5430. 'And Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed involving them' means that the celestial of the spiritual foresaw what was to happen to the general truths known to the Church in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'remembering' as what exists at present, for whenever one calls something to remembrance it is brought into the present ('remembering' is used in references to foresight, see 3966); from the representation of 'Joseph' as the celestial of the spiritual, often dealt with already; and from the meaning of 'dreams' as foresight, foretelling, and outcome, dealt with in 3698, 5091, 5091, 5104, here therefore a foresight of what was to happen to the general truths known to the Church in the natural, these truths being meant by 'the sons of Jacob', 5409, 5419. This explains the addition of the phrase 'which he had dreamed'.

5091. 'And they both dreamed a dream' means foresight regarding them. This is clear from the meaning of 'a dream' as foresight, dealt with in 3698,'they both' being both kinds of sensory powers meant by 'the cupbearer and the baker', whose dreams have reference to themselves, as is evident from what follows. The reason 'a dream', in the highest sense, means foresight is that dreams which come directly from the Lord by way of heaven foretell things to come. Such was the nature of Joseph's dreams, the cupbearer's dream and the baker's dream, Pharaoh's dream, Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and prophetical dreams in general. The things to come that are foretold in dreams have no other origin than the Lord's Divine foresight. From this one may also realize that every single thing is foreseen by Him.