251、“蛇”之所以表示总体上的一切邪恶，尤表自我之爱，是因为一切邪恶都起源于心智的感官部分，也起源于记忆知识，它们就是“蛇”起初所表示的。因此，“蛇”在此表示各种邪恶，尤表自我之爱，或对邻舍和主的仇恨，这是一回事。由于这邪恶或仇恨各种各样，由许多的属和更多的种类构成，所以在圣言中，经上以各种蛇来描述它，如“蛇”、“鸡蛇”、“角蝰”、“出血性毒蛇（bloodlettingsnake）”、“火蛇”、“会飞的蛇”、“爬蛇”和“毒蛇”。这些蛇的不同取决于它们的毒液，这毒液就是仇恨。如以赛亚书：
全非利士啊，不要因击打你的杖折断就喜乐。因为从大蛇的根，必生出一条鸡蛇。它的果子，是会飞的火蛇。（以赛亚书14:29）
“大蛇的根”表示心智的感官部分，或感官证据和记忆知识；“鸡蛇”表示源于由这些所产生的虚假的邪恶；“会飞的火蛇”表示来自自我之爱的贪欲。以赛亚书在别处也是这样描述类似事物的：
他们孵鸡蛇蛋，结蜘蛛网。人吃它们的蛋必死，这蛋被压破，必出毒蛇。（以赛亚书59:5）
此处创世记所描述的“蛇”，在启示录中被称为“大红龙”、“古蛇”，以及“魔鬼”和“撒旦”，是“迷惑全世界的”（启示录12:3，9；20:2）；在那里和其它地方，“魔鬼”都不是指作为管辖其他人的首领的任何特定魔鬼，而是指整个恶灵团伙和邪恶本身。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]251. The meaning of the snake as all evil in general and self-love in particular is due to evil's point of origin. All evil rises out of a fixation on the senses and on facts, which is what the snake first symbolizes. As a consequence, the snake now symbolizes evil itself in any form, and specifically self-love, or hatred directed at others and at the Lord, which is the same as self-love.
Because the evil of hatred is multifaceted, and divides into many general categories and an even larger number of specific forms, the Word distinguishes its forms by speaking of different kinds of snakes. There are generic snakes, cockatrices, asps, bloodletting snakes, and "presters," or fire snakes; there are flying snakes and creeping ones; and there are vipers.{*1} The determining factor is differences in their venom, and the venom is hatred.
[2] In Isaiah, for instance:
Do not rejoice through and through, Philistia, that the rod striking you has been broken, because from the root of a snake a cockatrice will come out, and its fruit will be a flying fire snake. (Isaiah 14:29)
The root of a snake is a reliance on the senses and on factual knowledge. A cockatrice is evil from the resulting falsity. A flying fire snake is the kind of desire felt by self-love. The same prophet deals with the same animals in another way using these words:
They will hatch the eggs of a cockatrice and weave the webs of a spider. Whoever eats of their eggs dies, and when one is crushed, a viper is hatched. (Isaiah 59:5)
In Revelation 12:3, 9 and 20:2, this snake is called a big red dragon and the ancient snake; it is also called a devil and satan and the one who leads the whole inhabited world astray. (In this place and others, "devil" never means an individual devil who is the ruler of the others but the total horde of evil spirits — and evil itself.)
Footnotes:
{*1} Swedenborg here lists different types of snakes that occur in Scripture, some of which are no longer thought to exist. The meaning of "bloodletting," "flying," and "creeping" snakes seems obvious enough. By "generic snakes" he apparently means nonpoisonous snakes. A "cockatrice" (Latin regulus) was thought to be able to kill by breathing on or even looking at its victims. An "asp" (Latin aspis) was poisonous. A "prester or fire snake" (Latin prester or serpens ignitus) had a bite thought to cause a burning sensation or death by swelling. A "viper" (Latin vipera) was a poisonous snake that produced live offspring rather than eggs and was thought to be able to cause internal damage to a human being in a way that other snakes could not; see 259:2. [JSR]
Potts(1905-1910) 251
251. The reason why the "serpent" means all evil in general, and specifically the love of self, is that all evil has had its rise from that sensuous part of the mind, and also from that memory-knowledge [scientifico], which at first were signified by the "serpent;" and therefore it here denotes evil of every kind, and specifically the love of self, or hatred against the neighbor and the Lord, which is the same thing. As this evil or hatred was various, consisting of numerous genera and still more numerous species, it is described in the Word by various kinds of serpents, as "snakes" "cockatrices" "asps" "adders" "fiery serpents" "serpents that fly" and "that creep" and "vipers" according to the differences of the poison, which is hatred. Thus we read in Isaiah:
Rejoice not thou, whole Philistia, because the rod which smiteth thee is broken, for out of the serpent's root shall go forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a flying fire-serpent (Isa. 14:29).The "serpent's root" denotes that part of the mind, or that principle, which is connected with the senses and with memory-knowledge [est sensuale et scientificum]; the "cockatrice" denotes evil originating in the falsity thence derived; and the "flying fire-serpent" the cupidity that comes from the love of self. By the same Prophet also similar things are elsewhere thus described:
They hatch cockatrice's eggs, and weave the spider's web; he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and when it is crushed there cometh out a viper (Isa. 59:5). The serpent described here in Genesis is called in the Revelation the "great and red dragon" and the "old serpent" and also the "devil and satan" that "deceives the whole world" (12:3, 9; 20:2), where, and also in other places, by the "devil" is not meant any particular devil who is prince over the others, but the whole crew of evil spirits, and evil itself.
Elliott(1983-1999) 251
251. The reason 'the serpent' is used to mean all evil in general and self-love in particular is that all evil has originated in sensory evidence and also factual knowledge, which are what the serpent meant first. Consequently it now means evil itself, of every kind, and in particular self-love, or hatred of the neighbour and the Lord, which is the same as self-love. Because this evil or hatred is manifold, there being many genera of it and even more species, it is referred to in the Word by means of different kinds of serpents, such as snakes, adders, asps, haemorrhes, presters or fiery serpents, flying as well as creeping serpents, and vipers.
[2] These vary according to differences of poison, which is hatred, as in Isaiah,
Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod which smites you has been broken, for from the serpent's root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying prester. Isa 14:19.'Serpent's root' means sensory evidence and factual knowledge, 'adder' evil that is the outcome of falsity arising from these, 'flying prester' desire which is the product of self-love. Similar references appear in the following from the same Prophet,
They hatch adder's eggs, and weave spider's webs; he who eats their eggs dies, and when it is pressed out a viper is hatched. Isa 59:5.
The serpent mentioned here in Genesis is in the Book of Revelation called 'the great fiery-red dragon', and 'the serpent of old', and also 'the devil and satan who leads the whole world astray', Rev 12:3, 9; 20:2. Here and elsewhere devil is never used to mean some devil who is the prince of the rest but the entire crew of evil spirits, and evil itself.
Latin(1748-1756) 251
251. Quod per 'serpentem' intelligatur omne malum in genere, et amor sui in specie, est quia omne malum ex sensuali, tum ex scientifico, quae primum per 'serpentem' significata sunt, ortum est; quare nunc ipsum malum quodcumque, et in specie amor sui, seu odium contra proximum et Dominum, quod idem est cum amore sua. Hoc malum seu odium, quia multiplex est et plura ejus genera et plures adhuc species, in Verbo distinguitur per serpentum genera, ut per angues, regulos, aspides, haemorrheos, presteres seu serpentes ignitos, per serpentes volantes ut et repentes, per viperas, ita secundum differentias veneni, quod est odium; ut apud Esaiam, [2] Ne laeteris Philistaea tota tu, quod fracta virga percutiens te, nam de radice serpentis exibit regulus, et fructus ejus prester volans, xiv 29;'radix serpentis' est sensuale et scientificum; 'regulus' est malum ex falso inde; 'prester volans' est cupiditas quae est amoris sui: et apud eundem prophetam de iisdem aliter ita, Ova reguli excludent, et telas araneae texent; edens de ovis eorum moritur, et cum exprimitur, excluditur vipera, lix 5:
serpens hic in Apocalypsi vocatur 'draco rufus et magnus,' et 'serpens antiquus,' tum Diabolus et satanas, qui seducit orbem terrarum totum, xii 3, 9; xx 2;
hic et alibi per diabolum nusquam intelligitur aliquis diabolus ut princeps aliorum, sed omnis turba malorum spirituum, ipsumque malum.