2520、“他说，主啊，连公义的民族你也要杀害吗”表示教义的良善和真理会被除灭吗？这从“民族”的含义清楚可知，“民族”是指良善（参看1259，1260，1416节）。由于“公义的民族”论及亚比米勒的民族，而“亚比米勒”表示信之教义，所以“公义的民族”在此表示良善和真理，因为教义教导这两者。
显而易见，这些话是出于对全人类的情感或爱的热情来说的，或说这些话反映了对全人类的情感或爱的热情。甚至当主还没有脱去从母亲那里遗传来的人性时，这爱就指导祂的思维。尽管主从神性感知到，信之教义只来自一个属天源头，但祂仍想满足人类的需求。由于人类不接受任何东西，除非能在自己的理性心智或理性思维中对这种东西形成某种观念，所以经上说“连公义的民族你也要杀害吗”，意思是，教义的良善和真理会被除灭吗？人不接受任何东西，除非他能在他的理性心智或理性思维中对它形成某种观念，这一点从人对神性奥秘所怀有的想法明显看出来。源于世俗事物或类似世俗事物的东西的一些观念总是粘附在这些想法上；它们通过这些观念被保留在记忆中，并在思考的时候重现。因为没有源于世俗事物的某种观念，人就不能进行思考。因此，来自一个神性源头的真理若赤裸裸地呈现出来，就永远不会被接受，因为它们完全超出人的理解范畴，因此完全超出他的信仰；对那些处于外在敬拜的人来说，尤其如此。
以下面的例子来说明这一点：神性本身只能住在神性中，因而只能住在主的神性人身或人性中，并通过祂的人身或人性而与人同在。如果请教理性，理性会说，神性本身能住在任何人的人性中。再说，任何事物若不来自主，因而来自那为一的神性，都不神圣。如果请教理性，理性会说，神圣之物也可以来自其它源头。
又：人不从自己活着、行善、相信真理，甚至不从自己思考。相反，良善和真理来自主，而邪恶和虚假来自地狱。此外，就连地狱，确切地说，那些在地狱里的人也不从自己思考，而是和世人一样接受主的良善和真理。如果请教理性，理性会拒绝这一切观念，因为它不明白。它同样会拒绝以下观念：没有人会因他所行的良善和所教导的真理而得赏赐或回报；外在之物无关紧要，只有内在之物是重要的，或说外在之物毫无贡献，只有内在之物才能成就事情；重要的是，行善时有多少对良善的情感，教导真理时有多少来自良善的对真理的情感，做这些事有多少是为了自己。这样的例子我还能举出上千个。
正因人类理性具有这种性质，所以圣言照着人的理解能力，以及他固有的性情来说话。这解释了为何圣言的内义不同于它的字义。这一点从旧约圣言很清楚地看出来，旧约中的绝大多数事物是照着生活在那些时代的人的理解能力和固有的性情来写的。这解释了为何关于死后生活，永恒救赎和内在人，经上说得如此之少，几乎什么也没说。因为那时，有教会存在于其中的犹太和以色列人具有这种性质：如果这些事向他们披露了，他们不仅不明白，还会加以嘲笑。如果向他们披露，弥赛亚或基督要来永远拯救他们的灵魂，情况也一样：他们也会把它当作无关紧要的事而加以弃绝，这也可从现在这个民族明显看出来。即便是现在，如果你向他们提内在之物或属灵之物，或告诉他们，弥赛亚不会是世上最大的君王，他们也会嘲笑。
这就是为何主有时像先知那样说话，其余的话则用比喻来说，如祂自己在马太福音所说的：
耶稣说，我用比喻对他们讲话，是因为看见的人看不见，听见的人听不见，他们也不明白。（马太福音13:13）
“看见的人”和“听见的人”是指教会中那些虽看见、听见，却仍不明白的人。约翰福音：
主叫他们瞎了眼，硬了心，免得他们眼睛看见，心里明白，回转过来， 我就医治他们。（约翰福音12:40）
他们“回转过来”并得“医治”暗示，他们后来仍会弃绝祂的话，从而亵渎它们，而亵渎必带来永恒的诅咒（参看301-303，582，1008，1010，1059，1327，1328，2051，2426节）。然而，主在许多地方披露了圣言的内层事物，但仅为智者披露。
Potts(1905-1910) 2520
2520. And he said, Lord, wilt Thou slay also a righteous nation? That this signifies whether would the good and truth be extinguished, is evident from the signification of "nation," as being good (see n. 1259, 1260, 1416); and as it is predicated of the nation of Abimelech, by whom is signified the doctrine of faith, by a "righteous nation" is here signified both good and truth; for both are of doctrine. [2] That this was said from the zeal of affection or of love toward the whole human race, is manifest. This love directed the Lord's thoughts while He was still in the maternal human; and although He perceived from the Divine that the doctrine of faith was from a celestial origin only, nevertheless in order that the human race might be provided for, which does not receive anything of which it cannot have some idea from its rational, it is therefore said, " Wilt Thou slay also a righteous nation?" by which is signified whether would the good and truth of doctrine be extinguished. That man does not receive anything of which he cannot have some idea from his rational, is evident from the ideas which man cherishes respecting Divine arcana. Some idea from worldly things or from things analogous to these always adheres to them, by which they are retained in the memory, and by which they are reproduced in the thought; for without an idea from worldly things man can think nothing at all. If therefore truths from a Divine origin were set forth naked, they would never be received, but would completely transcend man's comprehension, and therefore his belief, and most especially with those who are in external worship. [3] To illustrate this take the following examples: The Divine Itself can be in nothing but the Divine, thus in nothing but the Lord's Divine Human, and with man through this. If the rational were consulted it would say that the Divine Itself can be in the human of everyone. Again: Nothing is holy which does not proceed from the Lord, thus from the Divine, which is one. If the rational were consulted it would say that there may be what is holy from other sources also. [4] Again: Man does not live, nor do good, nor believe truth, from himself, nay, does not even think from himself; but the good and truth are from the Lord, while the evil and falsity are from hell; and what is more, hell, that is, they who are in hell, do not think from themselves, but receive the Lord's good and truth in the manner indicated. If the rational were consulted it would reject this, because it does not comprehend it. In like manner it would reject the truth that no one is rewarded on account of doing what is good and teaching what is true; and that the external contributes nothing, but only the internal insofar as there is the affection of good in doing what is good, and insofar as there is from that the affection of truth in teaching what is true, and this not from self. And so in a thousand other instances. [5] It is because the human rational is of such a character that the Word has spoken in accordance with man's apprehension, and also in accordance with his genius. This therefore is the reason why the internal sense of the Word is different from its literal sense; which is very evident in the Word of the Old Testament, where most things have been written in accordance with the apprehension and genius of the people who then lived. On this account almost nothing is said concerning the life after death, salvation, and the internal man. For the Jewish and Israelitish people with whom the church then was, were of such a character that if these things had been disclosed they would not only not have understood them, but would also have derided them. And it would have been the same if it had been disclosed to them that the Messiah or Christ was to come to eternally save their souls: this also they would have rejected as a matter of no moment; as is also evident from the same nation at the present day; for if what is internal or spiritual is mentioned in their presence even now, and it is said that the Messiah will not be the greatest king on the earth, they deride it. [6] This is why the Lord sometimes spoke like the Prophets, and taught the rest of what He had to say by parables, as He Himself has declared in Matthew:
Jesus said, I speak unto them by parables, because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand (Matt. 13:13). By "those who see and hear" are meant those within the church who although they see and hear, still do not understand. Also in John:
He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them (John 12:40). Their being "converted" and "healed" implies that nevertheless they would afterwards reject, and so would profane, which involves eternal condemnation (see n. 301-303, 582, 1008, 1010, 1059, 1327, 1328, 2051, 2426). Nevertheless the Lord has disclosed the interior things of the Word in many places, but only for the wise.
Elliott(1983-1999) 2520
2520. 'And he said, Lord, will You kill even a righteous nation?' means, Would the good and truth of doctrine be done away with? This is clear from the meaning of 'ration' as good, dealt with in 1259, 1260, 1416. And because the words 'a righteous nation' refer to 'the nation of Abimelech', who means the doctrine of faith, they are used here to mean both good and truth, since both are the subject matter of doctrine.
[2] The fact that these words were uttered from a zeal that went with an affection or love towards the whole human race may be evident to anyone. Such love was directing the Lord's thoughts even when He had not yet put off the human from the mother. And although He perceived from the Divine that the doctrine of faith had a wholly celestial origin, nevertheless in order that the needs of the human race, which does not receive anything of which it cannot form some idea from its own rational thought, might be met, it is therefore said, 'Will You kill even a righteous nation?' meaning, Would the good and truth of doctrine be done away with? The fact that a person does not receive anything of which he cannot form some idea from his rational thought may be seen from the ideas which a person entertains regarding Divine arcana. The latter always have some idea attached to them that is derived from worldly objects or things analogous to worldly objects by which they are retained in the memory and reproduced in thought. For without ideas derived from worldly objects a person is unable to engage in thought. If therefore truths from a Divine origin were presented naked they would never be accepted because they would go far beyond his range of understanding, and so beyond his faith as well, most of all in the case of those whose worship is external.
[3] Let the following examples illustrate this: The Divine itself cannot reside in anything except that which is Divine, and so only in the Lord's Divine Human, and with man through His Human. If the rational were consulted it would say that the Divine itself can reside in the human of anyone. Again nothing holy exists which does not proceed from the Lord, and so from the Divine, which is one. If the rational were consulted it would say that what is holy may also spring from other sources.
[4] Again, man does not live from himself, do good from himself, believe the truth from himself, or indeed think from himself. The good and truth that he does or believes come from the Lord, but the evil and falsity come from hell. And what is more, hell - that is, those who are in hell - do not think from themselves but, in the same way as man, are recipients of the Lord's good and truth. If the rational were consulted it would reject all those ideas because it would not comprehend them. It would also reject the idea that nobody is rewarded on account of the good he does and of the truth he teaches. And it would reject the idea that what is external does not accomplish anything, only what is internal, insofar as the affection for good is present in the doing of good, and insofar as from this the affection for truth is present in the teaching of truth, and insofar as the things are not done from oneself. So also with a thousand other examples that could be given.
[5] Such being the nature of the human rational, the Word therefore uses expressions that accord with man's capacity to understand, and also with his inherent disposition. And this explains why the internal sense of the Word is different from its literal sense. This becomes quite clear from the Old Testament Word where most things are stated in ways that accord with the capacity to understand and the inherent disposition of the people who lived in those times. As a consequence little, indeed scarcely anything, is mentioned there about the life after death, about eternal salvation, and about the internal man. Indeed the character of the Jewish and Israelitish people with whom the Church existed at that time was such that if these matters had been disclosed to them they would not only have failed to understand them but would also have ridiculed them. If similarly it had been disclosed to them that the Messiah or Christ was going to come and save their souls for ever, this too they would have rejected as something of no importance, as also becomes clear from the same nation today. And it is so still that if what is internal or spiritual is mentioned in their presence, and the fact that the Messiah is not going to be a very great earthly king, they laugh at it.
[6] This was the reason why the Lord sometimes spoke in the way the Prophets had spoken and expressed all else by means of parables, as He Himself states in Matthew,
Jesus said, I speak to them in parables, because those who see do not see, and those who hear do not hear, nor do they understand. Matt 13: 13.
'Those who see' and 'those who hear' are those inside the Church who, though they see and hear, nevertheless do not understand. And in John,
He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and are converted and I heal them. John 12:-40.
Their being 'converted' and being 'healed' implies that even so they would subsequently reject and in so doing profane, which entails eternal condemnation, see 301-303, 582, 1008, 1010, 1059, 1327, 1328, 2051, 2426. Nevertheless the Lord in many places disclosed the interior things of the Word, but solely for the benefit of the wise.
Latin(1748-1756) 2520
2520. `Et dixit, Domine, num gentem etiam justam occides? quod significet num bonum et verum doctrinae exstingueretur, constat a significatione `gentis' quod sit bonum, de qua n. 1259, 1260, 1416; et quia praedicatur de `gente Abimelechi,' per quem significantur doctrina fidei, per `gentem justam' hic intelligitur tam bonum quam verum, utramque enim est doctrinae. [2] Quod haec dicta sint ex zelo affectionis seu amoris erga universum genus humanum, patet; amor ille cogitationes Domini, cum adhuc in humano materno fuit, dirigebat; et tametsi percipiebat ex Divino quod doctrina fidei non nisi {1} e origine caelesti sit, usque tamen ut consuleretur generi humano, quod non recipit aliquid cujus non aliquam ideam ex rationali suo habere potest, ideo dictum, `Num gentem etiam justam occides?' quo significatur, Num bonum et verum doctrinae exstingueretur? Quod homo non recipiat aliquid cujus non aliquam ideam ex rationali si habere potest, constare potest ab ideis quas homo fovet de arcanis Divinis; semper iis {2} aliqua idea ex mundanis aut analogis mundanorum adhaeret, per quam retinetur in memoria, et per quam reproducitur in cogitationem, nam homo absque idea ex mundanis nihil usquam cogitare potest; ideo si vera nude {3} ex Divina origine proponerentur, nusquam reciperentur, sed {4} excederent omnem ejus captum, ita quoque fidem, maxime eorum qui in externo cultu sunt: [3] haec ut illustrentur, sint haec exempla {5}: Ipsum Divinum non potest esse nisi in Divino, ita non nisi quam in Divino Humano Domini, et per hoc apud hominem; rationale si consuleretur, diceret quod Ipsum Divinum possit esse in humano cujusvis: adhuc, quod non sit aliquod sanctum quod non procedit a Domino, ita a Divino quod unum; rationale si consuleretur, diceret quod etiam aliunde: [4] adhuc, quod homo non vivat ex se, non bonum faciat ex se, non {6} verum credat ex se, immo non cogitet ex se, (m)sed bonum et verum ex Domino, malum autem et falsum ab {7} inferno; et quod magis, infernum {8}, (o)hoc est, qui in inferno, nec cogitant a se, sed recipiunt ita bonum et verum Domini;(n) rationale si consuleretur, haec rejiceret quia non caperet: tum quod nullus remuneretur propter quod faciat bonum et doceat verum, et quod externum nihil faciat sed internum, quantum affectionis boni sit in facere bonum et quantum inde affectionis veri in docere verum, et hoc quantum non ex se: ita in mille aliis. [5] Quia rationale humanum tale est, ideo locutum est in Verbo secundum hominis captum, etiam secundum genium; ideo {9} est quod alius sit sensus Verbi internus quam est ejus litteralis; quod satis constare potest a Verbo Veteris Testamenti, ubi pleraque dicta sunt secundum captum et genium populi qui tunc vivebat; idcirco tam pauca ut vix aliqua, de vita post mortem, de salute aeterna, deque interno homine; talis enim erat populis Judaicus et Israeliticus, apud quem tunc Ecclesia, ut si illa detegerentur, non solum non intelligerent, sed etiam subsannarent; similiter si iis detectum fuisset quod Messias seu Christus venturus ad salvandum animas eorum in aeternum, hoc quoque ut nullum rejecissent, sicut etiam ab eadem gente constare potest hodie, coram qua si adhuc nominatur internum aut spirituale, ac Messias quod non rex erit maximus in terra, irridetur; haec causa fuit quod Dominus similiter ac Prophetae passim locutus sit, et cetera per parabolas, ut Ipse dicit apud Matthaeum, Jesus dixit, Per parabolas loquor illis, quia videntes non rident, et audientes non audiunt, nec intelligunt, xiii 13;`videntes et audientes' sunt ii qui intra Ecclesiam, qui tametsi vident et audiunt, usque non intelligunt: et apud Johannem, Occaecavit (c)eorum oculos, et obturavit eorum cor, ut non videant oculis suis, et intelligant corde, et convertant se, `et sanem illos, xii 40;
quod `se converterent et sanarentur' involvit quod usque dein rejicerent, et sic profanarent, quod secum habet damnationem aeternam, videatur n. 301-303, 582, 1008, 1010, 1059, 1327, 1328, 2051, 2426; sed usque Dominus interiora Verbi multis in locis detexit, at solum pro sapientibus. @1 i quam.$ @2 i de.$ @3 nuda.$ @4 quia.$ @5 pro exemplo.$ @6 nec.$ @7 ex.$ @8 d infernum.$ @9 i et.$