1585、“看见约旦河的全平原”表示外在人中的良善和真理，这从“平原”和“约旦河”的含义清楚可知。从内义上说，“约旦河的平原”表示在其一切良善和真理方面的外在人。约旦河的平原之所以具有这种含义，是因为约旦河是迦南地的边界。如前面所阐述和说明的（1，566-567，585，620，662，1413，1437，1441节），“迦南地”表示主的国度和教会，事实上表示其属天和属灵事物；这也解释了为何它被称为圣地和天上的迦南。它因表示主的国度和教会，故在至高意义上表示主自己，主是祂的国度和教会全部中的全部。
因此，迦南地的一切事物都具有代表性。在那地正中间，或最中心的部分代表主的内在人，如锡安山和耶路撒冷，前者代表属天事物，后者代表属灵事物。离中心较远的地区代表离内在事物较远的事物。最远的地区，也就是边界，代表外在人。迦南有许多边界；总的来说，它们是两条河，即幼发拉底河和约旦河（译注：约旦河形成迦南地的东部边界，幼发拉底河形成北部边界），和一个海（译注：即地中海，它形成迦南地的西部边界）。因此，幼发拉底河和约旦河代表外在事物。所以，此处“约旦河的平原”如它所代表的，表示外在人中的一切事物。当论及主在天上的国度，或主在地上的教会，又或这个国度或教会的成员，抑或抽象地论及爱的属天事物等等时，迦南地的含义也一样。
这就是为何迦南地的几乎所有城市，甚至所有大山、小山、山谷、河流和其它事物都具有代表性。幼发拉底河因是边界，故代表属于外在人的感官印象和知识或事实，如前所示（120节）。约旦河和约旦河平原也是如此，这一点从以下经文可以看出来。诗篇：
我的神啊，我的灵魂在我里面俯伏；所以我从约旦地、从黑门岭、从米萨山记念你。（诗篇42:6）
此处“约旦地”表示某种卑微的东西，因而表示某种远离属天品质，如同人的外在远离他的内在那样的东西。
当以色列人进入迦南地时，他们穿过约旦河，过河的时候，河就分开了。这也代表通过外在人进入内在人，以及一个人进入主的国度，等等（参看约书亚记3:13-17；4:1-9）。由于外在人不断与内在人争战，并试图掌控它，所以约旦河的夸耀，傲慢或膨胀的骄傲成了先知们的标准用语。如耶利米书：
你怎能与马赛跑呢？你在平安之地，虽然自信满满，在约旦河膨胀的骄傲中要怎样行呢？（耶利米书12:5）
“约旦河膨胀的骄傲”表示属于外在人的事物，它们上涨，想要支配内在人，如推理（推理就是此处的“马”）和来自它们的自信满满所行的。
同一先知书：
以东必成为一片荒凉；看哪，他必像狮子从约旦河的傲慢中上来攻击伊坦（Ethan）的居所。（耶利米书49:17，19）
“约旦河的傲慢”表示反对内在人的良善和真理的外在人上涨的骄傲。撒迦利亚书：
杉树啊，哀号吧，因为香柏树已经倒下，壮丽的树已经荒废。巴珊的橡树啊，哀号吧，因为防护的森林倒下来了。有牧人哀号的声音，因他们的壮丽荒废了；有少壮狮子咆哮的声音，因约旦河的骄傲荒废了。（撒迦利亚书11:2-3）
约旦河是迦南地的边界，这一事实从民数记（34:12）清楚看出来；它还是犹大地的东部边界（参看约书亚记15:5）。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]1585. And saw the whole plain of the Jordan symbolizes the goodness and truth that existed in his outer self, as can be seen from the symbolism of a plain and the Jordan. In an inner sense, the plain surrounding the Jordan symbolizes the outer self, with everything in it that is good or true.
The reason the Jordan basin symbolizes these things is that the Jordan was a boundary for the land of Canaan. As previous remarks have shown, the land of Canaan symbolizes the Lord's kingdom and church, and specifically its heavenly and spiritual attributes [搂搂1, 566-567, 585, 620, 662, 1413, 1437, 1441], which is why it is also called the Holy Land and the heavenly Canaan. And since it symbolizes the Lord's kingdom and church, in the highest sense it symbolizes the Lord himself, who is the all-in-all of his kingdom and church.
[2] As a consequence, everything in the land of Canaan carried a representative meaning. Sites in the middle of the land 钬?its most central parts, in other words 钬?represented the Lord's inner self. Mount Zion, for instance, represented his heavenly qualities, and Jerusalem, his spiritual ones. More distant locations represented traits more remote from internal ones. The most distant points 钬?the borders 钬?represented his outer self. Canaan had many borders; in general they were the two rivers of the Euphrates and the Jordan, and the sea as well.{*1} So the Euphrates and the Jordan represented his outward aspects. Here, then, the Jordan basin symbolizes 钬?just as it represents 钬?all the properties of his outer being. The case is similar when the land of Canaan stands for the Lord's kingdom in the heavens; similar when it stands for the Lord's church on earth; similar when it stands for the individual member of his kingdom or church; similar when it stands abstractly for the heavenly attributes of love; and so on.
[3] This is why almost all the cities and in fact all the mountains, hills, valleys, rivers, and other features of the land of Canaan played a representative role.
Because the river Euphrates was a boundary, it represented the sense impressions and facts that belong to the outer self, as shown earlier, in 搂120. The Jordan and the Jordan plain did too, as the following passages demonstrate. In David:
My God, my soul is bowing down upon me. Therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan, and [I will remember] the Hermons from the little mountain. (Psalms 42:6)
The land of Jordan here stands for something lowly and accordingly something remote from heavenly qualities, like our superficial traits, which are remote from our deep ones.
[4] The children of Israel crossed the Jordan when they entered the land of Canaan, and at their crossing the river parted. This also represented entry to the inner self through the outer, and an individual's entry into the Lord's kingdom as well, among other things (Joshua 3:13-17; 4:1-9).
Because our outer self constantly attacks our inner self and tries to gain control over it, "the boast of the Jordan," or "the swelling pride of the Jordan," became a standard phrase among the prophets. In Jeremiah, for instance:
How will you prove yourself the equal of horses? And in a land of peace you are smug; but how do you behave in the swelling pride of the Jordan? (Jeremiah 12:5)
The swelling pride of the Jordan stands for aspects of our outer self that rise up and try to dominate our inner self, as attempts at rationalization (the horses here) and a consequent smugness do.
[5] In the same author:
Edom will become a ruin. Look: like a lion he will go up from the boast of the Jordan to the dwelling of Ethan. (Jeremiah 49:17, 19)
The boast of the Jordan stands for pride lifted up by our outer self against the goodness and truth of our inner self. In Zechariah:
Howl, fir tree, because the cedar has fallen, because the majestic ones have been ravaged; wail, oaks of Bashan, because the walled forest has come down. The sound of the wailing of the shepherds, because their majesty has been ravaged! The sound of the roaring of young lions, that the boast of the Jordan has been ravaged! (Zechariah 11:2-3)
Numbers 34:12 shows that the Jordan was a boundary of the land of Canaan, and Joshua 15:5 shows that it was the eastern border of the land of Judah.
Footnotes:
{*1} "The sea" is the Mediterranean, which formed the western boundary of Canaan. The Jordan River formed the eastern boundary. Swedenborg elsewhere cites scriptural evidence that the Euphrates formed the northern boundary (see 搂搂3693:5, 4116, 4454; see also both 搂120 and note 2 in 搂120 on the borders of Canaan). The geographic limits of the land promised to Abraham and his descendants were always rather vague: the most specific description appears in Deuteronomy 1:7, which characterizes it as including "the hill country of the Amorites as well as ... the neighboring regions 钬?the Arabah, the hill country, the Shephelah, the Negeb, and the seacoast 钬?the land of the Canaanites and the Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates" (New Revised Standard Version); see also Joshua 1:4. The Deuteronomistic history says that Israel controlled this entire area briefly in the reigns of David and Solomon (2 Samuel 8:1-14; 1 Kings 4:24). [LHC, RS]
Potts(1905-1910) 1585
1585. And saw all the plain of Jordan. That this signifies those goods and truths that were in the external man, is evident from the signification of a "plain," and of "Jordan." In the internal sense "the plain of Jordan" signifies the external man as to all its goods and truths. That "the plain of Jordan" signifies this, is because the Jordan was a boundary of the land of Canaan. The land of Canaan, as before said and shown, signifies the Lord's kingdom and church, and in fact the celestial and the spiritual things thereof; on which account it has also been called the Holy Land, and the Heavenly Canaan; and because it signifies the Lord's kingdom and church, it signifies in the supreme sense the Lord Himself, who is the all in all of His kingdom and of His church. [2] Hence all things that were in the land of Canaan were representative. Those which were in the midst of the land, or which were the inmost, represented the Lord's internal man-as Mount Zion and Jerusalem, the former the celestial things, the latter the spiritual things. Those which were further distant from the center, represented the things more remote from the internals. Those which were the furthest off, or which were the boundaries, represented the external man. The boundaries of Canaan were several; in general, the two rivers Euphrates and Jordan, and also the sea. Hence the Euphrates and the Jordan represented the externals. Here, therefore, "the plain of Jordan," signifies, as it represents, all things that are in the external man. The case is similar when the expression "land of Canaan" is applied to the Lord's kingdom in the heavens, or to the Lord's church on earth, or again to the man of His kingdom or church, or, abstractly, to the celestial things of love, and so on. [3] Hence it is that almost all the cities, and even all the mountains, hills, valleys, rivers, and other things, in the land of Canaan, were representative. It has already been shown (n. 120) that the river Euphrates, being a boundary, represented the things of sense and knowledge that belong to the external man. That the case is similar with the Jordan, and the plain of Jordan, may be seen from passages that now follow. In David:
O my God, my soul is bowed down within me; therefore will I remember Thee from the land of Jordan, and the Hermons, from the mountain of littleness (Ps. 42:6);
where "the land of Jordan" denotes that which is low, thus that which is distant from the celestial, as man's externals are from his internals. [4] That the sons of Israel crossed the Jordan when they entered the land of Canaan, and that it was then divided, likewise represented the access to the internal man through the external, and also man's entrance into the Lord's kingdom, besides other things. (See Josh. 3:14 to the end; 4:1 to the end.) And because the external man continually fights against the internal, and desires dominion, the "pride" or "swelling" of Jordan became a prophetic expression. As in Jeremiah:
How shalt thou offer thyself a match for horses? And in a land of peace thou art confident; but how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan? (Jer. 12:5). "The swelling of Jordan" denotes the things that belong to the external man, which rise up and desire to dominate over the internal man, as reasonings do-which here are the "horses"- and the confidence that is from them. [5] In the same:
Edom shall be for a desolation; behold he shall come up like a lion from the pride of Jordan to the habitation of Ethan (Jer. 49:17, 19);
"the pride of Jordan" denotes the rising of the external man against the goods and truths of the internal. In Zechariah:
Howl, O fir tree, for the cedar is fallen, because the magnificent ones are laid waste. Howl, O ye oaks of Bashan, for the defensed forest is come down. A voice of the howling of the shepherds, for their magnificence is laid waste; a voice of the roaring of young lions, for the swelling of Jordan is laid waste (Zech. 11:2-3). That the Jordan was a boundary of the land of Canaan, is evident from Numbers 34:12; and of the land of Judah toward the east, from Joshua 15:5.
Elliott(1983-1999) 1585
1585. 'And he saw all the plain of Jordan' means the goods and truths that resided with the external man. This is clear from the meaning of 'a plain' and of 'the Jordan'. In the internal sense 'the plain surrounding the Jordan' means the external man as regards all his goods and truths. The reason the plain of Jordan has this meaning is that the Jordan was a boundary of the land of Canaan. 'The land of Canaan', as stated and shown already, means the Lord's kingdom and Church, and in particular its celestial and spiritual things; this also explains why it was called the Holy Land, and the heavenly Canaan. And because it means the Lord's kingdom and Church, it means in the highest sense the Lord Himself, who is the All in all of His kingdom and of His Church.
[2] For this reason all things in the land of Canaan were representative. Those in the midst of the land, or that were inmost, represented His internal Man - Mount Zion and Jerusalem, for example, representing respectively celestial things and spiritual things. More outlying districts represented things more remote from internals. And the most outlying districts, or those which formed the boundaries, represented the external man. There were several boundaries to the land of Canaan, but in general they were the two rivers Euphrates and Jordan, and also the Sea,a for which reason the Euphrates and the Jordan represented external things. Here therefore 'the plain of Jordan' means, as it also represents, all things residing in the external man. The meaning of the land of Canaan is similar when used in reference to the Lord's kingdom in heaven, to the Lord's Church on earth, to the member of that kingdom or Church, or abstractly to the celestial things of love, and so on.
[3] Almost all the cities therefore, and indeed all the mountains, hills, valleys, rivers, and other features in the land of Canaan, were representative. The river Euphrates, being a boundary, represented, as shown already in 120, sensory evidence and facts that belong to the external man, and so too did the Jordan and the plain of Jordan, as becomes clear from the following places: In David,
O my God, my soul bows itself down within me;b therefore I remember You from the land of Jordan, and the Hermons from the little mountain. Ps 42:6.
Here 'the land of Jordan' stands for that which is lowly and so is distant from the celestial, as a person's externals are from his internals.
[4] The crossing of the Jordan when the children of Israel entered the land of Canaan and the dividing of its waters at that time also represented the approach to the internal man by way of the external, as well as a person's entry into the Lord's kingdom, and much more besides, Josh 3:14 on to the end of Chapter 4. And because the external man is constantly hostile towards the internal and strives for domination over it, the arrogance or the pride of the Jordan came to be phrases used by the Prophets, as in Jeremiah,
How will you compete with horses? And confident in a land of peace how do you deal with the pride of the Jordan? Jer 12:5.
'The pride of the Jordan' stands for those things belonging to the external man which rear up and wish to have dominion over the internal, such as reasonings, meant here by 'horses', and 'the confidence' they give.
[5] In the same prophet,
Edom will become a desolation. Behold, like a lion it will come up from the arrogance of the Jordan against the habitation of Ethan. Jer 49:17, 19.
'The arrogance of the Jordan' stands for the pride of the external man against the goods and truths of the internal In Zechariah,
Howl, O fir tree, for the cedar is fallen, for the magnificent ones have been laid waste! Howl, O oaks of Bashan, for the impenetrable forest has come down. The sound of the howling of shepherds [is heard], for their magnificence has been laid waste; the sound of the roaring of young lions, that the pride of the Jordan has been laid waste. Zech 11:2, 3.
The fact that the Jordan was a boundary of the land of Canaan is clear from Num 34:12, and the eastern boundary of the land of Judah, in Josh 15:5.
Latin(1748-1756) 1585
1585. 'Et vidit omnem planitiem Jordanis {2}': quod significet illa bona et vera quae apud externum hominem, constat a significatione 'planitiei et Jordanis'; 'planities circa Jordanem' in sensu interno significat externum hominem quoad Omnia ejus bona et vera: quod planities Jordanis haec significet, inde est quia Jordanes erat terminus terrae Canaanis; 'terra Canaan,' ut prius dictum et ostensum est significat regnum et Ecclesiam Domini, et quidem caelestia et spiritualia ejus, quare etiam appellata est Terra Sancta, et Canaan caelestis; et quia regnum et Ecclesiam Domini, significat in sensu supremo Ipsum Dominum, Qui est Omne in omnibus Sui regni et Suae Ecclesiae; [2], inde omnia quae in terra Canaane, repraesentativa fuerunt; quae in medio terrae seu quae intima fuerunt, repraesentabant Internam Ipsius Hominem, ut Mons Zionis et Hierosolyma, ille caelestia, haec spiritualia; quae inde distabant longius, repraesentabant remotiora ab internis; quae ultima erant seu quae termini, repraesentabant Externum hominem; termini Canaanis fuerunt plures, in genere bini fluvii Euphrates et Jordanes, tum quoque Mare, inde Euphrates et Jordanes repraesentabant externa; hic ideo 'planities Jordanis' significat, sicut repraesentat, omnia quae apud externum hominem; similiter se habet, cum terra Canaan praedicatur de regno Domini in caelis, similiter cum de Ecclesia Domini in terris, similiter cum de homine regni seu Ecclesiae, similiter cum abstracte de caelestibus amoris, ac ita porro: [3] inde est quod paene omnes urbes, immo omnes montes, colles, valles, fluvii, et alia, in terra Canaane repraesentarent: quod 'fluvius Euphrates' quia erat terminus, repraesentaret sensualia et scientifica quae sunt externi hominis, ostensum 'est prius, n. 120; quod etiam Jordanes, et planities Jordanis, ex his locis constare potest; apud Davidem, Deus mi, super me anima mea incurvat se, propterea recordabor Tui e terra Jordanis, et Hermonim e monte exiguitatis, Ps. xlii 7 [A.V. 6];ubi 'terra Jordanis' pro illo quod est humile, et sic quod distat a caelesti, sicut externa hominis ab internis. [4] Quod filii Israelis transirent Jordanem cum intrarent in terram Canaanem, et quod tunc divisus esset, repraesentabat quoque aditum ad internum hominem per externum, etiam hominis in regnum Domini, praeter plura, 705. iii 14 ad fin.; iv 1 ad fin. Et quia externus homo continue impugnat internum, et dominium affectat, formula prophetica facta est, superbia aut elatio Jordanis, ut apud Jeremiam, Quomodo parem te praestabis cum equis? et in terra pacis tu confidens, et quomodo facis in elatione Jordanis? xii 5;
'elatio Jordanis' pro illis quae sunt externi hominis, quae insurgunt et dominari super internum volunt, ut sunt ratiocinia, quae hic sunt 'equi, et inde confidentia': apud eundem, Erit Edomus in desolationem;... ecce sicut leo ascendit e superbia Jordanis ad habitaculum Ethanis {2}, xlix 17, 19;
'superbia Jordanis' pro externi hominis elatione contra interni bona et vera: apud Zachariam, Ejula abies, quia cecidit cedrus; quia magnifici vastati sunt; ejulate quercus Bashanis, quia descendit silva munita; vox ejulatus pastorum, quia vastata est magnificentia eorum; vox rugitus leonum juvenum, quod vastata sit elatio Jordanis, xi 2, 3. Quod Jordanes fuerit terminus terrae Canaanis, constat Num. xxxiv 12, et quod terrae Jehudae versus orientem, Jos. xv 5. @1 In these three places and in n. 1591, I has Jardenis, but always Jordanis elsewhere.$ @2 So Sch. Heb. [ ] (ethan) = strong.' Sch. marg. has habitaculum Ethanis vel robustissimi.$