Isaiah 5
Summary for Isa 5:1-30: 5:1-30 a The prophet pronounced judgment through song (5:1-7 b) and prophecies of woe (5:8-30 c). Although Israel’s future condition would be one of purity and fellowship with God (4:2-6 d), that future cannot ignore the present sinful condition of the people and their leaders.Summary for Isa 5:1-7: 5:1-7 e The Song of the Vineyard expresses in poetic form God’s indictment of the wicked leadership that had ruined his vineyard, Israel. Like some wisdom literature, it presents readers with an account of a puzzling situation (5:1-2 f) before giving its spiritual significance (5:3-7 g). The theme of the vineyard’s transformation is found again in ch 27 h and in Jesus’ teaching (Matt 21:33 i; Mark 12:1 j). 5:1 k The one I love refers to the Lord; the prophet was singing this song on the Lord’s behalf.
• At first, the song sounds like a love song, but by 5:3 l readers realize it is actually a complaint.
• On Israel as God’s vineyard, see also 3:14 m; Matt 21:33-46 n; John 15:1-17 o.
5:2 p The Lord gave the best care to his vineyard, preparing and nursing it as an expert agriculturalist. He watched over it with great attentiveness, planting the best vines—ones that had the potential for abundant sweet grapes. God had great expectations of Israel as his people (see Exod 19:5-6 q), so the bitter grapes they produced—their unrighteous deeds—were useless and disappointing (cp. Gal 5:22-23 r).
Summary for Isa 5:3-4: 5:3-4 s Clearly, the Lord had graciously done everything possible for the vineyard. He was not to blame for the bitter grapes.
• you judge: Isaiah wanted the audience to condemn the vineyard before he revealed that in fact they were the vineyard (5:7 t). This rhetorical tactic is similar to the one Nathan used to confront David (2 Sam 12:1-5 u).
Summary for Isa 5:5-6: 5:5-6 v The Lord promised to make his vineyard, Israel, a desolate place because it was fit only for destruction. Later, Isaiah prophesied the gracious, glorious transformation of Israel from desolation to fruitful vitality (see 55:13 w).
5:6 x The withholding of rain was at times a divine judgment (Deut 28:23-24 y; Hag 1:11 z; 2:16 aa). It was especially devastating to a society that depended heavily on agriculture.
5:7 ab The identification of Israel as the vineyard is a surprise that resolves the riddle of this passage.
• Here, a powerful play on Hebrew words indicted Israel. The Lord expected justice (Hebrew mishpat) but saw only oppression (mispakh) of the needy. Instead of righteousness (tsedaqah), there were cries of violence (tse‘aqah) against the poor (see 1:21-23 ac).
Summary for Isa 5:8-23: 5:8-23 ad This section contains six pronouncements of sorrow—six threats of dreadful judgment (5:8 ae, 11 af, 18 ag, 20 ah, 21 ai, 22 aj). The sorrows identify some of the “bitter grapes” produced by the vineyard of Israel (5:1-7 ak).
Summary for Isa 5:8-10: 5:8-10 al What sorrow: The first threat of judgment was against oppressive greed. Properties (house and field) were being taken by illegal means. The new owners were thugs who used every avenue to enrich themselves at the expense of the poor (see 1 Kgs 21:1-29 am; Amos 2:6-7 an).
5:10 ao As with drought (5:5-6 ap), the reduction of crops was at times a divine judgment (see Hag 1:6 aq, 9 ar; 2:16 as).
Summary for Isa 5:11-17: 5:11-17 at What sorrow: The second threat of judgment concerned indulgent lifestyles. The language throughout this section indicates a life of corruption.
5:12 au Self-indulgent and contented, these people never think about the Lord. They were too busy enjoying their drunken parties to reflect on why things went bad in the first place, such as why God sent no rain, or why they lost a battle.
5:13 av Israel and Judah would go into exile to Assyria (722 BC) and Babylon (586 BC).
• The people did not respond to the Lord because they did not know him (see 1:3 aw). They likely knew about him, but their behavior showed that they did not know him in any intimate way.
5:14 ax The grave (Hebrew Sheol) represented the place of the dead in ancient Near Eastern thinking (see 14:9 ay).
5:16 az God’s kingship is by definition just and righteous, and he will be exalted by his justice. At his exaltation, oppressors will be condemned (see 1:21-23 ba).
Summary for Isa 5:18-19: 5:18-19 bb What sorrow: The third threat of judgment was against mockers, who openly treated God’s authority with contempt. 5:18 bc God’s ropes were “ropes of kindness and love” for Israel (Hos 11:4 bd).
5:19 be The people challenged God to hurry up and do something to prove that he really exists and is in control of this world. The verb hurry up translates two Hebrew verbs: maher (“be quick”) and khush (“be speedy”). The same Hebrew words are used in the name Maher-shalal-hash-baz (Isa 8:1 bf).
• God’s plan was revealed to Isaiah. Little did the people know that God’s purposes would turn against them.
5:20 bg What sorrow: The fourth threat of judgment was against a lack of integrity.
• evil is good ... dark is light ... bitter is sweet: This twisted way of looking at life corrupts God’s holy order.
5:21 bh What sorrow: The fifth threat of judgment concerned the folly of self-deception.
Summary for Isa 5:22-24: 5:22-24 bi What sorrow: The sixth threat of judgment was against the indulgent lifestyle of the wicked.
5:24 bj The image of rotting roots reflects human transience (cp. 11:1 bk; 27:6 bl; 37:31 bm).
• To despise the Lord’s word means to ignore it, to live without regard for keeping it. Such an attitude toward God’s revelation leads to folly and ruin (Prov 1:30 bn; 5:12 bo; 15:5 bp).
5:25 bq mountains tremble: God’s wrath against sinners is often expressed as the shaking of the earth’s foundations (13:13 br; 23:11 bs; 24:18-19 bt; 29:6 bu; 54:10 bv). God’s appearance in judgment or salvation in natural phenomena such as smoke, darkness, lightning, and earthquake is called a theophany (see 6:1-4 bw, 6 bx; 13:13 by; Exod 19:18-19 bz; Ps 18:7-15 ca; Mic 1:3-4 cb; Rev 8:5 cc; 16:17-18 cd; 18:21-22 ce).
5:26 cf The signal was a banner raised on a long pole and often placed on a high hill (see also 13:2 cg; 18:3 ch; 30:17 ci). The expression signal to distant nations is common in Isaiah and might be a call for participation in battle (as here) or in salvation (11:10 cj, 12 ck; 49:22 cl; 62:10 cm).
• Distant nations refers to the Assyrians and Babylonians, who served as instruments of God’s judgment on Israel (722 BC) and on Judah (586 BC). They were the wild “animals” (5:5 cn) called in to trample the vineyard (5:1-7 co). They would fiercely attack Israel and Judah, not letting up until God’s judgment was complete (5:27-30 cp).
5:30 cq day of destruction (literally that day; see study note on 2:5-22).
• In Old Testament prophecy, darkness represents the experience of God’s alienation, wrath, and judgment (see also 8:22 cr), while light stands for his holy presence (see especially 60:2 cs, 19 ct).
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