Isaiah 18:5

For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away [and] cut down the branches.

For afore {H6440} the harvest {H7105}, when the bud {H6525} is perfect {H8552}, and the sour grape {H1155} is ripening {H1580} in the flower {H5328}, he shall both cut off {H3772} the sprigs {H2150} with pruning hooks {H4211}, and take away {H5493} and cut down {H8456} the branches {H5189}.

For before the harvest, when the flowering is over, and the bud becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the branches with pruning-knives, lop off the twigs and take them away.

For before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, He will cut off the shoots with a pruning knife and remove and discard the branches.

For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becometh a ripening grape, he will cut off the sprigs with pruning-hooks, and the spreading branches will he take away and cut down.

Isaiah 18:5 KJV presents a powerful agricultural metaphor illustrating God's decisive and sovereign judgment over nations, specifically directed towards a land described earlier in the chapter, often identified as ancient Ethiopia or Cush.

Context

This verse is part of a series of prophetic pronouncements in the book of Isaiah, known as "burdens" or oracles against various nations surrounding Judah. Chapter 18 focuses on a distant land, likely seeking an alliance with Judah against the formidable Assyrian empire. The imagery of a vineyard, typically associated with Israel, is here applied to an external nation to convey God's universal dominion. The passage underscores that God's plan will unfold according to His perfect timing and method, rendering human political schemes and alliances irrelevant.

Key Themes

  • Divine Sovereignty: The verse vividly portrays God as the ultimate arbiter of history, having complete control over the rise and fall of nations. He acts independently of human timetables or strategies.
  • Premature Judgment: The cutting off occurs "afore the harvest," indicating judgment that strikes even when a nation or endeavor appears to be flourishing or nearing its peak. This signifies God's ability to halt developments before they fully mature, preventing undesirable outcomes.
  • Futility of Human Schemes: Despite any nation's apparent strength or budding prosperity, if it stands against God's will, it will be decisively cut down. This echoes themes found in other prophetic books, such as Jeremiah 1:10, where God grants authority to "pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down."

Linguistic Insights

The agricultural terms are key to understanding the verse's impact:

  • "Afore the harvest": This phrase emphasizes the unexpected and premature nature of the judgment. The full potential of the "bud" and "sour grape" is never realized.
  • "Pruning hooks" (מַזְמֵרוֹת - mazmerot): While these tools are typically for careful cultivation and promoting growth, their use here to "cut off the sprigs" and "cut down the branches" signifies destructive, rather than restorative, action. It implies a thorough and unsparing eradication.
  • The imagery evokes the idea of a vine that promised much fruit but is instead destroyed, a common biblical motif for judgment (compare Isaiah 5:1-7).

Practical Application

Isaiah 18:5 serves as a potent reminder of God's ultimate authority. For believers, it encourages trust in God's timing and sovereignty, rather than relying on human strength or fleeting earthly alliances. It also underscores the importance of bearing good fruit in our lives, as judgment can come unexpectedly for those who are "sour" or unproductive in God's eyes. This prophetic warning reminds us that God oversees all of creation and that His patience with barrenness or rebellion has limits, ultimately leading to decisive action.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Isaiah 17:10

    Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:

  • Isaiah 17:11

    In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: [but] the harvest [shall be] a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.

  • Song Of Solomon 2:13

    The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines [with] the tender grape give a [good] smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

  • Song Of Solomon 2:15

    Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines [have] tender grapes.

  • Ezekiel 17:6

    And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.

  • Ezekiel 17:10

    Yea, behold, [being] planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew.

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