999、“肉”表示人的意愿部分，这从“肉”的含义清楚可知。从严格意义上说，“肉”论及败坏的人。“肉”总体上表示整个人类，具体地表示肉体人（参看574节）。它因表示整个人类，具体地表示肉体人，故表示人自己的东西，因而表示他的意愿部分。人的意愿部分或意愿，无非是邪恶。因此，“肉”论及人，因为人是这样，所以“肉”表示一切恶欲或一切贪欲。前面（105，568，594，634，801:1，977:2节）数次说明，人的意愿无非是恶欲。正因“肉”具有这种含义，所以百姓在旷野中所渴求的肉也具有同样的代表。摩西五经如此描述这种渴求：
他们中间的乌合之众大起贪欲，所以他们又哭号说，谁给我们肉吃呢？（民数记11:4）
此处“肉”明显被称为“贪欲”，因为经上说“他们大起贪欲，说，谁给我们肉吃呢？”接下来的话也说明这一含义：
肉在他们牙齿之间，尚未嚼烂，耶和华的怒气就向百姓发作，耶和华用极重的灾祸击打百姓。那地方名叫贪欲之坟墓，因为他们在那里葬埋那起贪欲的百姓。（民数记11:33-34）
谁都能清楚看出，这样的灾祸临到那百姓，绝不是因为他们贪肉，因而不是因为对肉的渴望。当一个人长时间不吃肉时，这种渴望是很自然的，如那时百姓在旷野中的情形。真正的原因，也就是属灵的原因，是更深层次的，即：那百姓具有这种性质，他们对“吗哪”所表示和代表的东西感到极度厌恶，这从本章第六节明显看出来。他们只想要诸如“肉”所表示和代表的那类事物，就是属于他们自己意愿的东西，而这些东西纯由恶欲构成，本身如同粪便，天生就是亵渎的。正因那教会由于代表这类事物而是一个代表性教会，所以那百姓才会遭受如此大的灾祸。事实上，发生在他们中间的事件在天堂会以属灵的方式来代表。在天堂，“吗哪”代表天上的东西，而“肉”代表他们所贪求的东西，就是他们自己意愿的不洁之物。因此，他们因具有这种性质，故受到惩罚。从圣言中的这些和其它经文明显看出，“肉”表示属于意愿的东西，在此表示只属于人的意愿的东西。至于这意愿何等肮脏、污秽，可参看本章第二节（987节）的解读，那里论述了“地上的走兽”。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]999. The symbolism of flesh as human volition is established by the symbolism of flesh in its proper sense, having to do with our depraved self. [In the Word,] flesh symbolizes all people in general and those in particular who are oriented toward their bodies. (See the earlier demonstration of this in 574.) Since flesh symbolizes all people and particularly body-oriented ones, it also symbolizes selfhood and consequently volition.
Our volition or will is nothing but evil. This being so, when the term flesh refers to people, it symbolizes every craving or all greed. Our will consists wholly of cravings, as shown several times already [105, 568, 594, 634, 801:1, 977:2]. Since this is what flesh symbolizes, the same thing was represented by the flesh that the people craved in the wilderness, described by Moses in these words:
The rabble that was in their midst had a strong craving. So they wept again and said, "Who will feed us flesh?" (Numbers 11:4)
Clearly flesh is being called a craving, since it says, "They had a strong craving. Who will feed us flesh?" The words that follow these also illustrate the meaning:
The flesh was still between their teeth, before it was shredded, and Jehovah's anger blazed out against the people, and Jehovah struck a very strong blow among the people. And he called the name of that place the Graves of Greed, because there they buried the people who had had a greedy craving. (Numbers 11:33-34)
[2] Anyone can see that such a blow [or plague] would never have been brought on the people just because they craved flesh; it was not their longing for meat that was to blame. Such a longing is only natural, when people used to eating meat are deprived of it for a long time, as was then true for the people in the wilderness. The real reason — a spiritual one — ran deeper: the people were such that they felt utter disgust for what the manna symbolized and represented (as verse 6 of that chapter [Numbers 11] also shows), and they longed only for the kind of things that flesh symbolized and represented.{*1} Those things are the self-centered impulses of the will, the stirrings of greed, which in themselves resemble dung and are inherently profane. It was because that church was a representative one (as a consequence of such representations) that a plague of these proportions was inflicted on the people. The events that took place among them, you see, were represented in a spiritual way in heaven, where manna represented what is heavenly and the flesh the people craved represented a sordid urge of the will. The result, because they were the kind of people described, was punishment.
These and other places in the Word demonstrate that flesh symbolizes the will — in this case, human will.{*2} Review the discussion concerning the beast of the earth at verse 2 of this chapter [987] to see how unclean that will is.
Footnotes:
{*1} On the idea that Scripture possesses an inner meaning, see note 3 in 1 and note 1 in 606. On the difference between symbolism and representation in Swedenborg's theology, see note 3 in 4. [Editors]
{*2} For other passages in which Swedenborg discusses the meaning of "flesh" in Scripture, see 3813:4-7, 10283. Section 8409:3 has related discussion. [SS]
Potts(1905-1910) 999
999. That "flesh" signifies the will part of man, is evident from the signification of "flesh" in its proper sense in reference to man when corrupt. "Flesh" in general, signifies the whole man, and specifically the corporeal man, as may be seen above (n. 574); and since it signifies the whole man, and specifically the corporeal man, it signifies what is proper to man, consequently his will part. Man's will part, or will, is nothing but evil; and therefore "flesh" predicated of man, because he is such, signifies all cupidity, or all concupiscence, for man's will is nothing but cupidity, as occasionally shown before. And because "flesh" has this signification, such was also the representation of the flesh which the people lusted after in the desert-as in Moses:
The mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting whence they wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? (Num. 11:4). Here flesh is plainly called lust, for it is said that they fell a lusting, saying, Who shall give us flesh? The same is likewise evident from what follows:
While the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the anger of Jehovah was kindled against the people, and Jehovah smote the people with a very great plague; and the name of that place was called the Graves of Lust, because there they buried the people that lusted (Num. 11:33-34). [2] It must be evident to everyone that such a plague would never have been sent among the people on account of their lusting after flesh, thus not on account of a lust for flesh, since this is natural when a man has been kept from eating it for a long time, as the people then had in the wilderness. But a deeper reason lies hidden, which is spiritual, namely, that the people were of such a nature as to loathe what was signified and represented by the manna-as is evident also from the sixth verse-and to desire only such things as were signified and represented by "flesh" the things of their own will, which are of those of cupidities, and in themselves are excrementitious and profane. It was because that church was representative, from the representation of such things, that the people were afflicted with so great a plague; for what was done among the people was represented spiritually in heaven. The manna represented in heaven what is heavenly, and the flesh which they lusted after, the unclean things of their own will. For this reason, because they were of such a nature, they were punished. From these and other passages in the Word, it is evident that by "flesh" is signified what is of the will, and here of the will of man, the uncleanness of which may be seen under the second verse of this chapter, where the beast of the earth is treated of.
Elliott(1983-1999) 999
999. That 'flesh' means what belongs to man's will is clear from the meaning of 'flesh' in its proper sense when used in connection with corrupt mankind. In general 'flesh' means the whole of mankind, in particular the bodily-minded - see what has been shown already in 574. And because it means the whole of mankind, and in particular the bodily-minded, it means that which is specifically man's own, and therefore that which constitutes his will. That which constitutes his will - that is, the will itself - is nothing but evil. Consequently 'flesh', used in reference to mankind because it is such, means all evil desire or all craving. For, as shown several times already, the human will is nothing but evil desire. And because flesh had that meaning, the flesh the people craved in the wilderness had the same representation too. That craving is described in Moses as follows,
The mixed multitude that were among them had a strong craving, and so they wept repeatedly and said, Who will give us flesh to eat? Num 11:4.
Here 'flesh' is plainly called 'craving', for it is said that 'they had a strong craving, [saying,] Who will give us flesh?' The same meaning is in like manner clear from what is said further on in that chapter,
While the flesh was yet between their teeth, before they had chewed it, the anger of Jehovah was kindled against the people, and Jehovah smote the people with a very great plague. And the name of that place was called Graves of Craving, for they buried there the people that craved. Num 11:33, 34.
[2] Anyone may see that such a plague could not possibly have spread among the people simply because they had craved for flesh. It did not spread because of a craving for flesh, for this is quite natural for someone when he has been kept from eating for a long time, as was the case at that time with the people in the wilderness. There was a deeper - a spiritual - cause to the plague, namely, that those people were such as utterly loathed that which was meant by and represented by 'the manna', as is also clear in verse 6 of the same chapter. They desired solely such things as were meant and represented by 'flesh', that is to say, things belonging to their own will, which consisted of evil desires and were in themselves putrid and profane. It was because that Church, as a result of the representation of such things, was a representative Church that the people experienced so severe a plague. For the events that took place among the people were represented in a spiritual way in heaven. In heaven 'the manna' represented what is heavenly, and 'the flesh which they craved' the foulness of their own will. Consequently, such being their nature, they were punished. From these and other places in the Word it becomes clear that 'flesh' means what belongs to the will, here the merely human will. How filthy that will is, see under verse 2 of this chapter where 'the beasts of the earth' is the subject.
Latin(1748-1756) 999
999. Quod 'caro' significet voluntarium hominis, constat a significatione 'carnis' in proprio sensu respective ad hominem corruptum: caro in genere significat omnem hominem, in specie corporeum, quod prius ostensum videatur, n. 574; et quia significat omnem hominem, et in specie corporeum, significat quod proprium est hominis, proinde voluntarium ejus: voluntarium ejus seu voluntas non est nisi quam malum, quare caro praedicate ad hominem quia talis, significat omnem cupiditatem aut omnem concupiscentiam; num voluntas ejus non est nisi cupiditas, ut prius aliquoties ostensum; et quia caro id significabat, etiam tale repraesentatum fuit per carnem quam populus concupivit in deserto, de qua haec apud Mosen, Promiscua turba quae in medio ejus, concupiverunt concupiscentiam; inde iterarunt et fleverunt, et dixerunt, Quis cibabit nos carne, Num. xi 4;ubi manifeste 'caro' vocatur concupiscentia, nam dicitur 'concupiverunt concupiscentiam, Quis cibabit nos carne?' Constat similiter ab iis quae sequuntur, Caro adhuc ea inter dentes eorum, antequam concisa esset, et ira Jehovae exarsit in populum, et percussit Jehovah in populo plagam magnam valde; et vocavit nomen loci istius sepulcra concupiscentiae, quia ibi sepeliverunt populum concupiscentes, ibid. vers. 33, 34;
[2] cuivis constare potest quod nusquam talis plaga in populo facta fuisset propterea quod concupiscerent carnem; ita non propter concupiscentiam carnis, nam hoc naturale est cum ab esu ejus per multum temporis homo detinetur, ut tunc populus in deserto; sed causa altius latuit, quae est spiritualis, quod nempe populus talis esset ut prorsus fastidiret quod significatum et repraesentatum erat per 'mannam,' ut constat ibi quoque vers. 6; et quod cuperent solum talia quae significata et repraesentata sunt per 'carnem,' nempe propria voluntaria quae sunt cupiditatum, in se excrementitia et profana. Ecclesia illa quia repraesentativa fuit ex repraesentatione talium, populus tam magna plaga affectus est; nam quae facta in populo, repraesentabantur spiritualiter in caelo; 'manna' repraesentabat in caelo caeleste, et 'caro quam concupiverunt' foedum voluntarium; inde quia tales erant, punitio. Ex his et aliis locis in Verbo, constare potest quod per 'carnem' significetur voluntarium; et hic voluntarium hominis, quod quam spurcum sit, videatur ad vers. 2 hujus capitis ubi de bestia terrae agitur.