696.“他们因疼痛就咬自己的舌头”表他们不能承受真理。这疼痛不是指出于虚假的疼痛，因为这些虚假不会给他们带来任何疼痛，而是指出于真理的疼痛，因而是指他们无法承认真理。“咬自己的舌头”表示他们不会听从真理，“舌头”表示对真理的承认，因为舌头以言语，从属灵的角度来说，以承认来服务于思维；“咬舌头”表示阻止思维听从真理。这就是“咬舌头”的含义，这一点无法从圣言中得到证实，因为这句话在别处没有出现，不过，我被恩准从灵界经历得知这一点；在灵界，若有人谈论信之真理，那些不肯听从真理的灵人就会用牙齿咬住舌头，还咬住嘴唇，并诱使其他人也用牙齿咬舌头和嘴唇，甚至到了疼痛的地步。由此明显可知，“他们因疼痛就咬自己的舌头”表示他们不能承受真理。作为说话的器官，“舌头”表示思维和承认，也表示真理的教义（参看282节）。
696. And they gnawed their tongues because of their suffering. This symbolically means that they could not endure truths.
Suffering does not mean suffering because of falsities. Falsities do not cause these people any suffering. Rather it means distress because of truths, thus their not enduring them. Gnawing their tongues symbolizes their unwillingness to hear truths; for the tongue symbolizes a confession of truth, because the tongue serves thought for its utterance in speech, and spiritually, for its confessing. To gnaw the tongue means, symbolically, to keep one's thought from listening to truths.
That gnawing the tongue has this symbolic meaning cannot be confirmed from the Word, because it is not mentioned anywhere else there. But I have been given to know it from experience in the spiritual world. Whenever someone there utters truths of faith, spirits who cannot endure to hear truths hold their tongues behind clenched teeth and purse their lips, as well as inducing others to hold their tongues and purse their lips, and this to the point of distress. It is apparent from this now that people's gnawing their tongues because of their suffering means symbolically that they could not endure truths.
That the tongue as an organ of speech symbolizes thought and confession, and also the teaching of truth or doctrine, may be seen in no. 282 above.
696. 'And they were gnawing their tongues because of annoyance' signifies that they were not enduring truths. By 'annoyance' is not understood an annoyance resulting from untruths, these not causing them any annoyance, but an annoyance resulting from truths, thus their not enduring them. By 'to gnaw tongues' is signified to be unwilling to hear truths, for by 'the tongue' is signified the confession of truth, because the tongue is of service to the thought for speech, and spiritually for confession. By 'to gnaw the tongue' is signified to hold the thought back from hearing truths. That this is signified by 'to gnaw the tongue' cannot be confirmed out of [other passages of] the Word, because it is not written there. It has, however, been given to know this from experience in the spiritual world. There, while anyone is speaking truths of faith, the spirits who cannot bear to hear truths hold their tongues back with the teeth and also bite their lips, so that they also induce others to touch their tongues and lips with the teeth, and this as far as to cause annoyance. From these considerations it is plain that by 'they were gnawing 1their tongues because of annoyance' is signified that they were not enduring truths. That 'the tongue' as an organ of speech signifies thought and confession, and also the doctrine of truth, may be seen above (282).
Footnotes:
1. The Original Edition has lambebant (they were licking), probably a slip for mandebant (they were gnawing) as in the paragraph heading.
696. And they gnawed their tongues for distress, signifies that they could not endure truths. By distress is not meant distress from falsities, for these do not give them any distress, but distress from truths is meant, thus that they could not endure them. By "gnawing 1their tongues" is signified that they would not hear truths, "the tongue" signifying the confession of truth, because the tongue serves the thought for speech, and spiritually for confession; "to gnaw the tongue" signifies to detain the thought from hearing truths. That this is the signification of "gnawing the tongue" cannot be confirmed from the Word, by reason that the expression does not occur anywhere else, but it has been granted me to know this from experience in the spiritual world, where, if anyone speaks the truths of faith, those spirits who cannot bear to hear truths keep their tongues between their teeth, and also bite their lips, and induce others likewise to press their tongues and lips with their teeth, and this to such a degree as to produce distress. From these considerations it is evident, that by "gnawing their tongues for distress," is signified that they could not endure truths. That the tongue, as the organ of speech, signifies thought and confession, and also the doctrine of truth, see above, (282).
Footnotes:
1. The original Latin has "lambebant" for "mandebant."
696. "Et mandebant linguas suas prae molestia," significat quod non sustinerent vera. - Per "molestiam" non intelligitur molestia ex falsis; haec illis non aliquam molestiam faciunt; sed intelligitur molestia ex veris, ita quod non sustineant illa: per "mandere linguas" significatur non velle audire vera, per "linguam" enim significatur confessio veri, quia lingua inservit cogitationi pro loquela, ac spiritualiter pro confessione; per "mandere linguam" significatur detinere cogitationem ab audiendis veris. Quod hoc per "mandere linguam" significetur, non potest confirmari ex Verbo, quia ibi non legitur; sed datum est id scire ab experientia in mundo spirituali; ibi dum aliquis loquitur vera fidei, spiritus qui non sustinent audire vera retinent linguas suas per dentes, et quoque mordent inducunt aliis linguas suas et labia dentibus tangere, et hoc usque ad molestiam: ex his nunc patet, quod per "mandebant 1linguas suas prae molestia" significetur quod non sustinerent vera. Quod lingua, ut organum loquelae, significet cogitationem et confessionem, et quoque doctrinam veri, videatur supra (282). 2
Footnotes:
1. mandebant pro "lambebant"
2. 282 pro "182"