Isaiah 1 3

Isaiah 1:3 kjv

The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.

Isaiah 1:3 nkjv

The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master's crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider."

Isaiah 1:3 niv

The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner's manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand."

Isaiah 1:3 esv

The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand."

Isaiah 1:3 nlt

Even an ox knows its owner,
and a donkey recognizes its master's care ?
but Israel doesn't know its master.
My people don't recognize my care for them."

Isaiah 1 verses

Isaiah 1 3 Meaning

Isaiah 1:3 declares a profound spiritual failure in Israel, asserting that even common domesticated animals like the ox and the donkey exhibit more recognition and loyalty towards their owner and provider than God's own chosen people demonstrate towards Him. It highlights a grievous lack of intimate knowledge and understanding concerning their relationship with Yahweh, who is their Creator, Owner, and Sustainer. The verse serves as a foundational indictment of Israel's ingratitude, spiritual blindness, and profound rebellion.

Isaiah 1 3 Context

Isaiah 1 sets the stage for the prophet's ministry by presenting a powerful prophetic indictment against Judah and Jerusalem. It begins with a heavenly declaration summoning the heavens and earth to witness God's case against His rebellious children. The initial verses portray Judah as morally sick from head to toe, polluted by sin. Verse 3 serves as the direct accusation, pinpointing the core issue: the profound spiritual ignorance and ingratitude of the covenant people towards their divine Sovereign. Despite having been nurtured and brought up by God, they have rebelled. Historically, this sermon is likely delivered in the 8th century BC, a time of relative prosperity for Judah, but also rampant spiritual apostasy, social injustice, and idolatry. Isaiah calls the people "Sodom and Gomorrah" due to their corruption, signifying their moral decay despite continued religious observance. The verse laments that even animals, through instinct, understand loyalty and dependence better than Judah, who fail to recognize the very One who has sustained them.

Isaiah 1 3 Word analysis

• The ox (הַשּׁוֹר - hash-shōr): Refers to a common domesticated draught animal, often seen as docile and knowing its routine. Its mention establishes a baseline for fundamental, even instinctual, knowledge.
• knows (יָדַע - yādaʿ): This Hebrew verb implies a deep, intimate, experiential knowledge, far beyond mere intellectual apprehension. It signifies recognition, understanding gained through relationship, and often practical application. Here, the ox demonstrates an intuitive, instinctual knowing of its source of sustenance and direction.
• its owner (קֹנֵהוּ - qōnēhū): Literally, "its acquirer" or "its buyer." This term highlights the concept of possession and proprietorship. For Israel, God is the one who acquired them, making them His treasured possession through the Exodus and covenant.
• and the donkey (וַחֲמוֹר - wa-ḥămôr): Another common beast of burden, often considered less intelligent than an ox. Its inclusion intensifies the point: even this humble animal displays more discernment than Israel.
• its master’s (בְּעָלָיו - bə‘ālāyw): From ba‘al, meaning "master," "owner," or "lord." It emphasizes absolute authority and provision. While ba‘al was also the name of a Canaanite deity, here it is used in its rightful, possessive sense for the one who provides for and controls.
• crib (אֵבוּס - ’ēḇûs): A feeding trough or manger. This concrete image represents provision, sustenance, and daily care. The donkey instinctually recognizes the place where it is fed by its master.
• but Israel (יִשְׂרָאֵל - Yiśrā’ēl): God's chosen covenant people, the descendants of Jacob. The conjunction "but" creates a powerful, jarring contrast.
• does not know (לֹא יָדַע - lō’ yādaʿ): A stark negation of yādaʿ. Despite having received direct revelation, law, and provision from God, Israel lacks the intimate, responsive knowledge of Him as their owner and sustainer. This indicates a profound spiritual ignorance and unrecognition.
• my people (עַמִּי - ʿammî): This phrase expresses God's tender yet tragic possessiveness. It underscores the depth of His disappointment that His own people, whom He redeemed and loved, behave worse than unthinking beasts.
• do not understand (לֹא הִתְבּוֹנָן - lō’ hitbōnan): From the Hithpael stem of bin, meaning to discern, consider, reflect, or contemplate deeply. This indicates not merely passive ignorance, but a failure to actively apply their minds and hearts to God's ways. It points to a spiritual dullness, a willful refusal to reflect upon their relationship with their divine Lord and what it entails.

Word Groups/Phrases:

• "The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib": This opening sets a fundamental standard of recognition found in nature. It highlights instinctual loyalty to a provider, whether by direct possession (owner) or indirect provision (master's crib). This shows a basic wisdom found even in lower creatures regarding dependence on the source of their life.
• "but Israel does not know": This forms a devastating antithesis. Despite having the Mosaic Law, prophets, and a covenant relationship, Israel fundamentally fails where animals succeed. Their spiritual insight is tragically absent regarding God's role in their lives.
• "my people do not understand": This second, parallel clause reinforces the first and deepens the indictment. It is not just a lack of head knowledge ("know") but a lack of discerning reflection and insight ("understand") into the profound implications of God being their 'owner' and they being 'His people'. It is a spiritual apathy that resists genuine apprehension of divine truth. The lament highlights divine pain over the spiritual dullness of a people who should be the wisest due to God's revelation among them.

Isaiah 1 3 Bonus section

• Polemics Against Ignorance: This verse functions as a powerful polemic against the prevailing spiritual blindness and apostasy of the time. While surrounding cultures worshipped various gods (including Canaanite Baals as "masters"), this verse laments that even animals are better at recognizing their true source of provision than God's chosen people, who turn away from Yahweh, the only true Owner and Sustainer. It underscores the utter foolishness of turning from the God who acquired them.
• Nature as a Witness: The invocation of animals recognizing their owner/master is a recurring theme in prophetic literature (cf. Jer 8:7), where the created order implicitly testifies against human rebellion. Creation often observes natural laws and relationships more faithfully than humanity observes spiritual ones.
• Personal Application: For contemporary believers, Isaiah 1:3 presents a poignant self-reflection. Do we, in our daily lives, truly know and understand God as our Owner and Provider? Is our recognition merely intellectual, or does it manifest in deep gratitude, unwavering loyalty, and practical obedience? The comfort and provision found in Christ should lead to an even greater intuitive response than a donkey to its crib.

Isaiah 1 3 Commentary

Isaiah 1:3 is a pivotal lament and a searing indictment from Yahweh against His covenant people, Israel. It lays bare the foundational issue underpinning all their other transgressions described throughout Isaiah: a catastrophic failure to recognize and respond to their Divine Owner. By contrasting Israel with common farm animals like the ox and donkey, the prophet employs a sharp, almost shocking rhetorical device. These beasts, driven by natural instinct and self-preservation, demonstrate an inherent knowledge of their benefactors—the one who acquired them and the one who provides their sustenance. They instinctively understand their place in relation to their provider.

The spiritual state of Israel, however, is depicted as tragically worse. Despite being intimately known and cared for by God—referred to tenderly as "My people"—they are portrayed as devoid of this most basic understanding. The verb "know" (yada) signifies not mere intellectual assent but an intimate, relational, and practical recognition. Their failure to "know" God as their owner means they reject His sovereignty and care. Coupled with "do not understand" (hitbonan), which implies a failure to discern, reflect, or grasp the implications of their relationship with God, it points to a deliberate and profound spiritual dullness, an unwillingness to consider God's truth or their own ingratitude. Their actions—or lack thereof—reveal a people blind to the divine reality staring them in the face, failing to appreciate the profound relationship that God, in His grace, had established with them. This spiritual amnesia is the root of their rebellion, leading to empty rituals and pervasive social injustice, because true worship begins with a correct recognition of who God is and our place under His divine authority and benevolent care. This lament serves as a poignant reminder that even natural instinct can teach us loyalty, a loyalty often missing in those who claim a special relationship with God but fail to acknowledge Him in their lives.