When we eat, our bodies break down the food and get from it both energy and materials for building and repairing the body. The process is similar on a symbolic level in the Bible. Food represents the desire for good and the insight that comes from that desire for good – goodness and understanding that come from the Lord. But to put them to use we have to take them in and make them our own – which is spiritual eating.

7326. 'And they will be blood' means that they will falsify truths. This is clear from the meaning of 'blood' as the falsification of truth, dealt with above in 7317. In the genuine sense 'blood' means the holiness of love, as a consequence of which it means charity and faith, since they are holy attributes of love, and as a consequence of which again it means holy truth coming forth from the Lord, tool, 4735, 6978. In the contrary sense however 'blood' means violence done to charity and also violence done to faith, thus to holy truth coming forth from the Lord. And since violence is done to it when it is falsified the falsification of truth is meant by 'blood'; or when there is a greater degree of violence, the profanation of truth is meant by 'blood'. Such profanation was meant by 'the eating of blood', which was why that practice was so strictly forbidden, 1003.