6296.“只是他的弟弟将来比他还大”表来自真理的那良善，因而属灵人会获得更大的增长。这从以法莲的代表和比别人“还大”的含义清楚可知：以法莲，即此处的“弟弟”，是指由内在所生的属世层里面理解力的真理（参看6234，6238，6267节），但“以法莲”在此是指来自真理的良善，如下文所述；比别人“还大”是指获得更大的增长。“以法莲”在此之所以指来自真理的良善，是因为他代表属灵教会成员，确切地说，代表外在属灵教会的成员，就像“玛拿西”代表外在属天教会的成员一样（6295节）。正是来自真理的良善构成此人，也就是说，使他成为属灵教会成员。该教会的内在部分就是“以色列”所代表的，而外在部分则是“以法莲”所代表的。属灵教会成员不同于属天教会成员之处在于此：属灵教会成员的良善被植入心智的理解力部分，而属天教会成员的良善被植入意愿部分（参看863，875，895，927，928，1023，1043，1044，2256，4328，4493，5113节）。因此，“以法莲”代表属灵人，“玛拿西”代表属天人。
来自真理的良善，或属灵人之所以获得比产生真理的良善，或属天人更大的增长，是因为人的意愿不断堕落、败坏，最终堕落到邪恶完全占据它的地步，以至于没有完好的东西留在那里。因此，为免得人因此而灭亡，主规定他的理解力部分可以重生，他由此而得救。这解释了为何很少有人拥有在心智的意愿部分中的完好之物，因而为何很少有人能成为属天人，许多人能成为属灵人；这反过来也解释了为何属灵人比属天人获得更大增长。这就是“只是他的弟弟将来比他还大”的意思。
Potts(1905-1910) 6296
6296. And nevertheless his younger brother shall be greater than he. That this signifies that good from truth shall receive more increase, thus the spiritual man, is evident from the representation of Ephraim, here the "younger brother," as being the truth of the intellectual in the natural born from the internal (see n. 6234, 6238, 6267), but here "Ephraim" is good from truth (of which in what follows); and from the signification of "becoming greater" than another; as being to receive more increase. That here "Ephraim" is good from truth, is because he represents the man of the spiritual church, but the man of the external spiritual church, as Manasseh represents the man of the external celestial church (n. 6295). Good from truth constitutes this man, that is, the man of the spiritual church. The internal of this church is what is represented by Israel, but the external by Ephraim. The man of the spiritual church differs from the man of the celestial church in this, that the good of the spiritual church is implanted in the intellectual part, but the good of the celestial church in the will part (see n. 863, 875, 895, 927, 928, 1023, 1043, 1044, 2256, 4328, 4493, 5113); therefore Ephraim represents the spiritual man, and Manasseh the celestial. [2] That good from truth, or the spiritual man, receives more increase than the good from which is truth, or the celestial man, is because the will of man has continually been depraved, and at last so that evil has taken entire possession of it, insomuch that nothing sound (integer) has remained there. Therefore lest man should perish, the Lord provided that he might be regenerated as to the intellectual part, and thus be saved. Hence then it is that there are few with whom there is anything sound left in the will part, thus few who can become celestial men, but many who can become spiritual men; thus that the latter receive more increase than the former. This is what is signified by his "younger brother becoming greater than he."
Elliott(1983-1999) 6296
6296. 'But truly his younger brother will become greater than he' means that good from truth, thus the spiritual man, will receive even greater increase. This is clear from the representation of Ephraim, to whom 'younger brother' refers here, as truth that belongs to the understanding within the natural and is born from the internal, dealt with in 6234, 6238, 6267, though 'Ephraim' at this point is good from truth, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'becoming greater than another' as receiving even greater increase. The reason why here 'Ephraim' is good from truth is that he represents the member of the spiritual Church - the member of the external spiritual Church, to be exact - just as 'Manasseh' represents the member of the external celestial Church, 6295. What makes someone a member of the spiritual Church is good from truth - the internal part of that Church being what 'Israel' represents, the external what 'Ephraim' represents. A member of the spiritual Church differs from a member of the celestial in the fact that the spiritual member's good has been implanted in the understanding part of his mind, whereas the celestial member's has been implanted in the will part, see 863, 875, 895, 927, 928, 1023, 1043, 1044, 2256, 4328, 4493, 5117. This difference goes to explain why 'Ephraim' represents the spiritual man, and 'Manasseh' the celestial man.
[2] The reason why good from truth, or the spiritual man, will receive greater increase than good which gives rise to truth, which is the celestial man, is that the human will has been unceasingly corrupted, so corrupted that at length evil has taken complete possession of it, with the result that nothing sound has remained there. So that a person is not destroyed on account of this the Lord has seen to it that the understanding part of his mind may be regenerated and that he may thereby be saved. This now explains why there are few who still have any soundness in the will part of their mind, thus why there are few who can become celestial people but many who can become spiritual ones; and this in turn explains why those who are spiritual will receive greater increase than those who are celestial. This then is the meaning of 'his younger brother will become greater than he'.
Latin(1748-1756) 6296
6296. `Et verumtamen frater ejus minor magnus fiet prae illo': quod significet quod bonum ex vero plus incrementi capiet, ita spiritualis homo, constat ex repraesentatione `Ephraimi' qui hic est `frater minor', quod sit verum intellectualis in naturali natum ab interno, de qua n. 6234, 6238, 6267; hic autem est `Ephraim' bonum ex vero, de quo sequitur; et ex significatione `magnus fieri prae altero' quod sit plus incrementi capere. Quod `Ephraim' hic sit bonum ex vero, est quia repraesentat hominem Ecclesiae spiritualis, sed hominem Ecclesiae spiritualis externae, sicut `Menasheh' hominem Ecclesiae caelestis externae, n. 6295; illum hominem, nempe hominem Ecclesiae spiritualis, constituit bonum ex vero; internum illius Ecclesiae est quod repraesentatur per `Israelem', externum autem per `Ephraimum'. Homo Ecclesiae spiritualis differt ab homine Ecclesiae caelestis in eo quod illius bonum implantatum sit in parte intellectuali, hujus autem bonum in parte voluntaria, videatur n. 863, 875, 895, 927, 928, 1023,1043, 1044, 2256, 4328, 4493, 5113; idcirco `Ephraim' repraesentat spiritualem hominem, et `Menasheh' caelestem'. [2] Quod bonum ex vero seu spiritualis homo plus incrementi {1}capiet quam bonum ex quo verum, seu caelestis homo, est quia voluntarium hominis continue depravatum est, et tandem ita ut malum occupaverit totum, adeo ut non aliquid integrum ibi remanserit; {2} ne ideo homo periret, providit Dominus ut regenerari posset {3} quoad partem intellectualem et sic salvari; inde nunc est quod pauci sint apud quos aliquid adhuc integrum est in parte voluntaria, ita pauci qui fieri caelestes homines, sed plures qui spirituales; ita quod hi plus incrementi capient quam illi; hoc nunc est quod significatur per quod `frater ejus minor magnus fiet prae illo'. @1 capiat$ @2 i quapropter$ @3 i homo$