2273# “他说：‘为这四十个的缘故，我也不做这事’” 象征他们将会得救，这一点无需解释。在前一节经文中提到的那些被“四十五”所象征的人，已经说过“如果我在那里找到四十五个，我不会毁灭它”，这象征着如果良善能够与真理结合，他们就不会灭亡。现在这里提到“四十”，并说“为这四十个的缘故，我也不做这事”，这并不表示他们都会因为经历试探而得救，因为有些人在试探中会失败，因此良善无法与他们的真理结合。而且，如果人在试探中认为自己有功劳，他就不会因此得救，因为他这种想法源于自我之爱。这使他因此自夸并认为自己比别人更配得上天堂，同时还会想到自己比别人更优越，轻视他人，而这些都与相互之爱以及由此产生的天堂幸福相违背。
【2】在试探中获胜的人，会认为其他所有人都比自己更有价值，并认为自己更像是地狱中的人而非天堂中的人，因为这些想法会在试探中出现。因此，当他在试探后产生与之相反的想法时，这表明他并没有真正获胜，因为在试探中产生的想法是那些在试探后可以与之结合的想法。如果这些想法不能与试探后的想法结合，那么他要么在试探中失败了，要么会再次经历类似的试探，有时甚至更严重，直到他达到这样的状态，即认为自己没有任何功劳。因此，可以看出，这里“四十”所象征的是那些通过试探使良善与真理结合的人。
2273、“祂说，为这四十个的缘故，我也不做这事”表示他们将得救。这是显而易见的，无需解释。关于前面章节由“四十五”来表示的那些人，经上说“我若找到四十五个，就不毁灭那城”，意思是如果良善能与真理结合，他们就不至灭亡。而此处接下来的这一节与“四十”有关，经上说“为这四十个的缘故，我也不做这事”；这句话并不是说人们仅仅因试探就会得救，因为有些人虽经历了试探，却在试探中屈服了；因此，对这些人来说，良善没有与真理结合。我甚至会说，一个人若将功德置于试探，就不会因试探而得救，因为他若这样做，就是出于爱自己而如此行。他夸耀他的试探，认为自己比其他人更配上天堂，同时思想自己优于他人，与自己相比看不起他们。这一切意念都违背相爱，因而违背天上的祝福。
人所战胜的试探伴随这样的信念：其他所有人都比他更有价值，他更像地狱里的人，而不是天堂里的人，因为在试探期间，像这样的观念会呈现在他面前。因此，当试探过后，他进入与此相反的思维时，这表明他还没有得胜，因为他在试探中所拥有的思维就是他在试探之后所拥有的思维能被转向的思维。但如果他在试探后的思维没能转向他在试探中的思维，那么他要么在试探中屈服了，要么会再次进入类似试探，有时会进入更严厉的试探，直到他被带入更健康的理性，认为自己什么都不配。由此清楚可知，“四十”在此表示那些通过试探，良善已经与真理结合的人。
Potts(1905-1910) 2273
2273. And He said, I will not do it for forty's sake. That this signifies that they will be saved, is evident without any unfolding of the meaning. As regards those who in the preceding verse are signified by "forty-five," it was said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty and five," and the signification was that they should not perish if goods were able to be conjoined with truths, and there here follows a statement concerning the forty: "I will not do it for forty's sake;" by which is not signified that they should be saved on account of temptations, for there are some who even undergo temptations and who yield in them; and therefore with these goods are not conjoined. I would even say that a man is not saved on account of temptations if he places anything of merit in them; for if he does this, it is from the love of self, in that he congratulates himself on their account, and believes that he has merited heaven more than others, and at the same time he is thinking of his own preeminence over others by despising others in comparison with himself; all of which things are contrary to mutual love, and therefore to heavenly blessedness. [2] The temptations in which a man overcomes are attended with a belief that all others are more worthy than himself, and that he is infernal rather than heavenly; for while in temptations such ideas are presented to him; and therefore when after temptations he comes into thoughts contrary to these, it is an indication that he has not overcome; for the thoughts which the man has had in temptations are those to which can be bent the thoughts which he has after the temptations; and if the latter cannot be bent to the former, the man has either yielded in the temptation, or he again comes into similar ones, and sometimes into more grievous ones, until he has been reduced to such sanity that he believes he has merited nothing. Hence it is evident that by "forty" are here signified those with whom by means of temptations goods have been conjoined with truths.
Elliott(1983-1999) 2273
2273. That 'He said, I will not do it for the sake of the forty' means that they will be saved is clear without explanation. Regarding those who are meant by 'the forty-five' in the previous verse, it was said, 'I will not destroy it if I find forty-five', which meant that they would not perish if goods could be joined to truths. In the verse that follows here which has regard to 'the forty' it is said, 'I will not do it for the sake of the forty', which does not mean that people would be saved merely because of temptations, for there are some undergoing temptations who give way, so that in their case goods are not joined to truths. Nor indeed is anyone saved because of temptations if he places any merit in them, for if he places any merit in temptations he does so from self-love, in that he boasts about his temptations and believes that he has merited heaven more than others, and at the same time he is thinking about his own pre-eminence over others, despising others in comparison with himself, all of which is contrary to mutual love and consequently to heavenly blessedness.
[2] The temptations in which a person is victorious entail the belief that all others are more worthy than he, and that he is more like those in hell than those in heaven, for ideas such as these present themselves to him in temptations. When therefore after temptations a person enters into ways of thinking that are contrary to this outlook it is a sign that he has not been victorious, for the thoughts he had in temptations are those towards which the thoughts that he has following temptations can be turned. But if the thoughts he has after temptations cannot be turned in the direction of those he had during them, he has either given way in temptation, or he has departed into similar, and sometimes graver ones, till he has been brought to that healthier outlook in which he believes he has merited nothing. From this it is clear that 'forty' means people with whom by means of temptations goods have been joined to truths.
Latin(1748-1756) 2273
2273. Quod `dixit, Non faciam propter quadraginta' significet quod salvabuntur, constat absque explicatione: de illis qui significantur per `quadraginta quinque' in versu praecedente, dictum est quod `non perdam si invenero quadraginta quinque,' et significatum quod non perirent, si bona veris conjungi possent; hic nunc sequitur de `quadraginta,' et dicitur `non faciam propter quadraginta,' quo non significatur quod salvarentur propter tentationes, nam quidam etiam tentationes subeunt qui in iis succumbunt, ita non conjunguntur apud eos bona [veris]; immo nec propter tentationes salvatur homo si aliquid meriti in iis ponit, nam si aliquid meriti in tentationibus ponit, est ex amore sui, quod se inde jactet et credat se prae aliis meruisse caelum, et simul de praeeminentia sui prae aliis cogitat, contemnendo alios prae se, quae omnia amori mutuo et inde beatitudini caelesti contraria sunt; [2] tentationes in quibus homo vincit, secum habent quod omnes alios se digniores credat, et quod potius infernalis sit quam caelestis, talia enim ei obveniunt in tentationibus; cum itaque post tentationes in contrarias illis cogitationes venit, indicium est quod non vicerit, nam cogitationes quas habuit in tentationibus, sunt ad quas flecti possint cogitationes quas habet post tentationes, et si hae ad illas non flecti possint, vel succubuit in tentatione, vel recurrit in similes, et quandoque in graviores, usque dum redactus sit ad illam sanitatem quod credat se nihil meruisse: inde constat quod per `quadraginta' hic significentur illi apud quos per tentationes bona conjuncta sint veris.