"The culture in the bible times was largely agricultural, consequently there are many orientalisms and figures of speech that refer to farming and living off the land. It benefits our study of the Bible to understand the scriptures that make references to eastern culture and agricultural terms.
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.
In the morning the animals in the village are gathered up by boys in charge of them and taken to pastures and water nearby. In the evening they are herded back into the village and the animals know where their own cribs, stalls and sheepfolds are. The animals never make a mistake, they know exactly where to go.
God is stating that His chosen people, the children of Israel, are not as smart as their dumb animals who know where to return to for safety and protection. The animals know where to go at night without being led, they just return to their master's enclosures for them. But Israel has so strayed from God and His Word that they don't have sense enough to return to Him."
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