4719. 'And he said, I am looking for my brothers; tell me now, where they are pasturing [the flock]' means knowledge of what the situation was and what their state was - in line with the meaning of these words in the proximate sense, which is, What the situation was with those teaching from faith, and his knowledge of their state. For 'brothers' means those who teach from faith, 4712; 'looking for (or seeing) their peace' means what the situation was with them, 4712, 4713; 'where' means the state, for in the internal sense everything denoting place means state, 2625, 2837, 3356, 3387, 4321; and 'those pasturing [the flock]' means those who teach, 343, 3767, 3768, 3772, 3783.

4712. 'And he said to him, Go now, see the peace of your brothers' means every coming of the Lord, and a perception of what the situation was with those who taught. This is clear from the meaning of 'laying' as perception, dealt with just above in 4708; from the meaning of 'peace' as salvation, dealt with in 4681, and so a perception of what the situation was; and from the representation of 'brothers' here as those teaching from faith, dealt with above in 4705. From this it is evident that the words used here mean a perception of what the situation was with those who taught. The reason every coming of the Lord is also meant is that 'Joseph' represents the Lord's Divine Spiritual, 4669, 4708, 4710, and therefore when it is said that Joseph was told to 'go and see the peace of his brothers' His coming is meant. The expression 'every coming' is used to describe whenever truth enters into thought from the Word.