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Arcana Coelestia #6675

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6675. And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools. That this signifies a discernment of the truth and good flowing in from the internal into the memory-knowledges of the church, is evident from the signification of “doing the office of a midwife,” as being reception of the good and truth flowing in from the internal into the natural, for the natural is a “midwife” insofar as it receives the influx (see n. 4588, 6673); from the signification of “the Hebrew women,” as being things of the church (n. 5136, 5236); from the signification of “seeing,” as being to discern (n. 2150, 3764, 4567, 4723, 5400); and from the signification of “stools,” as being those things in the natural which receive the goods and truths flowing in from the internal, thus true memory-knowledges, for these receive. Hence it is evident that by “When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women and see them upon the stools,” is signified a discernment of the truth and good flowing in from the internal into the memory-knowledges of the church which are in the natural.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.

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Arcana Coelestia #4589

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4589. For this also is to thee a son. That this signifies spiritual truth may be seen from the signification of a “son,” as being truth (see n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373), here spiritual truth, because the “son” here is Benjamin, by whom is represented the spiritual of the celestial.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.