Christian Standard Bible
Isaiah 5:2
2He broke up the soil, cleared it of stones, and planted it with the finest vines. He built a tower in the middle of it and even dug out a winepress there. He expected it to yield good grapes, but it yielded worthless grapes.
Isaiah 5:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
- New International Version (NIV)He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.
- English Standard Version (ESV)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.
- New King James Version (NKJV)He dug it up and cleared out its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, And also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring forth good grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes.
Context of Isaiah 5:2
1I will sing about the one I love, a song about my loved one’s vineyard: The one I love had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He broke up the soil, cleared it of stones, and planted it with the finest vines. He built a tower in the middle of it and even dug out a winepress there. He expected it to yield good grapes, but it yielded worthless grapes. 3So now, residents of Jerusalem and men of Judah, please judge between me and my vineyard. 4What more could I have done for my vineyard than I did? Why, when I expected a yield of good grapes, did it yield worthless grapes?
Read all of Isaiah 5Isaiah 5:2 word by word
וַֽיְעַזְּקֵ֣הוּ וַֽיְסַקְּלֵ֗הוּ וַיִּטָּעֵ֙הוּ֙ שֹׂרֵ֔ק וַיִּ֤בֶן מִגְדָּל֙ בְּתוֹכ֔וֹ וְגַם־יֶ֖קֶב חָצֵ֣ב בּ֑וֹ וַיְקַ֛ו לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת עֲנָבִ֖ים וַיַּ֥עַשׂ בְּאֻשִֽׁים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And he fencedעָזַק‛âzaq · to dig aboutH5823
- it, and gathered out the stonesסָקַלsâqal · to stoneH5619
- thereof, and plantedנָטַעnâţa‛ · to plantH5193
- it with the choicest vineשֹׂרֵקώôrêq ώôrêq ώôrêqâh · vineH8321
- and builtבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129
- a towerמִגְדָּלmigdâl migdâlâh · towerH4026
- in the midstתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
- of it, and also madeחָצַבchâtsab châtsêb · to hewH2672
- a winepressיֶ֫קֶבyeqeb · wineH3342
- therein: and he lookedקָוָהqâvâh · to awaitH6960
- that it should bring forthעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- grapesעֵנָב‛ênâb · grapeH6025
- wild grapesבְּאֻשִׁיםbe'ûshîym · sour grapesH891
Cross-references for Isaiah 5:2
- Exodus 33:16How will it be known that I and your people have found favor with you unless you go with us? I and your people will be distinguished by this from all the other people on the face of the earth.”
- Numbers 23:9I see them from the top of rocky cliffs, and I watch them from the hills. There is a people living alone; it does not consider itself among the nations.
- Deuteronomy 32:8When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance and divided the human race, he set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the people of Israel.
- Psalms 44:1God, we have heard with our ears — our ancestors have told us — the work you accomplished in their days, in days long ago:
- Romans 9:4They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple service, and the promises.
- Jeremiah 2:21I planted you, a choice vine from the very best seed. How then could you turn into a degenerate, foreign vine?
- Judges 16:4Some time later, he fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the Sorek Valley.
- Isaiah 1:8Daughter Zion is abandoned like a shelter in a vineyard, like a shack in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.
- Micah 4:8And you, watchtower for the flock, fortified hill of Daughter Zion, the former rule will come to you; sovereignty will come to Daughter Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 63:2Why are your clothes red, and your garments like one who treads a winepress?
- Nehemiah 13:15At that time I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath. They were also bringing in stores of grain and loading them on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, and figs. All kinds of goods were being brought to Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them against selling food on that day.
- Revelation 14:18Yet another angel, who had authority over fire, came from the altar, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vineyard of the earth, because its grapes have ripened.”
- Isaiah 5:7For the vineyard of the Lord of Armies is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah, the plant he delighted in. He expected justice but saw injustice; he expected righteousness but heard cries of despair.
- Isaiah 1:2Listen, heavens, and pay attention, earth, for the Lord has spoken: “I have raised children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me.
- Deuteronomy 32:6Is this how you repay the Lord, you foolish and senseless people? Isn’t he your Father and Creator? Didn’t he make you and sustain you?
- Matthew 21:34When the time came to harvest fruit, he sent his servants to the farmers to collect his fruit.
Commentaries on Isaiah 5:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2And gathered out the stones "And he cleared it from the stones" - This was agreeable to the husbandry: "Saxa, summa parte terrae, et vites et arbores laeduct; ima parte refrigerant;" Columell. de arb. 3: "Saxosum facile est expedire lectione lapidum;" Id. 2:2. "Lapides, qui supersunt, [al. insuper sunt], hieme rigent, aestate fervescunt; idcirco satis, arbustis, et vitibus nocent;" Pallad. 1:6. A piece of ground thus cleared of the stones Persius, in his…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2And he fenced it - Margin, Made a wall about it.‘ The word used here is supposed rather to mean “to dig about, to grub,” as with a pick-axe or spade. - “Gesenius.” It has this signification in Arabic, and in one place in the Jewish Talmud. - “Kimchi.” The Vulgate and the Septuagint understands it of making a hedge or fence, probably the first work in preparing a vineyard. And as a hedge‘ is expressly mentioned in Isaiah 5:5, it seems most probable that…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2The Lord cared for his vineyard like an expert farmer. He watched it closely, planting the best vines for sweet grapes. God expected much from Israel as his people (see Exodus 19:5–6), so their bitter grapes (their unrighteous deeds) were useless and disappointing (compare Galatians 5:22–23).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. fenced--rather, "digged and trenched" the ground to prepare it for planting the vines [Maurer]. choicest vine--Hebrew, sorek; called still in Morocco, serki; the grapes had scarcely perceptible seeds; the Persian kishmish or bedana, that is, "without seed" (Ge 49:11). tower--to watch the vineyard against the depredations of man or beast, and for the use of the owner (Mt 21:33). wine-press--including the wine-fat; both hewn, for coolness, out of the…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 5:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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