3957.“于是给他起名叫以萨迦”表它的根本性质。这从“起名”的含义清楚可知，“起名”是指根本性质，如前所述（参看3923，3935节）。以萨迦因“酬报”而得名，因此这个名字包含前面关于酬报所说的事，同时包含利亚所说其它话所表示的事。由于“以萨迦”表酬报，而“酬报”在外在意义上是指相爱，在内在意义上是指良善与真理的结合，所以最好说明一下，如今在基督教界，罕有人知道“酬报”具有这样的含义。他们之所以知道，是因为他们不知道何为相爱，更不知道良善必须与真理结合，以便天上的婚姻能存在于人里面。我蒙允许在来世与众多来自基督教界的人谈论这一点，包括更有学问的人。但令人惊讶的是，与我交谈的人当中，几乎没有任何人知道这一点，尽管他们只要肯运用自己的理性，原本自己就能清楚知道这些事。可他们却不关心死后的生命，只关心在世的生命，所以他们对这类事不感兴趣。
如前所述，只要肯运用自己的理性，他们原本自己就能知道的事如下：
①当人脱去肉身时，他的理解力受启示的能力比活在肉身时更强大；原因在于，当他处于肉身时，世俗和肉身的兴趣会占据他的思维，并带来模糊。不过，一旦他脱去肉身，这些世俗和肉身的兴趣就不会干扰了，并且他因其心智从外在感官事物中抽离出来而变得和那些思维更内在的人一样了。由此可知，人处于死后的状态，远远比处于死前的状态更加头脑清晰，更加开明；当人死亡时，他就好比从阴影进入光明，因为他从属于世界的事物进入属于天堂的事物，从属于肉身的事物进入属于灵的事物。说来奇怪，他们虽能理解所有这一切，却仍思想反面，也就是说，他们认为肉身中的生命状态相对清晰，而脱去肉身后的生命状态相对模糊。
②他们若肯运用自己的理性，就能知道，人在世为自己所获得的生命在他死亡时仍跟随着他；也就是说，他的生命在死后还是原样。因为他们能知道，若不通过死亡本身，没有人能脱去他从小就已获得的生命，并且这种生命不可能在一瞬间就变成另一种生命，更不用说变成相反的生命了。例如：人若为自己获得欺骗的生命，并以这种欺骗为其生命的快乐，那么就无法脱去欺骗的生命，死后仍继续处于这种生命。另举一例：人若陷入自我之爱，由此陷入对那些不顺从自己之人的仇恨和报复，或其它类似性质的邪恶，那么在肉身生命结束后，依旧陷入它们；因为这些就是他们所热爱，并构成其生命的快乐，从而构成其真正生命的东西。因此，这类特性无法从他们那里被拿走，除非构成其生命的一切事物同时被除灭。这同样适用于人们所获得的其它各种生命。
③人自己就能知道，他进入来世后，会将许多事物留在身后。他知道，这些东西在那里没有一席之地，所以他留在身后；如对衣、食、住，赚取金钱财富，以及提升尊严地位的挂虑，就是对活在肉身时花费大量心思去思想的所有事的挂虑。事实上，他知道在世界，这些东西会被不属于地上国度的其它事物所取代。
④他由此能知道，凡在世时只思想诸如此类的世俗事物，以至于被它们完全占据，唯独以它们为快乐的人并不适合住在那些以思想天上的事物，也就是天堂的事物为乐的人中间。
⑤反过来，他由此能知道，当肉身和世界的外在事物被拿走后，在这种情况下，此人便如他内在的样子；也就是说，他如先前那样思考的意愿。如果其内在思维一直是欺骗，阴谋诡计，贪恋地位、利益和由此而来的名声；如果仇恨、报复和类似激情一直存在于里面，那么可见，他还会思想这类事，因而思想属地狱的事，无论他如何为了达到上述目的而向人们隐瞒自己的想法，从而表面上显得体面，使别人以为他心里没有这类想法。所有这样的外在，或体面的伪装，在来世也会被夺去；这一点同样从以下事实可以得知：表面事物连同肉身都被脱去，不再有任何用处。谁都能由此自己断定，到那时，人的真正品性将显现在众天使面前。
⑥人还能知道，天堂或主通过天堂不断作工，以良善和真理流入。但是，如果那时人里面没有其肉身死后活着的内层人，也就是没有可以说接受良善与真理的某种土表或层面，那么所流入的良善与真理根本无法被接受。因此，人活在肉身期间，就应当迫切地在自己里面获得这种内层。不过，他若不向邻人思想良善，为他意愿善事，从而向他行出善事，进而在这类行中为自己获得生命的快乐，就无法获得这种层面。这种层面通过对邻之仁，也就是相爱获得；它就是所谓的良知。来自主的良善与真理能流入这个层面，并能在那里被接受。但是，没有仁爱的地方也就没有良知；因为所流入的良善与真理经过那里会转化为邪恶与虚假。
⑦人自己就能知道，使得人成为人，有别于野兽的，是对神之爱和对邻之爱；并且它们构成天堂的生命或天堂本身；而它们的反面则构成地狱的生命或地狱本身。人不知道这些事的原因在于，他不想知道它们，因为他过着相反的生活，还因为他不信死后生命的存在，又因为信的观念，而非仁的观念牢牢占据了他；所以他照着许多人所教导的相信若死后生命存在，他就能因信得救，无论他过的是哪种生活，哪怕他只在临终那一刻才接受信，也能得救。
Potts(1905-1910) 3957
3957. And she called his name Issachar. That this signifies its quality, is evident from the signification of "calling a name," as being the quality (see n. 3923, 3935); for Issachar was named from "reward," and hence the name involves what has been said above concerning reward, and at the same time what is signified by the rest of Leah's words. As by "Issachar" is meant "reward;" and as in the external sense "reward" is mutual love; and in the internal sense, the conjunction of good and truth, it may be well to state that very few at the present day in the Christian world know that "reward" has this meaning, for the reason that they do not know what mutual love is, and still less that good must be conjoined with truth in order that man may be in the heavenly marriage. I have been permitted to speak on this subject with very many in the other life who were from the Christian world, and with the more learned also; but wonderful to say, scarcely anyone of those with whom I have been permitted to speak knew anything about it, when yet they might of themselves have known much about such things if they had only been willing to use their reason. But as they had not been solicitous about the life after death, but only about life in the world, such things had no interest for them. [2] The things which they might have known of themselves had they chosen to use their reason, are the following: First, that when man is divested of his body, he comes into the full exercise of a much more enlightened understanding than when living in the body, for the reason that while he is in the body, corporeal and worldly things occupy his thoughts, which induce obscurity; but when he is divested of the body, such things do not interfere, and it is with him as with those who are in interior thought by abstraction of the mind from the things of the outward senses. From this they might know that the state after death is much more clear-sighted and enlightened than the state before death; and that when a man dies, he passes comparatively from shade into light, because he passes from the things of the world to those of heaven, and from the things of the body to those of the spirit. But wonderful to say, although they are able to understand all this, they nevertheless think the contrary, namely, that the state of life in the body is relatively clear, and that the state of life after being divested of the body is relatively obscure. [3] The Second thing that they may know if they will use their reason, is that the life which man has procured for himself in the world follows him; that is, he is in such a life after death. For they may know that without dying altogether no one can put off the life which he has acquired from infancy; and that this life cannot be changed into another in a moment, still less into an opposite one. For example: he who has acquired a life of deceit, and has found in this the delight of his life, cannot put off the life of deceit, but is still in that life after death. He who is in the love of self, and thereby in hatred and revenge against those who do not serve him, and those who are in other such evils, remains in them after the life of the body; for these are the things which they love, and which constitute the delights of their life, and consequently their veriest life; and therefore such things cannot be taken away from them without at the same time extinguishing all their life. And so in other cases. [4] The Third thing which a man may know of himself, is that when he passes into the other life he leaves many things behind which have no place there, such as cares for food, for clothing, for a place of abode, and also for gaining money and wealth, as well as for being exalted to dignities, all of which are so much thought of by man in the life of the body; but in the other life are succeeded by others that are not of this earthly kingdom. [5] Therefore the Fourth thing a man can know is that he who in the world has thought solely of such worldly things, so that he has been wholly possessed by them, and has acquired delight of life in them alone, is not fitted to be among those whose delight is to think about heavenly things, that is, about the things of heaven. [6] From this follows also a Fifth thing; namely, that when the externals of the body and the world are taken away, the man is then such as he has been inwardly; that is, he so thinks and so wills. If his thoughts have inwardly been deceits, machinations, aspiration for dignities, for gains, and for fame thereby; if they have been hatreds and revenges and the like, it can be seen that he will still think such things, thus the things that belong to hell, however much he might for the sake of the before-mentioned ends have concealed his thoughts from men, and thus appeared outwardly to be worthy, while leading others to believe that he had not such things at heart. That all such externals, or simulations of worth, are also taken away in the other life, may likewise be known from the fact that outward things are put off together with the body, and are no longer of any use. From this everyone may conclude for himself what kind of a man he will then appear to the angels. [7] The Sixth thing that may be known is that heaven, or the Lord through heaven, is continually working and inflowing with good and truth; and that if there is not then in men-in their interior man which lives after the death of the body-some recipient of good and truth, as a ground or plane, the good and truth that flow in cannot be received; and for this reason man while living in the body ought to be solicitous to procure such a plane within himself; but this cannot be procured except by thinking what is good toward the neighbor, and by willing what is good to him, and therefore doing what is good to him, and thus by acquiring the delight of life in such things. This plane is acquired by means of charity toward the neighbor, that is, by means of mutual love; and is what is called conscience. Into this plane the good and truth from the Lord can inflow, and be received therein; but not where there is no charity, and consequently no conscience; for there the inflowing good and truth pass through, and are turned into evil and falsity. [8] The Seventh thing that a man can know of himself, is that love to God and love toward the neighbor are what make man to be man, distinct from brute animals; and that they constitute heavenly life, or heaven; while their opposites constitute infernal life, or hell. But the reason why a man does not know these things is that he does not desire to know them, because he lives the opposite life, and also because he does not believe in the life after death; and likewise because he has taken up with principles of faith, but none of charity; and consequently believes in accordance with the doctrinal teachings of many, that if there is a life after death, he can be saved by faith, no matter how he has lived, even if his faith is received in his dying hour.
Elliott(1983-1999) 3957
3957. 'And she called his name Issachar' means the essential nature of it. This is clear from the meaning of 'calling the name' as the essential nature, as above in 3923, 3935. For he was given the name Issachar from the word 'reward', a name which therefore embodies the things stated above concerning 'reward', and at the same time the things meant by the rest of the words uttered by Leah. Since 'Issachar' means reward, and 'reward' in the external sense is mutual love and in the internal sense the joining together of good and truth, let it be said that very few nowadays in the Christian world know that 'reward' has such a meaning. And the reason why they do not know is that they do not know what mutual love is, still less that good has to be joined to truth if the heavenly marriage is to exist in a person. I have been allowed in the next life to talk about this to very many who were from the Christian world, including the more learned. But what is surprising, scarcely any one of those I talked to knew anything about it, even though they could have come to know much about those matters for themselves if only they had been willing to use their reason. But because they were not concerned about life after death, only about life in the world, they were not interested in such matters. The things they could have known for themselves if only, as has been stated, they had been willing to use their reason were the following:
[2] a When a person is stripped of the body he has a far more enlightened power of understanding than when he is living in the body, the reason being that when he is in the body worldly and bodily interests occupy his thoughts and bring obscurity there. But once he has been stripped of the body those worldly and bodily interests do not get in the way, but through the removal of his mind from sensory experiences of external things he is like those whose thought is more interior. From this consideration they could have known that in the state after death a person is far more clear-sighted and enlightened than in the state before death, and that when a person dies he passes from shade into that which, in comparison with it, is light, because he passes from the things which belong to the world to those which belong to heaven, and from those which belong to the body to those which belong to the spirit. But what is amazing, although people have the ability to understand these things they still think the contrary. That is to say, they think it is in the state of life within the body that a person enjoys clear-sightedness, as compared with the state of life after being stripped of the body, which to them is a state of obscurity.
[3] b They are able to know, if only they use their reason, that the life which a person acquires to himself in the world follows him when he dies, that is, his life is the same after death. For they are able to know that nobody can cast aside the life he has acquired to himself since earliest childhood except by death itself, and that that life cannot be transformed in a moment into any other life, let alone into a contrary life. For example: Someone who has acquired to himself a life of deceit and finds the delight of his life in that deceit cannot cast aside the life of deceit but goes on with that life after death. Or to take another example, people who are governed by self-love and consequently by forms of hatred and revenge against those who are not subservient, or by other similar traits, continue to be governed by these after the life of the body, for they are the things which they love and which constitute the delights of their life and so their very life itself. Such traits cannot therefore be taken away from them unless everything making up their life is wiped out at the same time. And the same applies to all other kinds of life that people have acquired.
[4] c A person is able to know for himself that when he passes into the next life he leaves many things behind him. He knows - since they have no place there - that he leaves behind, for example, anxious cares over food, clothing, accommodation, and the acquisition of money and wealth, as well as anxious cares about his promotion to positions of importance - matters to which a person gives so much thought during the life of the body. Indeed he knows that other things which do not belong to the earthly kingdom take the place of these.
[5] d From this he is able to know that anyone who in the world has thought about nothing else than worldly things such as these, so much so that they have taken a complete hold on him, and who has acquired a delight of life in those things alone, is not suited to be among those who delight to think of heavenly matters, that is, of things of heaven.
[6] e From this in turn he is able to know that if the external things of the body and of the world are taken away from those people, the individual is in that case such as he has been inwardly, that is to say, he thinks and wills as he did previously. If the thoughts within had at that time been deceits, schemings, aspirations after positions of importance, gain, and reputation on account of these; if hatred and revenge and similar passions have been present within, he goes on thinking such things, and so thinking the things of hell, though to achieve those ends he has concealed his thoughts from other people and to outward appearance has seemed honourable and produced in others the conviction that he was not turning such thoughts over in his mind. Knowledge that such outward appearance or presence at being honourable is removed in the next life may also be had from the fact that outward things are cast aside along with the body and have no further use. From this anyone can decide for himself that a person's real character will then be visible to the angels.
[7] f A person is also able to know that heaven, or the Lord by means of heaven, is constantly at work, flowing in with good and truth. But if there is not within a person's interior man that lives after death of the body some solid surface or some plane so to speak to receive good and truth, these cannot be received at all when they flow in. Therefore while a person is living in the world he ought to be anxious to obtain such an interior plane within himself. But he cannot obtain this unless he thinks of good towards his neighbour, desires for him that which is good, and consequently does this for him, and so acquires to himself the delight of life in such actions. This plane is acquired by means of charity towards the neighbour, that is, by mutual love; and it is what is called conscience. Into this plane good and truth from the Lord are able to flow in and be received there. But where charity does not exist, and so conscience does not exist, good and truth flowing in pass through and are converted into evil and falsity.
[8] g A person is able to know for himself that love to God and love towards the neighbour are what make a person a human being, different from animals, and that those things constitute heavenly life or heaven itself and their opposites hellish life or hell itself. But these things are not known by a person because, for one thing, he has no wish to know them since he is leading a life to the contrary; for another, he does not believe in the existence of life after death; and for yet another, ideas about faith but none about charity have taken hold of him, and therefore he believes, as many teach, that if there is a life after death he can be saved by faith, no matter what kind of life he has led, and that he can be saved if faith is received by him only in his last hour when he is dying.
Latin(1748-1756) 3957
3957. `Et vocavit nomen ejus Jisaschar': quod significet quale, constat ex significatione `vocare nomen' quod sit quale, ut supra n. 3923, 3935; nominatus enim est Jisaschar a `mercede,' inde involvit illa quae supra de mercede dicta sunt, et simul illa quae significantur per reliqua verba Leae. Quia per Jisascharem significatur merces, et merces in sensu {1}externo est amor mutuus, ac in {2}interno conjunctio boni et veri, licet referre quod paucissimi hodie in orbe Christiano sciant quod merces illud sit, et hoc ex causa quia non sciunt quid amor mutuus, et adhuc minus quod bonum conjungendum sit vero, ut homo possit esse in conjugio caelesti; cum perpluribus qui ex orbe Christiano fuerunt, in altera vita de illa re loqui datum est, et quoque cum doctioribus, at quod mirandum, vix aliquis eorum cum quibus loqui datum, de illa re aliquid noverat; cum tamen plura de illis scire {3}potuerunt ex seipsis, modo ratione sua uti voluerint; sed quia non solliciti fuerunt de vita post mortem, sed solum de vita in mundo, talia illis curae non fuerunt: quae scire ex seipsis potuerant, modo, ut dictum, ratione sua uti voluerint, sunt sequentia: [2] Primum, quod dum exuitur homo corpore, multo illustriore intellectu polleat quam cum in corpore vivit, ex causa quia cum in corpore est, corporea et mundana cogitationes ejus occupant, quae inducunt obscurum; at cum exutus est corpore, quod talia non interpolent, sed quod sit sicut illi qui in interiore cogitatione sunt per abstractionem mentis suae a sensualibus externis; inde potuerunt scire {4} quod status post mortem sit multo perspicuior et illustrior quam status ante mortem, et cum moritur homo quod transeat ab umbra in lucem respective, quia ab illis quae sunt mundi ad illa quae sunt caeli, et ab illis quae sunt corporis ad illa quae sunt spiritus; at, quod mirum, tametsi haec intelligere possunt, usque contrarium cogitant, quod nempe status vitae in corpore sit perspicuus respective, et status vitae post exuitionem corporis sit obscurus. [3] Alterum quod scire possunt si modo ratione sua utantur, est quod vita quam sibi comparavit homo in mundo, illum sequatur, seu quod {5}in tali sit post mortem; scire enim possunt quod nemo exuere possit vitam ab infantia sibi comparatam nisi prorsus moriatur, et quod illa vita momento non transmutari possit in aliam, minus in oppositam;ut pro exemplo: qui vitam doli sibi comparavit et in eo vitae suae jucundum habuit, quod vitam doli non exuere possit, {6}sed quod in illa vita quoque sit post mortem; aut qui in amore sui et inde in odiis et vindictis {7}contra illos qui non inserviunt, aut in similibus aliis, quod in illis post vitam corporis maneant, sunt enim {8}illa quae amant, et quae faciunt jucunda vitae eorum, proinde ipsissimam vitam; et quod sic auferri illis talia nequeant nisi simul exstinguatur omne vitae eorum {9}; similiter in reliquis. [4] Tertium quod homo scire potest ex se, est quod cum in alteram vitam transit, relinquat plura, sicut curas pro victu, curas pro amictu, curas pro habitatione, et quoque curas pro conquirendis pecuniis et opibus, nam talia ibi non sunt, etiam curas ut evehatur in dignitates, de quibus homo tantum cogitat in vita corporis; et quod pro illis alia succedant quae non sunt regni terrestris. [5] Inde Quartum sciri potest, quod qui nihil aliud cogitavit in mundo quam talia, sic ut illa totum occupaverint, et in illis solis vitae {10}jucundum acquisiverit, non aptus sit esse inter illos quibus jucundum est caelestia, seu quae sunt caeli, cogitare. [6] Inde quoque Quintum quod si externa illa quae sunt corporis et mundi, illis auferuntur, homo tunc sit qualis fuit intus, nempe quod sic cogitet et sic velit; si cogitationes intus tunc fuerant doli, machinationes, aspiratio ad dignitates, ad lucra, ad famam propter illa, si odia et vindictae et similia, quod tunc talia cogitet, ita quae sunt inferni, utcumque propter fines illos coram hominibus celaverit cogitationes suas, et in externa forma apparuerit honestus, et induxerit fidem aliis quod talia non volvat; quod externa illa seu simulationes honesti etiam {11}auferantur in altera vita, etiam sciri potest, quia {12}exuuntur externa cum corpore, {13}et externa non magis usui sunt; inde qualis homo tunc appariturus angelis, quisque ex se concludere potest. [7] Sextum quod etiam sciri potest, est quod caelum seu Dominus per caelum continue operetur, et influat cum bono et vero, tunc si non apud illos in interiore eorum homine qui post mortem corporis vivit, sit aliquod recipiens boni et veri, sicut humus aut planum, quod bonum et verum influens non recipi possit, et quod ideo homo cum vivit in mundo, sollicitus esse debeat ut sibi interius tale planum comparet; hoc non comparari potest quam per quod cogitet bonum erga proximum, quodque velit ei bonum, et inde faciat ei bonum, et sic acquirat sibi jucundum vitae in talibus; hoc planum acquiritur per charitatem erga proximum, hoc est, per amorem mutuum; hoc planum est quod vocatur conscientia; in hoc influere potest bonum et verum a Domino, et inibi recipi, non autem ubi nulla charitas, proinde nulla conscientia est, ibi influens bonum et verum transfluit et vertitur in malum et in falsum. [8] Septimum quod homo scire potest (c)a se, est quod amor in Deum et amor erga proximum sint quae faciunt ut homo sit homo, distinctus a brutis animalibus, et quod illa constituant vitam caelestem sea caelum, et quod opposita constituant vitam infernalem seu infernum. Sed quod homo haec non sciat, est quia non vult scire, vivit enim vitam oppositam, tum quia non credit vitam post mortem dari, tum quoque quia principia fidei captaverat et nulla charitatis, et inde secundum plurium doctrinalia credit quod si vita post mortem detur, salvari possit ex fide, utcumque vixerit, et hoc si fidem acciperet in ultima hora {14}cum moritur. @1 proxime interiori$ @2 adhuc interiori$ @3 potuerint$ @4 i ad minimum concludere$ @5 illam secum ferat$ @6 ita quod in vita doli$ @7 sunt ac$ @8 amores illorum, proinde jucunda, ita ipsissima vita eorum;$ @9 i jucundum$ @10 i suae$ @11 i eis$ @12 exuerat$ @13 nec ibi alicui$ @14 dum$