793、从此处直到本章末尾，所论述的主题是大洪水之前灭亡的人，这一点从所描述的细节明显看出来。拥有内义的人立刻，甚至单单从一句话就能知道所论述的主题是什么，从连贯的几句话知道得更清楚。当主题发生变化时，不同的词立刻出现，或相同的词有了不同的组合。原因在于，有些词是属灵事物所特有的，有些词则是属天事物所特有的；换句话说，有些词是理解力的事物所特有的，有些词是意愿的事物所特有的。例如，“荒凉”这个词论及属灵事物，“荒废”则论及属天事物；“城”论及属灵事物，“山”论及属天事物；等等。这同样适用于词组。不能不令人惊讶的是，在希伯来语，词语常常通过发音来区分。在属灵类的词汇中，（字母表中的）前三个元音通常占主导地位；但在属天类的词汇中，后两个元音通常占主导地位。这几节包含不同的主题，这一点从早就讨论过的重复（435，683，707，734，765，782节）明显看出来。也就是说，“水在地上大大加强”这句话是前一节所说那句话的一个重复。这一点也可从下文明显看出来。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]793. From here to the end of the chapter, the topic being discussed is the pre-Flood people who perished, as can be seen from the individual parts of the description. Anyone alive to the inner meaning can tell instantly what the subject is, even from a single word, and even more easily from the connections among many words. When the topic changes, different words suddenly come into use, or else the previous words are linked together in a new way. The reason for the shift is that spiritual themes have their own special vocabulary and heavenly themes have theirs, or to put it another way, intellectual matters have their own vocabulary and volitional ones theirs. Ruination, for example, is a word that applies to spiritual things, while devastation applies to heavenly things; a city has to do with spiritual things, while a mountain has to do with heavenly things; and so on. The same holds true for the ways that words link together.
No one could help being surprised to learn that in Hebrew it is often sound that distinguishes the two. In words that belong to the spiritual category, the first three vowels [of the Hebrew alphabet] usually predominate. In those that capture heavenly qualities, the last two vowels do.{*1} The changing of topics here can be recognized by such signs, and also by the repetition involved (as discussed previously [435, 683, 707, 734, 765, 782]). To be specific, it says again here, "And the water strengthened greatly, greatly on the earth," as the last verse also said. The fact of a switch can also be recognized from everything that follows.
Footnotes:
{*1} In the Hebrew alphabet, the first three vowels correspond roughly to English a, e, and i; the last two, to o and u. In later comments on this subject, Swedenborg gradually moves the a vowel into the heavenly category. See Heaven and Hell 241; Sacred Scripture 90; and True Christianity 278. [LHC]
Potts(1905-1910) 793
793. The subject now treated of, up to the end of this chapter, is the antediluvians who perished, as is evident from the particulars of the description. They who are in the internal sense can know instantly, and indeed from a single word, what subject is treated of; and especially can they know this from the connection of several words. When a different subject is taken up, at once the words are different, or the same words stand in a different connection. The reason is that there are words peculiar to spiritual things, and words peculiar to celestial things; or, what is the same, there are words peculiar to matters of understanding, and others to matters of will. For example: the word "desolation" is predicated of spiritual things, and "vastation" of celestial things; "city" is predicated of spiritual things, "mountain" of celestial things; and so on. The case is the same with the connective expressions. And (what cannot fail to be a matter of surprise) in the Hebrew language the words are very often distinguishable by their sound; for in those which belong to the spiritual class the first three vowels are usually dominant, and in words that are of the celestial class, the last two vowels. That in these verses a different subject is now treated of, appears also from the repetition already spoken of (in that it is here again said, as in the preceding verse, "and the waters were strengthened very exceedingly upon the earth"), and the same is evident also from what follows.
Elliott(1983-1999) 793
793. From this point onwards to the end of the present chapter the subject is the people before the Flood who perished. This becomes clear from the details in the description given. People who possess the internal sense can recognize instantly, and indeed from any single word, what the subject is, better still from the combination of many. When the subject changes different words instantly appear, or else the same words combined differently. The reason is that some words are peculiar to spiritual matters, others peculiar to celestial; or what amounts to the same, some are peculiar to things of the understanding, others to those of the will. For example, 'desolation' is a word used of spiritual things, vastation' of celestial; 'city' is used of spiritual, 'mountain' of celestial; and so on. The same applies to combinations of words. And what is bound to amaze everybody, the difference in Hebrew is frequently just a matter of vocalization. In what belongs to the class of spiritual words the first three vowels [of the alphabet] are normally prominent, but in the case of what is celestial the last two. The fact that these verses contain a different subject is also discernible from the repetition discussed already. That is to say, the statement, 'And the waters grew stronger and stronger over the earth', is a repetition of what has already been stated in the previous verse. It is also discernible from everything that follows.
Latin(1748-1756) 793
793. Hic nunc usque ad finem hujus capitis agitur de antediluvianis qui perierunt, quod constare potest a singulis descriptionis; qui in sensu interno sunt, ilico et quidem ex unica voce scire possunt de qua re agitur, magis ex connexu plurium; cum de alia re agitur, ilico sunt aliae voces, aut eaedem voces aliter connexae; causa est quia voces peculiares sunt pro rebus spiritualibus et peculiares pro caelestibus, seu quod idem, pro intellectualibus et pro voluntariis; sicut pro exemplo, 'desolatio' est vox spiritualium, 'vastatio' est caelestium; 'urbs' est spiritualium, 'mons' est caelestium, et sic porro; similiter in connexionibus; et quod quisque non potest non mirari, in lingua Hebraea distinguuntur persaepe sono; quae ad classem spiritualium pertinent, in iis dominari solent vocales tres primae; in quibus caelestia, vocales binae ultimae: quod hic nunc de alia re agatur, etiam inde cognoscitur, tum a repetitione, de qua prius, quod nempe hic iterum dicatur, 'Et aquae corroboratae sunt valde valde super terra,' quod in vers. praec. etiam dictum; tum ab omnibus quae sequuntur.