The Song of the Vineyard: Israel's Failure
Isaiah 5:1-7
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalm
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
Jude
Revelation
Isa.5.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אשירה: VERB,qal,impf,1,NA,sg
- נא: PART
- לידידי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- שירת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- דודי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- לכרמו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- כרם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לידידי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- בקרן: PREP
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שמן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 5:7 (verbal): Immediate continuation/interpretation of the vineyard image: 'For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel,' explicitly identifying the vineyard of v.1 with Israel and repeating the vineyard motif.
- Isaiah 27:2-3 (thematic): Reuses the 'song of the vineyard' motif—calls to sing about a vineyard and depicts God's care and preservation of the vine, offering a counterpoint to the judgement theme in Isaiah 5.
- Jeremiah 2:21 (verbal): God speaks of planting Israel 'as a choice vine,' using the same planting/vineyard language to describe Israel's origin and subsequent corruption—closely parallels the agricultural metaphor.
- Psalm 80:8-16 (thematic): Describes God bringing a vine out of Egypt, planting it, and the later devastation—national history portrayed through the vineyard image much like Isaiah 5's use of the vine to represent Israel.
- Matthew 21:33-41 (allusion): Jesus' parable of the wicked tenants (owner plants a vineyard, tenants abuse servants and kill the son) echoes the prophetic vineyard tradition (especially Isaiah 5) and functions as a New Testament reinterpretation of the same judgment motif.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let me sing now to my beloved—the song of my beloved concerning his vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
- Let me sing now to my beloved a song of my beloved concerning his vineyard: my beloved had a vineyard on a very fruitful hill.
Isa.5.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעזקהו: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- ויסקלהו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- ויטעהו: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- שרק: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- ויבן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מגדל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בתוכו: PREP,3,m,sg
- וגם: CONJ
- יקב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חצב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- ויקו: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- ענבים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויעש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- באשים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 80:8-16 (verbal): Uses the same vineyard imagery—God bringing out a vine, planting and guarding it—and laments its failure, echoing Isaiah's picture of a tended vineyard that yields failure.
- Jeremiah 2:21 (verbal): God describes Israel as a 'choice vine' that He planted but which became corrupt—language and theme parallel Isaiah's planted vineyard that produced wild grapes.
- Hosea 10:1-2 (thematic): Portrays Israel as a luxuriant vine that nonetheless bears 'altars' and 'idols'—the theme of a cared-for vine turning to unfruitfulness and infidelity matches Isaiah's complaint about wild grapes.
- Matthew 21:33-41 (structural): Jesus' Parable of the Wicked Tenants adapts Isaiah's vineyard-judgment motif—owner, vineyard, tower/press, expectation of grapes, and judgment on failure are reworked into a parable about Israel's leaders.
- Mark 12:1-9 (thematic): Parallel Gospel account of the wicked tenants; repeats the vineyard imagery and judgment theme found in Isaiah 5, linking God’s expectation of fruitfulness with accountability.
Alternative generated candidates
- He fenced it, removed its stones, and planted it with the choicest vine; he built a watchtower in its midst and hewed out a winepress. He expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.
- He cleared it and gathered out its stones; he planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in its midst and hewed out a winepress; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.
Isa.5.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- יושב: VERB,qal,ptcp,1,m,sg
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- שפטו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- נא: PART
- ביני: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ובין: CONJ+PREP
- כרמי: NOUN,prop,m,sg
Parallels
- Jeremiah 2:21 (verbal): Uses the same planting/vine imagery—God says He planted Israel as a choice vine and then laments its corruption, echoing Isaiah’s identification of the vineyard with Israel and Judah.
- Psalm 80:8-16 (thematic): A communal lament about a vine brought out of Egypt, hedged and cared for but laid waste; shares the vineyard motif and themes of divine cultivation and judgment.
- Hosea 10:1 (thematic): Describes Israel as a luxuriant vine that turns to idolatry and brings judgment—another prophetic use of the vine metaphor to represent Israel’s failure.
- Matthew 21:33-41 (structural): Jesus’ Parable of the Tenants reworks the vineyard song’s structure (owner, vineyard, tenants, judgment), applying the motif to Israel’s leaders and impending judgment.
- John 15:1-8 (allusion): Jesus’ 'I am the true vine' discourse adapts the vineyard imagery (vine, vinedresser, fruitfulness, cutting off) to teach about identity, obedience, and judgment, echoing the prophetic vineyard tradition.
Alternative generated candidates
- And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
- And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
Isa.5.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מה: PRON,int
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- עוד: ADV
- לכרמי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- ולא: CONJ
- עשיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- מדוע: ADV
- קויתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- ענבים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויעש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- באשים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 2:21 (verbal): Uses the same vineyard-vine imagery and the same complaint that God planted/expected a good vine but it has become degenerate—close verbal and thematic echo of Isaiah's 'I looked for grapes, and it produced wild grapes.'
- Psalm 80:8-16 (thematic): God depicted as bringing and planting a vine (Israel) and expecting it to flourish; the lament and plea to restore the vine echo Isaiah's theme of God's care and frustrated expectation of fruit.
- Luke 13:6-9 (structural): The parable of the barren fig tree mirrors the structure of Isaiah's complaint: owner seeks fruit repeatedly, finds none, and faces judgment—both texts dramatize God’s patient care and frustrated expectation.
- Matthew 21:33-41 (thematic): The parable of the wicked tenants casts Israel as a vineyard entrusted to stewards who fail to produce fruit—echoes Isaiah’s vineyard-song motif and the theme of divine expectation and judgment.
- John 15:1-8 (thematic): The 'true vine' discourse emphasizes the necessity of bearing fruit and divine pruning/condemnation for unfruitfulness, paralleling Isaiah’s focus on God’s care and the expectation that the people produce righteous fruit.
Alternative generated candidates
- What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I looked for grapes, did it yield wild grapes?
- What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected it to yield grapes, did it yield wild grapes?
Isa.5.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- אודיעה: VERB,hiphil,impf,1,mf,sg
- נא: PART
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לכרמי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,mf,sg
- הסר: VERB,hiph,impv,2,m,sg
- משוכתו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- לבער: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- פרץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גדרו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- למרמס: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
Parallels
- Isaiah 5:1-7 (structural): Immediate context: the entire 'Song of the Vineyard' develops the same image and meaning—God as owner describing removing protections and bringing judgment on the vineyard for its failure.
- Jeremiah 12:10 (verbal): Uses very similar language and imagery—'Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard... they have trodden my portion under foot'—echoing the idea of the vineyard's hedge/wall removed and being trampled.
- Matthew 21:33-41 (cf. Mark 12:1-9; Luke 20:9-16) (allusion): Jesus' Parable of the Wicked Tenants reworks the vineyard motif: owner, protections, tenants' violence, and ultimate judgment/transfer—an NT reapplication of the Isaiah vineyard-judgment theme.
- Psalm 80:8-13 (thematic): God brings Israel forth like a vine, which later suffers damage (burning, cutting down); the psalm's concern for a ruined vine parallels Isaiah's picture of a vineyard exposed and devastated.
- Jeremiah 2:21 (verbal): God claims 'I planted you a noble vine' and laments Israel's corruption—echoing the planting/ownership language that underlies the vineyard-judgment motif in Isaiah 5:5.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be consumed; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled.
- And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be trampled; I will break down its wall, and it shall become a waste.
Isa.5.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואשיתהו: VERB,qal,impf,1,?,sg
- בתה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יזמר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- יעדר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ועלה: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- שמיר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ושית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- העבים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אצוה: VERB,hiph,impf,1,?,sg
- מהמטיר: VERB,hiph,impf,3,m,pl
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- מטר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 12:10-11 (thematic): Uses vineyard imagery of God’s planting left desolate—turned over to ruin/briers and becoming a wilderness, echoing Isaiah’s ‘briers and thorns’ and desolation motif.
- Deuteronomy 11:16-17 (verbal): Warning that unfaithfulness will bring God’s withholding of rain—‘the heavens will be shut, and there will be no rain’ parallels Isaiah’s command to the clouds to send no rain.
- Amos 4:7 (thematic): God withholds rain as a form of judgment (‘I also withheld rain from you…’), directly paralleling the punitive withholding of rain in Isaiah 5:6.
- Matthew 21:33-41 (also Mark 12:1-11; Luke 20:9-19) (structural): The Parable of the Wicked Tenants recasts the Isaiah vineyard-song theme—God’s vineyard (Israel) rejected, leading to judgment—structurally parallel to Isaiah’s judgment on the unfruitful vineyard.
- Judges 9:14-15 (allusion): The bramble (brier) figure in Jotham’s parable uses thorny/bramble imagery as a negative/curse; resonates with Isaiah’s ‘briers and thorns shall come up’ turning the vineyard into scrub.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will make it a waste: it shall not be pruned nor dug; briers and thorns shall overgrow it. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
- I will make it a desolation—no pruning, no hoeing; briers and thorns shall grow up. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
Isa.5.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- כרם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- צבאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- נטע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שעשועיו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ויקו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- למשפט: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והנה: ADV
- משפח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לצדקה: PREP
- והנה: ADV
- צעקה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 5:1-2 (structural): Immediate context: the entire 'vineyard song' frames v.7—God as planter, Israel as the vineyard, expectation of fruit and the subsequent judgment for failure.
- Jeremiah 2:21 (verbal): God says he 'planted' Israel as a noble vine but it became degenerate—uses the same planting/vine imagery to accuse Israel of corruption.
- Hosea 10:1 (thematic): Israel described as a luxuriant vine whose fruit is shameful; the passage uses vineyard imagery to link God's planting with social/ethical failure and coming judgment.
- Psalm 80:8-16 (thematic): Speaks of God bringing a vine out of Egypt and caring for it, then its devastation—echoes the motif of God planting and the later ruin of Israel's vineyard.
- Matthew 21:33-41 (allusion): The parable of the wicked tenants casts Israel as God's vineyard whose tenants respond with violence; Jesus' story echoes Isaiah's vineyard-judgment motif and the expectation of fruit/justice.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his cherished planting. He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; he looked for righteousness, but behold, a cry.
- For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant plant; he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry.
Let me sing now to my Beloved—my Beloved's song concerning his vineyard: My Beloved had a vineyard on a very fruitful hill.
He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in its midst and hewed out a wine vat; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected it to yield grapes, did it yield wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will remove its hedge, and it shall be eaten up; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled.
I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant plant; he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry.