Isaiah 5:2 · Bible study
Isaiah 5:2 Commentary: The Vineyard's Tragic Harvest
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore Isaiah 5:2's vineyard allegory: God's lavish care for Israel, the meaning of 'wild grapes,' and the heartbreak of disobedience.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God's perfect preparation of Israel yields failure because the people chose sin over righteousness.
- Key words: sorek (choice vine), beʼushim (wild/stinking grapes), tower (migdal), winepress (yeqev), digging, clearing stones.
- Main debate: Whether every detail (stones, tower, winepress) has a specific allegorical referent (e.g., temple, altar), or whether the point is simply God's comprehensive care.
- Theological theme: God's grace and human responsibility; the justice of God in covenant judgment; the tragedy of unfruitfulness despite lavish provision.
- Best use: Teaching on the nature of sin as a breach of relationship, and God's right to expect fruit from his people.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
He dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour!
WEB World English Bible 2000
He dug it up, gathered out its stones, planted it with the choicest vine, built a tower in the middle of it, and also cut out a wine press in it. He looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.
KJV King James Version 1769
And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
and he digged it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also hewed out a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And he fenceth it, and casteth out its stones, And planteth it with a choice vine, And buildeth a tower in its midst, And also a wine press hath hewn out in it, And he waiteth for the yielding of grapes, And it yieldeth bad ones!
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And he dug it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine; and he built a tower in the midst of it, and also hewed out a winepress therein; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And he fenced it in, and picked the stones out of it, and planted it with the choicest vines, and built a tower in the midst thereof, and set up a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Habíala cercado, y despedregádola, y plantádola de vides escogidas: había edificado en medio de ella una torre, y también asentado un lagar en ella: y esperaba que llevase uvas, y llevó uvas silvestres.
E a cercou, e limpou das pedras, e a plantou de excelentes videiras, e edificou no meio dela uma torre; e também fundou nela um lagar; e esperava que desse uvas boas, porém deu uvas imprestáveis.
Il en remua le sol, ôta les pierres, et y mit un plant délicieux;
Und er hat ihn verzäunt und mit Steinhaufen verwahrt und edle Reben darin gesenkt. Er baute auch einen Turm darin und grub eine Kelter darein und wartete, daß er Trauben brächte; aber er brachte Herlinge.
En Hij heeft dien omtuind, en van stenen gezuiverd, en Hij heeft hem beplant met edele wijnstokken; en Hij heeft in deszelfs midden een toren gebouwd, en ook een wijnbak daarin uitgehouwen; en Hij heeft verwacht, dat hij goede druiven zou voortbrengen, maar hij heeft stinkende druiven voortgebracht.
La dissodò, ne tolse via le pietre, vi piantò delle viti di scelta, vi fabbricò in mezzo una torre, e vi scavò uno strettoio. Ei s’aspettava ch’essa gli facesse dell’uva, e gli ha fatto invece delle lambrusche.
Którą ogrodził, i wybrał z niej kamienie, a nasadził ją macicami wybornemi, i zbudował wieże w pośrodku niej, także i prasę postawił w niej, a czekał, aby wydała grona; ale ona zrodziła płonne wino.
и Он обнес его оградою, и очистил его от камней, и насадил в нем отборные виноградные лозы, и построил башню посреди его, и выкопал в нем точило, и ожидал, что он принесет добрые грозды, а он принес дикие ягоды.
他刨挖園子，撿去石頭，栽種 上等的葡萄樹，在園中 蓋了 一座樓，又 鑿出 壓酒池；指望 結 好葡萄，反倒結了 野葡萄。
And after working the earth of it with a spade, he took away its stones, and put in it a very special vine; and he put up a watchtower in the middle of it, hollowing out in the rock a place for the grape-crushing; and he was hoping that it would give the best grapes, but it gave common grapes.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 5:2
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse portrays God’s exhaustive and tender care for Israel. The vineyard, Israel, receives every possible advantage: the owner digs the ground, clears stones, plants the choicest vine (sorek, a fine grape variety), builds a watchtower, and hews out a winepress. As Calvin notes, “God has neglected nothing that could be expected from the best and most careful householder.” The expectation is a harvest of “grapes”, righteousness, justice, and covenant faithfulness. Instead, the vineyard yields “wild grapes” (beʼushim), a term Barnes and others connect to stinking, worthless, or even poisonous berries (Gesenius suggests “monk’s-hood”). The heartbreak is deliberate: God’s grace is complete; the failure lies entirely with the people. Gill and the Targum frame the contrast as “I commanded them to do good works … and they have done evil works.” The consensus sets up the indictment that follows in verses 3, 7: God looks for justice and finds bloodshed.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God provided everything needed for fruitfulness; the failure lies with the vineyard (Israel's sin), not with the owner.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Allegorical interpretation of each detail (tower, winepress, stones) | All agree the verse shows God's exhaustive care for Israel. | Jerome and Gill see specific referents (tower=temple, winepress=altar, stones=idols/heathen), while Calvin cautions against “ingenious exposition” of every clause, arguing the main point is simply that God did everything a good owner could do. |
| Nature of 'wild grapes' (be'ushim) | The term denotes offensive, worthless fruit, in contrast to good grapes. | Gesenius and Barnes consider them poisonous berries (monk's-hood, nightshade). The Septuagint translates 'thorns'; the Vulgate 'wild vine' (labrusca). Others (e.g., Gill) stress the moral sense: corrupt works. |
| The source of the failure: God's action or human will? | God did everything needed; the failure is not due to any lack in God's care. | All traditions affirm human responsibility, but debates about divine sovereignty and human free will (not explicit in this verse) can colour how one explains the 'why', some emphasize the mystery of human choice, others God's permission of evil. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 5 opens a “song of my beloved concerning his vineyard” (v.1), a poetic form that disarms the audience before the prophet unveils its stinging application. The agricultural details reflect real viticulture in ancient Judah. The vineyard is planted on a keren ben-shemen, a mountain horn that is “a child of fatness” (Keil & Delitzsch), exposed to sun on all sides for maximum yield. The owner first digs ( ‘āzaq, to hoe or turn the soil, since ploughing is impossible on steep slopes) and clears stones ( siqqēl, a privative Piel). Clarke quotes Roman sources (Columella and Palladius) on the necessity of removing stones, which “winter freeze and summer heat” make harmful to vines. The sorek vine is a choice variety; Clarke identifies the Valley of Sorek (Judges 16:4) as a region renowned for wine, near Eshcol where the spies found a great cluster of grapes (Numbers 13). The tower serves as a lookout against thieves and animals, and as a shelter for the owner. The winepress (yeqev) is hewn from rock for coolness, with a treading floor and a lower vat. Every action reflects the owner’s total investment. Yet the crop fails: beʼushim (from bāʼash, “to be offensive, rotten”) are not wild grapes in the modern sense but fetid, poisonous berries, Hasselquist identifies them with nightshade, called “wolf-grapes” in Arabic (Barnes). The parable functions as a covenant lawsuit (cf. Deuteronomy 32) delivered at a time of outward prosperity but inner rot in Judah (Isaiah 1). The hearers’ sympathy is drawn in before they realise they are the accused, a rhetorical move the Cambridge Bible calls “one of the finest exhibitions of rhetorical skill” in the book.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Isaiah 5:2. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The main interpretive questions involve the meaning of specific terms rather than scribal disagreement.
Reception History
In Jewish tradition, this song has been read as a definitive covenant lawsuit, linking to Deuteronomy 32 and Hosea. The Targum paraphrases God's care as the giving of the sanctuary and the altar. Early Christian interpreters, such as Jerome, read the details allegorically: the fence as angels, the stones as idols removed, the tower as the temple, and the winepress as the altar. Matthew Henry and many Reformed commentators see the “well-beloved” as Christ, the owner of the vineyard. The parable also echoes in the New Testament (Matthew 21:33, 46, the parable of the tenants), where Jesus applies the imagery to Israel's rejection of the prophets and the Son. Throughout church history, the passage has been used to warn against presuming on grace and to call believers to examine their fruitfulness.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God’s exhaustive preparation. Every clause shows a different act of care: digging, clearing, planting choice vines, building a tower, cutting a winepress. The owner spared no expense or effort.
- The shocking harvest. After all that care, the vineyard produced beʼushim, wild, stinking, worthless fruit. The owner’s expectation was reasonable; the result was inexplicable except as moral failure.
- The root of the tragedy. The parable does not blame the soil or the season. It blames the vine. Israel had every advantage but chose unfaithfulness (cf. verse 7: “he looked for justice, but behold, oppression”).
Five-point outline
- Digging and clearing, God removes obstacles (idols, enemies) and prepares the heart.
- Planting the choicest vine, God gives Israel the best: the Law, the covenant, the land.
- Watchtower and winepress, God provides protection (temple, monarchy, prophets) and the means for joyful fruit (altar, worship).
- Waiting for grapes, God’s patient expectation for a harvest of righteousness.
- Wild grapes instead, Israel’s tragic response: injustice, bloodshed, and rebellion.
Illustration hooks
- Tending a garden with the best soil, fertilizer, and water, then finding weeds and rotten fruit that appeared overnight.
- A parent who gives a child every opportunity, education, stability, love, only to watch that child make harmful choices.
- An investor who pours money into a venture only to get nothing in return while watching others succeed with fewer resources.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does God allow his people to fail so dramatically after he has blessed them?
- How can I tell whether my life is producing “good grapes” or “wild grapes”?
- Is there any hope for restoration after such a judgment? (The chapter closes with judgment, but the vineyard reappears in Isaiah 27.)
Leading a Discussion
This parable invites us to see ourselves in both the vineyard and the judgment. God asks the hearers to “judge between me and my vineyard” (v.3), a request that turns a story into a mirror. The details of the owner’s care are not decorative; they press us to ask: has God done less for us? And if our fruit is wild, what lies at the root of that failure?
Discussion questions
- Read the verse aloud. What do you notice about the owner’s actions? Which one stands out to you and why?
- In the ancient context, every step was essential for a good harvest. Why do you think the prophet lists them so carefully?
- The Hebrew word for “wild grapes” (beʼushim) means “stinking things.” How does that strong language affect the tone of the verse?
- Verse 7 explains the metaphor: the vineyard is Israel; the good grapes are justice and righteousness. What kinds of “wild grapes” might we see in our own community or church today?
- The owner’s expectation seems perfectly reasonable. When you think about your own life, what “good grapes” does God rightfully expect from you?
- How does this parable challenge the idea that blessings guarantee faithfulness?
- If you were one of the original hearers (inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah), how would you have responded when the prophet revealed that you were the vineyard?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 33:16 | For how would people know that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Isn’t it that you go with us, so that we are separated, I and your people, from all the people who are on the surface of the earth?” |
| Numbers 23:9 | For from the top of the rocks I see him. From the hills I see him. Behold, it is a people that dwells alone, and shall not be listed among the nations. |
| Deuteronomy 32:6 | Is this the way you repay Yahweh, foolish and unwise people? Isn’t he your father who has bought you? He has made you and established you. |
| Deuteronomy 32:8 | When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the children of men, he set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. |
| Deuteronomy 32:9 | For Yahweh’s portion is his people. Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. |
| Deuteronomy 32:32 | For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, of the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poison grapes. Their clusters are bitter. |
| Deuteronomy 32:33 | Their wine is the poison of serpents, the cruel venom of asps. |
| Judges 16:4 | It came to pass afterward that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke insists that "Sorek" is not a generic vine variety but the proper name of a valley between Ascalon and Gaza famous for its wine. This vine of Sorek was already known to Israel before the Exodus, being mentioned by Moses in Genesis, so the passage evokes a specific, legendary vineyard.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes cautions against reading every detail of the vineyard as a specific allegory, as Jerome does. Instead, he focuses on the general meaning: God gave Israel every possible advantage for producing obedience, yet the nation produced only corrupt, poisonous fruit, like wild vines bearing berries that are offensive and harmful.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin refuses to allegorize each detail of the vineyard metaphor and instead insists the whole passage simply shows God's exhaustive care as a husbandman. God gave Israel every possible benefit, so their failure to yield good fruit was inexcusable ingratitude. The greater God's blessings, the more disgraceful it is when we abuse them.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Isaiah presents his parable as a song about a friend's vineyard, drawing in his audience before they realize they are pronouncing judgment on themselves. The force of the application rests on untranslatable Hebrew wordplay: God looked for justice (mishpat) but found bloodshed (mispach), for righteousness (tsedaqah) but heard a cry of the oppressed (tse'aqah).
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The commentator highlights the extensive care the vineyard owner invested: hedging, clearing stones, planting choice vines, and building both a tower and a winepress. After all that preparation, the owner had every reason to expect good grapes, yet the vineyard produced only wild, worthless ones.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill reads the vineyard imagery as a detailed allegory of Israel's history. He identifies the stones as the heathen nations removed, the tower as Jerusalem or the temple, and the winepress as the altar for atonement. The wild grapes are rotten, stinking fruit representing Israel's evil works instead of the righteousness God expected from such a favored people.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlight how the prophet begins this address not as a lawgiver or expounder of earlier prophecy, but as a musician, using irresistible rhythm and assonance that are impossible to replicate. The song is not merely about the beloved; it is the beloved's own song concerning his vineyard.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange highlights the prophet's deliberate irony: the joyful song of a vineyard becomes a courtroom accusation against Israel itself. The opening sounds like a drinking song, but the owner's complaint and judgment gradually reveal that God is the wronged husbandman who expected justice and found only bloodshed.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry highlights that God here uses a poetic song, not just plain reasoning, to awaken sinners. He sees this song as given to honor Christ, God’s beloved Son and the Lord of the vineyard. The prophet sings it for Christ’s honor, as the Old Testament prophets were friends of the bridegroom.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley sees the gathering and the tower as God's careful, practical preparation. By gathering, God removes every obstacle and supplies all needed resources for growth. The tower is not decorative; it provides shelter and security for those who guard the vineyard.