5647.“那些人就害怕”表退却。这从“害怕”的含义清楚可知，“害怕”在此是指退却，即从与内在的联结中退却。害怕是由各种原因造成的，如害怕丧失生命、利益、地位和名声，以及害怕陷入某种奴役，由此丧失自由并与自由同在的生活快乐。这就是接下来所论述的主题；因为这些人害怕与内在联结，由此丧失自己本身，以及与本身同在的自由，与自由同在的生活快乐，因为这快乐取决于自由的存在。这就是“那些人就害怕”表示退却的原因，退却是为了避免他们与内在联结。此处有必要用几句话预先阐述一下这种联结是何性质，也就是说，外在人或属世人与内在人或属灵人的联结是何性质。外在人或属世人自生命的最早期起就掌权，并不知道内在人或属灵人的存在。正因如此，当人经历改造，从属世人或外在人开始变成属灵人或内在人时，属世人一开始会反抗。因为人被教导说，属世人必须顺服；也就是说，他的一切强烈恶欲，连同支持它们的观念必须被根除。因此，当任由自己时，属世人便思想，若是这样，他可能会完全灭亡；因为他只知道属世层是一切，完全不知道属灵层里面有无可估量、难以言表的事物。当属世人如此思想时，他就会退却，不愿顺服属灵层。这就是此处他们“害怕”所表示的。
Potts(1905-1910) 5647
5647. And the men were afraid. That this signifies a drawing back, is evident from the signification of "being afraid," as here being a drawing back, namely, from conjunction with the internal. Fear arises from various causes, as from danger of loss of life, of gain, honor, and reputation, also of being brought into some servitude and thus losing freedom and with it the life's delight. This is the subject treated of in what now follows; for they were afraid lest they should be adjoined to the internal, and thereby lose their own, and with it their freedom, and with freedom the life's delight, because this depends on freedom. This is the reason why by "the men were afraid" is signified a drawing back lest they should be adjoined. Here in few words it must be told in advance how the case is with this conjunction, that is, the conjunction of the external or natural man with the internal or spiritual. The external or natural man reigns from life's earliest age, and knows not that there is an internal or spiritual man. When therefore the man is being reformed and from being natural or external is beginning to become spiritual or internal, the natural at first rebels, for it is taught that the natural man is to be subjugated, that is, that all its concupiscences together with the things that confirm them are to be rooted out. Hence when the natural man is left to itself, it thinks that in this way it would utterly perish; for it knows no otherwise than that the natural is everything, and it is wholly ignorant that in the spiritual there are things immeasurable and unutterable; and when the natural man so thinks, it draws back and is not willing to be subjected to the spiritual. This is what is here meant by their "fear."
Elliott(1983-1999) 5647
5647. 'And the men were afraid' means a drawing back. This is clear from the meaning here of 'being afraid' as a drawing back, a drawing back from being joined to the internal. Fear arises from various causes, such as those dangerous situations when people can lose their lives, the gains they have made, and also both their positions and reputations, as well as the fear that they may be led into some kind of slavery, resulting in the loss of freedom together with the delight life holds within itself. This matter is dealt with below, for the men's fear was that they would become linked to the internal, which would cause them to lose their own identity, and with their own identity their freedom, and with their freedom the delight life holds within itself since that delight depends on the existence of freedom. This is the reason why 'the men were afraid' means a drawing back, a drawing back lest they should become linked [to the internal].
[2] Let a brief preliminary statement be made here about the nature of that joining together, that is to say, of the external or natural man to the internal or spiritual man. The external or natural man reigns from the earliest period in life, unaware of the existence of the internal or spiritual man. That being so, when a person undergoes reformation and from being a natural or external man starts to become a spiritual or internal one, the natural rebels initially. For that person receives teaching to the effect that the natural man must be made subservient; that is, all his strong evil desires and the accompanying ideas that lend support to these must be rooted out. Consequently when left to himself the natural man thinks that in that case he may be completely destroyed, since he knows nothing other than that the natural is all there is, being totally ignorant of the fact that things beyond measure or description reside within the spiritual. When the natural man thinks like this he draws back, having no wish to be made subservient to the spiritual. This then is what is meant here by 'fear'.
Latin(1748-1756) 5647
5647. `Et timuerunt viri': quod significet retractionem, constat ex significatione `timere' quod hic sit retractio, nempe a conjunctione cum interno; timor {1} ex variis causis existit, prout ex periculis vitae, jacturae lucri, ut et honoris et famae, tum ne alicui servituti adducantur, et sic pereat liberum, et cum libero jucundum vitae; de hac re in his sequentibus agitur, timuerunt enim {2}ne adjungerentur interno, {3}et per id suum proprium {4} amitterent, et cum proprio suum liberum, et cum libero {5} jucundum vitae, nam hoc (c)a libero dependet; inde est quod per `timuerunt viri' significetur retractio, nempe ne {6}adjungantur. [2]Hic in antecessum paucis dicendum quomodo cum conjunctione illa, nempe cum conjunctione externi seu naturalis hominis cum interno seu spirituali, {7}se habet: externus seu naturalis homo a prima vitae aetate regnat, nec scit quod internus seu spiritualis homo sit; quapropter cum homo reformatur, et incipit fieri spiritualis seu internus a naturali seu externo, tunc primum rebellat naturale; docetur enim quod naturalis homo subjugandus sit, hoc est, omnes ejus concupiscentiae cum illis quae confirmant, exstirpandae, inde cum naturalis homo sibi relinquitur, cogitat quod sic prorsus pereat, nam non scit aliter quam quod naturale sit omne, et ignorat plane quod immensa et ineffabilia sint in spirituali; cumque naturalis homo sic cogitat, tunc retrahit se et non vult subjici spirituali; hoc nunc est quod hic per `timorem' significatur. @1 i enim$ @2 si$ @3 quod$ @4 i prorsus$ @5 i omne$ @6 conjungantur$ @7 A I have se also after quomodo$