1283、现在的主题是总体上的古教会和这一事实：随着时间推移，它的内在敬拜被篡改和掺假；结果，它的外在敬拜也是如此，因为外在敬拜的性质取决于内在敬拜的性质。对内在敬拜的篡改和掺假在此由“巴别”来表示。到目前为止所提到的历史事件，除了涉及希伯的外，都不是真实的，而是虚构的，这一事实从本章关于巴别塔的细节可以看出来，即：人们打算建造一座塔顶通天的塔；他们的语言变乱，以至于没有人能听懂彼此；以这种方式变乱他们语言的，正是耶和华。这一事实从经上说这是巴别的起源，而10:10却说巴别是宁录建造的也可以看出来。由此还清楚可知，巴别并非表示一座城，而是表示某种真实事物；在此表示一种内层是亵渎，而外在显得神圣的敬拜。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]1283. Inner Meaning
THE present topic is the ancient church in general and the fact that its inward worship was falsified and adulterated as time passed. Its outward worship accordingly suffered the same fate, because outward worship mirrors inward. The falsification and adulteration of inward worship is portrayed as Babel here.
Up to this point the narrative (aside from what it says about Eber) is fiction rather than history, as the story about the Babylonian tower{*1} shows. Consider the idea that people set about to build a tower with its head in the sky, for instance; that their language was muddled so that they would be unable to understand one another's language; and that Jehovah is the one who caused the confusion. Another piece of evidence is the claim that Babel grew out of this incident, when verse 10 of the last chapter says that Nimrod built it. This too shows that Babel does not mean a city but some phenomenon; here it means worship that is profane within despite an outward appearance of sanctity.
Footnotes:
{*1} The "Babylonian tower" is the Tower of Babel. See note 1 in 1182. [LHC]
Potts(1905-1910) 1283
1283. THE INTERNAL SENSE The Ancient Church in general is now treated of, and it is shown that in course of time its internal worship was falsified and adulterated; and consequently its external worship also, for the quality of the external worship is determined by that of the internal worship. The falsification and adulteration of internal worship here is "Babel." That thus far-except what is said about Eber-the historical incidents were not true, but were made up, may be further seen from what is here said about the Babylonish tower-that men undertook to build a tower whose top should be in heaven, that their lips were confounded so that one should not hear the lip of another, and that Jehovah thus confounded them; and also from its being said that this was the origin of Babel, whereas in the preceding chapter (verse 10) it is said that Babel was built by Nimrod. It is also evident from all this that Babel does not signify a city, but a certain actual thing; and here a worship whose interiors are profane, while its externals appear holy.
Elliott(1983-1999) 1283
1283. THE INTERNAL SENSE
The subject now is the Ancient Church in general and the fact that its internal worship in process of time was falsified and adulterated; and so as a consequence was its external worship, for the character of external worship depends on that of internal. The falsification and adulteration of internal worship is meant here by Babel. The fact that the historical events mentioned up to now, apart from those concerning Eber, are not true but made-up may also be seen from the details given in this chapter concerning the tower of Babel - men set out to build a tower whose head was in heaven; their lips were confused so that no one could hear another; it was Jehovah who confused them in this way. This fact may also be seen from the assertion that this was the origin of Babel and yet verse 10 of the previous chapter says that Babel was built by Nimrod. From this it is also clear that Babel does not mean a city, but some real thing, and that here it means worship whose interior features are not holy though its external appear so.
Latin(1748-1756) 1283
1283. SENSUS INTERNUSAGITUR nunc de Ecclesia Antiqua in genere, et quod cultus ejus internus successu temporis falsificatus et adulteratus sit, inde quoque cultus externus, nam se habet cultus externus secundum internam; falsificatio et adulteratio cultus interni est hic 'Babel.' Quod huc usque, praeter quae de Ebero, historica non vera fuerint sed facta, videri potest etiam ex his de turri Babylonica, ut quod aggressi aedificare turrim cujus caput in caelo, quod labia confusa sint ut non audiret unus labium alterius, quod Jehovah sic confuderit; tum etiam ex eo quod inde Babel, cum tamen in praecedente capite vers. 10, Babel dicitur aedificata a Nimrodo; inde quoque constat quod Babel non significet urbem, sed quandam rem, et hic cultum cujus interiora sunt profana, at externa apparent sancta.