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 59:8

59:8 They are unfamiliar with peace;

their deeds are unjust. ³ 

They use deceitful methods,

and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace. ⁴ 

[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).

[59:8]  ³ tn Heb “a way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their pathways.”

[59:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “their paths they make crooked, everyone who walks in it does not know peace.”