New King James Version
Isaiah 5:2
2He 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.
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 Living Translation (NLT)He plowed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter.
Context of Isaiah 5:2
1Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On a very fruitful hill. 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. 3“And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard. 4What more could have been done to My vineyard That I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, Did it bring forth wild 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 33:16For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”
- Numbers 23:9For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him; There! A people dwelling alone, Not reckoning itself among the nations.
- Deuteronomy 32:8When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, When He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the children of Israel.
- Psalms 44:1We have heard with our ears, O God, Our fathers have told us, The deeds You did in their days, In days of old:
- Romans 9:4who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises;
- Jeremiah 2:21Yet I had planted you a noble vine, a seed of highest quality. How then have you turned before Me Into the degenerate plant of an alien vine?
- Judges 16:4Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
- Isaiah 1:8So the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, As a hut in a garden of cucumbers, As a besieged city.
- Micah 4:8And you, O tower of the flock, The stronghold of the daughter of Zion, To you shall it come, Even the former dominion shall come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.”
- Isaiah 63:2Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?
- Nehemiah 13:15In those days I saw people in Judah treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them about the day on which they were selling provisions.
- Revelation 14:18And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.”
- Isaiah 5:7For 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.
- Isaiah 1:2Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me;
- Deuteronomy 32:6Do you thus deal with the Lord, O foolish and unwise people? Is He not your Father, who bought you? Has He not made you and established you?
- Matthew 21:34Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries