6580. 'And Joseph dwelt in Egypt' means the life of the Church's factual knowledge from the internal. This is clear from the meaning of 'dwelling' as the life, dealt with in 1293, 3384, 3613, 4451, 6051; from the representation of 'Joseph' as the internal, dealt with above in 6499; and from the meaning of 'Egypt' as the Church's factual knowledge, dealt with in 4749, 4964, 4966, 6004. The subject in the previous parts of this chapter is the spiritual Church that is to be established; but now, after the external or natural has become totally submissive to the internal or spiritual, which is meant by the action of Joseph's brothers when they fell down before him and offered to be his slaves, the subject is that Church once it has been established. It is described in these verses by the statement that Joseph dwelt in Egypt and by the reference to the birth of sons descended from Ephraim and from Machir, Manasseh's son. With the person who is a spiritual Church life from the internal exists within the Church's factual knowledge; for the factual knowledge residing with him has been made subordinate and brought into a state of order which is such that it may receive an influx of goodness and truth, thus may be a receptacle of an influx from the internal. It is different with those who are not a Church. With them factual knowledge has been organized in such a way that facts which affirm what is true and good have been banished to the peripheries, and so are far removed from the light of heaven, and as a consequence the ones that remain are recipients of falsity and evil.

6499. 'And Joseph fell upon his father's face' means an influx of the internal into the affection for good. This is clear from the meaning of 'falling upon someone's face' as an influx; from the representation of 'Joseph' as the internal, dealt with in 5805, 5826, 5827, 5869, 5877, 6177, 6224; from the meaning of 'face' as affection, dealt with in 4796, 4797, 5102; and from the representation of Israel, to whom 'father' refers here, as spiritual good or the good of truth, dealt with in 3654, 4598, 5801, 5807, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833. From all this it is evident that 'Joseph fell upon his father's face' means an influx of the internal into the affection for spiritual good.

[2] The reason why an influx of the internal into the affection for spiritual good is meant is that here the internal sense deals with the spiritual Church that the Lord established. For 'Israel' means the good of truth or spiritual good; but since this good constitutes the spiritual Church, 'Israel' also means that Church, 4286, 6426. For that good to come into existence an influx from the internal celestial represented by 'Joseph' is necessary; for without the influx from it that good is not good, because there is no affection attached to it.

The internal sense of what comes after this continues to deal with the establishment of that Church, 6497. The reason why that Church is described by 'Israel' who has now died and is soon to be buried is that in the internal sense death is not meant by 'death', nor burial by 'burial'. Rather, new life is meant by 'death', 3498, 3505, 4618, 4621, 6036, and regeneration by 'burial', 2916, 2917, 5551.