8522. 'And the taste of it was like that of a cake with honey' means that the good was delightful, like that which began as truth but was made into good by means of delight. This is clear from the meaning of 'the tastes as that which has reference to delight taken in what is good, since it corresponds to the delight of becoming wise, ¹ dealt with in 3502, 4793; from the meaning of 'a cake' as spiritual good, dealt with in 7978; and from the meaning of 'honey' as natural delight, dealt with in 5620, 6857. From these meanings it follows that 'the taste of it was like that of a cake with honey' means good that was delightful because it was made out of truth by means of delight. Here spiritual good is being described - where it originates and how it comes into being, thus also the essential nature of it. That is to say, in its first beginnings this good is truth, but this is made good when it passes from the will, and so from affection, into action. For whatever a person wills out of affection for it is seen as good, and is therefore also called good. Yet this good can be brought into being only by means of the delights that belong to the natural man. The spiritual man is brought to that good by means of them; and once he has been brought to it he is able to have a feeling for it. This then is what is meant by 'the taste of the manna was like that of a cake with honey'.

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