1043、“云”表示与属天人相比，属灵人所住的昏暗之光。这从刚才关于“弓”的阐述清楚可知，因为弓或这弓的颜色只出现在云中。如前所述，太阳的光线透过云的昏暗发光，正是这种昏暗本身被转换为不同颜色；因此，所产生的实际颜色取决于光线的明亮所触及的昏暗的性质。属灵人也是同样的道理。对他来说，在此被称为“云”的昏暗是虚假，与其理解力的自我是一样的。当来自主的纯真、仁爱和怜悯被注入其理解力的自我时，这云就不再看似虚假，而是看似真理的表象和来自主的真理。因此就有了彩弓的形像。这种属灵的转换无法形容，除非人能通过颜色及其起源来理解它，否则，我不知道如何以一种可理解的方式来解释。
对重生之人来说，这“云”的性质可从他重生之前的状态清楚看出来。人通过他以之为信之真理的东西而重生。人人都认为他自己的信条是真理，并在此基础上获得一种良心。因此，一旦他获得良心，那么违背他作为信之真理而牢记的东西行事，对他来说就是违背良心行事。这适用于每个重生之人。因为许多人通过所接受的信条被主重生；并且一旦重生，他们就不再接受任何直接的启示，只接受那些通过圣言和圣言的讲道被植入的东西。但由于他们接受仁爱，所以主通过仁爱作用于他们的云。那时，光便从云中发出，如当太阳穿透云层时，会使云层更加明亮，并且变得五颜六色。这个过程还制造了云中之弓的形像。所以云层越薄，也就是说，构成它的混合在一起的信之真理越多，这弓就越美丽；而云层越厚，也就是说，构成它的混合在一起的信之真理越少，这弓就越不美丽。纯真会给它的美丽增色不少，可以说给颜色带来一种鲜活生动的明亮。
当人局限于圣言的字义时，真理的一切表象就是笼罩他的“云”，因为圣言是照着表象说的。然而，只要他简单地相信圣言，并拥有仁爱，哪怕他停留在表象中，这云相对来说也是薄的。对教会之内的人来说，主正是在这云里面形成良心。此外，对真理的一切无知也是云；当人不知道信之真理是什么，一般来说，不知道圣言是什么，尤其没有听说过主时，他就在这云中。对教会之外的人来说，主在这云中形成良心，因为他的无知本身可能拥有纯真，因而拥有仁爱在里面。一切虚假也是云；不过，这些云是黑暗，要么存在于那些拥有虚假良心（参看1033节）的人身上，要么存在于那些没有良心的人身上。这些通常是各种类型的云。至于云的数量，人身上的云如此之多、如此之厚，以至于他若知道它们，必惊讶于来自主的光线竟能穿透它们，并且任何人都能重生。自以为有少量云的人，有时会有大量的云；而自以为有大量云的人，却有少量的云。
这类云与属灵人同在，但在属天人身上没有那么多，因为属天人拥有植入其意愿部分的对主之爱，因而不像属灵人那样从主获得良心，而是获得对良善的感知，并由此获得对真理的感知。当人的意愿部分能接受属天火焰的光线时，他的理解力部分就会被它点亮，他出于爱知道并感知系信之真理的一切。这时，他的意愿部分就像一个小太阳，光线由此传到他的理解力部分。这就是上古教会成员的性质。但当人的意愿部分完全败坏，如地狱一般，一个新意愿，也就是良心因此在他的理解力部分形成（如古教会成员，以及属灵教会的每个重生之人的情形）时，他的云层就是厚的，因为他没有能力感知何为良善和真理，必须通过学习才能获得这种知识。与此同时，虚假，也就是云的昏暗或模糊，不断从他的黑色意愿部分，也就是从地狱经由它流入。因此，属灵人的理解力部分永远无法像属天人的那样被光照。这就是为何“云”在此表示与属天人相比，属灵人所住的昏暗之光。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]1043. The symbolism of a cloud as the dim light in which a spiritual person lives, as compared to a heavenly person, is established by the remarks immediately above on the rainbow. A rainbow with all its colors, after all, never occurs except in a cloud. To repeat, the darkness through which the sunbeams shine is itself what turns colorful. The type of darkness that the shaft of light touches, then, determines the color.
So it is for a spiritual person. The darkness in such people — which is being called a cloud — is falsity, which is the same thing as their intellectual selfhood. When the Lord infuses this selfhood with innocence, charity, and mercy, the cloud is no longer seen as something false but as the outward appearance of truth, together with truth that is true, which comes from the Lord. This is what creates the effect of a colorful arc. It is a kind of spiritual transformation that is completely impossible to describe. If it is not pictured in terms of color and the generation of color, I do not know whether it can be explained in a comprehensible way.
[2] What this cloud is like in a person reborn can be gleaned from an individual's condition before regeneration. We are regenerated by what we suppose to be religious truth. (We each imagine our own theology to be the truth.) This supplies us with conscience. So for us, after we have acquired conscience, violating the strictures stamped on our minds as religious truth is violating our conscience. This is true of every regenerate person, because the Lord regenerates large numbers of people of every creed. When we have regenerated, we do not receive any direct revelation (except the ideas instilled in us through the Word and preaching from the Word). But since we do receive love for our fellow humans, the Lord works through that love to affect our cloud. Light then floods out of it, as happens when the sun strikes a cloud, making it brighter and variegating its color. The same process also creates something like a bow in the cloud. So the thinner the cloud is — that is, the more religious truth it has mixed in — the lovelier the bow is. The thicker the cloud is, though — or the less religious truth it has — the less attractive the bow is. Innocence adds a great deal of beauty; it lends a vivid glow to the colors, so to speak.
[3] All apparent truths are clouds, and they engross our attention when we focus on the Word's literal meaning, since the Word speaks in appearances. But when we maintain a simple trust in the Word (even if we cling to the appearances) and cultivate a feeling of charity, the cloud is relatively thin. For those inside the church, the Lord forms a conscience within this cloud.
All instances of ignorance about truth are also clouds. We live in these clouds when we do not know what the truth of the genuine faith is, when we more generally do not know what the Word is, and especially when we have never heard about the Lord. For those outside the church, the Lord forms a conscience within this cloud. Ignorance, you see, is itself capable of holding innocence and therefore charity within it.
All falsities, too, are clouds, but these clouds are the shadowy darkness inside either those who have a false conscience (as discussed earlier [1033]) or those who have no conscience.
These are the general qualities of cloud. As for their quantity, we have such large, thick clouds inside that if we were aware of it, we would be astounded to think that any rays of light from the Lord could ever shine through, or that anyone could be reborn. Those who believe they have the smallest cover of cloud sometimes have a huge amount, while those who believe they have a huge amount have less.
[4] Spiritual people have these kinds of clouds around them, but heavenly people have smaller ones, because they have love for the Lord implanted in the will-related part of their mind. As a result, they also do not have the conscience that a spiritual person has. Instead, the Lord gives them the ability to perceive goodness, together with the truth growing out of what is good. When people's capacity of will is such that it can receive the radiance of a heavenly flame, their capacity for understanding glows with its light, and love enables them to recognize and perceive everything true in the realm of faith. Their power of will is then like a miniature sun shining into their intellectual side. This is what the people of the earliest church were like.
Sometimes our willpower is radically depraved and hellish, though, so that a new will (which is conscience) is formed in our intellectual part. This is what happened with the people of the ancient church, and it occurs with every regenerate individual who is part of the spiritual church. When it does, there is dense cloud, because the person has to learn what is true and good and cannot intuit it. Under these circumstances, falsity flows in endlessly from the person's black, will-related part, or rather through it from hell. This is the dark shadow of a cloud. That is why the intellectual side of a spiritual person can never be enlightened the way it is in a heavenly person. Consequently, the cloud in this verse symbolizes the dim light in which a spiritual person lives, compared to a heavenly one.
Potts(1905-1910) 1043
1043. That the "cloud" signifies the obscure light in which is the spiritual man as compared with the celestial man, is evident from what has just been said about the "bow;" for the bow, or the color of the bow, has no existence except in the cloud. As before said, it is the darkness of the cloud, through which the sun's rays shine, that is turned into colors; and thus the color is such as is the darkness which is touched by the brightness of the rays. The case is the same with the spiritual man. With him, the darkness which is here called a "cloud" is falsity, which is the same as the Own of his understanding. When innocence, charity, and mercy are insinuated into this Own by the Lord, then this cloud appears no longer as falsity, but as an appearance of truth, together with truth from the Lord. Hence there is the likeness of a colored bow. There is a certain spiritual modification which can by no means be described, and unless it be perceived by man by means of colors and their origin, I do not know how it can be set forth to his apprehension. [2] The nature of this "cloud" with the regenerate man may be seen from his state before regeneration. Man is regenerated through what he supposes to be truths of faith. Everyone supposes his own dogma to be true, and from this he acquires a conscience, for which reason after he has acquired a conscience, to act contrary to what has been impressed upon him as truths of faith, is to him contrary to conscience. Such is every regenerated man. For many are regenerated by the Lord in every dogma, and when they have been regenerated they do not receive any immediate revelation, but only what is insinuated into them through the Word and the preaching of the Word. But because they receive charity, the Lord works through charity upon their cloud, from which there springs light, as when the sun strikes a cloud, which then becomes more luminous and is variegated with colors. Thus also there arises in the cloud the likeness of a bow. The thinner the cloud, that is, the more numerous are the intermingled truths of faith of which it consists, the more beautiful is the bow. But the denser the cloud, that is, the fewer the truths of faith of which it consists, the less beautiful is the bow. Innocence adds much to its beauty, giving as it were a living brightness to the colors. [3] All appearances of truth are clouds in which man is when he is in the sense of the letter of the Word, for the language of the Word is according to appearances. But when he believes the Word with simplicity, and has charity, even though he remains in appearances, this cloud is comparatively thin. It is in this cloud that conscience is formed by the Lord with a man who is within the church. All ignorances of truth are also clouds, in which man is when he does not know what the truth of faith is; in general, when he does not know what the Word is, and still more when he has not heard about the Lord. In this cloud conscience is formed by the Lord with a man who is outside the church; for in his very ignorance there may be innocence, and thus charity. All falsities also are clouds; but these clouds are darkness, and are either with those who have a false conscience-described elsewhere-or with those who have none. These are, in general, the qualities of clouds. As regards their mass, there are with man clouds so great and so dense that if he knew of them, he would wonder that rays of light could ever shine through from the Lord, and that man could be regenerated. He who supposes himself to have the least cloud, has sometimes a very great one; and he who believes that he has very much cloud, has less. [4] There are such clouds with the spiritual man, but not so great with the celestial, because he has love to the Lord implanted in his will part, and therefore receives from the Lord, not conscience, as does the spiritual man, but perception of good and thence of truth. When man's will part is such that it can receive the rays of celestial flame, then his intellectual part is enlightened thereby, and from love he knows and perceives all things that are truths of faith. His will part is then like a little sun, from which rays shine into his intellectual part. Such was the man of the Most Ancient Church. But when man's will part is wholly corrupt and infernal, and therefore a new will, which is conscience, is formed in his intellectual part (as was the case with the man of the Ancient Church, and is so with every regenerated man of the spiritual church), then his cloud is dense, for he needs to learn what is good and true, and has no perception whether it is so. Then also falsity continually flows in (which is the darkness of cloud) from his black will part, that is, through it from hell. This is the reason why the intellectual part can never be enlightened in the spiritual man as it is in the celestial. Hence it is that the "cloud" here signifies the obscure light in which the spiritual man is in comparison with the celestial.
Elliott(1983-1999) 1043
1043. 'The cloud' means the obscure light in which the spiritual man dwells in comparison with the celestial man. This becomes clear from what has just been stated concerning the bow; for the bow, or the colour of the bow, is never manifested except within the cloud. As has been stated, it is the obscurity itself through which the sun's rays shine that is converted into different colours, and so the actual colour that is produced is determined by the nature of the obscurity which the brightness of those rays encounters. Similarly with the spiritual man. The obscurity with him, which is called 'the cloud' here, is falsity, and is the same as the intellectual side of his proprium. When innocence, charity, and mercy from the Lord are instilled into this part of his proprium, the cloud is no longer seen as falsity but as an appearance of truth together with [real] truth from the Lord. Consequently there is the likeness of a coloured bow. The conversion of something spiritual that defies description is involved here, but how else the matter can be explained intelligibly except through the way a person perceives colours and how they are produced I do not know.
[2] The nature of this cloud with someone who is regenerate is clear from what his state was prior to regeneration. A person is regenerated by means of the things he supposes to be the truths of faith. Everyone supposes that his own accepted belief is the truth, and on this basis acquires a conscience. Consequently once he has acquired a conscience, acting contrary to the things that have been impressed on him as being the truths of faith is to him acting contrary to conscience. This applies to everyone who is regenerate. For many from whatever accepted belief are regenerated by the Lord; and once regenerated, they do not receive any direct revelation, but only those things which are implanted through the Word and preaching of it. But because they receive charity, the Lord operates by way of charity into the cloud that is theirs. From this, light is provided, as when the sun pierces a cloud which thereby becomes more illumined and made varicoloured. So also within the cloud [of falsity] the likeness of a bow is manifested. The thinner the cloud therefore, that is, the more it consists of many truths of faith blending together, the more beautiful is the bow; but the thicker this cloud, that is, the less it consists of truths of faith, the less beautiful the bow. Innocence adds considerably to its beauty, bringing so to speak a living brightness to the colours.
[3] All appearances of truth are 'clouds' which envelop a person when he is confined to the sense of the letter of the Word, for the Word speaks according to appearances. Yet, even though he remains in appearances, since he believes the Word in simplicity and has charity, that cloud is relatively thin - it being within this cloud that the Lord forms conscience in the case of one who is inside the Church. In addition, all forms of ignorance of truth are 'clouds', such as envelop a person who does not know what the truth of faith is, in general when he does not know what the Word is, and still more when he has not heard about the Lord. It is within this cloud that the Lord forms conscience in the case of one who is outside the Church; for in ignorance itself there can be innocence, and so charity. All falsities too are 'clouds', but these clouds are the darkness that exists either with people who have a false conscience, as described already, or with people who have none at all. These are in general the various types of clouds. As regards the number of them, the clouds with an individual are so numerous and so thick that if he knew he would be amazed that rays of light from the Lord could ever pierce them at all and that anyone could be regenerated. The person who imagines he has a very small amount of cloud sometimes has a vast quantity of it, while the one who believes he has a vast quantity of cloud has less.
[4] Such clouds reside with the spiritual man, but with the celestial man not so many do so since with him love to the Lord is present, which has been implanted in the will part of his mind. He does not therefore receive conscience from the Lord as the spiritual man does, but perception of good and from this of truth. When the will part of someone's mind is such that he is able to receive rays from a celestial flame, the understanding part is lit up by it, and he knows and perceives from love all things that are truths of faith. The will part is then like a little sun from which rays pass into the understanding part. Such was the nature of the member of the Most Ancient Church. But when the will part of his mind has become utterly corrupted and hellish, and a new will, which is conscience, is therefore formed in the understanding part, as happened to the member of the Ancient Church and happens now to every regenerate member of the spiritual Church, there is thick cloud; for, having no ability to perceive what good and truth are, he must gain a knowledge of this through learning about them. At the same time falsity, which is the obscurity of the cloud, is constantly flowing in from the black will part of his mind, that is, from hell by way of that will part. For this reason the understanding part with the spiritual man can never be enlightened in the way that it is with the celestial man. This is why 'cloud' here means the obscure light in which the spiritual man dwells in comparison with the celestial man.
Latin(1748-1756) 1043
1043. Quod 'nubes' significet obscuram lucem in qua est spiritualis homo respective ad caelestem, constare potest ex illis quae de arcu nunc dicta sunt; arcus eram seu color arcus nusquam existit nisi in nube; ipsum obscurum, ut dictum, per quod fulgurant radii solis, est quod vertitur in colores, ita quale obscurum quod a fulgure radiorum perstringitur, talis color: similiter se habet apud hominem spiritualem; obscurum apud eum quod hic vocatur 'nubes,' est falsum, quod idem est ac proprium ejus intellectuale, cui proprio cum insinuatur innocentia, charitas et misericordia a Domino, tunc non amplius apparet haec nubes ut falsum sed ut apparens veri una cum vero ex Domino, inde instar arcus colorati; est modificatio quaedam spiritualis quae nusquam describi potest, quae nisi percipiatur ab homine per colores et eorum nativitates, non scio an queat ad captum exponi. [2] Qualis haec nubes est apud hominem regeneratum, constare potest a statu ejus ante regenerationem; homo regeneratur per illa quae putat esse vera fidei; quisque putat suum dogma esse verum, inde conscientiam accipit, quare postquam accepit conscientiam, contra illa agere quae ei impressa sunt quod sint vera fidei, ei est contra conscientiam; talis est unus quisque regeneratus, nam regenerantur a Domino multi quocumque dogmate; et cum regenerati sunt, non tunc aliquam revelationem immediatam accipiunt nisi quae illis insinuantur per Verbum et praedicationem Verbi; sed quia charitatem accipiunt, Dominus per charitatem operatur in eorum nubem, inde exsurgit lux, sicut dum sol perstringit nubem, quae inde lucidior fit et variegatur coloribus; ita quoque in nube existit similitudo arcus; quo itaque nubes tenuior est, hoc est, quo a pluribus veris fidei intermixtis consistit, eo pulchrior est arcus; at quo nubes haec densior est, hoc est, a paucioribus veris fidei consistit, eo impulchrior arcus; innocentia multum pulchritudinis adjicit, est quasi inde splendor vivus in coloribus. [3] Omnes apparentiae veri sunt 'nubes' in quibus homo est cum in sensu litterae Verbi, nam in Verbo secundum apparentias locutum est, at cum simpliciter credit Verbo tametsi in apparentiis manet, et charitatem habet, haec nubes respective tenuis est; in hac nube formatur a Domino conscientia apud hominem intra Ecclesiam. Omnes ignorantiae veri etiam sunt 'nubes' in quibus homo est cum non scit quid verum fidei, in genere cum non scit quid Verbum, et adhuc magis cum non audivit de Domino; in hac 'nube' formati a Domino conscientia apud hominem extra Ecclesiam; nam in ipsa ignorantia potest esse innocentia, et sic charitas. Omnes falsitates etiam sunt 'nubes,' sed hae nubes sunt tenebrae, quae apud eos qui vel habent conscientiam falsam, de qua prius, vel apud eos qui habent nullam. Hae sunt in genere qualitates nubium; quod quantitatem attinet, tantae nubes apud hominem sunt et tam densae, ut si nosse miraretur quod usquam possent per eam transparere radii lucis Domino, et quod posset homo regenerari; qui minimum nubis se habere putat, quandoque perplurimum habet, et qui perplurimum nubis credit se habere, is minus habet. [4] Tales nubes sunt apud hominem spiritualem, sed apud hominem caelestem non tantae sunt, quia amor in Dominum est, qui ejus parti voluntariae implantatus, et ideo quoque non conscientiam sicut homo spiritualis, sed perceptionem boni et inde veri a Domino accipit. Cum voluntarium hominis tale est ut recipere possit radios flammae caelestis, tunc inde intellectuale ejus illustratur et ex amore novit et percipit omnia quae sunt vera fidei; voluntarium ejus tunc est instar exigui solis e quo radii in partem ejus intellectualem; talis fuit homo Antiquissimae Ecclesiae. Ast cum voluntarium hominis prorsus corruptum est et infernale, et ideo nova voluntas quae est conscientia, formatur in parte ejus intellectuali ut factum apud hominem Antiquae Ecclesiae et fit apud omnem hominem regeneratum Ecclesiae spiritualis, tunc densa nubes es nam discere debet quid verum et bonum est, nec percipere potest num sit; et tunc quoque continue influit falsum quod est obscurum nubis, a parte ejus nigra voluntaria seu per eam ab inferno; quae causa est quod pars intellectualis nusquam illustrari possit apud hominem spiritualem sicut apud hominem caelestem; inde est quo 'nubes' hic significet obscuram lucem in qua est spiritualis homo respective ad caelestem.