6675. 'He said, When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstools' means a discernment of the truth and good flowing from the internal into the Church's factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of 'acting as a midwife' as the reception of goodness and truth flowing from the internal into the natural, for inasmuch as the natural receives influx it is 'a midwife', see 4588, 6673; from the meaning of 'the Hebrew women as things that belong to the Church, dealt with in 5136, 5236; from the meaning of 'seeing' as a discernment, dealt with in 2150, 3764, 4567, 4723, 5400; and from the meaning of 'the birthstools' as things in the natural that receive the forms of good and the truths flowing from the internal, thus true factual knowledge, since that knowledge is what receives them. From this it is evident that 'when you act as midwives to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstools' means a discernment of the truth and good flowing from the internal into the Church's factual knowledge, which resides in the natural.

6740. 'Shall I go and call you a woman, a wet nurse, from the Hebrew women?' means a perception that good from the true Church should be instilled into it. This is clear from the meaning of 'a woman, a wet nurse as the instillation of good, dealt with in 4563, for 'the milk' instilled by a wet nurse means the good of truth or, what amounts to the same thing, the celestial-spiritual, 2184, and from the meaning of 'the Hebrew women' as things that constitute the Church, dealt with in 6675, 6684. A perception that good from the true Church should be instilled is meant by '[his sister] said, Shall I go and call?' because in the internal sense the truth of good which has perception is meant by her, whereas in the sense of the letter the girl herself who had no such perception is meant. The fact that 'a nurse' means the instillation of good is also evident in Isaiah,

They will bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters will be carried on their shoulder. And kings will be your foster fathers (nutricius) and their queens your nurses (nutrix). Isaiah 49:22-23.

'Kings who are foster fathers' stands for the instillation of truth that belongs to intelligence, 'queens who are nurses' for the instillation of good that belongs to wisdom. In the same prophet,

Lift up your eyes round about and see; they all gather together, they come to you. Your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried at the side by nurses. Isaiah 60:4.

'Sons who come from afar' stands for truths among gentiles, who are said 'to come from afar' because they are remote from the Church's truth. 'Daughters who are carried at the side by nurses' stands for forms of good which are constantly being instilled, 'daughters' being forms of good and 'nurses' those who instill.