616.“并且我所听见的好像竖琴师用竖琴所弹的声音”表低层天堂的属灵天使出于内心的欢乐对主的告白。“用竖琴所弹”表示出于属灵真理告白主（参看276节）；这样的告白是发自内心的欢乐；因此，“竖琴师”表示属灵天使。他们之所以是低层天堂的天使，是因为经由高层天堂而来的主的声音听上去如同“众水的声音”和“大雷的声音”（614，615节）。听见有“竖琴师用竖琴所弹的声音”，是因为从低层天堂传下来的声音或言语有时听上去就像竖琴的声音；不是他们在用竖琴弹奏，而是因为出于内心欢乐而对主的告白声从下面听来就是如此。
616. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. This symbolizes a confession of the Lord from a glad heart by spiritual angels in the lower heavens.
To play harps means, symbolically, to confess the Lord in consequence of spiritual truths, as may be seen in no. 276 above. It follows that this springs from a glad heart. Consequently harps symbolize spiritual angels.
The angels here are angels of the lower heavens, because the Lord's voice through the higher heavens sounded like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder (nos. 614, 615).
The sound of harpists playing their harps was heard because sound or speech flowing down from the lower heavens sometimes sounds like the sound of harps. Not that the angels are playing harps, but that the sound of a confession of the Lord from a glad heart is heard as such below.
616. 'And I heard the voice of harpers playing on their harps' signifies a confession of the Lord out of gladness of heart by the spiritual angels in the lower heavens. That 'to play on the harp' signifies to confess the Lord out of spiritual truths may be seen above (276); that this is out of gladness of heart follows; consequently by 'harpers' are signified spiritual angels. The reason why these are angels of the lower heavens is because the voice of the Lord through the higher heavens had been heard 'as the voice of many waters' and 'as the voice of loud thunder' (614-615). 'The voice of harpers playing on their harps' was heard because sound or speech flowing down out of the lower heavens is sometimes heard as the sound of harps, not that they are playing on harps, but because the voice of a confession of the Lord out of gladness of heart is so heard below.
616. And I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps, signifies confession of the Lord from joy of heart by the spiritual angels in the lower heavens. To harp upon the harp signifies to confess the Lord from spiritual truths, see above, (276); that this is from joy of heart follows; hence by "harpers" are signified spiritual angels. The reason why they are angels of the lower heavens, is because the voice of the Lord through the higher heavens was heard as "the voice of many waters," and as "the voice of great thunder" (614, 615). There was heard "a voice of harpers harping upon harps," because sound or speech descending from the lower heavens is sometimes heard like the sound of harps; not that they are harping upon harps, but because the voice of confession of the Lord from joy of heart is so heard below.
616. "Et vocem audivi citharaedorum pulsantium citharis suis," significat confessionem Domini ex laetitia cordis ab Angelis spiritualibus in inferioribus Caelis. - Quod "pulsare cithara" significet confiteri Dominum ex veris spiritualibus, videatur supra (276); quod ex laetitia cordis, sequitur; inde per "citharaedos" significantur Angeli spirituales. Quod, hi sint Angeli inferiorum Caelorum, est quia vox Domini per Caelos superiores audita erat tanquam "vox aquarum multarum," et tanquam "vox tonitrui magni (614, 615). Quod audita sit "vox citharaedorum pulsantium citharis," est quia sonus aut sermo defluens ex inferioribus Caelis quandoque auditur sicut sonus cithararum; non quod pulsent citharis, sed quia vox confessionis Domini ex laetitia cordis ita auditur infra.