8788.“叫他们今天明天分别为圣”表遮盖这些人的内层，好叫他们现在和随后能出现在信仰的圣洁中。这从“分别为圣”的含义清楚可知。“分别为圣”是指安排他们，好叫他们表面上显得圣洁；由于这一切通过遮盖他们的内层实现，所以“分别为圣”也具有这种含义。“今天明天”表示现在和随后，这是显而易见的。可以简要解释一下此处是何情形。对犹太人来说，建在他们中间的教会并非一个教会，只是一个教会的代表。因为教会若要存在，对主的信，以及对主之爱和对邻之爱必须与那些属教会的人同住。这些美德构成教会。但它们并未与被称为“雅各”的百姓同住；因为这百姓不承认主，因而不愿听见对主的信，更不愿听见对祂的爱，甚至不愿听见对邻之爱。他们陷入自我之爱和尘世之爱，而这两种爱与爱主爱邻全然对立。这种秉性从这百姓的始祖开始就植根于他们。这就是为何教会不可能建在这百姓中间；他们所能做的，就是代表构成教会的事物。
当人们的敬拜集中在外在事物上，不过只集中在诸如与天上的事物相对应的那类事物上时，纯教会的代表就产生了。那时，外在事物用来代表内在事物，内在事物在天堂变得明显，这些人便因此与天堂相结合。因此，为叫以色列人能成为代表，尽管他们的内层缺乏对天堂的信和爱，甚至充满对自我和世界的爱，他们的内层被遮盖起来。这样他们那没有内在事物的外在事物就能传给灵人，并通过这些灵人传给天使。所以，他们的内在事物若没有被遮盖起来，就会敞开，变得明显；在这种情况下，代表就会灭亡，因为不洁之物（即污秽的思维和情感）就会爆发出来玷污它。这种遮盖在以色列人那里比在其他人那里更有可能，因为他们比其他人更崇敬外在事物；他们认为这些事物本身从本质上就是神圣的，甚至是神性。由此可见何谓“分别为圣”，即：遮盖这些人的内层，好叫他们能出现在信仰的圣洁中；然而，这不是为了他们自己，而是为了与他们同在的天使。关于这百姓和教会在他们中间的建立，可参看前面的说明（4208，4281，4288，4289，4293，4307，4314，4316，4317，4429，4433，4444，4459，4500，4844，4847，4865，4899，4911，4912，7048，7051，8588节）。他们中间的分别为圣无非是在外在事物上显得圣洁，因为他们自己没有任何神圣之物在里面；这一点从他们成圣的仪式，即献祭、洗礼、洒血和涂油可以看出来，它们不会以任何方式或丝毫不触及内在事物。
Potts(1905-1910) 8788
8788. And sanctify them today and tomorrow. That this signifies the veiling over of the interiors that they may appear in the holy of faith now and afterward, is evident from the signification of "sanctifying," as being to dispose that they appear to be in holiness in respect to what is external; and as this is effected by means of a veiling over of the interiors, therefore this is also understood by "sanctifying;" that "today and tomorrow" denote now and afterward is evident. How the case herein is may be briefly explained. The church instituted with the Jews was not a church in respect to them, but was only the representative of a church; for in order that there may be a church, there must be with the man of the church faith in the Lord, and also love to Him, and likewise love toward the neighbor. These make the church. But these were not with the people which was called "Jacob," for it did not acknowledge the Lord, and thus was not willing to hear about faith in Him, still less about love toward Him, nor even toward the neighbor; for it was in the love of self and the love of the world, which loves are utterly opposed to love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor. This disposition is inrooted in that people from their first parents. For this reason it is, that with that people no church could be set up, but only a representation of the things which are of the church.
[2] The church is represented when the man makes worship consist in external things, but in such as correspond to heavenly things. Then internal things are represented by the external ones, and the internal things are open in heaven, with which there is thus conjunction. In order therefore that the Israelitish people might be representative, although their interiors were devoid of the faith and love of heaven, and were even full of the love of self and of the world, these interiors were veiled over, and thus their external things could be communicated to spirits, and through them to the angels, without their internal things; whereas if their internal things had not been veiled over, these would have lain open, and then the representation would have perished, because unclean things would have burst forth and caused contamination. The Israelitish people above all others could be thus veiled over, because it, more than others, adored external things, and made holiness, and even what is Divine, consist in them. From this it can be seen what is meant by "sanctifying," namely, the veiling over of the interiors so that they may appear to be in the holiness of faith; yet not to themselves, but to the angels with them. (See what has been already shown concerning this people and concerning the institution of the church with it, n. 4208, 4281, 4288, 4289, 4293, 4307, 4314, 4316, 4317, 4429, 4433, 4444, 4459, 4500, 4844, 4847, 4865, 4899, 4911, 4912, 7048, 7051, 8588.) That sanctifications with them were nothing else than appearances of holiness in external things, and yet without anything holy appertaining to them, can be seen from the rites by means of which they were sanctified, namely, the sacrifices, the washings, the sprinklings of blood, the anointings, which do not touch internal things in the slightest degree.
Elliott(1983-1999) 8788
8788. 'And sanctify them today and tomorrow' means covering over their interiors in order that those people may appear now and subsequently in the holiness of faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'sanctifying' as arranging them so that outwardly they may appear in holiness; and since this is accomplished by covering over their interiors, 'sanctifying' has this meaning also. The fact that 'today and tomorrow' means now and subsequently is self-evident. What all this implies will be stated briefly. The Church established among the Jews was not, as regards the Jews themselves, the Church, only a representative of the Church For the Church to exist there must reside with those belonging to the Church faith in the Lord, and also love to Him, as well as love towards the neighbour These virtues make the Church. But they did not reside with the people who were called Jacob; for they did not acknowledge the Lord, and so did not wish to hear about faith in Him, let alone about love to Him or indeed about love towards the neighbour. They were ruled by self-love and love of the world, the kinds of love that are the complete opposites of love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour Such a disposition has been rooted in that people from their earliest forebears This is why no Church could be established among that people; all they could do was represent things that constitute the Church. Mere representation of the Church comes about when people's worship centres on external things, but only on such things as correspond to heavenly ones. External things then serve to represent internal, and the internal things are made evident in heaven, to which those people are consequently joined Therefore to make representation possible among the Israelite people, when interiorly they were devoid of the faith and love of heaven, indeed were full of self-love and love of the world, their interiors were covered over. Then their externals alone, without their internals, could be conveyed to spirits, and through these to angels. Consequently unless their internals had been covered over, internals too would have been made evident, in which case the representation would have been destroyed because foul [thoughts and affections] would have burst out and defiled it. Such a covering over was possible with that people more than with all the rest because they venerated external things more than others did; they thought that those things themselves were intrinsically holy, indeed Divine.
All this makes clear what one should understand by 'sanctifying', namely covering over their interiors in order that those people may appear in the holiness of faith, though not to themselves, only to the angels present with them. See what has been shown already about this people and the establishment of the Church among them, in 4208, 4281, 4288, 4289, 4293, 4307, 4314, 4316, 4317, 4429, 4433, 4444, 4459, 4844, 4847, 4865, 4899, 4911, 4912, 4500, 7048, 7051, 8588. The fact that sanctification among them amounted to no more than an appearance of holiness in externals, since they themselves had no holiness within them, becomes clear from the ceremonies by which they were sanctified, that is to say, by sacrifices, washings, sprinklings of blood, and anointings, which do not in any way whatever touch internal things.
Latin(1748-1756) 8788
8788. `Et sanctifica illos hodie et cras': quod significet obvelationem interiorum ut in (x)fidei sancto appareant nunc et postea, constat ex significatione `sanctificare' quod sit disponere ut in sancto (x)quoad externum appareant; et quia hoc fit per obvelationem interiorum, idcirco id per `sanctificare' etiam intelligitur; quod `hodie et cras sit nunc et postea, patet. Quomodo cum his se habet, paucis {1}dicetur: Ecclesia apud Judaeos instituta non fuit quoad illos Ecclesia sed modo repraesentativum Ecclesiae; ut enim Ecclesia sit, erit apud hominem Ecclesia fides in Dominum, et quoque amor in Ipsum, ut et amor erga proximum; haec faciunt Ecclesiam; sed haec non fuerunt apud populum qui Jacobus dictus est, nam ille nec agnovit Dominum, ita nec de fide (d)in Ipsum, minus de amore {2}in Ipsum, et ne quidem {3} erga proximum, audire voluit; erat enim in amore sui et in amore mundi, qui amores sunt prorsus oppositi amori in Dominum et amori erga proximum; tale {t}est irradicatum isti populo a primis eorum parentibus; inde est quod apud illum populum non (t)instaurari potuerit aliqua Ecclesia, sed modo repraesentari illa quae Ecclesiae; Ecclesia repraesentatur cum homo cultum ponit in externis, sed talibus quae correspondent caelestibus; tune {4} per externa repraesentantur interna, ac interna patent in caelo, cum quo sic conjunctio; ut itaque populus Israeliticus {5}posset repraesentare, {6}cum interiora eorum {7}essent absque fide et amore caeli, etiam plena amore sui et mundi, idcirco (x)illa obvelabantur; sic {4} potuerunt externa cum spiritibus et per illos cum angelis communicari absque internis; quare nisi interna fuissent obvelata, patuissent quoque interna, et tunc periisset repraesentativum, quia foeda erupissent et contaminassent; populus iste prae ceteris populis ita (x)obvelari potuit, quia externa plus quam alii, adoravit, (c)et in iis sanctum, immo Divinum, posuit. Ex his constare potest quid intelligitur per `sanctificare,' quod nempe sit obvelatio interiorum ut in fidei sancto appareant, sed non ipsis, verum angelis apud illos; videantur quae de hoc populo et de institutione Ecclesiae apud illum ostensa sunt prius, n. 4208, 4281, 4288, 4289, 4293, 4307, 4314, 4316, 4317, 4429, 4433, 4444, 4459, 4844, 4847, 4865, 4899, (t)4911, 4912, 4500, 7048, 7051, 8588. Quod sanctificationes apud illos non aliud fuerint quam apparentiae sancti in {8}externis, et tamen absque aliquo sancto {9}apud illos, constare potest a ritibus per quos sanctificabantur, nempe per sacrificia, {10} per lavationes, per aspersiones sanguinis, per unctiones, quae prorsus nihil tangunt interna. @1 dicitur IT$ @2 erga IT$ @3 i de amore$ @4 i enim$ @5 potuisset$ @6 quia$ @7 erant$ @8 externo$ @9 d apud illos i in ipsis$ @10 i tum$