4580.“雅各便在神和说话的地方立了一根柱子，一根石柱”表处于那神性状态的真理的神圣。这从“柱子”和“在神和说话的地方”的含义清楚可知：“柱子”是指真理的神圣，如下文所述；“在神和说话的地方”表示处于那种状态，如刚才所述（4578节）。有必要先说一说立柱子，并在上头奠酒、浇油的起源。
古时，所立的柱子要么是为了作符号，要么是为了作见证，要么是为他敬拜而立的。为敬拜所立的柱子要用油膏抹，由此变得神圣；敬拜也在那里，因而在神殿、果园、森林中的树底下，以及其它地方举行。立柱这种仪式因以下事实而具有代表性：在上古时代，各民族的家族之间的边界上会立上石头，以防止他们越过边界给彼此造成伤害，如拉班和雅各所立的柱子（创世记31:51）。不可越界造成伤害是那些人当中各民族的一条律法。由于石头立在边界，所以每当上古之人看到这些作为边界的石头时，他们就会想到作为次序终端的真理，因为这些人在地上的每个物体中看到它所对应的属灵或属天事物。但他们的后代在这些物体中不怎么看到属灵和属天之物，更多地看到世俗之物，故开始仅仅因为它们自古时就是被崇敬的物体而视之为神圣。最终，大洪水之前，紧邻大洪水的上古之人的后代，在作为物体的地上和世俗事物中不再看到任何属灵和属天之物，于是开始视这些石头为神圣，并在上头奠酒、膏油；此时，这些石头被称为“柱子”，用来敬拜。这种情形持续到大洪水后的古教会（该教会是一个代表性教会），不同之处在于：这些柱子作为能使这些人献上内在敬拜的一种手段而服务于他们。因为父母教导婴幼儿这些柱子代表什么，以这种方式引导他们认识神圣物体，并对这些柱子所代表的事物产生一种情感。正因如此，古人的神殿、果园、森林和大山小山上都有用来敬拜的柱子。
但当敬拜的内在在古教会完全灭亡，人们开始视外在为神圣和神性，从而以偶像崇拜的方式来敬拜它们时，他们就为某些神明立柱。由于雅各的后代最倾向于偶像崇拜，所以他们被禁止立柱或有亚舍拉神木（groves），甚至不可在大山小山举行任何敬拜，而是被吩咐在一个特定地方（就是约柜所在的地方，后来是圣殿所在的地方，因而在耶路撒冷）聚会。否则，每个家族都会有自己的外在物体和偶像，并会敬拜它们；因而教会的代表无法建在这个民族当中（关于柱子的说明，可参看3727节）。由此可见立柱的起源是什么，以及它们表示什么，并且当用于敬拜时，它们代表神圣址，因此经上在此说“一根石柱”，因为“石”表示次序终端中的真理（1298，3720，3769，3771，3773，3789，3798节）。另外，要知道，神圣之物尤其论及神性真理，因为神性良善在主里面，神性真理从祂发出（3704，4577节），被称为神圣。
Potts(1905-1910) 4580
4580. And Jacob set up a pillar in the place in which He spoke with him, a pillar of stone. That this signifies the holy of truth in that Divine state, is evident from the signification of a "pillar," as being the holy of truth (of which in what follows); and from the signification of "in the place in which He spoke with him," as being in that state (see just above, n. 4578). Something shall first be said with regard to the origin of the setting up of pillars, and of the pouring a drink-offering upon them, and of pouring oil upon them. [2] The pillars set up in ancient times were either for a sign, or for a witness, or for worship. Those for worship were anointed, and were then holy, and worship was also held there, thus in temples, in groves, in forests under the trees, and in other places. This ritual derived its representation from the fact that in the most ancient times stones were set up on the boundaries between families of nations, lest they should pass over the boundaries to do one another evil (as for instance in the case of Laban and Jacob, Gen. 31:52). That they should not pass the boundaries to do evil was to them a law of nations. And as the stones were on the boundaries, when the most ancient people (who in everything on the earth saw a corresponding celestial and spiritual thing) saw these stones as boundaries, they thought about the truths which are the ultimates of order. But their descendants, who beheld in objects less of what is spiritual and celestial, and more of what is worldly, began to think of them with sanctity merely from the veneration derived from old time. And at last the descendants of the most ancient people who lived immediately before the flood, and who no longer saw anything spiritual and celestial in earthly and worldly things regarded as objects, began to regard these stones as holy, pouring drink-offerings upon them, and anointing them with oil; and they were then called "pillars," and were used for worship. [3] This remained after the flood in the Ancient Church, which was representative, but with the difference that the pillars served these people as a means for attaining to internal worship; for the infants and children were instructed by their parents in regard to what they represented, and were thus brought to know holy things, and to be affected with the things which the pillars represented. It is for this reason that the ancients had pillars for worship in their temples, groves, and forests, and upon hills and mountains. But when the internal of worship altogether perished with the Ancient Church, and they began to hold the externals as holy and Divine, and thus to worship them idolatrously, they then erected pillars for their several gods. And as the posterity of Jacob were most prone to idolatrous things, they were forbidden to erect pillars, and also to have groves, and even to hold any worship upon mountains and hills; but they were to be gathered together to one place, where the ark was, and afterwards where the temple was, thus to Jerusalem; otherwise each family would have had its own externals and idols that they would have worshiped, and consequently a representative of a church could not have been instituted with that nation. (See what was above shown concerning pillars, n. 3727.) All this shows what was the origin of the pillars, and what they signified, and that when they were employed in worship they represented holy truth, and therefore it is here said "a pillar of stone," for a "stone" signifies truth in the ultimate of order (n. 1298, 3720, 3769, 3771, 3773, 3789, 3798). Be it known moreover that what is holy is especially predicated of Divine truth; for the Divine is in the Lord, and Divine truth proceeds from Him (n. 3704, 4577), and is called the Holy.
Elliott(1983-1999) 4580
4580. 'Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked to him, a stone pillar' means the holiness of truth within that Divine state. This is clear from the meaning of 'a pillar' as the holiness of truth, dealt with below, and from the meaning of 'in the place where He talked to him' as within that state, dealt with just above in 4578.
First, let something be said about the origin of erecting pillars in those times, of pouring out drink-offerings onto them, and of pouring wine onto them.
[2] The pillars which were erected in ancient times were set up to serve either as a sign, or as a witness, or for worship. Those set up for worship used to be anointed with oil and were thereby made holy; and in these places, people also held their worship - in temples, in groves, under trees in forests, and in other places. This practice of erecting pillars owed its representative nature to the fact that in most ancient times stones were set up on the boundaries between families of nations, to stop them crossing those boundaries to do one another any harm, as with the pillar set up by Laban and Jacob, Gen 31:51. Not crossing them to do harm was the law of nations among those people. And because those stones were on the boundaries, whenever the most ancient people saw them as boundary stones they thought of the truths which exist in the ultimate degree of order; for those people saw in every object on earth the spiritual or celestial reality to which it corresponded. Their descendants however, who saw less of what was spiritual and celestial within the same objects and more of what was worldly, began to regard these in a holy way merely because they were objects venerated from of old. At length those descendants of the most ancient people who lived immediately before the Flood, and who no longer saw anything spiritual or celestial in earthly and worldly things as objects, began to make the actual stones holy, pouring out drink-offerings onto them and anointing them with oil. These were now called pillars and were used for worship. The position remained the same after the Flood - in the Ancient Church which was a representative Church - though with this difference, that pillars served these people as a means enabling them to offer internal worship. For infants and children were taught by parents what those pillars represented, and in this way they were led to know holy objects and to have an affection for the things which these represented. This explains why the ancients had pillars for worship in their temples, groves, and forests, also on hills and mountains.
[3] But once the internal existence of worship had perished completely in the Ancient Church and people began to regard external objects as being holy and Divine and in so doing began to worship those objects in an idolatrous manner, they erected pillars to particular deities. And because the descendants of Jacob were very inclined towards idolatrous practices, they were forbidden to erect pillars or have groves. They were not even allowed to offer any worship on mountains or hillsides, but were required to meet in one particular place - where the Ark was, and later on where the Temple stood, thus in Jerusalem. Otherwise each family would have had its own external objects and idols which it would have worshipped, and so no representative of the Church could have been established among that nation. See what has been shown already about pillars in 3727.
From all this one may see how the erecting of pillars originated, and what they were signs of, and that when they were used for worship, holy truth was represented by them, for which reason the expression 'a stone pillar' is also used, 'stone' meaning truth in the ultimate degree of order, 1298, 3720, 3769, 3771, 3773, 3789, 3798. It should be recognized in addition that holiness is a particular attribute of Divine Truth, for Divine Good exists within the Lord, while Divine Truth proceeds from that Good, 3704, 4577, and is called holiness.
Latin(1748-1756) 4580
4580. `Statuit Jacobus statuam in loco quo locutus cum illo, statuam lapidis': quod significet sanctum veri in Divino illo statu, constat a significatione statuae' quod sit sanctum veri, de qua sequitur; (m)et a significatione `in loco quo locutus cum illo' quod sit in statu illo, de qua mox supra n. 4578. De origine {1} quod statuae erigerentur, et libarent super illas libamen, et funderent super illas oleum, primum dicendum {2}:(n) [2] statuae quae erigebantur antiquis temporibus erant vel in signum, vel in testem, vel in cultum; quae {3} in cultum, ungebantur et tunc erant sanctae, et ibi quoque cultum suum habebant, ita in templis, in lucis, in silvis sub arboribus, et alibi; hoc rituale suum repraesentativum inde traxit quod lapides antiquissimis temporibus statuerentur in terminis inter gentium familias, ne illos transgrederentur ad faciendum illis malum, sicut quoque a Labane et Jacobo, Gen. xxxi 51; ne transgrederentur illos ad faciendum malum, erat apud illos jus gentium; et quia lapides illi {4} erant in terminis, antiquissimi qui in singulis quae in tellure, correspondens spirituale et caeleste videbant, cum lapides hos ut terminos viderent, de veris quae sunt ultima ordinis, cogitabant, posteri autem illorum, qui in objectis minus spirituale et caeleste et plus mundanum spectabant, incipiebant modo ex veneratione ab {5} antiquo sancte de illis cogitare, et tandem antiquissimorum posteri qui proxime ante diluvium vixerunt, et non magis in terrestribus et mundanis ut objectis aliquod spirituale et caeleste videbant, coeperunt {6} sanctificare illos lapides, libamina fundendo super illos, ac oleo ungendo illos, et tunc vocabantur statuae, et in cultum adhibebantur: hoc remansit post diluvium in Ecclesia Antiqua quae repraesentativa fuit, sed cum illa differentia quod statuae inservirent his pro mediis perveniendi ad cultum internum;instruebantur enim infantes et pueri a parentibus quid repraesentarent, et sic perducebantur ad scire sancta et affici illis {7} quae repraesentabant; inde est quod statuae apud antiquos in templis, lucis, et silvis, ac super collibus (c)et montibus essent in cultum: [3] at cum internum cultus cum Ecclesia Antiqua prorsus periit, et coeperunt externa sancta et Divina habere, et sic idololatrice illa colere {8}, tunc statuas erigebant pro singulis diis; et quia posteritas Jacobi pronissima ad idololatrica erat, prohibebatur illis ne statuas erigerent, nec lucos haberent, et ne quidem super montibus (o)et clivis aliquem cultum, sed congregarentur ad unum locum ubi Arca, et dein ubi Templum, ita ad Hierosolymam; alioquin quaelibet familia habuisset sua externa (o)et idola quae coluisset, et {9} sic repraesentativum Ecclesiae non apud illam gentem institui potuisset: videantur quae de statuis prius n. 3727 ostensa sunt. Ex his constare potest unde statuae, et quid significarunt, et cum in cultum adhiberentur, quod esset sanctum verum quod per illas repraesentabatur, ideo quoque dicitur quod esset `statua lapidis', nam `lapis' significat verum in ultimo ordinis, n. 1298, 3720, 3769, 3771, 3773, 3789, 3798. (m)Praeterea sciendum quod de (t)Divino Vero imprimis sanctum praedicetur, nam Divinum `Bonum' est in Domino, et Divinum Verum procedit ab illo, n. 3704, 4577, et vocatur sanctum.(n) {10} @1 Origo$ @2 oleum super illas funderent, haec fuit$ @3 qui AI$ @4 ibi I$ @5 pro$ @6 spectabant, inchoabant$ @7 et affici sanctis$ @8 inde colere absque ulla cognitione quae repraesentarent$ @9 i et quoque suum deum$ @10 A continues but deletes hoc sanctum est quod in Verbo intelligitur per spiritum sanctum$