Genesis 46 Mysteries of Genesis

Genesis 46 Mysteries of Genesis

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Chapter XII: The I AM and Its Faculties in the Body

Genesis 46 Spiritually Interpreted

Gen. 46:1-7. And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him: his sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.

What activity is represented by Jacob's journey to Beersheba?

Beer-sheba here represents spiritual inspiration (wells of water, reservoir) within man's consciousness that he has received and is acting on. The amazing activity and success of the imagination has opened up a larger substance source in body, and the whole thought family (Jacob's) is moving in and taking conscious possession of it.

What is symbolized by the wives, children, goods, and flocks of the Israelites, and by their descending in a body into Egypt?

God spoke to Jacob and told him not to fear to go down into Egypt, because He (God) would go with him and bring him out again after he had become a great nation. The descent into the land of Egypt of Jacob and his sons, together with the possessions that they had accumulated in Canaan, their wives, children, goods, flocks, and herds, symbolizes to us the unification of the I AM with all the faculties of the mind and of the life energy and substance of the whole man with the body. This happy result is brought about by the action of the faculty of imagination (all dwelt together "in the land of Goshen," which signifies unity). This new state of mind becomes a part of the permanent consciousness in the new land.

"And Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes" means that through the faculty of imagination the perception of the other faculties is quickened and increased.

Gen. 46:8-27. And these are the names of the children of Israel, who come into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob's first-born. And the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, and Pallu, and Hezron, and Carmi. And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman. And the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. And the sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Puvah, and Iob, and Shimron. And the sons of Zebulun: Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel. These are the sons of Leah, whom she bare unto Jacob in Paddan-aram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three. And the sons of Gad: Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli. And the sons of Asher: Imnah, and Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah, and Serah their sister; and the sons of Beriah: Heber, and Malchiel. These are the sons of

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Zilpah whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls. The sons of Rachel Jacob's wife: Joseph and Benjamin. And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On, bare unto him. And the sons of Benjamin: Bela, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard. These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: All the souls were fourteen. And the sons of Dan: Hushim. And the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem. These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob: all the souls were seven. All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, that came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls were threescore and six; and the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, that came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.

(For the symbology of Jacob's twelve sons, his wives Leah and Rachel, and the two handmaids Bilhah and Zilpah see the interpretation of Gen. 35: 23-26.)

Hanoch ("instructed," "dedicated") represents entrance into a higher consciousness than has been known and experienced before.

Pallu ("marvelous," "extraordinary") represents the great general uplift that comes to the consciousness that has begun to awaken out of the purely animal phase of thought to a higher and truer conception of God and of life.

Hezron ("inclosed," "green pasture") represents thoughts that belong to the perceiving faculty (Reuben) and the praise of life in its activity (Judah).

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These thoughts are not yet free in their expression in the consciousness and the organism. They are "inclosed" by the subconscious limiting error belief of man that all his faculties and powers are material and transient instead of spiritual and abiding. (There were two men named Hezron, one the son of Reuben and the other the grandson of Judah.)

Carmi ("fruitful," "generous") symbolizes a vital, prosperous, and fruitful attitude of mind.

Jemuel ("God is light," "day of God") represents the stage of individual unfoldment when the light of Truth is accepted into consciousness and realized.

Jamin ("right hand," "right place") represents thoughts pertaining to divine order.

The name Ohad means "one," "unity." Ohad was the son of Simeon. The name Simeon means "one who listens and obeys." Simeon represents the spiritually receptive and obedient attitude in man. Ohad symbolizes unity with God and the conscious increase of the Christly attributes that is the result of this union between the divine and the individual.

Jachin ("whom He [God] makes firm") represents the firmness, steadfastness, and strength of character that result from the establishment of the consciousness in Truth.

Zohar ("whiteness," "nobility") represents thoughts of a pure, lofty, discriminating character.

Shaul is a form of the name Saul, and its meaning is the same as that of Saul ("desired," "demanded"). Shaul represents the personal will in individual consciousness. He was the son of a Canaanitish woman (body consciousness).

Gershon was a son of Levi. The name means "expulsion,"

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"exile." The natural law of love is to express itself, but there are conditions under which the love thought (Gershon) is exiled from its native element and for a time retarded or unexpressed.

Kohath ("called together," "assembly") represents the attracting, unifying element in love, and the power of love.

Merari ("galling," "rebellious") symbolizes love directed by the ignorance and selfishness of the personal man.

Er ("awake," "watchful") represents observant, attentive, vigilant thoughts.

Onan ("able-bodied," "strong") represents thoughts pertaining to strength and vigor yet with a tendency toward materiality. (Onan's mother was a Canaanitish woman.)

Shelah ("security," "rest," "peace") represents a sense of peace, harmony, and security that has come about through prayer.

Perez ("breached," "torn asunder") represents victory gained through praise or by making one's way out of apparent limitation and error by means of prayer and praise.

The name Zerah means "rising of light." Zerah represents the rise of new light, new understanding, in the consciousness.

The name Hamul means "spared," "gentleness," "compassion"; it also signifies "forgiveness." The attitudes of mind thus implied are Godlike, and they have to do with the salvation of the individual who entertains them.

The name Tola means "crimson," "scarlet," "coccus worm." Tola represents life activity on a seemingly

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low plane but in process of unfoldment to higher and greater expressions.

Puvah is the same name as Puah, which means "mouth," "blast," "utterance." Puvah symbolizes the giving of one's true thoughts, one's zeal, to establishing the activity of Truth throughout the consciousness so that it may be declared aloud and expressed. (Puvah was the son of Issachar, zeal.)

Shimron ("watch," "careful keeping") represents a watchful, observant, attentive attitude, which raises to a high plane the faculties of mind represented by Issachar (zeal) and Zebulun (order).

Sered ("fear," "trembling," "flight," "escape") represents fearfulness, extreme unrest, in the order faculty in the individual consciousness.

Elon ("strong man," "an oak") represents thoughts of strength and power.

The name Jahleel means "waiting on God," "hoping in God." Jahleel represents waiting in the silence upon God in an expectant attitude of mind.

"My soul, wait thou in silence for God only; For my expectation is from him."

Dinah ("judged," "justified") symbolizes the soul or feminine side of the judgment faculty, which may be called intuition, the intuition of the natural man.

Ziphion is the same name as Zephon, which means "watchman," "observer," "keeper of the high watch." Ziphion represents the realization of power (Gad symbolizes power) that is the result of a desire for and a seeking after power. This suggests prayer and an earnest desire for and expectation of something higher and better than the purely mental and physical aspects of power and might.

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The name Haggi means "feast," "rejoicing," "festival." Haggi symbolizes a realization of good as taking the place of seeming evil.

Shuni ("rest," "quiet," "calm," "peace") represents a tranquil, poised, peaceful state of thought.

Ezbon ("hastening to understand," "splendor," "bright") represents thoughts that come into the light, into the brightness and glory of Truth, because they are concerned with the things of Spirit.

Eri ("my watcher," "worshiping Jah") represents an unfolding of the power faculty.

Arodi is the same name as Arod and means "fleeing," "a wild ass." Arod and his descendants represent those traits of the animal nature in man which are characteristic of the ass: meekness, stubbornness, persistence, and endurance. These qualities are good when directed by the true I AM but are destructive when given over to sense rule.

Areli ("lionlike," "valiant," "heroic") represents the courage to abide by that which one believes to be right and best; also boldness and fearlessness in applying one's ideas practically.

Imnah ("good fortune," "prosperity") represents a strong belief in and realization of prosperity as being man's inheritance and the Father's will for him.

Asher had three sons. The first two, Imnah and Ishvah, represent thoughts of the higher order, but the name of the third son, Beriah, means "evil," "calamity," "misfortune," indicating a negative tendency to evil that sometimes runs parallel with the good in human consciousness. However the good tendencies are so much in the ascendant that they overcome the weaker evil thoughts that belittle man and cause him

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to develop an inferiority complex.

Ishvah means "equality," "even," "smooth," "resembling (another)," "self-answering." On the highest plane Ishvah represents that true poise, peace, and equableness that come from within man's own true spiritual self when he realizes that he is made in the likeness of God and is certain that he will manifest this in the outer in due time. The thought of "self-satisfying" is also brought out in this name. This suggests the truth that as we become conscious of the source of all understanding within us, namely Spirit, we find within ourselves the answer to all our questionings, the satisfaction of all our desires.

Serah ("extension," "abundance," "poured forth," "diffused") represents a rich, broad, extensive group of soul qualities, but there is also a strong suggestion of waste of substance; lack of conservation.

The name Heber means "a passing over" from the purely sensate, physical, earthly thought to a higher conception of religious Truth.

Malchiel ("rule of God," "God is king") symbolizes man's acknowledgment of the supremacy of divine power and rulership; in other words, the exalting of God in consciousness, giving Him dominion; bowing to and obeying Truth.

Manasseh ("who makes to forget") represents understanding; understanding here denoting denial, the negative activity of mind. (See Gen. 41:45-47.)

Ephraim ("doubly fruitful") symbolizes the will, which is the positive or affirmative quality of mind.

The name Asenath means "dedicated to Neith," "favorite of Neith." Asenath represents the feminine or love side of the natural man.

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The name Poti-phera means "belonging to Ra." Poti-phera represents a natural religious tendency in the individual that gives the force of its influence to the worship and building up of that for which On stands.

The name On means "city of the sun." In its purity On is a symbol of Spirit and of true spiritual understanding, substance, and power. As it appears in our Bible, however, it represents the worship of the outer sun, and the truth back of the symbol has been lost sight of to a great degree.

The name Bela means "swallow up," "destroy." Bela, the eldest son of Benjamin, represents the destroying or letting go of error by denial, an absorption (swallowing up) of error by Truth.

The name Becher means "early," "first fruits," "first-born." Becher represents the first-born or first fruits of faith, or the first bringing forth of positive, upbuilding thoughts. (Benjamin represents faith.)

The name Ashbel means "reproof of God," "man of Baal," "judgment of God." Ashbel denotes the admonition of Spirit ("reproof of God") in consciousness against man's looking upon as real the material thought about formed things ("man of Baal"). The inharmonious result of looking upon the outer world as real and as the source of life, understanding, and existence, instead of seeing formless Spirit (Divine Mind) as the true God and as the one reality standing back of all manifestation--this is what is suggested in the phrase "judgment of God."

Gera ("grain," "kernel") symbolizes faith's taking on of, or working in, substance.

Naaman ("sweet," "pleasant," "good") denotes

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the joy, and pleasant, agreeable, harmonious, unifying result that ensues in consciousness when one's faith and will act in accord with one's highest Truth ideals.

Ehi is the name of a son of Benjamin also called Aharah, which means "brother." Ehi represents that in man's spiritually awakening consciousness which follows after lofty, kindly, brotherly, constructive ideals. The name Ehi also carries with it the thought of unity.

The name Rosh means "inclination," "will," "head." Rosh represents the will. Since Rosh was a son of Benjamin (faith) the significance is that the will, having been given first place in the consciousness of the individual, is acting through faith or in conjunction with it.

The name Muppim means "serpents," "glidings," "obscurities," "darkenings." Muppim represents human or sense knowledge that is very subtle but that is unsteady and unsettled in its reasonings and deductions. Muppim represents that knowledge which does not reveal the true light, and therefore it does not lead the individual into spiritual understanding.

The name Huppim is the same as that of Hupham, which means "coastman," "seashore," "bank." In all likelihood a coastman is a fisherman. Huppim thus symbolizes a gatherer of ideas, especially ideas of increase.

The name Ard means "fugitive," "to flee," "wild ass." The thought that Ard represents belongs to the outer or animal phase of consciousness, where fear enters and one runs away from seeming evil or resists it wildly and stubbornly, as the case may be, because one fears it. In this phase of consciousness one does not understand that evil is unreal and has no power of itself. When one realizes the truth about seeming evil,

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one no longer fears it, and it is dissolved from one's world.

The name Hushim means "people of haste," "vehement people." Hushim represents an acceleration of activity in connection with thoughts of judgment in man (one Hushim was the son of Dan, who represents judgment) and in connection with thoughts of active faith (another Hushim was a Benjamite).

Jahzeel, the name of a son of Naphtali (strength), means "whom God apportions." Jahzeel represents the realization that strength is from God and that one receives it according to one's need or to the extent that one makes use of it.

The name Guni means "colored," "tinted," "painted," which suggests the taking on of some foreign idea or substance. In this case Naphtali (strength) and Gad (power) are involved. These qualities represented by Naphtali and Gad are inherently spiritual, divine, but in coming into expression in the outer, physical, sense man they become tinged with and colored by material ideas.

Jazer ("formation") represents the formative faculty of mind, the imagination, established in strength (Naphtali).

The name Shillem means "restoration," "salvation," "peace." Shillem represents the thought that restoration, salvation, peace, and perfection are the result of sowing to Spirit. This restorative, peace-giving thought force is particularly active in connection with strength and thus gives its substance to the working out of the law of cause and effect in consciousness.

Gen. 46:28-34. And he sent Judah before him

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unto Joseph, to show the way before him unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen. And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen; and he presented himself unto him, and fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, that thou art yet alive. And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and tell Pharaoh, and will say unto him, My brethren, and my father's house, who were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me; and the men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have. And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation? that ye shall say, Thy servants have been keepers of cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

The Israelites represent radiant or unformed substance and life, and the Egyptians represent conservators of formed substance. Jacob (I AM) sent Judah (praise) before him unto Joseph (imagination) so that the Israelites might be guided to Goshen, thus forming a perfect union of life (Israel) and substance (Egypt). The sheep represent the uncontaminated animal or life forces that are to be expressed more fully through union with materiality (the Egyptians). The conservators of formed substance (Egyptians) have no appreciation of this life ("for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians").