DONKEY
In the East the donkey has always had the place that the horse has had in the nations of Europe. It is there a much nobler animal, and is declared to be very intelligent (cp. Is. 1:13).
He is highly valued and very well treated. It was used as a saddle for both men and women, and to carry loads. Donkeys are frequently listed among goods (Gen. 12:16; Jb. 1:3; 42:12; Ezra 2:67; Neh. 7:69).
There are five Hebrew words used for the domestic and wild donkey, referring to its strength or its color.
“White donkeys” (Judges 5:10) are still highly prized in the East. In certain places donkey meat is highly valued as food, but it was prohibited as impure for the Jews. However, it was eaten in the terrible famine that occurred at the siege of Samaria (2 Kings 6:25).
The wild donkey is very untamed and fast. It can rarely be tamed. It is thus a fitting emblem of man in his natural state (Jb. 11:12). Jehovah asked Job, “Who set the wild donkey free, and who loosed its bonds?” (Jb. 30:5; cp. Jer. 2:24; Dan. 5:21).