3160、“拉班和彼土利回答说，这话乃出于耶和华，我们不能向你说歹说好”表示承认这是唯独主所做的。这从对这几句话的内义的解释可以看出来；但无需这种解释就能清楚看出，这是从这些话得出的结论。“这话乃出于耶和华”明显表示来自主，因为旧约经常提到的“耶和华”只表示主，不表示任何人（参看1343， 1736， 1815， 2156， 2329， 2921，3023， 3035节）。这些话涉及奥秘，这从以下事实明显可知，即：此处作出回答的先是作为哥哥的拉班，然后是作为父亲的彼土利，而不是父母；处女本人则直到后来才作出回答。其原因在于，作为哥哥的拉班代表属世人中对良善的情感（参看3129， 3130节）；而彼土利代表对良善的情感的源头。属世人中对良善的情感和对真理的情感如同兄妹。而对真理的情感一旦从属世人中被召唤出来进入理性人，并与那里的良善结合，就如同已婚妇女。
拉班和彼土利的回答方式（即哥哥先说，然后父亲才说）所蕴含的奥秘是这样：当良善从理性人流入属世人时，它不直接流入那里的真理，而是流入那里的良善，并通过良善流入真理；除非该良善以这种方式 流入，否则对真理的情感就不能产生。属世人中对良善的情感就是那承认的，因而是那首先同意的，因为理性良善与属世良善之间存在一种直接交流，但理性良善与属世真理之间不存在直接交流。关于它们之间存在的这种平行关系，可参看前文（1831， 1832节）。此处出现了两句古代习惯用语，即：“这话乃出于耶和华”，意思是这是耶和华所做的；“我们不能向你说歹说好”，意思是他们既不敢否定，也不敢肯定。关于承认这是唯独主所做的，可参看接下来的讨论。
Potts(1905-1910) 3160
3160. And Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The word hath gone forth from Jehovah; we cannot speak unto thee evil or good. That this signifies acknowledgment that it was of the Lord alone, may be seen from the explication of the several words as to the internal sense; but that this is the conclusion from them, is evident without such explication. That "the word hath gone forth from Jehovah," signifies from the Lord, is evident; for by "Jehovah," so often named in the Old Testament, no other is ever meant than the Lord (see n. 1343, 1736, 1815, 2156, 2329, 3023, 3035). That these things involve arcana, is evident from the fact that here Laban made answer, who was a brother, and then Bethuel who was the father; but not the father and mother; and that the virgin did not answer till afterwards. The reason of this is that by Laban as a brother is represented the affection of good in the natural man (see n. 3129, 3130); and by Bethuel, the origin of the affection of good. The affection of good and the affection of truth in the natural man are as brother and sister; and the affection of truth called forth from the natural man into the rational and there conjoined with good, is as a married woman. [2] The secret reason why Laban and Bethuel answered, that is, the brother first and then the father, is that while good from the rational man is flowing into the natural, it does not flow immediately into the truth there, but into the good there, and through the good into the truth; and unless there is this influx the affection of truth cannot come into actual being. The affection of good in the natural man is that which acknowledges, and thus is that which first consents; for there is an immediate communication between rational good and natural good, but not between rational good and natural truth (concerning the parallelism of these see above, n. 1831, 1832). Two ancient formulas of speech are found here, namely, "The word hath gone forth from Jehovah," meaning that it was done of Jehovah; and "We cannot speak unto thee evil or good," meaning that they neither dared to deny nor to affirm. Concerning the acknowledgment that it was of the Lord alone, see what now follows.
Elliott(1983-1999) 3160
3160. 'And Laban answered, then Bethuel, and they said, From Jehovah has this thing come; we cannot speak to you bad or good' means acknowledgement that it was the Lord's alone. This could be shown by an explanation of the internal sense of all the individual words; yet the inference to be drawn is evident without any such explanation. 'From Jehovah has this thing come' clearly means that it is from the Lord, because the name 'Jehovah' mentioned so many times in the Old Testament is used to mean no one other than the Lord, see 1343, 1736, 1815, 2156, 2329, 2921, 3023, 3035. The embodiment of arcana within these words may be known from the consideration that here it was Laban - the brother - who answered, and then Bethuel - the father - not the father and the mother; and that the virgin herself did not answer until after that. The reason for this is that Laban as her brother represents the affection for good in the natural man, 3129, 3130, and Bethuel the origin of the affection for good. The affection for good and the affection for truth in the natural man are related to each other as brother and sister. But the affection for truth once summoned from the natural man into the rational man and joined to good there is as a married woman.
[2] The arcanum embodied here in Laban and Bethuel's manner of reply - that is, in the brother speaking first, then the father - is that when good from the rational man flows into the natural man, it does not flow directly into the truth there but into the good, and then by way of the good into the truth. Unless that good flows in as described, the affection for truth cannot come into being. The affection for good in the natural man is that which acknowledges, and so is the first to consent, for a direct communication exists between rational good and natural good, but no direct communication between rational good and natural truth. Regarding the parallelism that exists between them, see 1831, 1832. Here two ancient customary sayings occur - 'from Jehovah has the thing come' meaning that it was done by Jehovah, and also 'we cannot speak to you bad or good' meaning that people did not dare either to deny or to affirm. Reference to the acknowledgement being the Lord's alone follows next.
Latin(1748-1756) 3160
3160. `Et respondit Laban et Bethuel, et dixerunt, A Jehovah exivit verbum, non possumus loqui ad te malum vel bonum': quod significet agnitionem quod solius Domini esset, constare potest ab explicatione singulorum verborum quoad sensum internum, sed quod hoc conclusum illorum sit, patet absque illa: `a Jehovah exivit verbum,' quod sit a Domino, constat quia per Jehovam toties in Veteri Testamento nominatum, nusquam alius intelligatur quam Dominus, videatur n. 1343, 1736, 1815, 2156, 2329, 2921, 3023, 3035. Quod haec involvant arcana, constare potest ex eo quod hic responderit Laban qui frater, et dein Bethuel qui pater, non autem pater et mater, et quod virgo non nisi quam postea; causa est quia per `Labanem ut fratrem' repraesentatur affectio boni in naturali homine, n. 3129, 3130, et per `Bethuelem' origo affectionis boni; affectio boni et affectio veri in naturali homine se habent ut frater et soror; {1}e: affectio veri e naturali homine in rationalem evocati ac ibi cum bono conjuncti, se habet ut mulier maritata: [2] arcanum quod hic responderint Laban et Bethuel, hoc est, frater primum et dein pater, est quia bonum e rationali homine dum in naturalem influit, non influit ibi in verum immediate, sed in bonum ibi, et per bonum in verum; nisi ille influxus sit, non potest existere affectio veri; affectio boni in naturali homine est quae agnoscit, ita quae primum consentit, nam immediata datur communicatio inter bonum rationale et bonum naturale, non autem immediata inter bonum rationale et verum naturale, de {2}parallelismo eorum videatur n. 1831, 1832. Hic binae formulae loquendi antiquae occurrunt, nempe quod `a Jehovah exivit verbum' pro quod a Jehovah factum; {3}tum `non possumus loqui ad te malum vel bonum' pro quod non ausint negare, nec affirmare. De agnitione quod solius Domini {4}esset, sequitur. @1 at$ @2 i correspondentia et$ @3 et$ @4 sit$