865、“他放出一只乌鸦，乌鸦出去，飞来飞去”表示虚假仍制造麻烦。这从接下来所论述的“乌鸦”和“飞来飞去”的含义清楚可知。此处描述的是要重生的人经历试探后的第二个状态，这时，信之真理像第一缕微光那样开始出现。这是一种虚假不断制造麻烦的状态，所以它类似于朦胧的夜色仍挥之不去时的曙光。故这种状态在此用“乌鸦”来表示。与属灵人同住的虚假，尤其在他重生之前，就像一片片厚厚的乌云。原因在于，他若不藉着圣言所揭示的事物，就不能知道任何信之真理；而圣言是以一种概括性的方式来阐述一切事物的；概述无非是片片云朵，因为每一个概述都包含成千上万个个体概念，而每个个体概念又包含成千上万个细节。构成个体概念的细节，就是那照亮概述的。这些从未揭示给人类，因为它们既无法描述，也无法理解，因而既不能被承认，也不能被相信。事实上，它们与支配人，并且人不会轻易同意被摧毁的感官幻觉相反。
属天人则完全不同，他从主获得感知，因为个体概念和这些概念的细节能被植入他。例如：真正的婚姻是一个男人与一个妻子的婚姻；这种婚姻代表了天上的婚姻，所以天上的幸福能在这样的婚姻中，但永远不可能在一个男人与数个妻子的婚姻中。属灵人从主的圣言知道这一点，默认它，从而获得一种良心，这种良心指示娶数个妻子是一种罪。但他的认识仅止于此。然而，属天人却感知到确认这一点的成千上万个细节，以致他一想到娶多个妻子，就不寒而栗。由于属灵人只知道大概，并且他的良心由这些大概知识形成，还由于圣言的概述适应感官幻觉，所以显而易见，无法被驱散的无数虚假会附着在他们身上，慢慢钻进去。这些虚假在此用“乌鸦出去，飞来飞去”来表示。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]865. The meaning of he sent out a raven, and it went out, going and coming back, as the fact that falsity still troubled them can be seen from the symbolism of a raven and of going and coming back, discussed below.
This describes the second state following times of trial for a person who is regenerating. In it, the truths that faith espouses, representing the first points of light, start to appear. Conditions are such that falsity constantly interferes, making the period resemble dawn with its half-light, which overlaps the lingering dark of night. That is why it is symbolized by a raven here.{*1} In spiritual people, especially before they have been reborn, falsity is like dense patches of cloud, because they cannot learn any religious truth except from information that the Word reveals, and the Word states everything in a general way. Generalities are nothing but splotches of cloud, since every general statement embraces thousands upon thousands of individual concepts and every individual concept embraces thousands upon thousands of particulars. The details making up the individual concepts are what shed light on the general ideas. Such details are never revealed to humankind, both because they cannot be described and because we cannot grasp them and so cannot acknowledge or believe them. They run contrary to the illusions of our senses, which we surrender to and do not easily allow to be destroyed.
[2] The case is entirely different with heavenly people, who receive perception from the Lord. It is possible to introduce the individual concepts and the particulars of those concepts to them. For example, it is possible to instill in them the idea that true marriage involves one husband and one wife, that it represents the heavenly marriage, and that such a marriage therefore can hold heavenly happiness within it, which the marriage between one man and many wives never can. Spiritual people who have learned this from the Lord's Word yield to it, so they accept as a matter of conscience that polygamous marriage is a sin. Beyond this their knowledge does not extend. Heavenly people, though, perceive a thousand arguments confirming it and shudder at the idea of contracting marriage with multiple partners.{*2} Since spiritual people possess only general knowledge, and this is what forms their conscience, and since the general teachings of the Word are adapted to sensory illusions, clearly numberless misconceptions attach themselves to such teachings and seep in among them. These misconceptions cannot be done away with. They are symbolized by the raven that went out, going and coming back.
Footnotes:
{*1} As Swedenborg no doubt knew, the raven has had ambiguous connotations in the Western tradition, some of them derived from its color (see 866), some from its behavior as it was released from the ark, for reasons Swedenborg gives. Occasionally it symbolizes the Devil himself. Augustine interpreted its cry as indicating the onomatopoetic "Cras! Cras!" (Latin for "Tomorrow! Tomorrow!"), representing the sinner who puts off repentance till tomorrow (Charbonneau-Lassay 1991, 238-239). [RS]
{*2} This brief rejection of polygamy (compare 162) is amplified in later passages such as Heaven and Hell 379 and Marriage Love 332-356. [SS]
Potts(1905-1910) 865
865. And he sent forth a raven, and it went forth, going and returning. That by this is signified that falsities still made disturbance, is evident from the signification of a raven and of "going forth, going and returning" concerning which more will be said hereafter. In this passage is described the second state of the man who is to be regenerated, after temptation, when the truths of faith, like the first dawning of light, begin to appear. Such is the nature of this state that falsities are continually making disturbance, so that it resembles the morning twilight, while somewhat of the obscurity of night still remains, as is here signified by a "raven." Falsities with the spiritual man, especially before his regeneration, are like the dense spots of a cloud. The reason is that he can know nothing of the truth of faith except from what is revealed in the Word, where all things are stated in a general way; and generals are but as the spots of a cloud, for every general comprehends in it thousands and thousands of particulars, and each particular thousands and thousands of singulars, all generals being illustrated by the singulars of the particulars. These have never been so revealed to man, because they are both indescribable and inconceivable, and so can neither be acknowledged nor believed in; for they are contrary to the fallacies of the senses in which man is, and which he does not easily permit to be destroyed. [2] It is altogether otherwise with the celestial man, who possesses perception from the Lord; for in him particulars and singulars of particulars can be insinuated. For example: that true marriage is that of one man with one wife; and that such marriage is representative of the heavenly marriage, and therefore heavenly happiness can be in it, but never in a marriage of one man with a plurality of wives. The spiritual man, who knows this from the Word of the Lord, acquiesces in it, and hence admits as a matter of conscience that marriage with more wives than one is a sin; but he knows no more. The celestial man however perceives thousands of things which confirm this general, so that marriage with more wives than one excites his abhorrence. As the spiritual man knows generals only, and has his conscience formed from these, and as the generals of the Word have been accommodated to the fallacies of the senses, it is evident that innumerable falsities, which cannot be dispersed, will adjoin and insinuate themselves into them. These falsities are here signified by "the raven which went forth, going and returning."
Elliott(1983-1999) 865
865. That 'he sent out a raven, and it went out going back and forth' means that falsities were still giving trouble is clear from the meaning of 'a raven' and from the meaning of 'going back and forth', dealt with in the paragraphs following this. Here the description is of the second state following temptation of the person who is to be regenerated, when the truths of faith start to appear as a first glimmer of light. This is the kind of state in which falsities are continually giving trouble. It is a state resembling the morning twilight when the obscurity of the night is still lingering on. That state is therefore meant here by 'the raven'. The falsities residing with a spiritual man, especially before he has been regenerated, are as thick patches of cloud, the reason being that he is incapable of knowing any truth of faith except from things that have been revealed in the Word where all things are stated in a general way. General statements there are nothing else than patches of cloud, for any one general statement embraces thousands of details, and each detail thousands of finer points. Those finer points constituting details are what light up the general statements. These have never been so revealed to mankind because they are both indescribable and also in-comprehensible, and so can neither be acknowledged nor believed. In fact they are contrary to the illusions of the senses which govern man, and to whose destruction he does not readily consent.
[2] The case is altogether different with the celestial man, who has perception from the Lord. In him details and their finer points can be implanted. Take, for example, the consideration that true marriage is a marriage of one man and one wife; and that such a marriage is representative of the heavenly marriage, and as a consequence can contain heavenly happiness, something that is not possible when one man has several wives. The spiritual man, who knows of this from the Word of the Lord, gives his assent to it and so acquires a conscience which dictates that being married to several wives is a sin. Beyond this his knowledge does not go. The celestial man however perceives thousands of details which so confirm the point that the thought of marriage to several makes him shudder. When the spiritual man's knowledge amounts to simply a general view of things, and his conscience is formed from that general view, and when the general statements of the Word are adapted to the illusions of the senses, it is clear that countless falsities which cannot be dispersed will attach themselves and worm their way in. These falsities are meant here by 'the raven that went out going back and forth'.
Latin(1748-1756) 865
865. Quod 'emisit corvum, et exivit exeundo et redeundo' significent quod falsitates adhuc interturbarent, constat a significatione 'corvi' et a significatione 'exire et redire,' de quibus in sequentibus: describitur hic secundus status hominis regenerandi post tentationem, quando vera fidei, ut prima lucis, incipiunt apparere; qui status talis est quod falsitates jugiter interturbent, sic ut sit status qualis crepusculi {1} matutini dum adhuc obscurum ex nocte manet, quare hic significatur per 'corvum': falsitates apud spiritualem hominem, imprimis antequam regeneratus est, se habent sicut densae maculae nubis; causa est quia nihil veri fidei potest scire nisi ex revelatis in Verbo, ubi omnia communiter dicta sunt; communia non sunt nisi quam maculae nubis; nam unumquodvis commune in se comprehendit mille et mille particularia, et unumquodvis particulare mille et mille singularia; particularium singularia sunt quae illustrant communia; haec nusquam ita revelata sunt homini, tam quod non describi possint quam quod non capi, ita non agnosci et credi, sunt enim contraria fallaciis sensuum in quibus homo, quas destrui non facile admittit: aliter prorsus se habet cum homine caelesti, qui habet perceptionem a Domino; ei possunt particularia et particularium singularia insinuari; ut exempli causa, quod verum conjugium sit unius viri et unius uxoris, et quod tale conjugium sit repraesentativum conjugii caelestis, proinde quod in tali conjugio possit esse felicitas caelestis, nusquam in conjugio viri cum pluribus uxoribus; homo spiritualis, qui ex Verbo Domini hoc scit, acquiescit et inde accipit conscientiam quod conjugium cum pluribus uxoribus sit peccatum; plus non novit: at homo caelestis percipit millia quae confirmant sic ut abhorreat matrimonium cum pluribus. Cum homo spiritualis modo communia scit, et ex communibus formatur ejus conscientia, et communia Verbi accommodata 'sunt fallaciis sensuum, constat quod innumerae falsitates se adjungant, ut et se insinuent, quae non discuti possunt: hae falsitates hic significantur per 'corvum, qui exivit eundo et redeundo.' @1 crepusculus usually refers to 'evening twilight.' S. generally employs diluculus for 'morning light,' as in n. 883, 2405, 5579, etc.$