Isaiah 1:3 (KJV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Isaiah 1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Isaiah 1:2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

Isaiah 1:3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.

Isaiah 1:4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

Isaiah 1:5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "knoweth", "owner", "master", "crib", "israel", "doth", and "people". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "knoweth" and "owner", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Hear O heavens and give ear O..." into verse 4's "Ah sinful nation a people laden with...", so "knoweth" and "owner" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "knoweth" and "owner" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.