4377.“雅各对他说，我主知道孩子们年幼娇嫩”表尚未获得神性生命的真理。这从“孩子”或“儿子”和“娇嫩”的含义清楚可知：“孩子”或“儿子”是指真理（参看489，491，533，1147，2623，3373节）；“娇嫩”是指新近的真理，因而是指虽已获得某种生命，然尚未获得真正生命，即此处神性生命的真理，因为所论述的主题是主的神性属世层的荣耀。这些问题可通过发生在正经历重生之人身上的事来说明，因为人的重生是主荣耀的形像。正经历重生之人就像出生后经历各个年龄阶段的人，如婴儿时期，童年时期，青少年时期，成年时期。事实上，正经历重生的人是新生的。当他还是婴儿时，他里面的真理的确有生命，但还没有属灵的生命。在这一阶段，它们纯粹是缺乏细节和具体细节的总体真理，然而正与良善联结。因此，真理与良善的联结纯粹是外在的，而非内在的。它们的内在联结随着此人向婴儿时期之后的各个阶段发展而逐渐产生。孩子们年幼娇嫩，以及接下来的这些话“牛羊也正我管喂奶的时候，若是催赶它们一天，群羊都必死了”就表示婴儿时期的这种状态。
Potts(1905-1910) 4377
4377. And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender. That this signifies truths which have not yet acquired Divine life, is evident from the signification of "children" or "sons," as being truths (see n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373); and from the signification of "tender," as being things recent, thus things that have acquired some life, but not yet genuine; here, not yet Divine, because the subject treated of is the Lord's glorification as to the Divine natural. These things may be illustrated by the things that take place with a man who is being regenerated, for man's regeneration is an image of the Lord's glorification. A man who is being regenerated, like the man who is born, passes through the ages - infancy, childhood, youth or early manhood, and adult age; for a man who is being regenerated is born anew. When he is an infant, the truths in him have indeed life, but not yet spiritual life. It is only general truths without particulars and singulars with which good is then conjoined; consequently there is only exterior conjunction, not interior. Interior conjunction is effected successively, as the man advances into the following ages. It is the state of this infancy which is signified by the children being tender, and also by the words which now follow: "and the flocks and the herds are suckling with me, and if they drive them on in one day, all the flocks will die."
Elliott(1983-1999) 4377
4377. 'And he said to him, My lord knows that the children are tender' means truths which have not yet acquired Divine life. This is clear from the meaning of 'children' or sons as truths, dealt with in 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373, and from the meaning of 'tender ones' as truths that are recent and so those which have acquired some life but not as yet genuine life, in this case Divine Life since the subject is the glorification of the Lord's Divine Natural. These matters can be illustrated by means of what happens to a person who is being regenerated, for the regeneration of man is a model of the glorification of the Lord. A person who is being regenerated passes through different phases, akin to those which follow birth - phases akin to infancy, childhood, adolescence or youth, and adult years. Indeed a person who is being regenerated is born anew. During the phase when he is an infant the truths he knows do indeed possess life, though not as yet spiritual life. At this stage they are merely general truths which lack particular and specific ones, yet to which good is being joined. That joining of truths to good is therefore purely exterior, not interior. A more interior joining together of them is effected step by step as he advances into the phases that follow infancy. It is the state belonging to this type of infancy that is meant by the reference to the children being tender and by what is said immediately after that - 'and the flocks and herds with me are suckling, and if the men overdrive them for one day, all the flocks will die'.
Latin(1748-1756) 4377
4377. `Et dixit ad illum, Dominus meus scit quod nati teneri':quod significet vera quae nondum vitam Divinam adepta, constat a significatione `natorum' seu filiorum quod sint vera, de qua n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373; et a significatione `tenerorum' quod sint recentia, ita quae aliquam vitam adepta sed nondum genuinam, hic Divinam quia de glorificatione Domini quoad Divinum Naturale agitur: illustrari haec possunt ab illis quae existunt apud hominem qui regeneratur, nam regeneratio hominis est imago glorificationis Domini; homo qui regeneratur, percurrit sicut homo qui nascitur, aetates, nempe infantiam, pueritiam, adolescentiam seu juventutem, et adultam aetatem; homo enim qui regeneratur, e novo nascitur; cum infans est, tunc vera apud illum quidem vitam habent sed nondum spiritualem, sunt modo vera communia absque particularibus et singularibus, cum quibus bonum tunc conjungitur {1}, proinde non nisi quam exterius, non autem interius; interius conjungitur successive, prout progreditur in aetates sequentes:
infantiae illius status est qui significatur per quod `nati teneri,' et quoque per illa quae mox sequuntur `et greges et armenta lactentia apud me, et impulerint ea die uno, et morientur omnes greges'. @1 conjungi potest$