4921. 'And the midwife took' means the natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'the midwife' as the natural, dealt with in 4588. The implications of this will be evident from the following considerations. In the spiritual world 'midwife' means something different from what the word means in the natural world, as may be recognized from the consideration that in the spiritual world there is no such thing as childbirth or consequently midwifery. From this it is evident that when a person reads the words used here, the angels present with him do not perceive a midwife but instead something completely different; indeed they perceive something spiritual. Consequently because angels concentrate their ideas on things to do with a spiritual childbirth, their perception of 'the midwife' is therefore that which assists and receives this offspring - that which assists and receives it being the natural, see what has been shown in 4588.