8462.“这是什么呢？因为他们不知道是什么”表由于它不为人知，也就是说，因不知道是什么而感到困惑。这从以下事实清楚可知，在原文，“吗哪”是疑问词“什么”，因而用来表示某种未知之物。在旷野被赐予以色列人的食物之所以由此被称为“吗哪”，是因为这食物表示通过信之真理所生的仁之良善。在重生之前，这良善完全不为人所知；人们甚至不知道它的存在。因为在重生之前，一个人以为除了他称之为良善的爱自己爱世界的快乐之外，不可能有任何良善不是来自这个源头，或具有这种性质。如果那时有人说，只要爱自己爱世界的快乐占据统治地位，就没有人能得知，因而了解内层良善，并说，那主导善灵和天使的，就是这种良善，人们就会感到困惑，如同对某种完全未知或不可能的事感到困惑一样。而事实上，这种良善远远超越爱自己爱世界的快乐。因为被爱自己爱世界所主宰的人不知道何为仁与信，不知道什么叫不求回报地行善，如此行善的人就拥有天堂在自己里面；他们以为，如果他们丧失这些爱的快乐，就没有丝毫的喜乐和生命留下；而事实上，这正是天上的喜乐开始的时候（参看8037节）。由此可见经上用“吗哪”这个词是因为它表示“这是什么”。
Potts(1905-1910) 8462
8462. What is this [Man hoc]? because they knew not what it was. That this signifies amazement at what was not known, is evident from the fact that the word "manna" in its own tongue means What? thus, that which is not known. That from this the bread that was given to the sons of Israel in the wilderness was called "manna," is because this bread signifies the good of charity that is begotten through the truth of faith. Before regeneration this good is quite unknown to man, and it is not even known that it exists. For before regeneration a man believes that besides the delights of the love of self and of the world, which he calls good, there cannot be possible any good which is not from this source, or of such a nature. If anyone should then say that there is an interior good which cannot come to our notice, consequently not to knowledge, so long as the delights of the love of self and of the world have dominion, and that this good is that in which are good spirits and angels, people would be amazed as at something which is quite unknown, and as at something that is not possible; when yet this good immensely transcends the delights of the love of self and of the world. (That they who are in the loves of self and of the world do not know what charity and faith are, and what it is to do good without recompense, and that this is heaven in man, and that they believe that nothing of joy and life would remain if they were deprived of the delights of these loves, when yet heavenly joy then begins, see n. 8037.) From all this it is now evident why the manna was named from "What is this?"
Elliott(1983-1999) 8462
8462. 'Man is it? because they did not know what it was' means owing to its not being known, that is to say, bewilderment owing to this. This is clear from the fact that Man in the original language is the interrogative word What? and so serves to indicate that something is not known. The reason therefore why the bread given to the children of Israel in the wilderness was called manna is that this bread means the good of charity which the truth of faith gives birth to, and this good remains completely unknown to a person before regeneration; not even the existence of it is known. Before regeneration a person supposes that apart from the delights born of self-love and love of the world, which he calls good, no good can possibly exist which does not arise in that way or is not by nature such. If anyone were to speak at that time of interior good which nobody can come to learn about and consequently know of as long as the delights belonging to self-love and love of the world reign, and to say that this good is what governs good spirits and angels, people would be bewildered as by something completely unknown or impossible. But in actual fact that good is immensely superior to the delights belonging to self-love and love of the world. For people ruled by self-love and love of the world do not know what charity and faith are, or what doing good without thought of reward is, or that one who does it has heaven within himself; and they think that if they are deprived of the delights belonging to those kinds of love no joy or life is left, when in fact that is just when heavenly joy begins, see 8037. From all this one may now see why the word 'man[na]' was used on account of its meaning What is it?
Latin(1748-1756) 8462
8462. `Man hoc? quia non sciverunt quid hoc': quod significet (x)ex non cognito, nempe obstupescentiam, {1}constat ex eo quod Man in sua lingua sit quid, ita non cognitum; quod inde panis qui datus est filiis Israelis in deserto, manna dictus sit, est quia panis ille significat bonum charitatis {2}quod gignitur per verum fidei; id bonum est prorsus incognitum homini ante regenerationem, et ne quidem {3}scitur quod detur; homo enim ante regenerationem credit quod praeter jucunda amoris sui et mundi, quae (t)vocat bona, nusquam dari queat bonum quod non inde sit, aut tale sit; si quis diceret tunc quod bonum interius sit, quod, quamdiu jucunda amoris sui et mundi dominantur, non ad apperceptionem venire potest, consequenter non ad cognitionem, et quod hoc bonum sit in quo sunt spiritus boni et angeli, tunc obstupescunt {4}sicut ad prorsus incognitum {5}, et sicut ad non dabile, cum tamen hoc bonum immensum transcendit jucunda {6}amoris sui et mundi; quod qui in {7}amoribus sui et mundi sunt non sciant quid charitas et fides, et quid bonum facere absque remuneratione, et quod hoc sit caelum in homine; et quod credant nihil gaudii (c)et vitae superesse, si privantur jucundis illorum amorum, cum tamen tunc gaudium caeleste incohat, videatur n. 8037; ex his nunc patet {8}(x)cur man dictum sit ex `quid hoc'. @1 Man enim in lingua originali significat quid hoc$ @2 qui$ @3 scit$ @4 quasi ad id quod$ @5 i est$ @6 amorum illorum$ @7 illis amoribus$ @8 unde nomen nam$