Introduction to Isaiah 5

Structure and Formatting

This chapter begins with the seventh and concluding oracle in the second series of oracles about Judah. This oracle also effectively concludes the first series of six oracles. (See the introduction to Chapter 1.) After this, two new series of oracles begin. They are both interrupted by the material in 6:1–9:7, and they both conclude after that material. The first of these speaks seven woes (six in 5:8–23 and the last in 10:1–4) against the Judeans for the way they have been living. The next series describes what Yahweh has been doing to punish the Judeans and warns repeatedly that even so, “his nose [anger] has not turned back, and his hand is stretched out still.” In other words, further punishments are coming. The second oracle in this series states specifically that these will take the form of enemy armies invading the land. This is the first specific mention in the book of foreign invaders, and it provides a transition to the material in 6:1–9:7, which deals with the invasion of Judah by Aram and Israel. (See the discussion of that invasion in the introduction to Isaiah.) 1. Seventh oracle in the second series of six oracles about Judah 1. The Song of the Vineyard (5:1–7) 2. First six oracles in the series of seven woes against Judah 1. Woe to you who add house to house (8–10) 2. Woe to those who rise early … to run after drinks (11–17) 3. Woe to the ones dragging iniquity with cords of falsehood (18–19) 4. Woe to those who call evil good (20) 5. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes (21) 6. Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine (22–23)3. First two oracles in the series about present and impending punishments 1. Yahweh will punish the people like a devouring flame (24–25) 2. A powerful foreign army will invade Judah (26–30)

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Wordplay[JB3.1]

As the Hebrew prophets did on many occasions, in this chapter Isaiah emphasizes a point by using words together that have very similar sounds. In verse 7, he says, “he waited for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, a cry.” The words translated as “justice” and “bloodshed” differ only in their last letter in Hebrew. Similarly, the words for “righteousness” and a “cry” differ in only one letter. It is often difficult to reproduce this kind of wordplay in another language, but if your language does have similar terms that you can use in these instances, it would be appropriate to do that in your translation. If not, you could show the emphasis in another way, such as by saying “only bloodshed” and “nothing but a cry.”