103. And hast not failed, signifies so far as they could. This is evident from the signification of "not failing," in reference to those who are eager for the knowledges of truth and good, as being so far as they could; for in what now follows, a life according to these knowledges is treated of. Those who are in a life according to these go forward and do not fail; but those who are as yet in knowledges alone, go forward as far as they can, but do not yet have the light of life, from which is vigor.

5827. 'And one went out from me' means an apparent departure of internal good. This is clear from the meaning of 'going out' or going away as a departure, and from the representation of 'Joseph' as internal good, dealt with already. The fact that the departure was only an apparent one is self-evident, since Joseph was still alive. The implications of this are as follows: From start to finish the details recorded regarding Joseph represent in their order the glorification of the Lord's Human. They consequently represent in the lower sense a person's regeneration since this is an image or model of the Lord's glorification, 3178, 3212, 3296, 3490, 4402, 5688.

[2] So far as a person's regeneration is concerned, in the first state, when he is being brought by means of truth into good, truth is plainly visible because it exists in the light of the world and is not far removed from the ideas formed by the bodily senses. This is not the case with good, for good exists in the light of heaven, far from ideas formed by the bodily senses since it resides inwardly in the person's spirit. Consequently the truth of faith is clearly visible but good is not, even though good is constantly present, both flowing into truths and bringing them to life. If that were not so the person could not be regenerated. But once the state is completed, good reveals itself, doing so through love towards the neighbour, and through affection for truth as a guide to life. These things also what are represented by Joseph's being taken away from and not seen by his father, and after that revealing himself to his father. This is how an apparent departure of internal good, meant by 'one went out from me', is to be understood.

84. Indeed, when it pleases the Lord, any one kingdom is presented to view before angels in heaven as one man, in the form, moreover, answering to its quality. That form is the form of their spiritual affection; the form of its face being the form of the affection of its spiritual good, and the form of its body being the form of its civil good, while its manners, speech, and the like, are its rational good. When one sees a kingdom as one man, it can be seen such as it really is; and in accordance with this it is the neighbour.