605、现在论述的主题是一个新教会的形成，该教会被称为“挪亚”。它的形成被描述为方舟，各种生物被接入方舟。但如通常的情形，在新教会兴起之前，教会成员不可避免地要经历许多试探；这种情形被描绘为方舟漂起，在洪水中起伏并停住。水退了和接下来的许多细节则描述了最终，他变成一个真正的属灵人，得到释放。凡仅执守字义的人都无法看到这一切，主要原因是，所有这些细节都被连贯成一个历史故事，给人的感觉就是历史事件。但那个时代的风格，就是给予他们最大乐趣的风格，是这样：一切事物都隐藏在代表人物或体现在寓言中，并作为历史故事被交织在一起。这些历史越连贯，就越吸引这些人。因为在那些古老时代，人们不像现在那样倾向于记忆知识或已知事物，而是倾向于深邃的思想，其后代就是此处所提到的这类事物。这是古人的智慧。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]605. Inner Meaning
THE present subject is the formation of the new church called Noah. Its formation is depicted by the ark that took in living things of every kind. But before that new church could come into being, it was necessary — as it always is — for the people in the church to suffer further trials, portrayed by the rising, tossing, and long ride of this ark on the flood waters. Their eventual transformation into truly spiritual people and their deliverance are depicted by the ebbing of the water and other later details.
No one who sticks exclusively to the literal meaning can see this message. The main reason is that all the elements link together to create a story and present the kind of picture that we expect from a narrative. The people of that time, though, had a manner of writing — most pleasing to themselves — that cloaked everything in symbols, and they would assemble these into a history. The more consistent the thread of the story, the better it suited their way of thinking. The people of those long-ago times, you see, did not spend so much time with bare facts as people today do but engaged in deep thought, which led to the fertile kind of results seen here. This was the wisdom of our ancestors.
Potts(1905-1910) 605
605. THE INTERNAL SENSE The subject now treated of is the formation of a new church, which is called "Noah;" and its formation is described by the ark into which living things of every kind were received. But as is wont to be the case, before that new church could arise it was necessary that the man of the church should suffer many temptations, which are described by the lifting up of the ark, its fluctuation, and its delay upon the waters of the flood. And finally, that he became a true spiritual man and was set free, is described by the cessation of the waters, and the many things that follow. No one can see this who adheres to the sense of the letter only, in consequence (and especially is this the case here) of all things being historically connected, and presenting the idea of a history of events. But such was the style of the men of that time, and most pleasing to them it was that all things should be wrapped up in representative figures, and that these should be arranged in the form of history; and the more coherent the historical series, the better suited it was to their genius. For in those ancient times men were not so much inclined to memory-knowledges [scientiis] as at this day, but to profound thoughts, of which the offspring was such as has been described. This was the wisdom of the ancients.
Elliott(1983-1999) 605
605. THE INTERNAL SENSE The subject now is the formation of a new Church which is called Noah. The formation of it is described by the ark into which living creatures of every kind were admitted. But before that new Church could come into existence, the member of the Church, as is normal, had inevitably to undergo many temptations, which are described by this ark's being lifted up, carried along, and coming to a stop, on the waters of the flood. At length this member of the Church became a true spiritual man, one who had been set free, which is meant by the waters subsiding, and further details that follow. Nobody who keeps merely to the sense of the letter is able to see this, the chief reason being here that all those details are linked together as a tale of history, and give the idea of historical events. But the style belonging to that period - a style that gave them the greatest pleasure - was such that everything was embodied in allegory and woven together as a historical tale. And the better everything held together as an undivided tale the more it appealed to those people. For in those early times people were not so much inclined towards the things known today but to profounder thoughts whose offspring were the kind of things mentioned here. This was what constituted the wisdom of men of old.
Latin(1748-1756) 605
605. SENSUS INTERNUSAGITUR nunc de formatione Ecclesiae novae quae appellatur 'Noahus,' et ejus formatio describitur per 'arcam, in quam recepta omnis generis animantia'; sed antequam Ecclesia illa nova existere potuit, sicut solet, homo Ecclesiae non potuit non plures sustinere tentationes, quae describuntur per 'arcae istius elevationem, fluctuationem et moram, super aquas diluvii'; et tandem, quod factus verus spiritualis homo et liberatus, per 'cessationem aquarum,' et plura quae sequuntur. Nemo hoc potest videre qui solum sensui litterae inhaeret, ex causa hic imprimis quod omnia illa historice connexa sint et sistant ideam qualem historice rerum; sed tunc temporis talis stilus fuit, qui iis gratissimus, ut involverentur omnia typis et hi historice concinnarentur; et quo melius historica serie cohaererent, eo convenientius fuit genio illorum; nam antiquis illis temporibus non ita scientiis quibus hodie, indulserunt, sed cogitationibus profundis, ex quibus tales proles; erat hoc sapientia veterum.