Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 5109

Previous Number Next Number Next Translation See Latin 

5109. Verses 9-13 And the chief of the cupbearers told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, and behold, a vine before me. And on the vine three shoots, and it was as though budding; its blossom came up, and its clusters ripened into grapes. And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and put the cup onto Pharaoh's palm. And Joseph said to him, This is the interpretation of it: The three shoots are three days. In yet three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and will restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh's cup into his hand, according to the former manner when you were his cupbearer.

'And the chief of the cupbearers told his dream to Joseph' means that the celestial of the spiritual discerned what the outcome would be for the sensory impressions subject to the understanding part of the mind, which until then had been cast aside. 'And said to him' means revelation resulting from perception. 'In my dream' means a foretelling. 'And behold, a vine before me' means the understanding part. 'And on the vine three shoots' means derivatives from this even to the final one. 'And it was as though budding' means an influx that allows rebirth to be effected. 'Its blossom came up' means the state next to regeneration. 'And its clusters ripened into grapes' means spiritual truth when joined to celestial good. 'And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand' means an influx of the interior natural into the exterior natural, and the beginning of reception. 'And I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup' means a reciprocal influx into good deeds that have a spiritual origin. 'And put the cup onto Pharaoh's palm' means that the interior natural made these its own. 'And Joseph said to him, This is the interpretation of it' means revelation resulting from perception received from the celestial within the natural as to what it held within it. 'The three shoots are three days' means continuous derivatives even to the final one. 'In yet three days' means that at that point a new state is arrived at. 'Pharaoh will lift up your head' means that which has been provided and therefore decided. 'And will restore you to your position' means that the impressions received through the senses subject to the understanding part were restored to order, to occupy the lowest position. 'And you will put Pharaoh's cup into his hand' means in order that they might consequently serve the interior natural. 'According to the former manner' means in keeping with the law of order. 'When you were his cupbearer' means as is the normal position for sensory impressions of this kind.


This page is part of the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church