7143. 'Saying, Why do you deal thus with your servants?' means that under the present circumstances they could not perform their prescribed function. This is clear from the meaning of 'a servant' as one who ministers and performs a function. Because that person is being of service he is referred to as a servant, as in various places in the Word. One who is obedient is called 'a servant' or 'a slave', see 1713, while 'serving' describes diligent effort, 3824, 3846. And since the narrative that follows on from here implies that they could not endure that service [imposed on them], it is evident that 'why do you deal thus with your servants?' means that under the present circumstances they could not perform their prescribed function.

3846. 'And we will give you this one also for the service which you render with me for another seven years' means that in that case it would be a complete state of diligent effort. This is clear from the meaning of 'service' and of 'serving' as diligent effort, dealt with in 3824, and from the meaning of 'seven years', which has the same meaning as 'a week', namely a state and a whole period - as immediately above in 3845 - and so a complete state which is also holy, as in 3824. 'We will give you this one also' means that in that case there would be a joining to the affection for internal truth. The reason why 'serving' in the internal sense means diligent effort is that the exertions of the external man exist as diligent effort in the internal man, which is why a diligent effort is called mental toil.