Chapter Overview
Summary
Isaiah 5 contains the SONG OF THE VINEYARD (vv. 1–7) — Israel-as-the-vineyard-that-produced-only-wild-grapes — which Jesus reworks at Mark 12:1–12 (parable of the wicked tenants). The chapter then-pronounces SIX WOES on social-and-moral-evils (vv. 8–23) and announces the coming-foreign-invasion (vv. 26–30).
Notable Variants
5:1–7 SONG OF THE VINEYARD → Mark 12:1–12 parable of the wicked tenants; 5:20 'woe to those who call evil good and good evil' classic moral-inversion-rebuke; 5:26 'lift a signal for nations from afar' invasion-warning.
Structural Notes
MT Isaiah 5 = LXX Isaiah 5. 30 verses.
Let me sing for my beloved — a song of my loved one about his vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.
'Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill' tracks MT. SONG-OF-THE-VINEYARD opens. Love-song-with-judgment-twist.
He dug it up and cleared its stones, and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in its center and even cut out a winepress. He waited for it to yield good grapes — but it yielded worthless ones.
'He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes' tracks MT. DUG-AND-PLANTED-AND-WATCHTOWER. Mark 12:1 ('a man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower') VERBATIM-PARALLELS this verse — Jesus' parable directly invokes Isaiah's-song.
And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
'And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard' tracks MT.
What more could have been done for my vineyard that I have not already done? Why, when I waited for good grapes, did it yield worthless ones?
'What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?' tracks MT. WHAT-MORE-COULD-I-HAVE-DONE divine-anguish.
And now, let me tell you what I am about to do to my vineyard: I will remove its hedge, and it will be devoured. I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled.
'And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down' tracks MT. HEDGE-REMOVED — divine-judgment of-abandonment.
I will make it a wasteland — it will not be pruned or hoed, and thorns and briers will overrun it. I will command the clouds to withhold their rain from it.
'I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it' tracks MT.
For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are the planting of his delight. He waited for justice — but look: bloodshed! For righteousness — but listen: a cry of anguish!
'For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!' tracks MT. THE EXPLICIT-IDENTIFICATION: vineyard = Israel. JUSTICE-VS-BLOODSHED Hebrew-wordplay (mishpat / mispach). Mark 12:1–12's parable extends Christologically — the vineyard-tenants kill-the-son.
Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is no space left and you dwell alone in the land.
'Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is no more room, and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land!' tracks MT. FIRST-WOE — land-monopoly. James 5:1–6's woe-to-the-rich extends.
In my hearing, the LORD of Hosts has declared: "Surely many houses will become desolate, great and fine houses left without anyone living in them."
'The LORD of hosts has sworn in my hearing: Surely many houses shall be desolate, large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant' tracks MT.
For ten acres of vineyard will produce only one bath of wine, and a homer of seed will yield but an ephah of grain.
'For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield but an ephah' tracks MT. AGRICULTURAL-COLLAPSE — measures yielding-fractions of expected-output.
Woe to those who rise early in the morning chasing strong drink, who linger late into the evening while wine inflames them!
'Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening as wine inflames them!' tracks MT. SECOND-WOE — drunkenness.
Lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine fill their feasts — but the work of the LORD they do not regard, and the deeds of his hands they do not see.
'They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of the LORD, or see the work of his hands' tracks MT.
Therefore my people go into exile for lack of understanding. Their nobles are starving, and their masses are parched with thirst.
'Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge; their honored men go hungry, and their multitude is parched with thirst' tracks MT. EXILE-FOR-LACK-OF-KNOWLEDGE. Hosea 4:6 ('my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge') parallel.
Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth beyond all limit. Down go her splendor and her crowds, her tumult and her revelers.
'Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth beyond measure, and the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude will go down, her revelers and he who exults in her' tracks MT. SHEOL-OPENS-MOUTH. Death-personified.
Humanity is brought low, each person humbled, and the eyes of the arrogant are cast down.
'Man is humbled, and each one is brought low, and the eyes of the haughty are humbled' tracks MT. // Isa 2:11, 17 humbled-pride refrain.
But the LORD of Hosts is exalted through justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy through righteousness.
'But the LORD of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness' tracks MT.
Then lambs will graze as in their own pasture, and strangers will feed among the ruins of the wealthy.
'Then shall the lambs graze as in their pasture, and nomads shall eat among the ruins of the rich' tracks MT.
Woe to those who drag iniquity with cords of deceit, and sin as with cart ropes!
'Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, who draw sin as with cart ropes' tracks MT. THIRD-WOE — sin-by-deliberate-effort.
-- who say, "Let him hurry! Let him speed up his work so we can see it! Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, so we may know it!"
'Who say: Let him be quick, let him speed his work that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near, and let it come, that we may know it!' tracks MT. SCOFFERS-DARE-GOD-TO-ACT. 2 Peter 3:3–4 ('scoffers will come … saying: where is the promise of his coming?') extends.
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
'Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!' tracks MT. FOURTH-WOE — moral-inversion. Classic anti-relativism rebuke. John 3:19 ('men loved darkness rather than light') Christologically extends.
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own estimation!
'Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!' tracks MT. FIFTH-WOE — self-wisdom (Prov 3:7). Romans 12:16 ('never be wise in your own sight') extends.
Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, champions at mixing strong drink!
'Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink' tracks MT. SIXTH-WOE — drinking-heroism.
-- who acquit the guilty for a bribe and strip the innocent of their rights!
'Who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!' tracks MT. JUDICIAL-CORRUPTION.
Therefore, as a tongue of fire devours stubble and dry grass collapses in the flame, so their root will rot and their blossom blow away like dust -- for they have rejected the Torah of the LORD of Hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
'Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel' tracks MT.
Therefore the anger of the LORD blazes against his people. He has stretched out his hand against them and struck them; the mountains trembled, and their corpses lay like refuse in the streets. For all this, his anger has not turned back, and his hand is still stretched out.
'Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he stretched out his hand against them and struck them, and the mountains quaked; and their corpses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still' tracks MT. HAND-STILL-STRETCHED-OUT — refrain in Isa 9–10.
He raises a signal flag for a distant nation and whistles for it from the ends of the earth -- and look, it comes swiftly, in haste!
'He will raise a signal for nations far away, and whistle for them from the ends of the earth; and behold, quickly, speedily they come!' tracks MT. SIGNAL-FOR-NATIONS — Assyria summoned-as-divine-rod.
Not one of them is weary, not one stumbles; none slumber, none sleep. No belt is loosened at the waist, no sandal-strap is broken.
'None is weary, none stumbles, none slumbers or sleeps, not a waistband is loose, not a sandal strap broken' tracks MT.
Their arrows are sharpened, all their bows are strung. Their horses' hooves are like flint, their chariot wheels like a whirlwind.
'Their arrows are sharp, all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs seem like flint, and their wheels like the whirlwind' tracks MT.
Their roar is like a lioness; they growl like young lions. They snarl and seize the prey and carry it off -- and no one can rescue.
'Their roaring is like a lion, like young lions they roar; they growl and seize their prey; they carry it off, and none can rescue' tracks MT.
On that day they will roar over it like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks to the land -- only darkness and distress; even the light is swallowed by its clouds.
'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; and the light is darkened by its clouds' tracks MT. DARKNESS-AT-NOON imagery — Mark 15:33's crucifixion-darkness Christologically extends.