4453. “做买卖, 置产业” 表因他们交流而将彼此一致的教义. 这从 “做买卖” 和 “置产业” 的含义清楚可知: “做买卖” 是指为自己获取认知, 以及交流它们 (参看2967节), 因此在这地 “做买卖” 表示进入哈抹的儿子示剑及其城所表示的良善与真理的认知; “置产业” 是指合一, 因而是指彼此一致. “做买卖” 之所以表示为自己获取认知, 以及交流它们, 是因为在天上, 就是照内义觉悟圣言的地方, 是没有买卖的; 事实上, 天上没有金, 银, 或诸如在这个世上用来交易的那类事物; 因此, 当我们在圣言中读到 “买卖” (trading, 或译贸易, 交易等) 时, 是以灵义来理解的, 在天上被感知为与 “买卖” (trading, 或译贸易, 交易等) 相对应的某种事物, 一般来说, 是认知的获取和交流, 具体来说是所提到的物体所指的实体. 例如, 若提到 “金”, 就理解为爱与智慧的良善 (113, 1551, 1552节); 若提到 “银”, 就理解为属于聪明和信仰的真理 (1551, 2048, 2954节); 若提到人们在古时用来交易的 “母绵羊”, “公绵羊”, “小山羊” 或 “羔羊”, 就理解为诸如这些动物所表示的那类事物, 等等.

如以西结书:

告诉推罗, 你居住海口, 跟众民到许多海岛交易; 他施人因你多有各类的财物, 就作你的客商, 拿银, 铁, 锡, 铅兑换你的货物. 雅完人, 土巴人, 米设人都用人口与你交易, 拿铜器兑换你的商品. 底但人与你交易; 许多海岛成了你手里的货品. 亚兰人因你的手工艺品很多, 就作你的客商; 犹大和以色列地的人都与你交易; 他们用米匿的麦子, 饼, 蜜, 油, 乳香兑换你的商品. 大马色人因你的手工艺品很多, 又因你多有各类的财物, 就拿黑本酒和沙哈 (Zahar) 羊毛与你交易. 威但人和雅完人拿纺成的线兑换你的货物. 底但人用马车的敞篷与你交易. 亚拉伯人和基达的一切首领都作你手下的客商, 用羊羔, 公绵羊, 公山羊与你交易. 示巴和拉玛的商人与你交易, 他们用各类上好的香料, 各类的宝石和黄金兑换你的货物. 哈兰人, 干尼人, 伊甸人, 示巴的商人和亚述人, 基抹人与你交易. 这些商人以美好的货物与你交易, 用蓝色包袱, 刺绣的衣服; 盛华丽衣服香柏木的宝箱, 用绳捆着兑换你的货物. 他施的船只接连成帮为你运货, 你便在海心丰满, 极其荣华. (以西结书 27:3, 12-13, 15-19, 21-25)

由此处和圣言中的许多其它经文明显可知, “交易”, “商品”, “货品” 和 “货物” 无非是指与良善并真理的认知有关的事物. 因为若非推罗的交易活动表示属灵和属天的事物, 预言的圣言与这些活动有什么相干呢? 既如此, 那么显而易见, 不仅 “货物” 表示其它事物, 而且此处所提到的民族也表示拥有这些其它事物的人民. 还显而易见, 若不凭内义, 没有人知道所有这些表示什么; 如不知道他施, 雅完人, 土巴人, 米设人, 底但人, 亚兰人, 犹大, 以色列, 威但人, 雅完, 底但人, 阿拉伯人, 示巴, 拉玛, 哈兰人, 干尼人, 伊甸人, 亚述人, 基抹人表示什么; 也不知道他们的货物表示什么, 如银, 铁, 锡, 铅, 铜器, 麦子, 米匿, 饼, 蜜, 油, 乳香, 黑本酒, 沙哈羊毛, 纺成的线, 马车敞篷, 羊羔, 公绵羊, 公山羊, 香料, 宝石, 黄金, 蓝色包袱, 刺绣的衣服, 捆绳, 香柏木制成的物件. 这些及类似事物表示教会和主国度的良善与真理, 以及对这些良善与真理的认知. 正因推罗表示认知 (1201节), 所以此处论述的主题是推罗. 由于这类财物, 也就是良善与真理, 就存在于主的教会和国度中, 故表示主的教会和国度的迦南地自上古时代就具有一个源于表示货物或货品的词的名字, 因为这就是原文中 “迦南” 这个名的含义. 综上所述, 明显可知在这地 “做买卖” 是什么意思.

3079. 'And her pitcher was on her shoulder' means vessels that receive truth, and a total effort to uphold that truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'a pitcher' as factual knowledge, and so a receptacle of truth, dealt with in 3068, and from the meaning of 'shoulder' as all power, and so total effort, dealt with in 1085. 'Pitchers' or water-pots, and also vessels generally, mean in the internal sense things that serve in the place of a receptacle, as facts and cognitions do in relation to truths, and as truths themselves do in relation to good. This becomes clear from many places in the Word. The temple and the altar vessels had no other meaning, and having that meaning they were also sacred. For no other reason were they sacred. That was why - when Belshazzar, along with his nobles and his wives, drank wine out of the vessels of gold and silver which Nebuchadnezzar his father had brought from the Temple in Jerusalem, and they praised the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone - writing appeared on the wall of his palace, Daniel 5:2 and following verses. 'The vessels of gold and silver' stands for cognitions of good and truth which were rendered profane; for 'the Chaldeans' means those who possess cognitions but have rendered them profane through the falsities within those cognitions, 1368, so that cognitions serve them for worshipping 'the gods of gold and silver' (Belshazzar being called 'king of the Chaldeans' in verse 30 of that same chapter).

[2] That 'vessels' means the external containers of spiritual things is also evident from other places in the Word, as in Isaiah,

Even as the children of Israel bring their gift in a clean vessel to the house of Jehovah. Isaiah 66:20.

This refers to the Lord's kingdom. 'A gift in a clean vessel' is a representative of the external man in relation to the internal. The one who brings the gift is the internal man, 'the clean vessel' a compatible external man, and so the things present in the external man, which are facts, cognitions, and matters of doctrine. In Jeremiah,

The cry of Jerusalem went up, and the nobles sent their inferiors to the waters; they came to the pits, they found no water, they returned with their vessels empty, they were ashamed. Jeremiah 14:2-3.

'Empty vessels' stands for cognitions with no truth in them, and also truths with no good in them. In the same prophet,

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel has devoured me, he has troubled me, he has made me an empty vessel. Jeremiah 51:34.

'An empty vessel' stands in like manner for empty cognitions - 'Babel' being one who lays waste, see 1327 (end). In Moses,

Like valleys that are planted, like gardens beside a river. Waters will flow from buckets, and his seed will be towards many waters. Numbers 24:6-7.

These verses belong to Balaam's oracle concerning Jacob and Israel. 'Waters will flow from buckets' stands for truths flowing from cognitions. In the parable about the ten virgins it is said that five of them took oil in their vessels together with their lamps, but that the foolish did not, Matthew 25:4. 'Virgins' means affections; 'the wise took oil in their vessels' means that they took good within truths, and so charity within faith. 'Oil' is good, see 886; 'lamps' stands for love.