9723.“要作盆，收去坛上的灰”表移除使用后的东西之物。这从“收去灰的盆”的含义清楚可知，“收去灰的盆”是指移除使用后的东西之物。因为“灰”表示使用后存留在人的属世或外部记忆中，必须被移除的那类事物，免得它们妨碍以后其它事物的使用。“盆”表示用来实现这种移除的那类事物，因为灰是通过它们收去的。为叫人们知道献上燔祭或祭物后留在坛上的“灰”表示什么，必须首先阐明使用后存留在人里面的事物是怎么回事。在世上，从童年早期直到生命结束，一个人在聪明、智慧上都在被完善；如果他在信和爱方面一切顺利的话，那么记忆知识就有助于这种功用和目的。这些知识通过听、看、读而被吸收，并储存在外部或属世记忆中；它们作为一个对象层面而服务于内在视觉，或理解力的视觉，使它可以从该层面选择并提取出诸如能帮助此人变得更智慧的那类事物。因为内在视觉，或理解力的视觉用来自天堂的自己的光来俯视该层面，也就是俯视在它之下的外部记忆。它从那里的各种事物中选择并提取出诸如适合自己的爱的那类事物；它将这些事物从那里召唤出来，并储存在它自己的记忆，也就是内部记忆中（对此，可参看2469-2494节）。内在人的生命及其聪明和智慧由此而来。那些构成属灵聪明和智慧的事物，就是信和爱的事物也是这种情况。记忆知识以同样的方式为将这些属灵聪明和智慧的事物植入内在人而服务，不过，它们是取自圣言，或教会教义的记忆知识，被称为真理和良善的认知或知识。当这些认知或知识被储存在外在人的记忆中时，它们以同样的方式充当内在人所看到的对象。内在人在天堂之光中看见它们，然后从它们当中选择并提取出诸如适合它的爱的那类事物；内在人在外在人中看不见其它任何事物。因为人在光中观看他所爱的东西，却在阴影中观看他所不爱的东西。他弃绝后者，选择前者。
由此可见与一个正在重生之人同在的信之真理和爱之良善是怎么回事，即：爱之良善为自己选择适合的信之真理，并通过它们来保护自己；因此，爱之良善占据第一位，信之真理占据第二位，如前面频繁所示（3325，3494，3539，3548，3556，3563，3570，3576，3603，3701，4925，4977，6256，6269，6272，6273节）。存于外在人的记忆中的记忆知识，或良善和真理的认知或知识，在完成这种功用或目的之后，可以说就从该记忆中消失了。它们就像人所受的那些教导，自童年早期开始，它们就作为完善此人道德和文明生活的手段而服务于他。这些东西完成这种功用或目的，并且此人开始照它们的指示生活之后，它们就从记忆中消失，仅仅作为一种习惯而继续存在。人以这种方式学会说话、思考、辨别、判断，过一种道德的生活，使自己举止得体。简言之，他掌握了语言，有了文明的举止，获得了聪明、智慧。
“要收去的灰”就表示为这些功用或目的而服务的记忆知识；“要收去的坛上的灰”也表示在完成自己的功用或目的，也就是赋予那生命之后的真理和良善的认知或知识，此人通过这些认知或知识获得属灵的生命。不过，当被收去时，它们先是被放在坛旁，然后被带到营外一个洁净的地方。与此同时，坛上的火一直在燃烧，好用来献燔祭或祭物，正如摩西在利未记中所描述的那样：
祭司要让燔祭烧在坛的炉中，整夜到天亮。然后他要穿上细麻布外袍和细麻布裤子，把坛上火所烧的燔祭灰收起来，放在坛的旁边。随后要脱去自己的衣服，穿上别的衣服，把灰拿到营外洁净的地方。坛上的火要继续烧着，不可熄灭。祭司要每日早晨在上面烧柴，并要把燔祭摆在坛上，在其上烧祭牲的脂油。在坛上必有常常烧着的火，不可熄灭。（利未记6:9-13）
此处这一切细节都含有天堂的奥秘在里面，表示源于爱之良善的对主之敬拜的神性事物；“灰”因此表示什么，前面已经说明。“坛灰”表示某种天堂事物，对此，凡思考这个问题的人都能看出来，如这个要求：当祭司把坛上的灰收起来时，他要穿上细麻布外袍和细麻布裤子，然后穿上别的衣服，把灰拿到营外，放在一个洁净的地方。在圣言中，没有任何东西是毫无意义的，哪怕是一个字，因而哪怕是这整个过程中的任何一个步骤。
由此在某种程度上可以看出，“所烧的红母牛的灰”表示什么，这灰是为除污秽和洁净的水而预备的，如民数记（19:2-10，17）所述；也可以看出“灰”在反面意义上表示什么，即表示被爱自己的火焚烧之后所造成并留下来的伤害。这伤害由他们撒在头上，由于自己的罪而悲伤地滚在其中（耶利米书6:26；以西结书27:30；约拿书3:6）的“灰”来表示。
Potts(1905-1910) 9723
9723. And thou shalt make its pans, to take away its ashes. That this signifies what is to be removed after uses, is evident from the signification of "the pans for taking away the ashes," as being the things that effect removal after uses. For "ashes" signify such things in man's natural or external memory as remain after uses, and have to be removed so as not to prevent other things from taking their place, by means of which there may again be uses. The "pans" denote such things as effect removal, because by them the ashes are taken away. That it may be known what is signified by the "ashes" which remained upon the altar after a burnt-offering or sacrifice, it shall first be told how the case is with the things which remain in man after uses. From his infancy up to the end of his life in the world, a man is being perfected as to intelligence and wisdom; and if it is well with him, as to faith and love. Memory-knowledges chiefly conduce to this use. These knowledges are imbibed by hearing, seeing, and reading, and are stored up in the external or natural memory. These are of service to the internal sight or understanding as a plane of objects, from which it may choose and bring out such things as promote wisdom. For by virtue of its light, which is from heaven, the interior sight or understanding looks into this plane, that is, into this memory, which is below itself; and from the various things which are there, it chooses and brings out such as agree with its love. These it calls forth to itself from thence, and stores them up in its own memory, which is the internal memory (concerning which see n. 2469-2494). From this is the life of the internal man, and its intelligence and wisdom. The case is the same with the things that belong to spiritual intelligence and wisdom, which are those of faith and love. Memory-knowledges, that is to say, memory-knowledges from the Word, or from the doctrine of the church, which are called the knowledges of truth and good, are in like manner of service for implanting in the internal man these things of spiritual intelligence and wisdom. When these knowledges are stored up in the memory of the external man, they are in like manner of service as objects to the sight of the internal man, which sees from the light of heaven, and from them chooses and brings out such things as are in agreement with its love; for the internal man sees nothing else in, the external man. For the things which a man loves, he sees in the light, but the things which he does not love, he sees in the shade; the latter he rejects, but the former he chooses. [2] From all this it can be seen how the case is with the truths of faith and the goods of love with the man who is being regenerated; namely, that the good of love chooses for itself suitable truths of faith, and by their means perfects itself; and thus the good of love is in the first place, and the truth of faith in the second, as often shown before (n. 3325, 3494, 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603, 3701, 4925, 4977, 6256, 6269, 6272, 6273). After the memory-knowledges, or the knowledges of good and truth, in the memory of the external man, have performed this use, they as it were vanish from this memory. They are circumstanced like those matters of instruction which have served the man from infancy as means for perfecting his moral and civil life; after these have performed this use, and the man has acquired life therefrom, they perish from the memory, and remain only as a matter of practice or use. In this way man learns to speak, to think, to discriminate, and to judge, to lead a moral life, and to conduct himself becomingly; in a word, he learns languages, good manners, intelligence, and wisdom. [3] The memory-knowledges which have served for these uses are signified by "the ashes which are to be removed;" and the knowledges of truth and of good, through which the man has gained spiritual life, after they have served this use, that is, after they have become of the life, are also signified by "the ashes of the altar which were to be removed." But when they are being removed, they are first placed near the altar, and afterward are carried forth outside the camp into a clean place. Meanwhile the fire of the altar is always burning for the use of a new burnt-offering or sacrifice, according to the process described by Moses in Leviticus:
The priest shall cause the burnt-offering to ascend upon the hearth upon the altar all night even unto the dawn. Afterward he shall put on his linen clothing and his linen breeches, and he shall take up the ashes, into which the fire hath consumed the burnt-offering on the altar. Afterward he shall put off his garments, and shall put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes outside the camp into a clean place. But the fire upon the altar shall be burning, it shall not be put out; the priest shall burn wood on it at the dawn of every day; and he shall arrange the burnt-offering upon it, and shall burn upon it the fat of the sacrifices. The fire shall be burning upon the altar continually; it shall not be put out (Lev. 6:9-13);
all these particulars involve arcana of heaven, and signify the Divine things of the worship of the Lord from the good of love; what "the ashes" consequently signify has been told above. That something heavenly is signified by "the ashes of the altar" can be seen by everyone who reflects, as that when the priest was to take away the ashes from the altar, he was to put on clothing of linen and breeches of linen, and afterward in other garments was to carry them outside the camp, and lay them in a clean place. Nothing in the Word is worthless, not even any word, thus not any circumstance of this procedure. [4] From all this it can in some measure be seen what is signified by "the ashes of the red cow that was burnt," by means of which the water of separation and of cleansing was prepared, of which we read in Numbers 19:2-10, 17; and what is signified by "ashes" in the opposite sense, namely, what is condemned that remains after the burning from the fire of self love. This is signified by "the ashes" which they carried on the head, and in which they rolled themselves when bewailing their sins (Jer. 6:26; Ezek. 27:30; Jonah 3:6).
Elliott(1983-1999) 9723
9723. 'And you shall make [its] pans to take away [its] ashes' means the removers of things which have served their purpose. This is clear from the meaning of 'pans to take away the ashes' as the removers of things which have served their purpose; for 'ashes' means the kinds of things which remain in a person's natural or external memory after they have served their purpose and which must be removed lest they get in the way of other things which come later to serve further purposes. The kinds of things which serve to effect such a removal are meant by 'pans', since ashes were taken away by means of them. To enable people to know what is meant by the ashes remaining on the altar after a burnt offering or sacrifice, the nature of things remaining in a person after they have served their purpose must be stated first. From early childhood right through to the end of his life in the world a person is being perfected in intelligence and wisdom, and if all is to go well for him, in faith and love. Items of factual knowledge contribute primarily to this end and purpose. These items of knowledge are absorbed through hearing, seeing, and reading, and are deposited in the external or natural memory; they serve inward sight or that of the understanding as a whole field of objects from which to choose and draw forth such as will help to make the person wiser. For interior sight or that of the understanding uses its own light, which comes from heaven, to see down into that field, that is, into the external memory which lies below it. From the many different items there it chooses and draws forth such as are suited to its own love; it summons them from there and deposits them in its own memory, which is the internal memory, regarding which, see 2469-2494. This is how the life of the internal man develops, along with its intelligence and wisdom. The situation is similar with those things that constitute spiritual intelligence and wisdom, namely matters of faith and love. Those which have to be implanted in the internal man are in like manner served by items of factual knowledge, but ones drawn from the Word or from what the Church teaches, which are called cognitions of truth and good. These cognitions deposited in the memory of the external man serve, in a similar way, as objects seen by the internal man. The internal man sees them in the light of heaven, then chooses and draws forth such as are suited to its love; the internal man sees no others within the external man. For what a person loves he sees in light; but what he does not love he sees in shade. He rejects the latter and chooses the former.
[2] All this goes to show what the situation is with the truths of faith and forms of the good of love present with a person who is being regenerated. It shows that the good which belongs to love chooses for itself truths of faith that are suited to it and perfects itself by means of them, and that for this reason the good of love occupies the first place and the truth of faith the second, as has been abundantly shown before, in 3325, 3494, 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603, 3701, 4925, 4977, 6256, 6269, 6272, 6273. After the items of knowledge or the cognitions of good and truth in the external man's memory have served that purpose they disappear so to speak from that memory. They are like the things taught to a person which have served since early childhood as the means to perfect his private life and his public life. After those things have served that informative purpose and the person has begun to live as they direct, they fade from view in the memory; only the practice of them remains. In this way a person learns to speak, learns to think, learns to discriminate and form opinions, learns to be honourable in dealings with others and to behave politely. In short, he acquires languages, good manners, intelligence, and wisdom.
[3] Items of knowledge which have served those purposes are meant by ashes which need to be removed; and cognitions of truth and good by means of which spiritual life is brought to a person, after they have served their purpose, that is, imparted that life, are meant by the ashes of the altar, which too need to be removed. But when they are removed they are first deposited at the side of the altar, then later on are carried outside the camp to a clean place, the fire on the altar all the while being kept alight to serve a new burnt offering or sacrifice, in accord with the process described by Moses in Leviticus,
The priest must see to it that the burnt offering burnsNotes
a on the hearth upon the altar all night until dawn. After this he shall put on his linen robe and linen breeches, and take up the ashes into which the fire has burned the burnt offering on the altar and place them at the side of the altar. Afterwards he shall take off his own garments and put on other garments and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. But the fire on the altar shall go on burning and not be put out. The priest shall kindle pieces of wood on it at every dawn, and lay the burnt offering on it, and burn on it the fat of the sacrifices. Fire shall burn unceasingly on the altar and not be put out. Lev 6:8-13.
All the details here hold the arcana of heaven within them and have as their meaning the Divine things that belong to worship of the Lord springing from the good of love. What is therefore meant by 'ashes' has been stated above. The fact that something heavenly is meant by 'the ashes of the altar' - for instance in the requirement that when the priest took the ashes off the altar he had to put on a linen robe and linen breeches, and after that wear other garments to carry them outside the camp and deposit them in a clean place - may be recognized by anyone who stops to consider the matter. Nothing mentioned in the Word is devoid of meaning, not a single word, nor thus any step in this whole process.
[4] All this shows pretty clearly what is meant by the ashes from the red cow that had been burned, by means of which the water of separation and of cleansing was prepared, referred to in Num 19:2-11, 17, and what is meant in the contrary sense by 'the ashes', namely the harm which has been done and remains after consumption by the fire of self-love. This harm is meant by the ashes which people bore on their head and in which they rolled in grief because of their sins, Jer 6:26; Ezek 27:30; Jonah 3:6.
Latin(1748-1756) 9723
9723. `Et facies lebetes [ejus] ad decinerandum [illud]': quod significet removentia post usus, constat ex significatione `lebetum ad decinerandum' quod sint removentia post usus; `cinis' enim significat talia in memoria naturali seu externa' hominis, quae post usus remanent, et quae removenda ne obstent, quin alia, per quae iterum usus, succedant; lebetes sunt talia per quae remotio, quoniam per illos decineratio; ut sciatur quid significatur per cinerem super altari remanentem post holocaustum seu {1} sacrificium, dicetur primum quomodo se habet cum remanentibus post usus in homine: homo ab infantia usque ad finem {2} suae vitae (o)in mundo perficitur quoad intelligentiam et sapientiam, et si bene ei erit {3}, quoad fidem et amorem; scientifica ad illum usum praecipue conducunt; scientifica hauriuntur per auditum {4}, visum, et {5} lectionem, et reponuntur in memoria externa seu naturali; haec inserviunt visui interno {6} seu intellectui pro plano objectorum, ut eligat et eliciat inde talia ex quibus sapiat; visus enim interior seu intellectus ex sua luce, (o)quae est e caelo, spectat in planum illud, seu in memoriam illam (o)quae infra se, {7} et ex variis ibi eligit et elicit talia quae conveniunt amori suo; ea ad se inde evocat, et reponit in sua memoria, quae est memoria interna, de qua videatur n. 2469-2494, inde vita interni hominis, et ejus intelligentia et sapientia; similiter se habet cum {8} illis quae sunt intelligentiae et sapientiae spiritualis, quae sunt fidei et amoris, illis interno homini implantandis pariter inserviunt scientifica, sed scientifica ex Verbo seu {1} ex doctrina Ecclesiae, quae cognitiones veri et boni vocantur; hae in memoria externi hominis repositae similiter inserviunt pro objectis visui interni hominis, qui videt ex luce caeli, et ex illis eligit et elicit talia quae conveniunt amori, nam internus homo in externo non alia videt {9}; quae enim {10} homo amat, illa videt in luce, quae autem non amat, illa videt in umbra; haec rejicit, illa autem eligit. [2] Ex his constare potest quomodo se habet cum veris fidei et cum bonis amoris apud hominem qui regeneratur, quod nempe bonum quod amoris eligat sibi vera fidei convenientia, et per illa se perficiat; et sic quod bonum {11} amoris primo loco sit, et verum {12} fidei secundo, prout multis ostensum est prius, {13} n. 3325, 3494, 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603, 3701, 4925, 4977, 6256, 6269, 6272, 6273. Scientifica seu cognitiones boni et veri in memoria externi hominis, postquam illum usum praestiterunt, {14} e memoria (o)illa quasi evanescunt; se habent illa sicut cum instructivis, quae ab infantia serviverunt {15} homini pro mediis ad perficiendum vitam ejus moralem et civilem; postquam illa usum istum praestiterunt {16}, et homo vitam iride traxerat, e memoria pereunt, et solum quoad exercitium (o)seu usum remanent; ita homo discit loqui, discit cogitare, discit discernere et judicare, discit moraliter conversari, (o)ac decore se gerere; verbo, discit linguas, mores, intelligentiam, et sapientiam. [3] Scientifica {17}quae usibus illis inserviverunt {18} significantur per cinerem qui removendus; ac cognitiones veri et boni, per quas vita spiritualis homini, postquam inserviverant usui, hoc est, {19} imbuerant vitam, per cinerem altaris, qui etiam removendus; at {20} cum removetur, primum reponitur juxta altare, sed postea extra castra {21} educitur in locum mundum, igne altaris semper ardente in usum novi holocausti aut sacrificii, juxta processum descriptum a Mosche {22} in Levitico, Sacerdos holocaustum ascendere [facere] debet super focum super altari tota nocte usque ad auroram; deinde induet amictum suum {23} lini et femoralia lini, et tollet cinerem, in quem combussit ignis holocaustum super altari et ponet eum juxta altare; post exuet vestes suas, et induet vestes alias, et educet cinerem foras extra castra in locum mundum; ignis autem super altari ardebit, nec exstinguetur; sacerdos accendet super eo ligna sub auroris singulis, et disponet super eo holocaustum, et adolebit super eo adipes sacrificiorum; ignis jugiter ardebit super altari; nec exstinguetur, vi 1-6 [A.V. 8-13];singula haec involvunt arcana caeli, et significant Divina cultus Domini ex bono amoris; quid itaque `cinis,' supra dictum est; quod aliquid caeleste per `cinerem altaris' significetur, constare potest unicuivis qui expendit, sicut quod cum sacerdos decineraret altare {24}, indueret amictum lini et femoralia lini, et dein in aliis vestibus educeret eum extra castra, et reponeret in loco mundo; nulla res in Verbo inanis est, ne quidem ullum verbum, ita nec ullum momentum hujus processus. [4] Ex his aliquantum constare potest quid significatur per cinerem ex vacca rufa combusta, quo medio aqua separationis et mundationis parabatur, de quo Num. xix 2-11, 17; et quid in opposito sensu per `cinerem' significatur, quod nempe damnatum remanens post combustionem ex igne amoris sui; id significatur per cinerem quem ferebant super capite, et in quo se (x)volvebant in luctu ob peccata, Jer. vi 26; (x)Ezech. xxvii 30; Jonae iii 6. @1 et$ @2 ultimum$ @3 sibi consulit$ @4 auditionem$ @5 i per$ @6 interiori$ @7 hoc est, in scientifica ibi,$ @8 in$ @9 quam quae amat$ @10 nam quod$ @11 i quod$ @12 vera quod$ @13 i nempe$ @14 i inde separantur et$ @15 conduxerunt$ @16 usui isti inserviverant$ @17 illa$ @18 istis inserviverant$ @19 et$ @20 sed$ @21 After educitur$ @22 apud Moschen$ @23 sui A, oIT$ @24 decineraret illud$