587# “耶和华就后悔造人在地上”象征怜悯，“心中忧伤”也是如此；这是因为耶和华从未感到后悔，因为他从永恒之初就预见了一切事和每件事；而当他造人时，这就是说，他重新创造并完善他们，直到他们变得天堂般完美，他也预见了这将随着时间的推移而发生；而且因为他预见了这将会发生，他不可能感到后悔。这在《撒母耳记》中显而易见：
以色列的大能者必不至说谎，也不至后悔，因为他迥非世人，决不后悔。（撒母耳记上15:29）
摩西五经中还说：
神非人，必不致说谎；也非人子，必不致后悔。他说话岂不照着行呢？他发言岂不要成就呢？（民数记23:19）
“后悔”象征怜悯。
【2】耶和华或主的怜悯包括他向人类所做的一切和每一件事情，因为人类这样邪恶的本性，让他感到怜悯，所以他根据每个人的处境施以怜悯。对于被许可受惩罚之人，他施以怜悯，从而将惩罚所涉及的一切恶掰向良善；对于得享恩惠之人，他施以怜悯，因为没有人佩得任何的恩惠。由于全人类都是恶的，如果任由人自己，每个人都会奔向地狱；所以主将人从地狱中解救出来，这是怜悯，是纯粹的怜悯，别无所需。称之为怜悯，是因为它将人从苦难和地狱中解救出来，这是出于对具有这种本性的人类的爱，也反映了主对所有人的爱。
587、“耶和华就后悔造人在地上”表示怜悯，“心中忧伤”意思一样，这从以下考虑清楚可知：耶和华从不后悔，因为祂自永恒就预见一切，无论总体还是细节；当祂作成人，也就是重新创造他，并完善他，直到他变得属天时，祂也预见到，随着时间推移，他会变成此处所描述的那种人；祂因预见他会变成这种人，故不可能后悔。这一点从撒母耳的话很明显地看出来：
撒母耳说，以色列的无敌者不会说谎，也不后悔，因为祂不是世人，决不后悔。（撒母耳记上15:29）
摩西五经：
神非人，必不撒谎；也非人子，必不后悔。祂说了岂不去行呢？祂发言岂不要成就呢？（民数记23:19）
但“后悔”表示怜悯。
耶和华，即主的怜悯包括主对人类所做的一切，人类处于这种状态：主怜悯他们，照各人的状态怜悯各人；因此，祂怜悯经祂允许受罚之人的状态，也怜悯祂赋予良善享受的人。惩罚是怜悯的表现，因为怜悯将被惩罚的一切邪恶都转向良善。赋予良善的享受也是怜悯的表现，因为没有人配得任何良善。事实上，整个人类都是邪恶的，凭自己，人人都会奔向地狱。因此，人从地狱获救是凭着怜悯，并且只凭着怜悯，没有别的，因为主无需任何人的帮助。之所以用怜悯一词，是因为怜悯将人从悲惨和地狱中解救出来；因此，就人类而言，它被称为怜悯，因为他们都处于这种悲惨的状态，并且这是爱所有人的结果，因为所有人都是这样。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]587. The symbolism of Jehovah was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth and of he grieved at heart as mercy can be concluded from the fact that Jehovah never has regrets. After all, he foresees absolutely everything from eternity. When he made humankind — that is, when he created people anew and perfected them into heavenly people — he also foresaw that the race would gradually become what it did. Since he saw this ahead, he could not have changed his mind, as is plain in Samuel, who said:
The Undefeated One of Israel does not lie and will not be sorry, since he is not a human, that he should be sorry. (1 Samuel 15:29)
And in Moses:
God is not a man and tells lies, or the offspring of humankind and has regrets. Has he said a thing and will not do it, or spoken and will not secure it? (Numbers 23:19)
But regretting or feeling sorry symbolizes having mercy.
[2] Jehovah's mercy — the Lord's mercy — involves each and every thing the Lord does for the human race. Humankind's nature is such that the Lord has mercy on us, and on each of us according to our circumstances. So he has mercy on the state of one whom he permits to be punished and on the state of one to whom he grants good fortune. Punishment is an act of mercy because mercy bends all the evil involved in punishment to good ends. To grant good fortune is also an act of mercy because we never earn any kind of good. The whole human race is evil, and left to ourselves we all plunge into hell. To pull us back out of hell, then, is mercy, and pure mercy at that, since the Lord does not need anyone.
Mercy is called misericordia [in Latin] because it removes us from the miseries of hell.{*1} It is therefore named in relation to the human race, which is miserable, and is the effect of love for all people because they are miserable.
Footnotes:
{*1} Swedenborg is drawing a connection between the root miser- in the Latin word for "mercy," misericordia, and the appearance of the same root in the Latin word for "miseries." The root relates to pity and wretchedness. (The second root in the word misericordia is cor, cord-, referring to "the heart.") [LHC]
Potts(1905-1910) 587
587. That it repented Jehovah that He made man on the earth signifies mercy, and that "He grieved at the heart" has a like signification, is evident from this, that Jehovah never repents, because He foresees all things from eternity both in general and in particular; and when He made man, that is, created him anew, and perfected him till he became celestial, He also foresaw that in process of time he would become such as is here described, and because He foresaw this He could not repent. This appears plainly from what Samuel said:
The invincible one of Israel doth not lie, nor repent, for He is not a man that He should repent (1 Sam. 15:29). And in Moses:
God is not a man that He should lie, or the son of man that He should repent; hath He said, and shall He not do? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good? (Num. 23:19). But to "repent" signifies to be merciful. The mercy of Jehovah, or of the Lord, includes everything that is done by the Lord toward mankind, who are in such a state that the Lord pities them, each one according to his state; thus He pities the state of him whom He permits to be punished, and pities him also to whom He grants the enjoyment of good; it is of mercy to be punished, because mercy turns all the evil of punishment into good; and it is of mercy to grant the enjoyment of good, because no one merits anything that is good; for all mankind are evil, and of himself everyone would rush into hell, wherefore it is of mercy that he is delivered thence; nor is it anything but mercy, inasmuch as He has need of no man. Mercy has its name from the fact that it delivers man from miseries* and from hell; thus it is called mercy in respect to mankind, because they are in such a state of misery, and it is the effect of love toward them all, because all are so. * The Latin word for mercy-misericordia-by its very construction expresses the idea of a heart that feels for the wretched. [Rotch ed.]
Elliott(1983-1999) 587
587. That 'Jehovah repented that He had made man on the earth' means mercy, and that 'He was grieved in heart' has a similar meaning, is clear from the consideration that Jehovah foresees from eternity every single thing and therefore never repents. When He made man, that is, created him anew and perfected him to the point of his becoming celestial, He also foresaw that in the process of time he would become the kind of person described here. And because He foresaw the kind of person he would become, He could not repent. This is quite clear in Samuel,
Samuel said, The Invincible One of Israel does not lie, and He will not repent, for He is not a man (homo) that He should repent. 1 Sam 15:29.
And in Moses,
God is not a man (vir), that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not act? Or has He spoken, and will He not carry it out? Num 23:19.
'Repenting' however means having mercy.
[2] Jehovah's, that is, the Lord's mercy includes every single thing which the Lord does towards the human race, whose condition is such that He has mercy on it, on each according to his state. He has mercy therefore on the state of the person He allows to be punished, as He does on that of the person on whom He confers the enjoyment of good. Being punished is a manifestation of mercy because it turns all evil that is being punished towards good. And conferring the enjoyment of good is a manifestation of mercy too, because nobody merits anything good at all. In fact the whole human race is evil, with everyone, if left to himself, rushing into hell. Consequently it is by mercy that anyone is rescued from that place, and by nothing other than mercy, since the Lord does not need anyone to help Him. The word mercy (misericordia) is used therefore because mercy rescues a person from misery (miseriae) and from hell, and so is used with respect to the human race whose condition is such, and it is the product of love towards all because all are such.
Latin(1748-1756) 587
587. Quod 'paenituit Jehovam, quod fecerit hominem in terra' significet misericordiam et quod 'doluerit ad cor' similiter, constat ex eo quod Jehovam nusquam paeniteat quia omnia et singula ab aeterno praevidet; et cum fecit hominem, hoc est, e novo creavit, et perfecit, usque ut factus caelestis, etiam praevidit quod talis successu temporis fieret; et quia praevidit quod talis fieret, non potuit Ipsum paenitere; quod manifeste constat apud Samuelem, Samuel dixit, Invictus Israelis non mentitur, et non Ipsum paenitebit, quia non homo Ille, ut Ipsum paeniteat, 1 Sam. xv 29:et apud Mosen, Non vir Deus et mentitur; et filius hominis et paenitet ipsum; num Ille dixerit, et non faciet? aut locutus fuerit, et non stabiliet? Num. xxiii 19;
sed 'paenitere' significat misereri. [2] Misericordia Jehovae seu Domini involvit omnia et singula quae a Domino fiunt erga genus humanum, quod tale est ut ejus misereatur, et cujusvis secundum ejus statum; ita miseretur status ejus quem puniri permittit; et miseretur ejus cui bono frui dat; misericordiae est puniri quia flectit omne malum poenae in bonum; et misericordiae est dare bono frui quia nullus aliquid boni meretur: omne enim genus humanum est malum et ex semet ad infernum unusquisque ruit; quare misericordia est ut inde eximatur; nec aliud est quam misericordia, quia nullius indiget. Misericordia inde dicitur quia a miseriis et inferno hominem eximit, ita respective ad genus humanum quod tale, estque effectus amoris erga omnes quia tales.