10686. 'He did not eat bread and he did not drink water' means during which the good of love and the truth of faith do not become a person's own. This is clear from the meaning of 'bread' as the good of love, dealt with in 2165, 2177, 3464, 3478, 3735, 3813, 4211, 4217, 4735, 4976, 8410, 9545; from the meaning of 'water' as the truth of faith, dealt with in the places referred to in 10238 (in the Word 'bread' and 'water' are used in general to mean all forms of good and truth, see 9323); from the meaning of 'eating' as having good joined to one and making it one's own, dealt with in 2187, 2343, 3168, 3513(end), 3596, 4745, 5643, 8001; and from the meaning of 'drinking' as receiving truth and making it one's own, dealt with in 3069, 3089, 3168, 8562. The implications of all this are that a person does not make forms of the good of love or the truths of faith his own during temptations but after them; for, as long as temptations last the evils and falsities of evil that reside with a person are stirred up on one side, and the forms of good and the truths of good on the other. As a result of this he experiences a state of turmoil. During this state the internal level is being opened up. But after the temptations have come to an end he experiences peace and calm, and in this state the Lord introduces forms of good and truths of good onto the internal level that has now been opened up. From all this it is evident what should be understood by the good of love and truth of faith not being made a person's own as long as temptations last, meant by the statement that for forty days and forty nights Moses did not eat bread and did not drink water.

9089. 'And the dead [animal] shall be his' means that the evil or falsity will remain with him. This is clear from the meaning of 'the dead' - when the words refer to good or truth in the natural, which is meant by 'an ox or an ass' - as evil or falsity, for when good dies evil replaces it, and when truth dies falsity replaces it (since 'the dead' means evil and falsity, those who will what is evil and believe what is false are called 'the dead', 7494); and from the meaning of 'being his' as remaining with him. The situation in all this is that if anyone uses falsity to destroy good or truth present with himself or with others he does so from evil, thus from the will by means of the understanding, for all evil belongs to the will and all falsity to the understanding. What is done through both parts of the mind remains, since it permeates the whole of the person's life. It is different if the evil comes from the will and not at the same time from the understanding, 9009. All this shows why it was stipulated that 'the dead [animal] shall be his'.