308、至于“东方”和“伊甸园”表示什么，这在前面已经说明，故无需在此赘述。“基路伯”表示主对人疯狂地从自我、感官事物和记忆知识进入信的秘密，由此亵渎它们，并毁灭自己的预防，这从圣言中提到“基路伯”的所有经文明显看出来。由于犹太人具有这种性质：他们若清楚知道主的降临，教会的代表或象征表示主，死后的生活，内在人和圣言的内义，就会犯亵渎罪，并永远灭亡；因此，主对防止他们亵渎的守护由柜子上边施恩座上的“基路伯”，帐幕幔子上的“基路伯”，帷帐上的“基路伯”，以及圣殿中的“基路伯”来代表；基路伯的提供表示主对它们的看顾和保护（出埃及记25:18-21；26:1，31；列王纪上6:23-29，32）。因为盛约版的柜子与此处的生命树所表相同，即表示主和属于祂的属天事物。因此，主也多次被称为“坐在基路伯上的以色列的神”，祂在“基路伯之间”向亚伦和摩西说话（出埃及记25:22；民数记7:89）。
以西结书对此有清楚的描述，在那里，经上说：
以色列神的荣耀从它停驻的基路伯之上上去，移到房屋的门槛。祂将那身穿细麻衣的人召来，对他说，你去穿过城中间，耶路撒冷的中间，在那些因城中间所行一切可憎的事叹息唉哼的人额上做个记号。祂对其余的人说，要跟随他穿过那城去击杀；你们的眼不要顾惜，不要怜悯；要将老人、少年、处女、婴孩和妇女全都杀尽。要污秽这房屋，使院子充满被杀的人。（以西结书9:3-7）
又说：
主对那穿细麻衣的人说，你进到基路伯下面的轮子中，从基路伯之间将火炭取满两手掌，撒在城上。有一个基路伯从基路伯之间伸手到基路伯之间的火那里，取些放在那穿细麻衣的人手掌中，那人拿了就出去。（以西结书10:2，7）
从这些经文清楚看出，“基路伯”表示主的旨意，以防止人们进入信的秘密；因此，人们只剩下疯狂的欲望，这一点在此由“撒在城上的火”和“没有人被顾惜”来表示。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]308. The symbolism of the east and the Garden of Eden has already been demonstrated [98-101, 107-109], so there is no need to dwell on them. Several passages in the Word mentioning the guardian beings, though, show that they symbolize the Lord's providence making sure we do not incur death by profaning the mysteries of faith, through an insane exploration of them that relies on our own powers, empiricism, or mere facts.
The Jews were such that had they clearly recognized certain realities, they would have profaned the knowledge and been destroyed forever. Those realities were that the Lord would come, that the representative or prefigurative forms in the church symbolized the Lord, that life continues after death, that we have an inner self, and that the Word has an inner meaning. The danger of their profanation was represented by the guardian beings on the appeasement cover{*1} atop the ark, on the curtains for the dwelling place, and on the veil, and by the same figures in the Temple (Exodus 25:18, 19, 20, 21; 26:1, 31; 1 Kings 6:23-29, 32, 35). They symbolized the fact that the Lord was on guard.
The ark holding the testimony{*2} symbolized the same thing as the tree of lives here — the Lord and the things that belong to heaven, which are exclusively the Lord's. This is why the Lord many times is called the God of Israel seated upon the guardian beings{*3} and why he talked with Aaron and Moses from between them (Exodus 25:22; Numbers 7:89).
[2] A clear picture of this appears in Ezekiel in the following words:
The glory of Israel's God lifted up off the guardian being on which it had been and moved to the threshold of the House. He called to the man wearing linen clothes and said to him, "Cross through the middle of the city, through the middle of Jerusalem, and make a mark on the foreheads of the men who are groaning and sighing over all the abominations done in the middle of it." And to the men themselves he said, "Cross through the city behind him and strike! Do not let your eye spare any and do not exercise compassion. Old person, young man, and young woman, and toddler, and women — kill them to annihilation. Defile the House and fill the courtyards with those who have been stabbed." (Ezekiel 9:3-4, 5-6, 7)
Further on:
He told the man wearing linen clothes, "Go in, between the wheels, under the guardian being, and fill your palms with embers of fire from between the guardian beings and scatter them over the city." The being stretched its hand out from among the [other] beings to the fire that was among the beings, picked it up, and put it into the palms of the man wearing linen clothes. And he took it and went out. (Ezekiel 10:1-7)
These verses show that the guardian beings symbolize the Lord's providence working to prevent people from prying into religious mysteries. They also show that for this reason people were left to their mad desires, symbolized here by the fire that was to be sprinkled over the city and by the fact that no one was to be spared.
Footnotes:
{*1} The traditional term for this cover is "mercy seat." Sitting on the ark that contained the two tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, it was topped with two gold, winged figures — the guardian beings — and was the site of God's presence with the Israelites (see Exodus 25:17-22). The name for the item in Hebrew, כַּפֹּרֶת (kappōreṯ), comes from כִּפֶּר (kipper), a verb whose basic meaning is to cover, although it is most commonly used in the more abstract sense of "covering" transgression by atonement. The same root can be seen in the familiar Hebrew term Yom Kippur, "Day of Atonement," on which the high priest made a sin offering whose blood was spattered on the appeasement cover (see Leviticus 16; the role of the appeasement cover in the sacrifice is described in verses 13-15 there). [LHC, GFD, SS]
{*2} "The testimony" here is the Ten Commandments. [LHC]
{*3} See 2 Kings 19:15; Isaiah 37:16. Without being called God of Israel, he is said to sit on (or, in some translations, between) the guardian beings in 1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2; Psalms 80:1; 99:1. [LHC]
Potts(1905-1910) 308
308. As the signification of the "east" and of the "garden of Eden" were given above, it is needless to dwell longer on them; but that " cherubim" denote the providence of the Lord lest man should insanely enter into the mysteries of faith from his Own, and from what is of the senses and of memory-knowledge [sensuali et scientifico], and should thus profane them, and destroy himself, is evident from all the passages in the Word where mention is made of "cherubim." As the Jews were of such a quality that if they had possessed any clear knowledge concerning the Lord's coming, concerning the representatives or types of the church as being significative of Him, concerning the life after death, concerning the interior man and the internal sense of the Word, they would have profaned it, and would have perished eternally; therefore this was represented by the " cherubim" on the mercy-seat over the ark, upon the curtains of the tabernacle, upon the vail, and also in the temple; and it was signified that the Lord had them in keeping (Exod. 25:18-21; 26:1, 31; 1 Kings 6:23-29, 32). For the ark, in which was the testimony, signified the same as the tree of lives in this passage, namely, the Lord and the celestial things which belong solely to Him. Hence also the Lord is so often called the "God of Israel sitting on the cherubim" and hence He spake with Moses and Aaron "between the cherubim" (Exod. 25:22; Num. 7:89). This is plainly described in Ezekiel, where it is said:
The glory of the God of Israel was uplifted from upon the cherub whereon He was, to the threshold of the house. And He called to the man clothed with linen, and said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men who groan and sigh for all the abominations done in the midst thereof. And to the others He said, Go ye after him through the city, and smite; let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity; slay to blotting out the old man, and the young man, and the virgin, the infant, and the women; defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain (Ezek. 9:3-7). And again:
He said to the man clothed in linen, Go in between the wheel to beneath the cherub, and fill thy palms with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city; the cherub put forth his hand from between the cherubim unto the fire which was between the cherubim, and took thereof, and put it into the palms of him that was clothed in linen, who took it and went out (Ezek. 10:2, 7). From these passages it is evident that the providence of the Lord in preventing men from entering into the mysteries of faith is signified by the "cherubim;" and that therefore they were left to their insane cupidities, here also signified by the "fire that was to be scattered over the city" and that "none should be spared."
Elliott(1983-1999) 308
308. What 'the east' means and what 'the garden of Eden' means has been shown already and therefore there is no need to pause over them here. But the fact that 'cherubim' means the Lord's providing against a person's insanely entering into mysteries of faith from the proprium, sensory evidence, and factual knowledge as the starting point, and against his profaning those mysteries, and in so doing perishing, becomes clear from several places in the Word where mention is made of cherubim. Because the Jews were the kind of people who, if they had had any clear knowledge about the Lord's Coming, about the fact that the representatives, or types, in that Church meant the Lord, about life after death, about the inner man, and if they had had any clear knowledge of the internal sense of the Word, they would have committed profanation and would have perished for ever; the Lord's protection against this therefore was represented by the cherubim on the Mercy Seat over the Ark, and by those on the curtains of the Tabernacle, and on its veil, and similarly in the Temple. And the provision of the cherubim meant the Lord's care and protection of them, Exod 25:18-21; 26:1, 31;1 Kings 6:23-29, 32, 35. For the Ark, which contained the covenant, had the same meaning as the tree of lifea does here, that is, the Lord and heavenly things which are altogether His. Consequently the Lord is also many times called 'the God of Israel seated upon the cherubim'; and it was from between the cherubim that He spoke to Aaron and Moses, Exod. 25:22; Num. 7:89.
[2] A plain description of this exists in Ezekiel where the following is stated,
The glory of the God of Israel was raised up from above the cherub over which it had been, towards the threshold of the house. He called out to the man clothed in linen. And He said to him, Pass through the middle of the city, through the middle of Jerusalem, and put a mark upon the foreheads of the men who groan and sigh over all the abominations committed in the middle of it. And to the others He said, Pass through the city after him and smite; let not your eye spare, and show no clemency; slay outright old men, young men, virgins, little children, and women. Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain.b Ezek. 9:3-7. And later on, He said to the man clothed in linen, Go into the wheel underneath the cherub, and fill the palms of your hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim and spread them over the city. A cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubim to the fire that was between the cherubim, and he took [some of it] and put it into the palms of the man clothed in linen; and he took it and went out. Ezek. 10:1-7. From these verses it is clear that the Lord's providence which guards against people's penetrating mysteries of faith is meant by 'the cherubim', and that people were therefore abandoned to their insane desires, which in this quotation are also meant by 'the fire which was spread over the city', and by 'nobody's being spared'.
Latin(1748-1756) 308
308. Quid 'oriens' significat et quid 'hortus Edenis,' prius ostensum est, quare illis non immorandum: sed quod cherubi significent providentiam Domini ne homo ex proprio, sensuali et scientifico, vesane intret in mysteria fidei, et illa profanet, et sic pereat, ex nullis non locis in Verbo ubi cheruborum mentio fit, constare potest. Quia Judaei tales erant ut si aliquid manifeste novissent de Adventu Domini, de repraesentativis seu typis Ecclesiae, quod significarent Dominum, de vita post mortem, de interiore homine, et {1} sensum internum Verbi, quod profanavissent, et in aeternum periissent, quare repraesentatum hoc per cherubos ad propitiatorium super arca, super aulaeis habitaculi, super velo, similiter in templo, et significatum quod Dominus custodiverit, Exod. xxv 18-21; xxvi 1, 31; 1 Reg. vi 23-{x}29, 32, 35. Nam arca, in qua testimonium, significabat idem ac hic 'arbor vitarum,' seu Dominum et caelestia quae unice sunt Domini; inde quoque Dominus multoties dicitur 'Deus Israelis insidens cherubis': et cum Aharone et Mose locutus est inter cherubos, Exod. xxv 22; Num. {x}vii 89. Describitur hoc manifeste apud Ezechielem ubi haec, Gloria Dei Israelis elevata est desuper cherubo, super quo fuerat, ad limen domus, clamavit ad virum indutum lineis,...et dixit ad illum, Transi per medium urbis, per medium Hierosolymae, et signa signum super frontes virorum gementium et suspirantium super omnibus abominationibus factis in medio ejus: et istis dixit,...Transite per urbem post illum, et percutite, ne parcat oculus vester, neque clementia utamini; senem, juvenem, et virginem, et infantem, et mulieres occidite ad deletionem;...polluite domum, et implete atria confossis, ix 3-6[7];et porro, Dixit ad virum indutum lineis, Intra inter rotam ad subter cherub, et imple volas tuas prunis ignis ab inter cherubos, et sparge super urbem;...Misit cherub manum suam ab inter cherubos ad ignem, qui inter cherubos, tulit et dedit in volas induti lineis, et sumpsit et exivit, x 1-7;
ex quibus constat quod Domini providentia ne penetrarent in mysteria fidei, significetur per 'cherubos,' et quod ideo relicti sint suis vesanis cupiditatibus, quae hic quoque significantur per 'ignem qui spargeretur super urbem,' et quod 'nulli parceretur.' @ 1 It seems that si novissent is to be understood here.$