Isaiah 5 · The Lantern

The Song of the Vineyard

Let me sing now for my beloved the song of my dear one about his vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a fertile horn of a hill.

And truly he was "a horn of salvation in the house of David", because this prophecy is sung in harmony: "For a vineyard was made on a horn". On what horn? On Christ Jesus, on him of whom it is now written: "he raised up a horn of salvation for us, in the house of David his servant, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets".

He invites us to produce fruits in abundance, for fear lest our sterility should condemn us to the fire. He constantly compares our souls to vines.

152. I will sing to my beloved. Here he denounces the third sin of the two tribes, which they committed in abuse of things, under a certain metaphor; and this is divided into two parts: in the first, the metaphor is set out; in the second, it is explained: for the vineyard of the Lord (Isa 5:7). 153. Concerning the first, he does two things.

And he dug it and cleared it of stones and planted it with choice vines; and he built a tower in its midst, and also hewed out a winepress in it. And he waited for it to make grapes — and it made rotten ones.

(Verse 2.) And he fenced it, and picked stones from it, and planted the vineyard of Sorec, and built a tower in its midst, and constructed a winepress in it. In metaphor, as we said before, the vineyard represents the Jewish people, whom God protected with the help of angels. And he picked stones from it, meaning idols or anything that could hinder the worship of God.

So let me warn you, holy seedlings, let me warn you, fresh plants in the field of the Lord, not to have it said of you what was said of the vineyard of the house of Israel: "I expected it to produce grapes, but it produced thorns." Let the Lord find good bunches of grapes on you, seeing that he was himself a bunch of grapes trodden in the winepress for you.

156. Second, the diligence of his preparation is set out as to the fortification of the location; hence he says, and he fenced it in: I will hedge up your way with thorns (Hos 2:6), in which is signified the guardianship of angels and good men.

And now, inhabitant of Jerusalem and man of Judah, judge, please, between me and my vineyard.

What more was there to do for my vineyard that I did not do in it? Why did I wait for it to make grapes, and it made rotten ones?

And now let me make known to you what I am doing to my vineyard: removing its hedge, and it will be for burning; breaking down its wall, and it will be for trampling.

And I will make it a waste — it will not be pruned and it will not be hoed, and briers and thorns will come up. And upon the clouds I will lay a charge, not to rain rain upon it.

See then how very bad sinning is, that they may be delivered to Satan, who holds captive the souls of those forsaken by God—though God does not forsake without cause or judgment those whom he has abandoned.

Just as clouds when they rumble and clash (so the physicists tell us) send forth darts of lightning, so the words of the prophets shone out as signs of truth. In fact you often find the prophets in the divine Scriptures compared with clouds; for example, "And I will command the clouds not to rain upon it."

167. Second, he takes away the benefit which pertains to diligence of cultivation; hence he says: and I will make it desolate, that is, I will leave it uncultivated like a desert; it shall not be pruned, by the lash of admonition or correction when they sin, and it shall not be dug, that occasions of evil might be taken away from them like weeds; but briers and thorns shall com…

For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the man of Judah his delightful planting. And he waited for justice — and see, bloodshed; for righteousness — and see, a cry.

Woes to the Wicked

Ah, those who join house to house, who bring field near to field, until there is no room, and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land!

Let him use those tenths and first-fruits, which are given according to the command of God, as a man of God; as also let him dispense in a right manner the free-will offerings which are brought in on account of the poor, to the orphans, the widows, the afflicted, and strangers in distress, as having that God for the examiner of his accounts who has committed the disposition to…

You see, even if many people do not admit this in so many words but claim to believe in the doctrine of the resurrection and future retribution, nevertheless I take notice not of their words but of what they do day to day. That is to say, if you are looking forward to resurrection and retribution, why go chasing the values of this life to such an extent?

171. Woe to you that join house to house. Here he sets out their fault in the abuse of things in particular, going through it part by part. And this is divided into two parts: in the first, he denounces them as to the fault itself, in the second, as to their obstinacy in sinning, where it says, woe to you that draw (Isa 5:18).

In my ears the LORD of hosts has sworn: Surely many houses will become a horror — great and good ones, with none dwelling in them.

For ten yoke of vineyard will make one bath, and a homer of seed will make an ephah.

There are many instances in which the land suffers because of people's sins. Why are you surprised if the people's sin makes the land infertile and unfruitful when we caused it to be corrupt in the first place (and will again make it incorruptible)?… See Noah, for example. When humanity had become utterly perverse, turmoil ensued everywhere.

(Verse 10.) For they will make one small jar from ten acres of vineyards, and they will make three bushels from thirty bushels of seed. For the small jar, which only the seventy translated, all others have interpreted as a bat, which is said in Hebrew Beth ().

175. Second, as to the barrenness of the vineyard, he says: for ten jugera (a jugerum is 120 feet in length) of vineyard shall yield one little measure. Another reading has one bath, which is the same volume in liquids as an ephah is in dry goods.

Ah, those who rise early in the morning to chase strong drink, who linger into the twilight while wine inflames them!

(Verse 11, 12.) Woe to those who rise early in the morning to pursue drunkenness, and continue drinking until evening, so that they are inflamed with wine. They have the lyre, the harp, the tambourine, and the flute at their feasts, but they do not regard the work of the Lord or consider the operation of His hands.

Hear also the words of the prophecy, and the "Woe" which was proclaimed for gluttons, "Woe unto those who rise up early in the morning and pursue strong drink, and who tarry long over it in the evening while wine inflameth them.

176. Woe to you that rise up early in the morning to follow drunkenness. Here he denounces their fault as to the abuse of food. And first, he denounces the fault, second, he threatens punishment, where it says, therefore is my people led away captive (Isa 5:13).

And there are lyre and harp, tambourine and flute, and wine at their drinking feasts — but at the work of the LORD they do not look, and the deed of his hands they have not seen.

Therefore my people has gone into exile for lack of knowledge; and its glory are men of famine, and its multitude parched with thirst.

(Verse 13.) Therefore, my people have been taken captive because they lack knowledge, and their nobles have perished of hunger, and their multitude has dried up with thirst. This happened literally to the people of Judah under the Roman princes Vespasian and Titus, as both Greek and Latin history relate.

"Therefore my people are led into captivity, because they did not have knowledge," namely neither in the head nor in the members.

179. Therefore is my people led away captive. Here he sets out the corresponding punishment: and first, as to the affection of the will; hence he says, therefore, just as their knowledge was taken captive by drunkenness, so will they themselves be taken captive: my people have been silent, because they had no knowledge (Hos 4:6). 180.

Therefore Sheol has widened her throat and opened her mouth without limit; and her splendor and her multitude and her uproar and the one exulting in her go down.

And humankind is bowed down and a man is brought low, and the eyes of the lofty are brought low.

And the LORD of hosts is exalted in justice, and the holy God is made holy in righteousness.

And lambs will graze as in their pasture, and strangers will eat among the ruins of the fat ones.

Ah, those who drag iniquity with cords of worthlessness, and sin as with cart ropes;

(Verse 18, 19.) Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as if with a cart rope. Those who say: let his work speed up and come quickly, so that we may see it; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel approach and come, so that we may know it. As for the cart rope, the Septuagint translated it as a strap of the yoke of a heifer or a cow.

Our Lord shows what reward awaits hypocritical workers when he made a scourge of cords and drove them all out of the temple. They are cast out as sharers of the inheritance of the saints if, after they are chosen to be among the saints, they either perform good acts deceitfully or evil acts openly.

185. Woe to you that draw. Here he denounces the pertinacity of their sinning: and first, he denounces their fault, second, he threatens punishment, where it says, therefore as the tongue of the fire devours the stubble (Isa 5:24).

those who say, “Let him hurry, let him hasten his deed, so that we may see; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, so that we may know.”

Ah, 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!

For, in like manner, they also who oppose martyrdoms, representing salvation to be destruction, transmute sweet into bitter, as well as light into darkness. Thus, by preferring this very wretched life to that most blessed one, they put bitter for sweet, as well as darkness for light.

Must we be servile to the whim of those who are wicked? If they wish valueless praise conferred upon them, is it becoming that we, too, heap valueless and laughable praise on them?

192. Woe to you that call evil good. Here he sets out vanity as to the excusing of sin. And first, as to the effect: that call evil good: the evil of their hands they call good (Mic 7:3); second, as to the intellect: that put darkness for light, truth for error: men loved darkness rather than the light (John 3:19); third, as to the affections: that put bitter for sweet, thinkin…

Ah, those wise in their own eyes, and before their own faces understanding!

That the Black One may find no means of entrance, let us flee from every vanity, let us utterly hate the works of the way of wickedness. Do not, by retiring apart, live a solitary life, as if you were already [fully] justified; but coming together in one place, make common inquiry concerning what tends to your general welfare.

Consider as your superiors one another, especially those who are not committed to your charge, your neighbors, because even those whom you see doing certain wicked things—you do not know what good things may lie hidden in them.

193. Woe to you that are wise. Here he sets out the third vanity as to the presumption of their sinning, which concerns three things. First, wisdom of heart, both in speculative things: you that are wise: be not wise in your own conceit (Prov 3:7); and in practical things: prudent: be not prudent in your own conceits (Rom 12:16).

Ah, mighty men at drinking wine, and men of strength at mixing strong drink;

(Verse 22.) Woe to those who are mighty in drinking wine, and men of strength in mixing strong drink, that is, drunkenness. To those mentioned above who rise early in the morning to pursue drunkenness, and drink until evening, so that you burn with wine, he now also speaks of those who are mighty in drinking wine, and men of strength in mixing strong drink (Deuteronomy 32).

193. Second, as to the power of the body for sinning: you that are mighty to drink; they boast that they are able to drink much and to become drunk, because of the custom of the land in which mixed wine is drunk, below: let the islands keep silence before me, and the nations take new strength (Isa 41:1); they are glad when they have done evil, and rejoice in the most wicked thi…

who declare the wicked righteous for a bribe, and turn aside the righteousness of the righteous from him!

(Verse 23.) You justify the wicked for bribes, and take away the justice of the righteous from them. And this is a part of the vices of the vineyard, which has produced sour grapes instead of grapes, and while the Lord waits to bring judgment, it commits iniquity by justifying the wicked for bribes and not considering the causes but the gifts, which even blind the eyes of the w…

193. Third, as to authority: that justify, that is, you say that you have such authority that at your will you are able to justify the wicked, so that whatever pleases you may have the force of law, below: woe to them that make wicked laws: and when they write, write injustice (Isa 10:1); he that justifies the wicked, and he that condemns the just (Prov 17:15); and if a man giv…

Therefore, as a tongue of fire devours stubble and dry grass sinks down in the flame, their root will be like rot and their blossom go up like dust — because they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of hosts, and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Therefore the anger of the LORD burned against his people, and he stretched out his hand against him and struck him, and the mountains shook, and their corpses were like refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger has not turned back, and his hand is stretched out still.

"Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people." He wanted them to be a people of his own and to be called as such, but this is not what they wanted. Because of this he gives a sign of approaching war and of a multitude of the slain that would fill the mountains with dead corpses. The whole country would become full of their dead.

(Verse 25.) Therefore the wrath of the Lord's fury is upon His people, and He stretches out His hand against them and strikes them, and the mountains tremble, and their dead bodies become like refuse in the middle of the streets. In all of this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is still outstretched.

195. Second, the wrath of the one who punishes: therefore is the wrath of the Lord kindled; he speaks after the manner of the process of wrath in men. And the Lord was exceedingly angry (Ps 105[106]:40).

And he will lift up a signal to the nations from afar, and whistle for one from the end of the earth; and see, swiftly, lightly it comes.

I Glorify God, even Jesus Christ, who has given you such wisdom. For I have observed that ye are perfected in an immoveable faith, as if ye were nailed to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, both in the flesh and in the spirit, and are established in love through the blood of Christ, being fully persuaded with respect to our Lord, that He was truly of the seed of David accordin…

And he will raise a signal among the nations far away, and he will whistle for them from the ends of the earth, and behold, they will come quickly and swiftly. The Hebrews understand this passage to prophesy about the Babylonians and Nebuchadnezzar, that by the will of God he was led into Judah and Jerusalem, and he destroyed the temple.

197. Second, the raising of the standard, and he will lift up a sign, that is, a standard: set up the sign in Zion. Strengthen yourselves, stay not: for I bring evil from the north, and great destruction (Jer 4:6).

There is none weary and none stumbling in it; it does not slumber and it does not sleep. The belt of its loins is not loosed, and the thong of its sandals is not torn.

Its arrows are sharpened and all its bows drawn; the hoofs of its horses are reckoned like flint, and its wheels like the whirlwind.

Its roar is like a lion’s; it roars like the young lions, and it growls and seizes prey and carries it off, and there is none to deliver.

And it will growl over him in that day like the growling of the sea; and one looks to the land — and see, darkness, distress; and the light has grown dark in its clouds.

Isaiah5

The Song of the Vineyard

Woes to the Wicked