AC GENESIS Chapter40

AC 5063. In the preface to the preceding chapter an explication was given of what the Lord said concerning the Judgment upon the good and the evil, in (Matthew 25:34-36).  Then follow these words:--

Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee hungry and fed Thee? or thirsty and gave Thee drink? When saw we Thee a stranger and gathered Thee? or naked and clothed Thee? When saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee?  But the King shall say to them, Verily I say to you, In so far as ye did it to one of the least of these My brethren, ye did it to Me. Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me ye cursed into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and ye gave Me not to eat, I was thirsty and ye gave Me not to drink, I was a stranger and ye gathered Me not, naked and ye clothed Me not, sick, and in prison, and ye visited Me not. Then shall they also answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto Thee?  Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say to you, In so far as ye did it not to one of these least, ye did it not to Me. And these shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into life eternal (Matthew 25:37-46).

AC 5064. In the prefatory remarks to the preceding chapter (n. 4954-4959), it was explained what is signified in the internal sense by “giving meat to the hungry and drink to the thirsty,” by “gathering the stranger, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick and him that is in prison”--that it is the essence of charity which is involved and is thus described. By the “hungry,” the “thirsty,” and the “stranger,” is signified the affection of good and truth; and by the “naked,” the “sick,” and “those who are in prison,” self-acknowledgment (n. 4956, 4958).

AC 5065. As the same things are thrice repeated in what has already been quoted and explained, it is unnecessary to show in detail, or word by word, what these expressions signify in the internal sense.  In this place I will merely state what is signified by the answer made both by those on the right hand, and by those on the left--that they had not seen Him hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick, and in prison; and afterward what is signified by the “King,” and also by the “righteous and eternal life,” and by the “cursed and eternal fire.”

AC 5066. The answer made by those on the right hand:--Lord, when saw we Thee hungry and fed Thee? or thirsty and gave Thee drink? When saw we Thee a stranger and gathered Thee?  or naked and clothed Thee? When saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee?  signifies that if they had seen the Lord Himself, everyone of them would have performed these offices; yet not from love toward Him, but from fear because He was to be the judge of the universe; thus not for His sake, but for the sake of themselves; thus not from within or from the heart, but from without and in act only.  This is as when one sees a king whose favor he desires to gain in order that he may become great or rich, and therefore bears himself submissively toward him. It is similar with those who are in holy external worship, in which they as it were see the Lord, and submit themselves to Him, believing that in this way they will receive eternal life; and yet they have no charity, and do no good to anyone except for their own sake, thus only to themselves. They are like persons who in outward form pay court to their king with much respect, and yet deride his commands because at heart they disregard him.  These and similar things are what are signified by those on the right hand so answering; and as the evil also do the like things in outward form, therefore they who were on the left made nearly the same answer.

AC 5067. As therefore the Lord cares not for external but for internal things, and as man testifies to his internal things, not by worship only, but by charity and its acts, the Lord answered:--Verily I say to you, In so far as ye did it to one of the least of these My brethren, ye did it to Me; those are called “brethren” who are in the good of charity and of life; for the Lord is with them, because they are in good itself; and it is they who are properly meant by the neighbor. In these also the Lord does not manifest Himself, for in respect to Him they are vile; but the man manifests himself before the Lord, in that he worships Him from within.

AC 5068. That the Lord calls Himself “King”--in these words:--When the Son of man shall come in His glory, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory, then shall the King say unto them; is because the Lord’s royalty is the Divine truth, from which and according to which judgment is effected.  But from and according to it the good are judged in one way, and the evil in another.  The good, because they have received Divine truth, are judged from good, and thus from mercy; the evil, because they have not received Divine truth, are judged from truth, and thus not from mercy; for this they have rejected, and hence they continue to reject it in the other life.  To receive Divine truth is not only to have faith, but also to practise it, that is, to cause that which is of doctrine to become of the life.  It is from this that the Lord calls Himself “King.” The Lord‘s royalty is the Divine truth, (n. 1728, 2015, 3009, 3670, 4581, 4966),

AC 5069. That they on the right hand are called “the righteous:--Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, etc.,  and,  The righteous shall go into eternal life; signifies that they are in the Lord’s righteousness.  All who are in the good of charity are called the ”righteous“--not that they are righteous from themselves, but from the Lord, whose righteousness is appropriated to them. They who believe themselves righteous from themselves, or made so righteous that there is no longer anything of evil in them, are not among the righteous, but among the unrighteous; for they attribute good to themselves, and also feel self-merit on account of it, and such can never adore the Lord from true humiliation; so that those who in the Word are called the ”righteous,“ and the ”saints,“ are those who know and acknowledge that all good is from the Lord, and that all evil is from themselves that is, is theirs from hell.

AC 5070. The ”eternal life“ which is given to the righteous, is life from good. Good has life in itself, because it is from the Lord, who is life itself.  In the life which is from the Lord there are wisdom and intelligence; for to receive good from the Lord and thence to will good, is wisdom; and to receive truth from the Lord and thence to believe truth, is intelligence; and they who have this wisdom and intelligence have life; and as happiness is joined to such life, eternal happiness also is signified by ”life.“ The contrary is the case with those who are in evil.  These do indeed appear--especially to themselves--as if they had life, but it is such life as in the Word is called ”death,“ and also is spiritual death; for they are not wise in any good, nor intelligent in any truth.  This may be seen by everyone who takes the matter into consideration, for as there is life in good and in its truth, there cannot be life in evil and in its falsity, because these are opposite and extinguish life.  Therefore the persons in question have no other life than such as belongs to the insane.

AC 5071. That they on the left hand are called ”cursed,“ and their punishment ”eternal fire,“ as where it is said:--Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me ye cursed into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels; and,  These shall go away into eternal punishment; is because they have averted themselves from good and truth, and have turned to evil and falsity. A ”curse,“ in the internal sense of the Word, signifies a turning away (n. 245, 379, 1423, 3530, 3584). The ”eternal fire“ into which they must depart is not natural fire, nor is it torment of conscience, but is concupiscence of evil; for the concupiscences in man are spiritual fires which consume him in the life of the body, and torment him in the other life.  By these fires the infernals torture one another in direful ways.

[2] That ”eternal fire“ is not natural fire, is evident.  That it is not torment of conscience, is because all who are in evil have no conscience, and they who have had none in the life of the body cannot have any in the other life. But that it is concupiscence is because all vital fire is from the loves in man--heavenly fire from the love of good and truth, and infernal fire from the love of evil and falsity,--or what is the same, heavenly fire is from love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor, and infernal fire is from the love of self and the love of the world.  That all the fire or heat within man is from this source, anyone may know if he pays attention to the matter.  It is for this reason also that love is called spiritual heat, and that by ”fire“ and ”heat“ in the Word nothing else is signified (n. 934, 1297, 1527, 1528, 1861, 2446, 4906). The vital fire in the evil is such that when they are in the vehemence of their concupiscences, they are also in a kind of fire, from which they are in the ardor and fury of tormenting others; but the vital fire in the good is such that when in a high degree of affection, they also are in a kind of fire, but from it they are in the love and zeal of benefiting others.

1. And it came to pass after these words that they sinned, the butler of the king of Egypt and the baker, to their lord the king of Egypt.

2. And Pharaoh was wroth over his two courtministers, over the prince of the butlers, and over the prince of the bakers.

3. And he put them into the custody of the house of the prince of the guards, unto the prison house, the place where Joseph was bound.

4. And the prince of the guards set Joseph over them, and he ministered to them; and they were for days in custody.

5. And they dreamed a dream both of them, each his dream in one night, each according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison house.

6. And Joseph came unto them in the morning, and saw them, and behold they were troubled.

7. And he asked Pharaoh‘s courtministers that were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, Wherefore are your faces evil today?

8. And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream and there is no interpreter of it.  And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell it me, I pray.

9. And the prince of the butlers told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream behold a vine was before me.

10. And in the vine were three shoots, and it was as though it budded, its blossom went up, and the clusters thereof ripened grapes.

11. And Pharaoh‘s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup upon the palm of Pharaoh.

12. And Joseph said to him, This is the interpretation of it; the three shoots three days are these.

13. In yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head, and shall bring thee back upon thy station, and thou shalt give Pharaoh‘s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.

14. But remember me with thee when it is well with thee, and do mercy I pray with me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house.

15. For being carried off by theft I was carried away out of the land of the Hebrews; and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the pit.

16. And the prince of the bakers saw that he had interpreted good, and he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and behold three baskets with holes in them upon my head.

17. And in the uppermost basket there was of all food for Pharaoh, the work of the baker; and the bird did eat them out of the basket from upon my head.

18. And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof.  The three baskets three days are these.

19. In yet three days shall Pharaoh lift off thy head from upon thee, and shall hang thee upon wood; and the bird shall eat thy flesh from upon thee.

20. And it came to pass on the third day, on Pharaoh’s birthday, and he made a feast unto all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the prince of the butlers and the head of the prince of the bakers in the midst of his servants.

21. And he brought back the prince of the butlers upon his butlership; and he gave the cup upon Pharaoh‘s palm.

22. And he hanged the prince of the bakers; as Joseph interpreted to them.

23. And the prince of the butlers did not remember Joseph, and he forgot him.

AC 5072. In the internal sense of this chapter the subject is continued of a state of temptations, by which even bodily things might be brought into correspondence.  Bodily things properly so called are sensuous things,  which are of two kinds, some being subordinate to the intellectual part, and some to the will part.  Those which are subordinate to the intellectual part are represented by the butler of the king of Egypt, and those which are subordinate to the will part are represented by his baker; that the former are for a time retained, but the latter cast out, is represented by the butler returning to his place, and the baker being hanged.  The rest will be plain from the series in the internal sense.

AC 5073. Verses 1-4. And it came to pass after these words that they sinned, the butler of the king of Egypt and the baker, to their lord the king of Egypt.  And Pharaoh was wroth over his two courtministers, over the prince of the butlers, and over the prince of the baker’s. And he put them into the custody of the house of the prince of the guards, unto the prison house, the place where Joseph was bound.  And the prince of the guards set Joseph over them, and he ministered unto them; and they were for days in custody.  ”And it came to pass,“ signifies a new state, and the things which follow; ”after these words,“ signifies after the things which precede; ”that they sinned,“ signifies inverted order; ”the butler of the king of Egypt,“ signifies in those things in the body which are subject to the intellectual part; ”and the baker,“ signifies in those things in the body which are subject to the will part; ”to their lord the king of Egypt,“ signifies that they were contrary to the new state of the natural man; ”and Pharaoh was wroth,“ signifies that the new natural man averted itself; ”over his two courtministers,“ signifies from the sensuous things of the body of both kinds; ”over the prince of the butlers, and over the prince of the bakers,“ signifies in general from the sensuous things subordinate to the intellectual part and to the will part; ”and he put them into the custody,“ signifies rejection; ”of the house of the prince of the guards,“ signifies by those things which are primary for interpretation; ”unto the prison house,“ signifies among falsities; ”the place where Joseph was bound,“ signifies the state of the celestial of the natural now as to these things; ”and the prince of the guards set Joseph over them,“ signifies that the celestial of the natural taught them from things primary for interpretation; ”and he ministered to them,“ signifies that he instructed them; ”and they were for days in custody,“ signifies that they were long in a state of rejection.

AC 5074. And it came to pass.  That this signifies a new state and the things which follow, is evident from the fact that the expression ”it came to pass,“ or ”it was,“ in the Word, involves a new state (n. 4979, 4999); and that in the original language it serves as a mark of distinction between the series of things which precede and those which follow (n. 4987); hence it also signifies the things which follow.

AC 5075. After these words.  That this signifies after the things which precede, is evident from the signification of ”words,“ in the original language, as being things; here therefore ”after these words“ means after these things, thus after the things which precede.  That ”words,“ in the original language signify things also, is because ”words,“ in the internal sense signify truths of doctrine; and therefore all Divine truth in general is called the ”Word,“ and the Lord Himself, from whom comes all Divine truth, is in the supreme sense the ”Word“ (n. 1288).  And because nothing that exists in the universe is anything, that is, is a real thing, unless it is from Divine good by Divine truth, therefore ”words“ in the Hebrew language mean things also.  That nothing in the universe is anything, that is, a real thing, unless it is from Divine good by Divine truth, that is, by the ”Word,“ is plain in John:--

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made (John 1:1, 3).

[2] The interior significations of expressions for the most part originate in the interior man, which is among spirits and angels; for every man as to his spirit, or as to that very man which lives after the decease of the body, is in company with angels and spirits, although the external man is not aware of this; and because he is in company with them, he is also with them in the universal language, and thus in the origins of words. Hence there are imparted to words many significations which in the external form appear out of agreement, although in the internal form they are entirely in agreement--as here, that ”words“ signify things.  It is the same in a host of cases, as that the understanding is called the inward ”sight,“ light being attributed to it; that attention and obedience are called ”hearing“ and ”hearkening;“ that the perception of a thing is called ”smelling;“ and so forth.

AC 5076. That they sinned.  That this signifies inverted order, is evident from the signification of ”sinning,“ as being to act contrary to Divine order: whatever is contrary to this is ”sin.“  Divine order itself is Divine truth from Divine good.  All are in this order who are in truth from good, that is, who are in faith from charity, for truth is of faith, and good is of charity; and they are contrary to this order who are not in truth from good, consequently who are in truth from evil, or in falsity from evil; nothing else is signified by ”sin.“ Here by their ”sinning“ the butler and the baker--is signified that external sensuous things were in inverted order relatively to interior things, so that they did not accord or did not correspond.

AC 5077. The butler of the king of Egypt.  That this signifies in those things in the body which are subject to the intellectual part, is evident from the signification of a ”butler,“ as being that external sensuous, or sensuous of the body, which is subordinate or subject to the intellectual part of the internal man; and from the signification of the ”king of Egypt,“ as being the natural man (n. 5079). As the butler and the baker are treated of in the following verses, and as they signify the external sensuous things which are of the body, something must first be said about these sensuous things.  It is known that the external or bodily senses are five, namely, sight, hearing, smelling, taste, and touch, and that these constitute all the life of the body; for without these senses the body does not live at all, and therefore when deprived of them it dies and becomes a corpse; so that the very bodily part of man is nothing else than a receptacle of sensations, and consequently of the life from them.  The sensitive is the principal, and the bodily is the instrumental.  The instrumental without its principal to which it is adapted cannot even be called that bodily with which man is invested during his life in the world; but only the instrumental together with the principal, when they act as one.  This therefore is the bodily part.

[2] All the external sensuous things of man bear relation to his internal sensuous things, for they are given to man and placed in his body in order that they may serve the internal man while it is in the world, and be subject to its sensuous things; and therefore when a man‘s external sensuous things begin to rule over his internal sensuous things, the man is lost; for then the internal sensuous things are considered to be mere servants, to serve for confirming those things which the external sensuous things command with authority. When the external sensuous things are in this state, they are in the inverted order spoken of just above (n. 5076).

[3] As before said, the external sensuous things of man bear relation to his internal sensuous things; in general, to his intellectual part and to his will part; there are therefore external sensuous things which are subject or subordinate to his intellectual part, and there are those which are subject to his will part.  That sensuous which is especially subject to the intellectual part is the sight; that which is subject to the intellectual part and secondarily to the will part is the hearing; that which is subject to both together is the sense of smell, and still more the taste; but that which is subject to the will part is the touch. That the external sensuous things are subject to these parts, and in what manner, might be abundantly shown; but to enter upon the investigation of this now would lead us too far afield; yet the facts may in some measure be known from what has been shown concerning the correspondence of these senses, at the end of the preceding chapters.

[4] And he it known further that all the truths which are said to be of faith pertain to the intellectual part; and that all the goods which are of love and charity are of the will part.  Consequently it belongs to the intellectual part to believe, to acknowledge, to know, and to see truth and also good, but to the will part to be affected with and to love these; and that which man is affected with and loves, is good.  But how the intellect flows into the will, when truth passes into good; and how the will flows into the intellect, when it acts upon it, are matters of still deeper investigation, concerning which, of the Lord’s Divine mercy more will be said below as occasion offers.

[5] The reason why a ”butler“ signifies that sensuous which is subject or subordinate to the intellectual part of the internal man, is that everything which serves for drinking, or which is drunk--as wine, milk, water--bears relation to truth, which is of the intellectual part, thus bears relation to the intellectual part; and because it is an external sensuous, or sensuous of the body, that subserves, therefore by a ”butler“ is signified this sensuous, or this part of the sensuous things. ”To give to drink“ and ”to drink“ are in general predicated of the truths which are of the intellectual part, (n. 3069, 3071, 3168, 3772, 4017, 4018); and specifically they are predicated of the truth which is from good, or of the faith which is from charity, (n. 1071, 1798); and ”water“ is truth, (n. 680, 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976). From all this it may now be seen what is signified by a ”butler.“

AC 5078. And the baker.  That this signifies in those things the body which are subject to the will part, is evident from the signification of a ”baker,“ as being that external sensuous, or sensuous of the body, which is subordinate or subject to the will part of the internal man.  A ”baker“ has this signification because everything that serves for food, or that is eaten, such as bread, food in general, and all the work of the baker, is predicated of good, and therefore bears relation to the will part; for all good is of this part, just as all truth is of the intellectual part (n. 5077). ”Bread“ is the celestial, or good, (n. 1798, 2165, 2177, 3478, 3735, 3813, 4211, 4217, 4735, 4976),

[2] The reason why here and in the following verses of this chapter the external sensuous things of both kinds are treated of in the internal sense is that in the previous chapter the subject treated of was the Lord, and how He glorified or made Divine the interiors of His natural; here therefore the subject treated of is the Lord, and how He glorified or made Divine the exteriors of His natural.  The exteriors of the natural are what are properly called the bodily things, or the sensuous things of both kinds together with their recipient organs, for these together constitute what is called the body (n. 5077). The Lord made the very bodily in Himself Divine, both its sensuous things and their recipient organs; and He therefore rose again from the sepulchre with His body, and likewise after His resurrection said to the disciples:--

Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; feel Me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have (Luke 24:39).

[3] Most of those who are of the church at this day believe that everyone is to rise again at the last day, and with his body; which opinion is so universal that from doctrine scarcely anyone believes otherwise.  But this opinion has prevailed because the natural man supposes that it is only the body that lives; and therefore unless he believed that the body would receive life again, he would deny the resurrection altogether.  But the truth of the matter is this.  Man rises again immediately after death, and he then appears to himself in a body just as in this world, with a similar face, members, arms, hands, feet, breast, belly, and loins; so that when be sees and touches himself, he says that he is a man as in the world.  Nevertheless what he sees and touches is not his external which he carried about in the world, but it is the internal which constitutes that very human which is alive, and which had an external about it, or outside of every part of it, by which it could be in the world and be adapted for acting and performing its functions there.

[4] The earthly bodily part is no longer of any use to him, he being in another world where are other functions, and other powers and abilities, to which the nature of his body there is adapted.  This body he sees with his eyes, not those which he had in the world, but those which he has there, which are the eyes of his internal man and by which through the eyes of the body he had before seen worldly and earthly things.  This body he also feels with the touch, not with the hands or the sense of touch which he enjoyed in the world, but with the hands and the sense of touch which he enjoys there, which is that from which his sense of touch in the world came forth. Moreover every sense is more exquisite and more perfect there, because it is the sense of the internal of man freed from the external; for the internal is in a more perfect state, because it gives to the external the power of sensation; but when it acts into the external, as is the case in the world, sensation is dulled and obscured.  Moreover it is the internal which is sensible of the internal, and the external which is sensible of the external. Thus it is that men after death see one another, and are in company together according to their interiors.  In order that I might be certain in regard to this matter, it has been given me to touch the spirits themselves, and often to converse with them about it (n. 322, 1630, 4622).

[5] Men after death who are then called spirits, and if they have lived in good, angels, marvel exceedingly that the man of the church believes that he is not to see eternal life until the last day when the world shall perish, and that he is then to be clothed again with the cast off dust; when yet the man of the church knows that he rises again after death; for when a man dies, who does not then say that his soul or spirit is in heaven or else in hell? and who does not say of his children who have died that they are in heaven? and who does not comfort a sick person, or one appointed to die, by the assurance that he will shortly come into the other life? and he who is in the agony of death and is prepared, believes no otherwise; nay, from this belief many also claim for themselves the power of delivering others from places of damnation, and of admitting them into heaven, while saying masses on their behalf.  Who does not know what the Lord said to the thief ”Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise“ (Luke 23:43)? and what He said of the rich man and Lazarus, that the former was carried into hell, but the latter borne by the angels into heaven (Luke 16:22, 23)? And who does not know what the Lord taught concerning the resurrection, that ”He is not the God of the dead, but of the living“ (Luke 20:38)?

[6] A man knows these things, and so thinks and speaks when he thinks and speaks from his spirit; but when he thinks and speaks from his doctrine, he says very differently--that he is not to rise again till the last day; when yet the last day to everyone is when he dies, and then also is his judgment, as indeed many say. What is meant by ”being encompassed with skin, and from the flesh seeing God“ (Job 19:25, 26), may be seen above (n. 3540).  These things are said in order that it may be known that no man rises again in the body with which he was clothed in the world; but that the Lord alone so rose, and this because He glorified His body, or made it Divine, while He was in the world.

AC 5079. Against their lord the king of Egypt.  That this signifies that they--namely, the external sensuous things, or those of the body, signified by ”the butler and the baker“--were contrary to the new state of the natural man, is evident from the signification of the ”king of Egypt,“ as being memory-knowledge in general (n. 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 4749, 4964, 4966). For the same is signified by the ”king of Egypt“ as by ”Egypt,“ the king being the head of the nation; and it is the same in other passages also where mention is made of the ”king“ of any nation (n. 4789).  As memory-knowledge in general is signified by the ”king of Egypt,“ the natural man is also signified thereby, because all memory-knowledge is the truth of the natural man (n. 4967): the good itself of the natural man is signified by ”lord“ (n. 4973). That a new state of the natural man is here signified, is because in the preceding chapter there was described the making new of the interiors of the natural, and in the supreme sense, which relates to the Lord, that they were glorified; but the subject here treated of is the exteriors of the natural, which were to be reduced to harmony or correspondence with the interiors. Those interiors of the natural which were new, or what is the same thing the new state of the natural man, is what is signified by ”their lord the king of Egypt;“ and the exteriors which were not reduced into order, and hence were contrary to order, are what are signified by ”the butler and the baker.“

[2] There are interiors and there are exteriors of the natural, the interiors of the natural being memory-knowledges and the affections of them, while its exteriors are the sensuous things of both kinds, spoken of above (n. 5077).  When a man dies he leaves behind him these exteriors of the natural, but carries with him into the other life the interiors of the natural, where they serve as a plane for things spiritual and celestial. For when a man dies he loses nothing except his bones and flesh; he has with him the memory of all that he had done, spoken, or thought, and he has with him all his natural affections and desires, thus all the interiors of the natural. Of its exteriors he has no need; for he does not see, nor hear, nor smell, nor taste, nor touch, what is in this world, but only such things as are in the other life, which indeed look for the most part like those which are in this world; but still are not like them, for they have in them what is living, which those things which properly belong to the natural world have not.  For all and each of the things in the other life come forth and subsist from the sun there, which is the Lord, whence they have in them what is living; whereas all and each of the things in the natural world come forth and subsist from its sun, which is elementary fire, and hence have not in them what is living. What appears living in them is from no other source than the spiritual world, that is, through the spiritual world from the Lord.

AC 5080. And Pharaoh was wroth.  That this signifies that the new natural man averted itself, is evident from the representation of Pharaoh, or the king of Egypt, as being the new natural man, or the new state of the natural man (n. 5079); and from the signification of ”being wroth or angry,“ as being to avert itself (n. 5034); here therefore it signifies that the interior natural, which was made new, averted itself from the exterior natural or bodily sensuous part, because this did not correspond with it.

AC 5081. Against his two courtministers.  That this signifies that it averted itself from the sensuous things of the body, of both kinds, is evident from the signification of ”courtministers,“ who here are the butler and the baker, as being the sensuous things of both kinds (n. 5077, 5078). The sensuous things of the body, namely, the sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, are as it were ministers of the court relatively to the interior man, who is their lord the king; for they minister to him, so that from the things in the visible world and in human society he may come into the teachings of experience, and may in this way acquire intelligence and wisdom.  For man is not born into any knowledge, still less into any intelligence or wisdom, but only into the capability of receiving and becoming imbued with them. This is effected in two ways, namely, by an internal way, and by an external way. By the internal way flows in what is Divine, by the external way flows in what is of the world.  These meet within man, and then in so far as he suffers himself to be enlightened by what is Divine, he comes into wisdom. The things which flow in by the external way, flow in through the sensuous things of the body; although they never flow in of themselves, but are called forth by the internal man to serve as a plane for the celestial and spiritual things which flow in by the internal way from the Divine.  From this it is evident that the sensuous things of the body are like the ministers of a court.  In general, all exterior things are ministers relatively to interior things. Relatively to the spiritual man the whole natural man is nothing else.

[2] In the original language the term here used means a minister, courtier, chamberlain, or eunuch; in the internal sense it signifies, as here, the natural man as to good and truth, but specifically the natural man as to good; as in Isaiah:--

Let not the son of the stranger, that cleaveth to Jehovah, speak, saying, Jehovah will surely separate me from His people; neither let the eunuch say, Behold I am dry wood. For thus hath said Jehovah to the eunuchs that keep My sabbaths, and choose that wherewith I am delighted, and are holding My covenant; I will give them in My house and within My walls a place and a name, a good better than sons and daughters; I will give them a name of eternity that shall not be cut off (Isa. 56:3-5);

here a ”eunuch“ denotes the natural man as to good, and the ”son of the stranger“ the natural man as to truth; for the church of the Lord is external and internal, and they who are of the external church are natural, while they who are of the internal church are spiritual.  They who are natural, and yet are in good, are ”eunuchs,“ and they who are in truth are the ”sons of the stranger;“ and as the truly spiritual or internal are to be found only within the church, therefore also by the ”sons of the stranger“ are signified those who are outside the church, or the Gentiles, and yet are in truth according to their religiosity (n. 2049, 2593, 2599, 2600, 2602, 2603, 2861, 2863, 3263); and by ”eunuchs,“ those who are in good.

AC 5082. Over the prince of the butlers, and over the prince of the bakers.  That this signifies in general from the sensuous things subordinate to the intellectual part and to the will part, is evident from the signification of a ”butler,“ as being the sensuous subordinate and subject to the intellectual part (n. 5077); and from the signification of a ”baker,“ as being the sensuous subordinate and subject to the will part (n. 5078); and from the signification of a ”prince,“ as being what is primary (n. 1482, 2089, 5044), here in general or in common; for what is primary is also common, because it rules in the rest; for particulars hear relation to primaries as to generals, in order that they may make a one and that no contradiction should appear.

AC 5083. And he put them into the custody.  That this signifies rejection, is evident from the signification of ”putting into custody,“ as being rejection; for he who is put into custody is rejected.

AC 5084. Of the house of the prince of the guards.  That this signifies by those things which are primary for interpretation, is evident from the signification of the ”prince of the guards,“ as being what is primary for interpretation (n. 4790, 4966). Here therefore the signification is that the sensuous things of both kinds were rejected by the things primary for interpretation, namely those which are of the Word as to the internal sense; and these sensuous things are said to be rejected when they have no faith in such things; for sensuous things and those which by their means enter immediately into the thought, are fallacious, and all the fallacies which prevail in man are from this source.  It is from these that few believe the truths of faith, and that the natural man is opposed to the spiritual, that is, the external man to the internal; and therefore if the natural or external man begins to rule over the spiritual or internal man, the things of faith are no longer believed; for fallacies overshadow and cupidities suffocate them.

[2] As few know what the fallacies of the senses are, and few believe that they induce so great a shade on rational things, and most of all on the spiritual things of faith, even so as to extinguish them, especially when the man is at the same time in the delight of the cupidities from the love of self and the love of the world, the subject may be illustrated by examples, showing first what are the fallacies of the senses which are merely natural, or in those things which are in nature, and then what are the fallacies of the senses in spiritual things. 1. It is a fallacy of merely natural sense, or that which is in nature, to believe that the sun revolves once each day around this earth, and also the sky with all the stars; and although it is said that it is incredible--because impossible--that so great an ocean of fire as is the sun, and not only the sun but also innumerable stars, should revolve around the earth once every day without any change of place relatively to one another, and although it is added that it may be seen from the planets that the earth performs a daily and annual motion by rotation and revolution, the planets also being earths, some of them with moons revolving around them, and making--as is known by observation--daily and annual motions like our earth nevertheless with very many persons the fallacy of sense prevails, that it is as it appears to the eye.

[3] 2. It is a fallacy of merely natural sense, or that which is in nature, that there is only a single atmosphere, and that this is merely successively purer from one portion to another, and that where it ceases there is a vacuum.  When only the external sensuous of man is consulted, it apprehends no otherwise.  3. It is a fallacy of merely natural sense, that from the first creation there has been impressed on seeds a property of growing up into trees and flowers, and of reproducing themselves, and that from this is the coming into existence and subsistence of all things.  And if it is urged that it is not possible for anything to subsist unless it perpetually comes into existence, according to the law that subsistence is a perpetual coming into existence, and also that everything not connected with something prior to itself falls into nothing, still the sensuous of the body and the thought from this sensuous does not apprehend it, nor that each and all things subsist in the same way that they came into existence, by influx from the spiritual world, that is to say through the spiritual world from the Divine.

[4] 4. Hence it is a fallacy of merely natural sense that there are simple substances, which are monads and atoms; for whatever is within the range of the external sensuous, the natural man believes to be a simple substance, or else nothing. 5. It is a fallacy of merely natural sense that all things are of nature and from nature, and that there indeed is something in purer or interior nature which is not apprehended; but if it is said that within or above nature there is what is spiritual and celestial, this is rejected; and it is believed that if it is not natural, it is nothing.  6. It is a fallacy of sense that only the body lives, and that its life perishes when it dies.  The sensuous does not at all apprehend that the internal man is in every particular of the external man, and that the internal man is within nature, and in the spiritual world; hence it does not believe, because it does not apprehend, that the internal man will live after death unless it is again clothed with the body (n. 5078, 5079).

[5] 7. Hence it is a fallacy of sense that man cannot live after death any more than the beasts, because these also have a life similar in many respects to that of man, man being only a more perfect animal. The sensuous, that is, the man who thinks and draws conclusions therefrom, does not apprehend that man is above the beasts and has a higher life, because he can thing not only about the causes of things, but also about the Divine, and can by faith and love be conjoined with the Divine, and also receive influx therefrom and make it his own, thus that as there is reciprocity in man there is also reception, as is by no means the case with beasts.

[6] 8. It is a fallacy thence derived that the very living part of man, which is called the soul, is merely something ethereal, or flamy, which is dissipated when the man dies; and that it resides in the heart, or in the brain, or in some part of this, and from thence rules the body as if this were a machine.  That the internal man is in every part of the external man, and that the eye does not see from itself, nor the ear hear from itself, but from the internal man, the sensuous man does not apprehend.  9. It is a fallacy of sense that light, and also heat, can come from no other source than the sun or elementary fire. That there is light in which is intelligence, and heat in which is heavenly love, and that all the angels are in this light and heat, the sensuous does not apprehend.  10. It is a fallacy of sense that man believes that he lives of himself, or that life has been imparted to him; for so it appears to the sensuous mind.  That it is the Divine alone which has life of itself, and thus that there is only one life, and that the lives in the world are only recipient forms, the sensuous mind does not at all apprehend (n. 1954, 2706, 2886-2889, 2893, 3001, 3318, 3337, 3338, 3484, 3742, 3743, 4151, 4249, 4318-4320, 4417, 4523, 4524, 4882).

[7] 11. The sensuous man believes from fallacy that adulteries are allowable; for from the sensuous he concludes that marriages are instituted merely in behalf of order for the sake of the education of the offspring; and that so long as this order is not destroyed, it is immaterial from whom the offspring comes; and also that what is of marriage differs from lasciviousness merely in its being allowed; thus also that it would not be contrary to order to marry more than one wife, if it were not forbidden by the Christian world from Holy Scripture.  If they are told that there is a correspondence between the heavenly marriage and marriages on earth, and that no one can have in himself anything of marriage unless he is in spiritual truth and good, also that genuine marriage cannot possibly exist between a husband and several wives, and hence that marriages are in themselves holy, these things are rejected by the sensuous man as of no account. 12. It is a fallacy of sense that the Lord‘s kingdom, or heaven, resembles an earthly kingdom in respect that the joy and happiness there consist in one being greater than another, and hence having more glory than another; for the sensuous does not at all comprehend what is meant by the least being greatest, or the last first.  If they are told that joy in heaven or to the angels consists in serving others by benefiting them, without any thought of merit or recompense, this strikes them as something sad.  13. It is a fallacy of sense that good works merit reward, and that to benefit anyone for the sake of self is a good work. 14. It is also a fallacy of sense that man is saved by faith alone, and that faith can exist in one who has no charity, and also that it is the faith, and not the life, that remains after death.  In like manner in very many other instances.  When therefore what is sensuous rules in man, the rational enlightened from the Divine sees nothing and is in thick darkness, and it is then believed that everything is rational which is concluded from what is sensuous.

AC 5085. Unto the prison house.  That this signifies among falsities, is evident from the signification of a ”prison house,“ as being the vastation of falsity, and hence falsity (n. 4958, 5037, 5038).

AC 5086. The place where Joseph was bound.  That this signifies the state of the celestial of the natural now as to these things, is evident from the signification of ”place,“ as being state (n. 2625, 2837, 3356, 3387, 4321, 4882); from the representation of Joseph, as being the celestial of the spiritual from the rational (n. 4286, 4585, 4592, 4594, 4963), here the celestial of the natural, because now in the natural from which are temptations (n. 5035, 5039); and from the signification of ”being bound,“ as being a state of temptations (n. 5037).  In the foregoing chapter the subject treated of is the state of temptations of the celestial of the spiritual in the natural as to those things which were of the interior natural, and here as to those things which are of the exterior natural.

AC 5087. And the prince of the guards set Joseph over them. That this signifies that the celestial of the natural taught them from things primary for interpretation, is evident from the signification of the ”prince of the guards,“ as being things primary for interpretation (n. 4790, 4966, 5084); from the representation of Joseph, as being the celestial of the natural (n. 5086); and from the signification of ”to be set over,“ as here being to teach; for he who for the purpose of exploration or amendment is set over those things which are being rejected, performs the office of a teacher.

AC 5088. And he ministered to them.  That this signifies that he instructed them, is evident from the signification of ”ministering,“ as being to instruct.  That ”ministering“ does not here mean ministering as a servant, is evident from the fact that Joseph was set over them, and therefore ”to minister“ here denotes to furnish the things which would be of benefit to them; and because the subject here treated of is the new natural or external sensuous, by ”being set over“ is signified to teach, and by ”ministering“ is signified to instruct.  ”To be set over“ is predicated of the good which is of life; and to ”minister“ of the truth which is of doctrine (n. 4976).

AC 5089. And they were for days in custody.  That this signifies that they were long in a state of rejection, is evident from the signification of ”days,“ as being states (n. 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850); here therefore ”for days“ means that they were long in the state of rejection which is signified by ”custody“ (n. 5083).  The particulars which are contained in the internal sense cannot be here set forth more fully, because they are of such a nature that no idea can be formed of them from the things in this world; as for instance of the celestial of the spiritual man, and of its state in the natural when the interior natural is being made new, and afterward, when it has been made new and the exterior natural is rejected.  But of these and similar things an idea may be formed from the things in heaven, which idea is such that it does not fall into any idea formed from the things in this world, except with those who while in thought can be withdrawn from sensuous things.

[2] Unless man’s thought can be elevated above sensuous things, so that these are seen as below him, he cannot understand any interior thing in the Word, still less such things as are of heaven abstracted from those which are of the world; for sensuous things absorb and suffocate them.  It is for this reason that those who are sensuous and have zealously devoted themselves to getting knowledges, rarely apprehend anything of the things of heaven; for they have immersed their thoughts in such things as are of the world, that is, in terms and distinctions drawn from these, thus in sensuous things, from which they can no longer be elevated and thus kept in a point of view above them; thus neither can their thought he any longer freely extended over the whole field of the things of the memory, so as to select what agrees and reject what is in opposition, and apply whatever is in connection; for as already said their thought is kept closed and immersed in terms, and thus in sensuous things, so that it cannot look around. This is the reason why the learned believe less than the simple, and are even less wise in heavenly things; for the simple can look at a thing above terms and above mere knowledges, thus above sensuous things; whereas the learned cannot do so, but look at everything from terms and knowledges, their mind being fixed in these things, and thus bound as in jail or in prison.

AC 5090. Verses 5-8. And they dreamed a dream both of them, each his dream in one night, each according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison house.  And Joseph came unto them in the morning, and saw them, and behold they were troubled.  And he asked Pharaoh‘s courtministers that were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, Wherefore are your faces evil to-day?  And they said unto him, we have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell it me, I pray.  ”And they dreamed a dream both of them,“ signifies foresight concerning them; ”each his dream in one night,“ signifies concerning the event which to them was in obscurity; ”each according to the interpretation of his dream,“ signifies which they had in themselves; ”the butler and the baker,“ signifies concerning the sensuous things of both kinds; ”of the king of Egypt,“ signifies which were subordinate to the interior natural; ”who were bound in the prison house,“ signifies which were among falsities; ”and Joseph came unto them in the morning,“ signifies revealed and clear to the celestial of the natural; ”and saw them,“ signifies perception; ”and behold they were troubled,“ signifies that they were in a sad state; ”and he asked Pharaoh‘s courtministers,“ signifies the sensuous things in question; ”that were with him in the custody of his lord’s house,“ signifies which were rejected; ”saying, Wherefore are your faces evil today?“ signifies from what affection was this sadness; ”and they said unto him,“ signifies perception concerning these things; ”We have dreamed a dream,“ signifies prediction; ”and there is no interpreter of it,“ signifies that no one knows what is in them; ”and Joseph said unto them,“ signifies the celestial of the natural; ”Do not interpretations belong to God?“ signifies that the Divine is in these things; ”tell it me, I pray,“ signifies that it should be known.

AC 5091. And they dreamed a dream both of them.  That this signifies foresight concerning them, is evident from the signification of a ”dream,“ as being foresight (n. 3698); ”both of them,“ denotes the sensuous things of both kinds signified by ”the butler and the baker.“ That the dreams were concerning these things is plain from the following verses.  That a ”dream“ in the supreme sense denotes foresight, is because dreams which flow in immediately through heaven from the Lord foretell things to come.  Such were the dreams of Joseph, the dreams of the butler and the baker, the dream of Pharaoh, the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, and prophetic dreams in general.  The things to come which are foretold by such dreams are from no other source than the Lord‘s Divine foresight.  Hence also it may be known that all things both in general and in particular are foreseen.

AC 5092. Each his dream in one night.  That this signifies concerning the event which to them was in obscurity, is evident from the signification of a ”dream,“ as being foresight, and hence prediction, and because it signifies prediction, it also signifies the event, for prediction is concerning the event; and from the signification of ”night,“ as being obscurity. ”Night“ in the spiritual sense signifies a state of shade brought on by falsity from evil (n. 1712, 2353), thus also obscurity, namely, of the mind.  The obscurity of night in the world is natural obscurity; but the obscurity of night in the other life is spiritual obscurity. The former arises from the absence of the sun of this world and the deprivation of light therefrom, but the latter from the absence of the sun of heaven which is the Lord, and the deprivation of light (that is, of intelligence) therefrom.  This deprivation does not arise from the sun of heaven setting, like the sun of the world, but from a man or spirit being in falsity from evil, and removing himself, and thus bringing obscurity upon himself. from the mere idea of night and its obscurity in both senses, it is evident how the spiritual sense stands relatively to the natural sense of this same thing.  Moreover spiritual obscurity is threefold, one kind being from the falsity of evil, the second from ignorance of truth, and the third is that of exterior things relatively to interior things, thus of the sensuous things of the external man relatively to the rational things of the internal man.  All these kinds of obscurity however, arise from the fact that the light of heaven (or intelligence and wisdom from the Lord) is not received; for this light is continually flowing in, but it is rejected, suffocated, or perverted by the falsity of evil; is but little received by ignorance of truth; and is dulled by being made general by the sensuous things of the external man.

AC 5093. Each according to the interpretation of his dream. That this signifies which they had in themselves (namely, the event), is evident from the signification of the ”interpretation of a dream,“ as being the unfolding of it, and hence the knowledge of the event, thus the event which they had in themselves.  That a ”dream“ denotes the event may be seen just above (n. 5092).

AC 5094. The butler and the baker.  That this signifies concerning the sensuous things of both kinds, is evident from the signification of a ”butler,“ as being the sensuous subordinate to the intellectual part (n. 5077); and from the signification of a ”baker,“ as being the sensuous subordinate to the will part (n. 5078).  That these were rejected by the interior natural has been said above (n. 5083, 5089). Be it known however that it was not the sensuous things themselves--namely, those of the sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch--that were rejected, for from these the body lives; but it was the views or thoughts, and also the affections and desires, from them. Objects from the world enter into the external or natural memory of man through these sensuous things on the one hand, and objects through rational things on the other. These objects separate themselves in his memory.  Those which have entered through rational things take a more interior place, but those which have entered through the sensuous things have a more exterior place; hence as before said the natural becomes twofold, interior and exterior.

[2] The interior natural is what is represented by Pharaoh the king of Egypt, but the exterior natural by the butler and the baker. What the difference is may be seen from their respective views of things, or thoughts, and the conclusions thence derived.  One who thinks and concludes from the interior natural is so far rational as he imbibes what enters through the rational; but one who thinks and concludes from the exterior natural, is so far sensuous as he imbibes what enters from sensuous things.  Such a man is also called a sensuous man, but the other a rational man.  When a man dies he takes with him all the natural; and such as it has been formed with him in the world, such it remains; in so far as he has become imbued with what is from the rational, in so far he is rational; and in so far as he has become imbued with what is from the sensuous, so far he is sensuous.  The difference is that in so far as the natural has drawn and appropriated to itself what is from the rational, so far it looks at as beneath itself the sensuous things of the exterior natural, and in so far it has dominion over them, deeming worthless and rejecting the fallacies thence derived; whereas in so far as the natural has drawn and appropriated to itself anything from the sensuous things of the body, so far it looks at rational things as beneath itself, deeming them worthless and rejecting them.

[3] For example, the rational natural man can comprehend that man does not live from himself, but by an influx of life through heaven from the Lord; but the sensuous man cannot comprehend this, for he says that he plainly feels and perceives that life is in himself, and that it is idle to speak contrary to the evidence of the senses.  As another example: the rational natural man comprehends that there is a heaven and a bell, whereas the sensuous man denies this, because he does not apprehend that there is any purer world than that which he sees with his eyes.  The rational natural man comprehends that there are spirits and angels who are unseen; but the sensuous man does not comprehend this, supposing that to be nothing which he does not see and touch.

[4] As still another example: the rational natural man comprehends that it is the part of an intelligent man to look at ends, and to foresee and to dispose the means to some ultimate end.  When he looks at nature from the order of things, he sees that nature is a complex of means, and he then perceives that a Supreme Being of intelligence has disposed them; but to what ultimate end he does not see unless he becomes spiritual. On the other hand the sensuous man does not comprehend that there can be anything distinct from nature, thus neither that there can be any Entity which is above nature.  What it is to understand, to be wise, to look at ends, and to dispose means, he does not apprehend unless it is called natural; and when it is called natural, he has an idea of these operations like that which an artificer has of an automaton.  From these few instances it may be seen what is meant by the interior natural and the exterior natural, and also what by sensuous things being rejected; namely, not the rejection of the things of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, in the body, but of the conclusions therefrom concerning interior things.

AC 5095. Of the king of Egypt.  That this signifies which were subordinate to the interior natural, is evident from the representation of Pharaoh or the king of Egypt in this chapter, as being a new state of the natural (n. 5079, 5080), consequently the interior natural, for this was made new.  What the interior natural is, and what the exterior, may be seen just above (n. 5094). What is the nature of the internal sense in the historic and prophetic portions of the Word, must be briefly told.  Where several persons are mentioned in the historic senses--as here Joseph, Pharaoh, the prince of the guards, the butler and the baker--in the internal sense they indeed signify various things; but only in one person. The reason is that names signify things, as for instance Joseph here represents the Lord as to the celestial spiritual from the rational and also in the natural, Pharaoh represents Him as to the new state of the natural or as to the interior natural, the butler and the baker represent Him as to those things which are of the exterior natural. Such is the internal sense; and it is the same in other places, as where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are mentioned.  In the sense of the letter these are three persons, but in the supreme sense all three represent the Lord--Abraham the Divine Itself, Isaac the Divine intellectual, and Jacob His Divine natural.  It is the same in the prophets, where sometimes the narration consists of mere names, such as those of persons, kingdoms, or cities, and yet in the internal sense these names together present and describe one thing.  One who is not aware of this may easily be led away by the sense of the letter into thinking of a variety of things, and thus the idea of one thing is dissipated.

AC 5096. Who were bound in the prison house.  That this signifies which were among falsities, is evident from the signification of ”being bound in a prison house,“ as being to be among falsities (n. 4958, 5037, 5038, 5085).  They who are in falsities, and still more they who are in evils, are said to be ”bound,“ and in ”prison“-not that they are in any bond, but for the reason that they are not in freedom, for those who are not in freedom are interiorly bound.  For they who have confirmed themselves in falsity are no longer in any freedom to choose and receive truth; and they who have much confirmed themselves therein are not even in freedom to see truth, still less to acknowledge and believe it; for they are in the persuasion that falsity is truth, and truth falsity.  This persuasion is such that it takes away all freedom to think anything else, and consequently holds the very thought in bonds and as it were in prison.  This has become evident to me from much experience with those in the other life who have been in persuasion of falsity through confirmations in themselves.

[2] They are such as not at all to admit truths, but to reflect or strike them back again, and this with hardness according to the degree of the persuasion, especially when the falsity is from evil, or when evil has persuaded them.  These are they who are meant in the Lord’s parable in Matthew:--

Some seeds fell upon the hard way, and the birds came and devoured them (Matthew 13:4);

the ”seeds“ are Divine truths; the ”hard rock“ is persuasion; the ”birds“ are principles of falsity.  They who are such do not even know that they are in bonds or in prison, for they are affected with their own falsity, and love it for the sake of the evil from which it springs; hence they suppose that they are in freedom, for whatever is of the affection or love appears free.  But they who are not in confirmed falsity--that is, in the persuasion of falsity--easily admit truths, and see and choose them, and are affected with them, and afterward see falsities as it were beneath themselves, and also see how they who are in the persuasion of falsity are bound.  These are in so much freedom that in view and thought they can as it were range through the whole heaven to innumerable truths; but no one can be in this freedom unless he is in good; for from good man is in heaven, and in heaven truths appear from good.

AC 5097. And Joseph came unto them in the morning.  That this signifies revealed and clear to the celestial of the spiritual, is evident from the representation of Joseph, as being the celestial of the spiritual (n. 4286, 4592, 4963); and from the signification of ”morning,“ as being a state of enlightenment, (n. 3458), thus what is revealed and clear. That ”morning“ has this signification is because all times of the day, like all times of the year, signify various states in accordance with the variations of the light of heaven. The variations of the light of heaven are not variations like those of the light of the world every day and every year, but are variations of intelligence and love; for the light of heaven is nothing else than Divine intelligence from the Lord, which is bright before the eyes; and the heat of this light is the Lord‘s Divine love, which is warm to the sense.  It is this light which gives man understanding, and this heat which gives him vital warmth and a will of good.  Morning in heaven is a state of enlightenment as to those things which are of good and truth, which state exists when it is acknowledged, and still more when it is perceived, that good is good and that truth is truth. Perception is internal revelation; hence by the ”morning“ is signified what is revealed; and because then that becomes clear which before was obscure, by ”morning“ is also signified what is clear.

[2] Moreover by ”morning“ is signified in the supreme sense the Lord Himself, for the reason that the Lord is the Sun from which comes all the light in heaven, and He is always in the rising, thus in the morning.  Moreover He is always rising with everyone who receives the truth which is of faith and the good which is of love, but He is setting with everyone who does not receive these-not that the Sun there sets, for as just said He is always in the rising; but that he who does not receive, causes Him as it were to set with himself.  This may be compared in some degree to the changes of the sun of this world in respect to the inhabitants of the earth; for neither does this sun set, since it always remains in its place and is always shining thence; but it appears as if it set, because the earth rotates about its axis once every day, and at the same time removes its inhabitant from the sight of the sun (n. 5084); and therefore the setting is not in the sun, but in the removal of the inhabitant of the earth from its light.  This comparison is illustrative; and because in every part of nature there is something representative of the Lord’s kingdom, it also instructs us that the deprivation of the light of heaven- that is, of intelligence and wisdom-does not take place because the Lord, who is the Sun of intelligence and wisdom, sets with anyone, but because the inhabitant of His kingdom removes himself, that is, suffers himself to be led by the hell by which he is removed.

AC 5098. And saw them.  That this signifies perception, is evident from the signification of ”seeing,“ as being to understand and perceive (n. 2150, 3764, 4567, 4723).

AC 5099. And behold they were troubled.  That this signifies that they were in a sad state, is evident without explication.

AC 5100. And he asked Pharaoh‘s courtministers.  That this signifies the sensuous things in question, is evident from the signification of ”Pharaoh’s courtministers,“ as being the sensuous things of both kinds-those which are subordinate to the intellectual part, and those which are subordinate to the will part (n. 5081).

AC 5101. That were with him in the custody of his lord‘s house. That this signifies which were rejected, is evident from the signification of ”being given into custody,“ thus of ”being in custody,“ as being to be in a state of rejection (n. 5083).

AC 5102. Saying, wherefore are your faces evil today?  That this signifies from what affection was this sadness, is evident from the signification of ”faces,“ as being the interiors (n. 358, 1999, 2434, 3527, 4066, 4796, 4797), thus the affections.  For the interiors of man from which come the thoughts which are also interiors, are the affections; because as these are of his love, they are of his life.  It is known that with those who are in innocence the affections are presented visibly in the face; and as the affections are so presented, so also are the thoughts in general, for these are the forms of the affections.  Hence regarded in itself the face is nothing else than a representative image of the interiors.  To the angels all faces appear thus, and not otherwise; for the angels do not see the faces of men in their material form, but in their spiritual form, that is, in the form which the affections and the derivative thoughts present.  These are what make the very face of man, as may be known from the fact that when the face is deprived of them it is a mere dead thing, and that the face has life from them, and is pleasing according to them The sadness of the affection, or ”from what affection is it,“ is signified by his saying ”Wherefore are your faces evil today?“

AC 5103. And they said unto him.  That this signifies perception concerning these things, is evident from the signification of ”saying“ in the historic parts of the Word, as being perception.

AC 5104. We have dreamed a dream.  That this signifies prediction, is evident from the signification of a ”dream,“ as being foresight, and hence prediction (n. 5091).

AC 5105. And there is no interpreter of it.  That this signifies that no one knows what is in them, is evident from the signification of an ”interpretation,“ as being an unfolding of what there is within (n. 5093), thus of what is in them.

AC 5106. And Joseph said unto them.  That this signifies the celestial of the natural, is evident from the representation of Joseph, as being the celestial of the natural (n. 5086).

AC 5107. Do not interpretations belong to God?  That this signifies that the Divine is in these things, is evident from the signification of an ”interpretation,“ when predicated of dreams, as being that which is in them (n. 5105). The Divine is signified by ”God.“

AC 5108. Tell it me I pray. That this signifies that it should be known, is evident from the signification of ”tell it I pray,“ as involving that it be known; as is plain from the following verses.

AC 5109. Verses 9-13. And the prince of the butlers told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream behold a vine was before me; and in the vine were three shoots, and it was as though it budded, its blossom went up, and the clusters thereof ripened grapes. And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh‘s cup, and I gave the cup upon the palm of Pharaoh. And Joseph said to him, This is the interpretation of it; The three shoots three days are these. In yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head, and shall bring thee back upon thy station, and thou shalt give Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.  ”And the prince of the butlers told his dream to Joseph,“ signifies that the celestial of the spiritual perceived the event concerning those things which were of the sensuous subject to the intellectual part, and which had hitherto been rejected; ”and said to him,“ signifies revelation from perception; ”In my dream,“ signifies prediction; ”behold a vine was before me,“ signifies the intellectual part; ”and in the vine were three shoots,“ signifies the derivations thence even to the last; ”and it was as though it budded,“ signifies the influx by which the rebirth is effected; ”its blossom went up,“ signifies the state near regeneration; ”and the clusters thereof ripened grapes,“ signifies conjunction of spiritual truth with celestial good; ” and Pharaoh‘s cup was in my hand,“ signifies the influx of the interior natural into the exterior, and the beginning of reception; ”and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup,“ signifies reciprocal influx into the goods from a spiritual origin there; ”and I gave the cup upon the palm of Pharaoh,“ signifies appropriation by the interior natural; ”and Joseph said to him, This is the interpretation of it,“ signifies revelation from perception from the celestial in the natural as to what it had in itself; ”the three shoots three days are these,“ signifies continuous derivations down to the last one; ”in yet three days,“ signifies that there would then be a new state; ”shall Pharaoh lift up thy head,“ signifies what is provided, and hence what is concluded; ”and shall bring thee back upon thy station,“ signifies that the things which are of the sensuous subject to the intellectual part would be reduced into order, that they might be in the last place; ”and thou shalt give Pharaoh‘s cup into his hand,“ signifies that thereby they may serve the interior natural; ”after the former manner,“ signifies in accordance with the law of order; ”when thou wast his butler,“ signifies as is usual with sensuous things of this kind.

AC 5110. And the prince of the butlers told his dream to Joseph.  That this signifies that the celestial of the spiritual perceived the event concerning the things of the sensuous subject to the intellectual part and which had hitherto been rejected, is evident from the representation of Joseph, as being the celestial of the spiritual (n. 4286, 4585, 4592, 4594, 4963); and from the signification of a ”dream,“ as being foresight and hence the event (n. 5091, 5092, 5104), thus the event that was foreseen or perceived; and from the signification of the ”prince of the butlers,“ as being the sensuous subject to the intellectual part in general (n. 5077, 5082).  That it was rejected is meant by his being in custody (n. 5083, 5101). From these things it is plain that such is the internal sense of these words.  Moreover that Joseph, by whom is represented the celestial of the spiritual perceived the event, is evident from the verses that follow.

[2] It is said, ”the celestial of the spiritual,“ and thereby is meant the Lord; the same may also be said abstractedly of Him, because He is the celestial itself and the spiritual itself, that is, good itself and truth itself.  As regards man, these cannot indeed be conceived of abstractedly from person, because what is natural is adjoined to everything of his thought; nevertheless, when we consider that everything in the Lord is Divine, and that the Divine is above all thought, and altogether incomprehensible even to the angels, consequently if we then abstract that which is comprehensible, there remains being and coming-forth itself, which is the celestial itself and the spiritual itself, that is, good itself and truth itself.

[3] Nevertheless as man is such that he can have no idea of thought whatever about abstract things unless he adjoins something natural which has entered from the world through the senses (for without some such natural thing his thought perishes as in an abyss and is dissipated), therefore lest what is Divine should perish in man when he is wholly immersed in bodily and earthly things, and with whomsoever it remained it should be defiled by an unclean idea, and together with what is Divine everything celestial and spiritual thence derived should also perish, it pleased Jehovah to present Himself such as He actually is, and such as He appears in heaven, namely, as a Divine Man.  For everything of heaven conspires to the human form, as may be seen from what has been shown at the end of the chapters concerning the correspondence of all things of man with the Grand Man, which is heaven.  This Divine, or this of Jehovah in heaven, is the Lord from eternity.  The same the Lord took also upon Him when He glorified or made Divine the human in Himself, as is very evident from the form in which He appeared before Peter, James, and John, when He was transfigured (Matt. 17:1, 2); and also in which He at times appeared to the prophets.  It is from this that everyone is able to think of the Divine Itself as of a Man, and at the same time of the Lord, in whom is all the Divine, and a perfect Trinity, for in the Lord the Divine Itself is the Father, this Divine in heaven is the Son, and the Divine thence proceeding is the Holy Spirit.  That these are a one, as He Himself teaches, is hence manifest.

AC 5111. And said to him.  That this signifies revelation from perception, is evident from the signification of ”saying“ in the historic parts of the Word, as being perception (n. 1791, 1815, 1819, 1822, 1898, 1919, 2080, 2619, 2862, 3395, 3509), thus also revelation, for this is internal perception, and is from perception.

AC 5112. In my dream.  That this signifies prediction, is evident from the signification of a ”dream,“ as being foresight and prediction therefrom (n. 5091, 5092, 5104).

AC 5113. Behold, a vine was before me.  That this signifies the intellectual part, is evident from the signification of a ”vine,“ as being the intellectual part in the spiritual church, of which hereafter. As by the ”butler“ is signified the sensuous subject to the intellectual part, and as the influx of the intellectual into the sensuous subordinate thereto is here treated of, therefore in the dream there appeared a vine with shoots, blossom, clusters, and grapes, by which is described influx and the rebirth of this sensuous. As regards the intellectual of the spiritual church, be it known that where this church is described in the Word, its intellectual part is everywhere treated of, for the reason that it is the intellectual part which in the man of this church is regenerated and becomes a church.

[2] For there are in general two churches, the celestial and the spiritual. The celestial church is with the man who can be regenerated or become a church as to the will part; and the spiritual church is with the man who, as just said, can be regenerated only as to the intellectual part. The Most Ancient Church, which was before the flood, was celestial, because with those who belonged to it there was some wholeness in the will part; but the Ancient Church, which was after the flood, was spiritual, because with those who belonged to it there was not anything whole in the will part, but only in the intellectual part. For this reason where the spiritual church is treated of in the Word, its intellectual part is chiefly treated of (n. 640, 641, 765, 863, 875, 895, 927, 928, 1023, 1043, 1044, 1555, 2124, 2256, 2669, 4328, 4493). That with those who are of the spiritual church it is the intellectual part that is regenerated, may be seen also from the fact that the man of this church has no perception of truth from good, as had they who were of the celestial church; but must first learn the truth which is of faith, and become imbued with what is intellectual, and thus from truth learn what is good; and after he has thus learned it, he is able to think it, and then to will it, and at last to do it; and then a new will is formed in him by the Lord in the intellectual part. By this new will the spiritual man is elevated by the Lord into heaven, evil still remaining in the will that is proper to him; which will is then miraculously separated, and this by a higher force, whereby he is withheld from evil and kept in good.

[3] But the man of the celestial church was regenerated as to the will part, by being imbued from infancy with the good of charity; and when he had attained to a perception of this, he was led into the perception of love to the Lord, whereby all the truths of faith appeared to him in the intellect as in a mirror.  The understanding and the will made in him a mind wholly one; for by the things in the understanding it was perceived what was in the will.  In this consisted the wholeness of that first ”man“ by whom the celestial church is signified.

[4] That a ”vine“ is the intellectual part of the spiritual church is evident from many other passages in the Word; as in Jeremiah:--

What hast thou to do with the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Shihor? or what hast thou to do with the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river? and yet I had planted thee a wholly noble vine, a seed of truth; how then art thou turned to Me into the degenerate shoots of a strange vine? (Jer. 2:18, 21);

speaking of Israel, by whom is signified the spiritual church (n. 3654, 4286).  ”Egypt“ and ”the waters of Shihor“ denote memory-knowledges which pervert (n. 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462); ”Assyria“ and ”the waters of the river“ denote reasoning from these knowledges against the good of life and the truth of faith (n. 119, 1186); a ”noble vine“ denotes the man of the spiritual church, who is called a ”vine“ from the intellectual part; the ”degenerate shoots of a strange vine“ denote the man of the perverted church.

[5] In Ezekiel:--

A riddle and a parable concerning the house of Israel. A great eagle took of the seed of the land, and placed it in a field of sowing; it budded and became a luxuriant vine of low stature, so that its shoots looked back toward her, and the roots thereof were under her; so it became a vine that made shoots, and sent forth sprigs to the eagle. This vine applied its roots, and sent its shoots toward her, in a good field by many waters. It was planted that it might make a branch, that it might be for a vine of magnificence (Ezek. 17:2, 3, 5-8).

The ”eagle“ denotes the rational (n. 3901); the ”seed of the land“ denotes the truth of the church (n. 1025, 1447, 1610; 1940, 2848, 3038, 3310, 3373); its ”becoming a luxuriant vine“ and a ”vine of magnificence“ denotes becoming a spiritual church, which is called a ”vine“ from the wine thence produced, which signifies spiritual good or the good of charity from whence comes the truth of faith, implanted in the intellectual part.

[6] In the same:--

Thy mother was like a vine, in thy likeness, planted by the waters; a fruitful one, and made full of branches by reason of many waters; whence she had rods of strength for the scepter of them that bear rule; and its stature lifted itself above among the tangled boughs, and appeared in its height in the multitude of shoots (Ezek. 19:10, 11);

also said of Israel, by whom is signified the spiritual church, which is compared to a ”vine“ for a reason like that mentioned just above.  In this passage are described its derivations in the natural man even to the last, namely, to memory-knowledges from the senses, which are the ”tangled boughs“ (n. 2831).

[7] In Hosea:--

I will be as the dew to Israel; his branches shall go, and his honor shall be as the olive’s, and his odor as Lebanon‘s.  They that dwell in his shadow shall return; they shall vivify the corn, and blossom as the vine; his memory shall be as the wine of Lebanon. O Ephraim, what have I to do any more with idols? (Hosea 14:5-8);

”Israel“ denotes the spiritual church, whose blossoming is compared to a ”vine,“ and its memory to the ”wine of Lebanon,“ from the good of faith implanted in the intellectual part; ”Ephraim“ is the intellectual part in the spiritual church (n. 3969).

[8] In Zechariah:--