634、然而，要把何为严格意义上对真理的理解和对良善的意愿说明白，是极为困难的。原因在于，人以为他所思考的一切都属于理解力，因为他认为是这样；他所渴望的一切都属于意愿，因为他认为是这样。以一种通俗易懂的方式解释它们是什么，尤为困难，因为如今绝大多数人还不知道，属理解力之物和属意愿之物是不同且分离的；事实上，他们在思考某事时，会声称在意愿它，而在意愿某事时，则声称在思考它。这是这个问题难以理解的原因之一，另一个原因是，这些人只专注于属肉体之物，也就是说，他们的生活仅在于最外在的事物。
由于这些原因，人们也不知道，每个人里面都有内层事物，更内层的事物，实际上还有至内层的事物；人的肉体和感官部分是最外在的。欲望和记忆是内层的，情感和理性概念是更内层的，而对良善的意愿和对真理的理解则是至内层的。这些事物彼此如此不同且分离，以至于再没有比它们更彼此不同且分离的了。然而，肉体人根本看不出任何区别，从而把它们混为一谈。这就是为何他相信，当他的肉体死亡时，一切都会死亡；而事实上，就在这一刻，他才开始生活，实际上是通过按连续次序排列的他自己的内层事物而生活的。除非人的内层事物以这种方式被区分和分离，并被连续排列，否则人绝无可能在来世成为灵人，天使灵或天使，因为他们都是照其内层事物而以这种方式彼此区分的。因此，三层天堂彼此区分最为显著，并互相分离。从这些考虑可在某种程度上清楚看出何为严格意义上对真理的理解和对良善的意愿，它们只能归于属天人，或第三层天堂的天使。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]634. It is tremendously difficult to explain comprehensibly what an understanding of truth and a will to do good are, in the strict sense. The reason for the difficulty is that we consider every thought passing through our minds to be part of our intellect (since that is the name we give it) and every desire entering our heart to be part of our will (since that is the name we give it).
What makes a clear explanation even harder is that many people today are also completely unable to tell the difference between activity in the intellect and activity in the will. When they think something, they say they want it, and when they want something, they say they think it. So again the obstacle is the labels people use.
Yet another barrier to comprehension is the fact that only what relates to their body captures people's interest; that is, their lives are exceedingly shallow.
[2] For all these reasons, people are unaware that each of us has a deeper level inside, and another level deeper than that, and another level that is deepest of all. They do not see that our bodily urges and sense impressions form the outermost surface; our passions and memorized knowledge, a deeper layer; our loves and rational thoughts, a still deeper layer; and a will to do good and a comprehension of truth, the deepest. These levels are differentiated from one another with the greatest possible clarity. Body-centered people, however, jumble them all together into an undifferentiated whole. This is the source of the belief that when our physical part dies, everything else must too, even though it is at death that we first start to live. Indeed the new life comes to us by way of our inner levels, passing through each level in order.
If our inner dimensions were not clearly distinguished in this way, and if they did not lie one within the other, in the next life we could never become spirits, never become angelic spirits, never become angels. These three groups are differentiated in the same way as the inner levels, which create the plainest demarcation possible among the three heavens.
This explanation casts a little light on what a comprehension of truth and a will to do good are, properly speaking, and shows that they can be ascribed only to a person whose character is heavenly, or to angels in the third heaven.
Potts(1905-1910) 634
634. But it is extremely difficult to say, in a manner to be apprehended, what is the understanding of truth and the will of good in the proper sense, for the reason that a man supposes everything he thinks to be of the understanding, since he calls it so; and everything that he desires he supposes to be of the will, since he calls it so. And it is the more difficult to explain this so as to be apprehended, because most men at this day are also ignorant of the fact that what is of the understanding is distinct from what is of the will, for when they think anything they say they will it, and when they will a thing they say they think it. This is one cause of the difficulty, and another reason why this subject can with difficulty be comprehended is that men are solely in what is of the body, that is, their life is in the most external things. [2] And for these reasons they do not know that there is in every man something that is interior, and something still interior to that, and indeed an inmost; and that his corporeal and sensuous part is only the outermost. Desires, and things of the memory, are interior; affections and rational things are interior still to these; and the will of good and understanding of truth are inmost. And these are so distinct from each other that nothing can ever be more distinct. The corporeal man makes all these into a one, and confounds them. This is why he believes that when his body dies all things are to die; though in fact he then first begins to live, and this by his interiors following one another closely in their order. If his interiors were not thus distinct, and did not thus succeed each other, men could never be in the other life spirits, angelic spirits, and angels, who are thus distinguished according to their interiors. For this reason there are three heavens, most distinct from each other. From these considerations it may now in some measure be evident what, in the proper sense, are the understanding of truth and the will of good; and that they can be predicated only of the celestial man, or of the angels of the third heaven.
Elliott(1983-1999) 634
634. It is extremely difficult however to state intelligibly what the understanding of truth and the will for good are, properly speaking. The reason is that everything man thinks he ascribes to the understanding because he calls it so, and everything he desires he ascribes to the will because he calls it so. And it is even more difficult to state what they are in an intelligible way because the majority nowadays are also unaware that what belongs to the understanding is distinct and separate from what belongs to the will; for when they think something they say that they will it, and when they will something they say that they think it. Their speaking in this way is thus one reason for the difficulty. And a further reason why it is difficult to grasp the matter is that such people are engrossed solely in bodily interests, that is, their life consists in things of a more external nature.
[2] For these same reasons people are also unaware of the fact that with everybody there exists something interior, something more interior still, and indeed something inmost, and that the bodily and sensory part of a person is the most external. Desires and things of the memory are interior, affections and rational concepts more interior still, while the will for good and the understanding of truth are the inmost. Nothing could possibly be more distinct and separate than these are from one another, yet a bodily-minded man sees no difference at all, and so confuses them all with one another. This is the reason why he believes that when his physical body dies, everything else will die as well, when in reality only at that point does he start to live, and to do so indeed through his own interior things which are arranged in consecutive order. Unless man's interior things were distinct and separate in this way and arranged consecutively, men could not possibly be spirits, angelic spirits, or angels in the next life, all of whom differ in this way from one another according to things that are interior. Consequently the three heavens are very distinct and separate from one another. From all these considerations it now becomes clear to some extent what the understanding of truth and the will for good are, properly speaking, and that they are attributable only to the celestial man, or angels of the third heaven.
Latin(1748-1756) 634
634. Sed perquam difficile est ad captum dicere, quid intellectus veri et voluntas boni in proprio sensu, ex causa quod omne quod cogitat homo, putet esse intellectus, quia ita id appellat; et omne quod cupit, putet esse voluntatis, quia ita id appellat: eoque difficilius est dicere ad captum quia plerique hodie quoque ignorant quod intellectuale sit distinctum a voluntario; nam cum cogitant quid, dicunt se velle, et cum volunt quid, dicunt se cogitare, ita quoque ex causa quod ita appellent: praeterea causa est quod difficile comprehendi possit, quia in corporeis solum sunt, seu vita eorum in extremis: [2] ex his causis ignorant quoque quod interius quoddam, et adhuc interius, immo intimum detur apud unumquemvis hominem; et quod corporeum ejus et sensuale sit extremum; cupiditates et res memoriae sint interiora; affectiones et rationalia sint adhuc interiora; et voluntas boni ac intellectus veri sint intima; et haec ita distincta inter se ut nihil usquam distinctius; corporeus homo omnia haec unum facit, et confundit; quae causa est quod credat, cum moritur corporeum ejus etiam omnia moritura esse, cum tamen tunc primum incipit vivere et quidem per interiora sua ordine succedentia; nisi interiora ejus ita distincta essent, et sibi succederent, nusquam potuissent homines in altera vita esse spiritus, esse spiritus angelici, esse angeli, qui distinguuntur ita secundum interiora; inde tres caeli inter se distinctissimi. Ex his nunc aliquantum constare potest quid intellectu veri et voluntas boni in proprio sensu, et quod solum praedicari queant de homine caelesti, seu de angelis tertii caeli.