For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

ISAIAH 5:7KJV
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Isaiah 5:7 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 5:7 mean?

Isaiah 5:7 describes how God sees the people of Israel and Judah as His cherished vineyard, but instead of producing justice and righteousness as He hoped, they have brought about oppression and cries of distress. The verse uses the image of a vineyard to show God’s disappointment with His people’s behavior.

Isaiah is speaking to the people of Israel and Judah, explaining that God expected them to live rightly and treat others fairly. Instead, He found injustice and suffering. This verse is part of a larger passage where Isaiah uses the metaphor of a vineyard to illustrate God’s care for His people and His sorrow over their failure to live up to His hopes.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 5:7

  • "Vineyard" (כֶּרֶם, kerem): This word points to something carefully cultivated and valued, highlighting how much effort God invested in Israel and Judah.
  • "Judgment" (מִשְׁפָּט, mishpat): This word often means justice or fair decisions. God looked for fair treatment among His people, not just legal rulings.
  • "Oppression" (מִשְׂפָּח, mispach): This word means bloodshed or injustice, showing that instead of justice, God found violence and harm.
  • "Righteousness" (צְדָקָה, tsedaqah): This word refers to right living and moral behavior, not just religious acts.
  • "Cry" (צְעָקָה, tse‘aqah): This word means a cry for help or distress, showing the suffering caused by the people’s actions.

Why Isaiah 5:7 matters

  • Isaiah 5:7 makes clear that God’s disappointment is not about religious rituals but about the lack of justice and right living among His people.
  • The vineyard image ties the verse to the rest of Isaiah 5, where God’s care and expectations for Israel are described in detail, making the people’s failure more personal and tragic.
  • The verse highlights that God’s standards focus on how people treat each other, not just on outward appearances or ceremonies.

Where else these words appear

“plant” Hebrew H5194 · used in 4 verses

  • Job 14:9 Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.
  • Isaiah 17:10 Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:
  • Isaiah 17:11 In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.

“pleasant” Hebrew H8191 · used in 9 verses

  • Psalms 119:24 Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.
  • Psalms 119:92 Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.
  • Proverbs 8:30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;

“cry” Hebrew H6818 · used in 20 verses

  • Genesis 18:21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
  • Exodus 12:30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
  • Job 34:28 So that they cause the cry of the poor to come unto him, and he heareth the cry of the afflicted.

“looked” Hebrew H6960 · used in 45 verses

  • Genesis 1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
  • Psalms 40:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
  • Isaiah 49:23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.