155、“一条肋骨被建造成一个女人”这句话从至内在所隐藏的事物，比任何人从字面上所发现的还要多。因为主的圣言是这样：它的至内在内容关注主自己和祂的国度，这是圣言的全部生命的源头。我们面前的这段经文也是如此，它的至内在内容关注天堂的婚姻。天堂的婚姻具有这种性质：它存在于自我中，当被主赋予生命时，这自我就被称为主的“新妇和妻子”。被如此赋予生命的人之自我能感知一切爱之良善和信之真理，因而拥有与无法形容的幸福结合在一起的一切智慧和聪明。
不过，这种被赋予生命的自我，就是主的“新妇和妻子”，其性质无法用几句话来描述。这么说吧，天使觉察到他们靠主活着，尽管不反思这个问题的时候，他们只知道他们凭自己活着。但他们拥有一种普遍情感，这种情感具有这种性质：一旦稍稍退离爱之良善和信之真理，他们就会感觉到一种变化。因此，当他们处于他们靠主活着这一普遍感知时，就会体验到一种无法形容的平安和幸福。耶利米书中的这句话也表示这种自我：
耶和华在地上创造了一件新事，就是一个女人要环绕一个男人。（耶利米书31:22）
这句话也表示天堂的婚姻，其中“一个女人”表示被主赋予生命的自我。经上说女人“环绕”，是因为自我天生就环绕，就像合上肉的肋骨环绕心脏一样。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]155. The words a woman was built out of a rib conceal more than anyone can ever see in the literal meaning, since the Lord's Word is such that deep down it concerns itself with the Lord himself and his kingdom. This is the source of all life in the Word. In the same vein, the inmost concern here is the heavenly marriage.{*1} The heavenly marriage is something that exists in our selfhood. Moreover, it is because of the heavenly marriage that our selfhood, after being brought to life by the Lord, is called the Lord's bride and wife.
When the Lord brings it to life, our sense of self gives us the ability to perceive all the good desired by love and all the truth taught by faith. So it holds within it all wisdom and understanding, joined to an indescribable happiness.
Still, a few words will not be enough to explain the nature of this living autonomy called the Lord's bride and wife. I can offer only this much: that angels perceive that they live from the Lord, although when not reflecting, they are under the full impression that they live on their own. This living selfhood is a sensation affecting all of them, telling them something has changed whenever they depart in the least from a loving goodness and religious truth. They enjoy their customary peace and happiness, which defies description, when they share in a perception that they live from the Lord.
A living sense of self is also what Jeremiah refers to when he says,
Jehovah has created something new in the earth: a woman will encircle a man. (Jeremiah 31:22)
This too is talking about the heavenly marriage, the woman symbolizing a sense of autonomy brought to life by the Lord. She is said to encircle the man because our self-life encircles us as the fleshed-out rib encircles the heart.
Footnotes:
{*1} The theme of the heavenly marriage occurs frequently in the Christian tradition. The source of this metaphor lies in the Old Testament, which portrayed Israel as the bride of the Lord: Hosea 1-3 depicts Israel as a faithless wife, and the Song of Songs was from an early time regarded as an allegory of love between God and Israel (Schmithals 1997, 166-167). In the New Testament, Revelation describes "the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of the sky, prepared as a bride dressed up for her husband" (Revelation 21:2). The "bride" is "the Lamb's wife" (Revelation 21:9; see 253). The union between Christ and the Church is thus portrayed as a heavenly marriage. In the Western esoteric tradition, this metaphor has a meaning closer to Swedenborg's, where the spiritual element is the Lord, and the physical "self" is the bride. See also note 3 in 54. [RS]
Potts(1905-1910) 155
155. The words "a rib was built into a woman" have more things inmostly concealed in them than it is possible for anyone ever to discover from the letter; for the Word of the Lord is such that its inmost contents regard the Lord Himself and His kingdom, and from this comes all the life of the Word. And so in the passage before us, it is the heavenly marriage that is regarded in its inmost contents. The heavenly marriage is of such a nature that it exists in the Own, which, when vivified by the Lord, is called the "bride and wife" of the Lord. Man's Own thus vivified has a perception of all the good of love and truth of faith, and consequently possesses all wisdom and intelligence conjoined with inexpressible happiness. But the nature of this vivified Own, which is called the "bride and wife" of the Lord, cannot be concisely explained. Suffice it therefore to observe that the angels perceive that they live from the Lord, although when not reflecting on the subject they know no other than that they live from themselves; but there is a general affection of such a nature that at the least departure from the good of love and truth of faith they perceive a change, and consequently they are in the enjoyment of their peace and happiness, which is inexpressible, while they are in their general perception that they live from the Lord. It is this Own also that is meant in Jeremiah, where it is said:
Jehovah hath created a new thing in the earth, a woman shall compass a man (Jer. 31:22) It is the heavenly marriage that is signified in this passage also, where by a "woman" is meant the Own vivified by the Lord, of which woman the expression "to compass" is predicated, because this Own is such that it encompasses, as a rib made flesh encompasses the heart.
Elliott(1983-1999) 155
155. These words, 'a rib was built into a woman', conceal, inmostly, more than anyone can possibly know from the letter. For the Word of the Lord is such that inmostly it focuses on the Lord Himself and His kingdom. This is the source of a 11 the life of the Word. Here likewise it is the heavenly marriage that is focused inmostly. Such is the nature of the heavenly marriage that it exists within the proprium, and such is its nature that a proprium given life by the Lord is called the Lord's Bride, and also Wife. The proprium given life in this way by the Lord is enabled to perceive every good that stems from love, and every truth of faith. It therefore possesses all wisdom and intelligence coupled with an indescribable happiness.
[2] But the nature of this proprium - the Lord's Bride and Wife - that has been given life cannot be described in a few words. Let just this be said, that angels perceive that they live from the Lord, and yet when not reflecting on the matter they have no other idea than that they live from themselves. But there is a universal affection by which they sense that a change has taken place when they retreat only slightly from the good that stems from love, or from the truth of faith. Consequently they experience a peace and happiness that is indescribable when the general perception exists with them that they live from the Lord. It is this proprium too that is meant in Jeremiah, where it is said, Jehovah has created a new thing on the earth, a woman will surround a man. Jer 31:12. It is the heavenly marriage that is meant in this quotation too, the 'woman' meaning the proprium given life by the Lord. The woman is said 'to surround', because the proprium by nature surrounds, just as a rib made flesh surrounds the heart.
Latin(1748-1756) 155
155. Verba haec, quod 'costa aedificata sit in mulierem,' plura intime recondita habent quam usquam aliquis ex littera scire potest; nam Verbum Domini tale est ut in intimis spectet Ipsum Dominum, ac regnum Ipsius, inde vita omnis Verbi; hic similiter, est conjugium caeleste, quod in intimis spectatur. Conjugium caeleste est tale quod sit in proprio, et quod proprium vivificatum a Domino dicatur Domini Sponsa, ut et Uxor: proprium ita vivificatum a Domino habet perceptionem omnis boni amoris et veri fidei; ita habet omnem sapientiam et intelligentiam conjunctam cum ineffabili felicitate: sed quale hoc proprium vivificatum quod dicitur Sponsa et Uxor Domini, non paucis dici potest; solum quod angeli percipiant quod vivant a Domino, et cum non reflectunt, non aliter sciant quam quod ex se; sed est communis affectio, quae talis est ut dum vel minimum a bono amoris et vero fidei recedunt, percipiant mutationem; quare in sua pace et felicitate, quae ineffabilis est, sunt, quando in perceptione communi quod a Domino vivant. Hoc proprium quoque est quod intelligitur apud Jeremiam, ubi dicitur,Creavit Jehovah novam in terra, mulier circumdabit virum, xxxi 22;
est conjugium caeleste quod hic quoque significatur, et per 'mulierem' proprium vivificatum a Domino, de qua muliere praedicatur 'circumdare'; nam proprium tale est ut circumdet, sicut costa facta caro circumdat cor.