58. Verse 30 And to every wild animal of the earth and to every bird of the air, ¹ and to everything creeping over the earth in which there is a living soul [I give] every plant for food; and it was so.

The natural food of this same [spiritual man] is being described here. His natural level is here meant by 'wild animal of the earth' and by 'bird of the air, to which 'the edible and green plant ² has been given for food'. Both kinds of food, natural and spiritual, are referred to in David as follows,

Jehovah causes the grass to grow for the beast, and the plant for man's service, that he may bring forth bread from the earth. Psalms 104:14.

Here 'beast' stands for both wild animals of the earth and birds of the air, ¹ both being mentioned in verses 11-12 of that Psalm.

Footnotes:

5812. 'The boy cannot leave his father' means that that truth cannot be separated from spiritual good. This is clear from the meaning of 'leaving' as being separated; from the representation of 'Israel' as spiritual good from the natural, dealt with in 4286, 4598, 5807; and from the representation of 'Benjamin' as new truth, dealt with in 5804, 5806. This truth is called 'the boy' because it is born last; for this truth is not born until a person has become regenerate. At this point he receives newness of life through this new truth joined to good, which also is why this truth is meant by 'a child of his old age, the youngest one', 5804.