904、“神对挪亚说话”表示主与该教会成员的同在，这从圣言的内义清楚看出来。主对每个人说话，因为凡人所意愿和思考的良善和真理都来自主。至少有两个恶灵和两位天使与每个人同在。恶灵激活他的邪恶，而天使则灌输良善和真理。天使所灌输的一切良善和真理都是主的；主以这种方式不断对人说话，只是与这个人说话迥然不同于与那个人说话。对那些让自己被恶灵带走的人来说，主说话时仿佛不在场，或离得太远，以至于几乎不能说祂在说话。但对那些正被主引领的人来说，祂如同一个完全在场的人那样说话。这一点从以下事实足以清楚看出来：没有人能思考任何良善和真理，除非从主。
主的同在取决于一个人爱邻舍和拥有信仰的程度。主就存在于对邻之爱里面，因为祂存在于一切良善中，而不是存在于没有爱的所谓信仰中。没有爱和仁的信是被割裂或分离之物。哪里有结合，哪里必有结合的媒介，这媒介只能是爱和仁。谁都能从以下事实清楚看出这一点：主怜悯每个人，爱每个人，希望让每个人永远幸福。因此，人若缺乏使他怜悯别人，爱他们，希望让他们幸福的那种爱，就无法与主结合，因为他一点也不像祂，决不是祂的形像。以信的名义仰望主，同时却又憎恨邻舍，等于不但站得远远的，而且在他自己与主之间还有一道地狱般的鸿沟；他若想再靠近一点，就会掉进这个鸿沟，因为正是对邻舍的憎恨构成了介于中间的地狱般的鸿沟。
一旦人开始爱邻舍，主就与他同在。主存在于爱中；人拥有爱到何等程度，主的同在就到何等程度；主的同在到何等程度，就在何等程度上对人说话。人只知道他从自己思考；殊不知，他并没有从自己获得一个思维观念，甚至没有获得一个观念的一丝一毫。相反，他通过恶灵从地狱获得邪恶和虚假，通过天使从主获得良善和真理。这就是流注，人的生命，因而其灵魂与身体的相互作用都经由这个渠道而来。从这一切考虑清楚可知“神对挪亚说话”表示什么。祂对某人说是一回事（如创世记1:29；3:13-14，17；4:6，9，15；6:13；7:1），而祂对某人说话是另一回事。此处祂“对挪亚说话”表示祂同在，因为现在论述的主题是重生之人，他已经被赋予仁爱。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]904. The symbolism of God spoke to Noah as the Lord's presence with the people of this church can be seen from the Word's inner meaning.
The Lord talks to every individual, because anything good or true that a person wills or thinks comes from the Lord. We each have at least two evil spirits and two angels with us. The evil spirits stir up our evils, but the angels inspire goodness and truth. Everything good or true that the angels inspire in us is the Lord's, so the Lord is constantly talking to us. He talks very differently, though, to one person than to another. With those who allow themselves to be swept up by evil spirits, the Lord speaks like one absent or far away, so that he can barely be said to speak at all. But with those whom he leads, the Lord speaks more directly. The fact that no one can ever think anything good or true except by the Lord's power makes this sufficiently clear.
[2] The degree of love we feel for our neighbor and of faith we have determines the extent to which the Lord can be described as present with us. The Lord is present in neighborly love because he is present in everything good, but he is not as present in so-called faith devoid of love. Faith without love and charity is a detached or disconnected thing. Wherever there is union, there must be a uniting medium, and the only uniting medium is love and charity.
Anyone can see this by considering that the Lord shows mercy to everyone, loves everyone, and wants to make everyone happy forever. As a result, those who lack sufficient love to have mercy on others, love them, and want to make them happy cannot unite with the Lord, because they are unlike him and are anything but his image.{*1} To gaze at the Lord through the lens of supposed faith and yet hate others is not only to stand far removed from the Lord, it is also to put a deep, hellish gulf between yourself and the Lord, a gulf you will fall into if you try to approach him. Hatred for other people is that intervening, hellish chasm.
[3] The Lord's presence with us first becomes possible when we love our neighbor. Within love is the Lord, and so far as we have love, the Lord is present. Moreover, so far as the Lord is present, he talks to us. We are unaware that it is not our own thinking, but not a single idea, not a single particle of an idea, originates in us. Whatever is evil and false we acquire from hell, through evil spirits, and whatever is good and true we acquire from the Lord, through angels. This is influx. It endows us with life and creates the link between our soul and our body.{*2} These things suggest what it means that God spoke to Noah. Saying something to a person (as he does in Genesis 1:29; 3:13-14, 17; 4:6, 9, 15; 6:13; 7:1) is different from speaking to someone.{*3} Speaking to Noah, here, is being present, because the current subject is the person reborn, who has received the gift of charitable feeling.
Footnotes:
{*1} "They are unlike him and are anything but his image" is an inverted echo of Genesis 1:26, which speaks of a person as God's likeness and image. [LHC]
{*2} For the meaning of "influx" here, see note 2 in 657. For the idea of influx in the contemporary debate about the interaction of the soul and the body, see note 2 in 196. [RS]
{*3} Swedenborg is drawing a distinction between two Hebrew verbs — דִּבֶּר (dibber), which appears in the clause "God spoke to Noah" in Genesis 8:15, and אָמַר ('āmar), which appears in all the verses listed here. Swedenborg uses the Latin verb loqui ("speak") for the former, and dicere ("say") for the latter. [LHC]
Potts(1905-1910) 904
904. And God spake unto Noah. That this signifies the presence of the Lord with the man of this church, is evident from the internal sense of the Word. The Lord speaks with every man, for whatever a man wills and thinks that is good and true, is from the Lord. There are with every man at least two evil spirits and two angels. The evil spirits excite his evils, and the angels inspire things that are good and true. Every good and true thing inspired by the angels is of the Lord; thus the Lord is continually speaking with man, but quite differently with one man than with another. With those who suffer themselves to be led away by evil spirits, the Lord speaks as if absent, or from afar, so that it can scarcely be said that He is speaking; but with those who are being led by the Lord, He speaks as more nearly present; which may be sufficiently evident from the fact that no one can ever think anything good and true except from the Lord. [2] The presence of the Lord is predicated according to the state of love toward the neighbor and of faith in which the man is. In love toward the neighbor the Lord is present, because He is in all good; but not so much in faith, so called, without love. Faith without love and charity is a separated or disjoined thing. Wherever there is conjunction there must be a conjoining medium, which is nothing else than love and charity, as must be evident to all from the fact that the Lord is merciful to everyone, and loves everyone, and wills to make everyone happy to eternity. He therefore who is not in such love that he is merciful to others, loves them, and wills to make them happy, cannot be conjoined with the Lord, because he is unlike Him and not at all in His image. To look to the Lord by faith, as they say, and at the same time to hate the neighbor, is not only to stand afar off, but is also to have the abyss of hell between themselves and the Lord, into which they would fall if they should approach nearer, for hatred to the neighbor is that infernal abyss which is between. [3] The presence of the Lord is first possible with a man when he loves the neighbor. The Lord is in love; and so far as a man is in love, so far the Lord is present; and so far as the Lord is present, so far He speaks with the man. Man knows no otherwise than that he thinks from himself, whereas he has not a single idea, nor even the least bit of an idea, from himself; but he has what is evil and false through evil spirits from hell, and what is good and true through angels from the Lord. Such is the influx with man, from which is his life and the interaction of his soul with the body. From these things it is evident what is meant by the words "God spake unto Noah." His "saying" to anyone means one thing (as Gen. 1:29; 3:13-14, 17; 4:6, 9, 15; 6:13; 7:1), and His "speaking" means another. Here, His speaking to Noah denotes being present, because the subject is now the regenerated man, who is gifted with charity.
Elliott(1983-1999) 904
904. That 'God spoke to Noah' means the Lord's presence with the member of the Church becomes clear from the internal sense of the Word. The Lord speaks to everybody, for whatever good and truth a person wills and thinks comes from the Lord. With everyone there are at least two evil spirits and two angels. The former activate his evils whereas the latter instill goods and truths. Every good or truth that angels instill is the Lord's; in this way the Lord is constantly speaking to man, though quite differently from one person to the next. To people who allow themselves to be carried away by evil spirits the Lord speaks as though He were not present, or so far away that He can hardly be said to be speaking. But to those who are being led by the Lord, the Lord speaks as one who is quite present. This becomes clear enough from the fact that nobody can possibly think of anything good and true except from the Lord.
[2] The Lord's presence is relative to the state of love towards the neighbour and of faith present in a person. It is in love towards the neighbour that the Lord is present, for He is present in all good, and not so much in so-called faith that is devoid of love. Faith devoid of love and charity is something severed or disjoined. Wherever conjunction exists there has to be a conjoining agency, which is exclusively love and charity. This may become clear to anyone from the fact that the Lord has compassion on everybody, loves everyone, and wishes to make everyone eternally happy. A person therefore who is devoid of the kind of love that leads him to have compassion on others, to love them, and to wish to make them happy, cannot be joined to the Lord because he is not at all like Him, and is in no sense the image of Him. Looking to the Lord by means of that which goes by the name of faith while hating the neighbour amounts not only to standing a long way off, but also to having between himself and the Lord a hell-like chasm into which the person would fall if he wished to go any nearer. For it is hatred towards the neighbour that constitutes that intervening hell-like chasm.
[3] The Lord is present with a person the moment he starts to love the neighbour. It is in love that the Lord is present, and to the extent that a person has love the Lord is present. And to the extent that the Lord is present He speaks to man. No one knows anything other than that he thinks from himself. Yet he possesses not one single idea of thought, not even the shred of an idea, from himself. Rather that which is evil and false he possesses through evil spirits from hell, and that which is good and true through angels from the Lord. Such is influx, the channel by which a person's life comes and by which consequently his soul interacts with the body. All these considerations make clear what 'God spoke to Noah' means. 'Saying to someone' means one thing, as in Gen 1:29; 3:13, 14, 17; 4:6, 9, 15; 6:13; 7:1, while 'speaking to someone' means another. Here speaking to Noah' means His being present, for the subject now is the regenerate person, who has had charity conferred on him.
Latin(1748-1756) 904
904. Quod 'locutus est Deus ad Noahum' significet Domini praesentiam apud hunc hominem Ecclesiae, constare potest ab interno sensu Verbi. Dominus cum unoquovis homine loquitur, nam quicquid est bonum et verum quod vult et cogitat homo, est a Domino: sunt apud unumquemvis hominem ad minimum bini spiritus mali et bini angeli; illi excitant mala ejus, hi autem inspirant bona et vera; omne bonum et veram quod angeli inspirant, est Domini, ita Dominus continue loquitur cum homine, sed prorsus aliter apud unum hominem quam apud alterum; cum illis qui se a spiritibus malis abduci patiuntur loquitur Dominus sicut absens seu e longinquo, vix ut dici queat quod loquatur; at cum illis qui a Domino ducuntur, loquitur Dominus praesentius; quod satis constare potest inde quod nusquam aliquis cogitare possit aliquid bonum et verum nisi a Domino; [2] praesentia Domini praedicatur secundum statum amoris erga proximum et fide in quo est homo; in amore erga proximum est Dominus praesens, quia in omni bono, non ita in fide, ut eam vocant, absque amore; fide absque amore et charitate est separatum quid, aut disjunctum; ubi cumque conjunctio, erit medium conjungens, quod solum est amor e charitas; cuivis hoc constare potest ex eo quod Dominus misereatur cujusvis et unumquemvis amet et unumquemvis felicem facere in aeternum vult; qui ergo non est in tali amore ut aliorum misereatur alios amet et illos felices facere velit, is non potest esse conjunctus Domino quia dissimilitudo, et nihil minus quam imago; intueri Dominum per fidem, ut aiunt, et (x)odisse proximum, est non solum longinquo stare, sed etiam inter se et Dominum habere profundum infernale, in quod caderet si propius accedere vellet; nam est odium contra proximum, profundum illud infernale quod est intermedium: [3] praesentia Domini apud hominem tunc primum datur cum amat proximum; in amore est Dominus; et quantum homo in amore, tantum est Dominus praesens; et quantum Dominus est praesens, tantum loquitur cum homine; homo nescit aliter quam quod cogitet ex se sed homo non unicam ideam cogitationis et ne quidem minimum idea habet a se, sed quod malum et falsum est, habet per malos spiritus ab inferno, et quod bonum et verum est, habet per angelos a Domino; talis est influxus, inde vita ejus et inde commercium ejus animae cum corpore. Ex his constare potest quid sit quod 'Deus locutus a Noahum'; aliud significat 'dicere ad aliquem,' ut Gen. i 29; (x)iii 13, 14, 17; iv 6, 9, 15; vi 13; vii 1; et aliud 'loqui ad aliquem'; hic 'loqui a Noahum' est praesens esse, quia nunc de regenerato homine agitur qui donatus charitate.