897、由于此处论述的主题是重生的古教会成员，所以“看”表示承认和有信。“看（译注：经上或译为看见、观看等）”具有这种含义，这一点从圣言清楚看出来；如以赛亚书：
你不仰望作成这事的，也不看远古以来形成这事的。（以赛亚书22:11）
这论及锡安城；“不看远古以来形成这事的”是指不承认，更不用说有信了。同一先知书：
要使这百姓心蒙脂油，耳朵发沉，将他们的眼涂抹掉，免得他们眼睛看见，耳朵听见，心里明白，回转过来，便得医治。（以赛亚书6:10）
“眼睛看见”表示承认和有信。又：
在黑暗中行走的百姓看见了大光。（以赛亚书9:2）
这论及接受信的外邦人，就像本节论到挪亚的话一样，即：“他移开盖观看”。又：
当那日，聋子必听见这书上的话；瞎子的眼，必从幽暗和黑暗中看见。（以赛亚书29:18）
这论及外邦人皈依信仰，“看见”表示接受信。又：
你们这耳聋的，听吧，你们这眼瞎的，看吧，好看得见。（以赛亚书42:18）
此处意思一样。以西结书：
他们有眼可看却看不见，有耳可听却听不见，因为他们是悖逆之家。（以西结书12:2）
这表示那些能理解、承认、有信，却不愿意这样做的人。“看”表示有信，这一点从旷野中的铜蛇代表主很清楚地看出来，当时，凡看它的人都得了医治；论到这铜蛇，摩西五经上说：
你制造一条火蛇，把它挂在杆子上，凡被咬的，一看这蛇，就必存活。事就这样发生了，若蛇咬了人，那人一望这铜蛇，就活了。（民数记21:8-9）
谁都能从这段经文看出，“看”表示信，因为在这个例子中，“看”除了代表对主的信之外，还能代表什么呢？这一点从以下事实看得也很清楚：流便，就是雅各的长子，因“看见”而得名，“看见”在内义上表示信（可参看前面关于教会头生的或长子的论述，352，367节）。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]897. Since the subject here is regenerate people in the ancient church, looking [or seeing] symbolizes acknowledging and believing. This symbolism can be seen in the Word. In Isaiah, for instance:
You have not looked to its maker, and the one who formed it from long ago you have not seen. (Isaiah 22:11)
This is about the city of Zion. Not seeing the one who formed it from long ago is failing to acknowledge him, still less to put faith in him. In the same author:
Make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavy and smear over their eyes, to prevent them from seeing with their eyes and hearing with their ears and understanding in their heart and turning and being healed. (Isaiah 6:9-10)
Seeing with the eyes stands for acknowledging and believing. In the same author:
The people walking in darkness have seen great light. (Isaiah 9:2)
This is about nations that had received the faith. It is like the current verse where it says "he removed the roof and saw." In the same author:
On that day, the deaf will hear the words of the Book, and out of the darkness and out of the shadows the eyes of the blind will see. (Isaiah 29:18)
This is about the conversion of the nations to the faith. Seeing stands for embracing the faith. In the same author:
You who are deaf, listen! And you who are blind, look and see! (Isaiah 42:18)
The meaning is similar.
[2] In Ezekiel:
... who have eyes to see and do not see, who have ears to hear and do not hear, because they are a rebellious house. (Ezekiel 12:2)
These words mean, "who are able to understand, acknowledge, and believe, but do not wish to."
The representation of the Lord by the bronze serpent in the wilderness provides clear evidence that seeing symbolizes believing, since everyone who looked at it was cured. Moses describes it this way:
"Put the snake on a pole, and it will happen that all who have been bitten and see it will live." It happened that if a snake bit a man and he looked at the bronze snake, he lived. (Numbers 21:8-9)
From this everyone can see that looking or seeing symbolizes faith. What could seeing in this passage be if not an act representing faith in the Lord?
Another conclusion from this is that on an inner level, Jacob's firstborn — Reuben, whose name comes from a word for seeing{*1} — symbolizes faith. See earlier remarks concerning the church's firstborns at 352 and 367.
Footnotes:
{*1} Swedenborg here is accepting the biblical association of the name רְאוּבֵן (rǝ'ûḇēn), or "Reuben," with the verb רָאָה (rā'ā), "to see." See Genesis 29:32: "And Leah conceived and bore a son and called his name Reuben, because she said, ‘Jehovah has seen my affliction, for now my husband will love me.'" [RS]
Potts(1905-1910) 897
897. In this place, the subject being the man of the Ancient Church when regenerated, by "seeing" is signified acknowledging and having faith. That "seeing" has this signification is evident from the Word; as in Isaiah:
Ye looked not unto the Maker thereof, and the Former thereof from afar ye have not seen (Isa. 22:11), speaking of the city of Zion; "not to see the Former from afar" is not to acknowledge, still less to have faith. Again: Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and smear over their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and their heart should understand, and turn again, and be healed (Isa. 6:10);
"to see with their eyes" denotes acknowledging and having faith. Again:
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light (Isa. 9:2), said of the Gentiles who received faith; as it is here said of Noah, that he "removed the covering and saw." Again:
And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the Book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of thick darkness and out of darkness (Isa. 29:18), speaking of the conversion of the Gentiles to faith; "to see" denotes to receive faith. Again:
Hear, ye deaf and look, ye blind, that ye may see (Isa. 42:18), where the meaning is similar. In Ezekiel:
Who have eyes to see, and see not, who have ears to hear, and hear not; for they are a rebellious house (Ezek. 12:2), meaning who can understand, acknowledge, and have faith, and yet will not. That "to see" signifies to have faith, is evident from the representation of the Lord by the brazen serpent in the wilderness, on seeing which all were healed; as in Moses:
Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a standard; and it shall come to pass that everyone that is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live; and it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked unto the serpent of brass, he lived (Num. 21:8, 9);
from which passage everyone can see that "to see" signifies faith; for what would seeing avail in this case, except as a representative of faith in the Lord? Hence also it is evident that Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, being so called from "seeing" signifies in the internal sense faith. (See what was said before about the firstborn of the church, n. 352, 367.)
Elliott(1983-1999) 897
897. The subject here being the regenerate member of the Ancient Church, 'seeing means acknowledging and possessing faith. That 'seeing' has this meaning becomes clear from the Word, as in Isaiah,
You did not look to the Maker of it, and Him who fashioned it long ago you did not set. Isa 21:11.
This refers to the city of Zion. 'Not seeing Him who fashioned it long ago' means not even acknowledging, let alone possessing faith. In the same prophet,
Make the heart of this people fat and their ears heavy, and plaster over their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and their heart understands and they turn again and are healed. Isa 6:10.
'Seeing with the eyes' stands for acknowledging and possessing faith. In the same prophet, The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. Isa 9:2.
This refers to gentiles who received faith, as does the present verse which says that 'he removed the covering, and saw out'. In the same prophet,
On that day the deaf will hear the words of a book, and out of thick darkness and out of darkness the eyes of the blind will see Isa 19:18.
This refers to the conversion of gentiles to faith. 'Seeing' stands for receiving faith. In the same prophet,
Hear, you deaf, look and see, you blind. Isa 41:18.
Here the meaning is similar. In Ezekiel,
They have eyes to see but they see not; they have ears to hear but they hear not because they are a rebellious house. Ezek 12:2.
This stands for people who are capable of understanding, acknowledging, and possessing faith but who do not wish to. That 'seeing' means possessing faith is quite clear from the representation of the Lord by the bronze serpent in the wilderness when everyone who beheld it would be healed, and of which it is said in Moses,
Set a serpent on a standard, and it will happen that everyone who has been bitten, when he sees it, will live So it happened, if a serpent had bitten a man, when he saw the serpent of bronze, that he lived. Num 21:8, 9.
Anyone may see from this that 'seeing' means faith, for what else can 'seeing' be in this instance than something representative of faith in the Lord? This point is clear also from the fact that Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, who was given that name from the word 'seeing', in the internal sense means faith. See what has been stated already about the firstborn of the Church in 352 and 367.
Latin(1748-1756) 897
897. Hic quia agitur de homine Antiquae Ecclesiae regenerato, significatur per 'videre,' agnoscere et fidem habere; quod 'videre' haec (x)significet, constare potest ex Verbo; ut apud Esaiam, Non spectastis ad factorem illius, et formatorem illius e longinquo non vidistis, xxii 11;de civitate Zionis; 'formatorem e longinquo non videre' est non agnoscere, minus fidem habere: apud eundem, Impingua cor populi hujus, et aures ejus aggrava, ac oculos ejus obline, ne forte videat oculis suis et auribus suis audiat, et cor ejus intelligat et convertatur, et sanetur ei, vi 10;
'oculis videre' pro agnoscere et fidem habere: apud eundem, Populus ambulantes in tenebris viderunt lucem magnam, ix 2;
de gentibus quae fidem acceperunt; similiter ac hic, 'removit tectum, et vidit': apud eundem, Audient in die illo surdi verba libri, et e caligine et e tenebris oculi caecorum videbunt, xxix 18;
de conversione gentium ad fidem; 'videre' pro fidem accipere: apud eundem, Surdi audite, et caeci spectate videndo, xlii 18; similiter: apud Ezechielem, Quibus oculi ad videndum et non vident; quibus aures ad audiendum et non audiunt quia domus rebellionis illi, xii 2;
pro qui intelligere, agnoscere, et fidem habere possunt et non volunt. Quod 'videre' significet fidem habere constat manifeste ex repraesentatione Domini per serpentem aeneum in deserto, quod sanarentur omnes qui viderent illum, de quo apud Mosen, Pone serpentem super signum, et fiet omnis morsus, et viderit illum, et vivet;... factum est, si momordit serpens virum, et vidit ad serpentem aeris, et vixit, Num. xxi 8, 9;
ex quo quisque videre potest quod 'videre' significet fidem, nam quid ibi videre nisi repraesentativum fidei in Dominum? Inde quoque constat quod primogenitus Jacobi, Reuben, a videndo ita vocatus, significet in sensu interno fidem; videantur quae prius dicta de primogenitis Ecclesiae, n. 352 et 367.