Isa 5:7

“(Verse 7.) But the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel: and the men of Judah, his pleasant plant. That is, of God: or as the LXX translated, the beloved new plantation. Israel and Judah differ in this, that the whole people were first called Israel, and afterwards, when David reigned over the tribe of Judah, and Rehoboam the son of Solomon over the two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, those who were in Samaria, that is, the ten tribes, were called Israel; and those who reigned from the lineage of David were called Judah. And since the Israelites worshipped calves in Dan and Bethel, Samaria was first captured by the Assyrians; and much later, Judah was taken into Babylon by the Chaldeans, because they had sinned less. Therefore, in Ezekiel, for the purification of the sins of both peoples, Israel is placed on the left side, according to the Seventy, for one hundred and ninety days, or as is more accurately stated in Hebrew, three hundred and ninety days; but Judah (according to the LXX and the Hebrew text) for forty days (Ezek. IV). I say this so that by comparing it to Israel, that is, the ten tribes, I may show the beloved and chosen Judah, in which there were priests and Levites, and the religion of God was practiced at that time when the prophet Isaiah spoke to the people. And beautifully Israel, that is, the whole people, is the house: but Judah, which afterwards sprouted from the separated tribes, is called a delightful new growth. But it should also be noted that according to the prophetic custom, which was first spoken in metaphor or parable, it is later explained more clearly: that the vineyard and new plantation are Israel and Judah. And I waited for judgment, and behold there was iniquity: and for justice, and behold there was a cry, as the LXX translated, I waited for judgment, and he did iniquity, and not justice, but a cry. We want to reveal to Latin ears what we learned from the Hebrews: Judgment, among them, is called Mesphat (): iniquity, or dissipation, as Aquila interpreted, is called Mesphaa (). Again, justice is called Sadaca (): but a cry is called Saaca (). Therefore, either by adding or changing a single letter, he tempered the similarity of the words, so that instead of Mesphat, he wrote Mesphaa: and instead of Sadaca, he put Saaca, and he rendered the elegant structure and sound of the words according to the Hebrew language. However, God expected the people of Judea to produce judgment, that is, grapes: but they produced iniquity, that is, wild grapes: and he expected righteousness, that they would receive the generous sender of such great gifts from the Father, but instead they shouted, crying out against the Lord, and they shouted, saying: "Take him away, take him away, crucify him" (John 19:15). And so the Apostle Paul writes: Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice (Ephesians 4:31). Or certainly, because they had shed innocent blood, the blood of the Lord's Passion cried out to the Lord: therefore they made a cry for justice, according to what we read in Genesis, The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me (Genesis 4:10).”

“For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel To this vineyard are you compared, O House of Israel, for all that He did for this vineyard, He did for Israel. The vineyard represents Adam, for we find in Midrash Aggadah, in many places in Tanhuma, and in Genesis Rabbah [that] these passages are expounded concerning him, e.g., Adam was not expelled from Paradise until he reviled and blasphemed, as it is said: And He hoped to produce grapes,... (Gen. Rabbah 19:12). And in another place we find: He appointed guards over him that he should not eat from the Tree of Life, as it is said (verse 6): “And I will command the clouds...” (ibid. 21:8). And in this manner, [the following verses] can be expounded concerning him: (1) My beloved had a vineyard. A vineyard This [alludes to] Adam. My beloved This is the Holy One, blessed be He. In a fertile corner in the Garden of Eden. (2) And he fenced it in with the ten canopies mentioned in Ezekiel (28), in the section dealing with Hiram, king of Tyre. And He cleared it of stones Of temptation, until he ate from the tree, and temptation gained entry into him. And He planted it with the choicest vines The beginning of his formation was from the place of the altar. And He built a tower in its midst And He breathed into his nostrils the spirit of life, from the heavenly beings. And also a vat He hewed therein A spring flowing, the fountain of wisdom. And He hoped to produce grapes that he would thank Him and praise Him. And it produced wild berries putrid things; he reviled and blasphemed. (3) Judge now Since the end of the parable comes to say that they too did like him, he asks them the judgment. (5) I will inform you what I decided to do to him and I did. I removed its hedge I expelled him from amidst his canopies. And it shall be eaten up His end will be to die and to be ruled over by wild beasts. Breach its wall I expelled from the enclosure of Paradise. (6) And I made it a desolation I made him dwell in desolation, for I did not give the Torah in his days. It shall neither be pruned nor hoed They will learn from him neither merit nor good deeds. The shamir and desolation will come up Temptation ruled over him and his posterity, to perform corrupt deeds. And I commanded the clouds I appointed guards over him to guard the way of the Tree of Life. (7) For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel For the House of Israel is to Me like that vineyard; The ten tribes were to Me like a vineyard producing wine, like an olive orchard, in a fat corner, in a fat land, [producing anointing] oil for the priesthood, [anointing] oil for the kingdom, oil for the Menorah, oil for the meal offerings. I fenced them in first with the encirclement of the clouds of glory in the desert and I cleared them of stones, i.e., I cleansed them of the transgressors of the generation. I planted them with the choicest vines (שׂוֹרֵק) six hundred and six commandments, like the numerical value of שׂוֹרֵק, I added for them to the seven commandments that the children of Noah were commanded. I built a tower in their midst, My Tabernacle and My Temple, and also a vat, the altar and the pits [the pits by the side of the altar into which the remainder of the libations was poured.] (2) And it produced wild berries They corrupted their deeds. (3) And now, dwellers of Jerusalem and men of Judah who have not yet been exiled, please judge between me and between them concerning the evil that I brought on them; who sinned against whom? What more could I have done beneficial deeds for My vineyard, and I have not done for it? (5) Now I will inform you Even you who anger Me, what is fitting in My eyes to do to My vineyard, according to all that I did to Adam, viz. to remove its hedge I will remove My Shechinah from them, the Shechinah that covers them, as it is said (infra 22:8), “And He bared the covert of Judah.” Breach its wall I will demolish its walls. (6) And I will make it a desolation And I will make them forsaken [from Targum Jonathan]. It will neither be pruned nor hoed They will not be visited nor will they be supported. [from Targum Jonathan]. And the shamir and desolation will come up And they will be wandering and forsaken, represented by the שָׁמִיר וָשָׁיִת [desolation] of the vineyard, and regarding the vineyard itself in another place, it is rendered הֲבָאִי וּבוּר, desolate and fallow. And I will command the clouds And I will command the prophets not to prophesy on your behalf [Jonathan]. Prophecy is analogous to rain, which the clouds receive from heaven; so do the prophets receive the divine prophecy. The plant of His joy Comp. נָטָע (Job 14:9), but since it is in the construct state, it is vowelized with a patach, like (Num. 7:88) בְּקַר זֶבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים, “the cattle of the peace offerings.” and He hoped that they would perform justice, and behold, there was מִשְׂפָּח, an accumulation of sin upon sin, like (I Sam. 26:19), “From cleaving (מֵהִסְתַּפֵּחַ),” also (ibid. 2:36), “Take me now into (סְפָחֵנִי).” Another explanation is that it is an expression of a lesion, and since it is a similar expression, for, in pronunciation, מִשְׂפָּח resembles מִשְׁפָּט, and so, זְעָקָה resembles צְדָקָה, it fell through divine inspiration into the prophet’s mouth.”

“169. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts. Here he explains the metaphor: and first, as to the vineyard, second as to the trial of the vineyard, where it says, I looked that he should do judgment. Concerning the first, he explains the vineyard saying, for the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, either all of Israel, or as to the ten tribes, which were called Israel after the separation of the kingdom because of their multitude (1 Kgs 12; 2 Chr 10). Second, as to the plant or branches, men of Judah, that is, the two tribes in which the worship of God was still observed: if you play the harlot, O Israel, at least let not Judah offend (Hos 4:15); or because the princes came from Judah: but of the race of Judah, who was the strongest among his brethren, came the princes (1 Chr 5:2). 170. I looked that he should do judgment. Here he explains the trial of the vineyard, which consists in the fault and the punishment that follows upon the fault. Hence it is divided into three parts: in the first, the fault in general is set out; in the second, the punishment and the fault together in particular, where it says, woe to you that join house to house (Isa 5:8); in the third, the punishment in general, where it says, for after this (Isa 5:25). He denounces the fault in general as to their superiors, to whom it belongs to do judgment, where he says: I looked, following the order of benefits, that he should do judgment, judging justly; and behold iniquity, as inequality of judgment: I saw under the sun in the place of judgment wickedness, and in the place of justice iniquity (Eccl 3:16). Second, as to their subjects, to whom it belongs to hold to the justice appointed to them by their superiors: and do justice, which is through comparison to the precepts of the law; and behold a cry, the tumult of quarrelers, or of the lamentation of the poor, below: what ails you also, that you too are wholly gone up to the housetops, full of clamor, a populous city, a joyous city? (Isa 22:1-2).”