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And the maidservants drew near, they and their children, and they bowed.
4357. 'And saw the women and their sons' means, of the affections for truth and of the truths which belong to those affections. This is clear from the meaning of 'the women', who in this case are Leah and Rachel's servant-girls, as affections for truth, dealt with in 3758, 3782, 3793, 3819, 4344, and from the meaning of 'sons' as truths, dealt with in 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373, in this case the truths which belong to those affections.
4344. 'And over towards the two servant-girls' means beneath the affection for the things that serve those two affections. This is clear from the meaning of 'the servant-girls' as the affections for knowledge and for cognitions, dealt with in 1895, 2567, 3835, 3849, and as subservient means employed in the joining together of the external man and the internal, dealt with in 3913, 3917; and from the representation of Zilpah and Bilhah, to whom 'the servant-girls' refers here, as subservient exterior affections that are employed as means, dealt with in 3849, 3931.