6554. 'And all who went up with him to bury his father' means all that contributes to regeneration. This is clear from the meaning of 'burying' as regeneration and resurrection, dealt with in 2916, 2917, 4621, 6516, and as the restoration to life and establishment of the Church, 5551, 6516. All that contributes to it is meant by 'all who went up with him', for they consisted of the whole house of Joseph, also his father's house, as well as the elders of Pharaoh's house and the elders of the land of Egypt. 'Joseph's house' means things constituting the celestial of the spiritual, 6526; 'his father's house' all the things that belong to spiritual good, 6528; 'the elders of Pharaoh's house' those that accord with good, 6524; and 'the elders of the land of Egypt' those that accord with truth, 6525. From all this it is evident that 'all who went up with him to bury' means all that contributes to regeneration. The reason why 'burying' means regeneration as well as resurrection, and also the restoration to life and establishment of the Church, is that these operations which are meant are similar to one another in what they entail; for regeneration is resurrection, in that when a person is being regenerated he is being turned from one who is dead into one who is alive, thus is rising again. Similarly with the restoration to life and establishment of the Church with a person, for this is effected through regeneration, thus through resurrection from death to life.

2917. 'I will bury my dead from before me' means that He would emerge and rise up out of the night prevailing among them. This is clear from the meaning of 'burying' as rising again, dealt with immediately above in 2916, and from the meaning of 'one who is dead' as a state when shadow or night, which is the lack of knowledge, has fallen, also dealt with above in 2908, 2912, from which the Lord emerges and rises again with man when He is acknowledged. Previously He is enveloped in night because He does not appear. He rises again with every person who is being regenerated.