639、“方舟”表示该教会或被称为挪亚的教会的成员，这一点从接下来对它的描述和以下事实足以清楚看出来，即：主的圣言处处都涉及属灵和属天事物；也就是说，主的圣言是属灵和属天的。如果方舟及其涂抹的柏油、尺寸和构造，以及大洪水只表示字面上的内容，那么关于它的叙述绝不会有任何属灵和属天之物，只有历史，对人类来说，并不比世俗作家所描述的类似事物更有用。但由于主的圣言在核心处或内层处处都涉及并包含属灵和属天事物，所以很明显，方舟和论到方舟的一切都表示尚未揭开的奥秘。
其它地方也一样，如藏摩西的小箱子，它被搁在河边的芦苇中（出埃及记2:3）；举个更高尚的例子，旷野中的圣约柜是照着在西乃山上指示给摩西的样式造的。除非这个圣约柜的每一样东西都代表主及其国度，否则它不过是一种偶像而已，所进行的敬拜也是偶像崇拜。同样，所罗门的圣殿本身毫无神圣可言。使它神圣的并非其中的金、银、香柏木和石头，而是这些材料所代表的一切事物。此处也一样，若非方舟、它的构造及其一切细节都表示教会的一些奥秘，圣言将不是主的圣言，而是一种死的文字，和世俗作家的作品中的文字一样。由此清楚可知，“方舟”表示教会，或被称为“挪亚”的教会的成员。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]639. The symbolism of the ark as a member of this church — the church called Noah — can be seen fairly clearly from its description in subsequent verses. It can also be seen from the fact that the Lord's Word concerns itself throughout with spiritual and heavenly subjects. To put it another way, his Word is spiritual and heavenly.
If the ark (with its specifications of tarring, dimension, and construction) and the Flood had no greater significance than the words themselves suggest, spiritual and heavenly implications would be utterly lacking. The story itself would be everything and would perform no more critical service to humankind than similar literature written by secular authors.
But in every corner of its inmost recesses the Lord's Word contains and enfolds spiritual and heavenly matters, and this leads directly to the conclusion that the ark and everything said of it carries a hidden meaning not yet uncovered.
[2] The same holds true elsewhere, as, for instance, in respect to the little ark with Moses hidden inside that was laid among the rushes by the river's edge in Exodus 2:3. It is even more sublimely true of the sacred ark in the wilderness, built according to the model shown to Moses on Mount Sinai. If it had not represented the Lord and his kingdom in each and every one of its details, it would have functioned as nothing more than a kind of idol or a cult object. Again, take Solomon's temple. It had no innate holiness derived from the gold, silver, cedar, and stone of its construction, but gained all its holiness from the attributes individually represented by those materials. Likewise here; if Noah's ark with the itemized plan for building it did not symbolize some hidden characteristic of the church, the Word would be not the Lord's Word but a string of words devoid of life and no different from the work of any secular writer.
The logical conclusion is that the ark symbolizes a person belonging to the church called Noah, or the church itself.
Potts(1905-1910) 639
639. That by the "ark" is signified the man of that church, or the church called "Noah" is sufficiently evident from the description of it in the following verses; and from the fact that the Lord's Word everywhere involves spiritual and celestial things; that is, that the Word is spiritual and celestial. If the ark with its coating of pitch, its measurement, and its construction, and the flood also, signified nothing more than the letter expresses, there would be nothing at all spiritual and celestial in the account of it, but only something historical, which would be of no more use to the human race than any similar thing described by secular writers. But because the Word of the Lord everywhere in its bosom or interiors involves and contains spiritual and celestial things, it is very evident that by the ark and all the things said about the ark, are signified hidden things not yet revealed.
[2] It is the same in other places, as in the case of the little ark in which Moses was concealed, which was placed among the sedge by the riverside (Exod. 2:3); and to take a more lofty instance, it was the same with the holy ark in the wilderness, that was made after the pattern shown to Moses on Mount Sinai. If each and all things in this ark had not been representative of the Lord and His kingdom, it would have been nothing else than a sort of idol, and the worship idolatrous. In like manner the temple of Solomon was not holy at all of itself, or on account of the gold, silver, cedar, and stone in it, but on account of all the things which these represented. And so here-if the ark and its construction, with its several particulars, did not signify some hidden thing of the church, the Word would not be the Word of the Lord, but a kind of dead letter, as in the case of any profane writer. Therefore it is evident that the ark signifies the man of the church, or the church called "Noah."
Elliott(1983-1999) 639
639. That 'the ark' means the member of this Church, or the Church called Noah, becomes sufficiently clear from the description of it below, and also from the fact that the Word of the Lord in every part embodies things that are spiritual and celestial, that is, the Lord's Word is spiritual and celestial. If the ark and the covering of it with bitumen, its measurements, and its construction, and also the Flood, meant no more than what the letter declares there would be absolutely nothing spiritual and celestial about it. It would be mere history and of no more use to the human race than similar descriptions found in secular authors. Now because the Word of the Lord in every part contains and embodies within its bosom or inner recesses things that are spiritual and celestial it is quite clear that 'the ark' and everything said about the ark mean arcana which are as yet undisclosed.
[2] The same is meant elsewhere by, for example, the little ark in which Moses was hidden and which was placed in the reeds by the riverbank, Exod 2:3; and the sacred Ark in the wilderness, constructed according to the design indicated to Moses on Mount Sinai, is an even more sublime example. Unless every single thing in this sacred Ark had been representative of the Lord and His kingdom, it would have been no more than a kind of idol, and the worship that took place would have been idolatrous. So too with Solomon's Temple. Of itself it was in no sense holy. Nor did the gold, silver, cedar, and stone there make it so, but the particular things represented by those materials. And similarly in the present context, unless the ark and the construction of it with all its details meant some arcanum of the Church, the Word would not be the Word of the Lord but some dead piece of literature such as that found among the works of any secular author. From this it is clear that 'the ark' means the member of the Church, or the Church called Noah.
Latin(1748-1756) 639
639. Quod per 'arcam' significetur homo hujus Ecclesiae, seu Ecclesia Noahus dicta, constare satis potest a descriptione ejus in sequentibus; tum ex eo quod Verbum Domini ubivis involvat spiritualia et caelestia, hoc est, quod Verbum Domini sit spirituale et caeleste: si arca, cum ejus bituminatione, dimensione, et constructione, ut et diluvium, non plus quam sonat littera, significarent, nihil prorsus spirituale et caeleste foret, sed modo aliquid historicum, quod pluri usui non foret humano generi quam simile quid, quod describitur a profanis: at quia Verbum Domini ubivis in sinu seu recessu sua continet et involvit spiritualia et caelestia, constat clare quod per 'arcam,' et per omnia quae de arca dicitur, significentur arcana nondum detecta: [2] similiter quoque alibi, ut per 'arculam,' in qua Moses reconditus, et quae posita in ulva juxta litus fluminis, Exod. ii 3; et adhuc sublimius per 'arcam sanctam' in deserto, quae exstructa secundum typum ostensum Mosi in monte Sinai; in qua nisi omnis et singula fuissent repraesentativa Domini et Ipsius regni, non aliud fuisset quam quoddam idolum, et cultus idololatricus; similiter templum Salomonis, quod nusquam sanctum fuit ex se, seu ex auro argento, cedro et lapide ibi, sed ex singulis quae repraesentabantur per illa; similiter hic, nisi arca et ejus constructio cultus singulis significarent aliquod arcanum Ecclesiae, Verbum non foret Verbum Domini, sed mortua quaedam littera, sicut apud aliquem profanum scriptorem. Quod 'arca' significet hominem Ecclesiae, seu Ecclesiam quae 'Noahus' dicta, inde constat.