7014. 'And Moses went and returned' means a resumption of the former life. This is clear from the meaning of 'going' as life, dealt with in 4882, 5493, 5605; from the meaning of 'returning', or going back, as living where he had done so formerly; and from the representation of 'Moses' as the Lord in respect of the law or truth from God, dealt with in 6771, 6827. When Moses was on Mount Horeb with Jehovah, who appeared in a flame of fire, he represented the Lord in respect of Divine Truth; but now that he is with Jethro his father-in-law, who is the good of the Church which is guided by the truth that goes with simple good, he represents the Lord in respect of truth from God. Here and elsewhere in the Word the internal sense describes how, during all the states of life which the Lord passed through in the world, He was making His Human Divine. These states followed one after another, as may be recognized from the fact that when He was a young child the Lord was like a young child, and after that grew in intelligence and wisdom, all the time instilling Divine Love into them till at length His Human too became Divine Love, which is Divine Being (Esse) or Jehovah. And this being the way in which the Lord put on the Divine - that is, in one state after another - He therefore first made Himself truth from God, after this Divine Truth, and finally Divine Good. These were the stages in the glorification of the Lord that are described here and elsewhere in the internal sense of the Word.

4756. 'And men passed by, Midianites, who were traders' means those in whom the truth partnering that good is present. This is clear from the representation of 'Midianites' as those in whom the truth that partners simple good is present, dealt with in 3242; and from the meaning of 'traders' as those who possess cognitions of good and truth, for such cognitions are meant by riches, wealth, and wares in the spiritual sense, and therefore 'trading' means acquiring and communicating these cognitions, 2967, 4453. Here not cognitions of good but those of truth are meant, for, as stated above, 'Midianites' means those in whom the truth that partners simple good is present. For the same reason they are called 'men', since the expression 'men' is used of those who possess truth, 3134, 3309. From the historical chain of events described here it is plain that Joseph was sold to Ishmaelites, but that he was drawn out of the pit by Midianites and was also sold by the Midianites to Potiphar in Egypt; for it is said in the final verse of this chapter, 'And the Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh's bedchamber-servant'. One would think that because Joseph was sold to the Ishmaelites that these, not the Midianites, would be the ones to sell him in Egypt. But things happened the way they did for the sake of the representation of what is contained in the internal sense. 'Joseph', that is, Divine Truth, cannot be sold by those governed by good, only by those governed by the truth partnering that good. The reason for this will be seen in the explanation of the final verse of this chapter.