6111. 'And the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished from the presence of the famine' means that this was so in the natural where factual knowledge resides, and within the Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'the land of Egypt' as the natural mind where factual knowledge resides, dealt with in 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5701; from the meaning of 'the land of Canaan' as the Church, dealt with above in 6067; and from the meaning of 'the famine' as desolation, as immediately above in 6110. From these meanings it is evident that 'the land of Egypt languished, and the land of Canaan, from the presence of the famine' means that there is desolation in the natural where factual knowledge resides, and within the Church.

5701. 'For the Egyptians cannot eat bread with the Hebrews' means that these could not by any means be joined to the truth and good of the Church. This is clear from the representation of 'the Egyptians' as those with whom an inverted state of order, and so evil and falsity, exists, dealt with immediately above in 5700; from the meaning of 'eating bread' as being joined together, also dealt with above, in 5698; and from the representation of 'the Hebrews' as those with whom genuine order, and so the truth and good of the Church, exists - 'the land of the Hebrews' meaning the Church, see 5136, 5236, for the reason that the Hebrew Church was the second Ancient Church, 1238, 1241, 1343. The expression 'eating bread' is used, and the command 'set on bread' mentioned just above, because 'bread' means all food in general, 2165, and so means a meal. The reason 'bread' means all food and an actual meal is that in the spiritual sense 'bread' is heavenly love; and heavenly love includes every aspect of good and truth, and so everything constituting spiritual food. For the meaning of 'bread' as heavenly food, see 276, 680, 2165, 2177, 2187, 3464, 3478, 3735, 4211, 4217, 4735, 4976.