Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 4015Protesting the man did protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my facesexcept your brother be with you. If thou wilt send our brother with us,we will go down and buy thee food. And if thou wilt not send, we willnot go down; for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my faces exceptyour brother be with you. “And the famine became grievous”signifies desolation from want of spiritual things; “in the land”signifies about the things that were of the church; “and it came topass” signifies what is new; “when they had finished the eating ofthe produce” signifies when truths failed; “which they had broughtfrom Egypt” signifies which were from memory-knowledges; “andtheir father said unto them” signifies perception from the things ofthe church; “Go back, buy us a little food” signifies that in order tolive they must procure for themselves the good of spiritual truth;“and Judah spoke unto him” signifies the good of the church;“saying, Protesting the man did protest unto us” signifies that thespiritual derived from the internal was averse to them; “saying, Yeshall not see my faces” signifies that there will be no compassion;“except your brother be with you” signifies unless there is anintermediate for you; “if thou wilt send our brother with us”signifies that if it is so done by the church that adjunction shall takeplace, there must be an intermediate; “we will go down and buythee food” signifies that then the good of truth will be procuredthere; “and if thou wilt not send him” signifies if not; “we will notgo down” signifies that it cannot be procured; “for the man saidunto us” signifies perception concerning the spiritual; “Ye shall notsee my faces” signifies that there will be no compassion; “exceptyour brother be with you” signifies unless there is an intermediatefor you.5576. And the famine became grievous. That this signifiesdesolation from the want of spiritual things is evident from thesignification of “famine” as being a lack of the knowledges of goodand truth (see n. 3364, 5277, 5279, 5281, 5300), and hencedesolation (n. 5360, 5376, 5415); and because desolation comesfrom a scarcity and consequent want of spiritual things, this also issignified by “famine.”