9255.“若遇见你仇敌的牛或驴走迷了路”表与那些在教会之外的人同在的不纯正的良善和不纯正的真理。这从“仇敌”、“牛”和“驴”的含义清楚可知：“仇敌”是指那些在教会之外的人，他们就是下面的主题；“牛”是指外在人的良善；“驴”是指外在人的真理（参看2781，9134节），不过是不纯正的良善和真理，就是诸如存在于“仇敌”所表示的那些在教会之外的人身上的那种。“仇敌”表示那些在教会之外的人的原因是，他们对信之良善和真理持有不同的观念；因为他们没有圣言，故不知道关于主的任何事，也不知道关于唯独来自主的基督信仰和仁爱的任何事。正因如此，他们的信之真理是不纯正的，他们的仁之良善也是不纯正的。也正因如此，在来世，他们不会与那些属教会的人生活在一起，而是与他们分离。在来世，所有人都照着他们的良善和从这良善流出的真理而形成各个社群，因为这些就是那构成属灵生命并将人们联结在一起的。
然而，天上的人并不把那些在教会之外的人视为仇敌，而是教导他们，把他们引向基督良善，而且这基督良善也被那些在世时出于其宗教信仰而在一起过着尽职、顺从和某种相互仁爱的生活之人悦纳。但圣言的字义将他们称为“仇敌”是由于他们缺乏属灵的一致性；如前所述，这种属灵的一致性就是他们对信之真理和仁之良善所持的不同观念。关于教会之外的民族在来世的状态和命运，可参看前面通过经历所作的说明（2589-2604，2861，2863，4190，4197节）。视这些人为朋友，教导并纠正他们的要求，就是下文所论述的“务必牵回来交给他”这句话在内义上的意思。
在此只需补充这一点：在圣言中，各种动物表示诸如人与动物共有的那类情感与倾向；在灵义上则表示对良善和真理的情感，无论内在的还是外在的（45，46，142，143，246，714，715，776，2179，2180，2781，3218，3519，5198，9090节）；因此，动物照着它们的灵义而用于祭祀（1823，2180，2805，2807，2830，3519节）。因此，关于将走迷的仇敌的牛和驴牵回来交给他这条道德法在灵义上表示诸如属于教会的那类事物，因而表示诸如属于相爱或对那些观念不同于教会真理之人的仁爱的那类事物。
Potts(1905-1910) 9255
9255. When thou shalt meet thine enemy's ox, or his ass, going astray. That hereby is signified good not genuine, and truth not genuine, with those who are outside the church, is evident from the signification of "an enemy," as being those who are outside the church (of whom below); from the signification of "an ox," as being the good of the external man; and from the signification of "an ass," as being the truth of the external man (see n. 2781, 9134); but good and truth not genuine, such as are with those who are outside the church, who are signified by "an enemy." That those who are outside the church are meant by "an enemy" is because they are at variance in respect to the good and truth of faith; for they have not the Word, and therefore they do not know anything about the Lord, nor about Christian faith and charity, which are from the Lord alone. Hence it is that neither their truth of faith, nor their good of charity, is genuine. Therefore in the other life also they do not live together with those who are of the church, but separate from them; for in the other life all are associated together in accordance with their good and the truth thence derived; for these are what make spiritual life and conjunction. [2] Nevertheless those who are in heaven do not regard as enemies those who are outside the church, but they instruct them, and lead them to Christian good, which moreover is received by those who while in the world have lived together, from their religion, in subordination, in obedience, and in some kind of mutual charity. But in the sense of the letter they are called "enemies" from their spiritual variance, which, as before said, is a variance in respect to the truth of faith and the good of charity. (See what has already been shown from experience concerning the state of the nations outside the church, and their lot in the other life, n. 2589-2604, 2861, 2863, 4190, 4197.) That the same are to be regarded as friends, and are to be instructed and amended, is meant in the internal sense by "bringing back thou shalt bring it back to him," of which in what follows. [3] It only remains to say that in the Word by beasts of various kinds are signified affections and inclinations such as man has in common with beasts; and in the spiritual sense the affections of good and truth internal and external (n. 45, 46, 142, 143, 246, 714, 715, 776, 2179, 2180, 2781, 3218, 3519, 5198, 9090); and that for this reason beasts were employed in the sacrifices in accordance with their signification (n. 1823, 2180, 2805, 2807, 2830, 3519). From this it is that by this moral law concerning the bringing back of the stray oxen and asses of an enemy, are signified in the spiritual sense such things as are of the church, thus such things as are of mutual love or charity toward those who are at variance with the truths of the church.
Elliott(1983-1999) 9255
9255. 'When you meet your enemy's ox or his ass going astray' means unauthentic good and unauthentic truth with those who are outside the Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'enemy' as those outside the Church, who are the subject below; from the meaning of 'ox' as the external man's good, and from the meaning of 'ass' as the external man's truth, both dealt with in 2781, 9135 - but unauthentic good and truth, such as exists with those outside the Church, who are meant by 'enemy'. The reason why those outside the Church are meant by 'enemy' is that they have a different idea of what the good and truth of faith are, because they do not possess the Word and therefore do not know anything about the Lord or about Christian faith and charity that come from the Lord alone. Consequently their truth of faith is not authentic, neither is their good of charity. Therefore also they do not live together in the next life with those who belong to the Church but are separated from them. All in the next life are formed into communities according to their good and the truth flowing from it, for these are what compose spiritual life and link people together.
[2] However, those in heaven do not regard people outside the Church as enemies; rather they teach them and bring them to Christian good, which is also welcomed by those of them who in the world have led dutiful and obedient lives, in some kind of charity towards one another that is prescribed by their religion. But the sense of the letter of the Word calls them 'enemies' on account of their lack of spiritual agreement, which is, as has been stated, their different idea of what the truth of faith and the good of charity are. See what has been shown from experience regarding the state and condition in the next life of nations outside the Church, in 2589-2604, 2861, 2863, 4190, 4197. The requirement to regard these very people as friends, and to teach and correct them, is the meaning in the internal sense of the words you shall surely bring it back, which the next paragraph deals with.
[3] Only this needs to be added here, that in the Word various kinds of beasts mean affections and inclinations such as the human being shares in common with beasts, and in the spiritual sense affections for goodness and truth, internal and external, see 45, 46, 142, 143, 246, 714, 715, 776, 2179, 2180, 2781, 3218, 3519, 5198, 9090; and that beasts were therefore used in sacrifices in accordance with their spiritual meaning, 1823, 2180, 2805, 2807, 2830, 3519. Consequently this law of personal conduct stating that an enemy's oxen and asses going astray should be brought back to him means in the spiritual sense such things as are characteristic of the Church, thus such as are feelings of mutual love or charity towards those whose ideas are different from the Church's truths.
Latin(1748-1756) 9255
9255. `Cum occurreris bovi inimici tui, vel asino ejus, erranti': quod significet bonum non genuinum et verum non genuinum apud illos qui extra Ecclesiam sunt, constat ex significatione `inimici' quod sint qui extra Ecclesiam, de quibus infra, ex significatione `bovis' quod sit bonum externi hominis, et ex significatione `asini' quod (x)sit verum externi hominis, de quibus n. 2781, 9135, sed bonum et verum non genuinum, {1}quale apud illos qui extra Ecclesiam, qui per `inimicum' significantur. Quod illi qui extra Ecclesiam, intelligantur per `inimicum,' est quia (x)dissident quoad bonum et verum fidei, non enim habent Verbum, ac ideo non sciunt aliquid de Domino nec de fide et charitate Christiana quae a Domino solo; inde est quod verum fidei eorum non genuinum sit, nec bonum charitatis; quapropter etiam in altera vita non {2}simul sed separati ab illis qui ab Ecclesia {3}, vivunt; omnes enim in altera vita consociantur secundum bonum et inde verum, nam haec faciunt {4}vitam spiritualem et conjunctionem. At usque qui in caelo sunt illos qui extra Ecclesiam pro inimicis 2 non habent, sed illos instruunt et ad bonum Christianum ducunt;quod etiam recipiunt illi qui in subordinatione, oboedientia, et in aliqua specie charitatis mutuae inter se ex suo religioso in mundo vixerunt; in sensu autem litterae Verbi vocantur `inimici' ex dissidentia spirituali, quae est, ut dictum, quoad verum fidei et bonum charitatis; videantur quae ab experientia de gentium extra Ecclesiam statu et sorte in altera vita, n. 2589-2604, 2861, 2863, 4190, 4197, ostensa sunt. Quod {5} iidem pro amicis habendi sint, ac instruendi et emendandi {6}, in sensu interno intelligitur per quod reducendo reduces illum, de quibus sequitur. 3 Addendum modo est quod per bestias varii generis in Verbo significentur affectiones et inclinationes quales homo communes habet cum {7}bestiis, et in sensu spirituali affectiones boni et veri interni et externi, videatur n. 45, 46, 142, 143, 246, 714, 715, 776, 2179, 2180, 2781, 3218, 3519, 5198, 9090, et quod bestiae ideo in sacrificiis adhibitae fuerint secundum significationem, n. 1823, 2180, 2805, 2807, (x)2830, 3519; inde est quod per legem hanc moralem de reducendis bobus et asinis inimici errantibus in sensu spirituali significentur talia quae Ecclesiae sunt, ita quae amoris mutui seu charitatis {8}sunt erga illos qui ab Ecclesiae veris {9}dissident. @1 quia$ @2 una$ @3 i sunt$ @4 conjunctionem spiritualem$ @5 i etiam$ @6 i sint$ @7 illis$ @8 etiam$ @9 dissentiant$