'Labor,' as in Genesis 41:51, denotes the combats of temptation. 'To eat the labor of the hands' signifies celestial good which man receives through living a life according to divine truths from the Lord. 'Labor' has respect, in a positive sense, to the things that are of love, and in an opposite sense, to the things that are of evil. It also signifies affliction of soul and crucifixion of the flesh for the sake of the Lord and of eternal life.

(Referenties: Arcana Coelestia 613, Genesis 41)