581、“拿非利人”表示那些因确信自己的崇高和优越而视一切神圣而真实之物为毫无价值的人。这从上下文清楚可知，也就是说，他们将信之教义浸没于自己的恶欲，这就是“神的儿子和人的女儿交合，给他们生了孩子”所表示的。关于自我及其想象的说服也随着进入它的事物增多而增长，直到最后这种说服变得不可动摇。当信之教义被添加上去时，最强烈的说服性假设使他们视一切神圣而真实之物为毫无价值，他们变成了“拿非利人”。如前所述，生活在大洪水之前的这个种族是这样：所有灵人都会被那像一个有毒而令人窒息的气场一样从他们涌出的最可怕的想象窒息而死，以致灵人完全被剥夺思考能力，由此感觉半死不活。若非主通过降世把灵人界从这个有毒的种族中释放出来，没有人能留在那里；因此，被主通过灵人掌管的人类就会灭亡。所以现在这些人被关在一个仿佛薄雾笼罩的坚硬岩石之下，就是左脚跟之下的一个地狱中。他们也从未试图逃脱。灵人界由此摆脱了这个最危险的团伙。蒙主的神性怜悯，我们以后会将这个团伙及其最毒的说服气场作为一个单独的主题来论述。他们就是那些被称为“拿非利人”，视一切神圣而真实之物为毫无价值的人。
此外，圣言也提到他们，只是他们的后代被称为“亚衲人”和“利乏音人”。他们被称为“亚衲人”，这一点从摩西五经明显看出来：
迦南陆地的探子说，我们在那里看见拿非利人，就是拿非利人的后代亚衲人；我们在自己眼中像蝗虫一样；而在他们眼中，我们也是如此。（民数记13:33）
他们被称为“利乏音人”，这一事实也从摩西五经清楚看出来：
先前，有以米人住在摩押陆地，百姓又大又多，像亚衲人一样高大。这以米人像亚衲人，也算为利乏音人；摩押人称他们为以米人。（申命记2:10-11）
经上再也没有提到拿非利人，但提到了利乏音人。先知书对他们的描述与前面对他们的阐述一致；如以赛亚书：
下面的阴间因你而激动，迎接你的到来，又因你惊动利乏音人。（以赛亚书14:9）
这论及这类灵人所在的地狱。以赛亚书：
死人必不能再活，利乏音人必不能再起，因为你察罚他们，毁灭他们，抹除对他们的所有记忆。（以赛亚书26:14）
这也论及他们的地狱，他们将再也不会从那里起来了。以赛亚书：
你的死人，我的尸首，要复活；他们要再度兴起。住在尘埃的啊，要醒起歌唱！因你的甘露是菜蔬上的甘露；但你要丢弃利乏音人的陆地。（以赛亚书26:19）
“利乏音人的陆地”就是前面所说的地狱。诗篇：
你岂要为死人行奇事吗？难道利乏音人还能起来称赞你吗？（诗篇88:10）
这同样论及利乏音人的地狱，他们无法兴起，用他们那极其可怕的说服毒药玷污灵人界的气场。然而，主已规定，人类必不再充满这类可怕的想象和说服。那些生活在大洪水之前的人就具有这种性质和性情，以致他们能沉浸在大洪水中，而原因至今尚不为人知；对此，蒙主的神性怜悯，容后再述。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]581. The symbolism of the Nephilim as those who placed no value on anything holy or true because of delusions about their own importance and superiority can be seen from what appears above and just below. Specifically, it says that they merged doctrinal teachings with their appetites — the symbolic meaning of the two statements that the sons of God went in to the daughters of humankind and that they bore children to them.
People's delusions about themselves and their fantasies grow as they amass more and more contributing arguments, until finally those delusions become permanent. And when they drag religious teachings in, they develop the most rigid point of view, which causes them to completely discount the value of anything holy or true, making themselves into Nephilim.
That tribe of people, who lived before the Flood, is such as described above [562-563]; every spirit they meet, no matter who, they choke to death with the most horrendous delusions, which flood out from them like a poisonous, suffocating fog. They strangle those spirits so effectively that the spirits forget how to think, and seem to themselves to be half dead.
Had the Lord by his coming into the world not freed the world of spirits from such a venomous tribe as that, not a single spirit could have survived there. This would have meant the end of the human race, which the Lord governs through spirits. As a result, they now are kept in a hell below a kind of boulder, massive and shrouded in mist, under the heel of the left foot.{*1} They make no attempt to rise up out of the place, leaving the world of spirits free of their extremely hostile crowd. This crowd and the toxic effect of their persuasions will be spoken of in another place [1265-1272], the Lord in his divine mercy allowing.
These are the ones called Nephilim, who place no value on anything holy or true.
[2] Though the Word does call them Nephilim, it refers to their descendants as Anakim and Rephaim.{*2} The following passage in Moses shows that they are called Anakim:
Those who scouted out the land of Canaan said, "There we saw the Nephilim, the children of Anak from among the Nephilim, and in our eyes we were like locusts, and we were the same in their eyes." (Numbers 13:33)
Moses also shows that they were called Rephaim:
The Emim previously lived in the land of Moab, a people large and numerous and tall, like the Anakim. They themselves were accounted as Rephaim, like the Anakim, and the Moabites call them Emim. (Deuteronomy 2:10-11)
The Nephilim are not mentioned anywhere else, but the Rephaim are, and the prophets describe them in the same way. Isaiah says:
Hell was disquieted below for you, coming to meet you; it stirred up the Rephaim for you. (Isaiah 14:9)
This is about hell, where such people are. In the same author:
The dead will not live, the Rephaim will not rise, because you inflicted punishment on them and destroyed them and wiped out all memory of them. (Isaiah 26:14)
Here too the subject is their hell, from which they will no longer arise. Again in the same author:
Your dead will live, my corpse; they will rise again. Wake up and sing, you who live in the dirt, because your dew is the dew on the vegetation. But the land of the Rephaim you will cast out. (Isaiah 26:19)
The land of the Rephaim is hell, which is what this verse describes. In David:
Will you do a miracle for the dead? Will the Rephaim arise, will they acclaim you? (Psalms 88:10)
This likewise deals with their hell and the fact that they cannot rise up to poison the atmosphere in the world of spirits with their dreadful persuasions.
The Lord, however, provided that the human race would no longer steep itself in such appalling fantasies and delusions. The people who lived before the Flood had a nature and psyche that enabled them to absorb such twisted thinking. The reason is not yet known to anyone but will be divulged below [927], by the Lord's divine mercy.
Footnotes:
{*1} Swedenborg often describes position in the other world in relation to the human body. It is not always clear what body he means, but the foot mentioned here is likely part of the universal human he describes in 550. See also note 1 in 318. [LHC]
{*2} On the "Nephilim," see note 1 in 554. "Anakim" is a plural word for giants taken from the Hebrew עֲנָקִים (‘ănāqîm); see Deuteronomy 1:28; 2:10-11, 21; 9:2; Joshua 11:21, 22; 14:12, 15. On the "Rephaim," see note 1 in 290. [LHC]
Potts(1905-1910) 581
581. That by the "Nephilim" are signified those who through a persuasion of their own loftiness and preeminence made light of all things holy and true, appears from what precedes and what follows, namely, that they immersed the doctrinals of faith in their cupidities, signified by the "sons of God going in unto the daughters of man, and their bearing unto them." Persuasion concerning self and its phantasies increases also according to the multitude of things that enter into it, till at length it becomes indelible; and when the doctrinals of faith are added thereto, then from principles of the strongest persuasion they make light of all things holy and true, and become "Nephilim." That race, which lived before the flood, is such that they so kill and suffocate all spirits by their most direful phantasies (which are poured forth by them as a poisonous and suffocating sphere) that the spirits are entirely deprived of the power of thinking, and feel half dead; and unless the Lord by His coming into the world had freed the world of spirits from that poisonous race, no one could have existed there, and consequently the human race, who are ruled by the Lord through spirits, would have perished. They are therefore now kept in a hell under as it were a misty and dense rock, under the heel of the left foot, nor do they make the slightest attempt to rise out of it. Thus is the world of spirits free from this most dangerous crew, concerning which and its most poisonous sphere of persuasions, of the Lord's Divine mercy hereafter. These are they who are called "Nephilim" and who make light of all things holy and true. Further mention is made of them in the Word, but their descendants were called "Anakim" and "Rephaim." That they were called "Anakim" is evident from Moses:
There we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, of the Nephilim, and we were in our own eyes as grasshoppers, and so we were in their eyes (Num. 13:33). That they were called "Rephaim" appears also from Moses:
The Emim dwelt before in the land of Moab, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim, who also were accounted Rephaim, as the Anakim, and the Moabites call them Emim (Deut. 2:10-11). The Nephilim are not mentioned anymore, but the Rephaim are, who are described by the prophets to be such as are above stated; as in Isaiah:
Hell low down has been in commotion for thee, to meet thee in coming, it hath stirred up the Rephaim for thee (Isa. 14:9), speaking of the hell which is the abode of such spirits. In the same:
Thy dead shall not live, the Rephaim shall not arise, because thou hast visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish (Isa. 26:14), where also their hell is referred to, from which they shall no more rise again. In the same:
Thy dead shall live, my corpse, they shall rise again; awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust, for the dew of herbs is thy dew; but thou shalt cast out the land of the Rephaim (Isa. 26:19);
"the land of the Rephaim" is the hell above spoken of. In David:
Wilt Thou show a wonder to the dead? Shall the Rephaim arise, shall they confess to Thee? (Ps. 88:10), speaking in like manner concerning the hell of the Rephaim, and that they cannot rise up and infest the sphere of the world of spirits with the very direful poison of their persuasions. But it has been provided by the Lord that mankind should no longer become imbued with such dreadful phantasies and persuasions. Those who lived before the flood were of such a nature and genius that they could be imbued, for a reason as yet unknown, concerning which, of the Lord's Divine mercy hereafter.
Elliott(1983-1999) 581
581. That 'the Nephilim' means those who, persuaded of their own prominence and superiority, treated everything holy and true as being worthless is clear from what comes before and directly after; that is to say, they immersed matters of doctrine in their own evil desires, which is what is meant by the statement about the sons of God going in to the daughters of man, who bore children to them. Persuasion concerning self and its own delusions also grows as more and more things enter in, till at length that persuasion is inerasable. And when doctrinal matters concerning faith are added as well, utterly persuasive assumptions cause them to treat everything holy and true as being worthless, and they become Nephilim. As has been stated, this set of people who lived before the Flood are such that all spirits are choked to death by their absolutely dreadful delusions which spread from them like a sphere that is poisonous and choking. Spirits are so choked to death by them that they do not know how to think, and as a result feel semi-dead. And unless the Lord by His Coming into the world had freed the world of spirits from so pernicious a set of people, no one could possibly have stayed on there, and so the human race, which the Lord governs by means of spirits, would have perished. Consequently these people are now detained in a hell beneath what looks like a misty solid rock, beneath the heel of the left foot. Nor do they ever try to escape. The world of spirits is accordingly free of that extremely dangerous crew. That crew and the thoroughly poisonous sphere of persuasions from it will in the Lord's Divine mercy be dealt with as a separate subject.a These are the people called the Nephilim, and they treat all that is holy and true as being worthless.
[2] Further mention is made of them in the Word, though their descendants were called Anakim and Rephaim. The fact that they were called Anakim is clear in Moses,
The men who explored the land of Canaan said, We saw the Nephilim there, the sons of Anak who were descendants of the Nephilim; and in our own eyes we were like locusts, and so we were in their eyes. Num 13:33.The fact that they were called Rephaim is clear once again in Moses, The Emim lived formerly in the land of Moab, a people great and many, and tall like the Anakim. The Rephaim were also considered to be as Anakim; and the Moabites called them Emim. Deut 2:10, 11.
The Nephilim are not mentioned again, but the Rephaim are. In the Prophets the description of them fits what has been said about them already, as in Isaiah,
Hell beneath has been stirred up for you, to meet you as you come. He has roused the Rephaim for you. Isa 14:9
This refers to the hell where such people are. In the same prophet,
The dead will not live, the Rephaim will not rise. To that end You have visited and destroyed them, and wiped out all remembrance of them. Isa 26:14.
This also refers to that hell of theirs from which they will never rise up again. And in the same prophet,
Your dead will live, my corpse will rise again. Wake up and sing, O inhabitants of the dust. For Your dew is a dew of herbs. But You will cast away the land of the Rephrim. Isa 26:19.
'The land of the Rephaim' is that self same hell. In David,
Will You work a wonder for the dead? Will the Repkaim rise up and confess You? Ps 88:10.This similarly refers to that hell of theirs and to the fact that they can never again rise up and contaminate the atmosphere of the world of spirits with the utterly dreadful poison of their persuasions. Provision has been made by the Lord however to prevent the human race ever again being steeped in such dreadful delusions and persuasions. But the people who lived before the Flood were of such a nature and disposition that they were able to be steeped in them, for reasons until now unknown to anybody, which too will in the Lord's Divine mercy be dealt with later on.
Latin(1748-1756) 581
581. Quod per 'Nephilim' significentur qui ex persuasione suae altitudinis et praeeminentiae nihili fecerunt omnia sancta et vera, constat ex illis quae praecedunt et mox sequuntur; quod nempe immerserint doctrinalia suis cupiditatibus, quae significantur per illa, quod 'filii Dei intraverint ad filias hominis,' et hic quod 'genuerint eis': persuasio de se et suis phantasiis crescit etiam secundum ingredientium multitudinem, tandem ut fiat persuasio indelebilis; et cum doctrinalia fidei adjiciuntur, tunc ex persuasissimis principiis nihili faciunt omnia sancta et vera, et fiunt Nephilim. Gens ista quae vixit ante diluvium talis est, ut dictum, ut quemcumque spiritum dirissimis suis phantasiis, quae sicut venenata et suffocativa sphaera ab illis effunduntur, ita necat et suffocat ut ne hilum sciant spiritus cogitare, sic ut sibi semineces videantur; et nisi Dominus per Adventum Ipsius in mundum liberavisset mundum spirituum a venenata tali gente, nusquam unus potuisset ibi esse; ita periisset genus humanum quod regitur per spiritus a Domino; quare nunc in inferno sub nebulosa et densa quasi petra sub calcaneo pedis sinistri tenentur, nec hiscunt minimum exsurgere; ita ab infestissima illa turba liber est mundus spirituum, de qua turba et ejus sphaera persuasionum venenatissima, ex Divina Domini Misericordia, seorsim. Illi sunt qui Nephilim vocantur et mihi faciunt omne sanctum et verum. [2] Mentio quoque eorum fit in Verbo, sed posteri eorum dicti sunt Enakim et Rephaim; quod dicti Enakim, constat apud Mosen, Exploratores terrae Canaanis, dixerunt, Ibi vidimus Nephilim, filios Enaki de Nephilim, et fuimus in oculis nostris sicut locustae, et sic fuimus in oculis eorum, Num. xiii 33. Quod dicti Rephaim, etiam apud Mosen, Emim prius habitarunt in tetra Moabi, populus magnus, et multus, et excelsus, sicut Enakim; Rephaim reputabantur etiam ii sicut Enakim, et Moabitae vocant eos Emim, Deut. ii 10, [11.] Nephilim non amplius memorantur, sed Rephaim, qui describuntur apud Prophetas, quod tales, sicut dictum; ut apud Esaiam, Infernus inferius commotus est tibi, obviam veniendo tibi, excitavit tibi Rephaim, xiv 9;agitur de inferno ubi tales: apud eundem, Mortui non vivent, Rephaim non surgent, eo quod visitasti, et delevisti eos, et perdidisti omnem memoriam illis, xxvi 14;
ubi etiam de eorum inferno, a quo non amplius resurgent; et apud eundem, Vivent mortui tui, cadaver meum resurgent; expergiscimini, et cantate habitatores pulveris; nam ros olerum ros tuus; at terram Rephaim projicies, xxvi 19;
'terra Rephaim' est infernus, de quo dictum: apud Davidem, Num mortuis facies miraculum, num Rephaim surgent, confitebuntur tibi, Ps. lxxxviii 11 [A.V. 10];
similiter de eorum inferno, et quod surgere nequeant et sphaeram mundi spirituum dirissimis persuasionum venenis {1} infestare. Sed quod non genus humanum tam diris phantasiis et persuasionibus amplius imbueretur, provisum est a Domino. Qui ante diluvium vixerunt, tali natura et genio fuerunt ut imbui possent, ex causa adhuc nemini nota, de qua etiam, ex Divina Domini Misericordia, in sequentibus. @ 1 veneris I.$