Arcana Coelestia #3852
3852. 'And he served with him yet another seven years' means holy diligent effort. This is clear from the meaning of 'serving' as diligent effort, dealt with in 3824, 3846, and from the meaning of 'seven' as that which is holy, dealt with in 395, 433, 716, 881, 3824. The expression 'holy diligent effort' is used for that effort by means of which internal truths are joined to good, for internal truths in every case regard the Lord and are joined to a person by means of love to Him. This love is holiness itself.
Arcana Coelestia #715
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.