'Midwives,' as in Exodus 1:15-21, signify receptions of truth in the natural principle. 'A midwife,' as in Genesis 26, signifies the natural level.

(Препратки: Arcana Coelestia 4588, Genesis 1, 15)

10641. 'Lest by chance it become a snare in your midst' means consequently being led astray in the Word itself. This is clear from the meaning of 'becoming a snare' as being held captive and led astray by one's own evil and falsity, dealt with in 7653, 9348; and from the representation of 'Moses' as the Word, dealt with in the places referred to in 9372, so that 'in his midst' means in the Word itself. The implications of this are clear from what has been stated immediately above in 10640.