574. 'Flesh' means that man became bodily-minded. This is clear from the meaning of 'flesh' in the Word, where it is used to mean the whole of mankind in general and the bodily-minded man in particular. It is used to mean the whole of mankind in Joel,

I will pour out My spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Joel 2:28.

'Flesh' stands for mankind, 'spirit' for the influx of truth and good from the Lord. In David,

O You that hearest prayer, to You will all flesh come. Psalms 65:2.

Here 'flesh' stands for the whole of mankind. In Jeremiah,

Cursed is that man (vir) who trusts in man (homo) and makes flesh his arm. Jeremiah 17:5.

'Flesh' stands for mankind, 'arm' for power.

In Ezekiel,

And all flesh will know. Ezekiel 20:48, 49.

[2] In Zechariah,

Be silent, all flesh, before Jehovah. Zechariah 2:13.

Again 'flesh' stands for the whole of mankind. 'Flesh' stands for the bodily-minded man in particular in Isaiah,

The Egyptian is man (homo), and not God; and his horses are flesh and not spirit. Isaiah 31:3.

'Flesh' here indicates that their factual knowledge is concerned with things of the body. 'Horses' here and elsewhere in the Word stands for the rational.

In the same prophet,

One will strike down on the right and will be hungry; and they will eat on the left, and they will not be satisfied. Every man will eat the flesh of his own arm. Isaiah 9:20.

Here 'flesh' stands for the things that are man's own, all of which are of a bodily nature.

In the same prophet,

He will fat up from the soul even to the flesh. Isaiah 10:18.

'Flesh' stands for bodily things.

In the same prophet,

The glory of Jehovah will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together. A voice says, Cry! And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass. Isaiah 40:5-6.

'Flesh' stands for the whole of mankind as being bodily-minded.

[3] In the same prophet,

In fire Jehovah will dispute, and by His sword with all flesh, and the slain ¹ of Jehovah will be multiplied. Isaiah 66:16.

'Fire' stands for the punishment of evil desires, 'sword' for the punishment of falsities, and 'flesh' for the bodily things of man. In David,

God remembered that they were flesh, a spirit going away so that it did not turn back. Psalms 78:39.

This refers to the people in the wilderness who craved for flesh, that is, a bodily-minded people. Their craving for flesh represented their desire for bodily things alone, see Numbers 11:32-34.

Poznámky pod čarou:

3814. 'And he dwelt with him for a full month' means a new state of life. This is clear from the meaning of 'dwelling' as life, dealt with in 1293, 3384, 3613, and from the meaning of 'a full month' as a new state. All periods of time mean states, see 1274, 1382, 2625, 2788, 2837, 3254, 3356, 3404, so that years, months, and days mean such. What kind of states are meant however is clear from the numbers attached to them. When however year, month, or day is used in the singular, an entire state is meant, and so the end of the previous state and the beginning of the next, as has also been shown in various places in the explanations. Here therefore 'month' means the end of the previous state and the beginning of the next, and so means a new state, as in other places in the Word, as in Isaiah,

At length from month to its month, and from sabbath to sabbath, all flesh will come to bow down before Me, said Jehovah. Isaiah 66:23.

In John,

He showed me a pure river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and of the river, on this side and on that, was the tree of life bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit each month. Revelation 22:1-2.

'Yielding its fruit each month' stands for a state for ever new as regards the reception of good and the consequent practice of it. In Moses, Count the sons of Levi according to their father's house and according to their families. Every male a month old and over shall you count. Count every firstborn male of the children of Israel, a month old and over, and take the number of their names. Numbers 3:15, 40.

[2] It was because the end of the previous state and the beginning of the next, that is, a new state, was meant by 'a month' that they were ordered to count those who were 'a month old and over'. In the same author,

If you see among captives a beautiful woman, and have a desire for her so that you would take her to yourself for a wife, she shall remove the clothing of her captivity from upon her, and she shall sit in your house and lament her father and her mother for a full month. After that you shall go in to her and know her, and she shall be your wife. Deuteronomy 21:11, 13.

Here 'a full month' clearly stands for the end of the previous and the beginning of the next or new state.