Isaiah 1:3

1:3 An ox recognizes its owner,

a donkey recognizes where its owner puts its food; ¹ 

but Israel does not recognize me, ² 

my people do not understand.”

Isaiah 21:7

21:7 When he sees chariots,

teams of horses, ³ 

riders on donkeys,

riders on camels,

he must be alert,

very alert.”

Isaiah 32:20

32:20 you will be blessed,

you who plant seed by all the banks of the streams, ⁴ 

you who let your ox and donkey graze. ⁵ 

[1:3]  ¹ tn Heb “and the donkey the feeding trough of its owner.” The verb in the first line does double duty in the parallelism.

[1:3]  ² tn Although both verbs have no object, the parallelism suggests that Israel fails to recognize the Lord as the one who provides for their needs. In both clauses, the placement of “Israel” and “my people” at the head of the clause focuses the reader’s attention on the rebellious nation (C. van der Merwe, J. Naudé, J. Kroeze, A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar, 346-47).

[21:7]  ³ tn Or “a pair of horsemen.”

[32:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “by all the waters.”

[32:20]  ⁶ tn Heb “who set free the foot of the ox and donkey”; NIV “letting your cattle and donkeys range free.”