The Hebrew poetry in Isaiah 5:1-6 is translated by the GermanGute Nachricht Bibel (last rev. 2018) in poetic form:
Auf fruchtbarem Hügel,
da liegt mein Stück Land,
dort hackt ich den Boden
mit eigener Hand,
ich mühte mich ab
und las Felsbrocken auf,
baute Wachtturm und Kelter,
setzte Reben darauf.
Und süße Trauben
erhofft ich zu Recht,
doch was dann im Herbst wuchs,
war sauer und schlecht.
Jerusalems Bürger,
ihr Leute von Juda,
was sagt ihr zum Weinberg,
was tätet denn ihr da?
Die Trauben sind sauer –
entscheidet doch ihr:
War die Pflege zu schlecht?
Liegt die Schuld denn bei mir?
Ich sage euch, Leute,
das tue ich jetzt:
Weg reiß ich die Hecke,
als Schutz einst gesetzt;
zum Weiden solln Schafe
und Rinder hinein!
Und die Mauer ringsum –
die reiße ich ein!
Zertrampelnden Füßen
geb ich ihn preis,
schlecht lohnte mein Weinberg
mir Arbeit und Schweiß!
Ich will nicht mehr hacken,
das Unkraut soll sprießen!
Der Himmel soll ihm
den Regen verschließen!
Literal translation:
“On a fertile hill,
lies my piece of land,
I hoe the ground there
with my own hand,
I worked hard
and picked up boulders,
I built watchtower and wine press,
put vines on it.
And for sweet grapes
I had reason to hope for
but what then grew in the fall,
was sour and bad.
Jerusalem’s citizens,
you people of Judah,
what do you say about the vineyard,
what were you doing there?
The grapes are sour –
you decide:
Was the care too bad?
Is the fault all mine?
I’m telling you, people,
this is what I’m going to do now:
I’ll tear the hedge away,
once placed as protection;
Sheep ill enter to graze
and so will cattle come!
And the wall all around –
I’ll tear it down!
I’ll open it up to
trampling feet,
My vineyard didn’t warrant
my work and sweat!
I don’t want to hoe anymore,
let the weeds sprout!
the sky shall block
the rain form falling”
The syllable count of the lines is 5 and 6 and the rhymes are highlighted (note: the highlights are not in the original).
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 5:2:
Kupsabiny: “He plowed that field and removed stones, he planted good vines. He built a place where one can watch from/look far and he prepared where one can squeeze its fruits. He thought that that farm would produce sweet fruit, but (he/it) produced bitter ones.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “He prepared a field in the garden. He removed the stones and threw them away. He then planted the best grapevines there. [He] built a hut for watching the vineyard. Having carved a rock for squeezing grapes, [he] dug a pit. He hoped that it would yield good grapes, but it [only] yielded bad grapes.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “He plowed it and cleared-it of stones, and planted-it with the finest vines. He built a place-of-watching/outpost in this field and dug a hole in a rock/stone for the-squeezing-out-place of grapes. He waited that it will-bear/yield sweet-(fruit), but it yielded sour-(fruit).” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
The Hebrew, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated in English typically as “vine” is translated in Lak as къюмайтӀутӀул мурхьра: “the (grape-) cluster tree.”
Vitaly Voinov tells this story: “Laks (who live in the mountainous regions of Dagestan) historically have had no experience with planting and tending vineyards. They buy grapes at the market or the store, but that’s about all they know of grape growing. Thus, in field testing, none of the readers could picture the primary image of this chapter. The translator’s initial attempt of rendering ‘vine’ as ‘grape stalk’ met with complete non-understanding. After much discussion of the problem and potential solutions, we settled on what one of the field testing respondents suggested to remedy the problem: ‘vine’ was rendered as ‘the (grape-)cluster tree’ (къюмайтӀутӀул мурхьра). Technically grapes of course don’t grow on trees, but something had to be put in the text, and it had to be said in a way that the average reader/hearer could understand it. The Lak team could have borrowed the Russian word for ‘vine’ (лоза), but since this is a very low-frequency word in the Russian language, it’s likely that many Laks wouldn’t know the Russian word either. So the team settled for a reduction of accuracy in order to achieve greater clarity. After all, the primary point of importance in this passage is not a horticultural analysis, but a metaphorical comparison to the spiritual world, to the relationship between the Father, His Son, and the followers of Jesus. This rendering allows readers to get to the core of this meaning without getting tangled up in unknown terms.”
The Common Grape Vine Vitis vinifera is mentioned more often than any other plant or tree in the Bible. Excavations in Greece have discovered grape seeds dating to 4500 B.C. Egyptian records document the existence of cultivated vines in Canaan as early as 2375 B.C., and subsequent records report trade in vine products around 1360 B.C. and many times thereafter.
The vine is a creeping plant that develops a woody stem when it matures. It grows along the ground until it finds a tree or other object to climb, using tendrils. It bears bunches of small round fruit that are sweet and juicy. Today farmers grow them commercially throughout the Mediterranean area, in South Africa, in North America, and in many other countries. The first reference to the vine in the Bible (Genesis 9:20) tells us that Noah planted a vineyard (Hebrew kerem) and that he made an alcoholic drink from the fruit. Farmers since then have improved on the size, color, and quality of the fruit by careful pruning and selection until now there are at least 65 kinds of grapevines. Like many other plants in temperate areas, the vine has leaves that appear in early spring. After the fruit is picked and the weather gets cold, the leaves drop off and the plant is bare until the following spring. A typical vineyard in Bible times was surrounded by a stone fence. It had a stone tower from which the owner could watch for predators, and a place to squeeze the juice out of the fruits.
The vine is the most frequently cited plant in the Bible, and that alone makes it special. Vines, grapes, raisins, and wine were a major element of Jewish life, so it is not a surprise that the vine and its products are used figuratively probably more than any other Bible plant. After the flood purified the earth at the time of Noah, the vine became the means by which the human race was plunged again into sin (Genesis 9:20). We know from Jacob’s blessing in Genesis 49:11f. and other passages that the vine was the symbol of blessing, prosperity, and happiness. The fact that there were groups like the Nazirites and Rechabites who abstained from drinking wine simply shows the radical self-denial that these people imposed on themselves. A drink offering of wine was an important part of worship (Exodus 29:40), and the image of contentment was “every man under his vine and under his fig tree” (Micah 4:4). Jotham includes the vine in his well-known Parable of the Trees (Judges 9:7ff.). In the New Testament, Jesus rescued a man from humiliation at a wedding party by miraculously providing a fresh supply of wine (John 2:1ff.). Wine becomes a major symbol in the Christian community when Jesus foreshadows his crucifixion by comparing the wine poured out in the Passover celebration to his blood (Matthew 26:27f. et al.). He speaks of the need for Christians to be like the branches of the vine, drawing their nourishment from him, the True Vine (John 15.:1ff.). Nearly every New Testament writer makes some metaphorical reference to the vine or its products.
There are around 65 kinds of grapevines (Vitis vinifera) found in the Northern Hemisphere. They belong to a larger family of creeping plants called Vitaceae, which has over 800 species throughout the world including many in the tropical and warm climates of the world.
Grapevines have occasionally been grown in West Africa (for example, in The Gambia and in northern Nigeria) but are not well known even where they are grown commercially. Attempts at substituting a local tree name have not been entirely successful because the species chosen is usually not cultivated and/or does not have the same economic or social function that the grape had in Israel.
Thus it is probably best to use a transliteration from a major language. However, in parts of Nigeria and perhaps elsewhere, the word grep refers to “grapefruit” and should be avoided in translation. A transliteration from “vine” or “wine” is preferred, although a translator needs to be careful. The English word “vine” refers to any creeping plant, but it also refers to a particular kind of vine that produces grapes (Vitis vinifera). This can be confusing. Furthermore, translators in English-speaking countries should think carefully about what they are going to do with the word “wine.” In The Gambia, Mandinka translators first used “wayini tree” but later concluded that it may be better to have a word for “vine” that is not necessarily identical with “wine.” Bine, from binekaro (“vinegar”), was considered, as was inabi (“grape”) from Arabic.
Languages that borrow the Arabic word inabi must deal with the fact that this word bears an unfortunate resemblance to annabi (“prophet”) and new readers reading “water of inabi” in a context of prophecy may associate it, for better or worse, with prophets and prophecy. In northern Nigeria church people have gotten used to inabi in the New Testament even though many of them don’t know what it is. Basa in Nigeria uses a wild grape-like plant (afwafwa), and Igala has used the same species (achiwebetema) for years. Likewise, two translations in Mali and Burkina Faso use their local name for a wild vine (Lannea microcarpa) for the biblical vine. There is a species (Rhoicissus tridentata) in southern and eastern Africa known as “African grape” (locally called “bobbejaantou”). In such cases translators should write a footnote (or glossary item) stating that the grapes of Bible times were larger and sweeter than the local variety, and that they were cultivated extensively as a source for producing beverages. Other possibilities for transliteration are: vinyola/videra (Portuguese), vitis (Latin), and inab (Arabic).
Fruit of the vine (Hebrew ‘enav; Greek botrus, staphulē): There is some evidence that botrus refers to a bunch of grapes, while staphulē refers to individual grapes. According to Louw and Nida (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains, 1988), however, both words may refer to individual grapes as well as bunches of grapes. The Hebrew word tirosh is equivalent to the word “vintage” in English, that is, the grape harvest and possibly the first squeezing of the grapes. It is normally used along with the words referring to the olive harvest (yitshar) and grain harvest (dagan).
The poem continues with a description of the careful attention the friend gave to his vineyard. That description ends with the climactic last lines that tell how disappointed he was when it failed to produce the right kind of fruit. One literary feature of the Hebrew of this verse is the threefold repetition of the suffix -ehu (meaning “it”), which gives a sound rhythm to its first two lines. This feature makes the poem more memorable.
He digged it and cleared it of stones: The Hebrew verb translated digged is used only here in the Old Testament. It refers to digging up the ground in order to loosen it. For the first clause New International Version has “He dug it up,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “He broke the ground.” However, in many languages the natural verb to use here will be a general one meaning “to hoe.” This will be better than a word that refers to plowing by using animals. After a farmer loosened the soil, he had to remove the stones before he could plant. The soil in Israel is full of stones and rocks.
And planted it with choice vines may be rendered “he planted choice vines in it.” The idea of planted is repeated in verse 7 when the explanation of the parable is given. It refers to the act of putting young seedlings or cuttings (not fully grown plants) into the ground, as is done for rice, for example; it does not refer to the act of sowing seeds. Planting choice vines (Hebrew sorek) should produce good quality grapes. The meaning of the Hebrew noun here is uncertain since the only other place it occurs in the Old Testament is Jer 2.21. The noun is actually the name given to the Sorek Valley (see Jdg 16.4), a famous wine-growing area. For this line translators may say “he planted very good vine shoots/cuttings in it.”
He built a watchtower in the midst of it: When the farmer removed the rocks, he used them to build not only a wall around the vineyard but also a small tower in the middle of it. A watchtower is not a simple hut built for a night watchman, but a permanent tall building made of stone. It is a structure that takes much time and effort to build. The farmer sat on the watchtower to protect his crop from birds and thieves. In languages that do not have a word for “tower,” the translator can express the idea correctly by saying “strong tall place/house [for guarding the land].” Another possibility is “lookout.”
Hewed out a wine vat in it: When the farmer made wine, he first squeezed out the juice from the ripe grapes. He did this by trampling on the grapes in a shallow hole cut into rock. From this place the juice flowed through a channel to a lower and bigger hole in the rock. After this he put the juice into storage jars or containers made from animal skins. Then he left it to ferment and turn into wine. The wine vat was the bigger hole in the rock for collecting the grape juice. So the verb hew here means to dig or cut out of rock. Good News Translation‘s rendering “dug a pit for treading the grapes” is not quite correct since the pit was for collecting the grape juice. A better model is “he cut [or, chiseled] a stone pit [or, a pit in the rock] in which to collect the juice from the grapes.”
And he looked for it to yield grapes: After the farmer made all these preparations, he looked forward to a good harvest. We may say “So he hoped for good grapes” or “So he looked forward to it [or, his vineyard] producing good grapes.” This implies that the winegrower waited for the seedlings to mature and bear fruit, which could take several years. So the translation should not imply that the farmer expected fruit to appear on the plants overnight, miraculously. Good News Translation tries to avoid this small pitfall with “He waited for the grapes to ripen.” The word grapes in this context implies “good [or, sweet] grapes.” This contrasts with what the farmer found instead. The Hebrew verb rendered yield (ʿasah), which is a keyword for this section, is used here and in the next line. It has the sense of “produce.”
But it yielded wild grapes: Instead of good grapes, the vineyard only produced wild grapes (Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). This is a misleading translation. The adjective wild suggests fruit growing “in the wild” (naturally anywhere), so it does not really fit with grapes that have been planted. The Hebrew word here refers to bitter (Contemporary English Version) or sour-tasting grapes (Good News Translation). New International Version has “bad fruit,” but this could suggest that it was diseased. The sense is that the grapes were sour, so they were unfit for use in winemaking. We suggest translators use an expression such as “sour grapes” or “poor quality grapes.”
Translation examples for this verse are:
• He dug the soil and removed the stones,
he planted the best vines and built a lookout to keep watch over it [or, the vineyard],
then he dug a pit in the rock for collecting the grape juice.
Thus he looked forward to it giving fine grapes,
but all its fruit was sour.”
• He dug the ground and cleared it of stones, planted the best vines, built a lookout in it [or, the vineyard], and dug a pit in the rock for collecting the grape juice. So he expected it to give good grapes, but all he got was sour grapes.”
Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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