Isaiah 1:3 (WEB)

Passage

The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master’s crib; but Israel doesn’t know, my people don’t 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, heavens, and listen, earth; for Yahweh has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

Isaiah 1:3 The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master’s crib; but Israel doesn’t know, my people don’t consider.”

Isaiah 1:4 Ah sinful nation, a people loaded with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken Yahweh. They have despised the Holy One of Israel. They are estranged and backward.

Isaiah 1:5 Why should you be beaten more, that you revolt more and more? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Hear heavens and listen earth for Yahweh..." into verse 4's "Ah sinful nation a people loaded with...", so "knows" 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 "knows" and "owner" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.