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.

ISAIAH 5:2KJV
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Isaiah 5:2 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 5:2 mean?

Isaiah 5:2 describes how someone carefully prepared a vineyard: they fenced it, cleared out the stones, planted the best vines, built a watchtower, and made a winepress, expecting it to produce good grapes, but instead it yielded wild, worthless grapes. The verse paints a picture of disappointment after much effort and care.

In this verse, the prophet Isaiah is speaking to the people of Judah, using a story about a vineyard to illustrate how God cared for His people and gave them every advantage. The careful preparation of the vineyard represents God’s actions for Israel, while the wild grapes symbolize the disappointing results—Israel’s unfaithfulness and injustice despite God’s care.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 5:2

  • "Fenced" (יְעַזְּקֵהוּ, ya'azqehu): This word means to put a protective barrier around something, emphasizing the care and effort to keep the vineyard safe from harm.
  • "Planted" (וַיִּטָּעֵהוּ, vayitta'ehu): This word means to plant or set in the ground, highlighting the deliberate choice of the best vine (שׂוֹרֵק, soreq), which refers to a high-quality, cultivated grapevine.
  • "Winepress" (יֶקֶב, yekev): This is a structure for pressing grapes to extract juice, showing that the owner fully expected a fruitful harvest.
  • "Grapes" (עֲנָבִים, anavim) vs. "wild grapes" (בְּאֻשִׁים, be'ushim): The contrast between these words shows the expectation of good fruit and the reality of sour or worthless fruit, underlining the sense of disappointment.

Why Isaiah 5:2 matters

  • Isaiah 5:2 helps clarify that God’s disappointment with Israel was not due to neglect, but rather to Israel’s response despite God’s careful provision and protection.
  • The verse sets up the rest of Isaiah 5, where the consequences of Israel’s failure to live up to God’s care are explained; understanding this verse helps make sense of the coming warnings.
  • The specific details—fencing, clearing stones, choosing the best vine—emphasize the thoroughness of God’s care, making the outcome of wild grapes all the more striking and tragic.

Where else these words appear

“grapes” Hebrew H891 · used in 2 verses

  • Isaiah 5:4 What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?

“vine” Hebrew H8321 · used in 3 verses

  • Genesis 49:11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
  • Jeremiah 2:21 Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?

“winepress” Hebrew H3342 · used in 16 verses

  • Numbers 18:27 And this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the winepress.
  • 2 Kings 6:27 And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?
  • Hosea 9:2 The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her.

“grapes” Hebrew H6025 · used in 17 verses

  • Genesis 40:10 And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:
  • Numbers 13:20 And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.
  • Nehemiah 13:15 In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals.