Isaiah 18:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he cuts off the shoots with pruning hooks, and the spreading branches he lops off and clears away.

NIV: For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches.

NASB: For before the harvest, as soon as the bud blossoms And the flower becomes a ripening grape, He will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, And remove and tear away the spreading branches.

CSB: For before the harvest, when the blossoming is over and the blossom becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with a pruning knife, and tear away and remove the branches.

NLT: Even before you begin your attack, while your plans are ripening like grapes, the Lord will cut off your new growth with pruning shears. He will snip off and discard your spreading branches.

KJV: For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.

NKJV: For before the harvest, when the bud is perfect And the sour grape is ripening in the flower, He will both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks And take away and cut down the branches.

That God waits to act does not mean God will never act. Nor does it mean He is not paying attention. Isaiah has called for the nations of the world to look for God's signal and to listen for His trumpet. The nations are desperate for a response to the threat of the Assyrian Empire. Isaiah seems to assure everyone that God will act to end that danger when the time is right (Isaiah 18:3–4).

Isaiah now depicts the Lord as a gardener who waits for the perfect moment to prune unfruitful grape vines. He will clear the empty branches that keep the fruitful ones from flourishing. The timing of the pruning is important. It must come before the harvest, but after the blossoms when the flowers become grapes. Before that moment, it is too soon to prune. Afterwards, it will be too late. God is never too early or too late. Faced with evil and injustice, it can feel as if God is taking too long. But His timing is perfect, and His justice is greater than what we can imagine (Proverbs 20:22; Galatians 4:4; Titus 1:2–3).

Isaiah 18:1–7 begins with Isaiah's calls to a land beyond the rivers of Cush. This may refer to ancient Ethiopia—different from modern Ethiopia—south of Egypt. He calls for messengers to be sent to a faraway nation. Then he calls for all the people of the earth to look for the signal of the Lord. The Lord will prune away the Assyrian threat when the time is right, but not before then. When He does so, the bodies of Assyrian soldiers will feed wild animals for months. Then the nations will bring tribute to the Lord at Mount Zion.

This short chapter begins with a call from Isaiah to a people beyond the land of Cush. They send ambassadors to a nation of people quite different from those normally seen in Israel. All the people of the world are concerned about the threat of the Assyrian war machine. Isaiah calls for all to wait for the Lord's signal. He will prune away the Assyrians when the time is exactly right, ending their reign of terror on the earth. Then the nations of the earth will send tribute to the Lord at Mount Zion, where His name resides.

Prior passages were targeted messages in the form of predictions about certain nations. This passage is also an oracle, but one more about reassurance that the Lord is in control and prepared to act accordingly. Every nation is concerned about the cruel Assyrian conquerors who leave death and devastation in their wake. Isaiah calls the world to watch for the Lord's signal. He is waiting for just the right moment to prune the Assyrians away and end their time of terror. Following chapters return to the typical pattern of Isaiah.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).