9023. Verses 18-21 And when men quarrel, and a man strikes his companion with a stone or a fist, and he does not die, and lies down in bed,a if he rises up and walks outside on his staff, the striker shall be innocent; but he shall pay for his cessation [from work],b and thoroughly cure himc. And when a man strikes his male slave or his female slave with a rod, and [the slave] dies under his hand, he shall certainly be avenged. However, if [the slave] stands for a day or twod he shall not be avenged, since he is his silver.
'And when men quarrel' means contention among them regarding truths. 'And a man strikes his companion with a stone or a fist' means the weakening of one [particular truth] by some factual truth or by some general truth. 'And he does not die' means, and it is not wiped out. 'And lies down in bed' means separated in the natural. 'If he rises up and walks outside on his staff' means strength of life in that truth. 'The striker shall be innocent' means being not guilty of evil. 'But he shall pay for his cessation [from work]' means making good again. 'And thoroughly cure him' means restoration. 'And when a man strikes his male slave or his female slave with a rod' means if anyone within the Church mistreats a factual truth or an affection for it from his own power. 'And [the slave] dies under his hand' means so that it is wiped out under his contemplation. 'He shall certainly be avenged' means the punishment of death. 'However, if he stands for a day or two' means a state of life remaining until it is full. 'He shall not be avenged' means no punishment of death. 'Since he is his silver' means that which has been acquired from the self.
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