6988.“谁使人口哑”表没有话。这从“口哑”的含义清楚可知，“口哑”是指没有话，因为它是“口”的反义词，而“口”表示话语，如刚才所述（6987节）。“话”在此并非表示有声的话语或言语，因为这种话是属世的；相反，“话”表示对主的称谢（confession）和对祂的信仰表白；因为这种话是属灵的。由此明显可知“口哑”（经上或译为哑巴）在内义上表示什么，即表示那些由于无知而无法称谢主，因而无法表白对祂的信仰之人。教会之外的外邦民族，以及教会之内的简单人就处于这种状态。“口哑”（经上或译为哑巴）表示这些人，这一点明显可见于以赛亚书：
那时，瘸子必跳跃像鹿，哑巴的舌头必能歌唱；在旷野必有水喷出，在沙漠平原必有溪河涌流。（以赛亚书35:5-6）
“哑巴的舌头必能歌唱”表示他们将称谢主的事实和属于对祂的信仰之物；“在旷野必有水喷出，在沙漠平原必有溪河涌流”表示他们将拥有关于真理与良善的认知或知识；“旷野”是指由于他们无知而缺乏信仰的认知或知识的一种状态。
被主治愈的哑巴也表示通过祂的降世而从虚假和由此而来的邪恶中被解救出来的各外邦民族；如马太福音中的哑巴：
看哪，有人将鬼所附的一个哑巴带到祂跟前来。鬼被赶出去，哑巴就说出话来。（马太福音9:32-33）
同一福音中的另一个哑巴：
有人将一个被鬼附着、又瞎又哑的人带到耶稣那里，耶稣就医治他，甚至那又瞎又哑的人既能说话，也能看见。（马太福音12:22）
在马可福音（9:17-30）中也被鬼附的哑巴具有同样的含义。要知道，主所行的神迹都表示教会和通过祂降世而得救的人类的状态；也就是说，当祂降临时，那些接受仁之信的人就从地狱中被解救出来。这些事就包含在主的神迹中。一般来说，旧约所记载的一切神迹都表示主的教会和国度的状态。神迹以这种方式而不同于魔鬼所行的奇迹，或巫术，无论后者，如埃及的法术，表面看上去与神迹如何一样。
Potts(1905-1910) 6988
6988. Or who hath made him dumb. That this signifies no utterance, is evident from the significance of "dumb," as being no utterance; for it is opposed to "mouth," by which is signified utterance (of which just above, n. 6987). By "utterance" is not here meant that of the voice, or speech, for this utterance is natural; but by "utterance" is meant confession of the Lord, and the profession of faith in Him; for this utterance is spiritual. Hence it is evident what is signified in the internal sense by the "dumb," namely, they who cannot confess the Lord, thus cannot profess faith in Him, by reason of ignorance, in which state are the nations outside the church, and also the simple within the church. That such are signified by the "dumb," is plain in Isaiah:
Then shall the lame leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing; because in the wilderness waters shall break out, and streams in the plain of the desert (Isa. 35:5-6);
"the tongue of the dumb shall sing" denotes that they shall confess the Lord and what is of faith in Him; "in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the plain of the desert," denotes that they have the knowledges of truth and good; the "wilderness" is a state of no knowledges of faith from ignorance. [2] By the dumb who were restored by the Lord are also signified the nations that by His coming into the world were delivered from falsities and the evils thence derived; as by the dumb person in Matthew:
Behold they brought to Him a dumb man, obsessed by a demon; but when the demon was cast out, the dumb spoke (Matt. 9:32-33). And by the dumb person in the same:
There was brought unto Jesus one obsessed by a demon, blind and dumb; and He healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spoke and saw (Matt. 12:22). In like manner by the dumb person also obsessed by a demon, in Mark 9:17-30. [3] Be it known that the miracles wrought by the Lord all signify the state of the church, and of the human race saved by His coming into the world, namely, that those were liberated from hell who had received the faith of charity. Such things are involved in the Lord's miracles. In general all the miracles recorded in the Old Testament signify the state of the Lord's church and kingdom. In this way Divine miracles are distinguished from diabolical or magical miracles, however much they may appear alike in the external form, as was the case with the miracles of the magicians in Egypt.
Elliott(1983-1999) 6988
6988. 'Or who has made the dumb' means lack of utterance. This is clear from the meaning of 'the dumb' as lack of utterance, for it is used as an antonym of 'mouth', which means utterance, dealt with immediately above in 6987. Utterance is not used here to mean utterance made by the voice, which is speech, for that kind of utterance is natural. Instead utterance is used to mean confession of the Lord and declaration of faith in Him, since this kind of utterance is spiritual. From this it is evident what 'the dumb' means in the internal sense, namely people who, owing to lack of knowledge, are unable to confess the Lord or for that reason declare faith in him. This is the state of gentiles outside the Church and also of the simple within the Church. The fact that these kinds of people are meant by 'the dumb' is evident in Isaiah,
Then will the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb will sing. For waters will break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the plain of the wilderness. Isa 35:5-6.
'The tongue of the dumb will sing' stands for the fact that they will confess the Lord and the things that belong to faith in Him. 'Waters will break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the plain of the wilderness' stands for the fact that cognitions of what is true and good will come to them, 'the wilderness' being a state in which cognitions of faith are lacking because they are unknown.
[2] The dumb who were healed by the Lord also mean gentiles who were delivered through His Coming into the world from falsities and consequent evils, such as the one who was 'dumb' in Matthew,
Behold, they brought to Him a dumb man (homo), possessed by a demon; but when the demon had been cast out the dumb [man] spoke. Matt 9:32, 37.
And another who was 'dumb' in the same gospel,
One was brought to Jesus, possessed by a demon, blind and dumb; and He healed him, so that the blind and dumb [man] both spoke and saw. Matt 12:22.
The 'dumb' [boy] also possessed by a demon in Mark 9:17-30 has the same meaning.
[3] It should be recognized that the miracles performed by the Lord were all signs indicating the state of the Church and of the human race saved through His Coming into the world; that is to say, when He came those people were delivered from hell who received the faith going with charity. These matters are incorporated in the Lord's miracles. In general all the miracles described in the Old Testament are signs indicating the state of the Church and the Lord's kingdom. There Divine miracles are distinguished from miracles that are devilish or the product of magic, however much the latter, such as the miracles of the magicians in Egypt, seem in outward appearance to be the same as Divine ones.
Latin(1748-1756) 6988
6988. `Aut quis posuit mutum': quod significet non enuntiationem, constat ex significatione `muti' quod sit non enuntiatio, nam opponitur `ori,' per quod significatur enuntiatio, de qua mox supra n. 6987. Hic per enuntiationem non intelligitur enuntiatio vocis seu loquela, nam haec enuntiatio est naturalis, sed per enuntiationem intelligitur confessio Domini et praedicatio fidei in Ipsum, nam haec enuntiatio est spiritualis; inde patet quid per `mutum' in sensu interno significatur, nempe quod illi qui non possunt confiteri Dominum, ita nec praedicare fidem in Ipsum, ex ignorantia, in quo statu sunt gentes extra Ecclesiam, et quoque simplices intra Ecclesiam; quod tales per `mutum' significentur, patet apud Esaiam, Tunc saliet sicut cervus claudus, et cantabit lingua muti; quia erumpent in deserto aquae, et fluvii in planitie deserti, xxxv 5, 6;{1} `cantabit lingua muti' pro quod illi confitebuntur Dominum, et quae fidei in Ipsum sunt; `erumpent aquae in deserto, et fluvii in planitie deserti' pro quod cognitiones veri et boni illis; `desertum' est status non cognitionum fidei ex ignorantia; per `mutos a Domino 2 sanatos' significantur etiam gentes quae per Adventum Ipsius in mundum a falsis et inde malis liberati sunt; ut per `mutum' apud Matthaeum, Ecce attulerunt ad Ipsum hominem mutum a daemone obsessum, sed ejecto daemone locutus est mutus, ix 32, 33:
perque `mutum' apud eundem, Adductus est ad Jesum daemonio obsessus, caecus et mutus, et sanavit eum, ita ut caecus et mutus tam loqueretur quam videret, xii 22:
similiter per `mutum' etiam a daemone obsessum, apud Marcum ix 17-30. 3 Sciendum quod miracula a Domino facta omnia significent statum Ecclesiae ac generis humani salvati per Adventum Ipsius in mundum, quod nempe tunc liberati sint ab inferno qui fidem charitatis receperunt; haec involvunt miracula Domini; in genere omnia miracula de quibus in Vetere Testamento significant statum Ecclesiae et regni Domini; in eo distinguuntur miracula Divina a miraculis diabolicis seu magicis, utcumque in externa forma apparent similia, sicut miracula magorum in Aegypto. @1 i ibi de nova Ecclesia ex gentibus,$