10466. 'And made the children of Israel drink it' means joined to that nation and made their own. This is clear from the meaning of 'drinking' as joining truth, and in the contrary sense falsity, to themselves and making it their own, dealt with in 3089, 3168, 8562, at this point the falsity of evil. 'The children of Israel' pure and simple should be understood here, since that which was properly theirs is the subject here.

From all this it now becomes clear what the interiors of that nation were like, for these are what this chapter is describing.

3168. 'And they ate and drank' means making one's own the good and truth introduced in this way. This is clear from the meaning of 'eating' as being communicated and joined together, thus being made one's own, dealt with in 2187, 2343, and more specifically (since 'eating' has reference to bread and 'bread' means good, 276, 680, 2165, 2177, 2187) making good one's own; and from the meaning of 'drinking' as being communicated and joined together, thus being made one's own, dealt with in 3089, and more specifically (since 'drinking' has reference to wine and 'wine' means truth, 1071, 1798) making truth one's own. The situation is as stated above in 3167, namely that when truth is introduced into good in the rational, more so when it is joined to it, the good and truth of the spiritual man, that is, spiritual things, become made over to the natural as its own.