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Time after Pentecost · Proper 22 · Year A

Isaiah 5:1-7

The Song of the Vineyard

The Red Vineyard, Vincent van Gogh
The Red Vineyard, Vincent van Gogh, 1888Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow
The Red Vineyard, Vincent van Gogh, 1888Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow

Overview & Insights

“The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel… he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed.” (Isaiah 5:7)

Judgment Missed and Demonstrated: In length and theme chapter 5 pairs with chapter 1 and closes a bracket around 2:2–4:6. Chapter 5 comprises a mock love song; a series of woes that will be completed in 10:1–4; and a warning about Yahweh’s outstretched hand that will continue in chapter 9. In contrast to 1:1–2:1 and 2:2–4:6, no positive note is struck at the beginning or the end. Chapters 1–5 come to a close as bleak as their opening. Rebellion and darkness ultimately bracket them.

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What is the Song of the Vineyard?

Isaiah sings a love song about a carefully tended vineyard that yields only wild grapes, then reveals it is Israel: God looked for justice but saw bloodshed. It stands directly behind Jesus’ parable of the wicked tenants.

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