Job 6:5

Does the wild ass bray over its grass,

   Does the ox below over its fodder?

Job has just started his response by saying his woe cannot be measured and he sees the forces of God as against him. Now he switches gears and is talking about food for work animals. I think 6:4 is a prelude to the later parts of chapter seven, and he begins again with a build up to why he feels so bad.

Two sources tried to replace their ass with a donkey, but it is not the same thing. A couple others tried to replace fodder with feed.

Overall, the verse is straight forward. Do work animals gripe when they are receiving their reward? Of course not, they eat.

Job is acknowledging that if he were indeed receiving his due reward of punishment for not following God, he would shut up and take it like he should. (I was going to say take it like a man, but that might upset someone, and “I ain’t got time for that.”)

If only it were time to go eat.