360. 'Out of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand sealed' signifies the doctrine of good and truth with those who will belong to the New Heaven and the Lord's New Church. By 'Joseph' [in the highest sense] is signified the Lord as to the Spiritual Divine, in the spiritual sense the spiritual kingdom, and in the natural sense fructification and multiplication. Here, however, by 'Joseph' is signified the doctrine of good and truth that is with those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom, This is signified here by 'Joseph' because he is named after the tribe of Zebulon and before the tribe of Benjamin, thus in the middle; and the tribe that is named first in a series or division signifies some love that is of the will, while the tribe that is named after it signifies something of the wisdom that is of the understanding, and the tribe that is named last of all signifies some use or effect derived from them. Consequently any one series is a full series. Since 'Joseph' used to signify the Lord's spiritual kingdom, he was therefore made ruler in Egypt (Gen. xli 38-44; Ps, cv 17-22), where the details (singula) signify such things as are of the Lord's spiritual kingdom. The spiritual kingdom is the Lord's Royalty, and the celestial kingdom is His Priesthood. [2] 'Joseph' here signifies the doctrine of good and truth, because he is here in place of Ephraim, and by 'Ephraim' is signified the intellectual of the Church (see THE DOCTRINE OF THE NEW JERUSALEM CONCERNING THE SACRED SCRIPTURE, n. 79); and the intellectual of the Church is everything out of the doctrine of good and truth out of the Word. Joseph is here in place of Ephraim because Manasseh, who was the other son of Joseph and used to signify the voluntary of the Church, has been reckoned before among the tribes (n. 355). Because the intellectual of the Church is out of the doctrine of good and truth, therefore that intellectual and also that doctrine is signified by 'Joseph' in the following passages:-
Joseph is the son of a fruitful one, a fruitful one close to a fountain; his bow is set in strength; he shall be blessed with the blessings of heaven from above, and the blessings of the deep lying below Gen. xlix 22-26.
A 'fountain' signifies the Word, and a 'bow' doctrine (n. 299).
Blessed by Jehovah is the land of Joseph, from the precious things of heaven, from the dew, even from the deep lying below, and from the precious things of the products of the sun, from the precious things produced of months, and from the precious things of the land and the fullness thereof, let it come upon the head of Joseph Deut. xxxiii 13-17.
By those 'precious things' are signified the cognitions of good and truth, out of which doctrine [is derived].
Who drink out of goblets of wine, and are not affected with grief over the breaking up of Joseph Amos vi 5, 6.
I will make the house of Judah powerful, and I will save the house of Joseph, they shall be like the powerful Ephraim, and their heart shall rejoice as with wine Zech. x 6, 7.
Here also 'Joseph' [stands] for doctrine, 'wine' signifying the truth thereof out of good (n. 316).
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