Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 3941it is plain that the intermediate would perish if it were with theexternal alone without the internal. Moreover, it is a general law, aswell of the things of the spiritual world as of those of the naturalworld, that a thing can subsist with its prior, but not without thiswith its posterior, and that it would perish if it were with this alone.The reason is that everything without connection with what is priorto itself is without connection with the first, from whom is allcoming into existence, and subsistence.5414. And the sons of Israel came to buy among those that came.That this signifies that it desired that like all other truths, spiritualtruths should be procured by means of memory- knowledges isevident from the signification of the “sons of Israel” as beingspiritual truths (for “sons” are truths, as may be seen above, n.5403; and “Israel” is the celestial spiritual man from the natural, n.4286, 4570, 4598; thus the “sons of Israel” are spiritual truths inthe natural); from the signification of “buying” as being to beprocured; and from the signification of “in the midst of those thatcame” as being like all other truths, that is, in that they areprocured by means of memory-knowledges.5415. For the famine was in the land of Canaan. That this signifiesthat there was desolation as to the things of the church in thenatural is evident from the signification of “famine,” as being a lackof knowledges, and the consequent desolation (see n. 3364, 5277,5279, 5281, 5300, 5349, 5360, 5376); and from the significationof the “land of Canaan” as being the church (n. 3686, 3705, 4447);and because it is the church, it is also that which is of the church.Hence it is that by the “famine being in the land of Canaan” issignified desolation as to the things of the church. That thedesolation was in the natural is because these things are predicatedof the sons of Jacob, by whom are signified the things of theexternal church (n. 5409), consequently those of the church in thenatural.5416. Verses 6–8. And Joseph he was the governor over the land; heit was that sold to all the people of the land; and Joseph’s brethrencame, and bowed down themselves to him with their faces to the earth.