3951.“因为我实在用我儿子的风茄把你雇下了”表这事早就预先被看到和同意了。这从“雇下”的含义和前文清楚可知，“雇下”是指同意。这事之所以预先被看到，是因为在人里面，真理与良善，并良善与真理的一切结合，就是某种被预先看到的事，也就是说，被主在其圣治中看到。因为此处所论述的主题是良善与真理，并真理与良善的结合，因而是被归给人的良善。事实上，良善在与真理结合之前，在人里面并非良善。由于一切良善皆出自主，也就是说，一切良善通过这良善与真理的结合而被归给人，故此处说“预先被看到”。主的圣治首先涉及这二者的结合。正是如此结合的良善与真理使得一个人成为人，将他与野兽区别开来；他在接受圣治的范围内变成人，也就是在允许主实现这个目标的范围内变成人。因此，这就是存在于人身上的良善。属灵的且能存到永远的其它良善是不可能的。
[2] 此外，外在人的良善，也就是人在世期间的生命快乐，只有在它们含有属灵良善在里面的范畴内才是真正的良善。以财富的良善为例。在财富含有属灵良善在里面的范畴内，也就是在一个人以其邻舍、国家、或公众利益，以及教会利益为目的的范畴内，它们才是真正的良善。人若得出以下结论，即此处所说的属灵良善和物质财富不能共存，一个在另一个里面，因而确信如若为天堂腾出空来，就必须放弃财富，就大错特错了。因为他们若放弃或丧失财富，就无法向任何人行善，而他们自己在世上也只能活在悲惨中，从而不能再以其邻舍、国家的利益，甚至教会的利益为目的，只以他们自己的得救，以及自己在天上比别人更伟大为目的。更有甚者，当他们放弃世俗的财富时，便将自己置于蔑视之中，因为他们使自己被别人轻看，因而对于提供服务和履行职责来说变得无用。不过，他们在以其邻舍、国家和教会的利益为目的时，也就是以处于能达到这一目的的状态为目的或方法。
其中的情形和人的食物极其相似，因为关注食物的目的就是为了他能拥有健康身体中的健康心灵。若人的身体丧失营养，他也就是丧失了达到自己目的所必需的条件了。因此，凡属灵之人都不会鄙视食物，甚至其乐趣。然而，他不会把食物当成目的，只是当成有助于达到其目的的方法。以此为例，我们就能判断其它一切事了。
Potts(1905-1910) 3951
3951. For hiring I have hired thee with my son's dudaim. That this signifies that it was thus promised from forethought is evident from the signification of "hiring to hire" as being that which is promised; as is also evident from what goes before. That it is from foresight, is because all the conjunction of truth with good, and of good with truth, in man, is effected from foresight; that is, from the Lord's Providence. For the subject here treated of is the conjunction of good with truth, and of truth with good, and thus the good that is appropriated to man. For good is not good in man until it has been conjoined with truth. And as all good comes from the Lord, that is, all the appropriation of good through its conjunction with truth, it is therefore here said, "from foresight." The Lord's Providence is especially concerned with this conjunction. By means of it man becomes man, and is distinguished from the brute animals; and he becomes man insofar as he receives of it; that is, insofar as he permits the Lord to effect it. This therefore is the good that is with man; and no other good that is spiritual and that remains to eternity, is possible. [2] Moreover the goods of the external man, which so long as the man lives in the world are the delights of life, are good only insofar as they partake inwardly of this good. For example, the good of riches. Insofar as riches have spiritual good within them, that is, insofar as they have as their end the good of the neighbor, the good of our country or the public good, and the good of the church, so far they are good. But they who conclude that the spiritual good of which we are speaking is not possible in a condition of worldly opulence, and who therefore persuade themselves that to make room for heaven they must divest themselves of such things, are much mistaken. For if they renounce their wealth, or deprive themselves of it, they can then do good to no one, nor can themselves live in the world except in misery and thus can no longer have as their end the good of the neighbor, and the good of their country, nor even the good of the church, but themselves only, that they may be saved, and become greater than others in the heavens. Moreover, when they divest themselves of worldly goods, they expose themselves to contempt, because they make themselves of low estimation in the sight of others, and consequently useless for performing services and discharging duties. But when they have the good of others as their end, they then have also as an end, or as means, a state of being in the capability of effecting this end. [3] The case herein is precisely as it is with the nutrition of a man, which has as its end that he may have a sound mind in a sound body. If a man deprives his body of its nourishment, he deprives himself also of the condition needed for his end; and therefore he who is a spiritual man does not despise nourishment, nor even its pleasures; and yet he does not hold them as his end, but only as a means that is of service to his end. From this as an example we can judge of all other things.
Elliott(1983-1999) 3951
3951. 'For I have surely hired you with my son's dudaim' means that this had accordingly been seen to and agreed beforehand. This is clear from the meaning of 'surely hiring' as an agreement, as well as its being evident from what is said prior to this. The reason why it had been seen to beforehand is that the joining of truth to good or of good to truth in a person is something seen to beforehand, that is, seen to by the Lord in His providence. For at present the subject is the joining of good to truth and of truth to good, and so the subject is the good which is made a person's own. Indeed good is not good with anyone until it has been joined to truth. And since all good comes from the Lord, that is, all good is made a person's own through the joining of that good to truth, the expression 'seen to beforehand' is used here. The Lord's providence is concerned first and foremost with that joining together of the two. It is good and truth thus joined together that makes a person human and marks him off from animals, making him a human being insofar as he accepts that providence, that is, insofar as he allows the Lord to achieve the objective. This therefore is the good that exists with a person. No other kind of good exists which is spiritual and lasts for ever.
[2] Furthermore, forms of good with the external man, which are the delights of life while a person lives in the world, are truly good only in the measure that they hold that spiritual good within them. Take for example the good served by riches. In the measure that riches hold spiritual good within them, that is, in the measure that a person regards the good of his neighbour, the good of his country or the public good, and the good of the Church, as the end in view to be served by riches, they are truly good. But people who come to the conclusion that the spiritual good spoken of here and material opulence do not go together, one within the other, and who therefore become convinced that to make room for heaven they must renounce riches, are much mistaken. For if they renounce them or divest themselves of them they are not then in a position to do good to anyone and they themselves cannot live in the world in anything but misery. Thus they are not able any longer to have the good of their neighbour and the good of their country, or even the good of the Church, as their end in view, only their own salvation and their becoming greater than others in heaven. What is more, when they renounce worldly possessions they also throw themselves open to contempt, which makes them of little value in the sight of others and therefore useless for rendering service and the performing of duties. But when they do have the good of their neighbour, country, and Church as their end in view, they also have as their end in view, or the means to it, the conditions in which they will be able to attain that end.
[3] It is exactly the same with a person's food, for the end in view with food is that he may have a healthy mind in a healthy body. If someone deprives the body of its food he also deprives himself of the conditions necessary for the attainment of that end. Consequently no one who is a spiritual man despises food or its pleasures. He does not however regard it as an end in itself but the means to an end. From this as an example one can work out the situation with all other forms of such good.
Latin(1748-1756) 3951
3951. `Quia conducendo conduxi te in dudaim filii mei': quod significet quod sic ex proviso constipulatum, constat ex significatione `conducendo conducere' quod sit constipulatum, ut quoque ab illis quae praecedunt, patet; quod ex proviso, est quia omnis conjunctio veri cum bono, et boni cum vero apud hominem, fit ex proviso, hoc est, ex Providentia Domini; agitur enim hic de conjunctione boni cum vero, et veri cum bono, ita de bono quod appropriatur homini; bonum enim non est bonum apud hominem priusquam id conjunctum est cum vero; et quia omne bonum venit a Domino, hoc est, omnis appropriatio boni per conjunctionem ejus cum vero, ideo (t)dicitur hic ex proviso; Providentia Domini imprimis versatur circa conjunctionem illam; per illam homo fit homo, et distinguitur a brutis animalibus, et in tantum fit homo, in quantum recipit ex illa, hoc est, quantum sinit ut Dominus id operetur; hoc itaque est bonum apud hominem; aliud bonum quod spirituale est, et manet in aeternum, non datur: et quoque bona externi hominis, quae sunt jucunda vitae cum homo vivit in mundo, tantum bona sunt, quantum ex illo bono in se habent; sicut bonum divitiarum; quantum divitiae in se habent bonum spirituale, hoc est, pro fine bonum proximi, bonum patriae seu publicum, et bonum Ecclesiae, tantum bona sunt; at qui concludunt quod bonum spirituale, de quo dictum, non dari possit in opulentia mundana, et idcirco sibi persuadent {1}ut caelo vacent, quod se abdicare illis debeant, multum falluntur; si enim illis se abdicant, aut se illis deprivant, dein nulli benefacere possunt, nec ipsi in mundo nisi in miseria vivere, ita non amplius pro fine habere possunt bonum proximi, et bonum patriae, ne quidem bonum patriae seu publicum quidem bonum Ecclesiae, (m)sed modo semet ut salventur, ac aliis majores fiant in caelis; praeterea cum cum se abdicant mundanis, se quoque(n) contemptui exponunt, qui quoque illos viles in conspectu aliorum, proinde inutiles {2}facit serviendi et officia praestandi; sed cum pro fine habent haec, tunc pro fine etiam seu medio habent statum ut in facultate sint faciendi finem; [3] se habet hoc prorsus similiter ac cum nutritione hominis; nutritio pro fine habet ut mens sana sit in corpore sano; si homo deprivat corpus sua nutritione, tunc se etiam deprivat statu finis; quare qui spiritualis homo est, is nutritionem non contemnit, nec quoque voluptates ejus, sed non pro fine habet, sed pro medio inserviendi fini; ex hoc ut ab exemplo concludi potest ad reliqua. @1 quod ut melius caelo studeant$ @2 faciunt I$