Yeshayahu Chapter 5 | The Vineyard Parable and “Woe” Prophecies

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January 07 2025
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The famous parable of the vineyard expresses God’s disappointment with the people of Yehuda, comparing it to a farmer’s frustration with a vineyard he has carefully tended. The parable is rich with wordplay (e.g., “He hoped for justice (מִשְׁפָּט): instead, disease (מִשְׂפָּח)” [5:7]) and intricate techniques, such as Yehuda being represented both within the parable (as the vineyard) and in its framing — where the prophet addresses “man of Jerusalem, of Yehuda” to judge between him and his vineyard. There is a layer of irony here: in a parable lamenting Yehuda’s failure to become a center of justice, the prophet asks the men of Yehuda themselves to act as judges. Included is an article by Yehuda Felix, which provides a meticulous analysis of the parable's details through its realistic agricultural elements.

Following the parable, the chapter presents a series of passages beginning with the lamenting word “Woe,” in which the prophet mourns Jerusalem’s state. Some verses echo themes from earlier chapters: “Her crowds and her noise, will all fall with those who rejoice in her. Humanity is humbled; man is thrown down” (5:14–15) recall the concepts of the Day of the Lord described in Chapter 2. Similarly, “The Lord of Hosts rises up in judgment: God most holy, made holy by justice” (5:16) reflects the emphasis on judgment and justice from Chapter 1. These principles, stated generally in Chapters 1–2, are applied here specifically to certain groups of sinners — those who are indulgent and fail to perceive God’s actions.

Later in the chapter, the focus shifts to another type of sinner: not just indulgent people but those who commit wrongdoing (5:18), those who hear God’s word but dismiss it (5:19), and those who deliberately choose the wrong moral stance: “Those who say of evil, “good”; of good, “evil”; those who call darkness light and light darkness” (5:20). At this point, the calamity is no longer presented as a general punishment on humanity for human pride (a universal theme) but as a judgment directed specifically at the people of Israel: “So the Lord’s fury rages against His people, and He stretches His hand out over them and beats them” (5:25).  Furthermore, until this chapter, the calamities described in Yeshayahu were presented as acts of God Himself, targeting humanity broadly. In this chapter, for the first time, the idea emerges that the calamity will come through a human enemy: “He will raise a signal to the nations from afar and whistle them forth from the ends of the earth” (5:26).

Series: Nach Yomi

Nach:

Collections: Yair Rahat Sefer Yeshayahu

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    Learning on the Marcos and Adina Katz YUTorah site is sponsored today by Debbie Nossbaum in loving memory of her father, Nathan Werdiger, נתן בן שלמה אלימלך