10609.“羊群牛群也不可在这山前吃草”表他们也不能接受关于教会、敬拜和圣言的内层和外层良善的教导。这从“羊群”、“牛群”、“吃草”和“山”的含义清楚可知：“羊群”是指内层良善；“牛群”是指外层良善（参看5913，6048，8937节）；“吃草”是指接受教导（5201，6277节）；“山”，此处即何烈山，是指教会、敬拜和圣言的外在（10543节）。从这些含义明显可知这些话表示，这个民族不能接受关于教会、敬拜和圣言的内层和外层良善的教导，因为他们站在它们的外在之外，绝没有站在这外在之内。他们之所以不能接受关于这方面的教导，是因为他们被自我之爱和尘世之爱主宰，被这些爱主宰的人绝无可能知道什么叫属天和属灵良善，因而不知道什么叫教会的良善；事实上，这良善是属天和属天的，因为它是神性。如果这良善被描述给他们，他们根本就不会明白，因为对他们来说，心智的内在部分，就是对该良善的感知所在的地方，已经关闭了。
“羊群牛群也不可在这山前”表示这类事物，这一点在那些将注意力局限于圣言的历史意义，不再作进一步的思考，只是认为这些话表示涉及这个民族本身的某种事物之人看来，显得很奇怪。那些不了解圣言内义的人除此之外什么也不知道，而就内义而言，“羊群”或“牛群”不是指羊群或牛群，而是指与人同住的内层和外层良善。因为圣言，也就是神性，与羊群、牛群，或动物有什么相干呢？与圣言有关的，是人，以及他们的敬拜、爱和信，因而是诸如构成与他们同在的教会的那类事物。
“羊群或牛群”是指这类事物，而不是指羊群或牛群，这一点从圣言中提到它们的经文明显看出来，如诗篇：
你给祂权柄管理你手所造的，使万物，就是一切的羊群和牛群，以及田野的兽都服在祂的脚下。（诗篇8:6，7）
这话论及主，以及祂管理天上地上一切事物的权柄；“羊群和牛群”表示与人同在的内层和外层良善；“兽”表示人们的情感。如果这些生物没有这些含义，那么经上将主的权柄，也就是神性描述为管理羊群、牛群和兽的权柄有什么意义呢？“兽”表示人的情感（参看9280节提到的地方）。
约珥书：
耶和华的日子临近了！这日来到，好像毁灭从沙代来到。走兽哀鸣；牛群混乱，因无草场；羊群也变得荒凉。（约珥书1:15，18）
此处“走兽”表示人的情感；“牛群和羊群”表示内层和外层良善。因为此处所论述的主题是主的到来，这到来由“耶和华的日子”来表示。它们也论及那时的教会，它已经荒废，也就是说，它不再拥有爱之良善，也不再拥有信之良善，这些良善就是“走兽”、“牛群”和“羊群”所表示的。如果它们不是指这些事物，那么经上说当那日，走兽哀鸣，牛群混乱，羊群也变得荒凉有什么意义呢？这一切与教会有什么相干呢？那时它们没有草场表示没有他们可以在其中接受教导的真理。
耶利米书：
从我们幼年以来，羞耻将我们列祖所劳碌得来的羊群牛群，和他们的儿女都吞吃了。（耶利米书3:24）
此处“羊群”和“牛群”也表示教会的良善，也就是爱与信之良善，无论内层的还是外层的。
以赛亚书：
我必从雅各中领出种，从犹大中领出承受我众山的。那时沙仑平原必成为羊群的居所，亚割山谷必成为牛群的躺卧之地，都为寻求我的民所得。（以赛亚书65:9-10）
“雅各”和“犹大”在此不是指雅各和犹大的人民，而是指外在和内在的属天教会；“雅各”表示外在教会，“犹大”表示内在教会。“羊群的居所”表示该教会的内在良善，“牛群的躺卧之地”表示外在良善；“沙仑平原”表示属天教会的内在部分，就是这良善所住之处，“亚割山谷”表示外在部分。“沙仑平原”表示属天教会的内在部分，这一点从提及“沙仑平原”的经文明显看出来（如以赛亚书33:9；35:2）；“亚割山谷”表示该教会的外在部分，这一点明显可见于何西阿书2:15）。
何西阿书：
以色列、以法莲和犹大必与他们的羊群和羊群同去寻求耶和华，却寻不见。（何西阿书5:6）
此处“羊群和牛群”也表示与“以色列、以法莲和犹大”所表示的那些人同在的内层和外层事物。否则，这三人与他们的羊群和羊群同去寻求耶和华又有什么意义呢？
Potts(1905-1910) 10609
10609. And no flock nor herd shall feed over against this mountain. That this signifies that neither could they be instructed about the interior and exterior good of the church, of worship, and of the Word, is evident from the signification of a "flock," as being interior good; and from the signification of a "herd," as being exterior good (see n. 5913, 6048, 8937); from the signification of "feeding," as being to be instructed (n. 5201, 6277); and from the signification of the "mountain," here Mount Horeb, as being the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word (n. 10543). From this it is evident that by these words is signified that neither could that nation be instructed about the interior and exterior good of the church, of worship, and of the Word, because they were outside of this external, and not in any manner within it. The reason why they could not be instructed about this, was that they were in the loves of self and of the world, and they who are in these loves cannot possibly know what celestial and spiritual good is, thus what is the good of the church, for this good is spiritual and celestial, because Divine. If this good were described to them, they would not at all apprehend it, because with them, the internal, where is the perception of this good, is closed. [2] That such things are signified by the "flock and herd not feeding over against the mountain," may seem strange to those who keep the mind solely in the historical sense of the Word, and think no further than that these words signify something that appertains to the nation itself. Nor do those know anything further who are not acquainted with the internal sense of the Word, in which sense "flock and herd" do not signify flock and herd, but interior and exterior good with man. For what has the Word (which is Divine) in common with flock and herd, or with any beast? It has to do with men, their worship, love, and faith, thus with such things as make the church with men. In this is the Word Divine. [3] That "flock and herd" signify such things, and that they do not signify a flock and a herd, is evident from the passages in the Word where they are mentioned; as in David:
Thou hast made Him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands, and Thou hast put all things under His feet; all flocks and herds, and also the beasts of the fields (Ps. 8:6, 7);
this is said of the Lord, and of His power over all things in heaven and on earth; by "flocks and herds" are signified the interior and exterior goods with men; and by "beasts," the affections with them. Otherwise of what use would it be to describe the Lord's power, which is Divine, over flocks, herds, and beasts? (That "beasts" denote the affections with man, may be seen at the places cited in n. 9280.) [4] In Joel:
The day of Jehovah is near, as a devastation from Shaddai shall it come. The beast sighs, the droves of the herd are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the droves of the flock are made desolate (Joel 1:15, 18). Here also "beasts" denote the affections with man; "the droves of the herd and of the flock" denote interior and exterior goods. For the subject here treated of is the coming of the Lord, which is signified by "the day of Jehovah;" and of the church at that time as being vastated, that is, there being no longer any good of love or good of faith. These goods are what is signified by "beasts," "herds," and "flocks." Otherwise what could be meant by "the beast sighing, the droves of the herd being perplexed, and the droves of the flock being made desolate"? For what has this to do with the church? By the "pasture which they then had not" is signified that there is no truth by which they may be instructed. [5] In Jeremiah:
Shame hath devoured the labor of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, and their sons and their daughters (Jer. 3:24). Here also by "flocks" and "herds" are signified the goods of the church, which are the goods of love and of faith, interior and exterior. [6] In Isaiah:
I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of My mountains; then shall Sharon be a habitation of the flock, and the valley of Achor a couch of the herd, for My people that have sought Me (Isa. 65:9-10).
"Jacob" and "Judah" here do not mean the people of Jacob and of Judah, but the celestial church external and internal; "Jacob" the external church; and "Judah" the internal church. The internal good of this church is signified by "a habitation of the flock;" and the external good by "a couch of the herd." "Sharon" denotes the internal where is this good; and "the valley of Achor" denotes the external. (That "Sharon" denotes the internal of the celestial church, is evident from the passages where "Sharon" is mentioned, as in Isaiah 33:9, and 35:2; and that "the valley of Achor" denotes the external of this church, is evident in Hosea 2:15.) [7] In Hosea:
Israel, Ephraim, and Judah shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek Jehovah; and they shall not find Him (Hos. 5:6). Here also "flocks and herds" signify the interiors and the exteriors with those who are meant by "Israel, Ephraim, and Judah." Otherwise what could be meant by their "going with flocks and herds to seek Jehovah"?
Elliott(1983-1999) 10609
10609. 'Also no flock or herd shall feed before this mountain' means that neither were they capable of receiving instruction concerning the interior and exterior good of the Church, worship, and the Word. This is clear from the meaning of 'flock' as interior good, and from the meaning of herd' as exterior good, both of which are dealt with in 5913, 6048, 8937; from the meaning of 'feeding' as receiving instruction, dealt with in 5201, 6277; and from the meaning of 'mountain', which at this point is Mount Horeb, as the external aspect of the Church, worship, and the Word, dealt with in 10543. From these meanings it is evident that those words mean that neither was this nation capable of receiving instruction concerning the interior and exterior good of the Church, worship, and the Word, since they stood outside and in no way within that external aspect of them. The reason why they were incapable of receiving instruction concerning it was that they were ruled by self-love and love of the world, and people ruled by those loves are totally incapable of knowing what celestial and spiritual good is, and so of knowing what the Church's good is, since this good, being Divine, is spiritual and celestial. If this good were described to them they would not begin to comprehend it, because the internal part of the mind, where perception of that good takes place, is in their case closed.
[2] That such things are meant by 'no flock or herd shall feed before the mountain' may seem to be strange to those who confine their attention to the historical meaning of the Word and think no further than this, that something involving that nation is meant by these words. Nor is anything other than this known by those unacquainted with the internal sense of the Word, in which flock or herd are not meant by 'flock or herd' but the interior and exterior good residing with a person. For what does the Word, which is Divine, have to do with a flock and herd, that is, with animals? Human beings, their worship, love, and faith, thus such things as compose the Church with them, is what the Divine Word has to do with.
[3] The fact that such things, not flock or herd, are meant by 'flock or herd' is clear from places in the Word where they are mentioned, as in David,
You have given Him dominion over the works of Your hands; and You have put all things under His feet, flocks and all herds, and also the beasts of the fields. Ps 8:6,7.
This refers to the Lord and to His power over all things in heaven and on earth, 'flocks' and 'herds' meaning forms of good, interior and exterior, that exist with people, and 'beasts' people's affections. If those creatures did not have these meanings what would be the point of describing the Lord's power, which is Divine, as power over flocks, herds, and beasts? For the meaning of 'beasts' as human affections, see in the places referred to in 9280.
[4] In Joel,
The day of Jehovah is near, and as destruction from Shaddai will it come. The beasts groan, the droves of the herd are perplexed, because they have no pasture, even the droves of the flock are made desolate. Joel 1:15,18.
Here also 'the beasts' stands for human affections, 'the droves of the herd and of the flock' standing for forms of good, interior and exterior. For these verses refer to the Lord's Coming, this being what is meant by 'the day of Jehovah'. They also refer to the Church at that time, to its having been laid waste, that is, to its not possessing the good of love any longer, nor the good of faith, these being what 'beasts', 'herds', and 'flocks' mean. If they did not mean those things what would be the point of saying that the beasts would groan on that day, the droves of the herd would be perplexed, and the droves of the flock would be made desolate? What would all this have to do with the Church? Their having no pasture at that time means that no truth is present in which they may receive instruction.
[5] In Jeremiah,
From our youth shame is devouring the work of our fathers - their flocks and their herds, and their sons and their daughters. Jer 3:24.
Here also 'flocks' and 'herds' mean the Church's forms of good, which are those of love and faith, interior and exterior ones.
[6] In Isaiah,
I will bring forth seed from Jacob, and from Judah the heir of My mountains. Then Sharon will be the dwelling-place of the flock, and the Valley of Achor the place for the herd to lie downa, for My people who have sought Me. Isa 65:9,10.
'Jacob' and 'Judah' here are not used to mean the people of Jacob and Judah but the external and internal celestial Church, 'Jacob' the external and 'Judah' the internal. The internal good of that Church is meant by 'the dwelling-place of the flock' and the external good by 'the place for the herd to lie down', 'Sharon' being the internal part [of that Church], where this good resides, and 'the Valley of Achor' the external part. The fact that 'Sharon' means the internal part of the celestial Church is clear from the places where Sharon is mentioned, as in Isaiah 33:9; 35:2; and the fact that 'the Valley of Achor' means the external part of that Church is clear in Hosea 2:15.
[7] In Hosea,
Israel, Ephraim, and Judah will go with their flocks and with their herds to seek Jehovah, and they will not find [Him]. Hosea 5:5,6.
Here also 'flocks' and 'herds' mean the interior and exterior things with those who should be understood by 'Israel, Ephraim, and Judah'. If they did not mean those things what would be the point of saying that these three would go with their flocks and herds to seek Jehovah?
Latin(1748-1756) 10609
10609. `Etiam grex et armentum {1}nec pascent e regione montis hujus': quod significet quod nec (x)instrui possent de bono interiore et exteriore Ecclesiae, cultus, et Verbi, constat ex significatione `gregis' quod sit bonum interius, et ex significatione `armenti' quod sit bonum exterius, de quibus n. 5913, 6048, 8937, ex significatione `pascere' quod sit instrui, de qua n. 5201, 6277, et ex significatione `montis,' hic montis Chorebi, quod sit externum Ecclesiae, cultus, et Verbi, de qua n. 10543; inde patet quod per illa verba significetur quod gens illa nec instrui posset de bono interiore et exteriore Ecclesiae, cultus, et Verbi, quoniam extra externum {2}illud erant, et non aliquo modo intra; {2}quod non instrui de illo potuerint, erat quia in amoribus sui et mundi fuerunt, et qui in illis amoribus sunt nusquam scire possunt quid bonum caeleste et spirituale, ita quid bonum Ecclesiae, nam hoc bonum est spirituale et caeleste, quia Divinum; si bonum illud describeretur illis, prorsus non caperent, quoniam clausum apud illos est internum, ubi perceptio illius boni. [2] Quod talia significentur per quod grex et armentum non pascent e regione montis, videri potest alienum illis qui animum in sensu historico Verbi solum tenent, et non ultra cogitant, quod aliquid apud ipsam gentem significent; nec sciunt illi qui non sensum internum Verbi norunt, in quo `grex et armentum' non significant gregem et armentum, sed bonum interius et exterius apud hominem; quid enim Verbum, quod Divinum {4}, commune habet cum grege et armento, seu cum {5}bestia? sed cum hominibus, eorum cultu, amore, et fide, ita cum talibus quae faciunt Ecclesiam apud illos, in eo est Verbum Divinum. [3] Quod `grex et armentum' talia significent, et non gregem et armentum, constat ex locis {6}in Verbo ubi nominantur, ut apud Davidem, Dominari fecisti Ipsum super opera manuum Tuarum, et omnia posuisti sub pedes Ipsius, {7}gregem et armenta omnia, et etiam bestias agrorum, Ps. viii 7, 8 [A. V. 6, 7];agitur ibi de Domino, ac de Ipsius potestate super omnia in caelo et in terra; et per `{7}gregem et armenta' significantur bona interiora (c)et exteriora apud homines, ac per bestias affectiones {8} apud illos; quid alioquin foret describere potestatem Domini, quae Divina, super greges, armenta, et bestias ? quod `bestiae' sint affectiones {8} apud hominem, videatur in locis citatis n. 9280: [4] apud Joelem, Propinquus dies Jehovae est, et sicut devastatio a Schaddai veniet; suspirat bestia, perplexae sunt catervae armenti, eo quod non pascuum illis, etiam catervae gregis desolatae sunt, i [15,] 18;
hic quoque `bestiae' pro affectionibus {9}apud hominem, `catervae armenti et gregis' pro bonis interioribus et exterioribus; agitur enim {10}ibi de Domini adventu, hic enim significatur per `diem Jehovae,' et de Ecclesia {11}tunc quod vastata, hoc est, quod non amplius tunc bonum amoris, nec bonum fidei, haec sunt quae significantur per `bestias, armenta, et greges'; quid alioquin foret, quod tunc suspiraret bestia, perplexae essent catervae armenti, et desolatae catervae gregis? quid hoc ad Ecclesiam? per `pascuum quod tunc non illis' significatur quod non verum {12}quo instruantur': [5] apud Jeremiam, Pudor comedit laborem patrum nostrorum a pueritia nostra, greges eorum et armenta eorum, et filios eorum et filias eorum, iii 24;
etiam {13}hic per `greges et armenta' significantur bona Ecclesiae, quae sunt bona amoris et fidei, interiora et exteriora: [6] apud Esaiam, Producam ex Jacobo semen, et ex Jehudah heredem montium Meorum; tunc erit Scharon in habitaculum gregis, et vallis Achoris in cubile armenti populo Meo, qui quaesiverunt Me, lxv [9,] 10;
per `Jacobum' et `Jehudam' ibi non intelligitur populus Jacobi (c)et Jehudae, sed Ecclesia caelestis externa et interna, per `Jacobum' externa, {14} per `Jehudam' interna; bonum internum illius Ecclesiae significatur (d)per `habitaculum gregis' et externum per `cubile armenti'; `Scharon' est internum ubi id bonum, et `vallis Achoris' est externum; quod `Scharon' sit internum Ecclesiae caelestis, constat ex locis ubi Scharon nominatur, ut apud Esaiam xxxiii 9 et xxxv 2; et quod `vallis Achoris' sit externum illius Ecclesiae, apud Hoscheam ii 15: apud Hoscheam, Israel, Ephraim, et Jehudah cum gregibus suis et cum armentis suis ibunt ad quaerendum Jehovam, et non invenient, v [5,] 6;
ibi etiam `greges et armenta' significant interiora et exteriora apud illos qui intelliguntur per `Israelem, Ephraimum, et Jehudam'; quid alioquin foret quod illi irent cum gregibus et armentis ad quaerendum Jehovam? {15} @1 subsistere IT$ @2 eorum erat$ @3 (m)quod qui in amore sui sunt non instrui possint de bono coeli, quia hoc non possunt scire quid sit qui in malo(n)$ @4 i est$ @5 bestiis$ @6 After ubi$ @7 greges IT$ @8 i boni$ @9 i boni$ @10 de adventu Domini, is$ @11 sunt$ @12 per quod bonum$ @13 ibi$ @14 i et$ @15 i Quod gens Israelitica non instrui possent de bono interiori et exteriori (m)Verbi, Ecclesiae et cultus, erat quia in amore sui et mundi fuerunt, et qui in illo sunt nusquam scire possunt quid bonum coeleste et spirituale, et si describitur, nec capiunt, clausum enim apud illos est internum, ubi perceptio illius boni.(n)