4733.“说，我们不可害他的性命”表它必不遭到毁灭，因为它是宗教的生命。这从“害”和“性命”的含义清楚可知：“害”是指毁灭；“性命”（即灵魂）是指生命（1000，1005，1436，1742节），在此是指宗教的生命。对主的神性人身的承认和敬拜是宗教的生命，这一点从刚才所述（4731节）明显可知，也可从以下事实看出来：人具有这样的性质，他渴望敬拜他用自己的觉知和思维对其形成某种概念的东西，对感官人来说，甚至是他们能以某种感官感知到的东西；他们也不愿去敬拜，除非神性在其中。这是全人类的共性。因此，外邦人敬拜他们以为里面有神性的偶像，而其他人则敬拜他们以之为神明或圣徒的死人。因为若非有某种能刺激他的感官，就无法在他里面唤起任何东西。
那些声称承认一位至高无上的存在，但对其又没有形像的概念之人大部分不承认任何神，而是承认自然，因为他们能理解这是怎么回事。基督徒当中众多有学问的人都是这样；还因为他们不相信主的人身是神性。因此，为防止远离神性，并变得肉体化的人敬拜木、石；也为了防止他们敬拜某个死人，因而敬拜这个人里面的某个魔鬼，而不去敬拜神自己，因为他们无法以任何方式感知到祂，因此为了防止教会的一切事物灭亡，以及人类连同教会一道灭亡，神性本身愿意披上人身，并将它变成神性。所以要让有学问的人当心，不要在思想主之人身的同时，认为它不是神性。否则，他们会给自己设置绊脚石，最终什么也不信。
Potts(1905-1910) 4733
4733. And said, Let us not smite him, the soul. That this signifies that it must not be extinguished, because it is the life of religion, is evident from the signification of "smiting," as being to extinguish; and from the signification of "soul" as being life (n. 1000, 1005, 1436, 1742), here the life of religion. That acknowledgment and adoration of the Lord's Divine Human is the life of religion, is plain from what was said just above (n. 4731); and also from the fact that men are of such a nature as to desire to worship that of which they can have some perception and thought, and sensuous men even that which they can perceive by some sense, nor are they willing to worship unless the Divine is therein. This is common to the human race. For this reason Gentiles worship idols in which they believe there is the Divine, and others worship men after their death whom they believe to be either gods or saints. For nothing can be called forth in man unless there is something to affect his senses. [2] Those who say that they acknowledge a Supreme Being, of whom they have no idea of perception, for the most part acknowledge no God, but nature instead, because they comprehend this. Very many of the learned among Christians are such, and this also because they do not believe the Human of the Lord to be Divine. Lest therefore men who have removed themselves so far from the Divine, and have become so far corporeal, should worship wood and stones; and lest they should worship some man after his death, and thus under him some devil, and not God Himself, because they could not in any way perceive Him, and thus everything of the church should perish, and with the church the human race, the Divine Itself willed to assume the Human and to make it Divine. Let the learned take heed therefore, lest they think of the Lord's Human and do not at the same time believe it to be Divine, for in so doing they make for themselves a stumbling block, and at last believe nothing.
Elliott(1983-1999) 4733
4733. 'And said, Let us not strike him, [as to his] soul' means that it must not be annihilated because it is the life of religion. This is clear from the meaning of 'striking' as annihilating, and from the meaning of 'soul' as life, dealt with in 1000, 1005,1436, 1742, in this case the life of religion. It is evident that the acknowledgement and worship of the Lord's Divine Human constitutes the life of religion from what has been stated just above in 4731, and also from the fact that people's disposition is such that they wish to worship One of whom, by the use of their perception and thought, they can form some mental idea, or - in the case of those who are ruled by their senses - One of whom they can have some sensory image. Nor do they wish to worship Him unless the Divine is present within Him. This is a common feature throughout the human race. Consequently gentiles worship idols in which, they believe, One who is Divine is present, while others worship people that have died whom they believe to be gods or else saints. For nothing can be stimulated in man unless there is something to bring his senses into play.
[2] The majority of those who say that they acknowledge a supreme being, but of whom they have no mental picture, do not acknowledge any God, but nature instead, which they acknowledge because they have a mental grasp of what this is. Very many learned persons among Christians are like this, and for the added reason that they do not believe that the Lord's Human is Divine. Therefore to withhold from the worship of wood and stones those people who have set themselves far apart from the Divine and have become bodily-minded; to withhold them also from the worship of anyone after his death and so of some devil within this person, instead of the worship of God Himself because they could not perceive Him in any way; thus to withhold everything of the Church from destruction, and the human race along with the Church, the Divine was willing to take the Human upon Himself and make this Divine. Let the learned beware therefore of thinking of the Lord's Human without at the same time believing that this is Divine. Otherwise they set themselves a stumbling-block and at length believe nothing.
Latin(1748-1756) 4733
4733. `Et dixit, Non percutiamus eum, anima {1}': quod significet quod non exstinguendum quia vita religionis, constat ex significatione `percutere' quod sit exstinguere; et ex significatione `animae' quod sit vita, de qua n. 1000, 1005, 1436, 5742, hic vita religionis. Quod agnitio et adoratio Divini Humani Domini sit vita religionis, patet ab illis quae mox supra n. 4731 dicta sunt; et quoque ex eo quod homines tales sint ut colere velint de quo aliquam perceptionis et cogitationis [ideam], immo sensuales de quo aliquem sensum, habere possunt, nec colere volunt nisi Divinum in illo sit; hoc commune est humano generi; inde gentiles colunt idola in quibus divinum credunt, alii (o)vero homines post mortem quos vel deos vel sanctos credunt; nihil enim excitari potest apud hominem nisi sit quod movet ejus sensum; [2] qui dicunt se agnoscere supremum ens cujus nullam perceptionis ideam habent, illi plerique nullum Deum agnoscunt sed loco ejus naturam, et naturam quia illam capiunt; permulti eruditi inter Christianos tales sunt, etiam ex causa quia Humanum Domini non cedunt Divinum; ne itaque homines, qui tantum se removerunt a Divino et in tantum corporei facti sunt, lignum et lapides colerent, et ne aliquem hominem post mortem et sic sub illo aliquem diabolum, et non Ipsum Deum quia eum non aliquo modo percipere possent, et sic periret omne Ecclesiae et cum Ecclesia genus humanum, voluit Ipsum Divinum assumere Humanum, et hoc Divinum facere. Caveant itaque sibi eruditi, ne de Humano Domini cogitent et non simul id Divinum credant, si aliter, se scandalizant et tandem nihil credunt. @1 Sch marks anima as ablative and has no comma before it. S probably i one to separate ideas, i.e. `smite' but `not with respect to life,' or `let us not kill.'$