The number "two" has two different meanings in the Bible. In most cases "two" indicates a joining together or unification. This is easy to see if we consider the conflicts we tend to have between our "hearts" and our "heads" -- between what we want and what we know. Our "hearts" tell us that we want pie with ice cream for dinner; our "heads" tell us we should have grilled chicken and salad. If we can bring those two together and actually want what's good for us, we'll be pretty happy. We're built that way -- with our emotions balanced against our intellect -- because the Lord is built that way. His essence is love itself, or Divine Love, the source of all caring, emotion and energy. It is expressed as Divine Wisdom, which gives form to that love and puts it to work, and is the source of all knowledge and reasoning. In His case the two aspects are always in conjunction, always in harmony. It's easy also to see how that duality is reflected throughout creation: plants and animals, food and drink, silver and gold. Most importantly, it's reflected in the two genders, with women representing love and men representing wisdom. That's the underlying reason why conjunction in marriage is such a holy thing. So when "two" is used in the Bible to indicate some sort of pairing or unity, it means a joining together. In rare cases, however, "two" is used more purely as a number. In these cases it stands for a profane or unholy state that comes before a holy one. This is because "three" represents a state of holiness and completion (Jesus, for instance, rose from the tomb on the third day), and "two" represents the state just before it.

1363. “亚伯兰, 拿鹤, 哈兰” 是他拉的儿子, 也是以他们命名并作为祖先的民族. 这些儿子在此表各种偶像崇拜. 这从前面, 以及这一事实清楚可知, 即 “他拉” 表偶像崇拜, 他们就是他的儿子. 不过, 若认真检查偶像崇拜的类型, 就能看出他拉的这三个儿子, 以及后来哈兰的儿子罗得在此表哪种形式的偶像崇拜. 偶像崇拜一般有四种类型, 一个比一个内在. 这三种更内在的类型就象同出一父母的儿子, 而第四种则象第三种的儿子. 偶像崇拜有内在形式和外在形式之分. 内在形式是指那些定人罪的形式, 外在形式则没那么严重. 偶像崇拜的形式越内在, 它所定的罪就越重; 越外在, 则所定的罪越没那么重. 内在偶像崇拜者不承认神, 只崇拜他们自己和这个世界, 视其一切欲望为偶像. 然而, 外在偶像崇拜者能承认神, 即便他们并不清楚谁是宇宙之神. 内在偶像崇拜者通过他们所获得的生活就能被认出; 这种生活背离仁爱的生活到何种程度, 他们就是何种程度的内在偶像崇拜者. 外在偶像崇拜者仅从他们的敬拜就能被认出, 尽管他们是偶像崇拜者, 但他们仍拥有仁爱的生活. 内在偶像崇拜者能亵渎圣物, 而外在偶像崇拜者则不能; 因此外在的偶像崇拜是可容忍的, 以免亵渎圣物, 这从前面的说明 (571, 582节; 1327节中第9节) 清楚可知.