1094、“必给他兄弟作奴仆的奴仆”表示教会中最低级的东西。这从脱离内在敬拜的外在敬拜的性质清楚可知。就本身而言，外在敬拜什么都不是，除非有使它成圣的内在敬拜，这一点对每个人来说都是显而易见的。没有内心敬拜的外在敬拜算什么呢？不就只是一种身体姿势吗？祷告若只停留在嘴皮子上，而心思全然不在其中，不就是纯粹的胡言乱语吗？任何行为若没有意图在其中，不就是一种虚无吗？因此，一切外层或外在之物本身都是无生命之物，唯独内层或内在之物赋予它们生命。
在来世的许多观察向我清楚显明脱离内在敬拜的外在敬拜是何性质。那里的女术士和女巫在世时和其他人一样常去教会、参加圣礼。骗子也是，甚至比其他人参与得还多；那些以抢劫为乐的人，以及贪婪者同样如此。然而，他们在地狱中，对主和邻舍怀有最大的仇恨。对他们来说，内在敬拜存在于外在敬拜中，要么是为了让世人看到，要么是为了他们可以获得他们所贪求的世俗、尘世和肉体的东西，要么是为了他们能利用虔诚的外表骗人，要么是出于某种后天养成的习惯。很明显，这种人极易崇拜凡支持他们及其恶欲的神明或偶像。这一点从犹太人身上看得尤其明显，因为他们认为敬拜只在于外在事物，从而常常陷入偶像崇拜。原因在于，这种敬拜本身完全是偶像崇拜，因为他们拜的是外在的东西。
迦南地的外邦人敬拜巴力和其它神，他们的外在敬拜几乎是一样的。因为他们不仅有神殿和祭坛，还有祭物；因此，他们的外在敬拜与犹太人的敬拜大同小异。唯一区别在于，他们给自己的神取名为巴力、亚斯他录等等，而犹太人则取名为耶和华。由于如今他们还是这种情形，所以犹太人以为仅仅奉耶和华的名就会使他们成圣，成为选民；而事实上，这往往导致他们会受到比其他人更大的谴责。因为奉名使他们能亵渎外邦人所无法亵渎的神圣之物。被称为“迦南”的，就是这种敬拜，经上说迦南是“奴仆的奴仆”。“奴仆的奴仆”表示教会中最低级的东西，这一点可见于下一节。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]1094. The symbolism of a slave of slaves he will be to his brothers as the lowliest function in the church can be seen from the nature of outward worship separated from inner.
External worship viewed in itself, without anything internal to sanctify it, is nothing, as anyone can see. What is outward devotion without the heart's devotion but a gesture? What is prayer on the lips without any thought behind it but blather? And what is a given deed without the intent behind it but a kind of nonentity? So every exterior by itself is a lifeless thing; only the interior can give it life.
[2] Many observations in the other life have made it clear to me what outer worship without inner worship is like. People who are witches and sorceresses there attended church and took the sacraments as often as anyone else while still alive in the world. So did cheats (who attended even more faithfully than others). The same is true for those who liked preying on others and for misers. Yet they are hellish and cherish an intense hatred for the Lord and their neighbor. The inner worship within their outward worship had consisted in the effort to be seen by the world, or to obtain their worldly, earthly, and bodily desires, or to deceive people by devout appearances. Either that or it was the result of entrenched habit.
Such individuals are eager to adore any god or idol that caters to them and their corrupt desires. This is especially obvious from the Jews [of the Old Testament], who viewed worship exclusively as a matter of superficial appearance and as a consequence often fell into idolatry.{*1} Worship of this kind is inherent, unmitigated idolatry, since outward forms are what the devotees worship.
[3] Non-Jews in the land of Canaan too, who worshiped baals and other gods,{*2} had almost the same forms of worship. They had not only temples and altars but sacrifices as well, so that the outer form of their worship differed very little from that of the Jews. The only difference was that they named Baal, Ashtoreth, or some other deity as their god, while the Jews named Jehovah as theirs, just as they do today. They thought that the mere use of Jehovah's name would make them the holy, chosen people. The reality, however, is that it brought them into greater damnation than others, since they were then capable of profaning something holy, which non-Jews were not.{*3} Such is the nature of the worship called Canaan, who is said to be a slave of slaves.
To learn how it is that a slave of slaves is the lowliest function in the church, see the treatment of the next verse.
Footnotes:
{*1} Israel's falling into idolatry is one of the central themes of the Hebrew Scriptures. Indeed, the evaluations of the kings of Israel and Judah in the Deuteronomistic history (1, 2 Kings) and in 2 Chronicles chiefly rest on their attitude toward idolatry. For a typical idolater, see the description of Manasseh's rule in 2 Kings 21:2-3; for righteous kings who destroyed the pagan idols, see the descriptions of the reigns of Hezekiah and Josiah in 2 Kings 18:3-4; 23:4-7. [RS]
{*2} The word "baals" here refers to local versions of the generic god, Baal, worshipped by the Canaanite nations and (at one point) by the Israelites themselves. Baal is mentioned several times in Judges, many times in 1, 2 Kings, and is featured in accusations against the Israelites made by the prophets Jeremiah and Hosea. The plural "baals" occurs less frequently; see, for one example, Judges 2:11. Other gods worshiped in Canaan included Ashtoreth, Chemosh, and Milcom (Moloch). [SS]
{*3} For more on the concept of profanation in Swedenborg's theology and the circumstances under which it can occur, see Divine Providence 231; see also Secrets of Heaven 1327:3-4, 3398:2-4. [Editors]
Potts(1905-1910) 1094
1094. A servant of servants shall he be to his brethren. That this signifies the vilest thing in the church, is evident from the nature of external worship when separated from internal. That, regarded in itself, external worship is nothing, unless there be internal worship to make it holy, must be evident to everyone. For what is external adoration, without adoration of the heart, but a gesture? Or what is prayer of the lips, if the mind is not in it, but mere babbling? And what is any work, if there is no intention in it, but a thing of nought? So that in itself every external thing is an inanimate affair, and lives solely from what is internal. [2] The nature of external worship when separated from what is internal, has been made evident to me from many things in the other life. The sorceresses there had in the world frequented churches and the sacraments equally with others; and so had the deceitful, in fact these had done so more than others; and so also had those who had been delighted with robbery, and the avaricious; and yet they are infernals, and bear the greatest hatred against the Lord and the neighbor. Their internal worship in external had been either that they might be seen by the world; or that they might gain worldly, earthly, and corporeal things which they desired; or that they might deceive under the appearance of sanctity; or from a certain acquired habit. That such persons are very prone to adore any god or any idol that favors them and their desires is very manifest, especially from the Jews, who in consequence of making their worship to consist in nothing but externals, so often lapsed into idolatry. The reason is that such worship is in itself merely idolatrous, for the external is what is worshiped by them. [3] The Gentiles also in the land of Canaan, who worshiped Baal and other gods, had a nearly similar external worship; for they had not only temples and altars, but also sacrifices; so that their external worship differed but little from the worship of the Jews, except that they gave the names of Baal, Ashtaroth, and others, to their god; and the Jews gave to him the name Jehovah, as is the case also at this day, for they suppose that the mere naming of Jehovah will make them holy and elect; when yet this has tended rather to condemn them more than others; for in this way they have been able to profane what is holy, which the Gentiles cannot do. Such worship is what is called "Canaan" who is said to be a "servant of servants." That a "servant of servants" denotes the vilest thing in the church, may be seen in the following verse.
Elliott(1983-1999) 1094
1094. 'A slave of slaves will he be to his brothers' means the lowest thing in the Church. This is clear from the nature of external worship separated from internal. That external worship regarded in itself is nothing at all unless internal worship exists to sanctify it may become clear to anyone. What is external adoration without adoration of the heart but a mere gesture of the body? What is prayer on the lips if the mind is not in it but a meaningless babble? And what is any activity if there is no intention within it but a kind of nothing? Consequently everything external is in itself something soulless, living solely from that which is internal.
[2] The character of external worship separated from internal has been made clear to me from many experiences in the next life. The sorceresses and witches there attended church and the sacraments during their lifetime as frequently as any others did. The deceitful likewise, indeed more often than others; and so also those who delighted in robbery, as well as the avaricious. Yet they are in hell where they utterly hate the Lord and the neighbour intensely. With them internal worship had been present in the external either to the intent that the world might see it, or so that they might gain possession of the worldly, earthly, and bodily things they coveted, or so that they might mislead by an outward show of holiness. Or it may have been out of an acquired habit. That such people are very prone to worshipping whichever god or idol favours them and their own evil desires is quite clear. This is especially clear from the Jews who, because they made worship consist in nothing except external things, fell away so many times into idolatry. The reason is that such worship in itself is altogether idolatrous, for they are worshipping what is external.
[3] The external worship of the nations in the land of Canaan, who worshipped the baals and other gods, was very similar. They had not only temples and altars but also sacrifices, so that their external worship differed little from the worship of the Jews. The only difference was that the name they had for their god was Baal, Ashtaroth, or some other, whereas the Jews had the name Jehovah. As they also do even today, the Jews imagined that merely the naming of Jehovah made them holy and chosen people, when in fact that led rather to greater condemnation of them than of others. For that naming made them capable of profaning what was holy, which the gentiles could not do. Such is the worship called 'Canaan', who is referred to as 'a slave of slaves'. That 'a slave of slaves' means the lowest thing in the Church may be seen in the next verse.
Latin(1748-1756) 1094
1094. 'Servus servorum erit fratribus' quod significet vilissimum in Ecclesia, constat ex natura cultus externi separati ab interno: quod cultus externus in se spectatus nihil sit nisi internus sit qui eum sanctum faciat, unicuivis constare potest. Quid adoratio externa absque adoratione cordis nisi gestus? quid oratio oris si non ei inest mens, nisi blateratio? et quid opus quoddam si non intentio in illo, nisi quoddam nihil? quare externum omne in se est inanimatum quoddam, at unice vivit ab interno. [2] Qualis sit cultus externus separatus ab interno, constare mihi potuit a multis in altera vita; magae et praestigiatrices ibi, dum vixerunt in mundo, aeque frequentarunt Ecclesiam et sacramenta ac alii; similiter dolosi et quidem hi prae aliis; tum quoque qui rapinis delectati fuerunt; ut et avari; et tamen infernales sunt et maximo odio habent Dominum et proximum; cultus eorum internus in externo fuerat vel ut viderentur mundo, vel ut obtinerent mundana, terrestria et corporea quae cupiverunt, vel ut sub specie sanctitatis fallerent, vel ex habitu quodam inducto: quod tales pronissimi sint ad adorandum quemcumque deum aut quodcumque idolum quod sibi suisque cupiditatibus favet, constat manifeste; imprimis a Judaeis, qui quia nihil nisi in externis posuerunt cultum, toties in idololatrias lapsi sunt; causa est quia talis cultus in se non est nisi idololatricus, nam colitur ab iis externum: [3] gentes quoque in terra Canaane quae coluerunt Baales et alios deos, paene similem cultum externum habuerunt; nam non solum templa et altaria sed etiam sacrificia habebant, sic ut parum differret eorum cultus externus a cultu Judaeorum; solum quod illi nominarent Baalem, Ashtaroth aliumve pro suo deo, et Judaei Jehovam; sicut etiam hodie, putantes quod sola nominatio Jehovae faceret eos sanctos et electos, cum tamen hoc potius eos prae aliis damnaverit; sic enim profanare potuerunt sanctum quod gentes non possent; talis cultus est qui vocatur 'Canaan' qui servus servorum dicitur: quod 'servus servorum' sit vilissimum in Ecclesia, videatur versu sequente.