143. Nowadays it may seem strange that 'beasts' and 'animals' in ancient times meant affections and similar things residing with man. But because people had heavenly ideas then, and because such things are also represented in the world of spirits by animals - by such animals in fact as resemble those affections - this alone is what they therefore understood when they spoke in this fashion. And this alone is what is meant in the Word whenever beasts are mentioned in general or in particular. The whole prophetical section of the Word is full of things such as these, and therefore anyone who does not know the particular meaning of any beast cannot possibly understand what the Word contains in the internal sense. But as slated already, there are two kinds of beasts - evil ones, because they are harmful, and good ones, because they are harmless. Good beasts, such as sheep, lambs, and doves, mean good affections. Here, because the subject is the celestial man, or the celestial-spiritual man, the same applies. The fact that 'beasts' in general means affections has been confirmed from several places in the Word quoted already in 45, 46. So there is no need of further confirmation.

715. Since the most ancient people knew and when in self-abasement acknowledged that they were nothing but beasts and wild animals, and that the Lord alone enabled them to be human beings, they not only used to liken whatever resided with themselves to beasts and birds but also called them such. Things of the will they compared to beasts and called them beasts, and those of the understanding they compared to birds and called them birds. They differentiated however between good affections and evil affections. Good affections they compared to lambs, sheep, kids, he-goats, young she-goats, rams, young bulls, and oxen, because they were good and gentle creatures, and also because they had a use in life in that they could be eaten and men could clothe themselves with their skins and wool. These are chiefly the clean beasts. But the evil and savage ones, which also have no use in life, are unclean beasts.