6221.“看哪，你的父亲病了”表朝向重生的下一个阶段。这从“死”的含义清楚可知，“死”是指复活得生命和重生（参看3326，3498，3505，4618，4621，6036节）；因此，死之前的“病”表示走向重生，因而表示朝向重生的下一个阶段。“死”表示重生，“病”表示朝向重生的下一个阶段；这层含义必然显得太过牵强，以至于难以让人相信；但是，人若对天使的思维和言语有所了解，就会承认这是真的。天使对死，或病一无所知，所以对它们没有任何概念。相反，当人读到病和死时，他们会形成生命延续和复活的概念。这是因为当人死亡时，他只脱去为世上的功用而服务于他的东西，并进入他的灵所过的那种生活。这就是当人读到“死”和“病”时，进入天使脑海的观念。重生的观念同样进入脑海，因为重生就是复活得生命。因为在此之前，此人在灵性上是死的；不过，一旦重生，他就活了，成了“复活之子”。
人活在肉身期间若渴望天堂，就不会想到别的，只会认为死和此前的病无非是复活得生命。因为当他思想天堂，尤其患病临近死亡时，就会摆脱肉体的思维。由此明显可知，对肉体死亡的属灵概念就是对生命新样的概念。因此，当天上的人提到复活或重生，并且这种观念流下去，并被导入属于世界的那类事物时，它只能落入诸如此类的事物中。圣言就是这种情形。它的每一个细节从主而降，经过天堂降至世界。它在下降的过程中披上适合三层天堂的人理解的形式，最终披上适合世人理解的形式，该形式就是字义。
Potts(1905-1910) 6221
6221. Behold thy father is sick. That this signifies what is successive of regeneration, is evident from the signification of "dying," as being resurrection into life, and regeneration (see n. 3326, 3498, 3505, 4618, 4621, 6036); hence "to be sick," which precedes, denotes what is progressive toward regeneration, thus what is successive of regeneration. That "dying" denotes regeneration, and "being sick" what is successive of regeneration, cannot but appear too remote to be believed; but he who knows anything about angelic thought and speech will acknowledge that it is so. The angels know nothing of death, nor of sickness, and therefore have no idea of them, but in their place, when man reads of them, they have the idea of the continuation of life and of resurrection; and this because when man dies, he puts off only that which had served him for use in the world, and enters into the life in which he had been with his spirit. This is the idea that presents itself to the angels when "dying" and "being sick" are read of, and likewise the idea of regeneration, because this is resurrection into life; for before this the man had been spiritually dead; but when he has been regenerated he becomes alive and a son of the resurrection. If when he lives in the body, the man himself longs for heaven, he thinks no otherwise of death and the sickness which precedes it than as being resurrection into life; for when he thinks about heaven, he withdraws himself from the idea of the body, especially when he is sick and comes near to death. From this it is plain that the spiritual idea of the death of the body is that of newness of life; therefore when the subject of resurrection or regeneration is considered in heaven, and this idea flows down and is determined into such things as are of the world, it falls only into such as these. Thus is it with the Word, which as to each and all things has descended from the Lord and passed through heaven down into the world; in the descent it has clothed itself with forms adapted to apprehension in the three heavens, and at last with a form adapted to the apprehension of man, which is the literal sense.
Elliott(1983-1999) 6221
6221. 'Behold, your father is sick' means the next stage towards regeneration. This is clear from the meaning of 'dying' as resurrection to life, and regeneration, dealt with in 3326, 3498, 3505, 4618, 4621, 6036; consequently 'being sick' prior to death means a movement towards regeneration, thus the next stage towards it. The meaning of 'dying' as regeneration and of 'being sick' as the next stage towards it is bound to seem too far-fetched to be believed; but the person who knows anything about the way angels think and speak will acknowledge the truth of it. Angels have no knowledge at all of death or of sickness and consequently form no mental image of them. Instead they form, when a person reads about sickness and death, an idea of the continuation of life, and an idea of resurrection. The reason they do this is that when a person dies he casts off solely what has served him for use in the world and enters into the life his spirit has led. This is the idea that comes to angels' minds when a person reads about 'dying' and 'being sick'. An idea of regeneration likewise comes to mind, since regeneration is resurrection to life. For at first the person was spiritually dead; but once he has been regenerated he is made alive and 'a son of the resurrection.a
[2] The person who, while living in the body, is desirous of heaven thinks of death and of sickness previous to it as nothing else than resurrection to life. For when he thinks about heaven he detaches himself from thought of the body, especially when he is sick and approaching death. From this it is evident that a spiritual idea of death of the body is an idea of newness of life. When therefore those in heaven refer to resurrection or regeneration, and this comes down and is channelled into the kinds of things that belong to the world, it cannot fall into any other kinds of images than these. This is how it is with the Word. Every single detail has come down from the Lord, passing through heaven and into the world. On the way down it assumes forms suited to the understanding of those in the three heavens, and at length assumes a form suited to man's understanding, which form is the literal sense.
Latin(1748-1756) 6221
6221. `Ecce pater tuus aegrotat': quod significet regenerationis successivum, constat ex significatione `mori' quod sit resurrectio in vitam et regeneratio, de qua n. 3326, 3498, 3505, 4618, 4621, 6036; inde `aegrotare' quod praecedit, est progressivum ad regenerationem, ita regenerationis successivum. Quod `mori' sit regeneratio, et `aegrotare' sit regenerationis successivum, non potest non apparere sicut remotius quam ut credatur ita esse, sed qui de cogitatione et loquela angelica aliquid novit, agnoscet quod ita sit; angeli {1} nihil sciunt de morte nec de aegrotatione, quare nec habent aliquam de iis ideam; quapropter loco earum, cum legitur hoc ab homine, habent ideam continuationis vitae, et resurrectionis; ex causa quia cum moritur homo, exuit solum quod ei inserviverat usui in mundo ac intrat in vitam in qua fuerat cum suo spiritu; haec idea obvenit angelis cum legitur `mori, et aegrotare'; (m)pariter idea regenerationis, nam haec est resurrectio in vitam; prius enim fuerat homo spiritualiter mortuus, cum autem regeneratus est, fit vivus, et filius resurrectionis:(n) [2]ipse homo cum in corpore vivit, qui caelum desiderat, is nec aliter cogitat de morte, nec de aegritudine quae praecedit, quam quod sit resurrectio in vitam, nam cum cogitat de caelo, abstrahit se ab idea de corpore, {2}imprimis cum aegrotat et propius ad mortem venit; inde patet quod spiritualis idea de morte corporis sit de novo vitae; quapropter cum de resurrectione aut de regeneratione agitur in caelo, et hoc labitur deorsum et determinatur in talia quae sunt mundi, quod non aliter cadat quam in similia. Ita se habet cum Verbo: hoc quoad omnia et singula descendit ex Domino (c)ac transivit per caelum usque in mundum; {3}in descensu induit se formis adaequatis ad captum in triplici caelo, et tandem forma ad captum hominis quae est sensus litteralis. @1 i prorsus$ @2 cumprimis quia prope ad mortem est$ @3 i ac$