subject treated of is the influx and conjunction of the celestial of the spiritual with the truths of faith therein which are of the church.

First is described the endeavor to appropriate these truths by means of the memory-knowledges of the church, which are “Egypt,” and without the intermediate, which is “Benjamin,” together with truth from the Divine, which is “Joseph;” but in vain, wherefore they were sent back and some good of natural truth was given freely.