996、“可食植物”表示最低级的快乐，这从前面的阐述清楚可知。这类快乐之所以被称为“可食植物”，是因为它们仅仅是世俗和肉体的，也就是外在的。如前所述，存在于肉体或最外在事物中的享受来源于依次加深，或越来越内在的快乐。在最外在或肉体事物中所感受到的快乐相对低级，因为一切快乐的性质会随着它趋向外在事物而越来越低级，随着它趋向内在事物而越来越幸福。因此，如前所述，随着外在事物被剥去或卷走，快乐会变得越来越愉悦和幸福，这一点从以下事实很清楚地看出来：人活在肉身期间，其享受中所固有的快乐，与他肉身生活结束后进入灵人界时的快乐相比，是低级的，微不足道。事实上，它如此低级，以至于善灵完全鄙弃肉体的快乐。即便把全世界所有的快乐都给他们，他们也不想回到这些快乐。
当这些灵人被主提到天使灵天堂时，他们所享有的快乐同样变得低级，因为那时他们抛弃了这些内在快乐，进入更内在的快乐。这同样适用于天使灵，当他们被主提到天使天堂或第三层天堂时，他们在自己的天堂所享有的快乐同样变得低级。由于天使天堂中的内在事物是活的，那里只有相爱在掌权，所以那里的幸福是无法形容的（关于内在快乐或幸福，参看545节）。
由此明显可知“我将这一切都赐给你们，如同可食植物一样”表示什么。由于爬行物既表示肉体享受，也表示感官享受，所以在原文，论及“可食植物”的词是一个既表示“食用植物”，也表示“绿色植物”的词：“食用植物”论及意愿的享受，也就是来自属天情感的享受；“绿色植物”论及理解力的享受，也就是来自属灵情感的享受。“食用植物”和“绿色植物”表示低级事物，这一点从圣言明显看出来，如以赛亚书：
宁林的水必荒凉，青草枯萎，嫩草灭没，青绿之物一无所有。（以赛亚书15:6）
同一先知书：
其居民手力短缺，惊惶羞愧；他们成了田间的草和青绿的草，房顶上的草。（以赛亚37:27）
“青绿的草”表示最低级的事物。摩西五经：
你要进去得为业的那陆地，本不像你出来的埃及陆地，你在那里撒种，用脚浇灌，像浇灌菜园一样。（申命记11:10）
此处“菜园”表示低级事物。诗篇：
恶人如草快被割下，又如可食植物或青菜快要灭没。（诗篇37:2）
此处“草”和“可食植物或青菜”表示最低级的事物。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]996. The symbolism of a plant as the humblest kinds of pleasure is established by the statements above.
Those kinds of pleasure are called green plants because they are nothing more than worldly and physical kinds — superficial kinds. As I said, the pleasure we feel in our bodies, or on the surface of existence, traces its source back to increasingly deeper levels of enjoyment. The pleasures felt on the surface, or in one's body, are relatively inferior. All agreeable sensation is such that the shallower it grows, the poorer it is, while the deeper it grows, the more blissful it is. So to repeat, as the external layers are unwrapped or peeled off, the elation grows sweeter and more blissful. This is sufficiently apparent from the fact that our enjoyment of the lower pleasures during our physical lives is quite paltry compared to the sensations we enjoy afterward, when we enter the world of spirits. It is so inferior, in fact, that good spirits absolutely spurn the creature comforts of the body and would refuse to return to them even if given all the pleasure in the whole world.
[2] The pleasure these spirits enjoy in turn loses its luster when the Lord lifts them into the heaven of angelic spirits, because they then shed those deeper delights and don ones still deeper. The exhilaration that angelic spirits felt in their heaven likewise pales when the Lord raises them into the angelic or third heaven. In this heaven, where inner qualities are alive and mutual love reigns supreme, the happiness is indescribable. (For more on inner pleasure or happiness, see the account from experience in 545.)
This shows the meaning of I have given it all to you as I gave you the green plants.
Since creeping things symbolize both personal pleasures and the pleasures of the senses, and these are being described as green plants, the original language has an expression that means both "plants" and "greenery."{*1} "Plants" refers to earthly pleasures stemming from matters of will, or from heavenly kinds of feelings, while "greenery" refers to those stemming from matters of understanding, or from spiritual feelings.
[3] The symbolism of green plants or grass as something lowly can be seen in the Word, as for instance in Isaiah:
The waters of Nimrim will be wastelands, because the grain has dried out, the grass has been consumed, there is no greenery. (Isaiah 15:6)
In the same author:
Their residents, their hand shortened, have felt panic and shame. They have become field grass and grain plants, hay on the roofs.{*2} (Isaiah 37:27)
Grain plants stand for what is humblest. In Moses:
The land that you enter, to possess it, is not like the land of Egypt, which you came out from, where you would sow your seed and irrigate it by foot like a vegetable garden. (Deuteronomy 11:10)
The vegetable garden stands for something humble. In David:
The evil are suddenly cut down like grain and are consumed like green plants. (Psalms 37:2)
The grain and the green plants stand for what is humblest.
Footnotes:
{*1} The Hebrew expression in Genesis 9:3 here referred to is יֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב (yereq ‘ēśeḇ), which is composed of two nouns; the first means "greenery" and the second means "grass" or "herb." [LHC]
{*2} The "hay on the roofs" is the growth that arose from seeds mixed into the mud of which roofs were commonly made in Middle Eastern countries. Though it grew rapidly with the rains, it either dried up quickly in the ensuing sun or was deliberately burned off before it could attain its usual height. See The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Orr and others 1960), under "grass;" compare Psalms 129:6. [SS]
Potts(1905-1910) 996
996. That the "esculent herb" signifies the vile things of delights is evident from what has been said. They are called the esculent herb because they are only worldly and corporeal, or external. For, as already said, the pleasures that are in the bodily or outermost things of man have their origin in delights that are successively more and more interior. The delights that are perceived in those outermost or bodily things are relatively vile, for it is the nature of all delight to become more vile in proportion as it progresses toward the externals, and more happy in proportion as it advances toward the internals. For this reason, as before said, in proportion as the externals are stripped off, or rolled away, the delights become more pleasant and happy, as may be evident enough from man's delight in pleasures being vile while he lives in the body, in comparison with his delight after the life of the body, when he comes into the world of spirits; so vile indeed that good spirits utterly spurn the delights of the body, nor would they return to them if all in the whole world should be given them. [2] The delight of these spirits in like manner becomes vile when they are taken up by the Lord into the heaven of angelic spirits; for they then throw off these interior delights and enter into those that are still more interior. So again to angelic spirits the delight which they have had in their heaven becomes vile when they are taken up by the Lord into the angelic or third heaven, in which heaven, since internal things are there living, and there is nothing but mutual love, the happiness is unspeakable. (See what is said of interior delight or happiness above, n. 545.) From these things it is evident what is signified by "as the esculent herb have I given it all to you." Inasmuch as creeping things signify both pleasures of the body and pleasures of the senses, of which the esculent herb is predicated, the word in the original language is one which signifies both "esculent" and "green"-"esculent" in reference to pleasures of the will, or of celestial affections, and "green" in reference to pleasures of the understanding, or of spiritual affections. [3] That the "esculent herb" and "green herb" signify what is vile, is evident in the Word, as in Isaiah:
The waters of Nimrim shall be desolate; for the grass is dried up, the herbage is consumed, there is no green thing (Isa. 15:6). Their inhabitants were short of hand, they were dismayed, and put to shame; they became the herb of the field, and the green herbage, the grass on the house tops (Isa. 37:27), the "green herbage" denoting what is most vile. In Moses:
The land whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs (Deut. 11:10), where a "garden of herbs" denotes what is vile. In David:
The evil are as grass, suddenly are they cut down, and will be consumed as the green herbage (Ps. 37:2), where "grass" and the "green herbage" denote what is most vile.
Elliott(1983-1999) 996
996. 'The edible plant' means very lowly manifestations of delights. This becomes clear from what has been stated. Such delights are called 'edible plants' because they are merely worldly and bodily, that is, external. For, as stated, the pleasures that consist in bodily or most external things have their origins in interior delights ranged in order. Delights that are felt in the most external or bodily things are comparatively lowly. It is true of all delight that the more lowly it is the closer it gets to things that are external, while the nobler it is the closer it gets to those that are internal. Consequently, as has been stated, as in order the external things are rolled away or peeled off, the more pleasant and noble delights become, something which becomes quite clear from the fact that the delight inherent in someone's pleasures during his lifetime is lowly in comparison with the delight that is his subsequently when he enters the world of spirits. Indeed it is so lowly that good spirits reject with utter disdain the delights of the body. Nor do they wish to go back to them even if they were granted all the delights existing in the whole world.
[2] The delight which these spirits enjoy becomes similarly lowly when they are raised up by the Lord into the heaven of angelic spirits, for at that point they cast away those interior delights and take on others more interior still. The same applies to angelic spirits - the delight which these have enjoyed in their heaven likewise becomes a lowly delight when they are taken up by the Lord into the angelic or third heaven. Since internal things in that heaven are living, and nothing else but mutual love reigns, the happiness there is indescribable. For interior delight or happiness, see what has been told from experience in 545.
[3] These considerations show what is meant by the statement 'as the edible plant I have given all this to you. Because creeping things mean both pleasures of the body and pleasures of the senses, to which 'edible plants' has reference, the expression in the original language is one that means both edible plant and green plant, 'edible plant' in reference to pleasures of the will, which are from celestial affections, and 'green plant' in reference to those of the understanding, which are from spiritual affections. That 'edible plants' and 'green plants' mean things that are lowly is clear from the Word, as in Isaiah,
The waters of Nimrim will be desolations, for the grass has withered away, the herb has been consumed, and there is no green plant. Isa 15:6.
In the same prophet,
Their inhabitants were shorn of power,a they were dismayed and filled with shame; they became plants of the field and edible grass plants, hay on the rooftops. Isa 37:27.
'Edible grass plants' stands for that which is very lowly. In Moses,
The land, into which you are entering to take possession of it, is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come out; in it you may sow your seed and water it with your foot, like a garden of edible plants. Deut 11:10.
Here 'garden of edible plants' stands for what is lowly. In David,
The wicked are suddenly cut down like the grass, and destroyed like the edible plant. Ps 37:2.
Here 'grass' and 'edible plant' stand for what is very lowly.
Latin(1748-1756) 996
996. Quod 'olus' significet vilia jucunditatum, constare potest ab illis quae dicta sunt: 'olus herbae' vocantur quia sunt modo mundana et corporea, seu externa; nam, ut dictum, voluptates quae in corporeis seu extremis sunt, originem trahunt a jucundis ordine interioribus; jucunda quae percipiuntur in extremis seu corporeis, respective vilia sunt; omne enim jucundum tale est ut vilius sit quo magis ad externa vadit et felicius quo magis ad interna; quare, ut dicta, sicut ordine volvuntur seu exfasciantur externa, eo amoeniora et feliciora fiunt jucunda, quod satis constare potest inde quod jucundum voluptatum hominis dum in corpore vivit, vile sit respective ad jucundum ejus post vitam corporis cum venit in mundum spirituum, immo tam vile ut spiritus boni prorsus spernant jucunditates corporis, nec redire velint in eas si vel darentur iis omnes quae in universo mundo: [2] jucundum horum spirituum similiter vile fit cum elevantur a Domino in caelum spirituum angelicorum, tunc enim exuunt interiores eas jucunditates et induunt adhuc interiores: similiter spiritibus angelicis vile fit jucundum quod habuerunt in suo caelo, cum a Domino in caelum angelicum, seu tertium, attolluntur; in quo caelo quia interna vivunt, et non nisi quam amor mutuus, felicitas ibi est ineffabilis: de interiore jucundo seu felici videatur quod ab experientia n. 545. [3] Ex his constare potest quid significat, quod 'sicut olus herbae dedi vobis id omne.' Quia 'reptilia' significant tam voluptates corporis quam voluptates sensualium, de quibus praedicatur 'olus herbae,' in lingua originali est vox{1} quae significat tam olus quam viride, 'olus' respective ad voluptates voluntariorum seu affectionum caelestium, 'viride' respective ad voluptates intellectualium seu affectionum spiritualium. Quod 'olus herbae' ac 'viride herbae' significet vilia, constat in Verbo, ut apud Esaiam, Aquae Nimrim desolationes erunt, quia exaruit gramen, consumpta est herba, viride non est, xv 6;apud eundem, Habitatores earum, breves manu consternati sunt, et pudore affecti; facti sunt herba agri et olus graminis, foenum tectorum, xxxvii 27;
'olus graminis' pro vilissimo: apud Mosen, Terra in quam tu venis ad possidendum eam, non sicut terra Aegypti ea, e qua exivisti, qua seras semen tuum et irriges pede tuo, sicut hortum oleris, Deut. xi 10;
ubi 'hortus oleris' pro vili: apud Davidem, Mali sicut gramen, subito exscinduntur, et sicut olus herbae consumentur, Ps. xxxvii 2;
ubi 'gramen et olus herbae' pro vilissimo. @1 Heb. [ ] (yereq).$