Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament: Cats and Dogs in the Old Testament

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Dr. Claude Mariottini has posted an article in response to an question asked about Isaiah 1:3 which says:

The ox knows his master,
the donkey his owner's manger,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand."

The question is would it be more clear to change the text to read "dog" and "cat" instead of "ox" and "donkey"? The idea behind the passage is that people are so disobedient to God compared to oxen and donkeys towards us. Mariottini did a great job explaining why this a bad idea because of how cats and dogs figure into the context of the Old Testament and ancient Hebrew society as well as the undniable fact theat the verse does not say "cat" or "dog". I believe that what was written is what God really gave Isaiah to say. I want what God really said, not some distilled mistranslation. Besides, I don't think cats are obedient.

Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament: Cats and Dogs in the Old Testament