Isaiah-Chap-5

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Tanakh versions:

Throughout this site I use any of the following three versions of the Tanakh: 1. “Jewish Publication Society” (JPS-1917), 2. “Mechon-Mamre.org” (MEC), and 3. “Sefaria.org” (SEF), three brilliant versions!

Colour coded details of our beloved TaNaKh:.

1. Torah = History & Law, 2. Nevi’im = The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim = all other Writings.

*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot, or Scrolls - Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and history of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles I & II.

Please Note: Some alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, having been corrected like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.

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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!.

“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).

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“Isaiah Chapter 5”

With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.

Introduction:

Yeshayahu - Isaiah chapter 5, is often called the “Song of the Vineyard”, serves as a poetic and sobering indictment of the nation’s spiritual and moral decay. Through a masterful ‘mashal’ (parable), the prophet Isaiah transitions from the voice of a singer of love songs to the voice of a judge delivering a Divine verdict. This chapter is structured in three parts: 1. the “Parable of the Vineyard” (v. 1-7), 2. the “Six Woes” against specific social and moral sins (v. 8-23), and 3. the final “Announcement of Judgment” by a distant, invading nation (v. 24-30).

This chapter is full of sadness, all due to Israel’s refusal to worship אֱלֹהִים – Elohim (God) and uphold his Mitzvoth’s (Law). Sadly, in later times, it was the rabbis who made many alterations, claiming it came from the Almighty, but it was not! We the ‘Hebrews’, or ‘Israelites’ were suddenly renamed after the tribe of Judah, and in due course we became; ‘rabbinic Judaism’. However we are from all 12 tribes and many were certainly not from Judah! Today’s Judaism is far from what our original faith was all about! This chapter explains to us of the horrid lives that lived in those days! Although there were always some who were remained faithful!

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Yeshayahu - Isaiah Chapter 5 v 1: (JPS-1917 version of the Tanakh).

I have added verse 1. in Ivrit - Hebrew, as this verse contains such a beautiful song:

אָשִׁירָה נָּא לִידִידִי, שִׁירַת דּוֹדִי לְכַרְמוֹ: כֶּרֶם הָיָה לִידִידִי, בְּקֶרֶן בֶּן-שָׁמֶן

1. “Let me sing of my well-beloved, a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard in a very fruitful hill;

2. And he digged it, and cleared it of stones, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also hewed out a vat therein; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.

3. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.

4. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes

5. And now come, I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; I will break down the fence thereof, and it shall be trodden down;

6. And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned nor hoed, but there shall come up briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

7. For the vineyard of צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah the plant of His delight; and He looked for justice, but behold violence; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

8. Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no room, and ye be made to dwell alone in the midst of the land!

9. In mine ears said צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of hosts: of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.

10. For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of a homer shall yield an ephah.

11. Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that tarry late into the night, till wine inflame them!

12. And the harp and the psaltery, the tabret and the pipe, and wine, are in their feasts; but they regard not the work of יְהוָה - the LORD, neither have they considered the operation of His hands.

13. Therefore My people are gone into captivity, for want of knowledge; and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude are parched with thirst.

14. Therefore the nether-world hath enlarged her desire, and opened her mouth without measure; and down goeth their glory, and their tumult, and their uproar, and he that rejoiceth among them.

15. And man is bowed down, and man is humbled, and the eyes of the lofty arehumbled;

16. But צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of hosts is exalted through justice, and אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God) the Holy One is sanctified through righteousness.

17. Then shall the lambs feed as in their pasture, and the waste places of the fat ones shall wanderers eat.

18. Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope,

19. That say: ‘Let Him make speed, let Him hasten His work, that we may see it; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!’

20. Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that change darkness into light, and light into darkness; that change bitter into sweet, and sweet into bitter!

21. Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

22. Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink;

23. That justify the wicked for a reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

24. Therefore as the tongue of fire devoureth the stubble, and as the chaff is consumed in the flame, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust; because they have rejected the law of צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of hosts, and contemned the word of the Holy One of Israel.

25. Therefore is the anger of יְהוָה - the LORD kindled against His people, and He hath stretched forth His hand against them, and hath smitten them, and the hills did tremble, and their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.

26. And He will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth; and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly;

27. None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken;

28. Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent; their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind;

29. Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions, yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and carry it away safe, and there shall be none to deliver.

30. And they shall roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea; and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and distress, and the light is darkened in the skies thereof.

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Let us now view the ‘verse by verse’ layout, with an excellent ‘Explanation’ section!

1. “Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill”.

Explanation: Isaiah begins as a “friend of the bridegroom”, singing on behalf of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim. The “fertile hill” represents the Land of Yisrael - Israel, a place prepared with every advantage for spiritual growth.

2. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines ... and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.

Explanation: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim provided all necessary resources, the Torah, ‘security’, and ‘the Temple’, but the nation produced ‘be’ushim’ (worthless, wild grapes) instead of justice.

3. And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.

Explanation: אֱלֹהִים – Elohim, puts the people in the position of judges, forcing them to acknowledge the fairness of the impending sentence.

4. What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it?

Explanation: A rhetorical, poignant question highlighting that the failure was due to the people’s willful rebellion, not a lack of Divine grace!

5. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.

Explanation: Because of Israel’s failure, אֱלֹהִים - Elohim withdraws His Divine protection, leaving the nation exposed to foreign invaders.

6. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed ... I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

Explanation: Total abandonment is described, where the “rain” of Divine sustenance and spiritual prophecy ceases.

7. For the vineyard of צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel ... He expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!

Explanation: Isaiah uses a powerful Hebrew wordplay: expecting ‘Mishpat’ (justice) but finding ‘Mispach’ (bloodshed), and ‘Tzedakah’ (righteousness) but hearing Tze’akah (a cry).

8. Woe to those who join house to house ... until there is no more room, and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land.

Explanation: The first woe addresses ‘greed’ and ‘social injustice’, as wealthy elites violate ‘the Jubilee laws’ by squeezing out the poor.

9. צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - The LORD of hosts has sworn... “Surely many houses shall be desolate, large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant”.

Explanation: The punishment reflects the crime; the grand houses seized by the rich will become empty ruins.

10. For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield but an ephah.

Explanation: Divine futility is promised, with the land yielding only a tenth of what was sown.

11. Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink.

Explanation: The second woe condemns hedonism and extreme alcoholism, where chasing pleasure replaces the pursuit of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim.

12. They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of יְהוָה - the LORD...

Explanation: A party atmosphere blinds them to the spiritual reality and imminent judgment.

13. Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge; their honored men are famished...

Explanation: A lack of knowledge of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s ways leads to national displacement, where the elite suffer hunger and thirst.

14. Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite ... and the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude go down...

Explanation: Death is personified as a monster consuming the arrogant society that refused to be satisfied.

15. Man is humbled, and each one is brought low, and the eyes of the haughty are humbled.

Explanation: Divine judgment dismantles human pride.

16. But צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy אֱלֹהִים - Elohim shows himself Holy in righteousness.

Explanation: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s character is vindicated through just action.

17. Then the lambs shall graze as in their pasture, and nomads shall eat among the ruins of the rich.

Explanation: A complete reversal of ‘fortune’, where ‘simple animals graze where mansions once stood’.

18. Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, who draw sin as with cart-ropes.

Explanation: The third woe targets those actively, and comfortably, engaging in habitual sin.

19. Who say: “Let him be quick... that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near...”

Explanation: They mock אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, challenging Him to bring the predicted judgment.

20. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light...

Explanation: The fourth woe condemns moral relativism and the inversion of values.

21. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!

Explanation: The fifth woe targets intellectual arrogance and rejection of Divine wisdom.

22. Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink.

Explanation: The sixth woe again targets those who take pride in their capacity for alcohol.

23. Who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!

Explanation: Judicial corruption is identified as a core issue, with justice sold to the highest bidder.

24. Therefore ... their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the law of יְהוָה - the LORD.

Explanation: Rejection of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s law leads to inevitable, swift destruction, with prosperity turning to dust.

25. Therefore the anger of יְהוָה - the LORD was kindled ... and he stretched out his hand against them ... For all this his anger has not turned away.

Explanation: Past, localized punishments fail to bring repentance, so Divine judgment continues.

26. He will raise a signal for nations far away, and whistle for them from the ends of the earth.

Explanation: Foreign nations (Assyria/Babylon) are summoned as agents of Divine judgment.

27. None is weary, none stumbles, none slumbers or sleeps, not a waistcloth is loose.

Explanation: The invading army is portrayed as supernaturally efficient and relentless.

28. Their arrows are sharp, all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs seem like flint...

Explanation: The speed and technology of the attackers signify unstoppable destruction.

29. Their roaring is like a lion ... they growl and seize their prey, they carry it off, and none can rescue.

Explanation: Like an apex predator, the invader will seize Judah, and no human power can intervene.

30. They will growl over it on that day, like the growling of the sea. And if one looks to the land, behold, darkness and distress.

Explanation: The chapter concludes with a vision of utter despair, where the land is plunged into darkness and judgment.

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My Closing Message:

This chapter is a powerful reminder that privilege entails responsibility. The “Song of the Vineyard” teaches us that אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s grace is not a license for apathy; rather, it is the foundation upon which we are expected to build a life of justice and righteousness. While the chapter ends in such sad darkness, the prophetic tradition reminds us that even a “hewn-down tree” can leave a stump from which a “Holy Seed” might one day sprout (as seen later in Isaiah chapters 6 and 11). Our task is to ensure our “fruit” matches the quality of the “Vinedresser” who tends us.

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Please Note: “hebraicstudies” links are located down the page!

This site was originally created, for those who desired to return to our blessed and wonderful faith. Thus be wise and work on your faith and pray at least two or three times a day (if possible) and always seek our beloved אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s guidance, for His love is always with us, especially when we seek Him, blessed be He! However this site has become very much a teaching site with hundreds of studies!

Remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be He, said the following via several of our prophets...

“Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה- the LORD of hosts”. Mal’a’chi - Malachi 3:7. (JPS).

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“Hebraic Studies” motto is as follows;

“The More Torah, the More Life”

He is the one who gave us our Life!”

May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom = Peace of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה= the LORD of hosts. be with you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat, as well as the מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and continue saying your daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s - Prayers and regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s - blessings before food and drinks, etc!

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom Aleichem - Peace be with you!

Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.

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