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.

Translation commentary on Isaiah 5:6

After Yahweh knocks down the protecting walls of the vineyard and lets the animals enter, it will turn into a wasteland. He will not even permit rain to fall upon it anymore. This verse and the previous one present a picture of chaos.

I will make it a waste: The vineyard will become a wasteland. Revised English Bible says “I shall leave it derelict,” while Good News Translation has “I will let it be overgrown with weeds.” This line pictures a piece of land that has been allowed to return to a wild state, so Good News Translation is a good rendering. What is meant here is described in more detail in the lines that follow.

It shall not be pruned or hoed: Yahweh will no longer give the vineyard the care it needs. He will not trim the vines nor till the ground. Pruned refers to the practice of cutting off unwanted branches so that the plant will concentrate its energy on the branches that remain. Pruned plants produce better quality fruit. If this practice is unknown in the receptor-language culture, it may be best to use a general verb such as “take care of.” Hoed refers to digging the ground around the vines to loosen the soil and to remove weeds that grow there. Some translators may need to specify what is pruned (the vines) and hoed (the ground). Some may also need to make these passive verbs active with “I” (Yahweh) as the subject.

And briers and thorns shall grow up: Thornbushes and weeds of different kinds will grow in the vineyard since Yahweh will no longer till it. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh suggests “thistles” for thorns. Translators can choose any pair of words in their language that adequately describe wild weeds, especially those with small thorns on them, that overtake a field once it is left without care. In some languages a single word may be sufficient to render the correct meaning.

I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it: Yahweh will also not permit any rain to fall on the vineyard. Preventing rain from falling is another sign of his displeasure. Why waste water on a vineyard that cannot produce good grapes? This line may be rendered “I will also forbid/prohibit the clouds from raining on it.”

Alternative translation models for this verse are:

• I will turn it into a wasteland.
I will not prune the vines nor dig the ground,
I will let the weeds and thorns grow,
I will tell the clouds not to rain on it.”

• I will let it become a wasteland.
Nobody will prune its vines or dig the soil;
the weeds and thorns will grow up,
I will stop the clouds from raining on it.”

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 .