6728. Verses 5-9 And the daughter of Pharaoh went down to wash at the river; and her maidservants were going along the side of the river. And she saw the box in the middle of the weed, and sent her servant-girl; and she took it. And she opened it, and saw him, the child; and behold, the boy was crying. And she took pity on him, and said, This is one of the children of the Hebrews. And his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call you a woman, a wet nurse, from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you? And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the girl went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Take to yourself this child and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages. And the woman took the child and nursed him.

'And the daughter of Pharaoh went down' means the kind of religion practised there. 'To wash at the river' means worship involving the use of falsity. 'And her maidservants were going along the side of the river' means things which minister to this kind of religion involving the use of falsity. 'And she saw the box in the middle of the weed' means a discernment of the crude form of truth among false factual knowledge. 'And sent her servant-girl' means that which was of service. 'And she took it' means an eagerness to know. 'And she opened it, and saw him, the child' means an investigation to find out what it was like, and the discernment that it was truth originating in the Divine. 'And behold, the boy was crying' means sadness. 'And she took pity on him' means being alerted by the Divine. 'And said, This is one of the children of the Hebrews' means that it belonged to the true Church. 'And his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter' means the Church's truth alongside the kind of religion there. '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. 'And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go' means consent given by the kind of religion there. 'And the girl went and called the child's mother' means that the Church's truth of good linked things of the Church to it. 'And Pharaoh's daughter said to her' means consent given by the kind of religion there. 'Take to yourself this child' means that she should link him to herself. 'And nurse him for me' means that she should instill into him good compatible with that kind of religion. 'And I will give you your wages' means the reward. 'And the woman took the child and nursed him' means that good from the Church was instilled into him.

4499. 'Each took his sword' means falsity and evil. This is clear from the meaning of 'a sword' as truth engaged in conflict and consequently the defence of truth, and in the contrary sense falsity engaged in conflict, and consequently the vastation of truth, dealt with in 2799. The reason why 'a sword' at this point also means evil is that Levi was implicated, who represented charity, and so good. When good is turned into evil it uses falsity from evil to fight with, in which case anything it does is evil.