3882. 'And she left off bearing' means the ascent up a stairway from earth even to Jehovah or the Lord. This is clear from the meaning of 'bearing' or birth as truth and good, for these are births in the spiritual sense, in that a person is regenerated or born anew by means of truth and good. Such truth and good is also what were meant by Leah's four who were born to her - Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. 'Reuben' meant truth as this exists on the first step in regeneration or rebirth - truth which is no more than knowledge, and so merely a knowledge of truth. 'Simeon' meant truth as this exists on the second step in regeneration or rebirth - truth present in the will, and so a will desiring truth. 'Levi' meant truth as it exists on the third step in regeneration or rebirth - truth for which one feels an affection, and so an affection for truth, which is the same as charity. But 'Judah' meant good which exists on the fourth step in regeneration or rebirth - good which is the celestial form of love. When a person who has been regenerated or born anew has come this far the Lord manifests Himself to him, for he has by now risen up from the lowest step, as if by a stairway, to the one where the Lord is.

[2] This stepping up is also meant by the stairway seen in a dream by Jacob which was set up on the earth, a stairway whose top reached to heaven, and on which the angels of God were going up and coming down, with Jehovah or the Lord standing above it, described in Chapter 28:12. From this it is evident that 'she left off bearing' has the meaning that has been stated. For explanations that the four conceptions and births spoken of meant an advance from what is external to what is internal, or from truth to good, that is, from earth to heaven, see 3860, 3868, 3874, 3879. Coming down is subsequent to this, for no one is able to come down before he has gone up. Coming down however is nothing else than surveying truth from good, as when one climbs a mountain and then regards the things that lie below. From that position he can, in a single survey of the scene, take in an incalculably greater number of things than people standing below or in the valley, as is evident to anyone. It is exactly the same with those who are governed by good, that is, by love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour. These can see incalculably more than those governed merely by truth, that is, by faith alone.

5728. Genesis 44

1. And he commanded the one who was over his house, saying, Fill the men's pouches with food, as much as they can carry; and put each one's silver in the mouth of his pouch.

2. And you are to put my cup, the cup made of silver, in the mouth of the pouch of the youngest, and his silver for grain; and he did according to Joseph's word which he spoke.

3. Morning dawned, and the men were sent away, they and their asses.

4. They went out of the city, not far distant. And Joseph said to the one who was over his house, Rise up, pursue the men and overtake them; and you are to say to them, Why are you repaying evil for good?

5. Is not this what my lord drinks from; and does he not certainly practise divination in this? You have done evil in what you have done.

6. And he overtook them, and spoke those words to them.

7. And they said to him, Why does my lord speak words such as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing as this.

8. Behold, the silver which we found in the mouth of our pouches we brought back to you from the land of Canaan; and how could we steal from your lord's house silver or gold?

9. With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die; and we also will be slaves to my lord.

10. And he said, Now also, according to your words, so let it be: He with whom it is found will be my slave, and you will be innocent.

11. And they hurried and caused to come down, each one his pouch to the earth; and they opened each one his pouch.

12. And he searched; he began with the oldest and finished with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's pouch.

13. And they rent their clothes; and each one loaded his ass, and they returned to the city.

14. And Judah and his brothers entered Joseph's house, and he, he was still there; and they fell before him to the earth.

15. And Joseph said to them, What deed is this that you have done? Did you not know that a man such as I certainly practises divination?

16. And Judah said, What shall we say to my lord, what shall we speak? And how shall we be acquitted? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; behold, we are my lord's slaves, even ourselves, even he in whose hand the cup was found.

17. And [Joseph] said, Far be it from me to do this; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he will be my slave, and you, go up in peace to your father.

18. And Judah approached him and said, By me, ¹ my lord, let your servant, I beg you, speak a word in my lord's ears, and do not let your anger burn against your servant, for as you are, so is Pharaoh.

19. My lord questioned his servants, saying, Have you a father, or a brother?

20. And we said to my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, the youngest one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left to his mother, and his father loves him.

21. And you said to your servants, Cause him to come down to me, and I will set my eye on him.

22. And we said to my lord, The boy cannot leave his father; and should he leave his father, [his father] will die.

23. And you said to your servants, If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not see my face again.

24. And so it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him my lord's words.

25. And our father said, Return, buy us a little food.

26. And we said, We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us we will go down, for we cannot see the man's face if our youngest brother is not with us.

27. And your servant my father said to us, You know that my wife bore me two sons.

28. And one went out from me, and I said, He has surely been torn to pieces; and I have not seen him since.

29. And you are taking this one also from before my face, and should harm befall him, you will cause my grey hair to go down in evil to the grave.

30. And now, when I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us, and his soul being bound up with his soul,

31. It will be, when he sees that the boy is not there, that he will die, and your servants will cause the grey hair of your servant our father to go down in sorrow to the grave.

32. For your servant became surety for the boy to my father, saying, If I do not bring him back to you I shall be sinning against my father all my days.

33. And now, I beg you, let your servant stay instead of the boy, a slave to my lord; and let the boy go up with his brothers.

34. For how am I to go up to my father, and the boy is not with me? Perhaps I shall see the evil which will come upon my father.

CONTENTS

This chapter deals in the internal sense with the intermediary between the internal celestial man and the external natural man. First comes a description which shows that from itself the internal celestial man filled the intermediary with spiritual truth. The intermediary is 'Benjamin', while the spiritual truth present there is 'Joseph's silver cup'; the internal celestial man is 'Joseph', and the external natural man is 'the ten sons of Jacob'.

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