6675. '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 the Church's factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of 'acting as a midwife' as the reception of goodness and truth flowing from the internal into the natural, for inasmuch as the natural receives influx it is 'a midwife', see 4588, 6673; from the meaning of 'the Hebrew women as things that belong to the Church, dealt with in 5136, 5236; from the meaning of 'seeing' as a discernment, dealt with in 2150, 3764, 4567, 4723, 5400; and from the meaning of 'the birthstools' as things in the natural that receive the forms of good and the truths flowing from the internal, thus true factual knowledge, since that knowledge is what receives them. From this it is evident that '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 the Church's factual knowledge, which resides in the natural.

4723. 'They saw him from a distance' means the Lord's Divine Human perceived remotely. This is clear from the meaning of 'seeing' as perception, dealt with in 2150, 3764; from the meaning of 'from a distance' as remotely; and from the representation of 'Joseph' - the one they saw from a distance - as the Lord as regards Divine Truth, dealt with in 4669. The reason the Lord's Divine Human is what 'Joseph' is used to mean here is that His Divine Human is the highest aspect of Divine Truth. There are two essentials which constitute the Church and as a consequence it has two main teachings, the first being that the Lord's Human is Divine, the second that love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour constitute the Church, not faith separated from these. Being the primary aspects of Divine Truth, these too are represented by 'Joseph'. Anyone who represents Divine Truth in general also represents the specific aspects of Divine Truth. But which specific aspect is represented at any point is evident from the train of thought.