Bibelkommentare

The chapter consists of three parts:—

i. Isaiah 5:1-7. The ingratitude of Israel and its approaching rejection by Jehovah are set forth under the veil of a homely parable.

ii. Isaiah 5:8-24. A series of six “Woes” directed against the prevalent vices and injustice of the upper classes and leaders of the state.

iii. Isaiah 5:25-30. Isaiah’s first description of the Assyrian invaders, the agents of Jehovah’s chastisement, already appearing on the horizon of the prophet’s vision.

There are strong reasons for thinking that iii. formed originally the peroration of a different prophecy, entirely independent of Isaiah 5:1-24 (see below). 1 and 2, on the other hand, form a connected whole to which Isaiah 5:24 forms a suitable and well-marked conclusion. Although they may not have formed parts of a single spoken address, there are no grounds for supposing that they ever existed separately in writing.

To what date is this passage (Isaiah 5:1-24) to be ascribed? By the consent of nearly all critics, it belongs to the first period of Isaiah’s career, but beyond this it is impossible to speak very definitely. A comparison with ch. 2–4, however, suggests that the prophet has now acquired a more intimate knowledge of the state of society in Jerusalem, and is able to lay a firmer hand on the evils of his time. We shall probably not go far wrong if we assign the prophecy to a slightly later date than the preceding chapters.

1. (Four lines.) The first half of the verse contains the preamble, the second is the commencement of the poem.

Now will I sing … vineyard] Translate:—

I would sing of my Friend,

My Friend’s song about his vineyard.

The A.V. has the merit, however, of distinguishing the two closely related words used for friend (“wellbeloved” and “beloved”). The difference probably has only a metrical value. Isaiah does not mean as yet to excite curiosity as to who the “Friend” is, only he cannot, even in a parable, divest himself of the consciousness that he represents the interests of Another.

A vineyard had my Friend

On a fertile peak.

a very fruitful hill] lit. “a horn, the son of fatness.” “Apertos Bacchus amat colles” (Verg. Georg. ii. 113). The land of Palestine is no doubt meant, but it is a mistake to allegorise the details of the imagery. This use of the word “horn” for “hill” is not found elsewhere in the O. T., but has many parallels in-Arabic as well as other languages (cf. “Schreckhorn,” &c.). It is chosen here for the sake of the assonance with the word for “vineyard.”

1–7. The Parable of the Vineyard and its Application

One of the finest exhibitions of rhetorical skill and power which the book contains. The prophet appears in the guise of a minstrel before an assemblage of his countrymen, and proceeds to recite the unfortunate experience of a “friend” of his with his vineyard. The simple story, told in light popular verse, disarms the suspicions of the crowd, and the singer, having secured their sympathy, demands a verdict on the course which a man might be expected to pursue with so refractory a vineyard as this (Isaiah 5:3). The answer was so obvious that the people, like our Lord’s hearers on a similar occasion (Matthew 21:41), had practically assented to their own condemnation before they clearly perceived the drift of the discourse. But from this point onwards the parable becomes more and more transparent, till at last the prophet, with a sudden change of rhythm (see on Isaiah 5:6), throws off all disguise and drives home the lesson of the whole in the crashing lines of Isaiah 5:7.

The idea of Israel as the Lord’s vineyard probably originated with Isaiah. (Cf. ch. Isaiah 3:14, Isaiah 27:2 ff.; Jeremiah 2:21; Jeremiah 12:10 f.; Psalm 80:8 ff.; Matthew 20:1 ff; Matthew 21:33 ff. and parallels.)

2. (Six lines.) The situation was all that could be desired: and labour had not been spared. Note the resemblances in Matthew 21:33 ff.; Mark 12:1 ff. fenced it] digged it (R.V. marg.). The word is not found elsewhere, but the meaning is certain. gathered out the stones thereof] In Heb. a single word: lit “stoned it” (ch. Isaiah 62:10). The phrase “stone a field,” for “clear it of stones,” is said to be common in some parts of England. the choicest vine] A technical name (collective) for the finest sort of grapes grown in Syria. The word occurs again in Jeremiah 2:21; the corresponding noun of unity (fem.) in Genesis 49:11. built a tower] for the watchers; not a mere hut, as in Isaiah 1:8.

and also … winepress] yea, and hewed out a winefat (ὑπολήνιον, Mark 12:1). The yeqeb is the receptacle (here cut out of the rock) into which the juice flows from the winepress (gath). (Cf. Joel 3:13; Proverbs 3:10; Nehemiah 13:15, &c.) The emphasis on this clause calls attention to the owner’s confident expectation of a return for his outlay.

brought forth wild grapes] Cf. Jeremiah 2:21.

3. (Four lines.) The beginning of a new stanza is marked by the “And now” as in Isaiah 5:5.

betwixt me and my vineyard] The change of person here is the first hint of a deeper meaning under the words of the song.

4. (Four lines.) The case for the owner of the vineyard.

What could have been done] lit. What more is there to do (cf. 2 Kings 4:13).

wherefore, when I looked … wild grapes] Lit. why did I look that it should … and it brought forth wild grapes. The co-ordination of clauses assimilates the ending of the second stanza to that of the first. (For other examples of the same order, see Davidson, Synt. § 126, R. 4.)

5. I will take away … and break down] better simply, Remove … Break down—absolute infs. in apposition to “what.” The vineyard is provided both with a hedge (of thorns) and a wall (of stone).

5, 6. The hearers are silent, and the prophet proceeds to pass sentence on the vineyard.

And now, let me tell you, I pray,

What I am about to do to my vineyard.

The construction in the second line is the fut. instans; the owner’s mind is finally made up.

6. lay it waste] or, make an end of it. The word is thought to be connected with that rendered “desolate” in ch. Isaiah 7:19,—better “precipitous,” “cut off,” hence (as here) “made an end of.”

there shall come up … thorns] The Heb. is more forcible: it shall go up in thorns and thistles. “Thorns and thistles,” a phrase peculiar to the book of Isaiah: Isaiah 7:23-25; Isaiah 9:18; Isaiah 10:17; Isaiah 27:4. The change of rhythm referred to (Introd. Note above) commences with this clause—rightly, since the next line reveals the whole drift of the parable: He who can command the clouds must be no other than Jehovah himself.

7. The formal application of the parable, emphasising two facts: (1) Jehovah’s vineyard is the house of Israel, but especially the men of Judah, the plant of his delight (R.V. marg.); (2) “the wild grapes” it produces are the frightful oppressions and perversion of justice which are perpetrated in its midst. The underlying thought is that Jehovah’s signal care and goodness ought to have resulted in a national life corresponding to His moral character—a fundamental truth of the prophetic theology.

He looked for judgment (mishpâṭ), but behold bloodshed (mispâḥ);

For righteousness (çědâqâh), but behold a cry! (çě‘âqâh).

These powerful assonances, which cannot be reproduced in English, are evidently designed to clinch the moral of the parable in the memories of the hearers. The “cry” is that of the oppressed, cf. Job 19:7.