5416. Verses 6-8 And Joseph, he was the governor over the land, he was selling to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to him, faces to the earth. And Joseph saw his brothers, and recognized them; and he acted as a stranger to them, and spoke hard words to them, and said to them, Where have you come from? And they said, From the land of Canaan, to buy food. And Joseph recognized his brothers, and they did not recognize him.

'And Joseph, he was the governor over the land' means that the celestial of the spiritual, or truth from the Divine, reigned in the natural where factual knowledge resided. 'He was selling to all the people of the land' means that this was what effected every making over. 'And Joseph's brothers came' means general truths known to the Church which were without any intermediary. 'And bowed down to him, faces to the earth' means an expression of humility. 'And Joseph saw his brothers, and recognized them' means perception and recognition by the celestial of the spiritual. 'And he acted as a stranger to them' means that in the absence of the intermediary no joining together took place. 'And spoke hard words to them' means no agreement therefore existed either. 'And said to them, Where have you come from?' means an investigation. 'And they said, From the land of Canaan' means from the Church. 'To buy food' means to make the truth of good their own. 'And Joseph recognized his brothers' means that the truths of the Church were visible to the celestial of the spiritual in the light that this possessed. 'And they did not recognize him' means that truth from the Divine was not seen in natural light that was not yet brightened with heavenly light.