9992. And bread of unleavened things. That this signifies the purification of the celestial in the inmost of man, is evident from the signification of “bread,” as being what is celestial (see n. 2165, 2177, 3478, 9545); and from the signification of “unleavened,” as being what has been purified (of which below). That it denotes the inmost of man, is because the celestial is the good of love, and the good of love is inmost. There are three things with man which follow on in successive order. These three are called “the celestial,” “the spiritual,” and “the natural.” The celestial is the good of love to the Lord; the spiritual is the good of charity toward the neighbor; and the natural thence derived is the good of faith, which, being from the spiritual, is called “the spiritual natural.” For the case with man is similar to what it is in the heavens. In the inmost heaven, which is also called the third, is the celestial; in the second or middle heaven is the spiritual; and in the first or ultimate heaven is the natural thence derived, or the spiritual natural. That the case with man is similar to what it is in the heavens, is because a man who is in good is a heaven in the least form (see the places cited in n. 9279). Concerning the threefold division of heaven or of the heavenly kingdom, more will be told below when treating of the cakes and wafers of fine flour of wheat.

[2] That “unleavened” signifies purified, is because “fermented” signifies falsity from evil (n. 2342, 7906); hence “unleavened” or “unfermented” signifies pure, or without this falsity. That “fermented” signifies falsity from evil, is because this falsity defiles good, and also truth, and also because it excites fighting; for on the approach of this falsity to good a burning heat is excited, and on its approach to truth, collision. For this reason a meat-offering of unleavened bread was employed in the burnt-offerings and in the sacrifices. Therefore it was ordered that “no meat-offering which they should bring to Jehovah should be made leavened” (Leviticus 2:11); that they “should not sacrifice the blood of the sacrifice upon what was leavened” (Exodus 23:18); and that on the feast of the passover, they “should eat nothing leavened,” and that he who did eat “should be cut off from Israel” (Exodus 12:15, 18-20). That he was to be cut off from Israel who ate what was leavened on the feast of the passover, was because the feast of the passover signified liberation from damnation, and specifically liberation from falsities from evil, with those who suffer themselves to be regenerated by the Lord (see n. 7093, 9286-9292); hence also this feast was called “the feast of unleavened things.”

9323. And He shall bless thy bread, and thy waters. That this signifies the increase of the good of love and truth of faith, is evident from the signification of “being blessed by Jehovah,” as being to be made fruitful in goods, and multiplied in truths (see n. 2846, 3406, 4981, 6091, 6099, 8939), thus increase in such things as belong to love and faith; from the signification of “bread,” as being the good of love (see n. 276, 680, 2165, 2177, 3478, 3735, 3813, 4211, 4217, 4735, 4976, 6118, 8410); and from the signification of “water,” as being the truth of faith (n. 680, 739, 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976, 5668, 6346, 7307, 8568). As “bread” signified all the good of love, and “water” all the truth of faith, in the complex, and as “to be blessed of Jehovah” signifies all increase in these, therefore it was a customary devout wish in the Ancient Churches that Jehovah would “bless the bread and the water;” and it was also a common form of speaking to say “bread and water,” to express all natural food and all natural drink, and to mean thereby all spiritual good and all spiritual truth; for these are what nourish the spiritual life, as bread and water nourish the natural life (see n. 4976).

[2] Such is the signification of “bread and water” in the following passages.

In Isaiah:

Behold Jehovah Zebaoth doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the whole staff of bread, and the whole staff of water (Isaiah 3:1);

“the staff of bread” denotes power and life from good; and “the staff of water,” power and life from truth.

In Ezekiel:

Behold, I break the staff of bread in Jerusalem; that they may eat bread by weight, and in disquiet; and drink water by measure, and with amazement; that they may be in want of bread and water, and be desolated a man and his brother, and pine away because of their iniquity (Ezekiel 4:16-17).

That “to be in want of bread and water” denotes to be deprived of the good of love and truth of faith, is very evident; for it is said “that they may be desolated a man and his brother, and pine away because of iniquity.”

[3] In like manner in the same:

They shall eat their bread with disquiet, and drink their water with amazement, that the land may be laid waste from the fullness thereof, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein (Ezekiel 12:19).

Behold the days come that I will send a famine in the land; not a famine for bread, nor a thirst for water; but for hearing the words of Jehovah (Amos 8:11).

The man of God said to Jeroboam, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place; for so Jehovah commanded, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way that thou camest. But the prophet from Bethel told him that Jehovah had said that he should eat bread with him, and drink water, lying unto him. And he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house and drink water; wherefore he was torn in pieces by a lion (1 Kings 13:8-9, 16-19, 24).

That he “should not eat bread and drink water with Jeroboam” signified that he should abhor the good there, and also the truth, because these had been profaned; for Jeroboam profaned the altar and all the holy things of worship, as is plain from the historical narrative of the Word in that chapter.

[4] The lack of spiritual good and truth was signified by rain not being given for three years and a half during the reign of Ahab, insomuch that bread and water failed; and then Elijah went to a widow in Sarepta and asked from her a little water to drink, and a morsel of bread to eat (1 Kings 17 an. 18); for, as before said, by “bread” was signified all the good of the church, and by “water” all the truth of the church. As at that time such things were represented because the representative of a church existed among them, and because the Word, even the historical Word, was to be written by representatives, therefore the devastation of good and truth was represented by a lack of bread and water. As “bread” signified all the good of love in the complex, the sacrifices were called “bread” (n. 2165); and the Lord also calls Himself “the bread which came down from heaven” (John 6:48, 50-51); for the Lord is the good of love itself.