Isaiah 5:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.

NIV: Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.

NASB: 'And now, you inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, Judge between Me and My vineyard.

CSB: So now, residents of Jerusalem and men of Judah, please judge between me and my vineyard.

NLT: Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah, you judge between me and my vineyard.

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

NKJV: “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.

This parable started as if it were a love song (Isaiah 5:1). Isaiah describes how his beloved did all the hard work to develop a vineyard only to discover in the end that the grapes were sour and worthless for their purpose (Isaiah 5:2).

Now Isaiah shifts to the voice of the vineyard-maker. He calls out to his audience to ask them to weigh in on the matter. He will ask if there was anything he could have done differently to receive a different result (Isaiah 5:4). This is a rhetorical question, of course, meant to point out that the Master is not the problem.

Isaiah 5:1–7 contains Isaiah's parable about his beloved about their vineyard. His beloved invests time and money to dig stones from the field, plant vines, build a watchtower, and make vats. He does all this work only to find the resulting grapes are sour and useless. The owner declares he will lay waste to the vineyard since the fruit is not good. Isaiah reveals that the vineyard is Israel and the owner is the Lord. He expected Judah to produce justice and integrity, but instead it has yielded trampling down of the weak and an ignoring of God's ways.

Isaiah 5 begins with a parable about a farmer who builds a vineyard that produces sour grapes. The owner says he will lay waste to the vineyard. Isaiah reveals the owner to be the Lord and the vineyard to be Israel. Israel's bad fruit includes the greed of the wealthy and the hedonism of the people. They will go hungry and thirsty, into exile, and the grave. The Lord will be exalted for His righteousness. Isaiah pronounces woe on the sinners, the mockers, and the unjust rulers. The Lord will summon the nations to judge His people.

Early chapters (Isaiah 1—4) established a prophetic message given to the people of Israel. Isaiah 5 begins a new section with a parable about a vineyard that produces wild grapes despite all the work the owner has done. The vineyard is Israel, and the owner is the Lord. He will lay waste to the vineyard for the greed and drunkenness of the people. They will go into exile and the grave. The Lord will be exalted, but woe to those who embrace sin, and mock God's judgment. As well as those who take bribes against the poor. He has summoned the nations. Judgment is coming. The next chapter includes one of the Bible's most famous visions (Isaiah 6).

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).

Accessed 5/4/2024 10:09:45 AM