143. Nowadays it may seem strange that 'beasts' and 'animals' in ancient times meant affections and similar things residing with man. But because people had heavenly ideas then, and because such things are also represented in the world of spirits by animals - by such animals in fact as resemble those affections - this alone is what they therefore understood when they spoke in this fashion. And this alone is what is meant in the Word whenever beasts are mentioned in general or in particular. The whole prophetical section of the Word is full of things such as these, and therefore anyone who does not know the particular meaning of any beast cannot possibly understand what the Word contains in the internal sense. But as slated already, there are two kinds of beasts - evil ones, because they are harmful, and good ones, because they are harmless. Good beasts, such as sheep, lambs, and doves, mean good affections. Here, because the subject is the celestial man, or the celestial-spiritual man, the same applies. The fact that 'beasts' in general means affections has been confirmed from several places in the Word quoted already in 45, 46. So there is no need of further confirmation.

9275. 'And the needy of your people will eat' means being joined through the good of charity to those who possess few truths and still have a desire to receive instruction. This is clear from the meaning of 'eating' as communicating and being joined together, dealt with in 2187, 3596, 5643, 8001; from the meaning of 'the needy' as those who have few truths owing to lack of knowledge and still have a desire to receive instruction, dealt with in 9253; and from the meaning of 'people', at this point the people of Israel, as those who belong to the Church, dealt with in 4286, 6426, 6637, 8805. From these meanings it is evident that 'the needy of your people will eat' means joining the Church to those who possess few truths and still have a desire to receive instruction. The reason why the words 'being joined through the good of charity' are used is that such good joins people together, which is the subject dealt with in the very next paragraph.