4835.“你当与你哥哥的妻子同房，向她尽你作小叔的本分”表好叫它（即教会的代表）能得以延续。这从“与哥哥的妻子同房，向她尽小叔的本分”的含义明显看出来，“与哥哥的妻子同房，向她尽小叔的本分”是指保存和延续构成教会之物。摩西律法上规定，若有人去世的时候没有子女，他的兄弟要娶他的寡妇为妻，为他哥哥兴种，长子要过继到离世哥哥的名下，其余的儿子则归他自己，这个就叫“小叔或丈夫兄弟的本分”。这个律例并非来源于犹太教会的新鲜事，而是以前早就存在的一个习俗。这一事实从此处这段历史明显看出来；通过摩西赋予以色列人的其它许多律例也一样，如他们不可娶迦南女子为妻，而是在家族内通婚（创世记24:3-4；28:1-2）。从这些和许多其它例子明显可知，设立诸如后来颁布并命令给雅各儿子的这种习俗的教会以前就存在。祭坛和祭物自古以来就一直在使用，这一点从创世记（8:20-21；22:3，7-8，13）明显看出来。由此清楚可知，犹太教会并不是一个新教会，而是早已灭亡的古教会的复兴。
从摩西五经明显看出关于丈夫兄弟的律法是什么：
弟兄同居，他们中间若死了一个，没有儿子，死人的妻不可出嫁外人，她丈夫的兄弟当向她尽丈夫弟兄的本分，娶她为妻，与她同房。她所生的长子要归亡兄的名下，免得他的名字从以色列中被涂抹了。那人若不愿意娶她哥哥的妻，他哥哥的妻就要上城门长老那里说，我丈夫的兄弟不肯在以色列中兴起他哥哥的名字，不给我尽丈夫弟兄的本分。那么他本城的长老就要把那人叫来，对他讲话；他若立定说，我不愿意娶她。那么他哥哥的妻就要在长老们眼前到那人的跟前，从他脚上脱下他的鞋，吐唾沫在他脸上，回应说，凡不为哥哥建立家室的，都要这样待他；在以色列中，他的名必称为脱鞋之家。（申命记25:5-10）
人若不知道丈夫弟兄的本分代表什么，必以为这个习俗的存在只是为了保存一个名字，因而保存一个继承物。但保存一个名字和一个继承物并未重要到要求弟兄娶他嫂子的地步。确切地说，之所以规定这个习俗，是为了教会的保存和延续能通过它被代表。因为婚姻代表良善与真理的婚姻，也就是天上的婚姻，因而也代表教会，因为教会凭良善与真理的婚姻而为教会；当教会处于这种婚姻时，它便与天堂合而为一，这就是真正的属天婚姻。由于婚姻代表这些事，所以“儿子和女儿”代表并表示真理与良善。既然如此，那么“没有子女”就表示缺乏良善与真理，因而表示那家不再有教会的任何代表，因此它与教会没有关系。另外，“弟兄”代表有血亲关系的良善，寡妻所代表的真理可以与该良善结合。因为为叫真理能成为拥有生命、结出果实，并由此延续构成教会之物，真理除了与它自己的、具有血亲关系的良善结合外，无法与其它任何良善结合。这就是天堂里的人理解丈夫弟兄本分的方式。
若人不尽丈夫弟兄的本分，他哥哥的妻子就要从他脚上脱下他的鞋，吐唾沫在他脸上，意思是这样：凡缺乏良善与真理，无论外在的还是内在的之人都会摧毁教会的事物；因为“鞋”表示外在之物（1748节），“脸”表示内在之物（1999，2434，3527，4066，4796节）。由此明显可知，丈夫弟兄的本分代表教会的保存和延续。但是，当内在事物的代表因主的到来而终结时，这条特定律法就被废除了。这就像人的灵魂或灵与其身体的情形。人的灵魂或灵是他的内在，身体是他的外在；或也可说，灵魂或灵是人的真正形式，而身体是他的代表形像。当人复活时，他的代表形像或他的外在，也就是身体就会被脱去。因为此时，他处于其内在，也就是他的形式本身。这也像一个人处于黑暗，并由此来看属于光明的事物；或也可说，就像一个人处于尘世之光，并由此来看属于天堂之光的事物。因为与天堂之光相比，尘世之光如同黑暗。在黑暗中，也就是在尘世之光中，属于天堂之光的事物并不显为它们本来的样子，而是可以说在代表形像中显现，如同人的心智在他的脸上显现出来。因此，当天堂之光在自己清晰的光明中显现时，黑暗或代表形像便被驱散。这一切通过主的到来实现。
4835a.“为你哥哥兴种”表以免教会灭亡。这从“种”的含义清楚可知，“种”是指源于良善的真理，或仁之信（1025，1447，1610，1940，2848，3310，3373，3671节）。那要为亡兄立名的长子也所表相同（352，367，2435，3325，3494节）。“为哥哥兴种”表示延续构成教会之物，正如刚才所述（参看4834节），因而表示以免教会灭亡。
Potts(1905-1910) 4835
4835. Come to thy brother's wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her. That this signifies that he should continue it, namely, the representative of the church, is evident from the signification of "to come" or "enter to a brother's wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her," as being to preserve and continue that which is of the church. The commandment in the Mosaic law that if any man died childless, his brother should take the widow to wife and raise up seed to his brother, and that the firstborn should be called by the name of the deceased brother, but the rest of the sons should be his own, was called "the duty of the husband's brother." That this statute was not a new thing originating in the Jewish Church, but had been in use before, is evident from this history, and the same is true of many other statutes that were commanded the Israelites by Moses-as that they should not take wives of the daughters of the Canaanites, and that they should marry within their families (Gen. 24:3-4; 28:1-2). From these and many other instances it is evident that there had been a church before, in which such things had been instituted as were afterwards promulgated and enjoined upon the sons of Jacob. That altars and sacrifices had been in use from ancient times is plain from Genesis 8:20-21; 22:3, 7-8, 13. From this it is clear that the Jewish Church was not a new church, but that it was a resuscitation of the Ancient Church which had perished. [2] What the law in regard to the husband's brother had been is evident in Moses:
If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no son, the wife of the deceased shall not marry without, to a strange man; her husband's brother shall enter to her, and take her to him to wife, and thus perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her. Then it shall be that the first-born whom she beareth shall stand upon the name of his deceased brother, that his name be not blotted out of Israel. But if the man will not marry his brother's wife, his brother's wife shall go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuses to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother unto me. Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him; and if he stand and say, I desire not to take her; then shall his brother's wife come near unto him in the sight of the elders, and shall draw his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face; and she shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto the man that doth not build up his brother's house; whence his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe taken off (Deut. 25:5-10). [3] One who does not know what the duty of a husband's brother represents, can have no other belief than that it was merely for the sake of preserving the name, and hence the inheritance; but the preservation of a name and of an inheritance was not of so much importance that for the sake of it a brother should enter into marriage with his brother's wife; but this was enjoined that thereby might be represented the preservation and continuation of the church. For marriage represented the marriage of good and truth, that is, the heavenly marriage, and consequently the church also, for the church is a church from the marriage of good and truth; and when the church is in this marriage it makes one with heaven, which is the heavenly marriage itself. As marriage has this representation, therefore sons and daughters represented and also signified truths and goods; wherefore to be childless signified a deprivation of good and truth, thus that there was no longer any representative of the church in that house, consequently that it was out of communion. Moreover, the brother represented kindred good, with which might be conjoined the truth which was represented by the widowed wife; for in order that truth may be the truth which has life and produces fruit, and so continue that which is of the church, it cannot be conjoined with any other than its own and kindred good. This is what is perceived in heaven by the duty prescribed to the husband's brother. [4] That if the man would not perform the duty of a husband's brother, his brother's wife should take his shoe from off his foot and spit in his face, signified that, as one who was devoid of external and internal good and truth, he would destroy the things of the church; for a "shoe" is what is external (n. 1748), and the "face" is what is internal (n. 1999, 2434, 3527, 4066, 4796). From this it is evident that by the duty of the husband's brother was represented the preservation and continuation of the church. But when the representatives of internal things ceased by the coming of the Lord, then this law was abolished. This is circumstanced as are the soul or spirit of man and his body. The soul or spirit of man is his internal, and the body is his external; or what is the same, the soul or spirit is the very form of man, but the body is his representative image; and when a man rises again, his representative image, or his external, which is the body, is put off; for he is then in his internal, or in his form itself. It is circumstanced also as is one who is in darkness, and from it sees the things which are of the light; or what is the same as is one who is in the light of the world, and from this sees the things which are of the light of heaven; for the light of the world in comparison with the light of heaven is as darkness. In darkness, or in the light of the world, the things which are of the light of heaven do not appear such as they are in themselves, but as in a representative image, as the mind of man appears in his face; and therefore when the light of heaven appears in its clearness, the darkness or representative image is dissipated. This was effected by the coming of the Lord.
4835a. And raise up seed to thy brother. That this signifies lest the church should perish, is evident from the signification of "seed," as being truth from good, or the faith of charity (n. 1025, 1447, 1610, 1940, 2848, 3310, 3373, 3671). The like is also signified by the "firstborn who was to stand upon the name of the deceased brother" (n. 352, 367, 2435, 3325, 3494). To "raise up the seed to a brother" is to continue that which is of the church, according to what was said just above (see n. 4834), thus lest the church should perish.
Elliott(1983-1999) 4835
4835. 'Come [in] to your brother's wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her' means that this - that representative of the Church - might be continued. This is clear from the meaning of 'coming (or going in) to a brother's wife and performing the duty of a husband's brother to her' as preserving and continuing that which constitutes the Church. The requirement laid down in the Mosaic Law, that if a man died without issue his brother was to marry his widow and raise up seed for his brother, and that the firstborn was to receive his dead brother's name, whereas all other sons were to be his own, was called the duty of a brother-in-law. The fact that this directive was nothing new in the Jewish Church but a practice already in existence is clear from the words used here; and the same goes for many other directives given to the Israelites through Moses, such as the law forbidding them to take wives from the daughters of the Canaanites and requiring them to marry within their own families, Gen 24:3, 4; 28:1, 2. From these and many other examples it is evident that a Church had existed previously in which the same kind of practices were followed as those at a later time which were declared to and demanded of the sons of Jacob. Altars and sacrifices likewise had been in use since ancient times, as is evident from Gen 8:20, 21; 22:3, 7, 8. From this it is plain that the Jewish Church was not a new Church but a revival of the Ancient Church which had perished.
[2] What the law regarding the duty of a brother-in-law had been is clear in Moses,
If brothers dwell together but one of them dies, and has no son, the wife of the dead one shall not marry a stranger outside [the family]; her brother-in-law shall go in to her, and take her to himself as his wife, and so perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her. Then it will happen, that the firstborn whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, so that his name is not wiped out from Israel. But if the man is unwilling to take his sister-in-law, his sister-in-law shall go up to the gate to the elders, and she shall say, My brother-in-law refuses to raise up for his brother a name in Israel; he is unwilling to perform the duty of a brother-in-law for me. Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him; and if he stands and says, I do not desire to take her, his sister-in-law shall go up to him in the sight of the elders, and she shall remove his shoe from upon his foot and spit in his face; and she shall answer and say, So will it be done to the man who does not build up his brother's house. Therefore his name will be called in Israel, The house of him who has his shoe taken off. Deut 25:5-10.
[3] Anyone who does not know what the duty of a brother-in-law represents inevitably believes that the practice existed solely for the sake of preserving a name and consequently an inheritance. But the preservation of a name and an inheritance was not in itself a great enough reason why a brother should have been required to enter into a marriage with his sister-in-law. Rather, the practice was ordained so that the preservation and continuation of the Church might be represented through it. For a marriage represented the marriage of good and truth, which is the heavenly marriage It therefore represented the Church too, for the Church is a Church by virtue of the marriage of good and truth, and when this marriage exists within it the Church makes one with heaven, which is the true heavenly marriage. And because a marriage represented these things, 'sons and daughters' were therefore representations and also meaningful signs of truths and goods. This being so, 'being without issue' meant a lack of good and truth, and so meant that no representative of the Church existed in that house any longer, and that as a consequence it was not in communion with the Church. In addition 'brother' represented a kindred good to which the truth represented by a widow might be joined. For to be the kind of truth that has life, produces fruit, and thereby continues that which constitutes the Church, truth cannot be joined to any other good but that which is its own and a kindred one. This was how those in heaven perceived the duty of a brother-in-law.
[4] The meaning of this practice - of a sister-in-law removing the shoe from upon the foot of the man who refused to do the duty of a brother-in-law, and of her spitting in his face - was this: Anyone devoid of good and truth, external and internal, would destroy those things that constitute the Church; for 'the shoe' means that which is external, 1748, and 'the face' that which is internal, 1999, 2434, 3527, 4066, 4796. From this it is evident that 'the duty of a brother-in-law' represented the preservation and continuation of the Church. But when through the Lord's Coming representatives of internal things came to an end, that particular law was done away with It is like a person's soul or spirit in relation to his body. A person's soul or spirit is the internal part of him and his body the external; or what amounts to the same, the soul or spirit is the true likeness of the person, whereas the body is merely a representative image of him. When a person rises again his representative image or that which is external, namely his body, is cast aside, for he is now conscious in that which is internal, namely the true likeness of him. It is also like a person who is in darkness and from there looks at things belonging to light; or what amounts to the same, like one who is in the light of the world and from there looks at things belonging to the light of heaven. For the light of the world in comparison with the light of heaven is as darkness Within that darkness, that is, within the light of the world, things belonging to the light of heaven as they exist essentially cannot be seen, but are seen so to speak within a representative image, even as the human mind is seen in a person's face. Therefore when the light of heaven is seen in its own essential brightness, the darkness of representative images is dispelled. This was effected through the Lord's Coming.
[4835a] 'And raise up seed for your brother' means so that the Church does not perish. This is clear from the meaning of 'seed' as truth derived from good, or faith grounded in charity, dealt with in 1025, 1447, 16110, 1940, 2848, 3310, 3373, 3671. The same is also meant by the firstborn who was to succeed to the name of the dead brother, 352, 367, 2435, 3325, 3494. 'Raising up seed for a brother' means continuing that which constitutes the Church, in line with what has been stated just above in 4834, and thus means so that the Church does not perish.
Latin(1748-1756) 4835
4835. `Veni ad uxorem fratris tui, et leviratum praesta illi':quod significet quod continuaret illud, nempe repraesentativum Ecclesiae, constat ex significatione `venire (o)seu intrare ad uxorem fratris, et leviratum praestare illi' quod sit conservare et continuare illud quod est Ecclesiae. Quod in lege Mosaica mandatum est, si quis moreretur absque prole, quod frater ejus duceret viduam uxorem ejus et excitaret semen fratri suo, et quod primogenitus vocaretur ex nomine fratris defuncti, at reliqui filii forent illius, hoc vocabatur leviratus; quod hoc statutum non fuerit novum quid in Ecclesia Judaica, sed quod etiam in usu prius, constat ex his: similiter ac plura statuta quae mandata Israelitis per Mosen, sicut quod non ducerent uxores ex filiabus Canaanitarum, et quod ducerent intra familias, Gen. xxiv 3, 4; {2} xxviii 1, 2;
inde et ex pluribus {3} aliis, patet {4} quod Ecclesia prius fuerat in qua talia (o)fuerunt instituta, qualia dein promulgata et injuncta filiis Jacobi; quod (o)altaria et sacrificia etiam ab antiquo tempore in usu fuerint, patet ex {5} Gen. viii 20, 21; xxii (x)3, 7, 8; inde liquet quod Ecclesia Judaica non fuerit aliqua nova Ecclesia, sed quod esset resuscitatio Ecclesiae Antiquae quae perierat. [2] Qualis lex leviratus fuerat, constat apud Mosen, Si habitaverint fratres una, mortuus autem fuerit unus de illis, nec filius illi, non nubet uxor defuncti foras viro alieno, levir ejus intrabit ad illam, et accipiet illam sibi in uxorem, et sic leviratum praestabit illi: tunc fiet, primogenitus quem pepererit, stabit super nomine fratris ejus defuncti, ut non deleatur nomen ejus ex Israele: quod si non voluerit vir ducere fratriam suam, ascendet fratria ejus ad portam ad seniores, et dicet, Renuit levir meus excitare fratri suo nomen in Israele, non vult leviratum mihi praestare; tunc vocabunt illum seniores urbis ejus, et loquentur ad illum, qui si steterit et dixerit, Non cupio ducere eam, accedet fratria ejus ad illum in oculis seniorum, et extrahet calceum ejus desuper pede ejus, (o)et exspuet in facies ejus, et respondebit et dicet, Sic fiet viro qui non aedificat domum fratris sui; unde vocabitur nomen ejus in Israele, domus exuti calceum, Deut. xxv 5-10;
[3] qui non novit quid leviratus repraesentat, non aliter credere potest quam quod solum esset nominis conservandi causa, ac inde hereditatis, sed conservatio nominis et hereditates non tanti erat ut ideo frater cum fratria conjugium iniret; sed injunctum fuit ut per id repraesentaretur conservatio et continuatio Ecclesiae;
conjugium enim repraesentabat conjugium boni et veri, hoc est, conjugium caeleste, proinde etiam Ecclesiam, nam Ecclesia est Ecclesia ex conjugio boni et veri, et cum (o)Ecclesia in hoc conjugio est, (o)tunc unum facit cum caelo, quod est ipsum conjugium caeleste; et quia conjugium illa repraesentabat, ideo `filii et filiae' repraesentabant et quoque significabant vera et bona {6}; quapropter `improlis esse' significabat deprivationem boni et veri, ita quod nullum Ecclesiae repraesentativum amplius in illa domo esset, consequenter quod extra communionem {7} praeterea `frater' repraesentabat bonum consanguineum, cui conjungeretur verum quod per `uxorem viduam' repraesentabatur; verum enim non alii bono quam suo et consanguineo conjungi potest ut sit verum quod vitam habeat, et producat fructum, et sic continuet id quod est Ecclesiae; hoc perceptum est {8} in caelo per `leviratum'. [4] Quod si nollet leviratum praestare, fratria extraheret calceum desuper pede ejus, et exspueret in facies ejus' significabat quod sicut qui absque bono et vero externo et interno destrueret illa quae Ecclesia essent, calceus enim est externum n. 1748, et facies internum, n. 1999, 2434, 3527, 4066, 4796 {9}; exinde patet quod per `leviratum' repraesentaretur conservatio et continuatio Ecclesiae. Sed cum repraesentativa internorum {10} per Adventum Domini cessarunt, tunc lex illa abolita est. Se habet hoc sicut anima seu spiritus hominis et ejus corpus; anima seu spiritus hominis est internum ejus et corpus est externum; aut quod idem, anima seu spiritus est ipsa effigies hominis, corpus autem est ejus imago repraesentativa; cum resurgit homo, tunc imago repraesentativa seu externum ejus quod est corpus, exuitur, nam tunc in interno seu in ipsa effigie est. Se habet hoc quoque sicut qui in tenebris est, et ex illis videt quae lucis sunt, seu quod idem, sicut qui in luce mundi, et ex illa videt qua sunt lucis caeli; lux mundi enim respective ad lucem caeli est (t)instar tenebrarum; in tenebris seu in luce mundi non apparent illa quae sunt lucis caeli qualia in se sunt, sed sicut in imagine repraesentativa, prout mens hominis in ejus facie;
quapropter cum lux caeli apparet in suo claro, tunc dissipantur tenebrae seu imagines repraesentativae {11}; hoc factum est per Adventum Domini. {12}`Et excita semen fratri tuo': quod significet ne pereat Ecclesia, constat ex significatione `seminis' quod sit verum ex bono, seu fides charitatis, de qua n. 1025, 1447, 1610, (x)1940, 2848, 3310, 3373, 3671; simile etiam per primogenitum, qui staret super nomine fratris defuncti, significatur n. 352, 367, 2435, 3325, 3494; `id semen excitare fratri' est continuare id quod est Ecclesiae, secundum illa quae mox supra n. 4834 dicta sunt, ita ne pereat Ecclesia. @1 A here repeats 4834 and i 4835 before number at end of this.$ @2 i et I$ @3 i et I$ @4 manifestum est$ @5 videatur$ @6 i ut pluries ostensum est$ @7 et$ @8 fuit$ @9 sicut qui absque bono interno et externo destrueret illa quae Ecclesiae essent, facies enim est internum, et calceus est externum$ @10 i Ecclesiae$ @11 i et apparent res, quemadmodum in se sunt$ @12 i 4835$