Isaiah 5:7

For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plant of His delight. He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard a cry of distress.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Isaiah delivers God’s judicial pronouncement to the house of Israel and the men of Judah following the parable of the vineyard’s ruin. The prophecy confronts the nation’s systemic corruption and land exploitation in the wake of divine warnings.

The words — כֶּרֶם (khe.rem) translates literally to “vineyard,” establishing the agricultural metaphor for the nation. צְבָאוֹת (tzeva'ot) means “hosts,” identifying Yahweh as the commander of celestial and earthly forces who planted the vine.

The thread — The vineyard motif echoes the Exodus transplant in Psalms 80:8 and appears in Jeremiah 12:10 where shepherds trample the plot. Jesus later applies the fruit-bearing requirement to repentance in Matthew 3:8.

Why it lands — The text states that God expected justice and righteousness but encountered bloodshed and cries of distress instead. It demands a reader confront the gap between divine expectation and human action without minimizing the severity of the failure.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

כִּ֣יkifor כֶ֜רֶםKhe.rem[the] vineyard of יְהוָ֤הYah.wehYahweh צְבָאוֹת֙tze.va.'Otof hosts בֵּ֣יתbeit[is] [the] house of יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לYis.ra.'ElIsrael וְאִ֣ישׁve./'Ishand/ everyone of יְהוּדָ֔הye.hu.DahJudah נְטַ֖עne.Ta'[is] [the] plantation of שַׁעֲשׁוּעָ֑יוsha.'a.shu.'A/vdelight<s>/ his וַיְקַ֤וva/y.Kavand/ he waited לְמִשְׁפָּט֙le./mish.Patfor/ justice וְהִנֵּ֣הve./hi.Nehand/ there!מִשְׂפָּ֔חmis.Pachbloodshed לִצְדָקָ֖הli/tz.da.Kahfor/ righteousness וְהִנֵּ֥הve./hi.Nehand/ there!צְעָקָֽה׃ סtze.'a.Kahan outcry

King James Version

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.

Cross-references

Psalms 80:8 You uprooted a vine from Egypt; You drove out the nations and transplanted it.
Jeremiah 12:10 Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard; they have trampled My plot of ground. They have turned My pleasant field into a desolate wasteland.
Matthew 3:8 Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance.
James 5:4 Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
Exodus 3:7 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.
Deuteronomy 15:9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
Nehemiah 5:1 About that time there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.
Job 31:38 if my land cries out against me and its furrows weep together,
Job 34:28 They caused the cry of the poor to come before Him, and He heard the outcry of the afflicted.
Psalms 80:15 the root Your right hand has planted, the son You have raised up for Yourself.