“The cattle and the donkeys …

that work the ground will eat fodder seasoned with sorrel” – Isaiah 30:34

God promised to provide “fodder seasoned with sorrel” to the animals. Was this really “tasty fodder reserved for rare occasions” as some people claim? (Isaiah’s Prophecy – Light for all Mankind, volume I, page 311). Sorrel might be tasty, but there are many reports that “the plant caused toxicity in sheep and cattle.” (Pet Poison Helpline) The ingestion of sorrel “can result in poisoning” because “soluble calcium oxalates are present in varying degrees in all parts of the plant … Acute renal failure can be seen from ingestion of plants or fruit containing these soluble oxalate crystals. Clinical signs of this type of poisoning include drooling, inappetance, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, weakness, tremors, bloody urine, and changes in thirst and urination.” (Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility) “Sorrel … can lead to death.” – Diet Health Club.

Actually the prophecy says that God will provide toxic food to the animals which can lead to diseases and death. The Bible was written for humans, not for animals though – accordingly Isaiah’s prophecy must have a symbolic meaning. The prophecy had been directed to the nation of Israel, God’s people – hence the antitypical ‘cattle and donkeys’ must be God’s servants of our day. Just as animals “work the ground” for sowing literal seed, Jehovah’s Witnesses “work their territory” for “sowing Kingdom seed.” – Our Kingdom Ministry, September 1989, page 3; December 1993, page 7.

Today “Jehovah provides spiritual food,” and this food is contaminated with poison, with spiritual sorrel. (The Watchtower, November 15, 1999, page 18) That is why many Jehovah’s Witnesses have spiritual indigestion when ingesting large quantities of spiritual food during the Watchtower Study. Spiritual diarrhea often occurs in field service or when meeting relatives. With regard to family and work life, Jehovah’s witnesses have to cope with lethargy and weakness. Some even die, literally as well as in a spiritual sense.

Therefore some Jews realized more than 2000 years ago: “The table of Jehovah is polluted.” (Malachi 1:12) Hence “the question all of us face is, At which table am I feeding?” –  The Watchtower, July 1, 1994, page 9.