poetry in Isaiah 5:1-6

The Hebrew poetry in Isaiah 5:1-6 is translated by the German Gute Nachricht Bibel (last rev. 2018) in poetic form:

Auf fruchtbarem Hügel,
da liegt mein Stück Land,
dort hackt ich den Boden
mit eigener Hand,
ich mühte mich ab
und las Felsbrocken auf,
baute Wachtturm und Kelter,
setzte Reben darauf.
Und süße Trauben
erhofft ich zu Recht,
doch was dann im Herbst wuchs,
war sauer und schlecht.
Jerusalems Bürger,
ihr Leute von Juda,
was sagt ihr zum Weinberg,
was tätet denn ihr da?
Die Trauben sind sauer –
entscheidet doch ihr:
War die Pflege zu schlecht?
Liegt die Schuld denn bei mir?
Ich sage euch, Leute,
das tue ich jetzt:
Weg reiß ich die Hecke,
als Schutz einst gesetzt;
zum Weiden solln Schafe
und Rinder hinein!
Und die Mauer ringsum –
die reiße ich ein!
Zertrampelnden Füßen
geb ich ihn preis,
schlecht lohnte mein Weinberg
mir Arbeit und Schweiß!
Ich will nicht mehr hacken,
das Unkraut soll sprießen!
Der Himmel soll ihm
den Regen verschließen!		 Literal translation:
“On a fertile hill,
lies my piece of land,
I hoe the ground there
with my own hand,
I worked hard
and picked up boulders,
I built watchtower and wine press,
put vines on it.
And for sweet grapes
I had reason to hope for
but what then grew in the fall,
was sour and bad.
Jerusalem’s citizens,
you people of Judah,
what do you say about the vineyard,
what were you doing there?
The grapes are sour –
you decide:
Was the care too bad?
Is the fault all mine?
I’m telling you, people,
this is what I’m going to do now:
I’ll tear the hedge away,
once placed as protection;
Sheep ill enter to graze
and so will cattle come!
And the wall all around –
I’ll tear it down!
I’ll open it up to
trampling feet,
My vineyard didn’t warrant
my work and sweat!
I don’t want to hoe anymore,
let the weeds sprout!
the sky shall block
the rain form falling”

The syllable count of the lines is 5 and 6 and the rhymes are highlighted (note: the highlights are not in the original).

Source: Jan P. Sterk in OPTAT 1989/1, p. 36ff.

See also word play in Isaiah 5:7.

vineyard

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “vineyard” in English is translated in Noongar as boodjer-djildjiyang, lit. “land for fruit.” (Source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018).

Translation commentary on Isaiah 5:4

These two rhetorical questions are really statements emphasizing that Yahweh could not have done anything more than what he did to ensure a good harvest of grapes. Although the previous verse called for the people to make a decision concerning who is at fault, the implied answer to the rhetorical questions is that Yahweh is not at fault. The vineyard (that is, the people) is obviously in the wrong, no matter what excuse it might offer.

What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it?: This question implies that Yahweh had done all that could be done. The Hebrew verb ʿasah (“do”) again appears twice as the keyword. Translators may use a statement here (see second model below) or retain the rhetorical question.

When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?: This question may also be treated as a strong statement. For yield grapes and yield wild grapes, see the comments on Isa 5.2.

Alternative translation models for this verse are:

• What more could I have done for my vineyard that I had not already done?
Why did it give sour grapes when I expected it to give fine grapes?

• There was nothing further I could have done for my vineyard
to ensure that it gave fine grapes.
I hoped it would give such fine grapes;
it should not have produced sour ones.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .