2348、“从男孩甚至到老人”表示虚假和邪恶，无论是新近的还是根深蒂固或被确认的。这从“男孩”和“老人”的含义清楚可知：当论及虚假和邪恶时，“男孩”（boy，或译为少年人，孩童等）表示还没有成熟、因而新近的虚假和邪恶；而“老人”（oldman，或译为年老男人，年老的，老年人等）表示已经成熟、因而根深蒂固或被确认的虚假和邪恶。圣言的其它地方所提到的“男孩”和“老人”具有类似含义，如在撒迦利亚书：
将来必有年老男人和年老妇人坐在耶路撒冷街上；城中街上必满有男孩女孩在街上玩耍。（撒迦利亚书8:4-5）
此处“耶路撒冷”表示主的国度和教会（402，2117节）；“街”表示其中的真理（2336节）；因此，“年老男人”表示被确认的真理；“年老的女人”表示被确认的良善；“在街上玩耍的男孩”表示新近的真理；“女孩”表示新近的良善及其情感，和由此产生的喜乐。由此明显可知，属天和属灵事物在降至构成字义的世俗事物时，是如何转变成历史事物的；从字义上很难看出什么东西来，只看到所指的是年老男人、男孩，年老妇人和女孩。
耶利米书：
我要倾在耶路撒冷街上的孩童和聚会的少年人身上，连男带女，并年老的与日子满足的都必被擒拿。（耶利米书6:11）
此处“耶路撒冷街”表示在教会掌权的虚假（2336节）：其中新近的和正在成熟的，被称为“孩童”和“少年人”；老的和根深蒂固或被确认的，被称为“年老的”和“日子满足的”。又：
我用你分散马和骑马的，用你分散战车和乘在其上的，用你分散男人和女人，用你分散老年人和少年人。（耶利米书51:21-22）
此处“老年人”和“少年人”同样表示被确认的真理和新近的真理。
又：
死亡上来，进了我们的窗户，入了我们的宫殿，要从街上剪除孩童，从巷上剪除少年人。（耶利米书9:21）
此处“孩童”表示当死亡进入窗户和宫殿，也就是进入理解力的事物和意愿的事物时，一出生就被剪除的真理。“窗户”是指理解力的事物（参看655，658节），“宫殿”或“房子”是指意愿的事物（710节）。
Potts(1905-1910) 2348
2348. From a boy even to an old man. That this signifies falsities and evils both recent and confirmed, can be seen from the signification of a "boy" and of an "old man," when predicated of falsities and evils; namely, that "boys" denote those not yet matured, thus recent ones; and "old men," those which have attained to considerable age, thus those confirmed. "Boy" and "old man" occur elsewhere in the Word in a similar sense, as in Zechariah:
There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem; and the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets (Zech. 8:4-5);
where "Jerusalem" denotes the Lord's kingdom and church (n. 402, 2117); the "streets," truths therein (n. 2336); thus "old men," confirmed truths; and "old women," confirmed goods; "boys playing in the streets," recent truths; and "girls," recent goods and their affections and the derivative gladnesses. It is evident from this how celestial and spiritual things are changed into things historic, in their descent into the worldly things of the sense of the letter, in which sense it scarcely appears otherwise than that old men, boys, women, and girls, are meant. [2] In Jeremiah:
Pour out upon the child in the street of Jerusalem, and upon the assembly of young men in like manner; for even the man with the woman shall be taken, the old man with him that is full of days (Jer. 6:11);
here the "street of Jerusalem" denotes the falsities that reign in the church (n. 2336), of which the recent and the maturing are called the "child" and the "young men," and the old and the confirmed are called the "old man" and "him that is full of days." Again:
I will scatter in thee the horse and his rider, and I will scatter in thee the chariot and him that is borne in it, and I will scatter in thee man and woman, and I will scatter in thee the old man and the boy (Jer. 51:21-22);
where in like manner the "old man" and the "boy" denote confirmed truth and recent truth. [3] Again:
Death is come up into our windows, it is entered into our palaces, to cut off the child in the street, the young men from the roads (Jer. 9:21);
where the "child" denotes the truths which are first born, and which are cut off when death comes into the windows and palaces, that is, into the things of the intellect and of the will. (That "windows" denote things of the intellect, see above, n. 655, 658; and that "palaces," or "houses," denote things of the will, n. 710.)
Elliott(1983-1999) 2348
2348. 'From boy even to old man' means falsities and evils, both recent and confirmed. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'a boy' and of 'an old men' when used in reference to falsities and evils. That is to say, 'boys' means evils and falsities that were not yet fully developed, and so those that were recent, while 'old men' means evils and falsities that had matured, and so that had been confirmed. 'Boy' and 'old man' have a similar meaning when they occur elsewhere in the Word, as in Zechariah,
Old men and old women will again dwell in the streets of Jerusalem. And the streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing in the streets. Zech 8: 4, 5.
Here 'Jerusalem' stands for the Lord's kingdom and Church, 402, 2117. 'Streets' stands for truths there, 2336. 'Old men' accordingly stands for confirmed truths, 'old women' for confirmed goods, 'boys playing in the streets' stands for recent truths, 'girls' for recent goods, and for their affections and resulting joys. This shows how celestial and spiritual things are converted into those of a historical nature when they come down into the worldly things that constitute the sense of the letter, in which it seems scarcely otherwise than that old men and boys, [old] women and girls, are meant.
[2] In Jeremiah,
Pour it out upon the small child in the street of Jerusalem and upon the gathering of young men equally; for even man together with woman will be taken, old man together with one full of days. Jer 6: 11.
Here 'the street of Jerusalem' stands for falsities which reign within the Church, 2336. Those that are recent and those that are more developed are called 'the small child' and 'young men', those that are well established and those that have been confirmed are called 'old man' and 'one full of days'. In the same prophet,
In you I will scatter the horse and its rider, and in you I will scatter the chariot and him who rides in it; and in you I will scatter men and women, and in you I will scatter old man and boy. Jer 51: 21, 22.
Here similarly 'old man and boy' stands for truth both confirmed and recent.
[3] In the same prophet,
Death has come up into four] windows; it has entered our palaces, cutting off the small child in the street, and the young men from the lanes. Jer 9: 21.
Here 'the small child' stands for truths which are newly born and which are cut off when 'death has entered [our] windows and palaces', that is, things of the understanding and those of the will - 'windows' meaning things of the understanding, see 655, 658 and 'palaces' or houses those of the will, 710.
Latin(1748-1756) 2348
2348. `A puero et usque ad senem': quod significet falsa et mala recentia et confirmata, constare potest a significatione `pueri' et `senis' cum praedicantur de falsis et malis; quod nempe `pueri' sint quae nondum adoleverunt, ita recentia, `senes' {3} quae ad multam aetatem pervenerunt, ita confirmata; alibi etiam puer et senex in simili sensu {1} in Verbo occurrunt, ut apud Zachariam, Adhuc habitabunt {2} senes mares, et senes mulieres in plateis Hierosolymae,... et plateae civitatis implebuntur pueris et puellis, ludentibus in plateis, viii 4, 5;ubi `Hierosolyma' pro regno Domini et Ecclesia, n. 402, 2117; `plateae' pro veris ibi, n. 2336; ita `senes mares' pro confirmatis veris, `senes mulieres' pro confirmatis bonis, `pueri ludentes in plateis' pro recentibus veris, et `puellae' pro recentibus bonis ac eorum affectionibus et inde laetitiis; inde patet quomodo caelestia et spiritualia mutantur in historica dum in mundana quae sunt sensus litterae, delabuntur, in quo sensu vix aliter apparet, quam quod intelligendi sint senes, pueri {3}, mulieres, puellae {3}: [2] apud Jeremiam, Effunde super parvulum in platea Hierosolymae, et super coetum juvenum pariter, quia etiam vir cum muliere capientur, senex cum pleno dierum, vi 11;
ibi `platea Hierosolymae' pro falsis quae regnant in Ecclesia, n. 2336, quorum recentia et adulta vocantur `parvulus et juvenes'; vetusta et confirmata vocantur `senex et plenus dierum': apud eundem, Dispergam in te equum et equitem ejus, et dispergam in te currum et vectum in eo; et dispergam in te virum et mulierem: et dispergam in te senem et puerum, li 21, 22;
[3] ibi similiter `senex et puer' pro vero confirmato et recenti: apud eundem, Ascendit mors in fenestras, venit in palatia nostra, ad exscindendum parvulum in platea, juvenes e vicis, ix 20;
ubi `parvulus' pro veris quae primum nascuntur, quae exscinduntur cum `mors venit in fenestras et {4} palatia,' hoc est, in intellectualia et voluntaria; quod `fenestrae' sint intellectualia, videatur n. 655, 658; quod `palatia seu domus' voluntaria, n. 710. @1 Before puer et senex.$ @2 habitabant I.$ @3 i et.$ @4 i in$