304、由此明显可知这句话是什么意思，即：“恐怕他伸手又取生命树吃，就永远活着”。“取生命树吃”是指知道，甚至于承认凡属于爱和信之物，因为复数形式的“生命”一词表示爱和信，“吃”在此和前面一样，表示知道。“永远活着”不是指在肉体中永远活着，而是指死后在永恒的诅咒中永远活着。一个死人之所以被称为死人，不是因为他在这个世上的生命结束后会死亡，而是因为他要过着死亡的生活，“死亡”就是诅咒和地狱。在以西结书，“活”具有同样的含义：
你们为我的民猎取灵魂，为自己救活灵魂，在我民中亵渎我，杀死不该死的灵魂，让不该活的灵魂活。（以西结书13:18-19）
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]304. All this evidence indicates that such is the meaning of these words — to keep people from putting out their hand and taking from the tree of lives as well, and eating, and living forever. Taking from the tree of lives and eating is learning all about love and faith, to the point of acknowledging it. The plural lives is love and faith; eating here as before [125] symbolizes knowing; and living forever is not living in the body forever but living on after death in eternal damnation. People who are dead are so called not because they will die after the life of the body but because they will live a life of death, since death is damnation and hell. Living has a similar meaning in Ezekiel:
You hunt the souls that belong to my people, and the souls that are yours you keep alive. And you profaned me among my people, to kill souls that must not die and to keep souls alive that must not live. (Ezekiel 13:18-19)
Potts(1905-1910) 304
304. From all this it is evident what is meant by the words, "lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of lives, and eat, and live to eternity." To "take of the tree of lives and eat" is to know even so as to acknowledge whatever is of love and faith; for "lives" in the plural denote love and faith, and to "eat" signifies here as before, to know. To "live to eternity" is not to live in the body to eternity, but to live after death in eternal damnation. A man who is "dead" is not so called because he is to die after the life of the body, but because he will live a life of death, for "death" is damnation and hell. The expression to "live" is used with a similar signification by Ezekiel:
Ye hunt souls for My people, and save souls alive for yourselves, and ye have profaned Me among My people, to slay souls that will not die, and to make souls live that will not live (Ezek. 13:18-19).
Elliott(1983-1999) 304
304. From these observations it is clear that the following is the meaning of the statement, 'By chance he will put out his hand and also take from the tree of life' and eat, and live for evil'. 'Taking from the tree of life' and eating' is knowing to the point of acknowledging anything that belongs to love and faith, for the plural noun 'lives' means love and faith. Here as previously, 'eating' means knowing, while 'living for ever' is not living forever in the body but living after death in eternal condemnation. The person who is dead is not therefore called 'dead' because he is going to die at the end of life in this world but because he is going to live the life of death, 'death' being condemnation and hell. 'Living' has a similar meaning in Ezekiel,
You hunt souls for My people, and you keep souls alive for yourselves, and have desecrated Me among My people, to slay souls that will not die, and to keep alive souls that will not live. Ezek 13:18, 19.
Latin(1748-1756) 304
304. Ex his constat quod haec sint quae intelliguntur per verba haec, 'ne forte mittet manum suam, et sumet etiam ab arbore vitarum, et edat, et vivat in aeternum'; 'sumere ab arbore vitarum, et 'edere' est scire, usque ut agnoscat, quicquid est amoris et fidei, nam 'vitae' in plurali sunt amor et fides; 'edere' significat hic ut prius nosse; 'vivere in aeternum' non est vivere in corpore in aeternum, sed vivere post mortem in damnatione aeterna; homo qui mortuus, non ideo vocatur 'mortuus,' quod moriturus post vitam corporis, sed quod victurus vitam mortis, nam 'mors' est damnatio et infernum; similiter per vivere significatur apud Ezechielem, Animas venamini populo Meo, et animas vobis vivere facitis, et profanastis Me apud populum Meum,...ad occidendum animas, quae non morientur, et ad vivere faciendum animas, quae non vivent? xiii 18, 19.