Isaiah 5:3 · Bible study
Isaiah 5:3 Commentary: Making Them Judges in Their Own Case
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore the meaning of Isaiah 5:3, where God appeals to Jerusalem and Judah to judge between Him and His vineyard, revealing their self-condemnation.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God appeals to the people to judge between Him and Israel, leading them to condemn themselves.
- Key words: “judge” (שִׁפְטוּ, shifṭû), a legal term for rendering a verdict; “please” (נָא, nā’), an entreaty that softens the demand; “between me and my vineyard”, courtroom phrase placing both parties before the jury.
- Main debate: Less a debate than unanimous agreement; the interpretive question is whether the appeal is genuine or rhetorical. All supplied sources treat it as rhetorical, aimed at self-condemnation.
- Theological theme: God’s justice in the face of human unfaithfulness and the certainty of judgment when care is met with rebellion.
- Best use: In sermons or lessons on sin and repentance, the parable form helps hearers see themselves without feeling directly accused.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
“And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem and men of Judah, I exhort you to judge between Me and My vineyard.
WEB World English Bible 2000
“Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, please judge between me and my vineyard.
KJV King James Version 1769
And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And now, O inhabitant of Jerusalem, and man of Judah, Judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And now, O ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and ye men of Juda, judge between me and my vineyard.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Ahora pues, vecinos de Jerusalem y varones de Judá, juzgad ahora entre mí y mi viña.
E agora, ó moradores de Jerusalém, e vós homens de Judá? Julgai, eu vos peço, entre mim e minha vinha.
Maintenant donc, habitants de Jérusalem et hommes de Juda,
Nun richtet, ihr Bürger zu Jerusalem und ihr Männer Juda' s, zwischen mir und meinem Weinberge.
Nu dan, gij inwoners van Jeruzalem, en gij mannen van Juda, oordeelt toch tussen Mij en tussen Mijn wijngaard.
Or dunque, o abitanti di Gerusalemme e voi uomini di Giuda, giudicate fra me e la mia vigna!
A tak, obywatele Jeruzalemscy i mężowie Judzcy! proszę, rozsądźcie teraz między mną i między winnicą moją.
И ныне, жители Иерусалима и мужи Иуды, рассудите Меня с виноградником Моим.
耶路撒冷 的居民 和猶大 人哪，請你們 現今在我 與我的葡萄園 中，斷定是非。
And now, you people of Jerusalem and you men of Judah, be the judges between me and my vine-garden.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 5:3
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 God’s appeal in this verse is a rhetorical masterstroke. Calvin observes that the guilty are made “judges in their own cause” because the case is so plain that no evasion is possible. Barnes notes the appeal parallels Micah 6:3 and prepares the way for the punishment that follows. Gill adds that God is willing to let the verdict rest on their own judgment, so evident is His justice. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown point out that Jesus uses the same device in Matthew 21:40, 41, making the hearers pronounce sentence on themselves. Keil and Delitzsch show that the prophet speaks as if he were the Lord himself, calling on the people to decide where the guilt lies. The silence that follows (implied by the next verses) proves they know the answer: they are the vineyard that failed. The consensus is unanimous: the appeal is not a real question but a means of self-condemnation.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God appeals to the people to judge the fairness of his case against Israel, and they are forced to condemn themselves.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The rhetorical purpose of the appeal | All see the appeal as a device to lead the people to self-condemnation. | Some (Calvin, Gill) emphasize that the case is so clear God can risk it; others (Barnes, JFB) focus on the parallel with Jesus’ parable, highlighting the trap. The function is the same, but the accent differs on whether it is an ‘invitation’ or an ‘indictment’. |
| The identity of 'my well-beloved' (v. 1) | Generally understood as God (Yahweh), or Christ. | Matthew Henry explicitly identifies the beloved as Christ; others like Keil and Delitzsch see it as God the Father. This affects how the whole pericope is related to the New Testament. |
| The meaning of 'wild grapes' | Wild grapes symbolize moral failure, specifically injustice and violence (v. 7). | Some stress social sins (oppression, corruption), while others include idolatry and religious formalism. The debate is about the primary focus of Isaiah’s critique in this chapter. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This verse sits at the hinge of Isaiah’s Song of the Vineyard (5:1, 7). The prophet begins as a minstrel, singing of a beloved friend’s disappointing vineyard. The audience, unsuspecting, sympathizes with the owner. Then in verse 3 the song shifts abruptly from narrative to direct address: “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard.” The language is legal. “Judge” (שִׁפְטוּ, shifṭû) is the imperative of a term used in courtrooms for rendering a verdict. “Between me and my vineyard” echoes the formula of a lawsuit (cf. Genesis 16:5; Exodus 18:16). The audience is treated as both jury and defendant. The Cambridge Bible notes the rhetorical skill: the parable disarms the crowd, and their anticipated answer condemns them. Keil and Delitzsch explain that the prophet so identifies with the Lord that he slips from third person to first, exposing the union between himself and God. “Inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah” marks a narrowing of focus from all Israel to the Southern Kingdom, the immediate hearers. The “vineyard” is a familiar biblical image for God’s chosen people (Psalm 80:8, 16; Jeremiah 2:21). By verse 7 the identification is explicit. Culturally, this appeal draws on the ancient Near Eastern motif of the disappointed vintner; but Isaiah transforms it into a divine indictment. The people are cornered into agreeing with God before they realize they are the accused.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries note no significant textual variants for Isaiah 5:3. Clarke mentions that three manuscripts (two ancient) read “inhabitants” in the plural, and the Septuagint and Vulgate support that reading; but the Hebrew text has the singular collective form. This does not affect the meaning. The verse is textually secure.
Reception History
Isaiah’s vineyard song has been interpreted across church history as a warning to God’s professed people. Early Christian writers saw the vineyard as the church, applying the passage to their own congregations. During the Reformation, Calvin and others used it to underscore human inability to produce good fruit apart from grace, while also defending God’s righteousness in judgment. In modern preaching, the passage is often connected to Jesus’ parable of the tenants (Matthew 21:33, 46), where the stone rejected by the builders becomes the cornerstone. The direct appeal of verse 3, making the hearers judges, has been read as a model for preaching that confronts without moralizing.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God’s extraordinary care. Everything possible has been done for the vineyard (v. 1, 2). The sermon begins with grace before it speaks of judgment.
- God’s reasonable appeal. He invites the people to judge the fairness of His case (v. 3, 4). The question is not for information but for conviction.
- God’s just verdict. Because the vineyard failed, judgment follows (v. 5, 7). The sentence is both terrible and deserved.
Five-point outline
- The parable disarms. The audience is drawn in by a story, not a lecture.
- The question invites judgment. The people are asked to decide between the owner and the vineyard.
- The silence condemns. They know the right answer, and that answer points at themselves.
- The sentence is announced. The owner will tear down the vineyard’s protection.
- The identification is unavoidable. “The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel” (v. 7). All disguise falls away.
Illustration hooks
- A farmer spends years improving a field, clearing stones, planting select vines, building a press. At harvest he finds only small, sour berries.
- A parent gives a child everything needed to succeed, lessons, encouragement, opportunities. The child rejects it all and goes a destructive path.
- A friend entrusts another with a precious item, only to have it neglected or broken. The friend asks, “Was I unfair in expecting care?”
Questions your congregation is asking
- “Why would a loving God threaten such harsh punishment? Isn’t this out of character?”
- “If the people already know they are guilty, why does God need to trap them into admitting it?”
- “How can I tell whether the fruit of my life is ‘grapes’ or ‘wild grapes’? What does spiritual failure look like in everyday terms?”
Leading a Discussion
This passage confronts us with a question we would rather avoid: when God has done everything for us, and we produce nothing good, who is at fault? The parable disarms our defenses and invites us to join God in judging ourselves before He judges us.
Discussion questions
- Read Isaiah 5:1, 3. What details describe the care the owner gave his vineyard? How does this picture God’s care for Israel, and for you?
- Why do you think the prophet uses a song or parable instead of speaking plainly? What effect does that have on the hearers?
- In verse 3, God says “judge between me and my vineyard.” What does this appeal suggest about God’s character? Why would He open Himself to their judgment?
- The commentary mentions that the people are “made judges in their own cause.” How does that make you feel, challenged, uncomfortable, or relieved?
- Look at verse 4: “What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?” How would you answer that question from God’s perspective today, in your own life, your church, your community?
- Verse 7 defines the vineyard as Israel and the wild grapes as injustice and oppression. In what ways do Christians today produce “wild grapes” instead of the fruit God expects?
- How does the gospel answer the verdict of this passage? Where do we find hope when we have failed God’s expectations?
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)
| Psalms 50:4 | He calls to the heavens above, to the earth, that he may judge his people: |
| Psalms 50:6 | The heavens shall declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah. |
| Psalms 51:4 | Against you, and you only, I have sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight, so you may be proved right when you speak, and justified when you judge. |
| Jeremiah 2:4 | Hear Yahweh’s word, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel! |
| Jeremiah 2:5 | Yahweh says, “What unrighteousness have your fathers found in me, that they have gone far from me, and have walked after worthless vanity, and have become worthless? |
| Micah 6:2 | Hear, you mountains, Yahweh’s indictment, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for Yahweh has a case against his people, and he will contend with Israel. |
| Micah 6:3 | My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me! |
| Matthew 21:40 | When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?” |
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 notes that the Hebrew word for "inhabitants" in this verse is plural, as confirmed by several ancient manuscripts and the Septuagint and Vulgate translations. This textual evidence supports reading the term as referring to multiple dwellers rather than a single inhabitant.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes emphasizes that God appeals directly to the Jews for their own verdict on the justice of the coming punishment, as though asking a vineyard owner to judge a worthless crop. He sees this as the same argument Jesus later used in His parable of the vineyard, making the Jews' failure to understand His meaning all the more striking.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin observes that God makes the accused parties themselves the judges of their own case, a bold move that only works because the facts are so plain they cannot be denied. By inviting the guilty to declare the truth, God shows absolute confidence in His case before He pronounces judgment against 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
God calls the people themselves to be judges between Him and His vineyard, inviting even the guilty to examine His fairness. He is willing to be vindicated by their own verdict, showing He has done nothing wrong.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill draws attention to the striking fact that God appoints the unfruitful people themselves as judges in their own case. He sees this as proof the case is so clear that God is willing to let them decide the verdict, as the Targum paraphrases it.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that God appeals to sinners to judge themselves, inviting them to consider their own case. This mirrors how Jesus Christ made his hearers pass sentence on themselves. God condemns sinners out of their own mouth, using their own words and admissions to convict them.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch emphasizes that the prophet speaks as if he were the beloved himself, revealing a mystical union with Jehovah that allows him to speak in God's own person. The call for judgment traps the people, whose silence shows they recognize they would condemn themselves.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange highlights the bitter irony of the passage: the prophet begins with a joyful, almost lark-like song about a vineyard, only to lead the hearer through a series of disappointments that mirror God's own letdown. The poetic wordplay at the end—sound-alike words that mean opposite things—drives home how Israel's conduct looked righteous but produced only oppression and cries of distress.
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.