Amplified Bible
Isaiah 1:3
3The ox [instinctively] knows its owner, And the donkey its master’s feeding trough, But Israel does not know [Me as Lord], My people do not understand.”
Isaiah 1:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
- New International Version (NIV)The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand."
- New King James Version (NKJV)The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider.”
Context of Isaiah 1:3
1The vision of [the prophet] Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning [the kingdom of] Judah and [its capital] Jerusalem, which he saw [as revealed by God] during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 2Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth; For the Lord has spoken: “I have reared and brought up sons, But they have rebelled against Me and have broken away. The ox [instinctively] knows its owner, And the donkey its master’s feeding trough, But Israel does not know [Me as Lord], My people do not understand.” 4Ah, sinful nation, A people loaded down with wickedness [with sin, with injustice, with wrongdoing], Offspring of evildoers, Sons who behave corruptly! They have abandoned (rejected) the Lord, They have despised the Holy One of Israel [provoking Him to anger], They have turned away from Him. 5Why should you be stricken and punished again [since no change results from it]? You [only] continue to rebel. The whole head is sick And the whole heart is faint and sick.
Read all of Isaiah 1Isaiah 1:3 word by word
יָדַ֥ע שׁוֹר֙ קֹנֵ֔הוּ וַחֲמ֖וֹר אֵב֣וּס בְּעָלָ֑יו יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֹ֣א יָדַ֔ע עַמִּ֖י לֹ֥א הִתְבּוֹנָֽן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- The oxשׁוֹרshôr · cattleH7794
- knowethיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- his ownerקָנָהqânâh · to buyH7069
- and the assחֲמוֹרchămôr chămôr · donkeyH2543
- his master’sבַּעַלba‛al · masterH1167
- cribאֵבוּס'êbûs · cribH18
- Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- my peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- doth not considerבִּיןbîyn · to understandH995
Cross-references for Isaiah 1:3
- Proverbs 6:6Go to the ant, O lazy one; Observe her ways and be wise,
- Jeremiah 8:7Even the stork in the sky Knows her seasons [of migration], And the turtledove, the swallow and the crane Observe the time of their return. But My people do not know The law of the Lord.
- Isaiah 5:12They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute, and wine at their feasts; But they do not regard nor even pay attention to the deeds of the Lord, Nor do they consider the work of His hands.
- Isaiah 27:11When its branches are dry, they are broken off; The women come and make a fire with them. For they are not a people of understanding, Therefore He who made them will not have compassion on them, And He who created them will not be gracious to them.
- Isaiah 44:18They do not know, nor do they understand, for God has muddied their eyes so that they cannot see, and their hearts (minds) as well so that they cannot understand.
- Deuteronomy 32:28“For they are a nation devoid of counsel, And there is no understanding in them.
- Psalms 94:8Consider thoughtfully, you senseless (stupid ones) among the people; And you [dull-minded] fools, when will you become wise and understand?
- Jeremiah 4:22“For My people are stupid and foolish,” [says the Lord to Jeremiah]; “They do not know Me; They are foolish children And have no understanding. They are shrewd [enough] to do evil, But they do not know [how] to do good.”
- Jeremiah 9:3“They bend their tongue like their bow; [Their] lies and not truth prevail and grow strong in the land; For they proceed from evil to evil, And they do not know and understand and acknowledge Me,” says the Lord.
- Jeremiah 10:8But they are altogether irrational and stupid and foolish In their discipline of delusion—their idol is [only] wood [it is ridiculous, empty and worthless]!
- Matthew 13:13This is the reason I speak to the crowds in parables: because while [having the power of] seeing they do not see, and while [having the power of] hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand and grasp [spiritual things].
- Romans 1:28And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or consider Him worth knowing [as their Creator], God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do things which are improper and repulsive,
- 2 Peter 3:5For they willingly forget [the fact] that the heavens existed long ago by the word of God, and the earth was formed out of water and by water,
Commentaries on Isaiah 1:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3The ox knoweth - An amplification of the gross insensibility of the disobedient Jews, by comparing them with the most heavy and stupid of all animals, yet not so insensible as they. Bochart has well illustrated the comparison, and shown the peculiar force of it. "He sets them lower than the beasts, and even than the most stupid of all beasts, for there is scarcely any more so than the ox and the ass. Yet these acknowledge their master; they know the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The ox - The design of this comparison is to show the great stupidity and ingratitude of the Jews. Even the least sagacious and most stupid of the animals, destitute as they are of reason and conscience, evince knowledge anal submission far more than the professed people of God. The ox is a well known domestic animal, remarkable for patient willingness to toil, and for submission to his owner. Knoweth his owner - Recognizes, or is submissive to him. The…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3The ox knows its owner: Even an animal recognizes the one who feeds and cares for it. But Judah did not recognize or obey the Lord in this way. Even so, despite their rebellion, God still spoke to them as “my people.” This shows his continued grace (undeserved kindness) toward them.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. (Jr 8:7). crib--the stall where it is fed (Pr 14:4). Spiritually the word and ordinances. Israel--The whole nation, Judah as well as Israel, in the restricted sense. God regards His covenant-people in their designed unity. not know--namely, his Owner, as the parallelism requires; that is, not recognize Him as such (Ex 19:5, equivalent to "my people," Joh 1:10, 11). consider--attend to his Master (Is 41:8), notwithstanding the spiritual food which He…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 1:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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