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.

574. 'Flesh' means that man became bodily-minded. This is clear from the meaning of 'flesh' in the Word, where it is used to mean the whole of mankind in general and the bodily-minded man in particular. It is used to mean the whole of mankind in Joel,

I will pour out My spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Joel 2:28.

'Flesh' stands for mankind, 'spirit' for the influx of truth and good from the Lord. In David,

O You that hearest prayer, to You will all flesh come. Psalms 65:2.

Here 'flesh' stands for the whole of mankind. In Jeremiah,

Cursed is that man (vir) who trusts in man (homo) and makes flesh his arm. Jeremiah 17:5.

'Flesh' stands for mankind, 'arm' for power.

In Ezekiel,

And all flesh will know. Ezekiel 20:48, 49.

[2] In Zechariah,

Be silent, all flesh, before Jehovah. Zechariah 2:13.

Again 'flesh' stands for the whole of mankind. 'Flesh' stands for the bodily-minded man in particular in Isaiah,

The Egyptian is man (homo), and not God; and his horses are flesh and not spirit. Isaiah 31:3.

'Flesh' here indicates that their factual knowledge is concerned with things of the body. 'Horses' here and elsewhere in the Word stands for the rational.

In the same prophet,

One will strike down on the right and will be hungry; and they will eat on the left, and they will not be satisfied. Every man will eat the flesh of his own arm. Isaiah 9:20.

Here 'flesh' stands for the things that are man's own, all of which are of a bodily nature.

In the same prophet,

He will fat up from the soul even to the flesh. Isaiah 10:18.

'Flesh' stands for bodily things.

In the same prophet,

The glory of Jehovah will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together. A voice says, Cry! And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass. Isaiah 40:5-6.

'Flesh' stands for the whole of mankind as being bodily-minded.

[3] In the same prophet,

In fire Jehovah will dispute, and by His sword with all flesh, and the slain ¹ of Jehovah will be multiplied. Isaiah 66:16.

'Fire' stands for the punishment of evil desires, 'sword' for the punishment of falsities, and 'flesh' for the bodily things of man. In David,

God remembered that they were flesh, a spirit going away so that it did not turn back. Psalms 78:39.

This refers to the people in the wilderness who craved for flesh, that is, a bodily-minded people. Their craving for flesh represented their desire for bodily things alone, see Numbers 11:32-34.

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