And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

ISAIAH 5:6KJV
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Isaiah 5:6 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 5:6 mean?

Isaiah 5:6 describes God’s decision to abandon a vineyard so it becomes a wasteland, no longer cared for or protected, resulting in it being overrun by thorns and deprived of rain. The verse uses the image of a ruined vineyard to show the consequences of neglect and judgment.

In this passage, the prophet Isaiah is speaking God’s words to the people of Judah, comparing them to a vineyard that God once tended with care. Because the people have not responded to God’s care, God announces that He will stop protecting and nurturing them, allowing trouble and hardship to take over. The image of no pruning, digging, or rain highlights a complete withdrawal of blessing and attention.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 5:6

  • "Lay" (שָׁתָה, shatah): This word means to set or place, and here it emphasizes God’s active choice to leave the vineyard in its ruined state, not just letting it happen by accident.
  • "Waste" (בָּתָה, bathah): This word means desolation or ruin, underlining the total devastation that will come upon the vineyard.
  • "Pruned" (זָמַר, zamar): Pruning is the careful cutting back of plants to help them grow. The absence of pruning shows that the vineyard will no longer be cared for or improved.
  • "Rain" (מָטַר, matar): This word is used twice in the verse, and it refers to the life-giving rain that is essential for crops. God’s command to withhold rain makes clear that the coming hardship is intentional and complete.

Why Isaiah 5:6 matters

  • Isaiah 5:6 clarifies that God’s judgment is not just passive neglect but an active decision to withdraw care and blessing, which would have been a shocking warning to the original audience.
  • The verse connects to the larger metaphor in Isaiah 5, where the vineyard represents the people of Judah, making the consequences of their choices vivid and memorable.
  • Understanding the specific actions God withholds—pruning, digging, and rain—helps modern readers see the depth of the loss and the seriousness of turning away from God’s guidance.

Where else these words appear

“pruned” Hebrew H2168 · used in 3 verses

  • Leviticus 25:3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;
  • Leviticus 25:4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.

“thorns” Hebrew H7898 · used in 7 verses

  • Isaiah 7:23 And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, it shall even be for briers and thorns.
  • Isaiah 7:25 And on all hills that shall be digged with the mattock, there shall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns: but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of lesser cattle.
  • Isaiah 10:17 And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day;

“digged” Hebrew H5737 · used in 11 verses

  • 1 Samuel 30:19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.
  • 1 Chronicles 12:33 Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank: they were not of double heart.
  • Isaiah 34:16 Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.

“briers” Hebrew H8068 · used in 11 verses

  • Isaiah 7:23 And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, it shall even be for briers and thorns.
  • Isaiah 9:18 For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.
  • Isaiah 32:13 Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city: