NOTE:
This post has been withdrawn. The post has been published in my book, Isaiah: The Prophet of Hope. The book presents Isaiah’s message of hope, focusing on a study of the Immanuel’s oracle in Isaiah 7:14. You can order the book from Amazon.
Isaiah: The Prophet of Hope
Visit my Amazon author’s page to purchase the book (click here).
Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
A Note About This Post:
Before “What Was the Donkey Doing in Its Master’s Crib?” was withdrawn for publication, “What Was the Donkey Doing in Its Master’s Crib?” was read by 1738 readers. You can read “What Was the Donkey Doing in Its Master’s Crib?” and other articles on Isaiah by reading my book Isaiah: The Prophet of Hope. Below is the content of the book:
CONTENTS
List of Abbreviations – Page vii
Preface – Page ix
Chapter 1 Isaiah, The Prophet of Hope: Isaiah 8:16 – Page 1
Chapter 2 The Donkey and Its Crib: Isaiah 1:3 – Page 9
Chapter 3 The Mountain of the Lord’s House: Isaiah 2:1–5 – Page 13
Chapter 4 The Song of the Vineyard: Isaiah 5:1–7 – Page 16
Chapter 5 The Sign of Immanuel: The Rise of Assyria: Isaiah 7:14 – Page 24
Chapter 6 The Sign of Immanuel: Isaiah 7:4 – Page 29
Chapter 7 The Virgin Shall Conceive: Isaiah 7:14 – Page 34
Chapter 8 The Birth of Immanuel: Isaiah 7:14 – Page 39
Chapter 9 The Presence of Immanuel: Isaiah 8:10 – Page 44
Chapter 10 Immanuel: God Is With Us: Matthew 1:23 – Page 50
Chapter 11 The Child Immanuel: Isaiah 7:10–16 – Page 56
Chapter 12 Isaiah’s Wife: Isaiah 8:3 – Page 59
Chapter 13 The Land That Is in Distress: Isaiah 9:1 – Page 63
Chapter 14 The People Living in Deep Darkness: Isaiah 9:1–2 – Page 68
Chapter 15 “You Have Increased Their Joy”: Isaiah 9:3 – Page 72
Chapter 16 The Peaceful Kingdom: Isaiah 11:1–10 – Page 75
Chapter 17 The Desert Highway: Isaiah 35:1–10 – Page 79
Chapter 18 Deutero-Isaiah: The Prophet of the Exile: Isaiah 40:1–11 – Page 82
Chapter 19 Hope for the Future: Isaiah 40:1–2 – Page 88
Chapter 20 The Way of the Lord: Isaiah 40:3 – Page 95
Chapter 21 God’s Faithfulness and Human Commitment: Isaiah 40:6 – Page 100
Chapter 22 Israel’s Life in Exile: Isaiah 40:27 – Page 104
Chapter 23 Fear and Trust: Isaiah 41:13 – Page 110
Chapter 24 Israel in Babylon: Isaiah 52:4 – Page 113
Chapter 25 The Profanation of God’s Name: Isaiah 52:3–26 – Page 120
Chapter 26 The Punishment of the Wicked: Isaiah 66:24 – Page 127
Bibliography – Page 143
Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
Tags: Ass, Crib, Donkey, Isaiah 1:3, Manger, Ox
Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament 
>Hello Professor, Interestingly, I was just reading:CHRYS. Surely if He had so willed it, He might have come moving the heavens, making the earth to shake, and shooting forth His thunderbolts; but such was not the way of His going forth; His desire was not to destroy, but to save; and to trample upon human pride from its very birth, therefore He is not only man, but a poor man, and has chosen a poor mother, who had not even a cradle where she might lay her new born Child; as it follows, and she laid him in the manger. BEDE; He is confined in the narrow space of a rude manger, whose seat is the heavens, that He may give us ample room in the joys of His heavenly kingdom. He Who is the bread of Angels is laid down in a manger, that He might feast us, as it were the sacred animals, with the bread of His flesh. CYRIL; He finds man in his corrupt affections become like the beasts that perish, and therefore He is laid in the manger, in the place of food, that we changing the life of beasts, might be brought to the knowledge that befits man, partaking not of hay, but of the heavenly bread, the life-giving body … BEDE; The infancy of the Savior was impressed upon us, both by frequent heraldings of Angels and testimonies of Evangelists, that we might be the more deeply penetrated in our hearts by what has been done for us. And we may observe, that the sign given us of the newborn Savior was, that He would be found not clothed in Tyrian purple, but wrapped in poor swaddling clothes, not laying on gilded couches, but in a manger. MAXIMUS; But if perhaps the swaddling clothes are mean in your eyes, admire the Angels singing praises together. If you despise the manger, raise your eyes a little, and behold the new star in heaven proclaiming to the world the Lord’s nativity. If you believe the mean things, believe also the mighty. If you dispute about those which betoken His lowliness, look with reverence on what is high and heavenly.From the Catena Aurea on Luke Pax,John
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>John,Thank you for this information. There is no question that Mary wrapped Jesus in cloths and placed him in a manger,for this is what the gospel of Luke says (Luke 2:7).I do no think, however, that Isaiah 1:3 is a Messianic prophecy announcing the the ox and the ass would be there at the manger.Claude Mariottini
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>For South Islanders of NZ a "crib" is a holiday place, equivalent of a North Island "bach", less smart than a "beach house", but more permanent than a tent 😉 But I still wonder what the animals are doing 🙂
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>Tim,It is amazing how words change from place to place. I wonder how South Islanders would understand the word "crib" in Isaiah 1:3.Is it possible that the donkey was trying to see if his master was in the crib? :)Claude Mariottini
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>Hello Professor,I actually only posted the above because of the coincidence in timing and subject. In it's historical context I would agree with you conclusions. On the other hand, the Church has never confined itself to just the historical understanding of scripture. If it did, it would have to jettison a lot of messianic texts. Including this rather dubious and un-canonical one. Pax,John
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>The interpretation that says that Isaiah 1:3 contains a Messianic prophecy is not derived from a historical understanding of the text.I agree, but:If you accept the translation proposed by the HCSB [and by me, that evus should be "feeding trough"], you have to dismiss the Messianic interpretation of Isaiah 1:3.I'm not sure. The Greek for evus ("crib," or, in today's English, "feeding trough") and for "manger" is fatne. I don't know where infants slept 2,000 years ago. Were there specialized cribs (as I use the word) as there are now? Were children commonly put in any convenient small open box with sides? (Luke 2:7 may suggest so.) And even if there were specialized cribs, the word may have been the same for both.-Joel
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>Joel,I don't know where most infants slept 2,000 ago, but I can almost say with certainty that most of them did not sleep in feeding troughs.Claude Mariottini
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