8410. 'Eating bread to the full!' means that in that situation they enjoyed the good of lower pleasures, as much as they wished to have. This is clear from the meaning of 'eating' as making one's own, dealt with in 3168, 3513 (end), 3596, 4745, and also as enjoyment, 7849; from the meaning of 'bread' as the good of heavenly life, and in the contrary sense the good of natural life separated from heavenly, thus the good of lower pleasures (in the spiritual sense 'bread' means the chief thing that nourishes the soul and maintains its spiritual life, that chief thing being the good of love, as heaven's life demonstrates, which consists wholly of that good. But in the contrary sense 'bread' is used to mean the chief thing that nourishes those in hell and sustains their life, that chief thing being the evil of self-love and love of the world, as hell's life demonstrates, which consists wholly in that evil. To those in hell that evil is good, for to them nothing is more delightful or sweeter; and it is this that is meant here by the good of lower pleasures); and from the meaning of 'to the full' as, as much as they wished to have, since the will is what is filled with good if people are good, or with evil if they are evil.

2186. 'And he stood before them under the tree' means consequent perception. This follows from the meaning of 'a tree' as perception, dealt with in 103, 2163. Above in verse 4 it was stated that the three men who came to Abraham were to recline under the tree, which meant that the Divine was to draw near to the perception of that state which was the Lord's at that time. Here however it is said that Abraham stood under the tree, which means that the Lord drew near to the Divine perception after He had prepared Himself, which is a reciprocal action. Anyone may see that it is not without a reason that reference is made to the three men and to Abraham standing under the tree, and that therefore this detail was included because of the arcana that lie hidden within these descriptions.