CHAPTER XLV. VERSES 3—5.

5876. Verses 3-5. And Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph; does my father still live? And his brothers could not answer him; for they were in shock at his presence. And Joseph said to his brothers, Come near to me, I please you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be grieved, nor let there be anger in your eyes, that you sold me here: for God did send me before you to give life.

"And Joseph said to his brothers" signifies that the heavenly internal original: "celestial internal," referring to the highest part of the spirit, represented here by Joseph gave the ability to perceive to the truths in the natural original: "the natural," referring to the natural or outer level of the human mind. "I am Joseph" signifies a revealing of himself. "Does my father still live?" signifies the presence of spiritual good from the natural mind. "And his brothers could not answer him" signifies that truths in the natural mind were not yet in a state to speak. "For they were in shock at his presence" signifies a disturbance or commotion among them.

"And Joseph said to his brothers" signifies the perception of the new natural mind. "Come near to me, I please you" signifies a deeper, interior communication. "And they came near" signifies the result or effect. "And he said, I am Joseph your brother" signifies a revealing of himself by influx original: "influx," the spiritual process of life or influence flowing from a higher level of the soul into a lower one. "Whom you sold into Egypt" signifies that they had pushed away or alienated this internal part of themselves.

"And now do not be grieved" signifies anxiety of the heart or the will. "Neither let there be anger in your eyes" signifies sadness of the spirit or the understanding. "That you sold me here" signifies that they had pushed him away to the lowest level. "For God did send me before you to give life" signifies that spiritual life was given to them by Divine Providence as a result.

5877. And Joseph said to his brothers. That this signifies that the heavenly internal gave the ability to perceive to truths in the natural, is evident from the meaning of "saying" in the historical accounts of the Word original: "the Word," referring to the Bible as perception (see notes 1898, 1919, 2080, 2619, 2862, 3395, 3509, 5687, 5743). In this specific case, it means to give the faculty or ability to perceive—which will be discussed in what follows—and from the repre...