Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6106

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6106. 'And Joseph sustained his father, and his brothers, and all his father's household with bread' means that from the internal celestial there was a constant influx of good into spiritual good and the Church's truths in the natural, which gave them their life. This is clear from the meaning of 'sustaining with bread' as an influx of good, for 'sustaining' here is a constant inflowing, which gives a person spiritual life, while 'bread' is the good of love, 276, 680, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3478, 3735, 3813, 4211, 4217, 4735, 4976, 5915; from the representation of 'Joseph' as the internal celestial, dealt with in 5869, 5877; from the representation of Israel, to whom 'father' refers here, as spiritual good from the natural, and from the representation of his sons, to whom 'brothers' refers here, as the Church's truths in the natural, both dealt with in 6101; and from the meaning of 'all his father's household' as everything in its entirety which belongs to spiritual good and is derived from that good. From all this it is evident that 'Joseph sustained his father, and his brothers, and all his father's household with bread' means that there was a constant influx of the good of love from the internal celestial into spiritual good and the Church's truths in the natural, and into everything belonging to spiritual good and derived from it.


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