glory in Egypt, and all that you have seen; make haste and come with my father down hither. And he fell about his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin also wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brethren, and wept over them: and afterwards his brethren parleyed with him (Gen. xlv. 12-15).
17. This now is a figure, representing that when the soul has seen the countenance of the heavenly Joseph, that he has comforted and refreshed it again. Then says the divine Word in it, Make haste now and bring also your father, that is, your nature and your whole life, with all your conversation and doings in your state and condition, to me, and you shall dwell near by me with your outward life, and I will nourish you and provide for you, and all that over which you are set. Come away with all your thoughts and works into Egypt, that is, into lowliness and humility, to me; that very land will I give into you, to dwell in; that is, in lowliness and humility shall your dwelling be; and there, in your temporal state and condition, you may with temporal nourishment, in temporal good things, dwell by me. Your eyes shall there see my goodness and bounty, that I will do well to you in the famine of your earthliness.
18. For the land of Goshen signifies a fatness of the blessing of God in this earthliness; and therein your eyes see, and also the eyes of my brother Benjamin, viz. of the inward new man, that I speak to you with my own mouth, that is, essentially, within you. For if a man comes to the new birth, then Christ speaks essentially, that is, actually or operatively in him; and the eyes of the soul, together with the most inward ground wherein Christ, viz. the Word, is, essentially, see and find the same.
19. But the outward five senses cannot in this earthliness wholly comprehend it, but they dwell near by it. The inward eyes see through the outward senses, as the sun shines through transparent glass, and the glass remains glass still; so also the outward nature of this time of the five following dear years of the earthly essence continue in their right, till the soul forsakes the body. And then, at the Last judgement Day, also the right Adamical body of the five senses shall come again to the soul; but the grossness or dross of the earthly body has no more place: for all temporal things separate themselves in Mysterium Magnum [into the Great Mystery], out of which they proceeded.
20. But that Joseph fell about his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and kissed them all, it signifies this in the figure: when Christ in the inward Benjamin, viz. in the image and substance of the heavenly world's substance, which faded in Adam, is manifested again, then the holy name Jesus, viz. God's great love, kisses the incorporated ground of grace, and penetrates or presses through this image, with his weeping love, viz. with God's great sweetness, viz. the temple of Christ, and hereby kisses the creaturely soul's essences, and presses also with the weeping love through it, and then it obtains its life again, and speaks with God in Christ Jesus.
21. For in this speech or voice alone the soul is heard of God, for in this kiss the soul has its hearing given to it again, so that it hears and teaches God's word; for the senses or thoughts of the soul stand now in the Word of life, and hear what the Lord speaks in them through Christ, out of the inward ground; and that is it that Christ said, He that is of God hears God's word; and to the Pharisees he said, Therefore you hear not, for you are not of God (John viii. 47).
glory in Egypt, and all that you have seen; make haste and come with my father down hither. And he fell about his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin also wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brethren, and wept over them: and afterwards his brethren parleyed with him (Gen. xlv. 12-15).
17. This now is a figure, representing that when the soul has seen the countenance of the heavenly Joseph, that he has comforted and refreshed it again. Then says the divine Word in it, Make haste now and bring also your father, that is, your nature and your whole life, with all your conversation and doings in your state and condition, to me, and you shall dwell near by me with your outward life, and I will nourish you and provide for you, and all that over which you are set. Come away with all your thoughts and works into Egypt, that is, into lowliness and humility, to me; that very land will I give into you, to dwell in; that is, in lowliness and humility shall your dwelling be; and there, in your temporal state and condition, you may with temporal nourishment, in temporal good things, dwell by me. Your eyes shall there see my goodness and bounty, that I will do well to you in the famine of your earthliness.
18. For the land of Goshen signifies a fatness of the blessing of God in this earthliness; and therein your eyes see, and also the eyes of my brother Benjamin, viz. of the inward new man, that I speak to you with my own mouth, that is, essentially, within you. For if a man comes to the new birth, then Christ speaks essentially, that is, actually or operatively in him; and the eyes of the soul, together with the most inward ground wherein Christ, viz. the Word, is, essentially, see and find the same.
19. But the outward five senses cannot in this earthliness wholly comprehend it, but they dwell near by it. The inward eyes see through the outward senses, as the sun shines through transparent glass, and the glass remains glass still; so also the outward nature of this time of the five following dear years of the earthly essence continue in their right, till the soul forsakes the body. And then, at the Last judgement Day, also the right Adamical body of the five senses shall come again to the soul; but the grossness or dross of the earthly body has no more place: for all temporal things separate themselves in Mysterium Magnum [into the Great Mystery], out of which they proceeded.
20. But that Joseph fell about his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and kissed them all, it signifies this in the figure: when Christ in the inward Benjamin, viz. in the image and substance of the heavenly world's substance, which faded in Adam, is manifested again, then the holy name Jesus, viz. God's great love, kisses the incorporated ground of grace, and penetrates or presses through this image, with his weeping love, viz. with God's great sweetness, viz. the temple of Christ, and hereby kisses the creaturely soul's essences, and presses also with the weeping love through it, and then it obtains its life again, and speaks with God in Christ Jesus.
21. For in this speech or voice alone the soul is heard of God, for in this kiss the soul has its hearing given to it again, so that it hears and teaches God's word; for the senses or thoughts of the soul stand now in the Word of life, and hear what the Lord speaks in them through Christ, out of the inward ground; and that is it that Christ said, He that is of God hears God's word; and to the Pharisees he said, Therefore you hear not, for you are not of God (John viii. 47).
No commentary for this page.
There is commentary on page 1.