1295、“他们彼此说”表示这事开始了，也就是人们开始了，这从整个思路可推知。本节论述的是该教会的第三个状态，这时虚假，尤其恶欲所产生的虚假开始掌权。虚假有两个来源：一个是对真理的无知，另一个是恶欲。对真理的无知所产生的虚假不像恶欲所产生的虚假那样有害。因为无知的虚假要么是由于人从小就被如此教导，要么是由于各种职业使人分心，以至于没有探究某事是不是真的，或缺乏辨别真假的能力。由这种无知产生的虚假危害不大，只要这个人没有过分确认它们，因而没有在某种恶欲的煽动下说服自己去捍卫这些虚假；因为他若这样做，就会使无知的云层加厚，并将其转为黑暗，以至于无法看见真理。
但当虚假的来源是恶欲，也就是爱自己和爱世界时，恶欲的虚假就会产生；例如，有人抓住教义的某个点并宣扬它，以迷惑和控制人们的心智，朝着有利于自己的方向解释或扭曲它，并通过基于记忆知识的推理和圣言的字义来证实它。由此产生的敬拜是亵渎的，无论它表面看上去多么神圣。因为它内在不是对主的敬拜，而是对自我的敬拜。这种人也不承认任何真理，除非他能为自己的利益来解释它。这种敬拜就是“巴别”所表示的。但那些在这种敬拜中出生并长大，不知道它是虚假，却过着仁爱生活的人则不然。他们的无知含有纯真在里面，他们的敬拜含有从仁爱流出的良善在里面。敬拜中的亵渎与其说归因于敬拜本身，不如说归因于敬拜者的性质。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]1295. The meaning of a man said to his companion as the fact that it began, or that these things started, follows from the context.
This verse deals with the third phase of the church, when falsity, and specifically greed-driven falsity, started to predominate.
Falsity has two origins; one is ignorance of the truth, the other is corrupt desire. Falsity that springs from ignorance of the truth is not as harmful as falsity that rises out of corrupt desires. We fall into the errors of ignorance when we are taught that way from childhood onward, or when business matters of various kinds distract us from inquiring into the truth, or when we lack the ability to discriminate between truth and falsity. This kind of misinformation does not do much damage, as long as we avoid entrenching ourselves in it with multiple arguments and convincing ourselves — under the goading of some selfish desire — to lend it our support. To do this is to thicken the cloud of ignorance and make it so dark that we cannot see the truth.
[2] But falsity is greed-driven when it starts with corrupt desires, or in other words, with self-love and materialism. We might take up a certain tenet of doctrine, for instance, and avow it publicly in order to seize hold of the popular mind and become a leader. We might interpret or distort that doctrine to our own advantage, arguing from factual evidence and at the same time quoting from the letter of the Word to confirm our views. Worship stemming from such behavior is profane, no matter how pious it seems on the outside, because on the inside it is not worship of the Lord but of ourselves. Furthermore, we fail to acknowledge anything that really is true, except to the extent that we can explain it to our own advantage. This kind of worship is what Babel symbolizes.
The case is different, however, with those who have been born and brought up to this kind of worship, who do not know that the thinking is wrong, and who live a life of love for others. Their ignorance holds innocence inside it, and their worship contains the goodness born of charity. It is not so much the worship itself as the quality of the person worshiping that determines whether it should be described as profane.
Potts(1905-1910) 1295
1295. And they said a man to his fellow. That this signifies that it was begun, or that they had begun, follows from the connection. In this verse the third state of the church is treated of, when falsities had begun to reign; and in fact from cupidities. There are two beginnings of falsities, one from ignorance of truth, the other from cupidities. Falsity from ignorance of truth is not so pernicious as falsity from cupidities. For the falsity of ignorance arises either from one's having been so instructed from childhood, or from having been diverted by various occupations so that one has not examined whether what professes to be true is really so, or from not having had much faculty of judging concerning what is true and what is false. The falsities from these sources do not inflict much harm, provided the man has not much confirmed and thus persuaded himself, being incited thereto by some cupidity so as to defend the falsities; for by doing this he would make the cloud of ignorance dense, and turn it into darkness so that he could not see the truth. [2] But the falsity of cupidities exists when the origin of the falsity is the cupidity or love of self and of the world; as when one seizes upon some point of doctrine and professes it in order to captivate minds and lead them, and explains or perverts the doctrine in favor of self, and confirms it both by reasonings from memory-knowledges, and by the literal sense of the Word. The worship derived from this is profane, however holy it may outwardly appear; for inwardly it is not the worship of the Lord, but the worship of self. Nor does such a man acknowledge anything as true except insofar as he can explain it so as to favor himself. Such worship is that which is signified by "Babel." But the case is different with those who have been born and brought up in such worship, and who do not know that it is false, and who live in charity. In their ignorance there is innocence, and in their worship there is good from charity. The profanity in worship is not predicated so much from the worship itself, as from the quality of the man who is in the worship.
Elliott(1983-1999) 1295
1295. That 'one man said to the next' means that this was started, that is, men started it, follows from the train of thought. This verse is dealing with the third state of the Church when falsities began to reign, in particular the falsities that arise from evil desires. There are two sources of falsities, the first being ignorance of the truth, the second evil desires. Falsity that arises from ignorance of the truth is not so harmful as falsity arising from evil desires, for the falsity of ignorance is the outcome either of having been so taught since early childhood, or of having been so preoccupied with various pursuits that one has never looked into whether something is true, or of not having been competent enough to judge what is true and what is false. Falsities that are the product of such ignorance do little harm provided that the person has not confirmed himself much in them, and so has not, on the instigation of some evil desire or other, persuaded himself to the point of defending those falsities. If he has he so intensifies the cloud of ignorance and converts it into darkness that he is incapable of seeing the truth.
[2] But falsity from evil desires comes into being when the origin of falsity is evil desire, that is, self- love and love of the world, as when somebody takes some point of doctrine, preaches it to captivate and take control of people's minds, and explains or twists that point of doctrine to his own advantage, and confirms it both by reasonings based on facts, and from the literal sense of the Word. The worship that results from this is unholy, however holy it may appear outwardly. For inwardly it is not worship of the Lord but worship of self. Nor does such a person acknowledge any truth, except insofar as he can explain it to his own advantage. Such worship is what is meant by 'Babel'. But the situation is different with people who, though born and brought up in such worship, do not know that it is falsity, and lead charitable lives. Their ignorance has innocence within it, and their worship has the good flowing from charity within it. The unholiness of worship is attributable not so much to the actual worship as to the nature of the worshipper.
Latin(1748-1756) 1295
1295. Quod 'dixit vir ad socium' significet quod coeptum seu quod inceperint, sequitur ex serie. In hoc versu agitur de tertio statu Ecclesiae cum falsa inceperint regnare, et quidem falsa ex cupiditatibus: sunt duo principia falsorum, unum ex ignorantia veri, alterum ex cupiditatibus; falsum ex ignorantia veri non ita damnosum est ac falsum ex cupiditatibus; nam falsum ignorantiae est vel ex eo quod ita instructus sit ab infantia, vel inde quod a variis negotiis abstractus ut non inquisiverit an verum sit, vel quod facultate judicandi de vero et falso non polluerit; falsa inde non multum damni inferunt, modo non confirmaverit se multis et sic persuaserit, cupiditate quadam incitante, ut falsis istis patrocinetur; sic enim nubem ignorantiae densat et vertit in tenebras ita ut non videre possit verum: [2] at falsum cupiditatum est cum origo falsi est cupiditas, seu amor sui et mundi, ut cum quis arripit quoddam doctrinale, id profitetur ut captet animos et ducat, et doctrinale in sui favorem explicat aut pervertit, et id tam ex scientificis per ratiocinia confirmat quam ex sensu litterali Verbi; cultus inde est profanis, utcumque extrinsecus appareret sanctus; nam intus non est cultus Domini sed est cultus sui; nec agnoscit aliquod verum, nisi quantum id explicare possit ut sibi faveat; talis cultus est qui significatur per 'Babel': sed usque aliter se res habet cum illis qui in tali cultu nati et educati sunt, et ignorant quod falsum sit, inque charitate vivunt; in illorum ignorantia est innocentia et in illorum cultu est bonum ex charitate; profanum cultus non ita praedicatur ex ipso cultu, quam ex qualitate ejus qui est in cultu.