8991.“他就永远服事主人”表直到永恒。这从“服事”和“永远”的含义清楚可知。“服事”是指服从，因为奴仆就是那些服从的人，而主人则是那些发命令的人；“奴仆”所代表的，是那些出于服从，而非出于仁爱的情感行善的人，这一点从前文明显可知。“永远”是指直到永恒。就字义而言，“永远”在此表示服事他的主人，直到他生命的结束；但就内义而言，它表示直到永恒，因为它论及死后的状态。之所以说“直到永恒”，是因为那些出于信的服从，而非出于仁爱情感行善的人，就是“奴仆”所代表的人在来世永远不可能被带入一种良善的状态，也就是说，他们永远不可能出于良善行事；事实上，每个人的生命死后都保持不变。一个人死的时候是什么样，就仍是什么样；正如俗话所说：“树倒在何处，就躺在何处”。倒不是说他在死亡的那一刻是什么样，就是什么样；而是说，他整个一生是什么样，他死时就是什么样。因此，那些在世期间已经习惯只出于服从，而不出于仁爱行善的人永远都是这样。诚然，他们在服从方面会得以完美；但他们达不到仁爱的任何层级。
Potts(1905-1910) 8991
8991. And he shall serve him forever. That this signifies to eternity, is evident from the signification of "serving," as being to obey, for servants are they who obey, and masters are they who command; that those who were represented by the menservants denote those who have done what is good from obedience, but not from the affection of charity, is evident from what precedes; and from the signification of "forever," as being to eternity. In the sense of the letter "forever" here signifies service with his master even to the end of his life; but in the internal or spiritual sense it signifies what is eternal, because it signifies the state after death. It is said "to eternity," because they who do what is good from the obedience of faith, and not from the affection of charity, who are represented by the menservants, in the other life can never be brought to a state of good, that is, to act from good; because everyone's life remains after death. Such as a man is when he dies, such he remains; according to the common saying, "as the tree falls so it lies;" not that he is such as he is near the hours of death, but such as from the whole course of his life he is when he dies. And therefore they who during their life in the world have become habituated to doing what is good from obedience only, and not from charity, remain such to eternity. They are indeed perfected in respect to obedience; but they do not attain to anything of charity.
Elliott(1983-1999) 8991
8991. 'And he shall serve him forever' means into eternity. This is clear from the meaning of 'serving' as obeying, for slaves are those who obey and masters those who give orders (the fact that those represented by 'slaves' are those who did what was good from obedience, not from charitable affection, is clear from things stated previously); and from the meaning of 'forever' as into eternity. In the sense of the letter 'forever' here means servitude with his master to the end of his life; but in the internal or spiritual sense it means into eternity, because it refers to the state after death. The expression 'into eternity' is used because those who do what is good from faithful obedience and not from charitable affection, who were represented by 'slaves', cannot ever be brought in the next life to a state of good, that is, so that their actions spring from good; for everyone's life remains with them after death. What a person is like when he dies, so he continues to be, in keeping with the common saying, Where the tree falls, there it lies. Not that he continues to be what he is like around the time of death but what the whole course of his life has made him like when he dies. Therefore those who have learned during life in the world to do what is good solely from obedience, not from charity, remain the same into eternity. They are perfected in obedience, it is true, but they do not attain any degree of charity.
Latin(1748-1756) 8991
8991. `Et serviet illi in perpetuum': quod significet in aeternum, constat ex significatione `servire' quod sit oboedire, nam servi sunt qui oboediunt, et domini qui imperant; quod illi qui per servos repraesentati fuerunt sint qui {1}ex oboedientia bonum egerunt, non autem {2}ex affectione charitatis, ex praecedentibus constat; et ex significatione in perpetuum' quod sit in aeternum; `perpetuum' {3}in sensu litterae significat hic servitium apud dominum suum {4} usque ad finem vitae suae, at in sensu interno seu spirituali significat aeternum, quia statum post mortem; in aeternum dicitur quia illi qui bonum ex oboedientia fidei et non ex affectione charitatis agunt, qui repraesentati sunt per servos, in altera vita nusquam possunt perduci ad {5}statum boni, hoc est, ut ex bono agant, nam vita unumquemvis manet post mortem; qualis homo est cum moritur, talis manet, secundum vulgare hoc, arbor quo cadit, ibi jacet; non quod talis sit qualis est circa horas mortis sed qualis ex toto vitae suae curriculo tunc cum moritur; quapropter {6}qui imbuerant in vita in mundo solum ex oboedientia agere bonum, et non ex charitate, illi manent tales in aeternum; perficiuntur quidem quoad oboedientiam sed non pertingunt ad aliquid charitatis. @1 in obedientia boni sunt$ @2 in affectione ejus$ @3 After vitae suae$ @4 i in mundo$ @5 bonum$ @6 qui imbuerant ex vita non ex charitate agere bonum, sed solum ex obedientia fidei$