1659、本章内容看上去好像不能代表任何东西，因为整章只论述了许多王之间的战争，亚伯兰对罗得的营救，最后论述了麦基洗德；所以它读起来好像里面没有一个天堂奥秘。然而，这些细节和其它所有细节一样，在内义上却隐藏着最深的奥秘；这些奥秘以连续顺序从之前的事物开始，又以连续顺序把自己与后面的事物联系起来。
之前的描述论述了主和祂所接受的教导，以及祂的外在人，这外在人将要通过（世俗和宗教的）知识和认知与内在人结合。但如前所述（1414，1444，1573，1601-1603节），祂的外在人具有这种性质：由于来自母亲的遗传，它里面有阻碍结合的东西；然而，在祂的外在人能与内在人结合，也就是祂的人性或人身本质与神性本质结合之前，这些东西首先要通过争战和试探被逐出，所以本章论述了这些争战本身；这些争战在内义上由本章所描述的战争来代表和表示。在教会，众所周知，麦基洗德代表主；因此，凡提到麦基洗德的地方，内义都论及主。由此可以得出以下结论：不仅论及麦基洗德的这些细节，其它一切细节也都具有代表性；因为没有一个音节，或一个小字会写在圣言中，除非它是从天上降下来的，天使因此在其中看到天上的事物。
在上古时代，许多事物都以战争来代表，他们称之为“耶和华的战争”。耶和华的战争只表示教会和属教会之人的争战，也就是他们的试探；而试探无非是与他们自己里面的邪恶，因而与激发邪恶并努力摧毁教会和教会成员的恶魔团伙的较量和争战。圣言中的“战争”没有其它含义，这一点从以下事实清楚看出来：除了主，祂的国和教会外，圣言不可能论述任何事；因为圣言是神性，不是人性，因而与天堂有关，与世界无关。正因如此，字义上所描述的战争在内义上没有其它任何含义。这一点从下文看得更清楚。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]1659. Inner Meaning
THE contents of this chapter do not look as though they could represent anything. All the chapter talks about is the wars among a number of kings, Abram's rescue of Lot, and finally Melchizedek, so it reads as if it did not have a single heavenly secret buried inside. Still, in the inner meaning, these elements of the story (like all the others) conceal the deepest secrets possible, which follow on in an unbroken chain from those above and lead in an unbroken chain to those below.
[2] The earlier parts spoke of the Lord and his education, and of his outer self, which needed to unite with his inner self by means of knowledge both secular and religious. As noted, though, his outer self harbored obstacles to the union, as a result of his maternal heredity [搂搂1414, 1444, 1573, 1601-1603]. What interfered had to be thrust out through combat and times of trial before his outer self could become one with his inner, or in other words, before his human quality could become one with his divine. The present chapter therefore discusses those struggles, which the inner sense represents and symbolizes through the wars here described.
Within the church it is known that Melchizedek represented the Lord and as a result that when the subject is Melchizedek the inner sense speaks of the Lord.{*1} A further conclusion, logically, is that not only what is said of Melchizedek but everything else too has a representative meaning. After all, not a syllable could have been written in the Word which did not come down from heaven and in which angels consequently do not see heavenly dimensions.
[3] In the earliest times, too, wars represented many things. The people of those times called them Jehovah's Wars, and the sole purpose of the term was to symbolize the struggles of the church and of the people in the church,{*2} or in other words, to symbolize the spiritual trials of those people. Spiritual trials are nothing but our battles and wars against the evil in us, so they are fights against the Devil's crew, which stirs up the evil and tries to destroy religion and religious people.
The wars mentioned in the Word have no other meaning, as is obvious from the consideration that the Word cannot treat of anything but the Lord, his kingdom, and the church. This is because it is divine rather than human and accordingly has to do with heaven rather than the world. So the wars of the literal story can mean nothing else in an inner sense. You will be able to see this better below.
Footnotes:
{*1} Often in Swedenborg's works the phrase "within the church it is known" suggests that common knowledge of the Bible, and particularly the Epistles of Paul, will support an assertion Swedenborg has made. In this case Hebrews 5:6, 10; 6:20; and 7:1-28 point back to Psalm 110 as prophetic of the coming of Christ and specifically identify him as "a priest ... [of] the order of Melchizedek" (Psalms 110:4; New Revised Standard Version); compare 搂1725:3, where Psalm 110 is quoted and other relevant passages are given. The identification of Melchizedek with a coming savior is attested even before Christianity; see the Dead Sea scroll "The Coming of Melchizedek" (11Q13; Wise and others 2005, 590-593). For more on this sort of reference to "the knowledge of the church today," see note 1 in 搂654, and note 1 in 搂1563 in this volume. [SS, FLS]
{*2} A book named Jehovah's Wars is mentioned in Numbers 21:14; for more discussion by Swedenborg, see 搂1664:11-12. See also note 1 in 搂1756. [LHC]
Potts(1905-1910) 1659
1659. THE INTERNAL SENSE The things contained in this chapter appear as if they were not representative, for it treats only of wars between several kings, and the rescue of Lot by Abram; and finally concerning Melchizedek; and thus it seems as if they contained no heavenly arcanum. But still these things, like all the rest, conceal in the internal sense the deepest arcana, which also follow in a continuous series from those which go before, and connect themselves in a continuous series with those which follow. [2] In those which precede, the Lord has been treated of, and His instruction, and also His external man, which was to be conjoined with the internal by means of knowledges [scientiae et cognitiones]. But as His external man was-as before said-of such a nature that it had in it by inheritance from the mother things that hindered conjunction, and yet that were to be expelled by means of combats and temptations, before His external man could be united to His internal man, or His Human Essence to the Divine Essence, therefore these combats are treated of in this chapter; and are represented and signified in the internal sense by the wars of which it treats. It is known within the church that Melchizedek represented the Lord, and therefore that the Lord is meant in the internal sense where Melchizedek is mentioned. It may be concluded from this, that not only the things concerning Melchizedek, but all the rest also, are representative; for not a syllable can have been written in the Word which was not sent down from heaven, and consequently in which the angels do not see heavenly things. [3] In very ancient times also, many things were represented by wars, which they called the Wars of Jehovah, and which signified nothing else than the combats of the church, and of those who were of the church, that is, their temptations, which are nothing but combats and wars with the evils in themselves, and consequently with the diabolical crew that excite the evils, and endeavor to destroy the church and the man of the church. That nothing else is meant in the Word by "wars," may be clearly seen from the fact that nothing can be treated of in the Word except the Lord and His kingdom, and the church; because it is Divine and not human, consequently heavenly and not worldly, and therefore by "wars," in the sense of the letter, nothing else can be meant in the internal sense. This will be more evident from what follows.
Elliott(1983-1999) 1659
1659. THE INTERNAL SENSE
The details contained in this chapter appear as if they were not representative, for the subject is merely the wars between a number of kings, and Lot's reclamation by Abram, and, towards the end, Melchizedek; so that these details do not seem to possess a single heavenly arcanum within them. Yet like all such details, these conceal very deep arcana in the internal sense which follow in a continuous sequence from the things preceding them, and also link themselves in a similar sequence to those that follow.
[2] The descriptions which precede have dealt with the Lord and the instruction He received, and also with His External Man which was to be joined to the internal by means of knowledge and cognitions. But because His external Man was such, as has been stated, that from what was inherited from the mother it had within it things which prevented their becoming joined together, things which had first to be cast out by means of conflicts and temptations before His external Man could be united to the Internal - that is, His Human Essence to the Divine Essence - this chapter therefore deals with those conflicts themselves. The latter in the internal sense are represented and meant by the wars which it describes. Within the Church it is well known that Melchizedek represented the Lord, and that the Lord is thus meant in the internal sense when Melchizedek is spoken of From this one may also conclude that not only such details regarding Melchizedek but all others are indeed representative, for not one small word can have been written in the Word that has not been sent down from heaven and consequently in which angels do not see heavenly things.
[3] In most ancient times furthermore many things were represented by wars, which people called 'The Wars of Jehovah'. The latter meant nothing other than the conflicts fought by the Church and by those who belonged to the Church, that is, their temptations, which are nothing else than battles and wars against the evils present within themselves and so against the devil's crew who activate evils and endeavour to destroy the Church and the member of the Church. That wars in the Word have no other meaning becomes quite clear from the fact that the Word cannot have as its subject anything other than the Lord, His kingdom, and the Church, since it is Divine, not human, and consequently heavenly, not worldly. This being so the wars described in the sense of the letter cannot have any other meaning in the internal sense. This may become clearer still from what follows.
Latin(1748-1756) 1659
1659. SENSUS INTERNUSQuae in hoc capite continentur, apparent sicut non forent repraesentativa, nam agitur solum de bellis inter plures reges, et de vindicatione Loti per Abramum, et tandem de Malkizedecho, ita tanquam non aliquid arcanum caeleste intus haberent; sed usque haec, sicut omnia reliqua, in sensu interno recondunt arcanissima, quae quoque in continua serie consequuntur ab illis quae praecedunt et se in continua serie connectunt cum illis quae sequuntur: [2] in illis quae praecedunt, actum est de Domino ac Ipsius instructione, tum de externo Ipsius Homine, qui mediis scientiis et cognitionibus conjungendus esset Interno; sed quia Externus Ipsius Homo talis erat, ut dictum, quod ex hereditario a matre habuerit in Se illa qua impedirent conjunctionem, quae usque prius per pugnas et tentatione.' expellenda essent antequam Externus Ipsius Homo uniri posse' Interno, seu Humana Ipsius Essentia Divinae, quare in hoc capite agitur de pugnis illis, quae in sensu interno repraesentantur et significantur per 'bella,' de quibus hic agitur: intra Ecclesiam notum est quod Malkizedechus repraesentaverit Dominum, et quod sic de Domino in sensu interno, ubi de Malkizedecho, agatur; inde quoque concludi potest quod non solum illa sed etiam cetera repraesentent: nam ne verbulum in Verbo potest scriptum esse quod non demissum sit e caelo, et consequenter in quo non angeli videant caelestia: [3] antiquissimis temporibus etiam plura repraesentabantur per bella, quae vocabant 'Bella Jehovae {1},' quae nihil aliud significabant quam pugnas Ecclesiae et illorum qui fuerunt ab Ecclesia, hoc est, illorum tentationes, quae non aliud sunt quam pugnae et bella cum malis apud se, proinde cum turba diabolica quae mala excitat, et conatur destruere Ecclesiam et hominem Ecclesiae: quod per 'bella' in Verbo nihil aliud intelligatur, constare manifeste ex eo potest quod in Verbo nihil nisi de Domino et Ipsius Regno et Ecclesia agi possit, quia est Divinum non humanum, proinde caeleste non mundanum, quare per bella quae in sensu litterae non alia in sensu interno possunt intelligi; quod melius a sequentibus constare potest. @1 See Num. xxi 14, 15.$