915、“挪亚出来了”表示事就这样成了；“挪亚和他的儿子”表示古教会成员；“与他一起的妻子和儿媳”表示教会本身。这从一系列事件清楚可知，这些事表明古教会以这种方式形成，因为这些话是对前文的一个总结。在圣言中，当描述教会时，经上要么用“男人（man，vir）和妻子”来描述，要么用“人（man，homo）和妻子”来描述；当用男人（vir）和妻子”来描述时，“男人（man，vir）”表示理解力部分或真理，而“妻子”表示意愿部分或良善；当用“人（man，homo）和妻子”来描述时，“人（man，homo）”表示爱之良善或爱，“妻子”表示信之真理或信；因此，“人（man，homo）”表示教会的本质要素，“妻子”表示教会本身。这适用于整部圣言。此处，由于到目前为止，所论述的主题一直是当上古教会即将灭亡时，一个新教会的形成，所以“挪亚和他的儿子”表示古教会成员，“与他一起的妻子和儿媳”表示教会本身。这就是为何此处提到他们的顺序不同于前面16节的。在16节，经上说：“你和你的妻子，你的儿子、儿媳都要同你出方舟”，其中“你”和“妻子”是联结在一起的，“儿子”和“儿媳”是联结在一起的；因此，“你”和“儿子”表示真理，“妻子”和“儿媳”表示良善。然而，在18节，他们不是按这种顺序出场的，原因在于，“他和他的儿子”表示教会成员，“他的妻子和儿媳”表示教会本身，如前所述。事实上，这是对前文的总结。构成古教会的，不是挪亚，而是他的儿子闪、含、雅弗，如前所述（773，788节）。因为这三个教会可以说形成了这个古教会，对此，蒙主的神性怜悯，容后再述。这些教会作为被称为“挪亚”的这一个教会的后代出现，这就是为何此处说“你和你的儿子”，以及“你的妻子和儿媳”。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]915. Noah and his sons means the people of the ancient church, went out means came into being, and his wife and his sons' wives means the church itself. This meaning is indicated by the story line, which suggests that the ancient church therefore came into existence, since these words are final ones, summing up all that came before.
When the Word describes the church, it uses either the phrase man and wife or the phrase a human and his wife.{*1} When it uses man and wife, the man symbolizes an element of the intellect, or something true, while the wife symbolizes an element of the will, or something good. When it uses a human and his wife, the human symbolizes the good that love embraces, or love, while the wife symbolizes the truth that faith espouses, or faith. So the human symbolizes the core quality of the church, while the wife symbolizes the church itself. This comes up over and over in the Word.
Since up to this point the text has been speaking of the formation of a new church upon the death of the earliest church, Noah and his sons here symbolize the people of the ancient church, while his wife and his sons' wives with him symbolize the church itself. For this reason, the order of the phrases here differs from that of verse 16, which says, "Go out, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you." This links you with wife, and sons with sons' wives, so that you and sons symbolize truth, while your wife and your sons' wives symbolize good. In the current verse, though, the order is not the same, for the reason (as stated) that he and his sons symbolizes the people of the church while his wife and his sons' wives symbolizes the church itself. The clause is a conclusion to all that came before.
It was not Noah who constituted the ancient church but his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, as noted before [773, 788]. In a sense, there were three churches that formed this ancient church, about which I will say more below, by the Lord's divine mercy.{*2} These churches came forward as if born from a single church — the one called Noah. That is why the present verse says Noah and his sons and then his wife and his sons' wives.
Footnotes:
{*1} Swedenborg is referring to the Hebrew word אִישׁ ('îš) when he speaks of a "man" here and to the word אָדָם ('āḏām) when he speaks of a "human," and Genesis 2 has several examples of each. See the translation of Genesis 2:22-25 in this volume (after 130), where the distinction between the two words is preserved. See also note 1 in 701 on the text of Genesis 7:2, and note 1 in 40. [LHC]
{*2} For more on these churches, see, for example, 975, 1062, 1083. [LHC]
Potts(1905-1910) 915
915. That by his "going forth" is signified that it was so done; that by "Noah and his sons" is signified the man of the Ancient Church; and that by "his wife and his sons' wives" is signified that church itself, is evident from the series of the things, which involves that thus was the Ancient Church formed, for these are the last or closing statements to what has gone before. When the church is described in the Word, it is described either by "man [vir] and wife" or by "man [homo] and wife;" when by "man [vir] and wife" by "man" is signified what is of the understanding, or truth, and by "wife" what is of the will, or good; when by "man [homo] and wife" by "man" is signified the good of love, or love, and by "wife" the truth of faith, or faith, thus by "man [homo]" is signified what is essential of the church, and by "wife" the church itself. It is so throughout the Word. In this place, because up to this point the formation of a new church has been treated of, on the perishing of the Most Ancient Church, by "Noah and his sons" is signified the man [homo] of the Ancient Church, and by his "wife and his sons' wives with him" that church itself. Here therefore they are named in an order different from that in the previous verse (16), where it is said: "Go forth from the ark, thou and thy wife, and thy sons and thy sons' wives with thee" where "thou" and "thy wife" are joined together, and "thy sons" and "thy sons' wives" and thus by "thou" and "sons" is signified truth, and by "wife" and "sons' wives" good. But in the verse we are now considering the order is different, for the reason, as we have said, that by "thou and thy sons" is signified the man of the church, and by "his wife and his sons' wives" the church itself, since it is the conclusion to what goes before. Noah did not constitute the Ancient Church, but his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, as said before. For three churches, so to speak, formed this Ancient Church, concerning which, of the Lord's Divine mercy hereafter. And these churches came forth as the offspring of one, which is called "Noah;" hence it is here said, "thou and thy sons" and also "thy wife and thy sons' wives."
Elliott(1983-1999) 915
915. 'He went out' means that this did in fact happen. 'Noah and his sons means the member of the Ancient Church; and 'his wife and his sons' wives' means the Church itself. This is clear from the train of thought, which implies that in this way the Ancient Church came into being, for these words form an end or conclusion to what goes before them. When the Church is being described in the Word it is described either as 'husband (vir) and wife' or as 'man (homo) and wife'. When it is husband and wife 'husband' means the understanding part, which is truth, and 'wife' the will part, which is good. And when man and wife is used 'man' means love, or good that stems from love, and 'wife' faith, or the truth of faith. 'Man' accordingly means the essential element of the Church, 'wife' the Church itself. This applies throughout the Word. Here, since the subject up to now has been the forming of a new Church while the Most Ancient Church was dying out, 'Noah and his sons' means the member of the Ancient Church, and 'his wife and his sons' wives with him' the Church itself. This is why they are here referred to in a different order from what they were in verse 16 previously. In that verse, where it is said, 'Go out, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you', 'you' and 'wife' are coupled together, as are 'sons' and 'your sons' wives'. Consequently 'you' and 'sons' mean truth, and 'wife' and 'sons' wives' good. In this verse 18 however they do not come in the same order, the reason being, as has been stated, that 'you and sons' means the member of the Church, and 'his wife and his sons' wives' the Church itself. It in fact forms the conclusion to what goes before it. It was not Noah but his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth who constituted the Ancient Church, as stated already. For three Churches in a sense formed this Ancient Church, which will in the Lord's Divine mercy be dealt with later on. These Churches emerged as offspring of the one Church called Noah, and this is why the expressions 'you and your sons', and then 'your wife and sons' wives' are used here.
Latin(1748-1756) 915
915. Quod 'exivit' significet quod ita factus, quod per 'Noahum et filios ejus' significetur homo Antiquae Ecclesiae, et per 'uxorem ejus, et uxores filiorum ejus' significetur ipsa Ecclesia, ex rerum serie constat, quae talis, quod sic facta sit Ecclesia Antiqua, nam haec sunt ultima seu clausula praecedentium: cum describitur Ecclesia in Verbo, vel per 'virum et uxorem' vel per 'hominem et uxorem' describitur; cum per virum et uxorem, significatur per 'virum' intellectuale seu verum, et per 'uxorem' voluntarium seu bonum; cum per hominem et uxorem, significatur per 'hominem' bonum amoris seu amor, et per 'uxorem' verum fidei, seu fides; ita per 'hominem' essentiale Ecclesiae, per 'uxorem' ipsa Ecclesia; ita passim in Verbo: hic quia huc usque actum est de formatione novae Ecclesiae, pereunte Antiquissima, per 'Noahum et filios ejus' significatur homo Antiquae Ecclesiae, et per 'uxorem ejus et uxores filiorum ejus cum illo' ipsi Ecclesia; quare hic alio ordine dicuntur quam in vers. Praec. 16: ibi, 'Exi tu et uxor tua, et filii tui, et uxores filiorum tuorum tecum,' ubi tu et uxor conjungitur, ac filii et uxores filiorum tuorum, et sic per 'tu ac filios' significatur verum, et per 'uxorem et uxores filiorum' bonum; hic autem non tali ordine, ex causa, ut dictum, quia per 'tu et filios' significatur homo Ecclesiae, ac per 'uxorem ejus et uxores filiorum ejus," ipsa Ecclesia; est enim clausula praecedentium. Antiquam Ecclesiam non constituit Noahus, sed filii ejus Shem, Ham et Japheth, sicut prius dictum; nam tres quasi Ecclesiae fuerunt quae hanc Ecclesiam Antiquam formarunt, de qua, ex Divina Domini Misericordia, in sequentibus; quae Ecclesiae prodierunt sicut natae ex una, quae Noahus vocatur; inde hic dicitur 'tu et filii tui,' tum 'uxor et uxore' filiorum.' @1 I has quem.$