5147. There was some of every kind of food for Pharaoh' means full of celestial good for nourishing the natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'food' as celestial good, dealt with below; and from the representation of 'Pharaoh' as the interior natural, dealt with in 5080, 5095, and also the natural in general, since the interior natural and the exterior natural make one when they correspond. And because food exists to provide nourishment, 'every kind of food for Pharaoh' means full of celestial good for nourishing the natural. It is said that this food was in the highest basket, meaning that the inmost degree of the will was full of celestial good. For good from the Lord flows in by way of the inmost degree in a person; and from there it passes degree by degree, so to speak down a flight of steps, to what is more exterior. For in relation to other degrees the inmost one exists in the most perfect state, and can therefore receive good from the Lord directly, in a way the lower ones cannot. If these were to receive good from the Lord directly, they would either obscure it or pervert it, since they are less perfect in comparison with the inmost degree.

[2] As regards the influx of celestial good from the Lord and the reception of it, it should be recognized that the will part of the human mind is the receiver of good and the understanding part is the receiver of truth. The understanding part cannot possibly receive truth so as to make this its own unless at the same time the will part receives good; and vice versa. For one flows as a result into the other and disposes that other to be receptive. All that constitutes the understanding may be compared to forms which are constantly varying, and all that constitutes the will may be compared to the harmonies resulting from those variations. Consequently truths may be compared to variations, and forms of good may be compared to the delights which those variations bring. And this being pre-eminently the case with truths and forms of good it is evident that one cannot exist without the other, as well as that one cannot be brought forth except by means of the other.

[3] The reason 'food' means celestial good is that angels' food consists in nothing else than forms of the good of love and charity, and that these serve to enliven angels and to rejuvenate them. Especially when they are expressed in action or practice do those forms of good cause angels to feel rejuvenated, for they are the desires they have; for it is a well known fact that when a person's desires are expressed in action he feels rejuvenated and enlivened. Those desires also nourish a person's spirit when material food supplies nourishment to his body, as may be recognized from the fact that when no delight is taken in food it is not very nutritious, but when delight is taken in it, it is nutritious. The delight taken in food is what opens the meatus or channels which serve to convey it into the blood, whereas the opposite closes them. Among angels those delights are forms of the good of love and charity, and from this one may deduce that these are spiritual kinds of food which correspond to earthly ones. Also, just as forms of good are meant by different kinds of food, so truths are meant by 'drink'.

[4] In the Word 'food' is mentioned in many places, yet someone unacquainted with the internal sense will inevitably suppose that in those places ordinary food is meant. In fact spiritual food is meant, as in Jeremiah,

All the people groan as they search for bread. They have given their desirable things for food to restore the soul. Lamentations 1:11.

In Isaiah,

Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters, and he who has no money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Isaiah 55:1.

In Joel,

The day of Jehovah is near, and as destruction from the thunderbolt-hurler will it come. [s not the food cut off before our eyes, gladness and joy from the house of our God? The grains have rotted under their clods, the storehouses have been laid waste, the granaries have been destroyed, because the grain has failed. Joel 1:15-17.

In David,

Our storehouses are full, yielding food and still more food; our flocks are thousands, and ten thousands in our streets. There is no outcry in our streets. Blessed are the people for whom it is thus. Psalms 144:13-15.

In the same author,

They all look to You, that You may give them their food in due season. You give to them - they gather it up; You open Your hand - they are satisfied with good. Psalms 104:27-28.

[5] In these places celestial and spiritual food is meant in the internal sense when material food is referred to in the sense of the letter. From this one may see how the interior features of the Word and its exterior features correspond to one another, that is, how what belongs inwardly to its spirit and what belongs to its letter do so; so that while man understands those things according to the sense of the letter, the angels present with him understand the same things according to the spiritual sense. The Word has been written in such a way that it may serve not only the human race but heaven also, and for this reason all expressions are used to mean heavenly realities, and every matter described there is representative of these realities. This is so with the Word even to the tiniest jot.

[6] Furthermore the Lord Himself explicitly teaches that good is meant in the spiritual sense by 'food': In John,

Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. John 6:27.

In the same gospel,

My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink. John 6:55.

'Flesh' means Divine Good, 3813, and 'blood' Divine Truth, 4735. And in the same gospel,

Jesus said to the disciples, I have food to eat of which you do not know. The disciples said to one another, Has anyone brought Him [anything] to eat? Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. John 4:33-34.

'Doing the will of the Father and finishing His work' means Divine Good when expressed in actions or practice, which in the genuine sense is 'food', as stated above.

10087. 'And you shall take the breast' means the Divine Spiritual in the heavens, which those in heaven make their own. This is clear from the meaning of 'the breast' as the good of charity, and in the highest sense as the Divine Spiritual, dealt with below. The reason why its being made their own by those in the heavens is meant is that the subject in what follows next is the flesh from the ram and the bread from the basket which were not burned on the altar but were left as a portion for and were eaten by Moses, Aaron, and his sons. By this is meant making it their own, the process of which is described in what follows next. The origin of the meaning of 'the breast' as the good of charity, and in the highest sense as the Divine Spiritual, lies in correspondence. For the human head corresponds to the good of love to the Lord, which is the good of the inmost heaven and is called the Divine Celestial, whereas the breast corresponds to the good of charity, which is the good of the middle or second heaven and is called the Divine Spiritual; and the feet correspond to the good of faith, thus to the good of obedience, which is the good of the lowest heaven and is called the Divine Natural. Regarding this correspondence, see what has been shown above in 10030.

[2] Since the breast because of its correspondence means the good of charity, and the good of charity results from the will to do good, John - who represented that good - leaned on the Lord's breast or in His bosom, John 13:23, 25, by which the Lord's love of that good is meant. For 'leaning on the breast' or 'in the bosom' means loving. Anyone who knows this may also know what the meaning is of the following words which the Lord addressed to Peter and to John,

Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon son of Jonah, do you love Me? He said, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You. He said to him, Feed My lambs. He said to him again, Simon son of Jonah, do you love Me? He said, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You. He said to him, Feed My sheep. He said to him a third time, Simon son of Jonah, do you love Me? Peter was grieved, therefore he said, Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You. Jesus said to him, Feed My sheep. Truly I say to you, When you were younger you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands and another will gird you and lead you where you do not wish. When He had said this He said to him, Follow Me. Having turned round Peter saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper. Seeing him Peter said, Lord, what about him? Jesus said to him, If I will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me. John 21:15-22.

None can know what these words mean except through the internal sense. This teaches that the Lord's twelve disciples represented all aspects of faith and love in their entirety, just as the twelves tribes of Israel did, and that Peter represented faith, James charity, and John the works or good deeds that flow from charity.

The Lord's twelve disciples represented all aspects of faith and love in their entirety, see 3488, 3858 (end), 6397.

The twelve tribes of Israel had the same representation, 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335, 6640.

Peter represented faith, James charity, and John the works that flow from charity, Prefaces to Genesis 18, 22, and 3750, 4738, 6344 (end).

'The rock', as Peter is also called, means the Lord in respect of faith, 8581.

[3] Faith without charity does not love the Lord; nevertheless it is able to teach about things connected with faith and love, and the things that are the Lord's. This was why the Lord said three times, 'Do you love Me?', and then, 'Feed My lambs' or 'Feed My sheep'. For the same reason He says, 'When you were younger you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands and another will gird you and lead you where you do not wish', meaning that in its early stages the Church's faith had possessed the good of innocence, like a young child; but when it was in decline, which is the final phase of the Church, faith would not possess that good any longer nor the good of charity, at which point evil and falsity would lead it. All this is what is meant by 'when you are old you will stretch out your hands and another will gird you and lead you where you do not wish', that is, you will pass from freedom into bondage. 'Girding' means being acquainted with and seeing truths in light that flows from good, 9952, and 'walking' leading a life in accord with those truths, 8417, 8420, so that 'girding himself and walking where he wished' means acting in freedom; and people act in freedom when an affection for truth springing from good governs their actions, 2870-2893, 9585-9591, and they are led by the Lord, 9096, 9586, 9589-9591. But 'being girded by another and being led where he did not wish' means being in bondage, and people are in bondage when evil governs their actions, and so they are led by hell, 9096, 9586, 9589-9591. 'Lambs', which the Lord mentions first, are those in whom the good of innocence is present, see 3994; 'sheep', which the Lord mentions the second and third times, are those in whom the good of charity, and faith springing from this, are present, 4169, 4809. Also three means the whole period from beginning to end, 2788, 4495, 7715, 9198; consequently, since the Lord spoke to Peter regarding the Church from its early stages to when it was in decline, He said three times, Do you love Me?

[4] As regards John's following the Lord, this was a sign of the truth that those who perform the good deeds of charity follow the Lord, are loved by the Lord, and do not leave Him, whereas those whose faith is separated from charity not only fail to follow the Lord but are also angered by that truth, as Peter was then; not to mention many more arcana within the words contained in that passage.

From all this it is evident also that leaning on the Lord's breast or in His bosom means being loved by Him, and that this expression is used in reference to those who perform the good deeds of charity. Much the same is meant by carrying in the bosom, Isaiah 40:10-11, and lying in the bosom, 2 Samuel 12:3.