4339. 'Jacob lifted up his eyes and saw' means the perception and the attention of the good of truth, meant by 'Jacob'. This is clear from the meaning of 'lifting up the eyes and seeing' as perception and attention. For 'lifting up the eyes' is an external action which corresponds to a raising of the mind, an internal activity, and so corresponds to perception, while 'seeing' corresponds to consequent attention. Also, 'Jacob' at this point represents the good of truth, see just above in 4337.

5542. 'He said, Make my two sons die' means that neither of the two kinds of faith will survive. This is clear from the meaning of Reuben's 'two sons' as both kinds of faith. For 'Reuben' represents faith in doctrine and in the understanding, while his 'sons' are the two kinds of teaching existing within the Church - teaching about what is true and teaching about what is good, that is, teaching about faith and teaching about charity. The thought that neither of these two kinds of faith or the Church will survive unless a joining of the intermediary represented by 'Benjamin' takes place is meant by 'make my two sons die if I do not bring back Benjamin to you'. In saying this Reuben certifies that the Church would be at an end unless the intermediary were present. But for the internal sense contained in those words Reuben would never have told his father to make his two sons die if he did not bring back Benjamin; for in telling him this Reuben would have been suggesting that he should subsequently wipe out an entire family. Such a course of action, being contrary to all that is right, would have been utterly wicked. But what the internal sense teaches explains why he spoke in the way he did.