148、人的自我（事实上为他所珍视的自我）之所以被称为“一条肋骨”，也就是一根胸骨，是因为在上古之人当中，胸因包含心肺而表示仁爱；骨因仅含有极少量的生命而表示那些价值相对较低的事物；而“肉”则表示拥有某种生命之物。它们具有这种含义的原因是上古之人所知道的一个极深奥秘；对此，蒙主的神性怜悯，容后再述。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]148. Our identity or independence — which is indeed our own and is therefore tenderly loved by us — was called a rib or chest bone because to the earliest people the chest, with its heart and lungs, symbolized our tender love for others. Since bones are only minimally alive, they symbolized attributes of relatively little value. Flesh, however, symbolized attributes that have a living quality.
The reason for these symbolisms lies deeply hidden but was known to the earliest people. It will, with the Lord's divine mercy, be discussed later.{*1}
Footnotes:
{*1} Swedenborg discusses the correspondence of bone in 5560-5563, and the first part of that passage, 5560-5561, may have been the kind of treatment he had in mind in promising to talk about the reason for the symbolism. But see also 155 just below. [LHC]
Potts(1905-1910) 148
148. The reason why what is man's own (and indeed an Own which is dear to him) is called a "rib" which is a bone of the chest, is that among the most ancient people the chest signified charity, because it contains both the heart and the lungs; and bones signified the viler things, because they possess a minimum of vitality; while flesh denoted such as had vitality. The ground of these significations is one of the deepest arcana known to the men of the most Ancient Church, concerning which of the Lord's Divine mercy hereafter.
Elliott(1983-1999) 148
148. The reason man's proprium - a proprium indeed that he cherishes - is called a rib, which is a breast bone, is that among the most ancient people the breast meant charity, for it has the heart and lungs within it, and bones meant those things that were less valuable because they contain only a very small amount of life. 'Flesh' however meant that which did possess some life. The reason why they had this meaning is a very deep arcanum known to the most ancient people, which will in the Lord's Divine mercy be dealt with later on.
Latin(1748-1756) 148
148. Quod proprium hominis dictum costa quae est os pectoris, et quidem proprium quod ei carum, causa est quia 'pectus' apud antiquissimos significavit charitatem, quia ibi cor et pulmones: et 'ossa' significarunt ea quae viliora essent, quia iis minimum vitale inest; 'caro' autem, quae aliquid vitale haberent: quod ita significata sint, causa est arcanissima antiquissimis nota; de qua, ex Divina Domini Misericordia, in sequentibus.