7217.“因气急”表由于他们接近绝望的状态。这从“气急”的含义清楚可知，“气急”（shortness of breath或distress of spirit）是指接近绝望的状态，因为处于这种状态的人会感到呼吸急促。“气急”表示一个人接近绝望的状态，这一点可从以下事实看出来：那些处于接近绝望状态的人遭受内心的痛苦，同时也实实在在感到呼吸急促。就外在意义而言，“气急”是指胸部的压迫感，由此仿佛感觉呼吸困难。但就内在意义而言，它是由信之真理和仁之良善的剥夺所造成的痛苦，因而是接近绝望的状态。呼吸方面的压迫感与由信之真理和仁之良善的剥夺所造成的痛苦彼此对应，因为身体中的属世结果是由心智中的属灵因素造成的，这一点从前面的说明（97，1119，3886，3887，3889，3892，3893节）可以看出来。
那些没有任何信或仁的人无法相信属灵真理与良善的剥夺会产生这种痛苦，进而产生这种呼吸急促。他们以为由于这种剥夺而感到痛苦一定是头脑虚弱和心理疾病；原因在于，他们在信与仁，因而在属于其灵魂的事物和属于天堂的事物中看不到任何真实事物；对他们来说，只有财富和显赫，因而只有属于肉体和世界的事物才拥有真实性。他们还会思想：“什么是信与仁？它们不就是词语吗？良心到底是什么？因为这些东西而感到痛苦，就等于因为疯狂的想象使得一个人以为是某种东西，而事实上它们什么也不是的那类事物而感到痛苦。但至于财富和显赫是什么，我们能亲眼看到，还通过它们所提供的乐趣知道它们的存在，因为它们使我们全身膨胀，充满欢乐。”纯属世人就是如此思想的，也是如此彼此交谈的。但属灵人却不这么想；对他们来说，灵里的生命，因而属于灵的事物，也就是信与仁里的生命是首要的。因此，当他们以为自己正在被剥夺信与仁的真理与良善时，就会像那些陷入死亡剧痛的人那样感到极度痛苦，因为他们看见属灵的死亡，也就是诅咒，就在他们面前。如前所述，在纯属世人看来，这些人头脑软弱，心理或灵里有病。但他们头脑强壮，心理健康；而那些纯属世之人觉得自己似乎又强壮又健康，并且在身体方面也的确是这样。可他们在灵里极度软弱，完全不健康，因为他们在灵性上是死的。他们若看见他们拥有哪种灵，或说他们的灵是什么样子，就会承认这一点；不过，在肉体死亡之前，他们不会看见灵。
Potts(1905-1910) 7217
7217. For distress of spirit.* That this signifies by reason of a state near to despair, is evident from the signification of "distress of spirit," as being a state near to despair, for they who are in this state, are in distress of spirit. That this state is signified by the burden laid on the sons of Israel by Pharaoh, that they should search for themselves straw to make brick, was shown at the end of the preceding chapter. That distress of spirit denotes a state near to despair, can be seen from the fact that they who are in a state near to despair are in internal anxiety, and are then actually in shortness of breath. In the external sense this condition is a compression of the breast, and from this as it were a difficulty of breathing; but in the internal sense it is anxiety on account of the deprivation of the truth which is of faith, and of the good which is of charity, and from this is a state near to despair. (That a state of compression in respect to the breathing, and anxiety on account of the deprivation of the truth of faith and the good of charity, correspond to each other, as a natural effect in the body from a spiritual cause in the mind, can be seen from what has been shown above, n. 97, 1119, 3886, 3887, 3889, 3892, 3893.) That the deprivation of spiritual truth and good gives birth to such anxiety, and consequently to such distress, cannot be believed by those who are not in faith and charity; for these suppose that to be in distress on this account is weakness and sickliness of mind. The reason is that they do not place anything real in faith and charity, nor therefore in those things which belong to their souls and to heaven, but only in wealth and eminence, thus in the things of the body and the world. They also think, "What are faith and charity but mere words? What is conscience even? To feel distressed by these things is the same as being distressed by such things as a man sees within him from the silly creations of his fancy, and which he imagines to have some existence, although they have not any. Wealth and high position we can see with our eyes, and we know that they exist by the pleasure they afford, for they excite in our whole bodies an expansion and a fullness of joy." So think merely natural men, and so do they speak among themselves. But spiritual men think differently, for these have their chief life in their spirit, thus in the things that belong to their spirit, that is, in faith and charity; and therefore when they believe themselves deprived of the truths and goods of faith and charity, they are affected with anguish, as are they who are in the anguish of death, for they see before them spiritual death, that is, damnation. As before said, to the merely natural these persons appear weak and sickly in spirit, but they are strong and healthy; whereas they who are merely natural appear to themselves strong and healthy, and also are so as to the body, but as to the spirit they are quite weakly, because spiritually dead. If they could see what kind of a spirit they have, they would acknowledge it to be so; but they do not see the spirit until the body has died. * Or "shortness of breath."
Elliott(1983-1999) 7217
7217. 'For shortness of breath' means because of the state in which they were close to despair. This is clear from the meaning of 'shortness of breath' as a state in which a person is close to despair; for those passing through that state experience shortness of breath.a That state is meant by the burden which Pharaoh placed on the children of Israel - to gather their own straw to make bricks - as shown at the end of the previous chapter. The fact that 'shortness of breath' means a state in which a person is close to despair may be recognized from the consideration that those passing through this kind of state suffer inward distress and at the same time actual shortness of breath. In the external sense 'shortness of breath' is a tight feeling around the chest and an apparent inability to breathe properly. But in the internal sense it is distress caused by being deprived of the truth of faith and the good of charity, and is consequently a state close to despair. A feeling of tightness and the distress caused by being deprived of the truth of faith and the good of charity go with each other as natural effect in the body produced by spiritual cause in the mind, as may be seen from what has been shown in 97, 1119, 3886, 3887, 3889, 3892, 3893.
[2] Those without any faith or charity are unable to believe that the deprivation of spiritual truth and good gives rise to such distress and consequently such shortness of breath. They suppose that anyone who feels distress on account of that deprivation must be weak in the head and mentally ill; and the reason why they suppose this is that they see nothing real in faith and charity, or thus in the things that belong to their souls and those that belong to heaven; for them only wealth and prominence, thus things belonging to the body and the world possess any reality. They also think, 'What are faith and charity? Are they not mere words? And what indeed is conscience? Feeling distressed on account of these is feeling distressed on account of the kinds of things that insane imagination causes a person to suppose to be something when in fact they are nothing. But what wealth and prominence are, we can see with our eyes and feel with pleasure that they really exist, for they swell the body and fill it with joy.' This is how people who are wholly natural think and talk to one another. But those who are spiritual think in a different way; for them the life in their spirit is primary, thus the life in the things that belong to the spirit, which are faith and charity. Therefore when they think that they are being deprived of the truths and forms of good that compose faith and charity they suffer agony like those undergoing the threes of death, for they see spiritual death, that is, damnation, before them. As stated above, these people are seen by those who are wholly natural to be soft in the head and ill in mind or spirit. But they are sound in the head and healthy in mind, whereas those who are wholly natural see themselves as being sound and healthy, as indeed they are physically. But they are completely unhealthy in spirit, because spiritually they are dead. If they saw what their spirit was like they would acknowledge this; but they do not see it until after the death of their body.
Latin(1748-1756) 7217
7217. `Prae angustia spiritus': quod significet propter statum prope desperationem, constat ex significatione `angustiae spiritus' quod sit status prope desperationem, qui enim in illo statu sunt in angustia spiritus sunt; quod ille status significetur per onus impositum filiis Israelis a Pharaone, quod {1}sibi ipsis conquirerent paleam ad faciendum lateres, ad finem capitis praecedentis ostensum est. Quod `angustia spiritus' sit status prope desperationem, ex eo constare potest quod qui in statu prope desperationem sunt in anxietate interna sint, et tunc actualiter in angustia spiritus; `angustia spiritus' in sensu externo est compressio pectoris, et inde quasi difficultas respirandi, in sensu autem interno est anxietas {2}propter deprivationem veri quod fidei, et boni quod {3}charitatis, ac inde status prope desperationem; quod status compressionis quoad respirationem, et anxietas propter deprivationem veri fidei et boni {4}charitatis, sibi mutuo correspondeant, ut effectus naturalis in corpore ex causa spirituali in mente, videri potest ab illis quae n. 97, 1119, 3886, 3887, 3889, 3892, 3893, ostensa sunt. Quod deprivatio veri et boni spiritualis talem anxietatem et consequenter talem angustiam pariat, non credere possunt illi qui non {5}in fide et charitate sunt; putant hi quod propterea angi sit debilitas et aegritudo {6}animi; causa est quia in fide et charitate nihil reale ponunt, ita non in illis quae sunt animae (c)illorum et quae sunt caeli, sed solum in opulentia et eminentia, ita in illis quae sunt corporis et mundi; {7}cogitant etiam, Quid fides et charitas? {8}nonne sunt merae voces? immo quid conscientia? angi ex illis est angi ex talibus quae homo ex phantasiae {9}delirio intus in se videt, et inde putat esse aliquid et tamen non sunt; at (m)quid opulentia et eminentia, hoc videmus oculis et sentimus voluptate quod sit,(n) nam totum corpus expanditur, et impletur gaudio ex illis; ita cogitant, {10}ac ita inter se loquuntur (d)mere naturales homines, ast {11}spirituales aliter, nam hi primariam in suo spiritu vitam habent, ita in illis quae sunt spiritus, nempe in fide et charitate, et ideo cum (t)se deprivari putant veris et bonis fidei et charitatis, afficiuntur angore sicut qui in angore mortis sunt, nam {12} vident ante se mortem spiritualem, hoc est, damnationem; hi, ut supra dictum est, coram mere naturalibus apparent debiles et aegri spiritu, sed sunt {13} fortes et validi, at qui mere naturales sunt apparent sibi fortes et validi, et quoque sunt quoad corpus, sed sunt prorsus invalidi quoad spiritum, quia spiritualiter mortui; {14}si viderent qualis esset spiritus illorum, id agnoscerent, sed eum non vident priusquam obiit corpus. @1 After lateres$ @2 prae deprivatione$ @3 amoris; quod difficultas respirandi et angustia pro deprivatione$ @4 amoris$ @5 aliquid fidei et charitatis habent$ @6 spiritus$ @7 dicunt$ @8 anne$ @9 sunt$ @10 et quoque$ @11 qui spirituales sunt$ @12 i tunc$ @13 i spiritus$ @14 hi non sciunt hoc cum vivunt in corpore, hoc est in mundo, sed scient cum vivent in spiritu, hoc est, in altera vita$