A Wild DonkeyUnknown artist/maker (Franco-Flemish), illuminator · about 1270

Bray

/BRAY/

Summary

A word with two meanings in Scripture: the cry of a donkey, and to pound or crush in a mortar.

☩Animal Sound

Job uses the braying of a donkey to illustrate that creatures cry out when they lack something. Just as the wild donkey does not bray when it has grass, Job's complaints arise from genuine suffering.

Key verses:Job 6:5Job 30:7

☩Pounding in a Mortar

Proverbs warns that even if you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle as grain is brayed, his foolishness will not depart from him. This severe imagery emphasizes that some character flaws resist even the harshest correction.

Key verses:Proverbs 27:22

Related Verses3 mentions

Job· 2 verses

6:5 30:7

Proverbs· 1 verse

27:22

References

1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Bray," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
2.James Orr (ed.), "Bray," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).