1316、“看哪！这人民为一，他们都有一种语言”表示他们都有一样的信之真理和教义。这从“人民”和“语言（或嘴唇）”的含义清楚可知：“人民”是指信之真理，“语言（或嘴唇）”是指教义。前面说明（1259节），“人民”表示信之真理，也就是那些拥有信之真理的人；“语言（或嘴唇）”表示信之教义，这在前面也已说明（11:1；1286节）。当所有人都以社会的共同利益、教会的共同利益和主的国度为目的时，就说人民“为一”，他们的语言或嘴唇也是“一种”。因为在这种情况下，主就在这目的里面，所有人都从主而为一。但主绝不可能与一个以自己的利益为目的的人同在。人自己的东西本身就会将主排斥在外，因为人由此会将社会的共同利益和教会的共同利益，甚至将主的国度扭转并指向他自己，甚至使它们可以说为他而存在。他就这样把主的东西从祂那里夺走，并将自己置于祂的位置。当这种态度在人里面掌权时，他的每一个思维，甚至他思维的最小细节里面都会有它的反映。这就是在人里面掌权的东西，或说人的主导特征的性质。
这一点在人活在肉身期间不像在来世那样明显，因为在来世，在人里面掌权的东西，或说人的主导特征会通过他周围所有人都感觉到的一种气场显现；这种气场具有这种特点是因为，它从此人里面的每一个事物中散发出来。一个人若在各个方面都关注自己，那么他的气场就会夺取并（如来世的人所说的）吸收对它有利的一切，包括周围灵人的一切快乐。它还会摧毁他们的一切自由。因此，这种人不得不被逐出社群。但当人民为一，语言或嘴唇为一时，也就是说，当所有人的共同利益得到关注时，一个人永远不会夺取别人的快乐，或摧毁别人的自由，而是尽可能地促进和增加它。这就是为何天堂社群如同一体，这一体唯独通过来自主的相爱才能实现。这同样适用于教会。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]1316. Look: the people are one and they all have one language, means that religious truth and doctrine were the same for everyone. This can be seen from the symbolism of a people as religious truth and from the symbolism of a language as doctrine.
The symbolism of a people as religious truth, that is, as those who have religious truth, was illustrated before, at 1259. The symbolism of a language as religious doctrine was illustrated above at verse 1 [1286]. The people and their language are said to be one when everyone adopts the common good of society, the common good of the church, and the kingdom of the Lord as a goal. Under those circumstances, the Lord — who brings about the unity of all — is present in the goal.
When we adopt our own welfare as the goal, however, the Lord cannot be present in any way. Our very self-absorption pushes him away. Under these circumstances we deflect and divert to ourselves the common good of society, the common good of the church, and even the Lord's kingdom, treating them as if they exist for our own sake. In this way we take what is the Lord's away from him and replace it with ourselves.
When this attitude takes over in us, a reflection of it lurks in each of our thoughts and even in the smallest facets of our thoughts. That is how it is with a person's dominant trait.
[2] The fact is not as obvious during bodily life as it is in the other life, where our dominant characteristic reveals itself through a kind of aura that everyone around us perceives. Our aura is like this because it emanates from everything inside us. If we focus on ourselves at every point, our aura usurps and (as people there say) absorbs everything advantageous to us, including all the pleasure of the spirits around us. It destroys all freedom in them. Inevitably, then, people like this are ostracized.
But when the people are one and they have one language, that is, when the common good of all is what people focus on, then no one ever usurps another's happiness or destroys another's freedom but promotes and increases it as much as possible. That is why heavenly communities seem to form a unit, and this is the effect of mutual love alone, which comes from the Lord. The same is true in the church.
Potts(1905-1910) 1316
1316. Behold, the people are one, and they all have one lip. That this signifies that they all had one truth of faith and doctrine, is evident from the signification of "people," as being the truth of faith, and from the signification of "lip," as being doctrine. It has been shown before (n. 1259), that "people" signifies the truth of faith, that is, those who are in the truth of faith; and that "lip" signifies the doctrine of faith, was shown just above (at verse 1). The people is said to be "one," and their "lip one," when all have as their end the common good of society, the common good of the church, and the kingdom of the Lord; for when this is the case the Lord is in the end, and all are a one from Him. But the Lord cannot possibly be present with a man whose end is his own good; the Own itself of man estranges the Lord, because thereby the man twists and turns the common good of society, and that of the church itself, and even the kingdom of the Lord, to himself, insomuch that it is as if it existed for him. He thus takes away from the Lord what is His, and puts himself in His place. When this condition reigns in a man, there is the like of it in every single thought he has, and even in the least particulars of his thoughts; for such is the case with whatever is regnant in any man. [2] This does not appear so manifestly in the life of the body as it does in the other life, for there whatever is regnant in anyone manifests itself by a certain sphere which is perceived by all around him, and which is of this character because it exhales from every single thing in him. The sphere of him who has regard to himself in everything, appropriates to itself, and, as is said there, absorbs everything that is favorable to itself, and therefore it absorbs all the delight of the surrounding spirits, and destroys all their freedom, so that such a person has to be banished from society. But when the people is one, and the lip one, that is, when the common good of all is regarded, one person never appropriates to himself another's delight, or destroys another's freedom, but insofar as he can he promotes and increases it. This is the reason why the heavenly societies are as a one, and this solely through mutual love from the Lord; and the case is the same in the church.
Elliott(1983-1999) 1316
1316. 'See, they are one people, and they all have one lip' means that all had the truth of faith and held to the same doctrine. This is clear from the meaning of 'people' as the truth of faith, and from the meaning of 'lip' as doctrine. That 'people' means the truth of faith, that is, those who possess the truth of faith, has been shown already in 1259, and that 'lip' means the doctrine of faith has been shown above at verse 1. The people are called 'one' and their 'lip' one when all have as their end in view the common good of society, the common good of the Church, and the Lord's kingdom. For in that case the end includes within itself the Lord, from whom all people are one. The Lord cannot possibly be present with someone whose end in view is his own good. That which is man's own excludes the Lord; for in so doing it diverts and directs towards itself the common good of society, that of the Church, and indeed the Lord's kingdom, even to making these exist so to speak for its own sake. Thus it takes away from the Lord that which is His and substitutes itself. And when this is the prevailing attitude with a person the same is the case in each one of his thoughts, and indeed in the smallest details of his thoughts. This is the nature of a person's prevailing attitude.
[2] This is not so apparent during a person's lifetime as it is in the next life. His prevailing attitude reveals itself as a certain sphere which is felt by everyone around him, and it is the fact that it emanates from every single thing within him that makes that sphere such as it is. The sphere of someone who in every respect regards himself takes to itself - or as is said in the next life, absorbs - everything which gratifies it, thus takes to itself all the delight of the spirits surrounding him. It also destroys all the freedom they have It is inevitable therefore that such a person should be banished from their company. When however 'the people are one and the lip one', that is, when they have in view the common good of all, one person never takes to himself the joy of another or destroys the freedom of another, but as far as he can he furthers and increases it. This is why heavenly communities are as one, a oneness that is achieved solely by means of mutual love from the Lord. And the same applies to the Church.
Latin(1748-1756) 1316
1316. 'En populus unus, et labium unum omnibus illis': quod significet quod verum fidei et doctrina una omnibus fuerit, constat a significatione 'populi' quod sit verum fidei, et a significatione 'labii' quod sit doctrina: quod 'populus' significet verum fidei, hoc est, illos qui in vero fidei, ostensum est prius n. 1259, et quod 'labium' significet doctrinam fidei, ostensum est supra ad vers. 1; 'populus unus et labium unum' dicitur quando omnibus pro fine est commune bonum societatis, commune bonum Ecclesiae, et regnum Domini, sic enim in fine est Dominus a Quo omnes sunt unum; at cui proprium bonum pro fine, nusquam Dominus adesse potest, ipsum proprium hominis abalienat Dominum, nam sic flectit et vertit commune bonum societatis, ipsumque Ecclesiae, immo regnum Domini, in se, usque adeo ut quasi sit pro se; ita detrahit Domino quod Ipsius est, et se substituit; quod cum regnat apud hominem, in singulis ejus cogitationibus, immo in minimis cogitationum, est simile; quod regnans est apud hominem, ita se habet; [2] hoc non ita manifeste in vita corporis quam in altera vita patet; quod regnans apud eum est, se manifestat per sphaeram quandam quae percipitur ab omnibus qui circum eum, quae sphaera quia exhalat a singulis apud eum, talis est; sphaera ejus qui semet spectat in singulis, sibi appropriat ac, ut dicitur ibi, absorbet, omne quod favet ei, sic omne jucundum spirituum circum eum, et destruit omne liberum apud illos, quare non potest aliter quam ut talis dissocietur; at vero cum 'populus unus, et labium unum' est, hoc est, cum omnium commune bonum spectatur, tunc unus nusquam appropriat sibi alterius jucundum, et destruit alterius liberum, sed quantum potest, promovet et auget; inde societates caelestes sicut unum sunt, et hoc unice per amorem mutuum a Domino: similiter se habet in Ecclesia.