5006.“妇人就拉住他的衣裳”表非属灵的真理将自己依附于属灵真理的最外层。这从波提乏妻子的代表，以及“拉住”和“衣裳”的含义清楚可知：这些话是指着波提乏的妻子说，波提乏的妻子是指非属灵的属世真理（4988节）；“拉住”在此是指将自己依附上去；“衣裳”是指真理（1073，2576，4545，4763节），在此是指属灵真理的最外层，在这种状态下是约瑟的，因为“约瑟”在此代表属灵的属世良善（4988，4992节）。非属灵的属世真理想与属于这良善的真理结合，这一点从内义上的思路明显看出来。
但至于非属灵的属世真理想与属灵的属世真理结合到底意味着什么，又含有什么意思，如今这是一个秘密，主要是因为很少有人关心或想要知道何为属灵的真理，何为非属灵的真理。事实上，人们如此缺乏这种关心，以至于几乎不愿听见“属灵”这个词，因为一提到这个词，一种黑暗就立刻降临到他们身上，与这种黑暗一同降临的，还有一种哀伤的感觉，这种感觉造成了对这个词的厌恶，因而对它的弃绝。这一事实也曾向我演示过。有一次，我在考虑这些事的时候，一些来自基督教界的灵人也在场；那时，他们被带入在世时的状态；一想到属灵的良善与真理，他们不仅感到哀伤，还由于反感而如此充满厌恶，以致他们说，他们感受到像是在世上想要呕吐时的那种感觉。但我被允许告诉他们说，之所以出现这种情形，是因为他们的情感只集中在尘世、肉体和世俗事物上；当人只关心这些东西时，天堂的事物就会令他作呕。我还告诉这些灵人说，他们去传讲圣言的教会，不是出于想知道天堂事物的渴望去的，而是出于从小就存在于他们里面的某种其它渴望去的。这次经历向我展示了当今基督教界的品质。
造成这种情形的总体原因是，当今的基督教会只讲信，不讲仁，因而只讲教义，不讲生活；当教会不讲生活时，没有人会获得对良善的任何情感；没有对良善的情感，就没有对真理的情感。正因如此，大多数人发现，除了从小就听到的东西外，闻听关于天堂事物的任何事都有违他们的生命快乐。
而事实上，人存在于这个世界，是为了能通过他在世上所提供的服务而被引入天堂事物。不过，与他死后的生活相比，他在世上的生活可以说只是一瞬间；因为死后的生活是永恒的。然而，很少有人相信自己死后还会活着；这解释了为何天上的东西对他们来说无足轻重。我可以肯定地说，人死后即刻进入来世，他在世上的生活完全在那里延续，具有和世上生活一样的性质。我之所以如此肯定地说，是因为我知道事实的确如此。我几乎与所有他们活在肉身我就认识的离世者交谈过，因而通过活生生的经历得知等待每个人的，是什么样的命运，即：各人的命运取决于他所过的生活。然而，上面所提到的那种人甚至不相信这些事。至于妇人“拉住约瑟的衣裳”所表示的非属灵的属世真理想与属灵的属世真理结合意味着什么，含有什么意思，我们稍后会予以讨论。
Potts(1905-1910) 5006
5006. And she caught hold of him in his garment. That this signifies that truth not spiritual applied itself to the ultimate of spiritual truth, is evident from the representation of Potiphar's wife, of whom these things are said, as being truth natural not spiritual (n. 4988); from the signification here of "to catch hold of" as being to apply itself; and from the signification of a "garment," as being truth (n. 1073, 2576, 4545, 4763), here the ultimate of spiritual truth, which in this state is Joseph's, for "Joseph" here is good spiritual natural (n. 4988, 4992). That it is the truth of this good with which truth natural not spiritual wished to be conjoined, is plain from the series of things in the internal sense. [2] But what it means, and what it involves, to say that truth natural not spiritual wished to be conjoined with truth spiritual natural, is at this day a secret, chiefly because few are solicitous or wish to know what spiritual truth is; and what truth not spiritual; and they are so far from being solicitous about it as to be scarcely willing to hear the word "spiritual," for at the bare mention of it gloom assails them, together with sadness, and loathing is excited, and so it is rejected. That this really happens has also been shown me. While my mind was dwelling on such things, there were spirits present from Christendom, who were then let into the state in which they had been in the world; and they were not only affected with sadness at the mere thought of spiritual good and truth, but were also seized with so great a loathing, from aversion, that they said they felt within them the like of that which in the world excites vomiting. But it was given me to tell them that this was in consequence of their affections having been fixed upon merely earthly, bodily, and worldly things, for when a man is immersed in these he loathes the things of heaven; and that they had frequented places of worship where the Word is preached, from no desire to know the things which are of heaven, but from some other desire contracted from the time of early childhood. From this it was plain what is the quality of Christendom at this day. [3] The cause-to speak generally-is that the Christian Church at this day preaches faith alone and not charity, and thus doctrine but not life; and when life is not preached, a man comes into no affection of good; and when he is in no affection of good, he is also in no affection of truth. It is for this reason that it is contrary to the delight of the life of most persons to hear anything more about the things of heaven than what they have known from infancy. [4] And yet the fact is that man is in this world in order to be initiated by his activities there into the things which are of heaven, and that his life in this world is hardly a moment in comparison with his life after death, for this is eternal. But there are few who believe that they will live after death; and for this reason also, heavenly things are of no account to them. But this I can declare with certainty: that man immediately after death is in the other life, and that his life in this world is wholly continued there, and is of the same quality as it had been in this world. This I can assert, because I know it; for I have talked after their decease with almost all with whom I had been acquainted in the life of the body, and thus by living experience it has been given me to know what lot awaits everyone, namely, a lot according to his life; yet those who are of such a quality do not believe even these things. But what is meant and involved in truth natural not spiritual wishing to be conjoined with truth spiritual natural, which is signified by her "catching hold of Joseph in his garment," will be shown in what presently follows.
Elliott(1983-1999) 5006
5006. 'And she took hold of him by his garment' means that unspiritual truth attached itself to the outermost existence of spiritual truth. This is clear from the representation of Potiphar's wife, to whom these words refer, as unspiritual natural truth, dealt with in 4988; from the meaning of taking hold of' in this case as attaching itself; and from the meaning of 'garment' as truth, dealt with in 1073, 2576, 4545, 4763, in this case the outermost existence of spiritual truth, which in this state is Joseph's - 'Joseph' here representing spiritual natural good, 4988, 4992. For it was to the truth belonging to this good that unspiritual natural truth wished to become joined, as is evident from the train of thought in the internal sense.
[2] But as to what a wish on the part of unspiritual natural truth to become joined to spiritual natural truth may be and what is implied by it, this is a mystery at the present day, chiefly because few people have any concern or wish to know what spiritual truth is and what unspiritual truth is. Indeed that lack of concern is so great that people are hardly willing to listen when the word spiritual is used, for at the mere mention of this a kind of darkness instantly descends upon them, and along with this a melancholy feeling, which gives rise to a distaste for the word and so a rejection of it. The truth of this has also been demonstrated to me. While I was once pondering on these matters, some spirits from the Christian world were present, who were then taken back into the state that had been theirs in the world. The mere thought of spiritual good and truth not only gave them a melancholy feeling; it also seized them with such loathing on account of their aversion to it that they said they felt as they had done in the world when they wanted to vomit. But I was allowed to tell them that this happened because their affections were centred solely on earthly, bodily, and worldly interests; and when a person is concerned solely with these, the things of heaven nauseate him. I also told those spirits that when they had gone to church where the Word was preached they had not gone out of any wish to know the things of heaven, but out of some other desire present in them since early childhood. This experience showed me what the Christian world is like at the present day.
[3] The overall reason why this is the situation is that the Christian Church at the present day preaches faith alone, not charity, and so doctrine, not life. And when the Church fails to preach life, no one acquires any affection for good; and when there is no affection for good, neither is there any for truth. Consequently most people find it contrary to their life's delight to listen to anything about the things of heaven beyond what they have known since they were young children.
[4] But the fact of the matter is that a person exists in the world to the end that he may be introduced through the services he renders there into the things of heaven. But his life in the world lasts barely a moment so to speak, compared with his life after death; for the latter goes on for ever. Yet there are few who believe that they will be alive after death, which explains why heavenly things are of little importance to them. And this I can positively declare, that a person is in the next life as soon as he has died, carrying on to the full the life he was leading in the world; the nature of his life remains the same as it was in the world. I can positively declare this to be so because I know it to be so. I have talked to almost all those I knew during their earthly lives after these were over. I have therefore been allowed to know through actual experience the nature of the lot that awaits everyone - that each person's lot is determined by the life he has led. But the kind of people mentioned above do not believe any of this. As to what a wish on the part of unspiritual natural truth to become joined to spiritual natural truth may be, and what is implied by it, meant by 'she took hold of Joseph by his garment', this will be discussed in what follows immediately below.
Latin(1748-1756) 5006
5006. `Et prehendit eum in veste ejus': quod significet quod verum non spirituale applicaret se ad ultimum veri spiritualis, constat ex repraesentatione `uxoris Potiphari' de qua haec dicuntur, quod sit verum naturale non spirituale, de qua n. 4988;ex significatione `prehendere' (o)hic quod sit applicare se; et ex significatione `vestis' quod sit verum, de qua n. 1073, 2576, 4545, 4763, hic ultimum veri spiritualis, quod in hoc statu est Josephi;
`Josephus' enim hic est bonum naturale spirituale, n. 4988, 4992;
quod hujus boni verum sit cum quo verum naturale non spirituale voluit conjungi, a serie rerum in sensu interno patet. [2] Sed quid sit et quid involvat quod verum naturale non spirituale vellet conjungi cum vero naturali spirituali, est hodie arcanum, imprimis ex illa causa quia pauci solliciti sunt et scire volunt quid verum spirituale et quid verum non spirituale, et usque adeo de eo non solliciti sunt ut vix audire velint nominari spirituale; cum solum nominatur, ilico tenebrosum quid obvenit et tunc simul triste, et fit nauseabundum et sic rejicitur; quod ita fiat, etiam mihi ostensum est; aderant spiritus ex Christiano orbe cum mens in talibus esset, et illi tunc missi in eum statum in quo fuerunt in mundo; ii solum ad cogitationem de bono et vero spirituali non modo tristitia affecti sunt, sed (t)etiam ex aversatione tali fastidio correpti ut dicerent se sentire apud se simile quod in mundo excitat vomitum; sed illis dicere dabatur quod hoc veniat ex eo quod affectiones eorum fuerint modo in terrestribus, corporeis et mundanis, in quibus solis eum homo est, tunc ad illa quae sunt caeli, nauseat; et quod templa frequentaverint ubi Verbum praedicatum, non ex quodam desiderio sciendi illa quae sunt caeli, sed ex alia cupidine attracta a tempore infantiae; inde patuit qualis hodie orbis Christianus est; [3] causa in genere est quod Ecclesia Christiana hodie solam fidem praedicet, non autem charitatem, et sic doctrinam non autem vitam, et quando non vitam, homo in nullam affectionem boni venit, et quando in nulla affectione boni est, in nulla etiam veri est; inde est quod contra jucundum vitae plerorumque sit, de rebus caeli aliquid amplius quam quod ex infantia notum est, audire. [4] Cum tamen res se ita habeat, quod homo in mundo sit ut initietur per exercitia ibi in illa quae sunt caeli, et quod vita ejus in mundo vix instar momenti sit respective ad vitam ejus post mortem, haec enim est aeterna;
sed pauci sunt qui credunt quod victuri post mortem, et ideo quoque caelestia illis nauci sunt; sed hoc asseverare possum, quod homo statim post mortem in altera vita sit, et quod ibi ejus vita in mundo prorsus continuetur, et talis sit qualis {1} in mundo fuerat;
hoc asseverare possum quia id scio; locutus enim sum cum paene omnibus quos notos habui in vita corporis postquam ex hac excesserunt; et inde per vivam experientiam scire datum qualis sors unumquemvis manet, quod nempe sors secundum vitam cuivis; sed qui tales sunt, ne quidem haec credunt. Quid autem sit et quid involvat quod verum naturale non spirituale vellet conjungi cum vero naturali spirituali, quae significantur per quod `prehenderit Josephum in veste', in mox sequentibus dicetur. @1 i illi$