6597. The internal sense of the things contained in the Book of Genesis has now been treated of. But as in this Book all things are historic, except the forty-eighth and forty-ninth chapters, in which there are prophetic things also, therefore it can scarcely appear that the sense which has been set forth is the internal sense; for the historic things hold back the mind in the literal sense, and thus remove it from the internal sense; and the more so because the internal sense is utterly different from the literal sense; for the one treats of spiritual and celestial things, and the other of worldly and earthly ones. But that the internal sense is such as has been set forth, is evident from all the details that have been unfolded, and especially from the fact that it has been dictated to me from heaven.
