8537. 'And the children of Israel ate the man[na] forty years' means making the good of truth their own in the state involving all temptations. This is clear from the representation of 'the children of Israel' as those who belong to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6426, 6637, 6862, 6868, 7035, 7062, 7198; from the meaning of 'eating' as making one's own, dealt with in 3168, 3513(end), 3596, 4745; from the meaning of 'the man[na]' as the good of truth, dealt with in 8464; and from the meaning of 'forty years' as states involving temptations, 'years' meaning states, see 482, 487, 488, 493, 893, and 'forty' meaning temptations, 730, 862, 2272, 2273, 8098.

6863. 'And also I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them' means because of the endeavour by those steeped in falsities to bring them into subjection. This is clear from the meaning of 'the oppression with which they oppress them' as the endeavour to bring into subjection (the reason why it is only an endeavour, not an actual bringing into subjection, is that those who belong to the Lord's spiritual Church cannot be brought into subjection by those steeped in falsities because the Lord takes care of them); and from the meaning of 'the Egyptians' as falsities, dealt with in 6692.