5793. Verses 18-31 And Judah approached him and said, By me,a my lord, let your servant, I beg you, speak a word in my lord's ears, and do not let your anger burn against your servant, for as you are, so is Pharaoh. My lord questioned his servants, saying, Have you a father, or a brother? And we said to my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, the youngest one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left to his mother, and his father loves him. And you said to your servants, Cause him to come down to me, and I will set my eye on him. And we said to my lord, The boy cannot leave his father; and should he leave his father, [his father] will die. And you said to your servants, If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not see my face again. And so it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him my lord's words. And our father said, Return, buy us a little food. And we said, We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us we will go down, for we cannot see the man's face if our youngest brother is not with us. And your servant my father said to us, You know that my wife bore me two sons. And one went out from me, and I said, He has surely been torn to pieces; and I have not seen him since. And you are taking this one also from before my face, and should harm befall him, you will cause my grey hair to go down in evil to the grave. And now, when I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us, and his soul being bound up with his soul, it will be, when he sees that the boy is not there, that he will die, and your servants will cause the grey hair of your servant our father to go down in sorrow to the grave.
'And Judah approached him' means a communication of the external man with the internal through good. 'And said' means perception. 'By me, my lord' means a pleading. 'Let your servant, I beg you, speak a word in my lord's ears' means to be received and heard. 'And do not let your anger burn against your servant' means lest he turn away. 'For as you are, so is Pharaoh' means that he has control over the natural. 'My lord questioned his servants, saying' means perception of their thought. 'Have you a father, or a brother?' means the good that is the source, and the truth that is the means. 'And we said to my lord' means a reciprocated perception. 'We have a father, an old man' means that spiritual good is their source. 'And a child of his old age, the youngest one' means truth that is new, springing from that good. 'And his brother is dead' means that internal good does not exist. 'And he alone is left to his mother' means that this is the only truth the Church possesses. 'And his father loves him' means that this truth exists joined to spiritual good from the natural. 'And you said to your servants' means an imparted perception. 'Cause him to come down to me' means that this truth which is new must be made subject to internal good. 'And I will set my eye on him' means a flowing in at this point of truth from good. 'And we said to my lord' means a reciprocated perception. 'The boy cannot leave his father' means that that truth cannot be separated from spiritual good. 'And should he leave his father, [his father] will die' means that, if separated, the Church would perish. 'And you said to your servants' means a perception regarding this matter. 'If your youngest brother does not come down with you' means if it is not made subject to internal good. 'You will not see my face again' means that in that case no mercy is at hand and there is no joining to truths in the natural. 'And so it was, when we went up to your servant my father' means a raising up to spiritual good. 'That we told him my lord's words' means an awareness of this matter. 'And our father said' means perception received from spiritual good. 'Return, buy us a little food' means that the good of truth should be made their own. 'And we said, We cannot go down' means an objection. 'If our youngest brother is with us we will go down' means unless the intermediary that accomplishes the joining together is with them. 'For we cannot see the man's face' means since no mercy is at hand and there is no joining together. 'If our youngest brother is not with us' means except through the intermediary. 'And your servant my father said to us' means perception received from spiritual good. 'You know that my wife bore me two sons' means if spiritual good is what the Church possesses, internal good and truth will exist. 'And one went out from me means an apparent departure of internal good. 'And I said, He has surely been torn to pieces' means a perception that it was destroyed by evils and falsities. 'And I have not seen him since' means because it has disappeared. 'And you are taking this one also from before my face' means if the new truth likewise departs. 'And should harm befall him' means caused by evils and falsities. 'You will cause my grey hair to go down in evil to the grave means that spiritual good and so the internal aspect of the Church is going to perish. 'And now, when I come to your servant my father' means the good of the Church corresponding to the spiritual good which is that of the internal Church. 'And the boy is not with us' means if the new truth is not with them. 'And his soul being bound up with his soul' means when more closely joined together. 'It will be, when he sees that the boy is not there, that he will die' means that spiritual good will perish. 'And your servants will cause the grey hair of your servant our father to go down in sorrow to the grave' means that the Church will be done for.