Verses 1-5 And the famine grew more serious in the land. And it happened, when they had finished eating the corn which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, Turn back, buy a little food for us. And Judah said to him - he said, The man issued a solemn warning to us, saying, You will not see my face unless your brother is with you. If you are willing to send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you. And if you are not willing to send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.

'And the famine grew more serious' means the desolation resulting from the dearth of spiritual things. 'In the land' means in the case of the integral parts of the Church. 'And it happened' means a new situation. 'When they had finished eating the corn' means when there was a deficiency of truths. 'Which they had brought from Egypt' means which had been obtained from factual knowledge. 'That their father said to them' means a perception received from the things that constituted the Church. 'Turn back, buy a little food for us' means that, so as to have life, they should acquire the good of spiritual truth. 'And Judah said to him' means the good which existed in the Church. 'He said, The man issued a solemn warning to us' means the turning away from them of the spiritual from the internal. 'Saying, You will not see my face' means that no compassion will show itself. 'Unless your brother is with you means unless the intermediary is with you. 'If you are willing to send our brother with us' means if the Church desires a linking to take place, the intermediary must be there. 'We will go down and buy food for you' means that in this case the good of truth will be acquired. 'And if you are not willing to send him' means if that is not so. 'We will not go down' means that it cannot be acquired. 'For the man said to us' means a perception regarding the spiritual. 'You will not see my face' means that no compassion will show itself. 'Unless your brother is with you' means unless the intermediary is with you.