624. It is clear that a state which is not a state of the Church is the subject here from the fact that in this verse and those that follow in chapter the name God is used, whereas in previous verses it was Jehovah. When the Church does not exist the name God is used, but when it does exist, it is Jehovah; for example in Genesis 1, when the Church did not exist, He was called God, but in the next chapter when it did, He was called Jehovah God. 'Jehovah' is the holiest of names, and belongs to the Church alone. Not so 'God', for no nation was without gods. Consequently the same holiness was not attached to the name God. Nobody was allowed to utter the name Jehovah except him who had knowledge of the true faith; but anyone was allowed to utter the name God.

6683. 'And the midwives said to Pharaoh' means a discernment regarding that true factual knowledge in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'saying' in the historical narratives of the Word as a discernment, dealt with often; from the meaning of 'the midwives' as true factual knowledge in the natural, dealt with just above in 6681; and from the representation of 'Pharaoh' as false factual knowledge in general, also dealt with above, in 6679, 6681.