Arcana Coelestia #6672
6672. Verses 15-21 And the king of Egypt said to the midwives of the Hebrew women, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah - he said, When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son you shall kill him; and if it is a daughter, let her live. And the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt spoke to them; and they kept the boys alive. And the king of Egypt called the midwives, and said to them, Why do you act like that and keep the boys alive? And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are full of life; before the midwife comes to them they have given birth. And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very numerous. And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He made them houses.
'And the king of Egypt said to the midwives of the Hebrew women means an influx from separated factual knowledge into the natural where the Church's true factual knowledge resided. 'Of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah' means the nature and state of the natural where that factual knowledge resided. '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 that factual knowledge. 'If it is a son you shall kill him' means that if it was a form of truth, they were to destroy it in whatever way they could. 'And if it is a daughter, let her live' means that they were not to destroy it if it was a form of good. ' And the midwives feared God' means that true factual knowledge was kept safe because it was kept so by the Divine. 'And did not do as the king of Egypt spoke to them' means that the intention of those under the influence of falsities was not carried out. 'And they kept the boys alive' means that the truths, being the truths of good, were preserved. 'And the king of Egypt called the midwives means that those under the influence of falsities planned a course of action against those who had true factual knowledge in the natural. 'And said to them, Why do you act like that and keep the boys alive?' means anger that the truths were not destroyed. 'And the midwives said to Pharaoh' means a discernment regarding that true factual knowledge in the natural. 'Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women' means that the Church's factual knowledge is not like the factual knowledge which is at odds with it. 'For they are full of life' means that it has spiritual life within it. 'Before the midwife comes to them they have given birth' means that the natural knows nothing until life is imparted to it. 'And God dealt well with the midwives' means that the natural was blessed by the Divine. 'And the people multiplied and became very numerous' means that within the natural, truths were constantly emerging and so increasing. 'And so it was, because the midwives feared God' means because true factual knowledge was being kept safe by the Divine. 'That He made them houses' means that they were arranged into a heavenly form.
Exodus 1
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Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Jacob):
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Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
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Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
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Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
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All the souls who came out of Jacob's body were seventy souls, and Joseph was in Egypt already.
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Joseph died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation.
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The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
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Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn't know Joseph.
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He said to his people, "Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we.
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Come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies, and fight against us, and escape out of the land."
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Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses.
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But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. They were grieved because of the children of Israel.
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The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve,
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and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.
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The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah,
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and he said, "When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool; if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live."
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But the midwives feared God, and didn't do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.
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The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and have saved the boys alive?"
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The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women aren't like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous, and give birth before the midwife comes to them."
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God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty.
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It happened, because the midwives feared God, that he gave them families.
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Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "You shall cast every son who is born into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive."
