'And there was no bread in all the land' means that good was not apparent any longer. 'For the famine was extremely serious' means desolation. 'And the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished from the presence of the famine' means that this was so in the natural [where factual knowledge resides], and within the Church. 'And Joseph gathered up all the silver' means all factual knowledge that held truth in it and was appropriate. 'Found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan' means that was present in the natural and in the Church. 'For the corn which they were buying' means that they were to be sustained by this. 'And Joseph caused the silver to come to Pharaoh's house' means that factual knowledge was brought into association with the general whole within the natural. 'And when the silver was used up in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan' means that factual knowledge that held truth in it and was appropriate could be seen no longer in the natural or within the Church on account of the desolation. 'And all Egypt came to Joseph' means a turning to the internal. 'Saying, Give us bread' means a plea for the sustainment of spiritual life. 'And why should we die near by you because the silver is lacking?' means that otherwise spiritual death takes place because of the lack of truth. 'And Joseph said' means the internal from which the response came. 'Give your livestock, and I will give you [bread] in exchange for your livestock' means that they were to offer forms of the good of truth and would be sustained. 'If the silver is lacking' means if truth could no longer be seen by them. 'And they caused their livestock to come to Joseph' means that forms of the good of truth were offered. 'And Joseph gave them bread' means the sustainment of spiritual life. 'In exchange for horses' means factual knowledge supplied from the understanding. 'And for livestock of the flock and for livestock of the herd' means forms of the good of truth, interior and exterior ones. 'And for asses' means things of a subservient nature. 'And he provided them with bread in exchange for all their livestock' means the sustainment by means of an influx of good from the internal. 'That year' means the period covered by that state. 'And that year ended' means the desolation that followed the period covered by this state. 'And they came to him in the second year' means the beginning of the next state. 'And said to him, We will not hide from [my] lord' means a perception that it is well known to the internal. 'Since the silver has been used up' means that truth can be seen no longer because of the desolation. 'And the livestock of the beasts has passed to [my] lord' means similarly the good of truth. 'Nothing is left before [my] lord apart from our bodies and our ground' means that the receptacles of goodness and truth have been made completely desolate. 'Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our ground?' means that if they have been made desolate there is no longer any spiritual life beneath the internal. 'Buy us and our ground for bread' means it should make both its own so that they may be sustained with good. 'And we will live, and our ground, as Pharaoh's slaves' means total submission. 'And give us seed' means an influx, as a result of this, of the good of charity and the truth of faith. 'So that we may live and not die' means spiritual life from them, and the fear no longer of damnation. 'And the ground may not become a waste' means that the mind must be cultivated with the facts known to the Church. 'And Joseph bought all the ground of Egypt for Pharaoh' means that the internal made the entire natural mind where factual knowledge resides its own and placed it under its overall control. 'And the Egyptians sold, each one his field' means a renunciation and surrender of everything of service to the Church. 'Because the famine overwhelmed them' means because the desolation reached the point of despair. 'And the land was Pharaoh's' means that all things were made subject to the natural, which was under the control of the internal. 'And the people, he transferred them to the cities' means that facts holding truths within them were assigned to different areas of doctrine. 'From one end of the border of Egypt to the other end of it' means a spread throughout the whole natural where factual knowledge resides. 'Only the ground of the priests he did not buy' means that the internal obtained for itself from the natural every capacity to receive good, because every such capacity came from itself. 'For the priests had a fixed portion from Pharaoh' means that this had (therefore] been decreed by the natural, which was under the control of the internal. 'And ate their fixed portion which Pharaoh had given them' means that they did not make any forms of good their own beyond what had been decreed. 'Therefore they did not sell their ground' means that for this reason they had no need to renounce those things or surrender them. 'And Joseph said to the people' means an influx of the internal into the facts that have truths within them. 'Behold, I have bought you today, and your ground, for Pharaoh' means that it had obtained those things for itself and had made them subject to the general whole in the natural, which was under the control of the internal. 'Look, here is seed for you, and you may sow the ground' means the good of charity and the truth of faith that are to be implanted. 'And so it will be at ingatherings' means the fruits from this. 'That you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh' means that remnants are to be assigned to the general whole, which is under the control of the internal. 'And four portions shall be yours' means those things which have not yet become remnants. 'For seed of the field' means for mental nourishment. 'And for your food, and for those in your households' means so that the good of truth may therefore be present within every single part. 'And for food for your young children' means in those things that are forms of innocence. 'And they said, You have bestowed life on us' means spiritual life, in no other way and from no other source. 'Let us find favour in the eyes of [my] lord' means a willingness to be made subject in this way, and self-abasement. 'And we will be Pharaoh's slaves' means that they should renounce what is properly their own and become submissive to the natural, which is under the control of the internal. 'And Joseph made it a statute' means a conclusion based on consent. 'Even to this day' means lasting for ever. 'Regarding the ground of Egypt, that a fifth went to Pharaoh' means remnants, as previously. 'Only the ground of the priests, theirs alone, did not belong to Pharaoh' means every capacity to receive good came directly from the internal.

Notes