6673. And the king of Egypt said to the midwives of the Hebrew women. That this signifies influx from the separated memory-knowledges into the natural where the true memory-knowledges of the church are, is evident from the signification of “saying,” as being influx (see n. 5743, 6291); from the signification of the “king of Egypt,” as being separated memory-knowledges which are opposed to the truths of the church (n. 6651); from the signification of “midwives,” as being the natural (n. 4588, 4921); and from the signification of the “Hebrews,” as being the things of the church (n. 5136, 5236); thus also true memory-knowledges which are of the church. That “midwives” denote the natural, is because the natural receives that which flows in from the internal, and thus as it were acts as a midwife.

4588. That the midwife said unto her, Fear not. That this signifies perception from the natural, is evident from the signification of “saying” in the historicals of the Word as being perception (see n. 1791, 1815, 1819, 1822, 1898, 1919, 2080, 2619, 2862, 3395, 3509); and from the signification of a “midwife,” as being the natural. The reason why “midwife” here denotes the natural is that when interior temptations are being undergone, that is, when the interior man is undergoing temptations, the natural is then like a midwife; for unless the natural affords aid, it is impossible for any birth of interior truth to take place; for when interior truths are born, it is the natural which receives them into its bosom, because it affords the opportunity for them to work their way out. It is always the case with the things of spiritual birth, that their reception must be wholly in the natural; and this is the reason why when a man is being regenerated, the natural is first prepared to receive; and insofar as this is made receptive, so far interior truths and goods can be brought forth and multiplied. This is also the reason why if during the bodily life the natural man has not been prepared to receive the truths and goods of faith, he cannot receive them in the other life, consequently cannot be saved. This is what is meant by the common saying that as the tree falls, so it lies; or as man dies, such he will be. For man has with him in the other life all his natural memory, or that of his external man (although not there permitted to use it, n. 2469-2494), so that it is there as a foundation plane, into which interior truths and goods fall; and if this plane is not a receptacle of the goods and truths which flow in from within, these interior goods and truths are either extinguished, or perverted, or rejected. From all this it is evident that the natural is like a midwife.

[2] That insofar as the natural is a recipient when the interior man brings forth, it is like a midwife, may be seen also from the internal sense of the things related of the midwives who contrary to the command of Pharaoh saved alive the sons of the Hebrew women, of which we read in Moses:

The king of Egypt said to the midwives of the Hebrew women, and he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools, if it be a son, then ye shall kill him, but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt spoke to them, but saved the male children alive. And the king of Egypt called the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this word, and have saved the male children alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women, for they are lively, and have brought forth ere the midwife come unto them. And God did well to the midwives, and the people were multiplied, and became very numerous. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that He made them houses (Exodus 1:15-21);

by the daughters and sons the Hebrew women brought forth, are represented the goods and truths of a new church; by the midwives, the natural insofar as it is a recipient of goods and truths; by the king of Egypt, memory-knowledge in general (see n. 1164, 1165, 1186), which extinguishes truths when it enters into the things of faith by an inverted way, believing nothing except what the senses and memory-knowledge dictate. That the “midwives” here are receptions of truth in the natural, will of the Lord’s Divine mercy be confirmed when the contents of that chapter come to be unfolded.

3509. And Rebekah said unto Jacob her son. That this signifies the Lord’s perception from Divine truth concerning natural truth, is evident from the representation of Rebekah, as being the Divine truth of the Lord’s Divine rational (see n. 3012, 3013, 3077); from the signification of “saying” as being to perceive (n. 1791, 1815, 1819, 1822, 1898, 1919, 2080, 2506, 2515, 2552, 2619); and from the representation of Jacob, as being the Lord’s natural as to truth (n. 3305); from all which it is manifest that by “Rebekah said unto Jacob her son,” is signified the Lord’s perception from Divine truth concerning natural truth. That the Lord from the Divine good of the Divine rational which is represented by Isaac, willed to procure truth for Himself through the good of the natural which is represented by Esau, whereby He might glorify or make Divine His natural; but that the Lord from the Divine truth of the Divine rational which is represented by Rebekah willed to procure for Himself through the truth of the natural which is represented by Jacob the truth by means of which the rational might be glorified or made Divine, cannot be apprehended unless it is illustrated by the things that come to pass in man while being regenerated or made new by the Lord; nor indeed even by this unless it is known how the case is with the rational as to the good and as to the truth therein-which must therefore be briefly stated.

[2] The rational mind is distinguished into two faculties, one faculty being called the will, and the other the understanding. During man’s regeneration, that which proceeds from the will is called good, and that which proceeds from the understanding is called truth. Before man has been regenerated the will does not act as one with the understanding; but the former wills good, while the latter wills truth; insomuch that an effort of the will is perceived as being quite distinct from one of the understanding. This however is perceived only by those who reflect, and who know what the will is and the things that belong thereto, and what the understanding is and the things that belong thereto; but it is not perceived by those who do not know these things and therefore who do not reflect, for the reason that the natural mind is regenerated through the rational mind (see n. 3493), and this according to an order such that the good of the rational does not flow immediately into the good of the natural and regenerate it, but through the truth which is of the understanding, thus in appearance from the truth of the rational. These are the things treated of in this chapter in the internal sense; for “Isaac” is the rational mind as to the good which is of the will, “Rebekah” being the same with respect to the truth which is of the understanding; “Esau” is the good of the natural that comes forth from the good of the rational; and “Jacob” is the truth of the natural that comes forth from the good of the rational through the truth therein.

[3] From these things it may be seen what arcana are contained in the internal sense of the Word; but still there are very few which can be described to human apprehension; while those which transcend it, and cannot be described, are without limit; for in proportion as the Word penetrates more deeply, that is, more interiorly, into heaven, the more innumerable and ineffable the arcana become, not only to man, but also to the angels of the lower heaven; and when it reaches the inmost heaven, the angels there perceive that the arcana are infinite, and are altogether incomprehensible to them, because they are Divine. Such is the Word.