6849.“因为怕看神”表以免它们因神性本身的出现而受到伤害。这从“怕”和“看神”的含义清楚可知：“怕”是指唯恐它们，即内层受到伤害，因为这是怕的原因；“看神”是指神性本身的出现。因为主只以一种内在的观看出现在人面前，这种内在的观看通过属于仁的信实现，也就是说，通过属于仁之信的眼睛来看祂。如果主以外在可见的形式向某人显现，受到感染的仍是内层，因为神性渗透到他的至内层或最深层的部分。至于此处的意思，即内层不因神性本身的出现而受到伤害，因此它们将得到保护，情况是这样：神性本身是纯粹的爱，纯粹的爱就像一团火，这火比这个世界的太阳更炽热；因此，如果在其纯粹中的神性之爱真的流入任何天使、灵人或世人，他必全然灭亡。正因如此，在圣言中，耶和华或主经常被称作“吞灭或吞噬的烈火”。因此，为确保天上的天使不被来自显为太阳的主的热之流注伤害，他们每个人都被一种适合个人的薄云所遮盖，从那太阳所流入的热由此得以缓和。
古人都十分清楚，没有这种保护，每个人都会因神性的出现而灭亡；因此，他们害怕见神，这清楚可见于士师记：
基甸见他是耶和华的使者；基甸就说，哀哉！主耶和华啊，因为我面对面看见了耶和华的使者。耶和华对他说，平安归你；不要惧怕，你必不至死！（士师记6:22-23）
又：
玛挪亚对他的妻说，我们必要死，因为看见了神。（士师记13:22）
出埃及记：
耶和华对摩西说，你不能看见我的面，因为没有人看见了我还能活着。（出埃及记33:20）
所以当摩西得以见神的时候，他被放在在磐石穴中（33:22）；以此代表其信仰的模糊，以及遮盖并保护他的云彩。
对天使来说，没有云彩的遮盖而被神性观看是多么危险，这从以下事实很清楚地看出来：当天使观看陷入邪恶的某个灵人时，他似乎变成了某种无生命的东西，我经常被允许看到这一幕。原因在于，天堂的光和热通过天使的观看而落到那里，对他们来说，这光和热是信之真理和爱之良善；当这些穿透进来时，恶人几乎被它们夺去生命。
天使看一眼就有这种效果，主看一眼会是什么效果呢？这解释了为何地狱距离天堂极其遥远，为何那里的人渴望离得远远的，因为若不离得远远的，他们就会遭受可怕的折磨。由此明显可知下面这些话是什么意思：
他们向山和磐石说，倒在我们身上吧！把我们藏起来，躲避坐宝座者的面目。（启示录6:16；路加福音23:30；何西阿书10:8）
因此，神性本身的出现具有这种性质：若没有缓和并调节那太阳的光线和热的云彩保护，没有哪个天使能承受它。由此很明显地看出，主的人身是神性；因为它若不是神性，绝不会与被称作“父”的神性本身如此联结，以致照主的话（约翰福音14:10等），他们能为一。事实上，如此接受神性的，必完全是神性；不是神性的东西会因这种联结而完全消散，化为乌有。打个比方，若非与太阳性质相似，有什么东西能被投入太阳的火海中而不被毁灭呢？同样的道理，若没有相似的爱之热在里面，谁能进入无限之爱的炽热呢？所以，祂不是主，还能是谁呢？父在祂里面，父若不在祂的神性人身里面，就不会显明自己，这一点从主在约翰福音中的话明显看出来：
从来没有人看见神，只有在父怀里的独生子将祂表明出来。（约翰福音1:18）
又：
你们从来没有听见祂的声音，也没有看见祂的形状。（约翰福音5:37）
Potts(1905-1910) 6849
6849. Because he was afraid to look upon God. That this signifies lest they should be injured by the presence of the Divine itself is evident from the signification of "being afraid" as being fear lest they should be injured, namely, the interiors, for this was the cause of the fear; and from the signification of "looking upon God" as being the presence of the Divine Itself; for the Lord is presented before man in no other way than by an internal looking, which is effected through the faith that is from charity. If the Lord appears to anyone in an outward form, still it is the interiors which are affected, for the Divine penetrates to the inmosts. In regard to the interiors not being injured by the presence of the Divine Itself, and that on this account they were protected, the case is this. The Divine Itself is pure love, and pure love is like a fire which is more ardent than the fire of the sun of this world; and therefore if the Divine love in its purity were to flow into any angel, spirit, or man, he would utterly perish. Hence it is that Jehovah or the Lord is in the Word so often called a "consuming fire." Lest therefore the angels in heaven should be injured by the influx of heat from the Lord as a sun, they are each of them veiled over by a certain thin and suitable cloud, whereby the heat flowing in from that sun is tempered. [2] That without this preservation everyone would perish at the presence of the Divine was known to the ancients; and therefore they were afraid to see God, as is evident in the book of Judges:
Gideon saw that he was an angel of Jehovah; and therefore Gideon said, Ah Lord Jehovih, forasmuch as I have seen an angel of Jehovah face to face. And Jehovah said to him, Peace be to thee; fear not, for thou shalt not die (Judg. 6:22-23). Manoah said unto his wife, Dying we shall die, because we have seen God (Judg. 13:22). And in the book of Exodus:
Jehovah said unto Moses, Thou canst not see My faces, for no man shall see Me and live (Exod. 33:20). When therefore it was given Moses to see God, he was put into a hole of the rock (verse 22); by which was represented the obscurity of faith, and also the cloudiness which covered him over, and by which he was protected. [3] How dangerous it would be for the angels if they were looked upon by the Divine, without being veiled with a cloud, can be plainly seen from the fact that when the angels look at any spirit who is in evil, he appears to be turned into something inanimate, as has been frequently given me to see. The reason is, that through the angelic sight the light and heat of heaven fall there, and with these the truth of faith and the good of love, and when these penetrate, the wicked are almost deprived of life by them. [4] This being the effect of a look from the angels, how much more would be the effect of a look from the Lord! This is the reason why the hells are quite removed from heaven, and why they who are there desire to be removed, for unless this is done they are direfully tormented. From this it is plain what is meant by these words:
They shall say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne (Rev. 6:16; Luke 23:30; Hos. 10:8). [5] From the fact that the presence of the Divine Itself is of such a nature that no angel can endure it unless he is protected by a cloud, which tempers and moderates the rays and heat from that sun, it is very evident that the Lord's Human is Divine; for unless it were Divine, it could never be so united to the Divine Itself which is called the "Father," that they may be one, according to the Lord's words in John 14:10, and elsewhere. For what so receives the Divine must needs be altogether Divine; what is not Divine would be utterly dissipated by such a union. To speak by comparison, what can be put into the solar fire, and not perish, unless it is of a solar nature? And in the same way, who can be introduced into the ardor of infinite love except him who is in the ardor of the like love? Consequently, who but the Lord alone? That the Father is in Him, and that the Father does not appear except in His Divine Human, is evident from the Lord's words in John:
No one hath ever seen God; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath set Him forth (John 1:18). Ye have neither ever heard His voice, nor seen His shape (John 5:37).
Elliott(1983-1999) 6849
6849. 'For he was afraid to look at God' means for fear that they should suffer harm from the presence of the Divine itself. This is clear from the meaning of 'being afraid' as for fear that they, interior things, should suffer harm (for this was the reason for his fear); and from the meaning of 'looking at God' as the presence of the Divine itself. For the only way in which the Lord can make Himself present before a person is through the persons inner seeing, through seeing Him with the eye of faith that belongs to charity. If the Lord does manifest Himself in an outward visible form to someone, it is still the inner levels of mind that are affected, for the Divine reaches into the deepest parts of him. With regard to the meaning here, that interior things should not suffer harm from the presence of the Divine itself, and that therefore they were to be protected, the situation is this: The Divine itself is pure love, and pure love is like a fire hotter than the fire of the sun in this world. Consequently if Divine Love in its purity were to flow into any angel, spirit, or man, he would be completely destroyed, which is why so many times in the Word Jehovah or the Lord is called a consuming fire. To ensure therefore that the angels in heaven suffer no harm from the flow of heat from the Lord as the sun, each of them is veiled with a kind of thin cloud suited to the individual, which moderates the heat flowing in from that sun.
[2] The truth that without this form of preservation everyone would be destroyed by the presence of the Divine had been well known to the ancients, which was why they were afraid of seeing God, as is clear in the Book of Judges,
Gideon saw that he was the angel of Jehovah, therefore Gideon said, O Lord Jehovah! Inasmuch as I have seen the angel of Jehovah face to face. And Jehovah said to him, Peace be to you; do not fear, for you will not die. Judg 6:12, 23.
In the same book,
Manoah said to his wife, We shall surely die, for we have seen God. Judg 13:22.
And in the Book of Exodus,
Jehovah said to Moses, You cannot see My face, for no man will see My face and live. Exod 33:20.
[3] When therefore Moses was allowed to see God, he was placed in a cleft of the rock, Exod 33:22, which represented the dimness of his faith, and the clouds that hid and protected him. How dangerous it can be for angels to be beheld by the Divine without being covered by a cloud is made very clear by the fact that when angels look at any spirit who is governed by evil he seems to change into something resembling a lifeless object, as I have often been allowed to see. The reason why this happens is that when the angels look at someone there is cast in his direction the light and heat of heaven, and the truth of faith and the good of love with them, which - when these penetrate - virtually deprive the evil of life.
[4] If this is what happens when angels look at them, what would happen if the Lord did so? This explains why the hells are utterly remote from heaven, and why those who are there wish to be remote, for if they are not they suffer dreadful torment. This makes plain the meaning of the following words, They will say to the mountains and rocks, Rush down on us and hide us from the face of Him who is seated on the throne. Rev 6:16; Luke 23:30; Hosea 10:8.
[5] Thus the presence of the Divine itself is such that no angel can bear it unless he is protected by a cloud which tempers and moderates the rays of light and the heat from that sun. From this one may recognize plainly that the Lord's Human is Divine, for if it were not Divine it could never have become so united to the Divine itself, called the Father, that they are one, according to the Lord's words in John 14:10 and following verses, and elsewhere. For that which is to receive the Divine in this way must be wholly Divine; what was not Divine from such a union would be plainly reduced to nothing. Let me use a comparison. Can anything be thrown into the fire of the sun and not be destroyed, unless it is similar in nature to the sun? So, can anyone enter the intense heat of infinite love unless he has in him the heat of the same kind of love, consequently unless he is none other than the Lord? The truth that the Father is within Him and that the Father does not show Himself except within His Divine Human is clear from the Lord's words in John,
Nobody has ever seen God; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. John 1:18.
And elsewhere in the same gospel,
You have never heard His voice nor seen His shape. John 5:37.
Latin(1748-1756) 6849
6849. `Quia timuit ab intuendo Deum': quod significet ne laederentur a praesentia Ipsius Divini, constat a significatione `timere' quod sit ne laederentur, nempe interiora, causa enim timoris {1}hoc erat; et a significatione `intueri Deum' quod sit praesentia Ipsius Divini; nam non aliter quam per intuitionem internam, quae fit per fidem quae ex charitate, sistitur Dominus coram (x)homine praesens; si Dominus alicui in externa forma {2}apparet, sunt usque interiora quae afficiuntur, nam Divinum penetrat ad intima. Cum hoc quod interiora non laederentur a praesentia Ipsius Divini, et quod ideo tutarentur, ita se habet: Ipsum Divinum est purus amor, et purus amor est sicut ignis ardentior quam ignis solis hujus mundi; quapropter si Divinus Amor in puritate sua influeret apud aliquem angelum, spiritum, aut hominem, is prorsus periret; inde est quod Jehovah seu Dominus in Verbo toties dicatur `ignis consumens'; ne itaque angeli in {3}caelo laedantur ab influxu caloris ex Domino ut sole, obvelantur singuli aliqua tenui et conveniente nube, per quam temperatur calor a sole illo influens. 2 Quod unusquisque absque illa {4}conservatione a praesentia Divini periret, notum fuerat antiquis, quapropter timuerunt videre Deum, ut constat {5}in Libro Judicum, Vidit Guideon quod angelus Jehovae, quare dixit Guideon, Domine Jehovih, quandoquidem vidi angelum Jehovae facie ad faciem; et dixit illi Jehovah, Pax tibi, noli timere, quia non morieris, vi (x)22, 23:{6} in eodem Libro, Dixit Manoachus ad uxorem suam, Moriendo moriemur quia Deum vidimus, xiii 22:
et in Libro Exodi, Jehovah dixit ad Mosen, Non poteris videre facies Meas, quia non videbit Me homo et vivet, xxxiii 20:
quapropter cum daretur Mosi videre Deum, `positus erat in foramine petrae,' ibid. vers. 22; per quod repraesentabatur obscurum fidei, ac nebulosum {7} quod obtexit et {8}per quod tutatus est. 3 Quantum {9}discrimen sit angelis spectari a Divino absque obvelatione nubis, constare manifeste potest ex eo quod cum angeli inspiciunt aliquem spiritum qui in malo est, is appareat in quoddam simile inanimato verti, quod saepius videre mihi datum est; causa est quia per visum angelicum incidit illuc lux et calor caeli, {10}et cum his verum fidei et bonum amoris, a quibus cum penetrant, mali paene exanimantur. 4 (m)Cum hoc fit per intuitionem ab angelis, quid non per intuitionem a Domino? haec causa est quod inferna prorsus remota sint a caelo, et quod illi qui ibi sunt remoti esse velint, nam si non remoti sunt, dire cruciantur; inde patet quid intelligitur per haec verba, Dicent montibus et petris, Ruite super nos, et abscondite nos a facie sedentis super throno, Apoc. vi 16; Luc. xxiii 30; Hos. x 8.(n) 5 (s)Ex eo quod praesentia Ipsius Divini talis sit ut nullus angelus illam sustineat, nisi tutatus sit per nubem quae radios et calorem e sole illo temperat et moderatur, manifeste constare potest quod Humanum Domini Divinum sit, nam nisi Divinum esset, nusquam potuisset ita uniri Ipsi Divino Quod Pater vocatur, ut unum sint, secundum Domini verba apud Johannem xiv 10 seq. et alibi; quod enim {11}recipiet ita Divinum, omnino Divinum erit; {12} non Divinum a tali unione plane dissiparetur; ut comparative loquar, Quid immitti potest in ignem solarem et non perire, nisi sit simile solare? ita quis in ardorem infiniti amoris nisi qui in similis amoris ardore est, proinde nisi Solus Dominus? Quod in Ipso Pater sit, et quod Pater non appareat nisi in Divino Suo Humano, constat a Domini verbis apud Johannem, Deum nemo vidit unquam; Unigenitus Filius, Qui in sinu Patris est, Ille exposuit, i 18:
et alibi apud eundem, Neque vocem Ipsius audivistis {13}unquam, neque specie Ipsius vidistis, v 37.(s) @1 id$ @2 appareat$ @3 coelis$ @4 temperatione$ @5 ex$ @6 i et$ @7 i quid$ @8 tutavit$ @9 discriminis$ @10 et orbatur sensu, qui non videt priusquam in nimbosum suum ipse venit$ @11 recipit I$ @12 i omne enim$ @13 usquam AI$