And thou shalt say to the people: Be ye sanctified: to morrow you shall eat flesh: for I have heard you say: Who will give us flesh to eat? It was well with us in Egypt. That the Lord may give you flesh, and you may eat:
וְאֶל־הָעָ֨ם תֹּאמַ֜ר הִתְקַדְּשׁ֣וּ לְמָחָר֮ וַאֲכַלְתֶּ֣ם בָּשָׂר֒ כִּ֡י בְּכִיתֶם֩ בְּאָזְנֵ֨י יְהוָ֜ה לֵאמֹ֗ר מִ֤י יַאֲכִלֵ֙נוּ֙ בָּשָׂ֔ר כִּי־ט֥וֹב לָ֖נוּ בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם וְנָתַ֨ן יְהוָ֥ה לָכֶ֛ם בָּשָׂ֖ר וַאֲכַלְתֶּֽם׃
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
The Liberator was profoundly troubled by Israel's lack of awareness regarding their bondage, viewing the harsh conditions of Egypt as insignificant merely for the sake of food and undesirable produce. Similarly, we can easily be swayed by intense desires and fleeting pleasures, leading us to accept the servitude of the enemy and willingly burden ourselves with sin in pursuit of transient, worldly cravings.
They ask, "Who will provide us with meat?" And the Lord will supply you with meat to consume... You will eat it until it emerges from your nostrils, and it will become an abomination to you; that is, it will be as repugnant to you as food that has been digested. In a profound way, this illustrates among the Hebrew people the desire that persists even now, wherein they wish to observe their Passover after witnessing the true Sacrifice presented on Calvary, yet they turn away from it, just as their ancestors rejected the manna sent from heaven. It is essential to recognize that this abomination has two aspects: one is physical and the other is spiritual. The physical aspect is detrimental to the body, while the spiritual aspect harms the soul.
We must be wary of both; for when the Hebrews consumed the krastel without craving it, it was beneficial to them; however, when they began to indulge greedily, eating out of desire rather than necessity, what had once been good transformed into something harmful. Thus, countless individuals act with overwhelming madness when they exceed the boundaries set by nature and allow their appetites to guide their consumption. Even if we were to gather every fish from the sea, it still would not satiate their cravings.
Those who strive to cleanse their spirits not only experience an abundance of spiritual nourishment but are also provided with sustenance. As the Apostle teaches, "the perfect" are provided with "solid food" (Heb. 5:14). In anticipation, Moses instructs the people, stating, "Ye shall purify yourselves in the morning, and eat meat" (Num. 11:18), where "meat" refers to the Divine Body that the faithful in the Church receive. This knowledge is the most exalted, surpassing all understanding and is the distinctive knowledge of Christians.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS