9125.“贼挖洞若被抓”表如果并不清楚良善或真理正在被夺走。这从“挖洞”和“贼”的含义清楚可知：“挖洞”是指邪恶暗中行凶，当论及贼时，是指通过邪恶所生的虚假夺走良善或真理，以至于没有被发现，如下文所述；“贼”是指夺走良善和真理的人（参看5135，8906，9018，9020节），在抽象意义上是指被夺走的真理或良善。之所以说“在抽象意义上”，是因为看见圣言内义的天使从人那里抽象出来思考（5225，5287，5434，8343，8985，9007节）。就内义而言，圣言也以属灵的真实事物为对象，而不是以世俗物体为对象，不缩向人物和地方。
至于“挖洞”表示邪恶暗中行凶，当论及贼时，是指通过邪恶所生的虚假夺走良善或真理，以至于没有被发现，这一切从以下事实明显看出来：
此处在挖洞犯罪的小偷和下一节所说的太阳升起后犯罪的小偷之间作了区分。“挖洞”具有这种含义，这一点也可从圣言中提到它的经文清楚看出来，如耶利米书：
并且你的衣襟上有无辜穷灵魂的血，我不是因挖洞发现这些事，它们在各处都有。（耶利米书2:34）
这论及各种污秽的爱和由这些爱所产生的邪恶；“我不是因挖洞发现这些事”表示不是通过暗中调查发现它们；故经上说“它们在各处都有”，也就是说，它们随处可见。以西结书：
祂领我到院门口，我在那里观看，见墙上有个洞。祂对我说，你来挖墙。我一挖墙，见有一门。（以西结书8:7-8）
这论及以色列家暗中所行的可憎之事；“挖墙”表示暗中进入，看看他们在干什么。阿摩司书：
他们虽然挖透阴间，我的手必取出他们来；虽然爬上天去，我必拿下他们来。（阿摩司书9:2）
“挖透阴间”表示把自己藏在那里，因而藏在邪恶所生的虚假当中；“阴间”（即地狱）是指邪恶所生的虚假，因为这虚假在那里掌权。那里的虚假被称为“黑暗”，他们把自己藏在这黑暗里，躲避天堂之光；因为他们逃避天堂之光，这光是来自主的神性真理。约伯记：
奸夫的眼等候黄昏，说，必无眼能见我，就把脸蒙蔽。盗贼在黑暗里挖穿屋子，白天为自己作标记；他们不认识光明；他们看早晨如死荫，因为他们认识死荫的惊骇。（约伯记24:15-17）
此处“挖穿屋子”明显表示暗中掠夺他人财物；因为经上说“在黑暗里挖穿屋子”；他等候黄昏，不叫眼晴看见他；他把脸蒙蔽；不认识光明；以及他们看早晨如死荫。
“挖穿屋子”表示暗中夺走他人财物，这种用法起源于来世的代表。在来世，当天使们在谈论暗中毁灭良善的虚假时，这种毁灭在较低的层面，就是天使所谈论的东西以可见的形像显现的地方来代表时，就表现为挖墙。另一方面，当天使们在谈论真理靠近良善，并与它结合时，这种靠近就表现为一道敞开的门，人们可从这门进入。这就是为何出于神性说话，就是照着存在于天堂中的代表，照着对应说话的主在约翰福音中说：
我实实在在地告诉你们：人进羊圈，不从门进去，倒从别处爬进去，那人就是贼，就是强盗。从门进去的，才是羊的牧人。（约翰福音10:1-2）
路加福音：
这一点，是你们知道的：家主若知道贼什么时候来，就必警醒，不容他的房屋被挖透。（路加福音12:39）
此处“贼”是指通过虚假摧毁信之良善的人；“挖透房屋”是指暗中摧毁，因为这是在家主没有警醒的时候进行的。也正因如此，“像贼一样来”是指暗中来，因为他不是从门，而是从别处来的。如在启示录：
若不警醒，我必临到你那里，如同贼一样。我几时临到你那里，你也决不能知道。（启示录3:3）
又：
看哪，我来像贼一样；那儆醒的，有福了。（启示录16:15）
“来像贼一样”表示暗中、出乎意料地来。经上之所以用这种方式论及主，是因为它的意思是说，人里面的门因邪恶所生的虚假而关闭。
Potts(1905-1910) 9125
9125. If a thief be caught while digging through. That this signifies if it is not apparent that good or truth is being taken away, is evident from the signification of "digging through," as being the perpetration of evil in secret, and when it is said of a thief, as being the taking away of good or truth by falsity from evil so that it is not apparent (of which in what follows); and from the signification of "a thief," as being one who takes away good and truth (see n. 5135, 8906, 9018, 9020), and in the abstract sense, the truth or good that is taken away. It is said "in the abstract sense," because the angels, who are in the internal sense of the Word, think abstractedly from persons (n. 5225, 5287, 5434, 8343, 8985, 9007). Moreover, in this sense the Word has real things as objects, without determination to persons and places. [2] That "digging through" denotes the perpetration of evil in secret, and when said of a thief, the taking away of good or truth by falsity from evil so that it is not apparent, is evident from the fact that a distinction is here made between the theft effected by digging through, and that which is committed when the sun is risen (of which in the following verse). That "digging through" has this signification is also evident from the passages in the Word where it is mentioned, as in Jeremiah:
Also in thy skirts is found the blood of poor innocent souls. I have not found them in digging through, but they are upon them all (Jer. 2:34);
speaking of filthy loves and the evils from them; "I have not found them in digging through" denotes not by a search in secret; and therefore it is said "they are upon them all," that is, they appear everywhere. And in Ezekiel:
He brought me in to the door of the court, where I saw, and behold a hole in the wall. He said unto me, Come, dig through the wall; I therefore digged through the wall, when behold a door (Ezek. 8:7-8);
speaking of the abominations of the house of Israel which they wrought in secret; "to dig through the wall" denotes to enter in secretly, and to see what they are doing. In Amos:
Though they dig through into hell, thence shall My hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I cast them down (Amos 9:2);
"to dig through into hell" denotes to hide themselves there, thus in falsities from evil; for "hell" denotes falsity from evil, because this reigns there. The falsities there are called "darkness," within which they hide themselves from the light of heaven; for they flee from the light of heaven, which is Divine truth from the Lord. In Job:
The eye of the adulterer watcheth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me; and he putteth a covering on his face. In the dark he diggeth through houses, which they mark for themselves in the daytime; they acknowledge not the light; even so morning is to them the shadow of death; for they acknowledge the terrors of the shadow of death (Job. 24:15-17);
here "digging through houses" plainly means secretly plundering the goods of another; for it is said that "in the dark he diggeth through houses;" that "he watcheth for the twilight that no eye may see him;" that "he putteth a covering on his face;" that "he acknowledges not the light;" also that "the morning is to them the shadow of death." [3] That "digging through a house" denotes secretly taking away another's good, originates from the representatives in the other life. There, when the angels are conversing about falsity destroying good in secret, this is represented below, where angelic conversations are presented to the sight, by digging through a wall; and on the other hand, when the angels are conversing about truth coming to good, and conjoining itself with it, this is represented by an open door through which there is entrance. It is from this that the Lord, who because He spoke from the Divine, spoke according to the representatives that exist in heaven, and according to correspondences, says:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep (John 10:1-2). This know, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief would come, he would surely have watched, and would not have suffered His house to be digged through (Luke 12:39). Here also a "thief" denotes one who through falsities destroys the goods of faith; "to dig through a house" denotes to do this secretly, because it is done when the master of the house is not watching. From this also it is that "to come as a thief" denotes to come clandestinely, because not through the door, but by some other way, as in John:
Unless thou watchest, I will come upon thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know in what hour I will come upon thee (Rev. 3:3). Behold I come as a thief; blessed is he that watcheth (Rev. 16:15). "To come as a thief" denotes to come clandestinely and unexpectedly. The reason why this is so said by the Lord is that it is meant that the door with man is closed through the falsity of evil.
Elliott(1983-1999) 9125
9125. 'If a thief is caught digging through' means if it is not apparent that good or truth is being taken away. This is clear from the meaning of 'digging through' as perpetrating evil in concealment, and - when said of a thief - as taking away good or truth by means of falsity arising from evil so as not to be seen, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'a thief' as one who takes away good and truth, dealt with in 5135, 8906, 9018, 9020, and in the abstract sense as truth or good that has been taken away. The term 'abstract sense' is used because angels, who see the internal sense of the Word, think in abstraction from persons, 5225, 5287, 5434, 8343, 8985, 9007. The Word too in its internal sense has spiritual realities instead of worldly objects, without any narrowing down to persons or places.
[2] As regards the meaning of 'digging through' as perpetrating evil in concealment, and - when said of a thief - as taking away good or truth by means of falsity arising from evil so as not to be seen, all this is evident from the consideration that a distinction is drawn here between a theft committed by digging through and a theft committed when the sun has risen, spoken of in the next verse. That 'digging through' has this meaning is also clear from places in the Word in which the expression occurs, as in Jeremiah,
Yes, in your skirts the blood of poor innocent souls is found. I have found those things not by digging through but on them all. Jer 2:34.
This refers to foul kinds of love and the evils resulting from them. 'I have found those things not by digging through' stands for not discovering them by investigating secretly. Therefore it says those things are 'on them all', that is, they are visible everywhere. In Ezekiel,
He brought me to the door of the court, where I looked, and behold, a hole in the wall. He said to me, Dig, now, through the wall. I therefore dug through the wall, and behold, a door. Ezek 8:7, 8.
This refers to the abominations of the house of Israel which they performed secretly. 'Digging through the wall' means going in secretly and seeing what they do. In Amos,
If they dig through into hell, from there My hand will take them. Or if they mount up into heaven, from there I will throw them down. Amos 9:2.
'Digging through into hell' means hiding oneself there, and so among falsities arising from evil. Hell consists in falsity arising from evil, since that falsity reigns there. The falsities there are called darkness, within which they hide away from the light of heaven; for they flee from the light of heaven, which is Divine Truth from the Lord. In Job,
The eye of the adulterer watches for twilight, saying, No eye will see me. And he will put on a covering for his face. He digs througha houses in the darkness. In the daytime they mark [them] for themselves; they do not acknowledge the light. For the morning is the same to them as the shadow of death, since they acknowledge the terrors of the shadow of death. Job 24:15-17.
Here 'digging through houses' plainly stands for secretly plundering another's goods. For it says that 'he digs through houses in the darkness'; that he watches for twilight, so that no eye may see him; that he puts a covering on his face; they do not acknowledge the light; also that the morning is the shadow of death to them.
[3] The use of 'digging through a house' to mean secretly taking away another's good has its origin in representatives in the next life. There when angels are talking about falsity secretly destroying good, this destruction appears as the digging through of a wall when it is represented on a lower level, where the things angels talk about are manifested in visual images. On the other hand, when angels are talking about truth approaching good and linking itself to it, that approach is represented as an open door through which people enter. This is why the Lord, who spoke in accordance with representatives in heaven and in accordance with correspondences, says in John,
Truly, truly, I say to you, He who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. John 10:1, 2.
And in Luke,
Know this, that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming he would certainly have been awake and would not have permitted his house to be dug through.b Luke 12:39.
Here also 'the thief' is one who destroys forms of the good of faith by means of falsities. 'Digging through a house' means carrying out such destruction secretly, since it is done when the householder is not awake. So it is also that coming like a thief means coming without being recognized, because he does not come through the door but by some other way. In John,
If you are not awake I will come upon you like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. Rev 3:3.
And in the same book,
Behold, I am coming like a thief; blessed is he who is awake. Rev 16:15.
'Coming like a thief' means coming without being recognized and unexpectedly. The Lord is spoken of in such a way because the meaning is that the door in a person is closed by falsity arising from evil.
Latin(1748-1756) 9125
9125. `Si in perfossione deprehensus fuerit fur': quod (x)significet si non appareat quod bonum aut verum {1} auferatur, constat ex significatione `perfossionis' quod sit patratio mali in abscondito, et cum de fure dicitur, quod sit ablatio {2} boni aut veri per falsum ex malo ut non appareat, de qua sequatur; et ex significatione `furis' quod sit qui bonum et verum {3} aufert, de qua n. 5135, 8906, 9018, 9020, et in sensu abstracto verum aut bonum ablatum; in sensu abstracto dicitur, quia angeli, qui in sensu interno Verbi sunt, cogitant abstracte a personis, n. 5225, 5287, 5434, 8343, 8985, 9007; Verbum etiam in eo sensu res pro objectis habet absque determinatione ad personas et ad loca. [2] Quod `perfossio' sit patratio mali in abscondito, et cum de fure dicitur, quod sit ablatio boni aut veri per falsum ex malo ut non appareat, patet ex eo quod distinguatur hic inter furtum quod fit per perfossionem {4}, et inter furtum quod fit cum sol exortus est, de quo in versu sequente. Quod `perfossio' id sit, etiam constat ex locis in Verbo ubi dicitur, ut apud Jeremiam, Etiam in alis tuis inventi sunt sanguis animarum pauperum innocentium; non in perfossione inveni ea, sed super omnibus ea, ii 34;ibi de amoribus spurcis et inde malis; `non in perfossione inveni ea' pro non per investigationem in occulto, quare dicitur `super omnibus ea,' hoc est, quod ubivis appareant: apud Ezechielem, Introduxit me ad ostium atrii, ubi vidi, et ecce foramen unum in pariete; dixit ad me, Perfode, age, parietem; (o)perfodi itaque parietem, cum {5} ecce ostium unum, viii 7, 8;
ibi de abominationibus domus Israelis quas fecerunt in occulto; `perfodere parietem' est intrare in occulto et videre quid faciunt: apud Amos, Si perfoderint in infernum, inde manus Mea recipiet eos; sive ascenderint in caelum {6}, inde dejiciam illos, ix 2;
`perfodere in infernum' est abscondere se (o)ibi, ita in falsis a malo, nam infernum est falsum a malo, quia id regnat ibi; falsa (d)ibi vocantur tenebrae, intra quas a luce caeli se abscondunt, nam lucem caeli, quae est Divinum Verum a Domino, fugiunt: apud Hiobum {7}, Oculus adulteri observat crepusculum, dicendo, Non videbit me oculus; et velamen facierum ponet, perfodit in tenebris domos, interdiu designant sibi, non agnoscunt lucem; nam pariter mane illis umbra mortis, quia agnoscunt terrores umbrae mortis, xxiv 15-17;
hic manifeste `perfodere domos' pro diripere {8} alterius bona in occulto; dicitur enim `perfodit in tenebris domos,' quod `observet crepusculum, ne videat illum oculus,' quod `velamen facierum ponat, non (x)agnoscant lucem,' tum quod `mane sit illis umbra mortis.' [3] Quod `perfodere domum' sit auferre bonum alterius in occulto, ducit originem ex repraesentativis {9} in altera vita; ibi quando angelis est sermo de falso destruente bonum in (x)occulto, infra ubi sermones angelici sistuntur ad visum, repraesentatur id per `perfossionem parietis'; et vicissim quando angelis est sermo de vero accedente {10} ad bonum et conjungente se {11} ei, repraesentatur id per apertam januam, per quam {12} ingressus; inde est quod Dominus, Qui secundum repraesentativa in caelo, (o)et secundum correspondentias locutus est, quia ex Divino, dicat apud Johannem, Amen, amen, dico vobis, Qui non ingreditur per januam in caulam ovium sed ascendit aliunde, is est fur et latro; qui vero ingreditur per januam, pastor est ovium, x 1, 2:
et apud Lucam, Hoc scitote, quod si nosset paterfamilias qua hora fur venturus esset, vigilaturus utique esset, et non permissurus perfodi domum suam, xii (x)39;
`fur' hic quoque est qui per falsa destruit bona fidei, `perfodere domum' est in occulto id facere, quia fit quando paterfamilias non vigilat. Inde quoque est quod `venire sicut fur' sit venire incognito, quia non per januam sed aliunde: {13} apud Johannem, Nisi vigilaveris, veniam super te sicut fur, et non cognosces qua hora venturus sim super te, Apoc. iii 3:
et apud eundem, Ecce venio sicut fur; beatus qui vigilat, Apoc. xvi 15;
`venire sicut fur' est venire incognito et inexspectato; (m)quod de Domino ita dicatur, est quia intelligitur quod apud hominem janua sit clausa per falsum mali.(n) @1 verum aut bonum$ @2 i aut destructio$ @3 verum et bonum$ @4 in perfossione$ @5 et$ @6 coelos$ @7 Jobum$ @8 deripere IT$ @9 repraesentativis altered to repraesentationibus$ @10 cum verum accedit$ @11 appropriatur$ @12 i est$ @13 i ut$