9068. 'And its flesh shall not be eaten' means that this evil must not by any means be made one's own but must be cast away. This is clear from the meaning of 'eating' as being made one's own and being joined to, dealt with in 2187, 2343, 3168, 3513 (end), 3596, 3832, 4745, 5643, 8001, so that 'not being eaten' means not being made one's own but being cast away (the reason why it must not be made one's own but must be cast away is that it is the kind of evil that destroys the truth and good of the Church's faith); and from the meaning of 'flesh' as the good of heavenly love, and in the contrary sense the evil of self-love, dealt with in 3813, 7850, 8409, 8431.

8431. Jehovah is giving you flesh to eat in the evening means that at the end of a state good will become their own through delight. This is clear from the meaning of 'the evening' as the end of a state, dealt with above in 8426; and from the meaning of 'flesh' as a proprium made alive, or a heavenly proprium which a person possesses from the Lord, thus the good of love, dealt with in 148, 149, 780, 3813, 7850, 8409 (beginning), though here the good of faith is meant since it was the flesh of a bird that flies, called 'selav'. For 'a bird that flies' means that which is spiritual or belongs to faith, so that 'its flesh' means the good of faith, at this point the natural man's good, which is delight. It should be recognized that 'manna' means the internal or spiritual man's good, while 'selav' means the external or natural man's good, which is called delight. That they have these meanings is made clear by the fact that the manna was given in the morning but the selav in the evening; and what was given in the morning means spiritual good, and what was given in the evening means natural good, or delight. For a morning state in the next life occurs when spiritual good, the internal man's good, is in evidence and natural or the external man's good is obscured, and an evening state occurs when natural good, the external man's good, is in evidence and spiritual or the internal man's good is obscured. These states also alternate with each other in this way, to the end that a person may be made more perfect, and especially to the end that good may become the person's own, which is accomplished in an evening state through delight.