5646. Verses 18-23. And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house; and they said, Over the word of the silver that was returned in our bags in the beginning are we brought; to roll down upon us, and to cast himself upon us, and to take us for servants, and our asses. And they came near to the man that was over Joseph's house, and they spoke unto him at the door of the house, and said, In me, my lord, in coming down we came down in the beginning to buy food; and it came to pass when we came to the inn and we opened our bags, and behold everyone's silver in the mouth of his bag, our silver in its weight; and we have brought it back in our hand. And other silver have we brought down in our hand to buy food; we know not who put our silver in our bags. And he said, Peace be to you, fear not; your God, and the God of your father, gave you a hidden gift in your bags; your silver came to me. And he brought Simeon out unto them. "And the men were afraid," signifies a drawing back; "because they were brought to Joseph's house," signifies because the truths that belonged to the natural were to be adjoined and subjected to the internal; "and they said, Over the word of the silver that was returned in our bags in the beginning are we brought," signifies because truth in the exterior natural appears to be given gratuitously, they were therefore to be in subjection; "to roll down upon us and to cast himself upon us," signifies that on this account they were to be reduced under absolute power; "and to take us for servants and our asses," signifies until whatever is in either natural be as nothing; "and they came near to the man that was over Joseph's house," signifies the doctrinals of the church; "and they spoke unto him at the door of the house," signifies taking counsel of them about introduction; "and said, In me, my lord," signifies a testifying; "in coming down we came down in the beginning to buy food," signifies a disposition to procure good for truths; "and it came to pass when we came to the inn and we opened our bags," signifies introspection into the exterior natural; "and behold everyone's silver in the mouth of his bag," signifies that it was clearly seen that truths had been given as it were gratuitously; "our silver in its weight," signifies truths according to each one's state; "and we have brought it back in our hand," signifies that what had been given gratuitously would be in submission as far as possible; "and other silver have we brought down in our hand to buy food," signifies that there is a disposition to procure good by means of truth from another source; "we know not who put our silver in our bags," signifies non-belief, from ignorance of the source of truth in the exterior natural; "and he said, Peace be to you, fear not," signifies that it is well, let them not despair; "your God, and the God of your father," signifies the Lord's Divine Human; "gave you a hidden gift in your bags," signifies that it was from Him without any prudence of theirs; "your silver came to me," signifies that it will seem as truth procured by them; "and he brought Simeon out unto them," signifies that he adjoined will to truths.