Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible · Isaiah Capitolo 5

Isaiah 5:1. Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song— The third prophetic discourse is contained in this chapter; which, being partly parabolical, and partly proper, naturally divides itself into two principal parts. The first contains the parable, Isa 5:1-6 the other the explanation of the parable, Isaiah 5:7-30. In the former part we have, first, the exordium, placed as a kind of title before the song, in part of the first verse; then the parable itself, Isa 5:1-6 in which the chosen nation, Israel, is compared to a vine: and this also is threefold. The state and attributes of this mystical vine is first described, Isa 5:1-2 then the consequence of that state is set forth, its unfruitfulness; thirdly, the divine judgment concerning it, after the preceding conviction, Isaiah 5:3-6. The exposition of the parable contains, 1st, its interpretation, Isaiah 5:7. 2nd, a twofold declaration, in which six grievous crimes of the Jewish people are enumerated, with a woe prefixed to them, Isa 5:8-23 and the sentence of God is declared concerning the punishment to be inflicted on these ungrateful covenant-breakers, Isaiah 5:24-30. If the destruction of the Jewish polity by the Chaldeans be primarily meant, the total destruction of that polity under the Romans seems secondarily and more emphatically foretold. It is supposed that Isaiah delivered this prophesy at the end of the reign of Uzziah. See Micah 3:12.Matthew 21:41; Matthew 21:41.Luke 20:16; Luke 20:16.

My well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill— The author of the Observations remarks, that the land of Israel is here called by the prophet, (as we have it in the margin of our Bibles) a vineyard in the horn of the son of oil. Vitringa seems to suppose, that it is so represented on account of its height; and such seems to have been the opinion of our translators in rendering it, a vineyard in a very fruitful hill. Hills are undoubtedly the most proper places for planting vineyards; and God might justly upbraid Israel with the goodness of the country in which he had placed them, its mountains themselves being very fertile: but, if that was the sole intention, is it not somewhat strange that the prophet should on this occasion use an expression so extremely figurative? especially as the same prophet elsewhere often speaks of the hills with simplicity. I will not deny, that it is agreeable enough to the eastern style to express a hill by the term horn; for the supposition of Bishop Pococke seems to be by no means unnatural, who tells us, that there is a low mountain in Galilee, which has both its ends raised up in such a manner as to look like two mounts, which are called the horn of Hutin, and, as he thinks, from this circumstance, the village of Hutin being underneath it. But then it is to be remembered, that the term horn may equally at least be understood in a different sense. So Sir John Chardin informs us, that a long strip of land, which runs out into the Caspian sea, is called the middle-sized horn; and D'Herbelot tells us, that the place where one of the branches of the Euphrates falls into the Tygris is called the horn. By the horn then of the son of oil, the prophet might mean Syria, which is bordered on one side by the sea, and on the other by the most barren desart, and stretches out from its base to the south like a horn; and so these words will be a geographical description of Judaea of the poetic kind; representing it as seated in particular in the fertile country of Syria, rather than in a general and indeterminate way, as situated in a fertile hill. The propriety of describing Syria as a country of oil, no one will, I suppose, contest, as we find that oil was wont anciently to be carried from thence to Egypt; (Hosea 12:1.) and as we find the celebrated croisade historian, William of Tyre, describing Syria Sobal, as all thickly set with olive trees, so as to make prodigious woods, which covered the whole country, affording its inhabitants in those times, as they did their predecessors, a livelihood, and the destruction of which must have been their ruin.

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Isaiah 5:2. And he fenced it, &c.— The state of the vineyard, with respect to the benefits conferred upon it by God, is described in the latter part of the first, and the former part of this verse; the consequence of that state, the expectation of fruit, and the disappointment of that expectation, are described in the latter part of it. The whole is expressive, by allegory, of the advantages, privileges, and blessings conferred by God upon the Jewish state and people.

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Isaiah 5:7. For the vineyard, &c.— Or, Now, the vineyard, &c. We have in this verse the interpretation of the preceding parable; first, in general, which the history of the Jewish people, especially in the time of our Saviour, and before their destruction by the Romans, fully verifies. The word משׂפח mispach, which we render oppression, is literally a scab; and it refers to that spiritual leprosy, that total corruption, wherewith the Jews were infected: Men totally corrupt in mind. See 1 Timothy 6:5.

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Isaiah 5:8. Woe unto them that join house to house— The unfolding of the parable, after the general key in the preceding verse, comprehends two things, according to the argument of the parable: the crimes of these ungrateful people, and the punishment decreed to their crimes. The first crime condemned is avarice and rapacity; which is strongly described in this verse, and which prevailed remarkably among the Jews. Its punishment,—even the desolation of those houses which they coveted, and the devastation of those fields which they obtained so rapaciously, is set forth in the 9th and 10th verses. In mine ears said the Lord, Isa 5:9 signifies, It was revealed in mine ears: see chap. Isaiah 22:14. Vitringa, and Leviticus 27:16.

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Isaiah 5:17. Then shall the lambs feed, &c.— Vitringa is of opinion, that this verse refers to the first disciples of Jesus Christ, who, seeing and deploring the destruction of the Jews, should rest safely under the protection of God; while, according to the next clause, the Gentiles should be brought into the communion of the church, and rejoice in those benefits, prerogatives, and privileges, whereof the carnal, rich, and luxurious Jews were deprived. See John 10:16. If this interpretation should not be approved, the verse may signify in general, that while severe judgments should fall upon the wicked, the righteous should enjoy the full protection of God, their great shepherd.

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Isaiah 5:20. Woe unto them that call evil good, &c.— The fourth crime alleged is, the subversion of all the principles of truth, and of equity in judgment. A most corrupt condition of a church and state is here described, in which men accustomed to vices begin, with the things themselves, to lose also the true names of them, and to draw a vail, as it were, over their impieties, by sanctifying their crimes with the name of virtues. Thucydides pathetically describes this evil in the third book of his history; and was not this remarkably the case with those Jews who called the holy and the temperate Jesus a glutton and a wine-bibber?

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Isaiah 5:21. Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, &c.— The fifth crime imputed to the Jews is, an arrogant presumption of the stability of their state, founded in carnal reason, with a contempt of the divine wisdom, and of the faithful admonitions of the ministers of God. See Romans 11:25; Romans 12:16. This was remarkably the characteristic of the Pharisees in our Saviour's time. See Mat 11:25 and John 9:39; John 9:41.

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Isaiah 5:24. Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble— The latter part of the parabolic song which is contained in the 6th verse, here begins to be more fully explained; and to the end of the chapter we have an account of that total destruction of the Jewish polity which should be brought upon it by a people most skilful in war, and coming from a very distant country. First, the punishment of this threatened destruction and most grievous vengeance is explained in general in this and the following verse. Secondly, the instruments of the destruction, the executors of the divine judgment, a fierce and warlike people, are described: Isaiah 5:26-29. Thirdly, the consequence of the destruction, and the desperation and troubled conscience of those who remained from this slaughter, are set forth. In the present verse the punishment is denounced, and the impelling cause of that punishment is related; the divine Spirit so directing the discourse, that with the punishment of men the justice of God might immediately appear. The metaphor in this verse is taken from a tree, whose root and flower being wholly consumed, nothing remains but useless wood. It expresses the total destruction of the Jewish state. See Hebrews 6:7-8. The law of the Lord, and the word of the holy One of Israel, refer more immediately to the divine word of grace offered by Jesus Christ. Vitringa.

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Isaiah 5:25. Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled, &c.— The meaning is, that God, before the time of that final vengeance concerning which the prophesy treats principally, had afflicted this rebellious people with the most grievous calamities; or rather, would afflict and chastise them: that those calamities should consume many, who, slain in the wars, should be trod upon by their enemies like the dung in the streets; most certain indications of the divine justice and severity; while they, unawakened by these chastisements, would not attempt to appease the divine wrath, but would provoke it still more by repeated crimes; so that at length it should come upon them to the utmost. See 1Th 2:16 and Daniel 9:26. The expression, the hills did tremble, is metaphorically, "They were struck with grievous slaughters and calamities, the fame of which extended itself widely." See Psa 18:7 and Jeremiah 4:24. The phrase His hand is stretched out still, which is familiar to our prophet, (see chap. Isaiah 9:12; Isaiah 9:17; Isaiah 9:21; Isaiah 10:4.) signifies that there is no end of slaughters, miseries, calamities, punishment; but that the chastising God, with extended hand, still keeps the scourge ready to add stroke to stroke. See Vitringa.

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Isaiah 5:26. And he will lift up an ensign— That decree of the divine severity, which had been spoken of in general in Isa 5:24 is here explained: particularly God is shewn to be the supreme general or leader of the people which were to come from far to execute his vengeance; they were to assemble at his setting up his ensign as a signal, and at his hissing,—a metaphor taken from bees, (see on chap. Isaiah 7:18.) which by hissing, whistling, or some sound of that kind, used to be drawn out of their hives, as Bochart has fully shewn. Hieroz. pars 2: lib. 4 cap. 10. And the meaning is, that God would collect the people like bees, by the slightest indication of his will, and bring them into Judaea to execute his vengeance. We have next the place from which they should be brought: from far, and the ends of the earth; and the manner of their expedition, or execution of the divine wrath; that they should come with speed swiftly: in all which, though the Chaldeans may be understood, yet it is most undoubted that the prophesy is with peculiar force applied to the Romans. See Nahum, chap. Isaiah 3:1, &c.

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