“Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, please judge between me and my vineyard.
Parallel Translations
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“Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, please judge between me and my vineyard.
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And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
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And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
Cross-references (9)
Passages linked to Isaiah 5:3 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Psalms 50:4-6 He calls to the heavens above, to the earth, that he may judge his people: “Gather my saints together to me, those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” The heavens shall declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge.
- Psalms 51:4 Against you, and you only, I have sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight, so you may be proved right when you speak, and justified when you judge.
- Jeremiah 2:4-5 Hear Yahweh’s word, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel! Yahweh says, “What unrighteousness have your fathers found in me, that they have gone far from me, and have walked after worthless vanity, and have become worthless?
- Micah 6:2-3 Hear, you mountains, Yahweh’s controversy, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for Yahweh has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel. My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me!
- Matthew 21:40-41 When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?” They told him, “He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will lease out the vineyard to other farmers, who will give him the fruit in its season.”
- Mark 12:9-12 What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers, and will give the vineyard to others. Haven’t you even read this Scripture: ‘The stone which the builders rejected was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes’?” They tried to seize him, but they feared the multitude; for they perceived that he spoke the parable against them. They left him, and went away.
- Luke 20:15-16 They threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy these farmers, and will give the vineyard to others.” When they heard that, they said, “May that never be!”
- Romans 2:5 But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath, revelation, and of the righteous judgment of God;
- Romans 3:4 May it never be! Yes, let God be found true, but every man a liar. As it is written, “that you might be justified in your words, and might prevail when you come into judgment.”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (16 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain He maketh them judges in their own cause, forasmuch…
He maketh them judges in their own cause, forasmuch as it was evident that they were the cause of their own ruin.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Isa 5:3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and…
Isa 5:3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
Ver. 3. And now, O ye inhabitants of Jerusalem.] Here we have God’s plea before his sentence, and therein his appeal to them, and his indictment against them. First he appealeth to the Jews themselves, and maketh them judges in their own cause. So Nathan dealt by David, and Jesus by the wicked Jews of his time. {Mat 21:40} Iudicate, quaeso, only "judge a righteous judgment," {Joh 7:24} and then I dare report me to the conscience of any one among you, and will therehence fetch witness.
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Between me and my vineyard.] With which I am now at variance. Sin is that hell-hag, {a diabolical or vile woman} makebait, {breeder of strive} trouble town, that sets odds between God and his greatest favourites.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain I dare make you judges in your own cause,…
I dare make you judges in your own cause, it is so plain and reasonable.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of…
And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah,.... All and everyone of them, who were parties concerned in this matter, and are designed by the vineyard, for whom so much had been done, and so little fruit brought forth by them, or rather so much bad fruit:
judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard; between God and themselves; they are made judges in their own cause; the case was so clear and evident, that God is as it were willing the affair should be decided by their own judgment and verdict: so the Targum,
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"judge now judgment between me and my people.''
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 3. Inhabitants] ישבי yoshebey, in the plural number;…
Verse 3. Inhabitants] ישבי yoshebey, in the plural number; three MSS., (two ancient,) and so likewise the Septuagint and Vulgate.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Isa 5:3-4. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, &c.…
Isa 5:3-4. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, &c. — God is here introduced as calling upon the guilty themselves to pass sentence, or judgment, in the case, and leaving it to them; because, without downright madness, they could do no other than condemn themselves; who, when they had received so many benefits from God, had been so ungrateful to him. What could have been done, &c. — What work is there belonging to the office of an owner or keeper of a vineyard, which I have neglected? Wherefore — brought it forth wild grapes — How unworthy a conduct and inexcusable a crime is it, that you not only have been unfruitful in good works, but have brought forth, in abundance, the fruits of wickedness!
Who can read these words without being moved at the justness as well as the tenderness of the reproach; which is equally applicable now to professing Christians in general, as it was to the Jews at that time? What is it that God has not done for us? What good thing has he withheld from us? How many invaluable blessings has he bestowed upon us in our creation and preservation! And how many still more inestimable in our redemption!
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What more could have been done for us than he has done? Wherefore then, when he looketh for grapes, does he only find wild grapes, or rather poisonous berries? When he looketh for a tribute of grateful praise, does he find ingratitude, forgetfulness of his mercies, and disobedience to his commands?
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain And now ... - This is an appeal which…
And now ... - This is an appeal which God makes to the Jews themselves, in regard to the justice and propriety of what he was about to do. A similar appeal he makes in Mic 6:3 : ‘O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? Testify against me.’ He intended to “punish” them Isa 5:5-6, and he appeals to them for the justice of it. He would do to them as they would do to a vineyard that had been carefully prepared and guarded, and which yet was valueless. A similar appeal he makes in Isa 1:18; and our Saviour made an application remarkably similar in his parable of the vineyard, Mat 21:40-43. It is not improbable that he had his eye on this very place in Isaiah; and it is, therefore, the more remarkable that the Jews did not understand the bearing of his discourse.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Judge. God condescends to have his conduct scrutinized, chap.…
Judge. God condescends to have his conduct scrutinized, chap. xli. 1.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain And now, &c.--appeal of God to themselves, as in…
And now, &c.--appeal of God to themselves, as in Isa 1:18; Mic 6:3. So Jesus Christ, in Mat 21:40-41, alluding in the very form of expression to this, makes them pass sentence on themselves. God condemns sinners "out of their own mouth" (Deu 32:6; Job 15:6; Luk 19:22; Rom 3:4).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 3-7. So far the parable is left unexplained to…
3-7. So far the parable is left unexplained to the prophet’s hearers. And to them the appeal is, “What is to be done?” Then the explanation begins, but still in a parable. The inquirer answers his own questions.
Will take away… hedge thereof — An Eastern “hedge” is composed of thorny plants, which, densely placed in rows around a ground, forms a strong protection against intruders.
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The answer in Isa_5:4 is in bitter irony. It implies that more would be done if possible, but from the rebellious conduct of Israel that is impossible. It is also God’s divine self-justification. He had done all the best vintner could do for the vineyard, but it would be obstinately bad. Waste and desolation will now ensue, and tempests and war shall at times sweep over it with fury. Rains will be withheld, and famines and general depopulation will follow. In plain words, this “vineyard” of the Lord — of the prophet’s “beloved” — is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant.
Thence follows the announcement of a series of disciplinary woes, with an enumeration of the popular vices that cause them.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 3. (Four lines.) The beginning of a new stanza…
3. (Four lines.) The beginning of a new stanza is marked by the “And now” as in Isa_5:5.
betwixt me and my vineyard] The change of person here is the first hint of a deeper meaning under the words of the song.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (3) And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem.—“The song of…
(3) And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem.—“The song of the vineyard” comes to an end and becomes the text of a discourse in which Jehovah, as the “Beloved” of the song, speaks through the prophet. Those to whom the parable applies are invited, as David was by Nathan, to pass an unconscious judgment on themselves. (Comp. Mat_21:40-41, as an instance of the same method.)
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain The prophet"s "song" here ends, and Jehovah himself takes…
The prophet"s "song" here ends, and Jehovah himself takes the word. As if the story told in the parable had been a fact, he calls on the men of Judah and Jerusalem to "judge between him and his vineyard." Compare Nathan"s appeal to David by the parable of the ewe lamb. (2Sa_12:1-4)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain Judge, I pray you, betwixt Me and My vineyard
Isa_5:3
Judge, I pray you, betwixt Me and My vineyard
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The unfruitful vineyard
I.
The way in which the inspired penman is guided to put the question in the text seems to lead us to ONE OF WE SUBTLEST WEAKNESSES OF HUMAN NATURE,--I mean the power which men possess of perceiving general truth without at the same time perceiving its particular bearing on themselves. Often and often are we, all unconsciously, judging between God and His vineyard, and we know it not. There is no general denunciation of the Bible which does not meet with our full assent; but we are too often unable to see that we ourselves come under its terms. And this is one of the dangers attendant on listening to preaching.
II. The portion of Scripture under consideration has A MOST DIRECT REFERENCE TO OUR OWN PROBATION.
1. As members of the Church.
2. As individual souls. (W. Alexander.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
General Information:
In Isaiah's parable of the vineyard, the owner of the vineyard, who represents God, speaks to the people of Jerusalem and Judah about his vineyard. (See: Parables)
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inhabitant of Jerusalem and man of Judah
These expressions refer in general to all people living in Jerusalem and Judah, so they can be translated with plural nouns. AT: "all of you who live in Jerusalem and Judah" (See: Generic Noun Phrases)
Jerusalem ... Judah
"Judah" was the name of the southern kingdom of Israelites, and Jerusalem was the capital city.
judge between me and my vineyard
The idea of a space separating two things is often used to express the idea of choosing one or the other of those things. AT: "decide who has acted right, I or my vineyard" (See: Metaphor)
What more could have been done for my vineyard, that I have not done for it?
The owner uses this question to make a statement about his vineyard. This rhetorical questions can be translated as a stataement. AT: "I have done all that I could do for my vineyard!" (See: Rhetorical Question)
When I looked for it to produce grapes, why did it produce wild grapes?
The owner uses a question to say that his vineyard should have produced good grapes. This rhetorical question can be translated as a statement. AT: "I wanted it to make good grapes, but it only produced worthless grapes" (See: Rhetorical Question)
translationWords
Jerusalem
Judah
judge
vineyard
grape
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 5:3-4 Clearly, the Lord had graciously done everything possible…
5:3-4 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). This rhetorical tactic is similar to the one Nathan used to confront David (2 Sam 12:1-5).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.