New English Translation
Isaiah 5:7
7Indeed Israel is the vineyard of the Lord who commands armies, the people of Judah are the cultivated place in which he took delight. He waited for justice, but look what he got – disobedience! He waited for fairness, but look what he got – cries for help!
Isaiah 5:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.
- New International Version (NIV)The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.
- English Standard Version (ESV)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!
- New King James Version (NKJV)For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.
Context of Isaiah 5:7
5Now I will inform you what I am about to do to my vineyard: I will remove its hedge and turn it into pasture, I will break its wall and allow animals to graze there. 6I will make it a wasteland; no one will prune its vines or hoe its ground, and thorns and briers will grow there. I will order the clouds not to drop any rain on it. Indeed Israel is the vineyard of the Lord who commands armies, the people of Judah are the cultivated place in which he took delight. He waited for justice, but look what he got – disobedience! He waited for fairness, but look what he got – cries for help! 8Those who accumulate houses are as good as dead, those who also accumulate landed property until there is no land left, and you are the only landowners remaining within the land. 9The Lord who commands armies told me this: “Many houses will certainly become desolate, large, impressive houses will have no one living in them.
Read all of Isaiah 5Isaiah 5:7 word by word
כִּ֣י כֶ֜רֶם יְהוָ֤ה צְבָאוֹת֙ בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאִ֣ישׁ יְהוּדָ֔ה נְטַ֖ע שַׁעֲשׁוּעָ֑יו וַיְקַ֤ו לְמִשְׁפָּט֙ וְהִנֵּ֣ה מִשְׂפָּ֔ח לִצְדָקָ֖ה וְהִנֵּ֥ה צְעָקָֽה׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- For the vineyardכֶּרֶםkerem · vineyardH3754
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- of hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · HostsH6635
- the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- and the menאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
- of Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
- his pleasantשַׁעֲשֻׁעִיםsha‛shûa‛ · delightH8191
- plantנֶ֫טַעneţa‛ · plantationH5194
- and he lookedקָוָהqâvâh · to awaitH6960
- for judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justiceH4941
- but behold oppressionמִשְׂפָּחmiώpâch · bloodshedH4939
- for righteousnessצְדָקָהtsedâqâh · righteousnessH6666
- but behold a cryצְעָקָהtsa‛ăqâh · cryH6818
Cross-references for Isaiah 5:7
- Psalms 80:8You uprooted a vine from Egypt; you drove out nations and transplanted it.
- Jeremiah 12:10Many foreign rulers will ruin the land where I planted my people. They will trample all over my chosen land. They will turn my beautiful land into a desolate wasteland.
- Isaiah 62:5As a young man marries a young woman, so your sons will marry you. As a bridegroom rejoices over a bride, so your God will rejoice over you.
- Psalms 147:11The Lord takes delight in his faithful followers, and in those who wait for his loyal love.
- Psalms 149:4For the Lord takes delight in his people; he exalts the oppressed by delivering them.
- Zephaniah 3:17The Lord your God is in your midst; he is a warrior who can deliver. He takes great delight in you; he renews you by his love; he shouts for joy over you.”
- Isaiah 5:2He built a hedge around it, removed its stones, and planted a vine. He built a tower in the middle of it, and constructed a winepress. He waited for it to produce edible grapes, but it produced sour ones instead.
- Isaiah 58:6No, this is the kind of fast I want. I want you to remove the sinful chains, to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, and to break every burdensome yoke.
- Exodus 22:22“You must not afflict any widow or orphan.
- Micah 6:8He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord really wants from you: He wants you to promote justice, to be faithful, and to live obediently before your God.
- Zechariah 7:9“The Lord who rules over all said, ‘Exercise true judgment and show brotherhood and compassion to each other.
- Matthew 3:8Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance,
- Matthew 23:23“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others.
- John 15:2He takes away every branch that does not bear fruit in me. He prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit.
- 1 Corinthians 6:8But you yourselves wrong and cheat, and you do this to your brothers and sisters!
- 1 John 3:7Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Jesus is righteous.
Commentaries on Isaiah 5:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7And he looked for judgment - The paronomasia, or play on the words, in this place, is very remarkable; mishpat, mishpach, tsedakah, tseakah . There are many examples of it in the other prophets, but Isaiah seems peculiarly fond of it. See Isaiah 13:6, Isaiah 24:17, Isaiah 32:7, Isaiah 28:1, Isaiah 57:6, Isaiah 61:3, Isaiah 65:11, Isaiah 65:12. Rabbi David Kimchi has noticed the paronomasia here: he expected משפט mishpat, judgment, but behold משפח…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7For the vineyard - This is the application of the parable. God had treated the Jews as a farmer does a vineyard. This was “his” vineyard - the object of his faithful, unceasing care. This was his “only” vineyard; on this people alone, of all the nations of the earth, had he bestowed his special attention. His pleasant plant - The plant in which he delighted. As the farmer had been at the pains to plant the “sorek” Isaiah 5:2, so had God selected the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7The identification of Israel as the vineyard is a surprise. It resolves the riddle of the passage. Here, a clever play on Hebrew words is used to accuse 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 Isaiah 1:21–23). These similar-sounding words make the message memorable.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. Isaiah here applies the parable. It is no mere human owner, nor a literal vineyard that is meant. vineyard of the Lord--His only one (Ex 19:5; Am 3:2). pleasant--"the plant of his delight"; just as the husbandman was at pains to select the sorek, or "choicest vine" (Is 5:2); so God's election of the Jews. judgment--justice. The play upon words is striking in the Hebrew, He looked for mishpat, but behold mispat ("bloodshed"); for tsedaqua, but behold…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 5:7
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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